All for You

“You suck.” My voice was monotonous, a single eyebrow cocked across my forehead as Andy watched, amused by me and my twin brother's bickering. She propped her feet up on my suitcase, chewing her lip incessantly. Alex mocked me, giggling as he held up my lucky bra, a white one with black hearts. Andy had already packed everything she needed. Meaning skinny jeans and t-shirts, and was waiting for an Alexander lecture. However, I needed my bra back first.

“Aw, poor Aria,” Alex teased, measuring the bra against his chest. “Do you think this will fit me?” He asked, before I snatched it out of his hand, rolling my chocolate brown eyes and stuffing it into my tan suitcase, before flopping on the couch next to Andy, who was shaking with fits of giggles. I was closer to Alex than to Andy, and perhaps that was because Andy was four years younger than I was, and still didn't understand the beauty of being legal. She was young, and she was a troublemaker. I still loved her though.

Alex flopped onto the couch across from us, staring at us with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. “So, Alex, aren't you going to lecture us on safe sex, or how to look as ugly as possible so your bandmates won't try to pick us up?” Andy asked, casually playing with her nails as if it was no big deal. I snorted. It was the first tour that we were allowed on, possibly because I begged my best friend, Matt, to let me and Andy tour. Besides, Andy needed a break from Maryland, to see that there's more to life than breaking and stealing stuff. Alex laughed.

“I just wanted to tell you guys to be careful, alright? No hitting on strangers, buddy system, and most importantly … just stick by me, okay? I won't let you get hurt,” Alex said sweetly, before looking at me. “Besides. I have extra condoms if you need them,” He teased, knowing full well sex wasn't my thing. It was another way me and Alex were on opposite ends of the twin spectrum. Everything about him basically screamed, “have sex with me!”, while I was the one who was still nervous about making out with guys. Getting drunk wasn't an issue. Making out? Yeah, maybe a little. I sighed, chewing my own glossed lips and leaning back into the couch, tucking my skinny jean clad knees to my chest and cocking yet another eyebrow. Alex sighed. “All kidding aside, I want to warn you guys. Tour changes people. Who you thought you knew at home may not be who you meet on tour, and who you thought you were may not be who you end up being,” Alex said, chewing his lip as he looked at Andy, who was only coming on tour because she had gotten arrested again, and Mom and Dad were sick of her. She smiled.

“It'll be okay, big brother,” Andy said, winking and standing. “Come on, I want to hang out with the guys before we have to head out,” Andy said, grabbing her own plain black suitcase and lugging it out towards Alex's truck, which he calmly unlocked from inside his house, watching me carefully.

“You think she'll be okay? I mean … she isn't legal,” Alex said nervously, looking at me carefully. He was so damn protective of me and Andy that it was almost verging on pure insanity. Sometimes it was cute though, like right now. He was scared his bandmates would try to sleep with her. I smiled, elbowing him lightly in the chest. “She'll be fine. We always are,” I said soothingly, grabbing my suitcase and backpack and lugging it towards Alex's car myself, calling shotgun before Andy could, leaving her stuck in the backseat. I grinned as Alex slid into his car, thinking he was the shit. I chuckled, turning the bass up in his car radio and practically blasting out Alex's band's new album, but only my current favorite song, which happened to be “The Beach” this week. Me and Andy sung along, laughing as we pulled into the parking lot where the bus was.

And as that big black bus came into sight, with all our friends standing around it and watching, I got a sinking feeling. Was I ready for this? To just burn every bridge I worked so hard to build, despite being the great partying and otherwise Alex Gaskarth's twin? Was I ready to take on the zero responsibility lifestyle, when for almost my whole life, responsibility was my entire life?

So, true to my motto's name, I laughed and said, “Screw it.” I slid out of Alex's car, laughing and smiling, ignoring that stupid ball in the pit of my stomach and turning to Andy, who was staring blissfully towards the crowd of people we loved, and who Andy had basically grown up with. I smiled wider. “You ready, Andy?” I whispered, and she laughed too, turning to face me with a devilish grin.

“Let's do this, sis,” She said, leaning her shoulder into me.