Textbook Romance

The next day came quickly and I was the first one awake on the bus. I climbed down slowly and quietly after checking the time. I went to bathroom and brushed my teeth, hair, and washed my face.

Using the same brush from last night I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and then ventured to the couch in the front to watch TV until one of the guys got up to keep me company.

"Morning, Ginny."

I turned and looked as Monte came wandering out from the bunks with his white hair a mess on his head.

"Morning," I murmured, smiling up at him as he made his way towards the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee.

"You want some?" he asked as he turned on the coffee maker.

I shook my head. "No thanks."

Monte grabbed a cup when it was done and climbed onto the couch next to me. "What are you doing up so early?"

I shrugged and played with the end of my hair. "I went to bed earlier than you guys. I wasn't as tired."

"True," Monte said with a little smile, "You should've stayed up and hung out with us. I kicked Max's ass on Guitar Hero."

"Sounds like fun," I said with a laugh, "I was tired though." I stretched my arms out over my head and felt the dull ache in my shoulders and lower back, "And sore," I added.

Monte chuckled as he sipped his coffee. "That's what happens when you're working."

I rolled my eyes at him. "And you would know that how? You play music for a living. That's hardly work, Bryan."

Bryan laughed and nodded his head. "I know, but I had side jobs when I was your age."

"Wow, you make me feel young," I said as I ran my hand over my hair.

"You make us all feel old, Ginny," he claimed, running his fingers through his own wild hair.

"You guys aren't that old," I said nicely, watching as he smiled and rolled his eyes at my politeness.

"I feel old," he confessed.

"You're how old?" I asked, knowing the general age but not sure of the exact number.

Monte said, "25."

I laughed and tossed my head back. "My boyfriend is your age. So stop calling yourself old because it makes me feel like I'm dating an old guy," I claimed while patting his shoulder.

Monte just nodded once and gave me a look that I couldn't quite decipher before the two of us continued to watch TV silently.

It took about two before the guys were up and Monte had rounded them up and had them getting dressed to go out and walk around with us. As Craig got dressed in the back room Robert got ready in the bathroom. Max came wandering out from the bunks and curled up on the spot next to me on the couch.

His hair was sticking out at odd angles and his eyes were closed tightly. I reached over and touched his shoulder, causing his eyes to open and look to me.

"How you feeling?" I questioned quietly, watching as he shrugged and closed his eyes again. I sighed and shook his shoulder. "Max."

"What?" he croaked as he lifted his head to look at me.

"Are you just tired?" I asked as I reached over to brush my thumb over his black eye.

"A little stiff," he said, and I wasn't sure if that was from lack of drugs or not.

I questioned, "Are you going to go walking around with the guys and I?"

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know," I told him, "Just going sight seeing and stuff."

Max shrugged and I sighed, wondering why he wasn't his usual self. Even though it was morning I didn't think it was like him to answer with few words and sit quietly and reserved.

He got up from the couch and stretched before heading back towards the bunk area. "I think I'll just hang out here," he said as he pushed his hair into knots on his head.

I watched as he climbed up into his bunk and disappeared from my sight, leaving me confused and slightly shocked as the rest of the guys ended back up in front of me. Since we were all dressed the guys called out to Max and told him that we were leaving before the four of us slipped off of the bus and stood in the lot of the next venue.

"Shit," Craig cursed as he patted down his pants pockets. "I forgot my wallet," he said with a crooked grin as he rolled his eye at himself and turned to bound back up the steps and onto the bus.

He emerged a few minutes later and threw his arm over my shoulder before leading me away with the guys on either side of us. The guys pointed out things to me as we walked and I grinned as they talked about a lot of the places they'd been to before in other cities.

"Lets go in here," Robert said as he nodded to a museum.

I grinned and followed them as we entered the quiet place. It was an art museum and on every wall there was another piece of wacky art that made you wonder what it could be. There were statues that made no sense, and podiums with gadgets sitting on them that had no use in the world. But the things in the building were creative and I couldn't imagine being able to create something that hadn't been created before, no matter how useless it seemed.

We stayed in there for a little bit before moving down the street and into other places. We went inside buildings, messed around, and just had fun. When we walked past an old-time ice cream shop I squealed, causing the guys to look at me oddly as I started walking towards the door of the cow themed shop.

"Oh come on, you guys," I said while I rolled my eyes, "We've got to eat some. It's going to be so good."

The guys rolled their eyes but followed me into the shop. I walked up to the little counter and smiled at the older woman who was working there. "Hi," I greeted as I leaned against the counter and looked up at the menu that was hanging behind her.

"Hello," she said with a smile, "What can I get you lot?"

"Uhm," I trailed off, "I'd like chocolate chip cookie dough on a sugar cone please," I told her and then stood back so the guys could order their own flavors.

The woman made our cones by hand and told us to stay as long as we wanted. I thanked her and moved over to a large booth in the middle ice cream shop to sit down.

"You were right," Monte said, "This is amazing ice cream."

"I told you so," I chortled, watching as the other two nodded their heads. "Max is missing out," I said honestly as I bite into a chunk of cookie dough and almost moaned at the taste.

"I'm surprised he didn't come," Craig said next to me, "He basically skipped practice to hang out with you yesterday." The guys laughed as I blushed and shook my head.

"I told him to go. That wasn't my fault!" I claimed, pressing my palm against the top of the linoleum table.

The guys laughed again and I sighed when they nodded their heads too. "We know," Craig said between his chuckles. "Max is an idiot and gets distracted by pretty girls too easily."

I laughed and nodded my head as the guys talked about the show tonight and how crazy it was the last time they had played here.

Craig mentioned that the last time they played this venue they found a go-kart track around here somewhere. Robert and Bryan started telling stories about how they got kicked off the track for ramming the go-karts together and then how Max ended up flipping his when he looked behind him to see where the rest of his band mates had gotten to.

"We should go find that fucking place," Craig shouted, causing me to slap his arm and turn towards the counter to apologize to the owner of the ice cream shop.

"It's okay, dear," she said with a laugh, "My husband was the same way when we were young."

I offered her a smile before turning back to the guys who hadn't even noticed our little exchange as they talked about how to find the track once again. I groaned when I realized that they'd be dragging me there with them.

Craig claimed he had to pee before we left and he took off towards the men's bathroom as I pulled out my wallet and left a nice tip on the table, even though I knew that wasn't protocol in a little place like this.

Craig came out a few minutes later and lead all of us out of the place. He and the guys walked in front of me as they tried to remember how to find the go-kart place. I trailed behind them, wrapped in my thoughts.

"Wasn't it that way?" Robert questioned, confused, as he pointed down one of the streets to our left.

Craig shrugged with a grin. "Sure, lets go that way."

I laughed and shook my head at them. I followed after them anyways, knowing I didn't have where better to be until later. After about an hour of searching the streets surrounding the venue we walked up to the gate of an out door go-kart track.

"Finally," I said jokingly as I walked through the gate, looking back over my shoulder as I laughed at the guys who argued over where it "used" to be located. "I'm sure," I said sarcastically as I nodded my head.

Craig stuck his tongue out at me. "It was down that other street that last time we were here."

I played along and nodded my head as Monte and Robert agreed with him. "Well at least we're he-"

"What the fuck took you assholes so long?"

I looked up and over to the line of a few people who were waiting for their turns on the vehicles. "What's he doing here?" I asked with a smile on my face.

Craig shrugged and smiled back at me as we moved to the right to meet up with Max. "I texted him and told him to get his ass down here when I went to pee at the ice cream place."

When we walked up to Max I stood next to him and asked, "I thought you were going to lay around on the bus?"

Craig laughed loudly and punched Max lightly. "I told him to get his ass up and stop moping around the bus."

Max licked his lips and look to me. He shrugged lightly as my only reply before the guys jumped on him and asked him how he'd gotten there so soon. He just smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"GPS," he said with a smile.

"You fucker," Robert growled as he pulled out his own phone and held it up, showing that he too had GPS on it.

Craig rolled his eyes and punched Max in the stomach, causing him to bend over and hold his waist. "Thanks for telling us, asshole," Craig growled, folding his arms over his chest as Max glared up at him.

I couldn't help but just laugh and shake my head at them. They were crazy but they kept everything interesting.