Textbook Romance

"Where the hell have you two been?" Craig questioned and Max and I climbed the stairs into the bus, looking like two crazy kids.

"Went and got some food," I said, "where have you been?"

Craig nodded and sat up on his ankles. "Same here. What do you have there?" he questioned, trying to peek into the girly bag that Max was still carrying for me.

"It's mine," I claimed. I reached out and pulled the bag from Max's hand, "And I'm going to start keeping it in my bunk so you sissies stop using it all up," I glowered, aiming my glare at Craig who was grinning.

"Come on, Ginny," he laughed, "That's all Max using that shit."

"I'm sure," I said sarcastically. I reached out and pushed him away from him as I moved past towards the bathroom to dump my new things in there.

"Thought you were hiding that girly shit in your bunk?" Monte asked with a playful grin and he walked past.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Max paid for it so he should at least be able to use it."

The boys poked fun at Max for the next half an hour. The five of us migrated towards the back room, the guys taking up on the couch while I spread out on the floor, my head on my hands.

"Lets watch a movie," I whined, turning to look at the guys as the four of them played another game. This time they had to shoot each other and other online gamers before they could win the game.

"Nev, be quiet," Max said, "I'm trying to hunt Robert."

I rolled my eyes. "Let me play," I demanded as I sat up. I crawled over to the couch and reached out for Max's wireless controller. He ripped the remote away as I tried to hit the large round button in the middle.

"No, Nev," he whined, not taking his eyes off of the TV, "Stop. You're going to get me killed."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You guys are so boring."

Craig reached out and kicked me softly as I tried to steal his remote from his hands. "Stop," he whined, drawing out the word, "Make Max give you his controller."

I groaned and let myself drop down to the floor. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling of the bus as they guys shoved and shouted at each other.

They played for another twenty minutes as I laid on the floor with my eyes closed tightly, trying to drown out the sounds of 'people' being slaughtered on the TV.

A few minutes later I felt a body lay down on top of me. When I opened my eyes Max's messy face was right in front of mine.

"What do you want?" I questioned.

Max leaned down and pushed his lips against mine. "Nothing," he said when we pulled apart.

I rolled my eyes. "Then why are you laying on me?" I reached up and braced my palms against his chest. I tried to push him off of my but he let his lanky body drop onto me completely, his full body weight laying on my as he buried his face in the crook of my neck.

I groaned and pushed again. "Will one of you help me?" I asked loudly, kicking my feet in the direction of the couch.

I heard the guys chuckle.

"No," Robert said simply, "You get yourself out of this. We're done saying you from Max."

I growled. "You're horrible friends."

Craig laughed. "Well, we were Max's friends first."

"You guys suck!" I shouted as they stepped over us to leave the room. Craig stuck his tongue out at me as he herded Monte and Robert out of the room. "I hate you!"

"Love you, too, Baby Doll," Craig laughed before he shut the door on us.

When he did, Max rolled over and laid next to me, his arm thrown over my waist.

"What is up with you?" I questioned.

Max rolled over on his stomach. "What do you mean?"

"You're just so..." I trailed off, using my hands to make a gesture that said I was unsure but frustrated. "You're so different from when I first met you. From when I first got into your music," I said, thinking back to the band from my past that came up with amazing music and pushed all their passion into their songs.

"I can't possibly be any worse than when you first met me," he said, remembering how horrible he acted to everyone.

I shook my head, my hair tangling as it rubbed against the floor. "You just seem so much older," I told him, thinking back to how tough he tried to seem in front of everyone, "More sure of yourself, you know?"

Max nodded slightly. "I don't feel so angry all the time," he murmured. He closed his eyes and tucked his arms under his head. "Everything is so much easier. I'm not worried about anything, really."

"You're not worried about getting more drugs."

"You're right," Max stated, "and it's because of you."

"That's not true. I haven't really done anything. I thought this whole process was going to be completely difficult but it wasn't... not for me anyway."

"It's not that hard."

I turned to look at him. "Stop lying," I murmured, "I know you're hiding a lot of it from me."

Max closed his eyes. "How do you know that?" he inquired.

"Because I hear you sometimes. When you climb out of bed and go into the bathroom or here just so I won't hear you when you're in pain. Plus, I knew when you tried to push me out of the bathroom that once." I rolled over onto my stomach and sat up on my elbows so that I could look down into his face. "You don't have to hide it from me," I said quietly, "I know you don't think I could handle it, but I can. I swear I can." I leaned over so that I was laying on his chest, my elbow on the other side of him, holding me up.

"It's not even like that, Ginevra," he murmured, "I don't want to wake people up."

I looked down at him. "You know these guys could sleep through the bus tipping over and then plummeting off a cliff."

"Well, I don't want to wake you up," he defended, moving his mossy gaze away from me.

"I can handle it," I said, "I told you I can help you, so why don't you let me?"

Max sighed and slid up so that he was sitting with his back against the stand that held the TV up. His shifting caused me to shift so that I was sitting directly in front of him, my knees pressed against his black clad ones.

"I don't hide it from you because I don't think you could handle it, Nev," he said, pushing his hair out of his face. "I try to keep it from you because I don't want any of you thinking bad of me. I don't need everyone thinking that I'm some fucking pansy who needs a girl to hold me every time I shake." He shook his head at the thoughts.

I didn't point out that he was afraid to be seen that way. I reached sighed and rested my head in my hands. I wanted to explain to him that we were his friends, that we cared about him and wouldn't care if he needed help. But I didn't, I just looked up to him and said, "No one would think that about you. You don't have to be tough, Max."

A little smile came onto Max's lips. "I know," he said with a knock, "But I am."

"A stoic," I said with a light chuckle, "Or at least you try to be."

Max shrugged his shoulders. "I have to let you help me sometimes."

I scoffed and shoved his shoulder, attempting to keep the smile off of my lips as he shoved me back, smiling too.

"You need a shower," I told him as I looked over the smeared make up that covered most of his face.

"I know," he said. He rolled his eyes and pushed himself up off of the floor. He reached his hand down to me.

As he pulled me up, he said, "Care to join me?" with a sly smirk on his lips.

"You wish," I replied, pushing him towards the door, "But you can use that new body wash so I can see what it smells like."

Max looked back to me just so I'd see him roll his eyes. "Whatever, Nev."

"Whatever, Max."

He was about to say something again as we walked down the small hallway past the bunks, but I shoved him through the bathroom. "Just go wash yourself."

Craig was slipping into his shoes as Max detoured into the bathroom. "Where are you going?" I asked as I sauntered over to him and the guys.

"One of the other bands are having a little party," he said as he slipped into his shoe, "You can come if you want. There's going to be drinks." He grinned secretly, like he knew that was what I wanted.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "I'll see what Max wants to do when he gets out," I replied, "What bus?"

"Alesana," Craig said, "Like four or five buses down." He motioned towards the front of the bus.

I nodded. "Sounds good. I'll have Max text you if we decide not to show."

Monte and Robert moved closer to the door anxiously. "We'll save you some booze," Monte told me with a grin.

"I'll hold you to that," I told him, jabbing my hands in my pockets with a smile on my face as the shower started up in the small bathroom.

"See you later," Craig and the guys called as they left the bus, leaving me alone.

I watched a movie in the back until Max emerged from the shower with dripping hair and smelling of Japanese Cherry Blossom. I grinned at him as he grabbed a pair of shorts and moved back to the bathroom to slide into them.

"You smell amazing," I breathed as he walked back to me.

"Thanks," he replied, "Where'd everyone go?"

"Alesana bus party, wanna go?" I questioned.

He groaned loudly and shoved his hair away from him. "Nev, come on. You could've told me about this before I started smelling like a fucking chick!"

I laughed loudly, realizing that he was right. "I'm so sorry," I said between my laughter, "I didn't know that the smell was going to be so strong!"

Max glowered at me from where he stood. "Well it is," he stated, not finding it funny at all. "And I'm not going to a bus with a bunch of guys smelling like you."

I shook my head and stood up from the couch. "Come on, I'll tell them that I sprayed you with my stuff before we left. They'll think I was just being a girl."

Max shook his head and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "No."

I pouted and moved to him to wrap my arms around his damp frame, his arms still crossed between us. "Come on, Max!" I whined, "I haven't been to a bus party or gotten to know any of the other bands besides you guys and ADTR!"

Max shook his head. "That's not my problem. Should've been somebody else's merchandise girl if you wanted to fraternize with the other guys."

I rolled my eyes and stepped away from him. "It's not like I had a choice, Maxwell. I would've loved to be Motionless in White's girl."

Max glared. "Shut up, Nev."

"I don't know," I said, "Ricky Olson is pretty attractive. May be the most attractive bassist on this whole tour."

"What the fuck, Nev," he exclaimed, "I'm way more attractive than Ricky!"

"Bullshit," I replied, "He has three lip rings and that perfect fucking smile," I ranted quietly, closing my eyes as I pictured the talented musician in my head. "I wonder if he's going to be at Alesana's! You can stay here if you want," I nodded as I went to my bunk, "I'm going to introduce myself to Ricky." I clambered into my bunk and rifled through what was left of my clean clothes.

I grabbed something attractive and clean before I climbed back down. Max stood there glaring at me in just his gray shorts. "You staying here?" I asked while I went to the bathroom.

I shut the door and took off my clothes so that I could change. I pulled on my black tank-top. There was an inverted gray cross on it that matched one of my favorite necklaces that I'd lost at the bottom of my bag. The jeans I pulled on were black too, but they showed more skin than not. They were shredded from my ankles to upper thighs, but the pieces of fabric that were once loose had been cross-weaved.

"Hey," I said as I marched out of the bathroom, "Isn't Ricky only 23?" I questioned, hurrying past Max towards his bunk so that I could steal a pair of his gray socks.

"Shut up, Nev," Max demanded, a bored expression on his face as I climbed into his bunk.

After I slipped the ankle socks on my feet, I hopped down and posed for Max. "How do I look?" I questioned. "I still have to fix my hair, but I love these pants."

Max rolled his eyes and followed me back to the living room. I turned on his powerful straightener and reached for his "Supreme Smooth" hair cream that would keep my hair from burning and frizzing, but also make it insanely straight.

"So we're sharing hair products now?" he asked begrudgingly, "This is new."

I looked at him incredulously. "No, it is," I said, "you've been using my hair stuff since I showed up."

"That's different," Max glowered, "this shit is expensive!"

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled at him through the mirror. "I need to look nice," I replied, "Can't go looking like a bum to meet Ricky Horror."

Max growled and rushed back towards the bunks. "Leave the straightener on!" he shouted.

I grinned secretly and started flat ironing my hair. I was amazed at how well Max's hair cream worked. My hair didn't become frizzy at the roots as I exposed it to intense heat that singed my skin when I finished each section. My normally wavy hair fell pin-straight down my back when I was done.

Max took my place, dressed in dark black pants, and a sleeveless shirt that exposed his side. He wore a leather jacket over it though, covering up his bare arms. The jacket had buttons up the front and a style that told me I'd be "borrowing" it soon.

I did my makeup dark, like usual, and waited for Max to do his. He didn't consider it thick since he did it way heavier for his shows, but his eyes were rimmed with thick bands of red that made the hazy green seem brighter than ever.

"You ready?" Max asked. He waited until I nodded and then went to get his shoes.

I got mine too and tied them up tightly, smiling at the look of the flat black kicks on my feet.

Max wrapped his arm around my waist. "You look good," he said protectively.

"All for you," I said with a laugh.

"That's right," he nodded seriously.

I took his hand in mine before we left the bus, making sure the door was closed tightly before we walked off towards the Alesana bus.