French Vanilla

“That show was fantastic!” Oli yelled, jumping off the couch. We had walked back to the bus for some air-conditioning and relaxation before their signing. Right now, we were watching Steve Wilkos on the TV in the back. “I feel like I’m so hypah or somefin.”

Lee laughed, shoving his shoulder. “No more Monstah fo’ yeh, Olleh. Yeh’re goin’ teh keep meh up all nigh’!”

My ears perked up at the sound of the oh-so-familiar energy drink. “Monster? Where?” I yelled jumping up. I cannot stress my love for this energy drink. Oli smirked, reaching into the fridge grabbing two Monster Imports and tossing one to me. “’Ere yeh go, love.”

I took it gratefully, opening it and taking a deep sip. Jona laughed, “I fink she’s more addicted than you, Oli!”

“Shush!” I yelled, taking another sip. I looked down the small hallway at Tom. He was sitting in the kitchen area, passed the bunks, and he had his eyes glued onto his camera’s screen. “Can I see?” I asked, walking up to him. He smiled and moved over in his seat, allowing me to sit next to him.

I sat down and leaned my head on his shoulder, you know, to see the pictures better. “Yeh realleh seem teh like the pictuhs.”

I nodded my head, watching as he flipped through them. “I absolutely love your photography.”

He wrinkled his brow and looked at me. “Yeh know my photography?”

I took my head off his shoulder and looked into his beautiful blue orbs. “Of course I do! That’s how I recognized you at work!”

“I juss thought that yeh were into meh brothah’s band.” He looked absolutely astonished, a smile creeping onto his face.

“Well, yeah I am.” I smiled, moving a stray piece of hair from my face. “But your photography is absolutely fantastic! I look at it online all the time, not to sound creepy or anything.” I laughed and fiddled with a string hanging off my jeans, slightly embarrassed.

“Realleh?” He asked, still looking flabbergasted.

I threw my head back against the seat, looking defeated. “Yes for the hundredth time! Broken Photography. It’s great.”

He grinned, “yeh even know the name of it!”

“Of course I do!” We both laughed at my frustration. “I said I was a fan! Jeez! Get that through your head, mister!” I knocked on his head with my hand and he swatted it away. “Oi! Quit it!”

Oli came into the room, quickly being followed my Vegan, Matt, Jona, and Lee. “So cute!” Oli cooed, patting Tom’s head.

“Sod off, Olleh!” Tom swatted his hands away, much like he did to mine.

Oli just laughed and kept walking. “We’re ‘eading to the signing. Are yeh comin’?”

“Be there in a bit!” Tom yelled to him as they all walked out the door. “Are yeh goin’ the come?” He asked me, flipping through a few more photos.

“Yeah, that’d be cool. I also figured that saying no would mean me staying on your bus. And that’s just creepy.”

He laughed, dropping the camera strap across his neck. “Creepy? Our bus?”

“No, silly! Having someone you barely have known stay on the bus while everyone is out.”

“Yeh’re right.” He said, “I don’t usually do tha’ unless I know their name.”

I smirked at him, “nope. I’m not telling.”

“Why not!” He groaned, stepping off the bus with me following at his foot.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. “’Cause I make boys work for what they want.”

He laughed, “well it mus’ take ages fo’ yeh teh even go on a date or ge’ a boyfren’.”

“Well, I haven’t found someone to deal with me yet, so oh well.”

“Deal wiff yeh? Yeh makin’ yehself sound ‘orrid.”

I smiled up at him as we passed the familiar gate again, having the same girls glare at me. “Maybe I am!”

We made it to the merchandise table where the guys already started doing the signing. “Look, it’s Tom Sykes!” His head shot up, wide eyed. A bunch of girls from the line were screaming and calling him over.

He waved politely before climbing under the shade of the Bring Me The Horizon and Drop Dead tent. I followed him and sat on the floor. His one eyebrow rose, “why are yeh sittin’ on the ground like that fo’?”

“Cause I like the ground.” I smiled up at him and fiddled with a pebble next to me.

“TOM SYKES, I LOVE YOU!” One of the people from the line yelled again, and he groaned. “I realleh ‘ate people sometimes.” Tom sat down next to me on the ground, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Why? They’re your fans!”

“Not at all. I’ve been through this a ‘undred times before. They love meh and ‘ang out wiff meh teh try teh get teh meh brothah. Propa annoyin’ it is.”

I nodded my head. I could understand that. “Why’d you give me a pass, then?”

“Hmm?”

“You said on the bus you thought I recognized you because of your brother.” I put down the rock and looked up at him. “Why’d you give me the pass to come if you thought that I would be like that?”

He shook his head and sighed. “I neva’ said I thought yeh were like that. Yeh juss seemed different than all the otha’ crazy people I see. Juss figured yeh’d be brill to ‘ang wiff I guess.”

I smiled up at him, “well am I fun? Did I fulfill your hopes and dreams and expectations of me, mister Sykes?”

“Yeh’re alrigh’.”

I scoffed, “just alright? Thaaaaaanks.” I said sarcastically.

He laughed, “juss kiddin’. Yeh’re propa fun teh be wiff so far. I do wish I knew yeh name though.”

I grinned, “I might tell you eventually. Maybe not. I haven’t decided.”

“Oi!” He laid back. “I give up!”

I laughed and laid back on to the ground, looking at the merch hanging on the walls of the tent. “I like that one!” I pointed to a Drop Dead shirt with a panda on it. “I love pandas.”

Tom got up and reached into a box, handing me the shirt. “’Ere yeh go.”

“What? No way! I can’t take this from you!” I threw the shirt at him and he frowned.

“Why not? I’m not diseased yeh know.”

Oli turned around from the table he was signing at and scoffed. “Yeh ain’t diseased? Then what the ‘ell ‘appened to yeh brain?” He laughed and turned around as Tom gave him the finger.

“I feel bad!”

“Don’t be silly, love. Take the damn shirt.” I smiled as he handed it to me again. I slid it over my current shirt and maneuvered the Enter Shikari tank top off my body, pulling it down and setting it on the ground next to me. Tom looked astonished. “’Ow the bloody ‘ell did yeh do that?”

I laughed, “what, change my shirt?” He nodded and I shrugged. “I played soccer for years. Learning how to change your uniform shirt without getting naked is a good skill to learn unless you want boys ogling at you all the time.” He nodded again and sat down next to me.

“That’s understandable, ‘specially when yeh’re so pretteh like yehself.”

I smiled and looked down, my cheeks flushing to a light pink. He was cute and corny, I’d give him that much.

After about an hour, the band decided they were tired of signing stuff and said goodbye to the fans. Tom and I followed the band back to the air-conditioned bus. It was starting to get late now, and a lot of the tents were packing up for the night. Bands were driving away to their home states and Warped Tour 2011 was drawing to a close.

I looked at Tom as the band climbed onto the bus. “Tommy, I have to get going.”

He looked sad, but gently grabbed my forearm. “I’ll walk yeh to yeh car.”

“That’s like across the entire park, silly. You don’t have to do that!”

He shook his head, “don’t ‘ave to, want to though.” I smiled as we headed for the parking lot, his hand remaining on my forearm. “Top five bands?” He asked out of nowhere.

“Uhh…” I paused for a second, “The Used, Silverstein, A Day To Remember, Emmure, and As Blood Runs Black.”

He tilted his head and chuckled. “That’s an interestin’ mix of music.”

“I’m a weird kid.”

He nodded, “That yeh are.”

“Favorite animal?”

“Kittehs,” he said without hesitation. “I love cats.”

I grinned up at him, “Me too!”

He smiled down at me. As we drew closer to the parking lot, our pace slowed down. We were almost dragging our feet. “Where’s yeh car?” He asked, looking around.

“That one,” I pointed to the open space where only a few cars remained.

“The little beetle?” He asked, chuckling.

“Nope. The jeep.”

His eyes followed my fingers and widened slightly. “Yeh drive a 2011 Jeep Black Ops edition wiff lifted tires and tinted windows?” I nodded, and he stared at me astonished. “Yeh’re way cooler than I thought yeh were.”

I shoved him playfully as we reached the car. “Shut up!”

He looked to me and the car again. “Do yeh need a step stool or somefin teh get inside?” I laughed and shoved him again. “Wha’? I was juss askin’! Yeh’re like five foot o’ somefin and the tires are at yeh waist!”

“Five foot and one inch!” I corrected.

He threw his hands up defensively, laughing, “oh, excuse me!”

“You’re not excused!” I stuck my tongue out, climbing into my car. I shut the door and rolled down the window. It felt good being taller than him. I looked down at him and he shaded his eyes from the setting sun glaring in his face.

“’Ow will I find yeh again if yeh won’t tell me yeh name?”

I smiled down at the boy, “if you want to find me, you will.”