Watch You Take The Fall

At least flying state-to-state you don’t get the crippling effects of jet lag. I rolled out of the spare bed in Flyziks house the day after we landed in Baltimore, and headed down to the kitchen. I had no idea what time it was, but it was too early, I knew that at least.
“Morning.” I grunted at a dishevelled looking Flyzik at the kitchen table. He was hunched over a mountain of paperwork, a sheet saying “ALL TIME LOW – AUTUMN UK TOUR” was shouting at me from the top of the precariously balanced heap.
“You want anything for breakfast?” He asked, managing to drag his attention from it long enough to offer me food.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll grab it. We have work to do today then?”
“Well, uh, I have it covered, it’s fine.” He refused to make eye contact, leading me to think that something was up.
“No, I’ll help. It’s my job too, remember?”
“Are you sure? I mean, is there not something you’d rather be doing? I’m sure someone’d be happy to show you around Baltimore today if you want.”
“No, no, I’ll help.” I assured him, narrowing my eyes at him slightly as I turned to add milk to my cereal. I hopped up onto the counter and began to slowly eat. Each mouthful was a chore as I felt my mood sink into sadness and guilt. It had only been a week, yet here I was. A different state, not even shedding a tear for the brother that I had left behind in Danville. This was all wrong.
“I’ll go get dressed, and then I’ll come and help you.” I whispered, the loudest my voice would come out. Flyzik nodded at me, eyes clouded with concern. I didn’t want to see it. I stalked up the stairs and back into the sparsely decorated room I was staying in. Without really caring what I was choosing, I pulled random clothes from my suitcase and trudged into the bathroom next to the bedroom. I showered quickly, attempting to wash my thoughts away with the water. It didn’t help. I dressed myself and threw my hair into a plait down one side of my neck. My hair was getting too long. I hadn’t cut it since a month or so before Warped, and the split ends were rampant. Giving myself a once over in the mirror, I decided I’d do. Nothing special, no beauty. No, I’d just about do. I headed down the stairs again and slid into a chair opposite my collegue, temporary roommate and friend who hadn’t moved since I was last down here. He was still hunched over the folders and reams of paper, pen poised in one hand and the other wrapped tightly around his phone, obviously expecting it to ring soon.
“Where do I start?”
*
It’s difficult to fathom the amount of organising and paperwork that goes into pulling a country-wide tour off. At five o’clock that evening, we had just about sifted through a third of the preliminary work that needed doing. The figures and numbers, not to mention times and dates were all that filled my head, temporarily muting the roaring guilt and sadness that all but consumed me. It was with a head full of organising that I set out to buy groceries. Matt hadn’t re-stocked his fridge in what he described to be forever, and there was virtually nothing to eat. I’d been sent out with specific directions, not that they meant anything to me. I’d forgotten them by the time I was out of the door, and had spent twenty minutes already aimlessly wandering along the relatively calm streets.
Eventually, I stumbled across a Wallmart on the corner of a street. I had no idea if this was where I was instructed to go, but I shrugged and headed in anyway. I reached into my pocket and produced a short list of the bare necessities needed.
“Milk, Eggs, Popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, Noodles, Chips, Pizza, Pasta, Bacon, whatever crap you want, Beer.” I sighed loudly seeing the last item on the list, I still wasn’t legal to buy alcohol in America, and clearly this had slipped Flyzik’s mind when he threw the list at me and pushed me out of his house, telling me he’d finish up the work that had to be done. Still, I set off on my adventure around the shop, throwing items carelessly into the basket I carried on my arm. I had no idea what half the things were, brand names were different and it confused the living shit out of me. Finally, though, I managed to find the things needed and I headed to pay. I turned Flyzik’s plastic credit card around in my fingers. He had forced it upon me, despite my protests to let me pay. He had already paid for part of my plane ticket, was putting me up in his house until further notice, and now was paying for the food that we’d be eating. I was overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity, it had been forever since someone had been that willing to put themselves on the line for me.
*
I strolled back along the quiet streets again, this time weighed down by the bags I hauled along with me. I took my time, fairly confident that I knew the way back again. I stopped occasionally to peer into shop windows, laughing at the stupid prices and sometimes making a mental note to go back later. My head was constantly turned to the right to look into windows and down streets that branched off from the one I was ambling along. All of a sudden, a red and white striped building caught my attention, stopping my eyes from skipping from the shop front to the next one along. Milne Realtors and Estate Agents. My bags were lightly placed on the ground either side of me as I stared intently at the display of flats and houses offered. Some were too big, some were too small. Some were in places I’d never even heard of, some were near where I was staying with Matt. Some had too many bedrooms, some had too little. Some were massively too expensive, the majority in fact. More money than I had. My flat at home would bring in a fair bit of money but not enough so that I could buy a new flat and furnish it over here. I needed everything I earned on the upcoming tour, every last bit of it.
The amount of houses and flats for sale was staggering. The reality hit me like a load of bricks and a few elephants. In just a few months, I would be having to search for a new place to live, in a completely new country. I was a stranger here. The only reason I felt slightly comfortable was because of the security provided by knowing that my friends were only a few minutes away, and perhaps I wasn’t as clueless as some others. It’s not as though I was utterly new the America, I had at least, visited a large amount of it. Still, the fact that I was being thrown head first into something so huge was terrifying.