Girls Do What They Want

Carter's POV
Three more days until The Maine's California show. Two more shows. I could do this, right? I could tolerate John for three more days... hopefully.
"Hey Carter, whatcha doin'?" Pat asked as he sat down next to me.
Today was an off day and we were driving to Texas for the entire day. Everybody was tired and didn't want to do anything, so an off day seemed approriate.
"Checking my email." I replied, scrolling through the hundreds of emails.
"Do you really have to go?" Pat suddenly questioned, a pout on his face. "Just because John's a little... rude sometimes doesn't mean you have to go."
I sighed, closing my laptop. "Pat, I live in California and Fearless is located there. It just seems like the right thing to do. You guys have three shows in California, have a week at home, and then head to the UK. Touring just isn't for me. I love you, Garrett, Kennedy, and Jared but I can't stay on this tour anymore."
"But we're gonna miss you so much, Carter! You've made this the best tour ever!" Pat whined loudly.
"Maybe I'll come back when I can tolerate John a little more. But as for now, I have to leave, okay? Just enjoy the last three days with me here." I said, smiling. Pat sighed, nodding his head.
"Okay." He mumbled, heading off towards the bunk area. Pat was like a little kid to me. I was a year older than him and he felt like my little brother at times. In fact, they all felt like my brothers -- well except for John of course. He was like that one distant cousin that nobody really likes because he acts like he knows everything.
"I'm gonna miss you so much!" Garrett groaned as he sat down next to me.
I sighed. "Pat just tried to get me to stay so whatever you're going to say isn't gonna work. But I'm gonna miss you too, Gare-Bear."
"I was looking forward to having you come to the UK with us," Garrett continued. "It would've been a blast."
"Well this tour would've been 'a blast' if your singer wasn't such an asshole." I retorted, deleting emails in my inbox.
"C'mon Carter, can't you just see through that for a little while longer? You might lose your job..." Garrett tried, leaning his head on my shoulder.
"Garrett, I can't stay any longer. I'll come visit you guys in Arizona when I can and talk to you all as much as possible, but John has made it seemingly impossible for me to be happy. I'm sorry." I said, standing up and walking towards the back lounge. I needed some peace and quiet; somewhere where the guys weren't going to try to make me stay on tour with them.
I walked into the back lounge, awkwardly backing out when I saw John sitting there with his acoustic guitar in hand.
"Oh... um, sorry." I muttered, turning around.
"It's fine," He mumbled. "I was just finishing up. I'll be out of your way in a few seconds."
I bit my lip, re-entering the back lounge and sitting on the other side of lounge. I opened my laptop again, trying not to suffocate from the awkwardness in the tiny room.
"Uh... I'm really sorry. About... y'know, lying to you and shit. I say stupid crap when I'm angry... and you, um, kinda piss me off sometimes. But yeah... I'm, uh, sorry Carter. It sucks that you have to drop off the tour and all." John said, stumbling over his words as he rose from his seat.
I studied the lanky boy, absorbing his words. Sure it wasn't the most sincere apology but it was good enough for me to accept. Besides, I'd rather leave on a positive note with John than have him hate my guts when I went to visit the guys in Arizona.
"It's okay," I said quietly as John turned around, obviously in shock that I answered. "I wasn't exactly the nicest person to you. In a weird twisted way, I kinda deserved to be called a self-centered bitch."
"Well I don't really know you, Carter. Maybe you are a self-centered bitch and maybe you're not. I just wish I had gotten to know you better before you decided to drop off." John replied, biting his lip.
"There's really no changing my decision." I responded.
"I know," He said. "Do you think you'll ever manage again?"
"I don't really know, John. This was a weird experiance for me. I doubt that I'll end up keeping my job so maybe I'll just become a merch bitch." I joked.
"You're always welcome to be our merch bitch." John smirked.
"I was kidding."
"I wasn't."
I sighed. "We'll see. I guess if I call you, you'll know that I need a job."
John chuckled. "We'll be sure to keep a spot open for you, Carter."
"Thanks." I said quietly, offering a small smile to John. He smiled back.
"So... we friends?" John asked awkwardly, his hand glued to the back of his neck.
"As weird as it sounds... yeah. We're friends, John."
John smiled at me. "No more bitchiness?"
"As long as there's no more douchebag-iness." I replied, smirking. John laughed.
"Deal."
I giggled, making John smile slightly.
"Damn. Never thought I'd see the day you two became friends." Kennedy said, leaning against the wall.
"Neither did I." John agreed, making me roll my eyes.
"We're gonna miss you, Car." Kennedy told me, his brown eyes burning into mine.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Kenny."
~~
The past three days had gone by way too fast. Today was my last day on tour and I had to call my boss today -- something I had been avoiding for all too long.
I sighed, taking out my iPhone and slowly dialing his number. I sat in the front lounge, gnawing on my lip nervously.
"Hello?" Mr. Geller greeted in a professional tone. I swallowed.
"Hello Mr. Geller. It's me, Carter Wilson." I greeted back, nervousness bubbling in my stomach.
"Oh, hello there, Carter. How's tour going?" He asked, making me even more nervous.
"Um... about that, Mr. Geller. Tour really isn't the place for me. I don't belong here... and I'm... I'm, uh, dropping off the tour." I said, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.
"That's simply not an option, Carter. You can't drop off the tour. If you do, you'll lose your job. It's not your decision to make." Mr. Geller replied in a harsh tone.
I swallowed. "I guess I'm losing my job then."
"Carter Wilson, you're making the biggest mistake of your life!" Mr. Geller exclaimed into the phone.
"I'm sorry." I whispered, pressing the "end" button, a huge sigh coming out of my mouth.
"Did you do it?" John asked curiously, walking into the front lounge.
I nodded. "Yup."
"What'd your boss say?"
I knew that if I told the truth, they would insist on me coming to the UK with them and being their merch bitch.
"He was totally cool with it, surprisingly enough," I lied, faking a smile. "I go back to work tomorrow."
"Really? That's awesome, Car!" John grinned.
"I know," I smiled. "I'm so happy he's okay with it." It killed me to lie to John, but I couldn't stay on this tour anymore. It was impossible.
"What happened?" Kennedy asked, walking into the room.
"Carter's boss is letting her come back to Fearless without a problem." John announced as the rest of the boys followed in.
"Oh." Pat said, smiling sadly.
"We're gonna miss you, Car. I hope you know that." Garrett said.
I nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, guys."
"It's okay," Jared jumped into the conversation. "As long as you're happy, we're happy. Right guys?"
"Right." The boys echoed. I smiled, the guilt eating me away. The fact that they were so caring absolutely killed me.
I had to do it. I didn't exactly know why -- maybe it was because I couldn't take John anymore, and that I knew he would eventually go back to his own ways. Or maybe it was something else, something I wasn't quite aware of yet....