My Understandings

As soon as I stepped on the bus, the scene that greeted my eyes surprised me. All four of the members of Avenged Sevenfold were sitting across from one another, beer in hand, laughing about something one of them had said. I felt at ease now, as Arin went to the refrigerator, grabbing the two of us a beer and sat next to Brian. I sat across from him, next to Johnny, as they barely noticed us and continued with their conversation. "It wasn't even fucking real." Matt said, and I looked over to him. He was already smiling. "Dude was like… hallucinating, talking about a magic fucking squirrel or something." He said, already starting to laugh. "Started running around the buses, chasing this magic squirrel!" he said, and began to laugh. The guys laughed with him, and then they finally looked over to Arin and me.
"So is this the girl we've been hearing about?" Brian said, raising his brows at me as he took a swig of beer. I looked over to Arin, mimicking Brian's face. He was blushing, red as a tomato by the time I looked at him. He shoved Brian into the arm of the couch they were sitting on, nearly spilling his beer. They all laughed at Brian's overreaction and Arin's face. I laughed with them, taking a few gulps of my own beer, basking in the moment that was my life.

Arin and I were alone in the back lounge as the rest of the guys went for their respective buses, or going to sleep. A movie was playing on the television in front of us, but I hadn't noticed it. My mind was going a thousand miles a minute, not paying any attention to what was playing in front of me. I shivered on the cold leather, and Arin had noticed, not sitting far from me. "You cold?" he asked and I shrugged. He got up immediately, and left me in the back room. I looked around, seeing another Xbox, a few games, guitars lying across from us, and laptops put away. Before I could even contemplate anything, Arin was back, a blanket in his hands. He smiled, holding it up for me, and I reached for it. He stopped, barely out of reach, and sat next to me. "Don't think I'd just get one for you, did I?" he said and I smiled at him, shaking my head. He put the blanket over the two of us, putting his arm around me, and I curled in his embrace. I sighed, stretching out on the massive leather couch, and closing my eyes.

I awoke to the bus moving, unaware to where I was or what I was doing. I noticed the TV was still on, and I was laying on someone. I looked behind me to see the one and only Arin Ilejay. He was sleeping, his tuft of brown and blonde hair pushed away from his face, with an arm around me. The first thing I did, without waking Arin, was check my phone. Numerous texts and calls were missed till now, everyone wondering where I was and why I hadn't checked back for bus call. I had assumed someone had found my whereabouts, because I was still here, sleeping on the leather couch in the back of Avenged Sevenfold's bus with Arin. I responded to Kristie only, letting her know I was okay and who I was with. She knew where I'd be, and I knew she would tell the rest that I was okay. I sighed as I pocketed my phone, looking back up to Arin. His face was serene, a little smile playing at his lips as he slept, and I smiled to myself. As I curled up next to him, I tried not to think about how lucky I had become in just a few short weeks.

"So, you just spent the night with Arin when we all worried about you?" Kristie said in whispers once I had finally made my way back to the bus.
"I swear to Jesus, if you don't shut up, I'm going to murder you." I threatened her and she scoffed. She got up, motioning for me to follow her, and went into the back lounge, closing the door as the rest of them slept. "I didn't spend the night with him." I told her and she crossed her arms, raising her brows at me. "We were watching a movie and fell asleep." I said, her glare turning more and more into an accusation by the second. "Don't believe me, I don't give a shit." I said, going to stand up. She huffed, uncrossing her arms, and I sat back down.
"I figured." She said and I glared at her. "Trying to get a ruse out of you and I did." She smiled at me and I just groaned.
"Don't say a word." I told her, and she raised her hands in surrender.
"Wasn't planning on it." She said and I glared. She smiled at me, lounging back on the couch.
"I'm going back to sleep." I told her, and her smile just grew.
"Didn't get much of it last night then, huh?" she taunted. I shook my head, throwing a pillow at her, and leaving the room.

As I walked throughout the venue, hardly paying any attention to anything around me, I felt an arm grab my around my shoulders. I looked up, seeing someone I hadn't expected to see there. "Jorel?" I said in surprise and he smiled down at me, leaving his arm around me.
"Who else?" he asked me, and I said nothing, secretly hoping for someone else. He smiled at me anyway.
"What are you doing out?" I asked him. The first band had ended, and he was soon to go on. Fans were crawling all over the place, seeping through the cracks. I was surprised no one had noticed him.
"I wanted to come and say hi." He said and shrugged. I nodded, not believing him, and looking down to my phone. Kristie was the only one who ever talked to me anymore, and was wondering where I was. I texted her back, telling her of my new found friend. "Who you talking to?" he asked, trying to peer over my shoulder and read what was on my phone. I scoffed, pocketing it immediately.
"Kristie, who else?" I said with a smile, looking up to him. He was looking beyond us, towards whatever was ahead. He stopped me in the middle of the crowd of walkers, hugging me fiercely. I hugged him back, utterly confused by his motives. He held me for longer then I had anticipated, and when I tried to get him off of me, he wouldn't budge. After a few minutes, he finally let me go, holding me at arms length. "What was that?" I asked him and he let go of me, letting walk on my own.
"Oh, nothing, just felt like a hug." He said, still peering beyond us. I said nothing, letting it go, trying to find what he was staring at.

The night had ended, the last of the fans being ushered out by security as we took down the merchandise. I was done before Kristie was, and waited for her. "You excited for something?" she asked as she finished and I shrugged. It wasn't like I was expecting anything to happen tonight, I hadn't heard a word from Arin, much less anyone else. "So, George and I are hanging out tonight." She said, a smile appearing on her face as we began to carry our boxes back to the equipment van. Security was walking in every direction, making sure Kristie and I had our passes, trying not to run into us.
"Where?" I asked her as we walked out of the loading dock and into the cool air. She waited till we reached the open equipment van before she said anything.
"Out to some bar, I don't know." She said and waved her hand in the air, indicating that she could really care less. It was George, he could've taken her to hell and back and she'd be happy.
"When?" I asked, wondering how much time I'd have to kill before they'd be back.
"As soon as we're done." She said with a smile, as we began to walk back into the venue for the rest of what we left behind.

I was lying in my bunk, trying to read, but to no avail. I was utterly, and completely bored. Dylan, Danny, George, and Kristie were all gone for the night, hitting up bars down the strip of wherever we were while Jordon, Jorel, and I decided to stay back. I opened up the curtain to my bunk, peering down the hall of the bus. Jordon was sleeping already, I could hear his soft snoring coming from across, but Jorel was nowhere to be seen. I scrambled out of my bunk, on the lookout for him, but after checking the front and back, then finally his bunk, I couldn't find Jorel. He must've left too, because apparently, Jordon and I weren't enough entertainment for him.

After hearing nothing from Arin, Jorel, or Kristie, I decided I'd at least try and sleep. It wasn't even two in the morning by the time I laid down, when I had usually gone to sleep by four every night. My mind went a mile a minute, wondering where Jorel had gone, wondering why Arin hadn't spoken to me all day. By the time my mind had calmed, I was half asleep, drifting off into my perfect state of mind.

My eyes shot open as I heard people yelling as they came onto the bus. I lay there, closing my eyes again, trying to fall back asleep, but there was nothing but ruckus coming from outside my safe haven. I groaned, lying on my back, waiting for them to stop. I could hear Kristie's slur, mixed with George's laugh, and Dylan's obnoxiously loud voice. I opened the curtain to my bunk, wanting to yell at them, but before I could say a word, they all started yelling as soon as they saw my face. I tried to close my curtain, but they had already seen me. Someone was wrenching it open before I could even close it. I let them, about to yell in their face, but stopped. It was Jorel, trying to wrench open my curtain. "Fuck you!" I exclaimed, angry that he had left the bus for bigger and better things… like drinking and chasing tail. He let go of the curtain, letting me close it, and I waited. I had my arms crossed while I lay there, being childish. I opened the curtain, and Jorel was still there, sitting and waiting for me. "What do you want?" I asked him, noticing the rest of the drunken herd had moved onto something more entertaining.
"I'm drunk." He said, peering into my bunk, putting his hands on the edge, about to jump in with me. I pushed him away, and he swayed on his knees.
"No, I don't care. No." I protested, but he hoisted himself up anyway, trying once again to climb into my bunk. I pushed him away and he fell backwards. Everyone out in the front of the bus started to laugh.
"Stop being a bitch and let me in." he said and I huffed.
"Fuck no, not after you call me a bitch. Go to sleep Jorel." I said, closing my curtain against him. I could hear his huff of defeat after I rolled on my side, grabbing my ipod, trying to drown out the world.