The Beach

I woke to someone placing a gentle kiss to my lips. My eyelids fluttered open, to find a pair of warm dark brown eyes looking at me through dark lashes. My best friend was standing in the aisle, having pulled my curtain back.
"Good morning," I whispered.
"Happy birthday," he smiled, kissing my cheek. I sat up in my bunk, letting my legs hang over the edge. June 30, 2012. I am fifteen today..
"What time is it?" I asked, pushing my bangs out of my face with my right hand. Izzy took my left hand and intertwined my fingers with his right, which felt a little funny with his scratchy blue cast touching my hand.
"It's eight. I woke you because Ash called, she's gonna be here in an hour," Izzy responded. I yawned sleepily and let my head fall so that it was resting on Izzy's left shoulder. He squeezed my hand. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent.
"Mmm," I murmured. "You smell good."
"What do I smell like?" He asked, turning slightly so that his cheek was pressed against my hair.Chocolate Axe. Green Apple Shampoo. And something else...something that can only be identified as him.
"Smell like Izzy," I answered.
"I hope that's a good thing..." Izzy muttered.
"Mmm," I said. "It is." I placed a soft kiss to his neck and pulled away, stretching my arms and yawning.
"Baby's already awake. I'm gonna leave you to get dressed and go make sure she didn't put her shirt on backwards again," said Izzy, walking to the back lounge and closing the door behind him. I jumped lightly from my bunk and grabbed some clothes from my duffel bag, which was in Cel's bunk. (Since she was so small, she had alot of extra room.) I walked to the bathroom and locked the door, stripping my clothes off, pulling the needle for my insulin pump out, and stepping into the shower.
Once I was done showering, I dressed in a black GK tee and pink shorts. I pushed the needle for my insulin pump into my stomach, not even flinching, made sure I left enough of the tubing loose under my shirt so that I could move, and put the insulin pump and in my pocket. I blow dryed my hair and opened the door, walking back to my bunk. I pulled out my little black jewlery box and grabbed my ring, my necklace, my ATL bracelet and two little heart shaped studs. I slipped my ring on my left ring finger and put the earrings and the bracelet on. I pulled out Cel's necklace, her ATL bracelet, and two tiny purple studs for her to wear.
I walked to the back lounge and found Celeste sitting on Isaac's lap, Izzy holding 'The Foot Book' in front of them. She was reading it to him. I smiled at the sight. Celeste was wearing a black Fck H8 t-shirt and a pink tutu with a matching headband. Izzy was wearing a gray GK t-shirt that read 'Break record's, not hearts,' and black GK skinny jeans, and can I just say, they looked VERY good on him.They both looked up at the sound of me entering and Izzy's eyes lit up when they met mine, making me smile.
"Happy birthday, Nessa!" My little sister said, jumping out of Izzy's lap and hugging my legs. I knelt down to her level and kissed her head.
"Thanks, baby," I said. I put her bracelet on her wrist and her earrings in her ears, spinning her around so I could clasp her necklace behind her. "There ya go," I said when I was done, ruffling her hair.
"Gonna go wake up Lexy," she said, running into the aisle, her Tinkerbell tennis shoes lighting up as she went, much to her delight. I held my necklace out to Izzy.
"Put it on for me?" I asked. He rolled his eyes, but obliged, coming up behind me, pushing my hair away from my neck, and clasping the necklace.
"There," he said, pulling my hair back behind me, and wrapping his arms around my waist. "How's your blood sugar doing?" I pulled my insulin pump/glucose monitor out of my pocket.
"I'm good," I said, grinning. I turned around so that I was pressed against Izzy's chest and put my arms around his neck. Izzy wasted no time in pressing his lips to mine. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip and I granted him entrance. His tongue wrestled mine in a battle for dominance, which he, of course, won. Without breaking the kiss, I walked him to the couch and pushed his shoulders so he'd sit down. He pulled me down with him, and I obliged, straddling his waist. I tangled my fingers in his dark locks. His hands moved from my waist to my hips, slowly, testing the waters. Trying to see if I'll stop him. When I didn't stop him, he squeezed my ass, making me shriek. He smirked into the kiss. Asshole. I tugged on his hair, hard, causing him to growl at the back of his throat. I broke the kiss and I rested my forehead against his, giggling and playing with his hair.
"You are so damn cute," he said, trying to kiss me again, but I turned my head, giggling louder. "Tease." I grinned at him cheekily.
"You know you love it," I said in a sing-song voice.
Just then, my phone started playing the Circus Afro song from Madagascar 3. I pulled it out and pressed talk.
"Hey, Ash!" I said. Izzy ran his fingers through my hair.
"Happy birthday, Ness! We're almost at the venue, can you meet us at the gates, in like, five minutes?" I heard my female best friend ask.
"Yeah, okay. Be right there!" I said. I heard the call disconnect. I hopped off of Izzy's lap, extending my hand to him and helping him up. He intertwined our fingers and we walked into the front lounge. I looked through the box of passes, (yeah, we have a box) and found the one marked,
Vans Warped Tour 2012
Artist/Crew
All Access
Vanessa Gaskarth
All Time Low
*MINOR*
and also pulled out the one marked,
Vans Warped Tour 2012
Artist/Crew
All Access
Celeste Gaskarth
All Time Low
*MINOR*
and found three blank ones for Ash, Crysi, and Xani.
Vans Warped Tour 2012
All Access
Guest
All Time Low
I handed her pass to Celeste, who was sitting on the couch.
"Ash, Crysi and Xani, are here, baby. Do you wanna come with us to get them?" I asked. She nodded and jumped up. Izzy looked through the box of passes until he found his.
Vans Warped Tour 2012
Artist/Crew
All Access
Isaac Barakat
All Time Low
*MINOR*
Izzy, Celeste and I walked off the bus and in the direction of the gate. Celeste was holding my left hand and Izzy was walking on my right side. He reached between us and intertwined our fingers. I squeezed his hand. The gates came into view and we saw a familiar head of dirty blonde hair, standing next to two taller brunnettes. Each of them were holding small gift bags.
"ASH!" I yelled, flashing my pass at the guard and running out of the gates, Izzy and Cel trailing behind me.
"NESSA!" Ashlyn yelled, running toward me with her arms open. We met in the middle with a light thud, both of us falling to the floor in a giggling mess of limbs and long hair. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Ash yelled. I laughed. Ashlyn noticed Izzy standing behind me and jumped up to hug him. "Izzy!" She cried, throwing her arms around him.
"Good to see you, too," He chuckled. Xani and Crysi hugged me.
"Happy birthday, Ness," they said in unison, which is always a little creepy, since they're almost identical. Celeste turned to the twins and ran at them, hugging one of Xani's legs and one of Crysi's. They laughed. Xani pulled Cel into her arms and rested her on her hip. Crysi and Xani would babysit Cel sometimes when I was busy and the boys were on tour. Ash released Izzy from her death grip and he came to my side. Subconciously, I intertwined our fingers. I didn't even realize it until Ash gasped.
"WHEN WERE YOU GONNA TELL ME!?" She yelled, more at me than at Izzy.
"Chill, Ash! It's only been a day," said Izzy.
"I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you between when he asked me and now," I defended myself.
"Okay, okay," said Ash, forgiving us easily. "But I get to interogate you later," she looked at me, then turned to Izzy. "And you sir. If you hurt her, I will slaughter you, okay?" I giggled.
"Jesus, Ash. I've known you for like four years. Some trust, please?" Izzy replied, rolling his eyes.
"Just making sure, Isaac," Ash said, emphasizing his name.
"Whatever you say, Ashlyn," Izzy mocked, emphasizing her name as well.
"Um, hate to break up this little love fest," began Xani.
"But can't we continue this inside the venue?" Finished Crysi. I handed Crysi, Xani, and Ash their passes, slipping mine on myself.
**A few hours later**
***IZZY'S P.O.V.***
There was a warehouse behind the arena at this venue, and it'd been setup so that the band members and the like could just chill, away from the heat and crowds. We were all chilling there between sets. There were a bunch of lawn chairs set up, provided by the bands and roadies. We were all seated on black lawn chairs with the All Time Low logo on the back. Why the boys have their own freakin' lawn chairs is beyond me. Nessa was seated next to me, her fingers intertwined with mine between us. Ash was on her other side and they were leaning toward each other, whispering excitedly. Celeste was sprawled on the floor in front of me, playing with a few of her Barbies, occasionally showing me how pretty her doll's outfit or hair was. I leaned forward and ruffled her caramel waves. She giggled, swatting my hand away. Xanne was laying on the floor a few yards away, talking to Jack, who was lying next to her. Crysi was standing off to our right with Zack, both of them fiddling with their cameras. They all seem to have hit it off.
Suddenly, the distinct sound of heels against concrete could be heard. We all looked to see a familiar figure walking toward us.
"CASS!" Nessa's hand was ripped from mine and she jumped up and ran toward Cassadee. Cassadee laughed and opened her arms, hugging Nessa when she reached her. When Nessa finally let go of Cass, they walked back in my direction. Cassadee and Rian plopped down in two chairs across from me and Vanessa took her seat next to me, immediately intertwining our fingers again.
"That's new," Cass commented, looking at our hands. Nessa and I grinned at her.

Cass was talking to Nessa but I wasn't paying attention, I was just watching Nessa. Okay, that sounded creepy. But, hey! My girlfriend is super fucking beautiful! I smiled at the word. Girlfriend. I like that.
Rian whispered something to Cassadee and she nodded. He stood up and walked out of the warehouse. Tay walked in and sat next to Cassadee. Ashlyn stared at her. We all knew Ash was a huge WATIC fan. We'd offered to bring her backstage during their set this morning, but she'd declined, wanting to be in the crowd. Tay raised an eyebrow at her, grinning.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I'm Ashlyn," Ash said in a small voice. I tried not to laugh.
"My best friend," Vanessa clarified, putting her free arm around Ash.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Tay," Tay smiled and held out her hand. Ash looked as if she was in a trance as she shook her hand and nodded.
"I know. I love you," she said matter-of-factly.
"How long have you been a fan?" Tay asked, smiling, compeletely unfazed by Ashlyn's 'I love you.'
"Since 2010. I've been out to a few shows, but I never got to meet you or any of the guys." Ash answered.
"D'ya wanna go meet the guys?" Tay asked. Ash nodded enthusiastically and both of them stood, Tay taking Ash's hand and running toward the back entrance. The buses were just outside there, in a hidden, fenced off, area. My eyes met Nessa's and we both laughed loudly.
"Hey, Nessa, you wanna come with me to get a pizza or something?" Cassadee asked, giving her a 'we need to talk' look. I raised my eyebrows at Nessa, but she shrugged like, I have no idea.
"Uh..sure?" She said, but it sounded more like a question. Cass and Nessa stood, walking arm in arm out toward the tents. Rian walked in and plopped down next to me. He sighed heavily.
"What's wrong, Ri?" I asked.
"I walked right past a girl on the way over here. She was wearing a Put Up or Shut Up shirt and she was looking right at me. She didn't say a word. I bet she didn't even know who I am," he answered.
"I bet she did. She was probably just too shocked to say anything," I assured him. "What do you leave to go do, anyway?"
"Had to go talk to Lex about tonight's secret plans. He was backstage," He said. He patted his pockets. "Fuck. Left my phone. I'll be back." He got up and walked out again.

***Meanwhile, Nessa's P.O.V.***
"Cass?" I asked tentatively, after we'd bought our pizzas and were walking back to the warehouse. She looked up at me. "Any particular reason we're eating four dollar pizza instead of the free Warped catering?" She swallowed her bite of pizza before answering.
"I, uh, I need to tell you something," she admitted. No shit. I raised my eyebrows at her and nodded. "I'm...Ness...I'm...I'm pregnant." My eyes widened.
"Oh! Uh, wow! Congratulations!" I hugged her and she smiled. "Does Rian know?" She shook her head. "Cass!" I scolded. "He needs to know."
"I know, I know!" She said. "But I only just found out yesterday! And today is about you. I'll tell him tomorrow."
"If you don't, I will," I said. She rolled her eyes.
"You would not," she laughed.

When we got back to the warehouse, Rian had returned to his spot and was grinning.
"What's up with you?" Izzy asked, before we could.
"That girl that I saw, she asked for a picture when I walked past," He said, smiling.
"See? I told you she was just nervous," Izzy said. I raised my eyebrows at him but he shrugged, mouthing: 'tell you later'.

Alex walked up and kicked Jack in the stomach, saying something to him that I couldn't hear, and Jack and Xanne stood up. Alex walked over to Zack and said something to him, and Zack and Crysi started walking in our direction with Alex, Jack and Xani. When he reached us, Alex clapped his hands together.
"Well," he said. "I believe it is about time for Nessa to open her presents. So, if everyone would kindly follow me to the bus, that'd be great." I grinned and stood, taking Izzy's hand with one of mine, and Cel's with the other, and following Alex. Tay and Ash returned, falling into step behind us.
Once on the bus, Rian walked to the back lounge and returned with many packages and gift bags. Those weren't there this morning... I grabbed the first one, and smiled when I read the tag. "From Zack." It was three sets of earrings, dangly dreamcatchers, little silver airplanes, and amethyst drop earrings. "Thank you, their beautiful," I said, leaning over to hug Zack. I picked up the next package, which was wrapped rather poorly, read the tag, "From Celeste." It was a super cute kitty plushy and a ring that read 'Sisters' and had a bunch of hearts on it. Celeste raised her hand to reveal an identical one on her finger. I smiled and immediately put the ring on my right ring finger, leaning over to hug her. "Thank you, baby girl."
Zack and Crysi both had their cameras out, snapping pictures at a mile a minute. This continued as I opened the rest of my presents. I got an Adventure Time backpack from Colussy "Sweet!"; a set of Hogwarts house badges and a Hogwarts crest badge from Vinny, Greico, Evan, Jeff, and Danny "Oh my god, yes!"; Deathly Hallows earrings from Cassadee "Where did you even get these?"; a t-shirt with Hedwig on it from Rian "Did you coordinate with Cass?"; a Mockingjay pin and a silver parachute necklace from Tay "Where did you find this? Oh my god."; a silver necklace with a puzzle piece charm that read 'Best Friends' that matched her own, along with a pink beaded bracelet set from Ash "Aw! I love you, Ash!"; a time turner necklace from Izzy "No way! These are like, really fucking expensive."; a Hunger Games i-phone case from Matt "Wow. I didn't even think they sold these!"; a pair of strappy gold heels from Xani "Aw! These are cute.'; and a pretty one shouldered flowery pink dress from Crysi "Oh my god, I love this."
The last package was tiny. I picked it up and read the tag, "From Alex and Jack." I smiled at them before opening it.
"Oh. My. God. You did not! Ahh!" I squealed. Inside, was a pair of light pink, Beats earphones.
"We did," grinned Jack.
"And," said Alex. "We're all going out to a fancy restaraunt for your birthday. SO, everybody go get ready and dress nice." Apparently, everyone else was in on this little plan, because they all dispersed to go get dressed, while I just sat there.
"C'mon," said Cassadee, pulling me up. "You can wear your new dress. I'll even do your make up."
**
Cass dressed herself in a pink, floral, tulle skirt over a white tank top, with beige pumps and multicolored bangals. She was also wearing a silver ring with a clear heart on it that I know was a gift from Rian. We'd dressed Celeste in a pink baby doll dress with a dark pink flower on the waist band, complete with a pink cardigan, her Tinkerbell necklace, her Dirty Work bracelet, which she refused to take off, and white sandal with a bow on them. She was also wearing her Sister ring, a pair of gold bird earrings, and a gold ring with a heart, which I didn't recognize. When asked she said that Izzy'd given to her. I smiled at that.
I'd dressed in the dress Crysi gave me, with the shoes Xani gave me, the necklace and bracelets Ash gave me, and the ring Celeste gave me, along with a beige biker jacket, pink pearl drop earrings, my necklace, and my promise ring.
Ash had dressed in a pink empire waist dress with a flowered skirt, with flowerey sandals and the necklace that matched mine. Crysi had dressed herself in a pale pink dress with ivory embroidery on the bodice, paired with ivory crocheted TOMS and a flower ring. Xani had dressed herself in a pink dress with an empire waist and pink sequins on the bodice, along with a ring with multicolored jewels and a pair of black high top Converse.
Tay had gone to her bus to get dressed. Once Cassadee was satisfied with our makeup and outfits, we all walked out into the front lounge, where the boys were waiting, having dressed alot faster than us. We were met with wolf whistles and cheers. I rolled my eyes but blushed as Izzy immediately walked up to me and took my hand. We all walked off the bus, apparently we were walking to the restaraunt, given that it wasn't that far from the venue.
Tay met up with us just as we walked off the bus, and I had to smile at the look Alex was giving her because, damn, did she look good. She was wearing a short, one shoulder dress with an empire waist, a black bodice, and a white skirt, paired with black knee high Converse. Her hair was up in a messy, yet nice, bun, revealing black music note earrings. I heard Alex tell her she looked beautiful and she blushed, falling into step next to him. Crysi was walking with Zack, Xani walking with Jack, Matt walking with Colussy, Vinny, Evan, Jeff, Greico and Danny, Ashlyn was walking just ahead of us with Celeste, and Izzy and I were pulling up the rear. While all the girls wore pretty dresses, all the boys wore black skinny jeans and a variety of flannel, plaid, white, purple and navy button up shirts. Izzy was wearing a white button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a black vest. He leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"You look beautiful." I blushed.
The majority of dinner was spent laughing too loudly and recieving glares from other people in the restaraunt. It left me grinning from ear to ear because it was nice, having my whole family together. Well, Mama Joyce, Mister B, and May and Joe are missing, but I digress. The food was fabulous. Alex made the restaraunt sing to me and brought out a cake, which was both embarassing and nice. As was expected with this lot, wine was ordered eventually. Rian shot Cassadee a weird look when she didn't accept a glass.
"Just not in the mood for it," she said, studying the tablecloth. The boys accepted the excuse without a thought, as did Crysi, Xani, and Ash. Celeste wasn't paying attention. Tay, however, stared at Cassadee. I could see the wheels turning in her head. I saw the light go on in Tay's head as her eyes widened. I caught her eye and nodded, bringing a finger to my lips. She nodded, smiling to herself.
The rest of dinner was uneventful, except when Celeste fell asleep at the table and almost landed face first in her spaghetti. By the end of the night, my feet hurt from my shoes and I did not want to walk all the way back to the bus. I'd taken my shoes off and was walking out of the restaraunt barefoot, not than anyone noticed. I looked at Izzy pleadingly.
"Carry me?" I begged. He rolled his eyes but obliged, gripping my thighs and pulling me onto his back. I rested my head against his shoulder and dangled my shoes in front of him. Alex was carrying Celeste and Tay was leaning against him. Cass seemed to have had the same idea as me, because she was riding piggyback on Rian, except that he was holding her shoes for her. Crysi was leaning into Zack's side, his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulders, Xani in an identical position with Jack. Ash was standing between her sisters. When we reached the bus, everyone was rushing to get dressed in normal clothes again, because the boys still had a set to play at eight, which was in twenty minutes. The boys were the first to be done, obviously, only having to switch their shirts, and the crew raced off to go set up and sound check. Rian, Zack, Alex and Jack, lingered with Ash, Crysi, Xani, Izzy, Tay, and I, Celeste having been put to bed. All of us girls ended up being too lazy to change out of our dresses, but Cass and I ditched our heels, opting to walk barefoot around the warehouse ad we waited for the boys' cue. Tay shivered and Alex immediately took off his black All Time Low hoodie and put it on her shoulders. I smiled at them.
Just then, Alex's phone vibrated with a new text from Matt. Show time. We all began walking toward the Kia Rio stage, Rian carrying Cass again. I jumped on Izzy's back and Jack looked at us and grinned.
"We should all race!" He said. And with that, Tay jumped on Alex's back, Xani jumped on Jack, Crysi calmly climbed onto Zack, and Ash pulled Crysi's camera out of her backpack.
"I've got to record this," she explained.
"Ready?" asked Alex. "One, two..."
"GO!" screeched Jack. All the boys took off running. Alex was in the lead.
"I CALL FOUL! Tay's a fucking stick!" Izzy yelled. I slapped the back of his head.
Tay flipped us off over her shoulder. Zack quickly caught up with Alex, running just a little past him.
"C'mon, soccer star," I said to Izzy. "You aren't gonna make varsity running like this." He immediately picked up the pace, all but sprinting until he was next to Zack.
"UNFAIR!" yelled Jack. "IZZY AND ZACK ARE ACTUALLY ATHLETIC!"
"C'mon, you lazy fuck, run!" Rian yelled at him as he ran past, leaving Jack the last one.
Ashlyn was running along side us, recording and taking pictures.
"JACK!" Xani yelled at him. "You have the longest legs, come on!"
Drawing energy from the beautiful girls yelling enocouragement and profanities in their ears, Rian, Alex and Jack all surged forward, running in line with Zack and Izzy. I was neck and neck. The finish line was just ahead of us, the gate to the backstage area behind the Kia Rio Stage. When we passed the crowd of fans they shouted at us.
"Alex esta aqui!"
"Oh my god, is that Tay?"
"OH MY GOD IT'S THEM!"
"RIAN I LOVE YOU!"
"GOD DAMMIT ZACK PUT ON A SHIRT!"
"NO! DON'T EVER PUT ON A SHIRT!"
"JACK I WANT YOUR DICK!"
"LET ME LOVE YOU ALEX!"
The fans were enough of a distraction to make the boys hesitate, all except for Izzy, who used their distraction to his advantage, surging forward and touching the fence before anyone else.
"VICTORY!" He yelled, setting me on my feet lightly.
"DAMMIT!" Jack yelled in defeat, letting Xanne climb off him. The other boys muttered similar things, letting their girls climb off of them, all except Cass, who Rian refused to let down because he didn't want her to walk barefoot on the pavement. We all walked to the stage as we heard the fans begin chanting, "ALL TIME LOW! ALL TIME LOW! ALL TIME LOW!" Rian set Cass down and we all stood together on the side of the stage, watching as they ran out, the audience's screams growing louder and more incoherent. The boys launched into 'Damned If I Do Ya' and when Alex sang the first line and held the mic out to the crowd, they sang the next three perfectly.
"Damn! You all sound awesome!" Alex yelled into his mic. After 'Damned', they played 'Lost In Stereo', and 'Time Bomb', with the usual stage banter between the songs. After 'Time Bomb', Alex spoke into his mic.
"So, this is where normally we'd play 'Weightless,'" the crowd cheered. "BUT! Today is special. Today is my baby sister's birthday, so if you all don't mind, we're gonna play her favorite song for her." Alex looked over at me and caught my eye. "This song is off our first album, it's called 'The Beach,' and it goes a little like this..." I grinned widely.
"Well, you're a long walk from the street, and I'm dying in this summer heat," he sang.
I remembered when he wrote that song.
He was eighteen, they'd all just graduated and he'd just gotten back from their first Warped tour. I was eight.
I walked into his room to find him sitting on the floor with a notebook in hand, leaning against his bed with a thoughtful look on his face.
His jet black (dyed) hair was falling over his eyes.
"Lexy?" I'd asked.
"Hey, baby girl," he'd said. "I didn't see you walk in. What's up?" I shrugged. He put the notebook down and pulled me into his lap.
"Whatcha doin'? Are you writin' a song, Lex?" I'd asked. He'd smiled.
"Yes, baby. I am." He'd kissed the top of my head and picked the notebook up again, holding it up in front of me, so I could read it.
"Whatcha writin' 'bout?" I'd asked.
"Summer," he'd answered.
"Oooh, I like summer," I'd said.
"Mmm?" He'd said, resting his chin on my shoulder. "What do you like about summer?"
"In summer you get to play with your friends all the time and you don't has to go to school and you can do whatever you want and you get to go to the beach and you have all this fun and when you go back to school you get to remember and talk about all the fun times you had in the summer," I'd explained. He'd smiled at me.
"That's exactly right, baby girl. No matter what, they can't take the summer from you."
Alex calling my name brought me back to the present.
"So, Nessa? How was that?" He spoke into his mic. In answer, I ran out onto the stage and threw my arms around him. He put his guitar down so he could hug me properly and he held me against his chest tightly.
"I knew that used to be your favorite, I didn't even know if it still was," He whispered into my hair.
"It still is," I answered as I pulled back and kissed his cheek. He grinned.
Jack put his guitar down and wrapped an arm around me, Alex keeping one arm around me himself. Alex grabbed his mic.
"So, we're gonna sing Happy Birthday to my sister now, if that's cool with you guys." He said. The audience cheered. "Well, in that case, one, two, three,"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR VANESSA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO YOUUUU!" Alex, Jack, Zack, the entire audience, and everyone back stage sung loudly, making me blush and hide my face in Jack's shirt. I hugged him, Zack, and ran around to hug Rian, then I skipped off the stage as Alex started playing the intro to 'Heroes.'
Izzy slipped his hand into mine, squeezing mine lightly. I grinned at him.
They'll never take this summer from me.