Just Look at the World Around You

Apparently, Short Stack hadn't waited around after Sarah's funeral service. Bradie told Jake that Andy had a party he had to be at so they couldn't stay. Holly knew the truth though, Shaun was being a girl because he'd seen Avara with Jonathan.

The group didn't stay at the wake for very long. They needed to take the All Time Low guys back to the airport so they could go back to the UK and finish off their tour with Hey Monday and some other band. At the same time, they dropped John and Jonathan off at the Melbourne gate so that they could go and join their bands.

Holly, Avara, Harlee, Jake and Travis were going to stay in Perth until the next day just in case Tadem needed them. They knew she would be okay with her parents and her brother, but they just wanted to be sure before they flew back across the country.

"Dinner at Holly's tonight," Jake called over everyone's heads as they made their way back to the cars after the boys planes had gone.

"What?"

"Your Mom said we were all invited for a BBQ at your house tonight," he told her, biting his thumb nail. "Surprise?" Holly laughed.

"Well okay then."



When the girls, Jake and Travis got to the hotel they were staying at in Melbourne the following day, they were bombarded by everyone from the tour. People they didn't even know came over to ask them questions.

"How is Tadem?" Alex Garcia from Mayday Parade asked Avara when he spotted her coming out of the elevator. Avara stopped awkwardly and looked around, just in case he hadn't been talking to her. Of course she hadn't thought about the fact that Tadem's name was a rare one.

"Uh, she's okay... I think," she told him. "I haven't really spoken to her since the wake. We all just want to give her some time, you know?" Alex nodded in understanding.

"That's understandable."

"She's not doing anymore Soundwave dates," Avara sighed. "She might do Perth but that's still just a maybe."

"She'll just need some time," Alex told her. "She'll be back bright as new on the next tour. Are you guys playing Warped?" Avara nodded.

"Yeah we are. Hopefully Tadem's good by then... I don't think Rian can play All Time Low and Kill Barbies set. He'd die from the heat."

"That's great! I'll see you guys there," he grinned, and then his grin faltered as he realised she may not know who he was. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and introduced himself. Avara laughed.

"I know who you are silly, I love you guys. Oh, and Derek got Holly and I out of a jam the other week, could you tell him I said thanks? I haven't had a chance."

"No problem, but he's down in the dining room if you want to tell him yourself." Avara thanked him, and muttered something about band boys always eating, and they parted ways.

Avara was glad to find that Jonathan was also in the dining room, and was occupying the same table as Derek. She skipped over and squeezed herself into his lap. Jonathan rolled his eyes and pushed his chair further back from the table to give her more room.

"Ciao," she grinned up at him.

"Hello."

"You know," she said, not caring that she had interrupted his conversation with Caleb, "we never got around to having that romantic dinner."

"Because you went and got a deep fried hot dog on a stick with Holly!"

"Details, details," Avara said, waving her hand dismissively. She took his fork out of his hand and started spooning his potato salad into her mouth.

"I can clearly see who wears the pants in this relationship," said Derek.

"Avara does what Avara wants," Caleb muttered, "She wears the pants in every relationship." Avara, who had been looking at Derek and about to say something to him, turned to stick her tongue out at Caleb.

"Except in the Holly-Avara relationship. Neither of us wears pants there." Everyone laughed at her and she turned back to Derek. "Everybody shut up, I actually came to talk to Derek."

"Oh," Derek said awkwardly, "hello."

"Hi. I wanted to thank you for sticking up for Holly and I. Well, mostly Holly, because she was the one being blamed, but you could have ratted us in a second and you didn't. So thank you."

"So it was you who wrote those things about Kyle on the walls!" Said Caleb. Avara, who had forgotten he was there, looked at him in alarm.

"Oh shit! You're here. Abort mission. Abort! Abort!" She said, ducking under the table and crab-walking out of the dining room.

"How do you date that?" Derek asked, tipping his head to the side in consideration.

"How indeed?" muttered Caleb, looking at Jonathan knowingly.



"I can't believe we're already almost finished Soundwave," Harlee said when they arrived at the venue the next morning. "Warped Tour went for ages, and Soundwave has gone for like four hours." Jake rolled his eyes at her exaggeration and looked at his watch. "Relax Jakey, Rian will be here." One of Rian's flights had been delayed, and now they were cutting it really fine. Kill Barbie were scheduled to play in about seven hours, and they weren't sure Rian even knew their set list yet.

Jake looked over at Holly and Avara, who were busy doing Holly and Avara things, and smiled. He really did think his hair was falling out due to all the stress they caused, but he really did love them. He thought they might be able to take his mind away from his nerves about Rian being so late, so he got up and started to walk over to them.

"-and I didn't know what to say, because, like, who starts a conversation with 'I was looking through your window'- oh, you're gone," he heard Harlee saying as he started to walk away, so he stopped and turned to look at her.

"Sorry Harlee," he smiled, "Come over here." She smiled back at him and stood up, following him to where Holly and Avara were sitting together in silence and looking in different directions.

"Did you two have a fight?" Jake frowned, thinking back to how the two girls were giggling not five minutes ago.

"No," Holly said, "We're trying to use our minds to communicate."

"Did you hear what I just thought," Avara grinned at Holly.

"Was it something along the lines of 'Holly is a butt-plug'?" Holly asked.

"No, no it was not," Avara said, "I'm kidding it totally was."

"Thumbs up knuckle punch," Holly said, holding her fist out to Avara in TUKP position. Avara thumbs up knuckle punched her while Harlee put her hands on her hips and huffed.

"You only knew that because Avara always calls you a butt-plug!"

"Did not!" Holly argued.

"Did too!" Harlee argued back.

"Fine!" Avara said, "What am I thinking now?" Holly frowned and then shifted on the seat.

"Hang on, let me get into telepathic sitting position," she said, sitting in the lotus position on the chair and closing her eyes. "You are thinking.....about..... pineapples."

"No, I was thinking about bacon actually."

"Told you," Harlee muttered. Holly stuck her tongue out at her, and Harlee stuck her tongue out at Holly in response.

"Jakey, when is Rian getting here?"

"Right about now," came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around to see Rian smiling in the doorway.

"R-Tizzle!" Holly yelled, jumping out of her seat and running towards him. "I missed you in the five point two days that I haven't seen you."

"H-Face!" He smiled, wrapping her in a hug. "Can't say I missed you." Holly pulled away from him and punched him lightly in the chest.

"You're a butt-head."

"Alright, where's Cooper?" Jake asked to no one in particular as he glanced around the room.

"He went to pee," Avara answered. "Like five hours ago." Jake sighed and left the room, presumably to find Travis to make sure Rian knew how to play the songs on Kill Barbie's set list.



"Good evening," Holly said into her microphone after they finished their first song. "You might have noticed that Tadem looks different."

"I think she got a hair cut," Avara said, twisting around to look at Rian, who was laughing.

"She got taller too, and turned into a man."

"Who we will now refer to as Rian Dawson from All Time Low."

As Avara finished speaking, Holly glanced around at the faces of the fans in the crowd and grinned. She honestly loved playing shows for kids and watching them jump around happily, singing and screaming and moving around to their music.

"We uh." Holly started. "We don't know if Rian actually knows any of our songs... So uh, let's get down to it. This song is called Tears..." The girls started to play All Time Low's song Dear Maria as Rian went into the intro to Tears.

"Cut!" Avara yelled, dropping her guitar so it dangled around her shoulders. She turned around and faced Rian, her hands on her hips. "Dude, the hell?"

"Yeah!" Harlee exclaimed, copying Avara by putting her hands on her hips. "You don't even know how to play your own song?" Rian rolled his eyes.

"Alright, we'll start again," Holly laughed. "Rian, this time get it right, okay?" He waved his arm for them to continue, but didn't start drumming until the girls had started.

The song was a semi slow one, but at some point in the middle of it, a circle pit opened up. This excited the girls for a couple of reasons. One, they weren't actually hardcore enough for a circle pit. Two, they'd never actually seen one happen in real life with out trying not to fall into one and three, because there was a god damn circle pit in their god damn mosh pit.

"I wild circle pit appears," Avara mumbled creepily, causing the few fans who heard this to laugh and for Holly to look at her strangely and tumble over a few of the words in the chorus.

"Wow Melbourne," Holly sighed with a smile as the song finished and she stepped off the monitor and went back to her microphone stand. "You guys did amazing!" She turned around to face Rian. "Rian, you did amazing!"

"Yay!" Avara exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Everyone clap for Rian!"

Harlee tried to add her two cents in but was in the middle of drinking from her water bottle when she opened her mouth, and water went everywhere.

"So you all may or may not know that Kill Barbie have been asked back to Warped Tour this year," Holly smiled. She went over to where an un-opened water bottle sat beside Rian's kit, picked it up, opened it and took a long sip. "We'll be going back with our good friends All Time Low, and Paramore..."

"I don't see how this should make these guys excited," Avara said seriously. "They all live here in Australia..." Holly rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored her.

"We're getting new merch in for Warped Tour, for our merch dude Travis Cooper to sell at our tent... How does this benefit you guys you ask? Well while we're away, Jake has decided to do a 10% off for all Australians thing for those Warped Tour items."

"Hey, that's cool!" Avara grinned. Holly nodded.

"Hell yeah it is!" She agreed. "So borrow your parents credit cards and BUY ALL THE THINGS!" At the exact same time, Avara and Holly thrust their right fists into the air triumphantly.

"Alright, this next song's called Picking Daisies," Avara yelled.

"Alright, alright," Holly told her. "Calm down Avara."



As the girls stepped off stage and handed their instruments to awaiting stage hands, Travis Cooper handed Avara her phone.

"Jonathan has been calling you. I told him that he was a trollop, because you were on stage, but I think he forgot." Avara frowned and took the phone from Travis with a thankful smile. She had indeed had two missed calls from Jonathan and two messages.

Can you please call me when you get off stage

Urgently, we need to talk

Avara hadn't been through many break-ups, but she knew what this meant. She gulped nervously and ignored Holly calling her name as she tried to find a quiet place to call Jonathan.