A New Start.

After a long struggle I zipped up my large suitcase that now contained the majority of all the clothes that I owned and flopped out on the bed next to it. I looked around my room; the walls now bare from the countless amount of posters that once resided on them. For the first time in about six years the white paint that my mum had covered the once bright blue walls with was visible.

I was moving out of my mum’s house in a small city called Bradford in West Yorkshire to the great big city of London with my band. The majority of my stuff had already been moved down to London in the previous weeks, but as the first date of our tour was in Leeds city a mere fifteen minute drive away myself and the band has decided that we would leave things for tour at our parents houses and return the day before. I had arrived back in Bradford in the early days of the week, wanting to spend time with all my family before I left for a month of touring. It was Thursday now and the first date of the tour was this afternoon.

“Lauren? Are you coming downstairs for a bit before the boys come to pick you up? Or has your suitcase won that fight?” my mum, Lesley shouted up to me. I love my mum very much we’re very close and many of my friends were jealous of the relationship that we have, I don’t understand why though, I mean sure sometimes having your mum as your best friend is an amazing thing, the fact that this means she swears her head off, goes out drinking with you, makes all your friends welcome, and supports you to no end is amazing, but it hurts more when you leave. I’m 18, just though. And I never at any point in my life believed that I would now be getting ready to leave to go on tour with Young Guns, who we're one of the bands i considered to of influenced me.

I sighed and pushed myself off the bed. I walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall for one finally look at myself, my dyed blonde hair was pulled into a loose side plait, with a few stray curls fell around the side of my face framing it nicely. My hazel eyes had some black eyeliner framing them and my lashes had a small coating of mascara on. I was nothing special but I’d do I told myself internally before sliding my case off the bed onto its wheels and then pulling it down the stairs that I had walked on a thousand times before.

I came downstairs to see the majority of my beautiful family. My mum, my aunty Deb, my grandma Jackie, my older brother Connor, although he didn’t look rather pleased to have been pulled out of his room, and then my cousins Jenny and Ross. I smiled to myself as they all watched me come down the stairs and I quickly abandoned my suitcase near the front door ready to be put into our small tour bus.

“Finally” I heard Connor murmur, I couldn’t see him though but I did hear the sharp sound of a hand connecting with the back of his head, I let out a small laugh. “You’d be late for your own funeral if you were given chance” this in turn caused everyone to laugh. I rolled my eyes at my older brother, I mean sure I was rubbish with timing but if it was important I wasn’t usually that late!

“Oh because you’re Mr perfect with timing…” I replied to him. He went to reply but my mum shot him a warning glance. Our small kitchen was suddenly filled with the sound of my chemical romance as my phone rang. I dived into my pocket, quickly checking the ID on it; it was my band’s bass guitarist Alex or Ale as he is more commonly know. “’Sup loser?” I answered the phone. I help the phone to my ear as I removed myself from the kitchen so that I didn’t disturb my family from talking.

“You’re so bloody charming Lauren” Ale chuckled down the phone to me “We’re outside now kid, just thought that I’d call instead of coming in so you can say goodbye and stuff” I smiled at his kindness, the nickname I wasn’t far fond of, but being the youngest in the band and the only female I was babied beyond belief.
“Thanks Ale, I’ll be as quick as I can” I said before saying a quick goodbye and hanging up on him. When I re entered the kitchen my mum had a glazed look in her eyes and I knew she was trying not to cry, I laughed. I and my mum could be a right soppy bunch, but I hated seeing her cry so I walked right over to her and threw my arms around her.

“Don’t cry ma! It’s only for a little while, just think, it means less cooking and washing!” I told her softly and she laughed at me but didn’t reply, she just pulled me closer. After about thirty seconds she pulled back, she knew I had to leave as we had to get to the venue and sound check; she placed her hands on my cheeks.

“Rock this shit Lauren” she told me, looking straight in my eyes. I could hear my family laughing at us in the background, but I didn’t respond to them, “Don’t drink too much, No doing any drugs. Remember that you’ve promised to pop in and see family when you’re close enough to. And have fun Lauren. I’m so so so proud of you; you are going to be amazing at this Lauren and all the people that don’t believe? Screw them, I know you’re good enough and so does everyone else in this room”

I quickly flitted around the rest of my family, being hugged and praised by all of them. Saying goodbye was never easy for me and this is the hardest goodbye I’ve ever had to do. I moved towards the door, grabbing my suitcase that I had placed there when I came down stairs and the bag I had placed there the night before that contained the book ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austin, a few sweets that had accumulated over time, my iPod and earphones because spending as much time with these boys that are basically family to me will end up bringing me insane.

I opened the door and heaved out my suitcase and wheeled it down the drive of my house along to our tour bus. I want to call it a tour bus, because it has bunks in it and a small amount of space but it is much more like a tour van. Its plain white at the moment but it won’t stay that way for long as during the tour we will allow fans and the other two bands on the tour, Young guns and POLAR to write on it.
Jay who is the drummer in the band quickly exited the van to take my case off me and put it into the back of the van. I thanked him quietly before jumping in the front of the van, throwing my bag onto the dash and kicking my converse covered feet up on the dash too. I looked to my right at Ale who was driving today and gave him a smile that showed my excitement. I heard the door click shut with allowed both me and Ale to know that Jay was back in the van with the other two idiots, Harry and Dean who both played guitar and we’re both definitely the most eccentric of the band.
“LET’S HIT THE ROAD BITCHES!!” I heard Dean yell from behind me as he jumped up and down excitedly in his seat; I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him. I knew right here that these long journeys in the van were going to kill me off by the end of tour. Sometimes I wonder if being in a band with just boys is a good idea, I laughed internally at this thought, and of course it was! These boys kept me normal, happy and they put up with my awful mood swings. They are my family and they are in this journey with me.