I'll Make a Man out of You

Two.

"Mayday Parade," Holly nodded. She, Avara and Harlee were hiding between two merch tents across from the one where Avara's new crush was sitting within, looking bored out of his mind. Now, with the tent fully set up, they could see the banner that said 'Mayday Parade' that hung across the top. "Your new love works for Derek."

"He's not my new love," Avara insisted, though she didn't take her eyes off the boy.

"Then why did you come?" Harlee asked. Avara turned to look at her, and then back to the boy.

"I didn't want to be on the bus when Jake came back," she shrugged. The three of them sat there in silence for a minute.

"I wonder what his name is," Harlee thought out loud.

"Rodger," Holly said confidently.

"How do you know?" Avara asked. Holly shrugged.

"He just looks like a Rodger."

Holly and Avara's phones went off simultaneously. The both pulled them out while Harlee stared in surprise. They had both received the same text message from Jake.

Jake Reynolds.
If you two aren't on the bus, in your bunks, when we get back there, no sticker!


Avara gulped.

"No gummy worms for over a week," Holly muttered before jumping up and yelling "Retreat." She then took off in the direction of the buses. Harlee followed. Avara sent one last glance in the direction of Rodger and thought she saw him looking in Holly's direction with his head cocked. He looked away and Avara followed her band mates.

They made it onto the bus and shut the door behind them, puffing, when the door opened again and Jake, Travis and Venesse entered. Jake looked at Holly, Harlee and Avara suspiciously.

"Why are you all out of breath?"

"Pain..... intense..... breathtaking....," Holly said between breaths.

"Oh it hurts!" Avara wailed, making her way to her bunk. Holly was about to follow her when she received another text message and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Oh hey, it's my boyfriend," she smiled, sticking her tongue out as she replied to the message she had received without even reading it.

"John or Marco?" Harlee asked curiously.

"Oh, no," Holly replied, "It's Henri."

"What does he want?" Avara asked, leaning over Holly's shoulder. "I thought we dumped Henri?" Holly shook her head and sat down on the couch, accidentally sitting on Harlee who let out a loud yelp.

"Ow, you sat on me!" Holly waved her hand at Harlee and shifted on to the couch beside her.

"You broke up with Henri Vara, not me." Avara nodded and continued on to her bunk. "Jake?"

"What?"

"Can I go visit John?"

"I thought you had appendicitis?" He asked, eyeing her. He knew of course that the three girls didn't have appendicitis or any other illness that life threatening, he just wanted to make them suffer for lying to him. "I mean, I can't let you go out if you're sick. You know?"

"I'm better now," Holly replied. "Avara called the doctor."

"And what did he say?"

"he said to go have fun with my boyfriend because that will make my appendix feel way better," she replied. "And even just the thought of John right now is making the pain go away!" Jake rolled his eyes but his smile still graced his lips.

"I'm feeling better too, Jake," Harlee joined in. "Just thinking of my Jack and his Mum's cupcakes that she promised me she would send with Jack are making me feel so much better!"

"And I," Avara added. "Feel like my appendix will burst because I don't have a boyfriend."

"I'll be your boyfriend," Vanesse called through the bus.

"Thanks Ness!" Avara yelled back. Jake rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest tightly.

"You can both go and see your boyfriends," he started, making their eyes light up. "Only, if you both give me a back massage later."

"Ew," they both said at the same time.

"What?" He asked, taking offence. "Why do you say 'ew'? I shower!"

"No offence Jake, but you really stink. I thought Tadem told you? She lost the rock paper scissors thing," Harlee said.

"Hey, don't pick on Tadem when she's not here!" Jake scolded. Holly was about to add something in when there was a knock at the door and John stuck his head in.

"Johno!" Holly yelled, bounding towards him and jumping up at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Laughing, he hugged her back and kissed her on the lips. "Hey! Where have you been? I missed you so much!"

"Hello, I just finished helping the guys put the tent up," he replied, kissing her again. "And then Garrett went off with Sierra... Something about a Zombie ball? I don't know. Pat went somewhere, Ken went somewh-"

"Hold up!" Avara yelled suddenly, falling from her bunk and stalking towards John. "Did you just say Zombie ball?" She asked.

"... Yeah?"

"Holly," Avara said, turning to Holly with a grin. "John just said Zombie ball!"

"CALL ZOMBIE HUNTER GARRETT!" She yelled.

"TEXT ZOMBIE HUNTER GARRETT!" Avara corrected.

Holly Burming.
Garrett, come get us, stat. We want to go to the Zombie ball!


Avara Law.
Garrett, come get us, stat. We want to go to the Zombie ball!


Garrett Nickelsen.
John tell you? I'll come get you both.


"What do we wear?" Avara asked in a hushed voice.

"It's a Zombie Ball," Jake said, brow furrowed, "Doesn't that kind of explain it?"

"What would you know? Are you a Zombie Hunter?" Avara asked him.

"Wait, I'm confused," Vannesse said, "If you're Zombie Hunters, why are you going to a Zombie Ball?"

"To remind us of the colossal threat which we face everyday as Zombie Hunters." Garrett had arrived and now everyone stared at him for a few moments.

"Hear, hear," Avara said, pretending to raise an imaginary glass in a toast.

"You got here quick," Holly said to Garrett.

"I was already on my way," he shrugged. "Now come, my proteges."

"Who you callin' a protege?" Avara asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Holly agreed, "You may be the leader of our Zombie Hunter clan, Garrett and the Zombie Hunters, but I still believe that Avara and I's skills at zombie hunting and slaying far surpass yours."

"Yeah, well then why is our Zombie Hunter clan called Garrett and the Zombie Hunters, and not Holly and Avara and the Zombie Hunters.

"Many reasons," Holly said.

"Your leadership skills are better than ours."

"And as the leader of the clan, you're more likely to be killed by opposing Zombie Hunter clans."

"And there's too many 'and's in Holly and Avara and the Zombie Hunters."

"Also, the 'and' in Garrett and the Zombie Hunters implies that you are not a Zombie Hunter, cause it's Garret and the Zombie Hunters."

"That's it, you're out of the clan!" Garrett yelled.

"You can't kick us out of the clan," Holly yelled back.

"Yeah, we write the theme songs!"

"We do?" Holly asked Avara.

"Yeah, wait here," she said before dashing down the bus and returning moments later with her guitar. "Observe:

Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But I'm a Zombie Hunter
So I'm going to decapitate you.
"

Holly clapped and then grabbed Avara's guitar out of her hands.

"May I remind you that we're about to attend a Zombie Ball-"

"You're uninvited."

"-I think we should change the words a little bit to suit. Observe:

Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But I'm a zombie
argharlarghgah


Avara nodded.

"I approve." She then turned to Garrett, "So where's this ball being held?"

"I said you're uninvited," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest like Jake did whenever Holly and Avara did something that frustrated him, which was whenever they were in the room with him.

"So, Sierra's bus?"

"I said you're uninvited."

"Sierra's bus," Avara nodded at Holly.

"Let's go."

The girls skipped passed Garrett and into the outside world.

"I said you're uninvited!" he yelled, "As leader of the Zombie Hunter clan, Garrett and the Zombie Hunters, I have the right to expel you from said clan. And I do."

"Well then, when we get to Sierra's bus, we'll conduct a vote on whether or not we need somebody new in command!" Holly yelled.

"It's nothing personal, Garrett," Avara shrugged, "It's just that your mean to us. All the time."

"All the time," Holly echoed.

"F-fine," Garrett stuttered, "Fine you can still be in the clan. As long as you keep me leader."

"That can be arranged," Holly said.

"Will Ralf be at the Zombie Ball, Zombie Hunter Clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters Clan Leader Garrett?" Avara asked.

"Who's Ralf?" Garrett asked.

"Never mind," Avara sighed, swishing her head to the side dramatically, "It would never work with us anyway, with me being part of the Zombie Hunter clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters, and with him being a potential zombification victim."

"Unless... UNLESS... We train him to be a Zombie Hunter and then invite him into our circle of close Zombie Hunter friends that is the Zombie Hunter clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters."

"Holly, that is an amazing plan!"

"Did I hear somebody say that Holly had an amazing plan?" Jake yelled, poking his head out of the door, "because that means no sticker!"

"Nooooo," Holly and Avara said together, rocking backwards and forwards on their toes.

"Let's go," Garrett rolled his eyes and led them to Versaemerge's bus.

"Greetings fellow Zombie Hunter's in the Zombie Hunter clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters," Holly yelled as she barged onto the bus, "How fare thee? Craving brains I hope, at this Zombie Ball of ours."

"Greetings fellow Zombie Hunter's in the Zombie Hunter clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters," Avara also yelled, also barging onto bus and standing next to Holly. "The two crucial Zombie Hunters of the Zombie Hunter clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters have arrived. Let the festivities commence!"

"Hi ladies," Sierra grinned. "We were just waiting for you guys to get here."

"What about me?" Garrett asked, coming into the bus behind Holly and Avara. "Were you waiting for me too?" Sierra shrugged.

"Course..."

"Yeah Garrett," Holly nodded. "Course they were. You're the Zombie clan leader of Garrett and the Zombie Hunters, why wouldn't they be waiting for you? We need you to lead us."

"Even though you're mean to us," Avara added.

"Yeah," Holly nodded.

"Sorry I'm late guys!" Someone yelled, bounding up the steps.

"Jenna!" Avara yelled. "We haven't seen you since that time you stuck up for us in the plane!" Holly frowned.

"Was it really that long ago?" She asked. Avara nodded seriously.

"Yes Holly, it has been 120 hours."

"We got here five days ago?" Avara shrugged.

"I don't know. I just know she stuck up for us when Jake was yelling at us." Holly nodded.

"It's like 3pm and we got here at 5am this morning," Jenna laughed. "So we haven't seen each other for like, ten hours."

"Ten hours," Holly said, eyes wide. "Holy cricket."

"Cricket," Avara nodded.

Once they had told Jenna how much they had missed her since they had seen her that morning, and after they had both given Sierra a hug and complimented her on her two nose rings, they looked around at the other clan members of the clan Garrett and the Zombie Hunters.

Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat sat on the couch in the front lounge with tall glasses of what looked like lemonade and huge smiles on their faces.

"Oh my god," Holly grinned. "It's Jack and Alex!"

"Alex and Jack," Alex corrected as Avara jumped on him and gave him a kiss on his whiskery cheek. "How are you ladies doing?" He asked.

"I missed you Alex!" Holly pushed Avara out of the way so that she could hug Alex too. "We need to hang out lots this tour!"

"As long as you don't beat me up!"

"I promise I wont!"

"Touching," someone laughed. "So very touching. I'm about to start sobbing." Holly heard Avara start laughing so she pulled away from Alex and craned her head around Jack who was trying to hug her.

"Eric of Halverson!" She giggled, going past Jack to hug Eric as he started laughing.

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed. "Where's my loving?"

"You don't get any from Holly," Avara told him. Jack pouted, making Avara laugh. "Just kidding, go hug her." Jack nodded and grabbed Holly from behind in a hug. Holly screamed and turned around.

"Oh, it's you," she laughed, kissing his cheek. "I thought you were a Zombie that was going to bite my head off." Jack laughed and opened his mouth to bite the top of her head. "Ew, I just washed this!"

- † -


Three hours of Zombie movies, penis jokes and twenty-four bottles of lemonade later, the group left Sierra's bus and went in search of the massive start of tour party that was happening at catering.

Sierra went in Search of Blake and his girlfriend Charla as soon as the stepped through the tent flaps, and then everyone else went their own ways. Jack went in search of Harlee. Jenna went back to her band members, Avara and Alex went in search of the snack table and that left Garrett, Eric and Holly.

"So uh, I guess I'm gonna go find my uh, my boyfriend," she said, scratching her neck. "He is uh, he said he was gonna drink some booze with Nick, Jared and Kennedy..."

"I'll come to," Eric nodded.

"Me too," Garrett agreed.

Holly shrugged and started towards a massive ping pong table where she could see John and Kennedy standing with ping pong bats. They were playing beer pong. A game Holly never really understood even though it was apparently an easy game to understand.

"Guess who," she whispered holding her hand over Johns body and arms tightly, trying to sound as manly as she could while being so much shorter and with a much more feminine voice. John turned and smiled when he saw who it was. "Dammit. You're so damn tall I can't cover your eyes!"

"Not many can," he told her. "Wanna play beer pong?" Holly laughed.

"Nah, the game is not my cup of tea."

"Fair enough," he replied. "Just let me finish my game and we'll go do something. That okay?" Holly shrugged and nodded.

"Do your thang."

John and Kennedy ended up winning their game against some guys from a heavy metal band that Holly had never heard of before. John said goodbye to Kennedy and then followed Holly back towards Kill Barbie's bus.

The only light on the bus was coming from the bunk area.

"No one is here," Holly said in surprise. "I thought Kenny would be here." John gave her a weird look to which she laughed at. "Kenny's our bus driver. Remember, he's one of the people we met when we signed at Decaydance?"

"I don't remember everyone that you told me about," he chuckled.

"Well you should take notes John, seriously." John laughed. "I'm tired. Wanna go to sleep?" John shrugged. "Okay." Holly yanked her pants off and climbed into her bunk. The same exact bunk she had last Warped Tour: Third from the left, bottom bunk. She heard John moving around and then he was crawling in behind her.

"Night Holly," he smiled, kissing her forehead. Holly grinned.

"Night John."