Warped Tour Romantics

I was so excited to share the news with my mother, especially after the phone call with Jenny, John's mom, had gone so well. She seemed ecstatic for John and I. I'd told my mother I was gay so she'd understand why Katelynne and I weren't together when we were having a child and she hadn't exactly been pleased by the idea but she hadn't pushed me away and I knew she still loved me, despite my faults, so I was sure she'd be happy for me about this too.

"Hey, mom." I said happily when she answered after a few rings.
"Hey, sweetheart. How are you?"
"I'm so wonderful."
"You sound it," She told me and I could imagine her smiling. "is tour going well then?"
"It's going really great but that's not the reason i'm so happy. Actually, I rang for a reason, I have something to tell you."
"Oh yes?"
"I met a boy."
"A boy." She repeated and I could practically hear her voice deflate and suddenly my own happiness disappeared too.
"His name's John," I continued to tell her anyway, although suddenly it didn't seem like this was such a good idea to be telling her this. "His band is playing too and um, we're dating now."
"Kellin, do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, how long have you known this boy, a few weeks? And suddenly you're dating now?"
"We've been friends since the start of tour, mom, and I know it hasn't been a long time but we've been going on dates for awhile now and I really like him and he likes me."
"What happens when tour is over then? You're just his summer fling and you'll never hear from him again when it's over."
"You don't know that!" I tell her, suddenly getting angry and really sad. "It's not like that, he's not like that."
"And where does he live?"
"Arizona." I tell her, though I sort of just want to hang up now and not go through this anymore. I thought she would have been happy for me, that i'd found someone who liked me and was good, but it just seemed like she was finding reason after reason as to why I shouldn't be doing this.
"So even if you stay together after this tour, what's going to happen? Even without the separation of living in different states, you'll both be touring heaps and then you'll see each other once in a blue moon."
"We'll make it work, I know we will. At least he'll understand why i'm away and won't hold it against me every time I leave." She let out a loud sigh and my eyes started to unwillingly water, a lump forming in my throat. I had been so happy only a few minutes ago and suddenly she'd ruined it all. I didn't want her to know I was crying but if she pushed it any more I knew she would.
"What about Katelynne?"
"A–are you kidding me?" I said, choking back my tears. "You know her and I are never going to be together again."
"And the baby? Are you going to just leave the baby fatherless."
"Of c–course i'm not! You should know I would never do that."
"Does he even know you're going to have a kid?"
"Yes, and he's happy for me, he's so happy for me."
"So, what? You're just going to be with this man while you have a child with someone else?"
"Jesus chris, yes, that's exactly what i'm going to do, and there isn't anything wrong with that. I gave him an out but he doesn't care if i'm going to be a father, he likes me nonetheless and I know he believes i'll be an amazing dad no matter what the circumstances, why can't you believe that too? I don't understand why you're doing this to me, mom."
"I'm just trying to do what's best for you, Kellin."
"John is what's best for me."
"You really need to think this through, there is so much that's against you, it's only going to end badly."
"I–I don't care. I like him, he's an amazing man and that's all that matters. I'm willing to fight for this if I have to."
"I love you." She told me and with that I hung up, not giving her a reply, tears still streaming down my face. I wiped at my face, not that it helped all that much. I buried my face in my knees for a moment, my body shaking a little and I was just glad nobody else was on the bus to see me like that. I needed John.
Shakily I grabbed my phone again, finding his number. It only took him a few rings for him to answer and when he did it only made me cry more somehow.
"J–john, can you come over to my bus, p–please?"
"Kel, what's wrong?"
"I called my mom, it didn't g–go well."
"I'm coming now."

He didn't bother to knock, just rushed straight onto the bus when he got there only a few minutes later, a little out of breath and I realised he'd run. He instantly fell onto the couch next to me, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.
"Oh, K. What happened?"
"I called her, I was so happy to tell her about you but instantly she was just tearing it apart. I honestly thought she'd be happy for me." He rubbed my back soothingly and I let my eyes close, willing the tears away as our bodies pressed against one another.
"It's going to be ok, she'll realise this isn't just some summer fling and that we really do care about each other, despite any silly obstacles we may have to face."
"It's not though, right, a summer fling?" I question and and even as I said it I knew it was her words getting the best of me, sinking in and hurting me even more.
"No." He told me, a force behind that one word that made me shiver. "Not at all."
"Thank you." I told him, wiping away the last of my tears, leaning my head on his shoulder and I was basically sitting in his lap now but he didn't seem to mind at all, he just kept rubbing my back.
"For what?"
"For being you, for reassuring me that I was right in everything I believed about us."
"She'll come around, I promise, just give her some time and she'll realise that i'm serious about keeping her son forever."
"You aren't planning on kidnapping me, are you?" I joked, sniffling a little afterwards. He laughed, that loud, hearty laugh that made my stomach do stupid things. We stayed like that for awhile, just cuddled up on the couch, talking.

"We're on in half an hour, I should probably head over, you going to come watch?"
"Of course." He tells me with a smile, squeezing my hand once before letting me go and I reluctantly crawl off his lap. I would've been quite happy to stay there all day.
John grabbed my bike from off the ground by my bus as we headed out, jumping on and telling me to climb onto the handlebars.
"I could just take Jesse's bike." I told him but he shook his head, motioning me forward.
"C'mon, it'll be fun." He says and I shake my head with a laugh but awkwardly climb on anyway, leaning back into him a bit as he pushes off and we awkwardly ride to the stage i'm playing on, Justin rolling his eyes at us when he sees us coming.

Just as we're about to go onstage I pull John between the stage and a trailer full of gear, quickly kissing him on the lips before anyone will notice us.
"Go kick New York's ass." He tells me with a hint of a smile after I pull away, hands still clenched in his shirt. Despite everything my mother felt about how I lived my life, I was happy once again.