Long Live the Fast Times

It didn’t take long for us to establish a routine which was probably down to the fact that they’ve been doing this for years. Admittedly, I can barely remember a time when they weren’t doing shows which is pretty astounding. Despite how I was classed as an amateur, it wasn’t difficult to fit into the crew and adjust to living with the boys. We were on the fourth show and Matt was off with the band doing some radio interview so I was left with the rest of the crew.

Evan and Kurily sat next to each other, checking where they could go before soundcheck required them. It was bordering midday so we had quite a lot of free time. Vinny was lounging in his bunk and Colussy went out to skype Kate. Grieco was sitting next to me, looking extremely tired.

“You guys suck.”

Grieco laughed a little, patting my knee lightly. “You just miss Matt.” I guffawed and waved a hand dismissively.

“As a matter of fact, I just miss my brother very much. We’re extremely close.”

At this, Evan turned to face me and outright laughed, “Nice joke, Elle. They’ll be back soon, go out and get some lunch or something. You could probably be let into the venue by now anyway, if you want to shower and stuff. Jeff’s in there already, he’ll show you where it is.”

The shower on the bus wasn’t exactly great so I got dibs whenever there was a shower in the venue and praise the lord there was one here. I went to grab my shower bag from the bathroom which everyone had started to use and then went outside to grab some form of outfit from my suitcase. Getting into the venue was easy and finding Jeff wasn’t entirely hard either but getting his attention long enough to navigate my way to the shower was pretty tough. “Maker, I hate you!”

“Okay sweetpea, sure.” He mumbled as he went back to working on his laptop.

“Hey Ariel? You’re looking for the shower right, c’mon,” Cass shook her head towards the dressing room, smiling at me. She was absolutely lovely and she showed me where the shower was okay, she’s my new favourite.

We went into a dressing room and she pointed to the small bathroom off the side, “Thank you!”

She laughed a little, straightening her vest top, “No problem, us girls gotta stick together. See you later, okay?” I nodded and practically ran for the bathroom.



By the time I got back from my shower, Evan and Kurily were gone. Grieco was napping where I’d left him. Vinny and Colussy were sat together.

“Burger, I want a burger,” Vinny stated, stretching his arms above his head.

“Chicken sounds pretty good,” Colussy countered.

“But a burger, Matt. Doesn’t that sound great? With fries and cheese and bacon and-”

“Fine.”

Vinny fist-pumped the air and turned to where I was leaning against the wall, smirking at them. “Nice decision making, are we getting lunch?”

“Yes ma’am!” Vinny saluted me whilst Colussy just tugged on a jacket. I fetched my own hoodie from my bunk and slipped it on whilst exiting the vehicle. “Onwards we go to find us a delicious burger!” I shared a look with Colussy as we trailed behind the merch manager.

It was a quiet walk, well on Colussy and I’s behalf it was anyway. Vinny decided to give us a commentary on every food joint we passed, deeming whether or not it was worth our time. “Oh, found it!” We were pulled into a restaurant that boasted about some kind of super burger on the outside and I groaned, catching Vinny’s determined glare at it.

“You have got to be kidding,” I muttered as we were seated and Vinny didn’t even pick up a menu. “You’re getting it, aren’t you?” I nodded towards the front window where the advertisement had been. Vinny just beamed back at me, like he was completely innocent. Bullshit.

Colussy ended up getting a chicken burger and smirking at Vinny like he’d solved Earth’s every problem and I ordered a chicken salad and fries because getting a salad every once in awhile was proving to be difficult when fast food restaurants became home. Vinny sat with his arms behind his head, leaning back on the bench seat as he waited for his order. “I hope you know that we’re not helping you if you throw up.” All I got was a shrug in return, “Alright Vegas but you’ve been forewarned - we are not helping you with any consequences this may cause.”

“Did you know that if I finish it then we get our meals for free?”

“You sir, may carry on with this conquest,” I patted his stomach lightly and nodded sharply at him, because hey, free food was free food dammit.

Our food was served after I told the boys my plan for that night; help the guys set up the stage and then help Vinny for most of the night. Some nights Alex would pull me onstage but it was usually when I was hanging around sidestage to help Kurily or mess around with Flyzik.



We didn’t end up getting our food for free because Vinny was nearly puking at the sight of the last few bites of his meal. “You know they’re going to mock you mercilessly about this, you’re going to be laughed at so much tonight,” I smirked at him, tapping my fingers on the side of the bus as we stood outside, enjoying some sun.

“Shut up, don’t even talk about our lunch, I still feel queasy.”

“Oh baby,” I cooed, running my hand over his head. “Shouldn’t have been so stupid.” Then he received a slap upside the head, which in turn made him heave a little. “Oh dear god, you’re going to be useless tonight.”

“Don’t abuse my staff, Ari.” Matt taunted as he walked past me onto the bus, smacking my backside as he went. A few moments later he walked straight back out again, eyes narrowing at Vinny, “Dude, what happened?”

I just laughed, situating myself under Flyzik’s arm, “He thought he could eat some ridiculous burger at the diner and is just about ready to burst. Matty, that burger cost him a whole twenty bucks.”

“Oh, who’s the unprofessional one now? Clean up your act for later, hope you enjoy the mockery,” And then he ruffled the man’s hair before he turned to lean against the bus, groaning and clutching his stomach. “They’re going to have a field day. Hey guys!”

Alex came out of the bus with just shorts on, scratching his stomach and holding a sandwich in the other hand. He cocked an eyebrow at Vinny leaning against their bus, “Do I even want to know?”

“Oh hell yes, you do.”

I explained what had happened and Alex just stood there and laughed while Vinny whined, “You didn’t even finish it? Oh man, you are going to suffer all night for this. I can’t believe you spent that much on a burger, you were ripped off.”

Vinny flipped him off before going to grab some merch to set up the table inside the venue. Matt chuckled, kissed my forehead and pushed me in the direction Vegas had left in, “Go on, make yourself useful; prove you’re not just a pretty face.”

“She’s not even that, Flyzik,” Alex laughed. I pouted up at him and slapped his stomach causing him to curse out loud. “Holy shit, I’m not even sure she’s a she.”

“I heard that was the latest Gaskarth rumour going around,” I said sweetly, patting his cheek as he watched his stomach turn a little red from my hand.

Matt just shook his head and tried to act stern as he pointed me in the direction of Vinny. He may act like he hates his job and it’s a chore but everyone knows he’s the best at what he does for a reason; because he enjoys it.

I left and let Vinny sit out as I unloaded the merch from boxes and pinned some on the back board, so people could see, along with the prices. “You are a saviour.”

“You’re just lazy and fat, snookums,” I teased as I finished up. He grumbled and patted his stomach. He’d commented earlier about how he was feeling slightly better as he chugged water so I wasn’t going to get stuck with all the work that night. “I’m going to tell Cass she’s singing with Alex tonight, okay? Don’t go into a food coma while I’m gone.”

“Sure thing, babe.”

“You’re an asshole.”



“Hey guys, guys- Rian shut up!” I laughed from my seat on the merch table as Rian ceased his drumming and Alex cursed as he got hit with a drumstick. Only a few kids bought stuff during a show so there wasn’t much to do. “You know Vinny our merch guy?”

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd and Vinny just groaned, leaning to put his face in my side. I cooed at him and petted his hair, you’re such a baby. Flyzik was walking over to us and kissed my forehead whilst hitting Vinny on the back. “You deserve it, buddy.”

“Vinny thought he could take on this huge ass burger from a restaurant not far from here earlier, you guys know what I’m talking about?” Again there was a cheer but not quite as loud as last time and Jack laughed.

“He couldn’t handle it guys, so go easy on him tonight, he’s a few bites away from exploding apparently,” Alex chuckled, smirking.

“Seriously though Vinny, don’t try it again, you might lose your supermodel figure!” Jack added whilst Vinny mumbled about how much he hated these boys.

Matt laughed from next to me and ducked away to head backstage again as a group of girls approached the tables. “Come find me after, okay? Have fun.”

“Ariel, serve the paying ladies, I’m napping,” I outright laughed at him and the girls chuckled a little. Then, as he slumped backwards in his chair slightly, I tugged on the front leg with my foot and he tipped back a little. His arms flung out as he tried to steady himself and he gave out the most unmanly shriek I’ve ever heard. “You are definitely the more evil, Dawson.”

“And don’t you forget it. Now get to stepping and serve the paying ladies.”



“Barakat! Have you seen Matty?”I ran down the corridor and hopped onto his back, my legs around his waist.

He shifted under me and grasped my calves in his hands so I didn’t fall as I played with his hair, my head on top of his. “I think he’s in our dressing room, want me to take you?” I nodded and he started walking again. “How was your night?”

“It was good, you guys were awesome. Cass sounded great as well,” I yawned and wrapped my arms around his neck loosely.

Jack laughed, “You tired, sweetie?”

“Mmhm.” Alex joined us on our walk as he came out from one of the rooms and he smiled up at me, nudging my thigh with his hip. “Hey Gaskarth.”

“Hey babe, you look beat,” I scowled and tried to hit him, my arm flailing blindly next to me as I closed my eyes. “Matt was going to take you out for dinner tonight, I hope you don’t fall asleep in your food.”

“Food! No, I’m awake, c’mon let’s get this thing going Barakat, I’m getting fed.” Both boys laughed as I hit Jack’s shoulders lightly. “Go forth!”

Jack let me down as we got into the dressing room where a few of the crew were. “Guys, Rian and Zack are heading out to meet fans, are you going to shower and join them?” Matt called out, flicking through some papers in his folder.

Alex shouted back a confirmation and they headed off to get cleaned up. I wandered over to Flyzik and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head on his back as he continued rifling through paperwork.

“A little birdie told me you were thinking of taking me out for dinner,” I murmured, running my fingers down his sides. He shivered a little and ignored me, his lips tilting up in the corner slightly. “Are we going for fried food or do I have to get changed into something a little more classy?” I asked, teasing him as I fluttered my fingers on the word ‘classy’.

He turned around, my hands still staying on his sides as he pulled me in for a hug. “Do you want fried food because I’ll never say no to you dressy all classy,” He teased right back, shimmying in the hug on ‘classy’ just to mock me further.

I knew I was blushing despite the obvious ridicule. “Well, I guess I’ll treat you and get all fancy.” I stretched up quickly and kissed his cheek. “Come find me after you’re finished, Matty.”

Fleeing the room I ran into Alex coming back from his shower, “Someone looks excited.”

He winked at me and I shoved his shoulder lightly. “I’m excited for food, I am always excited for food.”

I got a soft smile in return as he slung an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side in a quick sort of hug, “You make him real happy, Ariel. Thanks.” My only response was to bury my face into his shoulder as he laughed at me. “Go on, go and make yourself pretty, babe.”

“I think you should do the same, don’t want to scare all the fans away with that face,” I smiled up at him.

He ruffled my hair, “Whatever, kid. G’on, have fun tonight!” My chest felt heavy as he called me ‘kid’, because it just reminded me how goddamn lucky I was for this family when I didn’t deserve them at all.

Flinging my arms around Alex’s shoulders I gripped him tightly whilst standing on my tiptoes. “I’m proud of you boys. Don’t miss me too much, okay?” I tapped his nose lightly and he scrunched it up as I went in for a kiss on the forehead, stretching up further on my toes. Then I left the venue around the back as Alex went out a side door to join the band out with the fans.

Vinny was packing merch up into the trailer and most of the crew was inside still, packing everything up for the night. Colussy was the only one on the bus and he looked busy sorting through a calendar, some papers and his laptop open on the table.

He didn’t even look up as I entered the bus, barely even muttered a ‘hello’ so I just kissed his head and walked past. “Hey, Elle.”

“And he speaks!” He laughed a little and rubbed his eyes.

“Sorry, just sorting some stuff out. You look happy, what’s up?”

I shrugged, grabbing a bottle of water from the little fridge, “Going for dinner, excited for some real food. Just happy with tour. Don’t work too hard, sweetie.” He nodded, stretching in his seat as I left him to it with a pat on the shoulder. My suitcase was on my bunk from earlier because the boys had been too busy to put it back in the compartment and I wasn’t strong enough to heave it up into it. Well, all the boys had been busy except Vinny but he could barely stand up without support, so.

Dressing classy was probably not the best idea considering I’d packed for tour which basically covered jeans, shorts, tights, underwear, shirts and hoodies. I remember packing some black wedges so I plucked those from the case and tapped my foot on the ground. I had dresses in there somewhere, I was sure of it. I actually enjoyed wearing dresses when the time was right so it wasn’t like I bought them sparingly. I rifled through the messy piles of clothes in my suitcase, careful not to make an even bigger mess of the packed items. I saw a sliver of black material with little white polka dots on it.

I pulled it out and grinned when I saw the dress Rian had bought me last Christmas. It was a fifties style halter neck with white piping detail. I’d seen it ages ago and didn’t have the money to buy it so Rian got it as a present. It had four black buttons down the middle of the top until it cinched in at the waist and pushed out into a full skirt. It was girly and I know for a fact that none of the boys would be expecting it. I doubted Matt would even know I’d packed it considering it was a last thought before we left.

I gathered it in my arms with the shoes and grabbed my makeup bag and headed into the back room to get ready because there was no way in hell the bathroom was big enough and there was a mirror in the back room with more lighting. I put my hair in a quick bun to deal with later and redid my eyeliner and mascara and then put on some red lipstick that was a ridiculous match to my hair. Bella had bought it as a joke but it had stopped being funny when I’d worn it for a week straight and she’d complained that I was flirting with everyone by wearing a colour that provocative (which in turn had made me laugh).

I slipped the dress over my head and undid my bun to brush through my hair. I did a middle parting and clipped the two sides of my fringe back on either sides. Then I grabbed my wedges and left the room, throwing my clothes from earlier on my bunk and depositing my make up there as well. “Well well well,” I heard from the front room as I walked out.

The boys whistled low and Alex winked at me whilst Jack asked me to twirl around. Obviously I obliged because you cannot deny twirling in this kind of dress, it swings with you. He clapped his hands and pretended to wipe a tear away, “My girl’s all grown up.”

“Yes she is,” Matt muttered, teeth tugging on his lip ring. “You look lovely, Ari.” I curtsied and sat down, pulling on my shoes. “I’m going to change, give me five minutes.” Then he left and all the boys that were present turned to look at me with raised eyebrows.

“You look pretty fucking knockout, Elle,” Evan grinned, bumping shoulders from next to me.

“You look hot,” Vinny winked, giving me that stupid ‘bro nod’ where you tilt your chin up. “Seriously, you’re going to be the death of him.” I hit his shoulder but I couldn’t stop smiling because I felt good.

There was a loud curse from the back room and all the boys chuckled. Alex told Evan to ‘scooch’ so he could move next to me and the boy obliged. “You do look lovely though, babe.” I nodded, biting my lip. I was excited. Tour was good - it was the best thing, ever - but I didn’t get to go out a lot because of working and then there was always all of the boys around and this would be fun and good and I got to spend time with Matty and that was always the best. Plus, getting dressed up like this and having the boys’ reactions being that full on was kind of a self-esteem booster.

“Thanks, but just because I look smokin’ doesn’t mean you can call me babe, Asskarth,” I smirked, patting his cheek lightly. Matt came out of the back room in a white shirt and black blazer with some tight black jeans on with his usual black Converse.

“Is that m-”

“Thanks for the jacket, dude,” Matt smiled, slapping Kurily on the back slightly. “You ready?” I looked around at everyone’s faces and they were all smiling - except Alex and Vinny, they smirked like they knew something I didn’t. Nodding, I stood up and flatted my dress down. “Let’s go,” I handed him my phone and he slipped it into the inside jacket pocket and then we left.

I was nervous and excited but nervous was new because this was Matty Mouse and he was my best friend and I never got nervous around him unless it was when he got too suspicious and I stuttered a lot. “Where are we going?” I asked as we got onto the street.

He slipped his arm around my shoulder and smiled down, “I’m not ruining the surprise, princess.”