Scream, to Be Heard

Chapter 11
“Well we’re All Time Low, thanks for coming out tonight, and our last song is a little thing called Last Flight Home.” The audience cheered and screamed as Alex sang and Zack played the opening bass line of the song.
“Shut your mouth and listen closely, cause the silence isn’t easy so I’ll break it even harder than before…” Bailey mouthed the words along backstage, chillin’ with Matt. Summer vacation was so close they could almost taste it. Prom had been two weeks ago, and the Juniors were finishing up their final exams. Alex and Bailey had been taking things slow. I suppose you could say they had a ‘thing’. Whatever that actually means, anyways.
Anywhore, the boys were going to jump in on the Warped Tour circuit any time now. Matt had already figured out when they’d start playing (June 18th, actually), and they had to drive out to Ohio in a few days in order to, well, be there.
“Hey, Bailey?” Matt yelled over the music. Okay. Let’s get something straight here. Nobody actually calls him Matt. He is forever known as Flyzik.
“Yep?” The blonde acknowledged, scooting closer so she could hear the tour manager talk.
“The guys and I have been thinking. Do you wanna come along to Warped with us?” Bailey whipped her head.
“You for real right now McFly?” The Back-to-the-Future reference which was his nickname never seemed to get old in her eyes. Flyzik didn’t mind it though. He was a nerd.
“Fo’shizzle.”
“Fuck yeah I’ll go!” Flashback’s from Warped Tours passed came into mind. Like the previous year when she had gone with Chloe and Caytlin, but they missed the Fall Out Boy set because SOMEBODY *cough* CHLOE *cough* didn’t want to miss Avenged Sevenfold. Complaints aside, it was still a fun experience. Bailey had even made it up to the stage crowd-surfing and got a high-five from Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup (que fangirl moment). Needless to say that the blonde was singing 1985 for weeks on end. But honestly, who wasn’t?
“Sweet.” Flyzik nodded and concentrated on the guys. A few moshers had made their way to the stage and were screwing around with the mics. Nothing too serious. Zack and Jack’s matching skunk hair was bouncing around due to their spastic on-stage movements. Alex, on the other hand, was looking confused as fuck because some dude just started playing his guitar for him. Bailey giggled. ‘That face he just made was legitimately the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.’ The song was nearing its end and the bands night at the Recher was almost over. The blonde was wearing one of Alex’s band shirts, a Blink 182 one to be specific. She had on an oversized flannel, unbuttoned and rolled up at the sleeves. Despite being an night in early June, it was a little chilly.
“THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! GIVE IT UP! I LOVE YOU!” Alex laughed and high-fived some of the guys on stage before exiting, enveloping Bailey in a massive hug.
“AGHHHHHHHH I’M SO SWEATY.” The boy shouted, nearly crushing her in two.
“YES I KNOW NOW PLEASE I NEED TO BREATHE TOO.” He dashed back out on stage to clear it of any more fans, and began to pack up his shit. The blonde propped herself on a table backstage and watched it all go down. She could have helped. She knew exactly how to set up and take down a stage. That was one of the things Alex didn’t know about her. One of the many things that Alex was yet to find out about her, anyways.
“Hey, Bails, did Flyzik ask you yet?” Alex asked, hauling two guitar cases out the back door.
“About Warped?” She called from the table the was sitting on.
“Yeah. You coming?”
“Fuck yeah I am.”
“WOOOO-HOOOOOO” He screamed into the night air, throwing Bailey into a laughing fit.
“Oh, Alex.” She chuckled to herself, “What would we do without you.” He skipped back over (well, not really because ‘skipping is gay’) to where she was sitting and slammed his hands down on either side of where she was sitting. Her eyebrows rose in question.
“Well, somebody’s hyper.” She joked, poking him in the stomach. The boy let out a chirp of laughter.
“Stop that,” he smiled, “it tickles.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Like, a lot.” She shot him that look that read ‘oh bitch it’s over’ and she poked him again.
“Nooo stoppp!” he was writhing around and giggling as she poked him all along his abdomen. Bailey found it painfully adorable.
“Nahh.” She continued with the poke attack until they heard Zack clear his throat. The two both looked over.
“Uhh….” Zack shook his head.
“Alex, I am judging you so hard right now.” And with that, he walked away. Alex took Bailey’s hands in his.
“So…no more poking.” He smirked, looking down and playing with her fingers. He noticed they were calloused, just like his. But somehow they still managed to be feminine and pretty. He’d have to take notes on how to keep his pretty like that.
“Alright. No more poking…” she paused and he looked up at her. “For now.” Alex kissed the tip of her nose.
“Hey let’s have a sleepover.” The boy suggested, picking her up off the table like she weighed less than a feather. Bailey’s jaw dropped. She wasn’t some little peanut, so she seldom got picked up. And when she did, she was impressed.
“Nothing too sexy, really. I can pick up some Chinese food and we can watch a movie and cuddle because that’s actually one of my favorite things to do…” he rambled on, carrying her bridal style through an array of doorways.
“Can we first discuss how you managed to pick the walrus off the table?” The girl questioned, looking up at her cocoa-brown haired….friend? Nah. Let’s call him the man of interest.
“I don’t remember picking up a walrus. I only remember picking up you.”
“I AM THE WALRUS.” She yelled.
“KOO-KOO-CACHOO” He crowed. Bailey laughed way harder than necessary at the Beatles reference and her boy-toy almost dropped her, but alas he did not.
“Seriously, Bails, baby doll, you’re not a walrus. You’re beautiful. You’re perfect. So just hush now so I can order us some orange chicken.” They were already outside, walking downtown to the little Chinese place. The other guys would have to drive the shit home.
“Alex. Put me down. People are staring.”
“No thanks.”
“Mr. Gaskarth, I swear if you don’t put me down this instant….”
“What was that?” He cocked an eyebrow as they walked. Or rather, he walked.
“I said Mr. Gaskarth-”
“That was kinda hot actually.” He dodged a lamppost. Wouldn’t want any blondes with concussions walking around.
“Was it now.” She remarked sarcastically as they entered the Golden Panda, and he reluctantly put her down. The man at the counter called them over with his thick Chinese accent.
“Yes, uh, we’ll have two orders of orange chicken…some shrimp lo mein…white rice…two eggrolls…and…a coke.” Alex shelled out the cash and they waited for their order. Bailey’s mom was on a business trip, so she had no problem letting him stay the night without asking. She probably wouldn’t have noticed if she was there. Bailey leaned over to Alex and whispered in his ear.
“Hey…hey Alex…”
“Yeah?” His voice was low and husky.
*Poke*
“STOP!!!” He giggled, swatting her hands away. The man at the counter stared. Judging.
“FOOD IS READY.” He snapped, pushing the bags toward the two. Bailey resisted the urge to continue poking the boy and grabbed the food off the counter.
“Come on, Mr. Gaskarth,” she smiled over her shoulder, “let’s go.” Alex followed, love struck and fucking starving as ever. The man at the counted held is head in his hands.
“Aye,” he sighed, “Teenagers.”