The Cheap Bouquet

Touring with Pierce The Veil had been somewhat of an escape for Anna. She no longer had to deal with everything happening in San Diego, and she could finally go outside without the fear of running into Katie. She completely ignored every text and/or call she had gotten from Zak, and planned on doing so until she was forced to face him. Unfortunatley for Anna, Zak didn't show any signs of giving up.

"I'm starving, and I'm like one hundred and ten percent positive that I'm dying," Anna groaned, causing Maya, a new-found friend on tour, to laugh.

The two girls had been walking around for what seemed like hours (to Anna, at least), looking for some kind of a consession stand, and even asking a few people if there was a fast food restaurant in walking distance. So far, they had found nothing.

Maya smirked. "Well, I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of guys willing to let you blow them. If you're that hungry, at least," she teased, laughing as Anna hit her arm.

"You're horrible!" she exclaimed through a fit of laughter. Onceshe had finally composed herself, she sighed. "I guess we'll just have to walk to that Walmart a few blocks back and pick up some Hot Pockets or something. We can take advantage of the Of Mice tour bus, and lounge the fuck around while annoying whoever's there," she suggested, smiling as she finished.

Maya nodded. "Sounds alright to me," she said, following Anna out of the gate-enclosed area, making sure they both had their crew passes, that way they could get back in.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a few moments, before Maya pushing a stray piece of ginger hair behind her ear, exposing her many freckles, and asking an out-of-the-blue question. "WHo have you been avoiding? Did some creep steal your number?"

Taken back by Maya's question, Anna shook her head. She wasn't sure if she should tell Maya or not. It would be nice to talk to someone about Zak, someone to take some of the weight off of Anna's shoulders. "What makes you say that?" She asked, cautiously.

The older, and slightly taller, girl shrugged. "I took an psycology class in college. Body language was one of the easiest things to learn. Sometimes, when your phone rings, you bit your lip, or shift awkwardly, or sigh in desperation, or purse your lips, or do something like rub your this, or your arms. You do things that you normally don't. Either you're avoiding someone, or someone's scaring you," she answered, watching the younger female as she wrung her hands together.

After thinking for a moment, Anna decided that she could trust Maya with this secret she'd been keeping. "Well, I didn't prepare for this. I guess this'll be blunt," she began, crossing her arms over her chest in order to stop her nervouis habits. "One of my best friends told me he loved me. Like, loved me. And that's why he doesn't like Tony. But, I don't like him that way. I like Tony. But, Zak's my best friend, and I can't break him."

A moment of silence passed between the two of them. "Does Tony know?" Maya finally asked, saving Anna from a sheer embarassment.

Anna shook her head, and sighed. "It isn't exactly something you bring up in an every day conversation," she replied as the two walked into the well-lit building. They walked back into the food section of the store, and began to pick out what they wanted.

"Do you love Tony?" Maya asked, not looking up at Anna as she looked throlugh the assorted frozen foods. She had heard the two say it to each other before, but if it wasn't real, than it meant nothing.

"Yeah, of coarse I do. What kind of question is that?"

Ignoring Anna's question, Anna smiled. "Than there's nothing to be worried about. It's you, Tony, and a kid who will eventually realize that you're happy and in love," she said.

Anna shook her head. "But Zak's not just a kid. He's my best friend. I've known him since high school and he's probably the only person I know who would go out of his way just to tie my fucking shoe," Anna said, slowly becoming frustrated. Not with Maya, but with herself. Why couldn't she just be friends with Zak?

Maya shook her head. "No, he's not the only one who would do something so drastic just to do something so simple for you. Did you forget about Tony?"

There was a lng silence between the two as they paid at the check out. No one spoke again until they were halfway back to the venue.

That was when Anna realized that Maya had a point. And, not only did she, but what she was trying to get Anna to realize made sense. It was simple, Anna was just making it out to be some big deal. "I'll tell him later tonight. But, if he reacts badly, which I don't really count on, you're going to be there for me to run to. Right?" It was so Anna to have a dependable back-up plan.

Maya gave Anna a small smile. "Always."



The show had ended hours ago, amd everyone on Warped was currently on their way to the next venue. Tony and Anna were cuddled close together in Tony's bunk. Anna thought that now would be a decent time to tell him.

"Can I tell you something?" Anna asked, tracing the tattoos on Tony's right hand, which was draped lazily over her waist. She was almost happy that her back was against his chest, that way he couldn't see the hesitance in her eyes. He had an history of doing so.

Tony nodded, and kissed behind Anna's ear. "Anything," he whispered, his lips slowlys traveling down her neck, and stopping at her jaw.

Taking a deep breath to study herself, Anna begin to explain things. "Before we went on tour, Zak told me he loved me. I didn't tell you sooner, because I wasn't sure what I was going to do until just today. And, by that, I don't mean that I wasn't sure if I should choose you or him. I wasn't sure if I was ready to hurt the one person who had been my voice when...everything...happened. But, I know now. I love you, Tony," she said, her voice dropping into a whisper as the last statment slipped from her tongue.

Tony chuckled, and Anna could feel his chest rumble against her back. "What's funny? I was being serious," she mumbled, biting her lip nervously.

"That night that I saw you at the concert, he said that he'd take you from me. At first I was nervous. But then you said you loved me and I knew I had nothing to worry about," he answered, a dopey smile on his face.

Anna frowned. "But, I basically doubted you. I'm sorry for that," she said, expecting somewhat of a lecture, or at least being informed of Tony being dissapointed in her.

Planting a kiss at the corner of her lips, Tony smiled. "Everyone makes mistakes. We learn from them," he said.

Surprised that he hadn't had an outburst, Anna giggled softly. Everyone else she had ever been with, would've been angry with her. But Tony hadn't. And, as odd as it felt, Anna shrugged it off, before turning her body in Tony's embrace to kiss his lips softly.