The American Spirit

June 20th, 2015

Ryanne felt so bad for completely dissing Braden yesterday that she didn't get any sleep. He had been such a good friend to her since the kick off party and she treated him like that? Her mother would have a stroke. So, she decided to go to his set today and cheer him on and then spend the rest of the day with him. He plays after her band's set, so that made being at his super easy.

"Ryanne! What's your plan for until three thirty?" Faye asked, popping her head by Ryanne's bunk. "Would you possibly consider going to brunch with me and Ben?"

Ryanne's eyes were wide at the question. Well, more so the person she mentioned in the question. Since when did Faye start hanging out with Ben Barlow of Neck Deep? Come to think of it, he had been on the bus yesterday when she went to go to her interview. She was just so hungover she didn't really register it in her head. And Ashleigh had been spending a lot of time with CC. She grinned at the thought of her friends making new friends with these people.

"Yeah, totally! I'll bring Braden. We going to catering?" She asked, pulling herself out of the bunk to put on clothes.

Seeing Faye's face light up just made everything worth it. "Yeah! We don't have much time to go off and roam. His set is at noon. It's ten thirty now."

Ryanne nodded and slipped into some high waisted shorts and a plain white tshirt. She knew Neck Deep's set time because she kept meaning to go to their set at least once this tour. Of course, it had only been two days so far, so she still had time.

Braden! Come to catering with me, Faye, and Ben?

Wandering into the bus's bathroom, she grimaced at her appearance. Mascara and eyeliner was smudged around her eyes, making her look like a raccoon. She quickly cleaned her face and reapplied make up, so she didn't look too dead. Her hair seemed fine, just wavy. She ran her fingers through the tangles, attempting to keep the beachy waves that she had going on, and placed a beanie on her head.

Why don't you ask Andy?

Ryanne frowned. She honestly didn't think Braden would act like this. He just didn't seem the type. And she was not the kind of girl that allowed boys to be petty and childish when they didn't get their way. In fact, she never let anyone get away with that towards her. If he was going to act like a child, she wasn't going to waste her time.

She sent Andy a quick text inviting him to catering and made her way to Faye and Ben who were standing outside the bus, waiting for her. She flashed the girl a smile and linked arms with her as they made their way to catering. She wasn't about to let drama ruin her Warped Tour. There were more important things to be worrying about.

"So, Braden decided he didn't want to come. So Andy will be joining us. That okay?" Ryanne informed the two as she placed her phone back in her pocket.

Faye grinned, bumping hips with the small girl. "You wanna tell me what's going on with all that?"

A blush appeared along Ryanne's cheeks at the question. She took a glance at Ben, who didn't appear to be listening, just content with holding hands with Faye and smoking a cigarette. They would actually be cute together. He was pretty shy and introverted and she was very much an outgoing extrovert. But, he seemed to keep her calm and she seemed to help him open up.

"I'll tell you when you tell me what's going on with this." Ryanne smirked, shutting the red head up and catching the attention of Ben.

"I like her."

**

The three made it to catering in silence after Ben admitted to liking Faye. Well, Ryanne was silent. Ben and Faye were whispering and laughing softly. When Andy came into view, Ryanne let out a silent sigh of relief. He grinned at her when she put her fingers to her head and mimed shooting herself. That was the longest walk to catering she had ever been on.

"Hey there, short stuff." Andy laughed, resting his arm on the top of her head. "I've been meaning to ask you, who is older between you and Chelsea?"

Ryanne pouted. "I am. I turn twenty three in eight days."

He grinned. "Seriously? Then, how the hell did you end up so short?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and walked away, not gracing him with an answer. That was a question she actually heard often. Being five foot four and Chelsea being five foot eight, the only thing that made them look similar was their facial features. But, everyone always thought that Ryanne was the younger one. It honestly didn't bother her as much as it did when she was a teenager. It simply meant that she would always look younger than what she really was.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you." Andy whispered, sidling up beside her. "I didn't know your height bothered you."

Ryanne smiled softly. "It doesn't really bother me anymore. It used to in high school. I got a lot of shit for it. But, I am a normal height and I can rock it."

He laughed and looked down at the small girl. Despite her height, she had a big attitude and an even bigger personality. She wasn't very afraid to speak her mind and if people didn't like it, she didn't particularly care. He really liked that about her. Like, yesterday. Her show was beyond amazing and the way she carried herself onstage was beyond amazing.

The way she stood up to that girl was incredible. She didn't care how other people saw her, she just knew that she wasn't about to be disrespected. Her passion for music also showed in the way she carried herself onstage. Throwing herself into a song, almost as if she weren't on the stage anymore, much less the planet.

"Andy? Where'd you go, space cadet?" She laughed, looking up at the tall singer. "We need to catch up to Faye and Ben. I told them we would eat with them."

He nodded, following her to catering. She began talking again, but as he watched her, his mind drifted. He thought back to the chorus of one of her songs, possibly on of his favorite's of theirs. It talked of one of her first loves and he wondered who she had been talking about. It was stupid to feel jealous of someone who was obviously not even in the picture anymore. But, the way she sang about him made Andy wonder who he was.

You were my first love.
You were my first kiss.
We worked so well together.
You're gonna regret this.

You were my first dance.
I was clumsy and you laughed.
Told me you loved me all the same.

**

Andy seemed a little distant on the walk to meet Faye and Ben at catering and it worried Ryanne. Had she said something that offended him? Or had something happened with his band that had his brain somewhere else? She hadn't been upset by his height comment and she had made him aware of that. So, she hoped he wasn't thinking too much about that. Because it was just a silly joke.

Should she say something to him? Should she let him know that she wasn't really hurt by his comment and that she enjoyed the teasing banter between them? They hadn't known one another for very long, but she loved the camaraderie that they shared. It was easy to talk to him and he listened so well to her. So, with him being so quiet like this, she was a little concerned.

"Who was that song about?"

Ryanne started at the sound of his deep voice and looked up at him wide eyed. Her brow furrowed at the random question and apparently the look on her face made him rethink the question.

"The song 'I Know You Are, But What Am I?'? Who was it about?"

She sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose between her fingers. She knew that the subject of that song was going to come up eventually. It was one of her very first songs she wrote and probably her favorite to play live. But, the person she had wrote it about was a complicated history.

"It's actually about my tour manager, Nick."