Dancing in Black and White Photographs

The show had gone fairly well; I didn’t get hit with a water bottle by some crazed fan. All the guy’s were bummed because they couldn’t have an after party, but they did plan one for the next show. This had been hours ago, though. Now we were stopped out in the middle of no where near a gas station. Before hand I had been sleeping until a bunch of assholes had woken me up, yelling something about a truck stop. Right now, DJ and Nikki were outside smoking and James was on the internet. I was watching a rerun of CSI, only the beginning, though. They were now finding out how an Asian girl was locked up in a chest and thrown into the river. I missed out on some of the gory details because James typing on the computer was distracting. I did find out that they knew she was an Asian because she had thick dark hair. If we threw Nikki in the river would they think the same thing?

“Are you going to go inside the gas station?” James asked, interrupting my thoughts of potential death to Nikki.

“Yeah, I just wanted to watch the beginning of this,” I said nonchalantly.

James looked at what I was watching, making his nose scrunch up. “CSI?” he questioned.

I nodded my head. “What’s wrong with CSI?” I asked.

“One of my ex-girlfriends used to watch this show. She was going into a degree for Forensic Science. She was really excited about this, too. She kind of scared me because I thought she might kill me just to see what Rigor mortis looked like,” James explained.

I blinked at him. “That’s not creepy at all,” I said sarcastically. James nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment, giving a visible shudder before disappearing out of the room. I turned off the TV and followed the way James left. All three guys stood outside, I’m guessing waiting for me. Nikki wasn’t wearing any eye liner making him look tired, but his stance told me he was bored. DJ still had eye liner, and he looked almost….giddy. James had a smile on his face. I looked back to see Nikki smirking; I still haven’t gotten over the urge to smack it off.

“Why is everyone so happy?” I asked, bemused.

“Truck stop!” DJ yelled, excitedly.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” I said dryly.

DJ grinned at me. “Just a time that we get to do something besides sitting around,” he explained.

“Unlike you Princess, we’ve been up the whole ride here,” Nikki said, lighting up another cigarette.

“It isn’t my fault that you stay awake at ridiculous hours of the night. And you guys are the assholes who woke me up, yelling shit about some lousy truck stop,” I said exasperatedly, about ready to go into a mini rant. Nikki rolled his eyes, stepping out his cigarette that he only took two drags out of. “Why do you do that?” I asked Nikki.

“Do what?” he asked not looking at me.

“Take a few drags and put it out,” explaining his behavior.

He shrugged. “Just to get the wanting to go away and a lot out of boredom,” he said, walking away from me.

“A waste of a cigarette if you ask me,” DJ whispered to me. James had caught up with Nikki, leaving DJ and I to walk together, yet again. I nodded agreeing with DJ even if I didn’t smoke.

“How was the nap?” DJ asked nicely.

“Fine, until three losers yelled about truck stops.”

He just grinned at me. “It probably doesn’t seem like it but it’s kind of a big deal.” I nodded to show that I heard him. “Do you plan on getting anything here?” DJ asked me.

I shrugged. “Maybe a Gatorade or something like that.”

“You don’t want anything caffeinated so you can stay up with us?” DJ said, smirking.

“I have to deal with your antics during the day. Why would I want to prolong that?” I asked him tiredly.

“Because, it could be like a slumber party!” DJ exclaimed in a girly voice.

I just stared at him for a moment. “Don’t ever do that again.” We entered the building, making a ding ring out through the store. I left DJ to go grab a Gatorade from the corner of the store. I grabbed a purple Gatorade, remembering I liked that one the best. I started walking towards the guys; although, when I saw them I kind of just wanted to walk away from them. Nikki and DJ were wearing some hat, trying to act all gangster, which just wasn’t working for them.

“Bunch of idiots,” I mumbled, continuing to walk towards them. DJ was throwing an arm up in the air, acting like he was rapping.
“Yo, what’s up?” he asked in his gangster voice. I just sighed and walked away from him. I needed more sleep before I could deal with the disease called stupidity. It’s a very common disease, and most unknowingly suffer from it. I walked in to the back of the store where the food was. I was waiting for them to put that stupid hat away before some real gangsters come in and shoot them. I looked at the canned food, and Spaghetti O’s were starting to sound good. I saw movement from the corner of my eye and saw Nikki on the other side of the shelf. He came onto the other side with dog biscuits.

“Why do you have dog biscuits?” I asked him while raising an eyebrow.

He looked at me briefly before grabbing a thing of frosting. “You’ll see,” he said simply, walking away from me. I followed him over to James. DJ was nowhere in sight, so I assumed he had left for the bus. While I was noticing that DJ was missing, Nikki grabbed my Gatorade and went to go pay for it.

“Hey, I can pay for it.”

Nikki looked down at me and shrugged his shoulders. “This will be faster,” he said.

James whispered to me, “Just let him do it; it’s only Gatorade.” I nodded, still too tired to deal with any of these guys. When Nikki was done paying for his weird items, we left the gas station. I was walking alongside Nikki and James when some chick stopped me by grabbing my arm. James and Nikki, being completely oblivious to my situation, just kept on walking

“So you’re with both of them,” the girl said, getting straight to the point. I looked at her; she had brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin.

“Yeah?” I questioned.

“Oh, lucky girl, you really know how to play the field,” she said, winking at the end.

Gross, this chick thinks I’m with Nikki and James. “Not really, neither one of them are all that good,” I said vaguely, hoping she’d leave them alone. I may not like Nikki, but I dislike her even more.

She nodded. “Well, if you don’t want one, could I have one?” She asked.

This girl was creepy. “How about you go ask them,” I said, getting irritated with this bimbo.

She looked towards where the bus was, she raised her eyebrows in what looked like surprise. I followed where her eyes were directed. The bus was gone. Those assholes left me in the middle of nowhere. “Shit,” I hissed.
“Oh, you got duped, Chicka, well, see you later,” She said, giving me a kiss on the cheek before walking away. Fuck, I got kissed by some crack whore and left behind. I was wearing the same outfit from earlier, but I didn’t have my cell on me. I looked around for a pay phone but realized I didn’t have anyone’s cell phone number memorized.

I sat on the curb, horribly depressed. Was I really not that important? I sighed; maybe I shouldn’t be such a bitch all the time. Nikki and DJ kind of make that impossible, though. “Why does life hate me?!” I cried out into the night. I huffed. I just wanted to go home. I was in some shit hole, left behind, and some hussy probably gave me a disease. Then again, I hang around Nikki and DJ, it couldn’t get much worse. “I’m surrounded by whores, too,” I said out loud. Now I’m talking to myself, just great. I’m going to need therapy by the end of this tour.

I was watching the dark road, hoping it would light up by on-coming head lights. I rested my chin on my knees, still waiting for something. I have the worst of luck, no wonder I don’t have friends or normal relationships. I probably could have gotten a ride with the chick, but she would have probably tried to rape me. Nikki still has my Gatorade too. ‘Not only does he leave me behind but he steals my Gatorade,’ I thought irritably. I didn’t even know what time it was for all I knew it could have been an hour later. If worse comes to worse, I could call Gemma and have her figure out how to get me out of here.

I saw headlights heading this way; some hope swelled up inside of me. It was a bus, and it came the way the bus had left or the way I assumed it left since everyone had forgotten me. I had no intentions of moving until someone came out, and if it was the guys, I wanted an apology first. The bus doors opened, but I couldn’t see who would be coming out of it. The suspense was killing me. I knew who it was immediately. It was the one person in the band that left before everyone else. DJ was walking towards me, looking nervous, probably prepared for me to blow up in his face. I had to look up at him when he stood in front of me. He knelt down to my level and we sat there in silence.

“Why are you out here?” I asked, seeing how he wasn’t the one who exactly left me behind.

He smiled a half smile. “They don’t expect you to be mad at me.”

I nodded before looking down. I really shouldn’t be this upset about it; I’m sure it happens all the time. “You left me,” I said sadly. I wouldn’t cry, this wasn’t serious enough for that.

“I’m sorry Corey,” DJ apologized for him, and his band mates. I nodded, accepting his apology. I was a bit surprised when he hugged me, but I got over it quickly and hugged him back. I buried my face into his shoulder, beginning to feel comforted, while he rested his head against my own.

“You do know the only reason they forgot you is because you’re always in the back talking to me,” he said, defending his friends.

I smiled slightly. “So it’s your fault then?” I asked.

Dj laughed. “I’ll take some of the blame, I guess. As long as you don’t blow up on Nikki or James. James especially feels awful. Nikki’s not surprised that it would happen to you,” DJ said, laughing.

I sighed, not really in the mood for joking around. I saw a bright flash out of the corner of my eye. “Awe, isn’t this cute. The Princess and the Vampire,” I heard Nikki say. I turned my head away from DJ’s shoulder to glare at Nikki. Nikki, of course, was smirking. I could feel DJ shaking his head. “That was truly a Kodak moment,” Nikki said in a mock dreamy voice. I rolled my eyes at him. DJ got up and held at his hand to help me. I took it, too tired to help myself.

“Sorry Princess, I didn’t know you had lagged behind,” Nikki said, actually being apologetic. It was kind of scary.

“It’s alright,” I said hesitantly, not sure how to handle this nice Nikki. He nodded and started heading for the bus with DJ and I lagging behind.

“So how did you end up getting left behind?” DJ asked.

“Some chick started talking to me about how she wanted Nikki or James. She was a true tramp,” I explained, my nose turning up in disgust. “The crack whore also kissed me on the cheek,” I continued, my glare turning hard.

DJ busted up laughing. “Obviously she wanted you too,” he joked.

“Not funny, Vampire Eyes,” I said.

He continued to smile. “What kind of fairy tale involves a princess and a vampire?” he asked me.

“A fucked up one. I get the feeling the princess wouldn’t last very long,” I said. We had reached the bus, but now we were standing outside of it.

“What if the vampire wanted her forever?” DJ asked, continuing his interrogation of this fairy tale.

“What if the princess didn’t want to live forever?” I asked him, forever is way too long to live.

“I thought every girl’s romantic dream was to have that ever lasting love,” DJ said, rolling his eyes at the end.

I laughed at his choice of words. “Sometimes love isn’t enough,” I said vaguely.
“Why do you say that?” he asked curiously.

“Because love can die but if you can’t, what would you be living for?” I asked him. DJ gave me a knowing smile before heading inside the bus. I sighed, I had just unwittingly told him something personal. All the failed attempts just led me to believe that fairy tales are only stories. Besides, I wouldn’t want to be the damsel in distress.