And She Made the Shape of My Heart With Her Hands

“So,” John said lowly in a serious tone that made all of us turn our heads. “Last show for this summer,” he stated.

Nobody said anything. There was no response. But could you blame them?

“It’s okay, guys,” I assured them warmly. “It’s only for the summer. Just… Well, as much as it kills me to recite this corny line… Look on the bright side.” I smiled reassuringly.

“Like thirty seconds,” a random man warned the band as he walked quickly by us. All our eyes happened to follow him until we could not see his black-clothed back anymore.

“Cara’s right,” Jared agreed, nodding his head along to his statement. “We shouldn’t be depressed or anything. We had an awesome summer tour.” I watched as the other members shook their heads in agreement. “Besides, we’re going to England in September for that little tour. So… It’s all good!”

“Yeah! Britain!” Garrett shouted with his hands raised in the air.

“Yep. Okay, let’s go, before we start getting booed and shit,” John told the rest of the band as he started strutting across the stage, the others soon falling into step with him.

England? As in the country in Europe across the ocean? You know, the one that we fought against in the Revolutionary War? That England?

Wow… I didn’t know that they were to spend time touring over there… This was all news to me…

“Trevor!” I called out as I spotted the boy attempting to open a door with a brown box in his arms.

“Oh. Hey, Cara,” he greeted with a smile as he held up the box.

I opened the door for him to go through. “Uh, hi. Listen…”

“I’m listening,” he assured with a warm smile as he carefully passed through the opened door.

“Is The Maine going to England in September?”

Trevor stopped and turned around, his 360-degree turn taking slower than if he weren’t holding a box full of new folded clothes. “Yeah. They’re going with The Academy Is… and We The Kings to the U.K. for like a week. I think their first show is on the 13th, which is also Kennedy’s birthday. Why?”

“Oh.” I blinked. “Um, I was just wondering, you know? The guys just vaguely mentioned it and I was sort of in the dark,” I explained.

“Right. Well I have to get back to selling things before all hell breaks loose. Later!”

“Later,” I mumbled. I turned back towards the green door and opened it, taking my normal strides over to the side of the stage to where I could see the band clearly. I watched silently as the thoughts crossed my mind in a blur. I looked up from the floor just in time to hear the band reaching their chorus and to see John sing.

“We're alive and we drive to the center of it
Where we know we're all fine and this just can't be it
And in the end we all know we only breathe for so long
So tonight's the night we all roll along.”

A small smile graced my features as I listened to them and watched them. I had gotten so close to them.

John crossed the stage in couple long strides and bent down to the crowd as he pushed some caramel locks from his way. His pitch and volume rose higher as the microphone echoed his voice around the place, “We're alive and we drive to the center of it
Where we know we're all fine and this just can't be it
And in the end we all know we only breathe for so long
So tonight's the night we all roll along.”

I sighed and pushed my hand through my hair. My mind drifted back to England…

It really wasn’t that big of a deal. It really wasn’t. After all, they would only be gone for about a week and technology rocks these days so I’ll keep in contact with them.

The music around me still buzzed in and out of my ears clearly. It was then that I realized that the real reason I was probably overreacting about this is because I won’t know what to do with myself when I get back home and the boys aren’t there anymore. I knew that things would probably go back to normal… somewhat. There were still changes that were to be adapted to.

For instance, I now had a boyfriend. I’m not saying that I’m expecting to know what he’s doing every second of the day and where he is at all times, but I do still want to hear at least a little from him everyday. After all, I was his girlfriend and I did love him. But then again, there were others that I wanted to hear from also. Anyway, aside from my despicable love life, there are still changes that are simply awaiting for me at home, like my mother and the divorce. I hadn’t spoken to my mom since that day she randomly called. Was she mad at me? Disappointed? Let down? I’d have to find out sooner or later, and seeing as this was the last show of the tour, I’d say that I’d be finding out sooner than expected. And then there was Camille. There was something to look forward to. Sure she had her things that she would want to rant on about, such as her sister’s boyfriend, but it would still be great to start hanging out with her again. I missed her. Ugh. And then there was school. I was pretty sure that my first day of high school as a senior would begin on the eighth of September. Oh joy.

“We're alive and we drive to the center of it
Where we know we're all fine and this just can't be it
And in the end we all know we only breathe for so long
So tonight's the night,”John’s pitch slowly got higher within each syllable, then he stretched out the final words lovely, singing, “we all roll along.”

It was almost an hour later after The Maine had finished their set of songs. I had been watching the show from my special little spot on the side, when my phone started buzzing madly in my back pocket. I quickly whipped the Sidekick out and flipped the panel around so that I could rest my thumb pads on the tiny keyboard while I read the text over.

It was Trevor. Apparently they were getting a lot of customers in their little merchandise business tonight so he was desperately pleading for help. My fingers started typing the tiny keys at once, answering Trevor’s cry for help in reassurance. When I was finished I adjusted the Sidekick to it’s normal position and slid it back into my pocket properly. I then started to make my way outside, through all the crowds of people.

“Alright, so what can I do?” I asked a busy Trevor.

He flashed me quick, brief smile my way as he handed a blonde girl a couple dollar bills and some dull coins. “Just help me sell this stuff. It’d be great if we sold most of it because we don’t really want too much extra stuff for when we leave, so I marked the price down a little. Since then, we’d been getting people coming here like crazy,” he explained before turning to an awaiting girl.

“Yes, sir,” I saluted him before scooting my way down the table a couple steps away from Trevor. I gestured with my hand as I spoke very loud and clearly, “You guys can start a new line right over here!” Before half of my sentence was instructed, about a third of the people in Trevor’s line instantly removed them selves to wait in mine. Some of them suddenly realized that that wasn’t the best move, so some of the many teenagers returned to Trevor’s line once again. I chuckled as I turned to the first young lady in line. “Hello. What can I get you?”

Without even looking at me, the girl squinted her gray eyes as she stared behind me. “Do you have that shirt in a small?” I turned my head back as she raised her hand to point. “The John Oh one,” she added.

I took a step back and looked for the right box that held the shirt the girl asked for. Once I found the correct box, my eyes carefully scanned each of their tags until I finally came across the size of small, as requested. I yanked it out of the cardboard box swiftly and laid it on the table in front of the teen. “That’d be-”

The young girl instantly snapped her hand up with an awaiting dirty and crumbled twenty-dollar bill.

“Heh. Right,” I muttered with a chuckle as I cashed the money in and looked for her proper change.

“I just love John. He’s so damn cute,” she squealed with an excited smile.

“Mhm. Don’t we all,” I replied lowly, not even caring if the ecstatic fan heard me or not. “Have a nice night.”

“Thanks. You, too!” With that, she was off.

“Hey! You’re totally Garrett’s sister, Cara! Right? Shit! If I’m wrong, I’m sorry!” I laughed a couple times at the girl in front of me. She had large white sunglasses stuck into her messy auburn hair and her hands were firmly on her thick waist. “Hey, if you really are Cara Nickelsen, well I watched a video on the Internet yesterday and you were like on it and stuff,” she said quickly. I swear, this girl could breathe through her ears, too. “Kennedy said that you and Pat are,” the teenage girl imitated Kennedy’s wink, followed by his same tongue click. “Um, I want those two shirts both in a large, please,” she suddenly brought up as she specifically pointed to two shirts that hung near each other.

I turned around from the table and the babbling girl, and got what she asked pretty quickly and efficiently. Her size happened to be right on top of both boxes that held the two shirts she had just asked for moments before. I returned to her with both shirts in hand. I told her the amount she owed and patiently waited for the cash.

Her hand sloppily savaged through the wads of junk in her small orange purse. She then suddenly laid her money on the table with a thud. “So is it true?”

My forehead creased a little as I finished counting the money she had just slapped down. “Is what true? Oh, and you still need two more dollars,” I responded.

“Oh, shit. Hold on,” she replied as she rummaged through her handbag once again. Within a moment, she pulled out a five-dollar bill for me as she handed it over. “And is it true that you and Pat are,” once again, she did Kennedy’s impression from the video.

“Thank you and yes, it is,” I answered her as I put the money she gave me away.

“Aw,” she cooed. “That’s so cute! You and Pat are adorable! Especially together!”

I giggled a little and handed her the rightful change. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, but you know what?” Of course she didn’t let me ask what before she went right on to saying, “I’m kind of surprised you’re with Pat. I mean, I saw the weird little connection you two had within videos, but I just sort of imagined you with John. Oh well! Thanks for the shirt and conversation! See ya!” With that, she was off, leaving me here with a head full of confusion.

Why would she think that?