Learn to Spell, God!

Matt’s POV

I swear on my life that no one on this bus has ever been more excited than they are at this moment. It’s crazy. Sophie and Layla are currently on the phone to people, screaming and generally being excited. Brian and Zack are sat there, looking incredibly complacent, but worried at the same time. They have right to be worried, I suppose; the girls families may not take too kindly to the engagements.

“Haha, Jethro’s a gay, he has no friends!” Layla said, in a singsong voice. “Oh, you wanna play it that way, do ya? Okay then.” She handed the phone to Zack, who accepted it all too enthusiastically.

“Ah, Jethro, we finally meet.” Zack adopted his sinister voice. “Who am I? I’m your worst nightmare.” Zack laughed evilly after this sentence, and everyone bar Layla started laughing with him; she just sat there scowling. “No, nothing’s wrong with me. Although, this conversation is annoying my fiancé no end.” He paused for a moment. “Yes, fine. You can talk to her again.” He sighed and passed back the phone.

“What? Yeah, I know. Awesome, isn’t it?” I shook my head blocked out the conversation so I could listen to Sophie’s.

“What? What do you mean?” Sophie’s voice shook. “No. You can’t judge him! You haven’t even met him!” Her head shook in denial as she listened to the voices emanating from the phone. “I’m not cancelling the wedding!...Fine then, don’t come! I’m not cancelling it whatever you say. I love him, and nothing you say can change that!” She threw her phone at the wall as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Brian pulled her onto his lap and began rocking her back and forth as she sobbed into his shirt. He stroked her hair gently while she clasped his top in her fists and stained it black.

“Sophie, love? It’ll be okay. It’s not the end of the world. Sure, it won’t be the same without them there, but that’s not something we can help. So cheer up, okay? For me?” She gazed up at him, her eyes glazed over, and smiled weakly.

“I’ll try, Bri.”

“Wassup, my brothers from other mothers?” Jimmy sauntered into the room, demanding a presence as he did his ‘gangsta’ walk. Sophie giggled feebly, causing a smile to consume Brian’s face.

“Thanks, Jim.” Brian gushed.

“For what?” Jimmy’s face contorted into a scowl of confusion.

“Cheering Sophie up.” Not long after he had said this, Sophie began sobbing again.

“Sophs, cheer up, okay? We’ll sort this out.” He promised her.

“No, it’s not that. I b…broke my phone!” She wailed.

“You’re upset because you broke your phone?” Brian raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yes Brian. My phone means so much to me, it keeps me sane!”

“Calm, Sophie, calm. I’ll get you a new one, okay?” He reasoned with her, she cheered up automatically.

“You don’t have to Bri.” She tried, and failed, to keep her voice sincere.

“Yes, I do. What kind of fiancé would I be if I didn’t buy you a new phone when you break yours? And, besides, we don’t want to give your family another reason to hate me.” He chuckled.

“Okay then, if you insist.” Sophie didn’t fight anymore, she wanted a phone too much.

“Alrighty then.”

“Oh, I almost forgot, who’s your best man?” Sophie looked up at Brian innocently.

“Jimmy is, why?” Brian looked suspiciously at her.

“’Cause I need someone to give me away. And, considering that that person should be taller than me, Matt, will you give me away?” This shocked me beyond words. I was stunned into silence.

“I…err…what?” I stumbled over my words.

“Will. You. Give. Me. Away. Question mark.” She giggle as she said question mark.

“Way to make me feel dumb there. There was no need to actually say question mark.”

“I know, but I wanted to. But the question still remains, will you?”

“Sure thing, ginge.” I smiled, knowing I’d struck a nerve.

“Oh, you didn’t!”

“Sure did.” I replied smugly.

“You’re for it now dude.” Brian laughed and shook his head as Sophie stood up and began advancing toward me. I span around on the ball of my foot and sprinted at full speed away from Sophie, towards the door of the bus, which was now open as we had arrived in Memphis.

***

Brian had just returned from his trip into the city to get Sophie a new phone which, by the look on his face, had cost him more than he predicted it would. He walked towards the girl’s dressing room and gently knocked on the door. He paused for a moment, waiting for a reply, before entering; I hope for his sake that he had been granted permission to enter. Seconds later, I heard a high pitched squeal, several giggles and a grunt. What was going on in there, I do not know. But, shortly afterwards, Brian emerged from the room again, slightly red in the face.

“What was that?” I raised my eyebrows accusatively at him.

“Apparently, girls form strange attractions to inanimate objects that allow them contact with their friends.” He sighed and slumped off to our dressing room to get ready for the show.

Almost immediately after this, Jason Berry came running down the corridor, before turning and skidding into the girl’s dressing room.

“Hurry up!”

“Give us a minute!” One of them replied; by the accent, I would hazard a guess that it was Jenn who said that.

“No, now!”

“Okay, chill…”

“Veet! Veet!”

“Wax strips?” Undoubtedly, it was Layla who said that, only she would be able to make that sort of comment and descend a room into the kind of hysterics that emitted from the open doorway.