Stories

BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH THE STORY

Sorry if you read the last post. It wasn’t meant for this blog.

NOW ON WITH THE STORY

Chapter Nine

~William’s POV~

I felt sick to my stomach. Again. It was beginning to be a common symptom when I was around my Sarah. Throughout dinner, Tyson was ALL OVER her! Couldn’t he tell we were in PUBLIC?!

Sarah and Tyson walked ahead, seemingly oblivious of little old me, as we left Denny’s. I let out an exasperated/disgusted sound.

“Dude, what’s your problem?” Sisky asked.

“You can’t tell me you don’t notice… Tyson and Sarah! They’ve been WAAAYY overstepping the whole PDA rule since we got here!”

Sisky just gave me a pitiful look before shaking his head.

“I think you need a night out, my friend. Ronni is flying in to ride with us for a week before her summer courses start. How about you find a date, and we double?”

Ronni was Sisky’s girlfriend of 10 months, and a genuinely nice girl. I could think of one person who would be a great friend for her on tour.

“Sure, I’ll ask Sarah. Where are we going?”

“William. Seriously? Do you really think bringing Sarah is the best plan?”

“Why not? I think her and Ronni could be great friends. How about mini-golf? There’s one of those in every town, it seems.”

Siska just sighed and patted my back, and we trekked the rest of the way back to the bus in silence.

~Sarah’s POV~

Tyson and I were walking back to the busses, still hand in hand. My stomach felt like it was going to leap out of my throat at any second!

“Hey Sarah… Can I ask you something?” Tyson said timidly.

“Sure Ty, anything!”

“Well I know we haven’t known each other for a very long time, but… I was wondering if you liked me enough to consider becoming my girlfriend?”

*Dies*

I stopped walking at stared at Tyson’s dark, beautiful eyes. Did I really want to do this? My body was yelling YES! But my head wanted to think about this a little longer…

“Sarah? Oh my gosh, I’m sorry… I knew it was too soon. I can’t belie-”

And right there, I cut him off with a light peck on the lips. To heck with my head, I wanted to live.

“Of course, I’ll be your girlfriend.” I said with a smile.

By this time, we had reached the busses (we had to park a ways away due to the sheer quantity of vehicles) and were leaning against the AAR bus. Tyson gave me a beaming smile and lifted me up into a giant bear hug.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” I laughed and playfully hit him on the arm to put me down.

He set me down and leaned in for a kiss. I hesitated only a moment before leaning in and letting him press his lips to mine. The kiss started out innocent, but Tyson quickly amped up the intensity. He grabbed me body and pressed it to his, deepening the kiss before I really knew what was happening. I was fine until I saw him start to fumble with the latch on the door behind him. I broke away and spoke before he could react.

“What are you doing?”

“Well since we’re together now, I didn’t think it would be a big deal if we spent the night together…” He didn’t look as if he was kidding at all.

“Um… the first night? Sorry sweetie, I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“Oh… uh… sorry… I didn’t mean to be pushy or anything. I just really like you a lot. I figured that maybe I’d sleep better with you next to me.”

I raised an eyebrow internally, but smiled to my new boyfriend. “That’s so sweet, but Harley is probably already having a conniption in my absence. I better get back.”

“Okay…” Ty looked so dejected! “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he walked into his bus without another word.

Wow. I thought. That was… abrupt. Ah well, he’s probably just tired. I know I am!

My night, however, wasn’t quite over. On the short trip back to my own bus, Willy gently grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“Hey there handsome!” I said, making the tall boy blush. “What’s cooking?”

“Hey Sarah. I just wanted to know what you’re doing tomorrow night? You see Sisky’s girlfriend Ronni is flying up and they wanted to double. I kind of need a date…” The whole time he was speaking, the blush never left his suddenly shy face.

“Sure Will! I’d love to go with you as friends!” My tone was bright, but the smile that appeared on William’s face seemed to be a bit muted.

“Great. I’ll come by your bus tomorrow after I get cleaned up from the show?”

“Sure thing, can’t wait!”

As Will walked away and I found my way back to my own bus, I was having trouble shaking the feeling that I had just missed something. I couldn’t quite pin it down, but I was too tired at that point to be bothered with caring. I stumbled into the bus, let Harley out of his porta-kennel, and flopped into my bottom bunk with my puppy at my feet.

~*~

**AUTHOR’S NOTE: I know that the time-line of this chapter and the last might be a bit confusing, so I wanted to explain it real quick. The busses got to the next venue the evening before their day off. That is how it is nighttime already, and how they can go on a date. :o)

Just a little ditty I came up with cuz I’m a lonely loser. Enjoy.

If you shot me in the head, would I be dead? Would I be dead?
If you shot me in the head, would I be dead?
Or would life just keep on living
Better off without my tweeting
If you shot me in the head, would I be dead?

Oh, and yes. It has a tune.

Chapter Eight

The days rolled by…

Warped Tour was off to a great start, and I was really starting to get to know the bands.

The All American Rejects ignored me for the most part, except of course for Tyson. He fawned over my every move. It was adorable, obviously, but it could get to be a little much. It was during those times that I would sneak off with William.

William (and the rest of the TAI) acted like my brother, always keeping an eye out for me. He told me who was nice on tour, who was a creep, and he even kept an eye on me during his shows to make sure I didn’t get jostled too much. Yet despite this firm protectiveness, he knew how to let go and have fun.

I was a bit torn between who I had come to think of as “my boys”, because both of them were constantly vying for my attention. But I’m not going to lie… I kinda liked it…

As I lay in my bunk staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but wonder where these relationships were going to go. Tyson made it quite clear that he wanted me, and no doubt he was gorgeous… I just wasn’t quite sure how to handle his intensity. But William!!! William was so fun, and caring, and bright! He, however, seemed to have no romantic interest in me at all, and I just had to accept it.

UGH BOYS.

I was just getting frustrated when I heard the Pokémon theme song coming out of my phone’s speakers.

“Hey sweetie!” I said excitedly after I hit ‘answer’.

“Hi Sarah! How’s the ‘Tour de Sexy Men’ going?” Of course, only Zac would call it that… I rolled my eyes affectionately before responding.

“Ugh… frustrating. I mean, the tour is fun, and the people are great… It’s just these guys…”

“OOO SPILL!!!” Good gracious that boy was volatile; one mention of boys and he was all a flitter.

~*~

After completely spilling my guts about the whole situation, Zac fell silent. Being as this is a highly abnormal behavior, I got a little worried.

“Sweetie? You okay? Zaaaaccccc…..”

“You. Lucky. Little. BEEZY! Like, OMG! Two rockstars?!”

“Zac you are completely missing the point! I’m a confused bestie here!”

“I know, I know… In all seriousness, you just have to let it play out. It’s too soon for you to make any big decisions, so just ride the ride until something comes up that feels right.”

I sighed. This was the Zac I was looking for…

“Thanks love. I’ll do that. Now, unfortunately, I have to go. We’re stopping in a few minutes and I’m not even dressed yet.” We both shared a chuckle before saying out goodbyes.

Dang I missed that kid.

~*~

Before getting to the new venue, about half of the bands and crew stopped at the local Denny’s. Both Willy and Ty were going to be there, so of course, I would be tagging along! AAR, TAI, Nate and I were all crammed into one big round booth (with “my boys” to my right and left), already laughing at some story Sisky was telling.

“And so the other muffin turns to the first… and says, “OH MY HECK A TALKING MUFFIN! BAH HAHAHAHAH!!!”

We were all still dying of laughter at the extremely witty and hilarious joke when the tentative waitress walked to the table. She was clearly new, and had never seen a crowd like us before. I honestly felt a bit bad for her. Yet, life goes on, and we were all slinging our orders at her with all the organization of a pack of hyenas.

The waitress left (valiantly without tears) and the chatter resumed. Suddenly, I felt a brush against my thigh under the table. I looked down confused and saw Tyson’s hand gently stroking it.

o.O ß My face at this occurance.

I tried to move his hand away without making a big deal out of it, but he simply grabbed my hand and held it.

Tyson Ritter was holding my hand.

I flicked my eyes over to look at his face, and saw him sitting as nonchalantly as ever. I let a little smile slip onto my face before returning to the conversation around me.

~*~

Throughout our meal, Tyson retained the same behavior. When he couldn’t hold my hand, he would rest his on my knee or run his fingers lightly up my leg. He never got inappropriate, simply flirty. I found myself blushing at every gesture.

I don’t know if this is the ‘right’ Zac was talking about… but it feels fine to me! I thought.

Maybe I was getting caught up in the moment. Maybe I was letting my emotions get the best of me. But honestly?

I couldn’t give a flying fart in space.

~*~

***Author’s note: I know this one is a bit short, but it was kind of packed with stuff. <33 I’ll try not to wait so long next time! :o)

Chapter Seven

“Hey Tyson!” I said, giving him a bright smile. “What’s up?”

“Oh nothing… just saw you doing your thing. I don’t have anything to do for another couple hours, and I was wondering if you wanted some company?” He had the cutest little smile on his tired scruffy face. Poor guy looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks…

“Sounds great! Do you think you can keep up? I can go pretty fast…” I said with a smirk.

Just then, William came blowing by on Butcher’s scooter, yelling, “THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!” Yes… The smart, sophisticated William, making a ‘that’s what she said’ joke. Lord help us…

I rolled my eyes and slapped my forehead with my palm. “William you’re such an ass!”

He rolled bye again and gave a little tooshie wiggle before saying, “Stop looking at mine, and pay more attention to Tyson’s butt… You know you want it.” He then winked and scooted away.

I was blushing furiously by the time I turned around and looked back at Tyson. He didn’t seem embarrassed at all… In fact, he looked quite amused at the whole situation. I don’t know HOW that boy can keep his cool, but I’m most definitely jealous.

“You know… if you wanted a peek at my trunk… you coulda just asked…”

“Fine then, boy, how about you put your money where your mouth is?”

Silence.

I knew I could embarrass him! *mental victory dance*

“Sorry… what?”

“Give me a peek rock star!”

“Here?” he whispered, looking nervous.

“Hell yes! If you got it, flaunt it!”

He took a big gulp (yes, just like in the cartoons) and reached for his zipper. As he started pulling it down I started laughing hysterically. Tyson looked up and gave me a bit of a helpless/pleading look.

“YOU WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO IT?!?!”

“Well! Yes! But only because you’re persuasive!”

“Uh huh, suuure. C’mon Tyson, I’ve got work to do.”

I started towards where the kids were lined up to enter the gates, but felt yet another pull on Harley’s leash. I looked back and he was still sitting in stony silence; his usual hyper demeanor totally gone. “Harley! Harley boy! C’mon!” Still no movement. It took me five minutes, a dog treat, and a squeaky toy just to get him to follow me. I was starting to worry about him a bit, actually… I know dogs mellow out as they get older, but not THIS quickly!

Tyson noticed my contemplative silence and lightly rubbed my back.

“It’ll be okay, sweetie. He’s just over-stimulated by all the people.”

That brought a small smile to my face and made me feel a bit better.

“Thanks Ty, but I’m still worried. I think on our day off in a week I’m going to take him to the vet and see if there is something I can do.”

“Do you want someone to go with you?” he asked, looking genuinely concerned.

My heart I think literally melted at that point… I looked up into the eyes of this total stranger, and saw something that made my heart skip a beat. It was a connection that I’ve never felt before. I was falling for THE Tyson Ritter. I looked down at the ground for a minute before regaining focus and snapping a few more pictures.

“Thanks Tyson, that would be wonderful.”

~*~

WILLIAM’S POV

*scoot scoot*

I was flying past everyone on Butcher’s scooter (shhh… don’t tell him) after I successfully embarrassed Sarah.

That girl can be so hyper. I thought affectionately. I already thought of her as a good friend. Tyson will be a good balance for her, he’s much more chill.

As I continued scooting around the parking lot, I took a second to contemplate the impending success of my evil scheming. Tyson and Sarah were getting on beautifully and I just KNEW they would be dating within the week. My thoughts were interrupted as I quickly swerved to dodge a roadie that was struggling valiantly with copious amounts of tangled electrical cords. Deciding I ought to find a more spacious place to continue my scooter fun, I headed toward the front of the venue. Settling back into my musings, I tried to figure out why exactly I was so eager for those two to hook up. I could come up with several reasons: 1) Tyson hadn’t had a girlfriend in quite some time and he was starting to get all edgy and pissy. That guy is seriously annoying when he’s not getting any, 2) I love love and I strive to add as much of it to the world as I can, and 3) Sarah (obviously) had a HUGE crush on Tyson and I knew it would make her enormously happy. For some reason I had yet to figure out, I was finding myself overly concerned with her happiness. I settled on the second reason, deciding it made me sound all cool and philosopher-y, and made a mental note to repeat it later in front of people.

I turned a corner and, speak of the devils, saw the two lovebirds standing next to the gate. Sarah seemed to be taking pictures of the insanely long line, and Tyson was standing nearby. My happy smile started to fade, however, when I saw him lightly rub her back and lean into her. All of a sudden I felt like I was spying on a more intimate moment, and it didn’t feel good.

Even after scooting away quickly, my stomach was still turning at the memory of them together.

Get it together William! You started this! You want them together!

Unfortunately, as much as I tried to convince myself, the fact remained.

Somehow, in the midst of our few hours together… I had started to fall for Sarah Kirk.

William. You suck.

~*~

***Author’s note: I’M SORRY!!! I know I suck, but here is the next chapter! The story line will really start rolling soon! :o)

P.S. A lot of William’s POV was actually writing by my beta/wifey, so love her!

CHAPTER SIX

The ride to the first venue wasn’t very long, but Nate and I had still managed to: A). get in a stuffed animal fight, B). have a bubble blowing contest (just like on SpongeBob), and C). fall asleep in a tangled mess on the “kitchen table”. What can I say; we work fast!

When the bus finally pulled to a stop, I was just sitting up and wiping Nate’s drool off my cheek.

“Are we there yet?” I asked the driver, Sam.

“We sure are, Sweetie. Go ahead and wait a second before getting off though, you don’t want to get trampled by all the excited boys!” Sam was already like a father figure to me; we had instantly bonded at the pre-tour meeting two weeks ago.

“Thanks Sam. I’ll just go get my stuff together then.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to the back of the bus to get ready. I had to find my camera, my strap, my flash, a spare memory card (just in case I get a little trigger happy), and, of course, Harley.

Once I had gathered my things, I headed out the small door of the bus and into the open air. The parking lot was already teeming with young musicians, venue employees, and our own tech. I looked around for a moment to figure out my surroundings before heading straight to one particular tall stick-boy.

I crept along quietly, trying to be as sneaky as possible while still towing along an excitable puppy. Just before William turned around, I jumped onto his back and screamed in his ear, “Hey buddy!”

*Insert a little girl scream here*

Instantly, I fell to the ground laughing my little ass off. Harley was looking at William with curiosity for a moment before losing interest.

“Sarah, you little twerp! What the hell was that for?!?!” He yelled after catching his breath.

“Gotcha!!!”

“Why don’t you go bother Tyson? He seemed to like you well enough,” Bill said with a suggestive eyebrow raise. Wow, he certainly was eager for me and Tyson to become friends!

“Oh, but William, I just couldn’t stop dreaming about your sexy body, the whole time here! I NEED you!”

He stood there, dumbfounded.

Three.

Two.

One.

And cue the dawning look!

“You’re such a snot, you know that?” He said, once he realized my joke.

“Yeah, but you love me.”

~*~

After much more amusing banter, I decided it was about time that I started working. I wandered around, catching images of workers, sound checks, fans outside the gates, and the like.

I was heading back to the bus to change when I felt a pull on Harley’s leash.

“Come on Harley, no time for more playing!” I turned to see him giving Tyson a stony look while remaining steadfast on the pavement. Apparently, Harley was now a statue. And Tyson? He looked a bit uncomfortable with the attention.

“Do you think you can call of your dog? I just wanted to say hi…”

At that point, I hadn’t yet learned to trust Harley’s judge of character.

~*~

*** Author’s Note: Both myself and my beta wish to send out condolences and prayers to the families of those who have passed this last week. To Farrah, Michael, Billy, and anyone else.

Also, a classmate of ours died this week in a tragic accident. He drowned in an undercurrent of a canal. Our prayers and thoughts are also with his family, and ask that yours be as well. Thank you.

I’ve seen beyond the hurtful stares
Beyond the whispered words
The only thing that I found there
Has flown off with the birds

When I first saw him, it was as a rock star.

When I second saw him, it was as a potential employer.

When I third saw him, it was as my boss.

Last night when I saw him, it was as his lover.

The fate of a family lies in my hands.

*** So, I wrote this poem after reading a Cassadee Pope/Pete Wentz fanfic, where Pete was cheating on Ashlee with Cass. IDK, I just like it. (And yes, I know it doesn’t rhyme; not all poetry does).

William’s tour ended up being immeasurably fun. Luckily, I had shown up about an hour early, so we had plenty of time to meet, greet, and photograph.

William was so hyper! He couldn’t seem to resist pointing out every little thing; it was adorable. I could definitely see us becoming fast friends.

“Hey hey hey!” yelled a voice to my left. “Get out of the trailer, dog!” I turned in terror to see Harley beginning to lift a leg inside a nearby trailer. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten one of those extendable leashes!

“Harley, NO!” I called and gave a quick (not vicious) jerk. Harley simply looked disappointed and returned to my side. Apparently, he had just felt like marking his territory – not actually going.

“I’m so sorry,” I began to say to the man, but was quickly cut off.

“No problem at all. William?” he said, looking at my companion. “Who’s your beautiful friend?”

William turned and gave me a look. “This here is Sarah Kirk,” he replied with a grin. “She’s an intern photographer for AP. Sarah, this is—”

“Tyson Ritter” Tyson finished, holding out his hand. I extended my own for a handshake, but instead it was taken in for a sweet kiss on the fingers.

“Well Mr. Ritter, I can see you fancy yourself a charmer. I’m a bit busy now, but I suppose I’ll be seeing you later?”

“Definitely.”

I dragged Harley and William away from the All American Rejects trailer without a look back.

“Sarah! What the heck was that?! Tyson was totally hitting on you.” William protested.

“Who are you, my best girlfriend? There is no harm in playing hard to get.” I explained.

Shortly after, there was an announcement by someone with a bullhorn.

“DEPARTURE IN 15. EVERYONE, DEPARTURE IN 15!”

“Well,” I said as I looked at my new bestie, “I suppose I better get back to my hell hole.”

“Okay dear. I’ll see you in a couple hours!”

I grabbed Harley (who knows WHAT ruckus he was about to get into this time) and walked back to the bus. As I walked in I heard a familiar sneer.

“Get your pictures Sarah?” Jim was such an ass.

“Yeah, actually, about 100 of them. Want to review them, make sure I got it right?” That’s right Sarah, kill ‘em with kindess.

He looked slightly taken aback, but bothered me no further. I walked into the back area to see Nate reading a Cosmo. Seriously, that guy is SO weird.

“What are you doing my beloved?” I asked. We liked to kid around like we were married. You know, creep people out. *EVIL GRIN*

“Nothing, Sugarpop. Just checking to see if there were any new kinky positions for us to try in here.” I just gave him a dirty look and he kept reading.

As his eyes stayed down, I slowly reached behind me and grabbed a…. Stuffed monkey? Oh well. He looked up and I quickly pulled it behind my back, trying to appear innocent. He gave me a weird look, but continued reading nonetheless. Then, continuing in my evil plot, I stood and raised the monkey above my head. I let out a terrifying war-cry and Nate looked up just in time to scream before I slammed the toy on his perfectly straightened hair.

“EVIL LITTLE BRAT! GIVE MR. NANA BACK!”

Mr. Nana?
Enough said.

I turned the corner to see TONS of busses, vans, trailers, and people. Right off the bat, I saw Andy Hurley loading a snare into one of said trailers. ANDY FRICKIN’ HURLEY!!! I started to freak out a bit, but was able to chill relatively quickly. After all, I would be TOURING with these people; I couldn’t afford to be star-struck.

Immediately, I started taking pictures. I wanted some real-life, non-posed shots of how the crew and the bands work together. Showing that the bands are just normal people would bring interest to my pictures.

After about 15 minutes of shooting, I had already gotten photos of people from Hey Monday, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, and Escape The Fate. I was on a roll! I was just about to take a picture of Meg Frampton when I heard a small, “Hem hem,” from behind me.

Without looking a way from the shot, I sniped, “What?!” In retrospect, that was probably NOT the best idea…

“Sorry, I just figured that if you were going to be stalking the tour this year, I should introduce myself.” I slowly turned to see THE William Beckett standing behind me with a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth. And what’s worse? Harley was going NUTS. He has always hated strange men… Needless to say, I was HORRIFIED.

But hey, who said that didn’t mean I couldn’t play along?

“Sorry, who are you?” I replied, matching his grin. He looked aghast, then noticed I was joking. “It’s okay rock star, I was just kidding with you. So The Academy Is… is playing Warped this year?”

“No, we’re catering.” He said, completely deadpan. Then we both burst into loud, obnoxious laughter. Seeing me relax with William seemed to calm Harley down a bit, but he was still eyeing the threat cautiously.

“Hey, I’m Sarah Kirk: Intern extraordinaire for Alternative Press.” I extended my hand.

He looked at it, looked at me, and then pulled me in for a bone crushing hug. He didn’t let go until I was practically gasping for breath.

“You… are my friend.” Wow, this guy moves fast. Then, “Please?”

“Sure William… Bill?… Will?… Willie?… Bilvy?… Retard?…” I ran through a list of possible nicknames.

“Anything EXCEPT Retard will be fine, THANK YOU!” He responded with a pout.

“So you’re  against embracing a mental condition, but you’re fine with being called a euphemism for penis? Whatever floats your little happy boat, Willie!” William had just started giving me his version of a death glare (looked more like a face of constipation to me…) when my boss, Jim, decided to pay me a little visit.

“Um… Sarah?” He asked. “Why, may I ask, are you not working?” Gosh, he is so fake. Then, as expected, came the arsehole we all love to hate. “I don’t PAY you to flirt with the TALENT! I don’t need another little TART on this tour!”

He had just stopped yelling to look at Harley (who was going NUTS towards Jim at this time) when Bill stepped in. “Excuse me, sir? Hi, I’m William Beckett, from The Academy Is…” That’s right, turn on the old celebrity charm. “I was just about to show Sarah here around, in order to get more pictures? I feel that she would be able to accomplish her job a lot more efficiently if I were able to help her out.”

Jim stood there speechless for a moment. “S-s-sorry Mr. B-b-beckett. Whatever you need… Of course… Sorry…” And with that, the devil returned to his evil lair.

“Thanks dude,” I told William, looking at the now retreating back of my boss.

“He was certainly pleasant!” he responded.

“Yeah, the best part is: he DOESN’T pay me! I’m an unpaid intern! All he is doing for me is letting me ride the bus.”

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t want you to get in any more trouble, so how about I really do show you around? You know, see everyone before they become hygiene-impaired?”

I smiled and linked my arm through his. I gently tugged on Harley’s collar to stop him from urinating on a guitar case and looked at Bill. “Lead the way, fearless knight!”

“TO NARNIA!”

I was suffocating. Something heavy was on my chest, forcing all the air out of my lungs.

Oh, that’s right.

“Harley, you tub of lard! How did you get out of your crate?” Despite my semi-harsh words, my tone showed my dear dog that he wasn’t really in trouble.

“I let him  in,” my mom said. “You need to get up so you aren’t late!”

Late? Oh, that’s right. AGAIN.

“Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!” This little outburst got me a disapproving look from my mother. She was a bit… strict… about the language in our home. I, as usual, just ignored said look.

I grabbed my favorite outfit (a loose purple shirt with knit trim and teal skinnies) and ran into my bathroom for a quick shower. Harley whined. He had abandonment issues from his life before the animal shelter and hated being left alone. I simply beckoned him in,  shut the door, and continued my “getting ready” routine. I pulled my hair into a quick ponytail and was grateful that I do my makeup in the car. Finally, I grabbed Harley’s leash and pulled him out to my dad’s Durango.

“Don’t you need suitcases or something?” my dad asked.

“Look in the back. I did it last night.” The entire back view of my dad’s Durango was obscured by suitcases, pillows, and the like. Hey, some were Harley’s too! Dad just looked at me with a resigned look and got in the car.

On the way over, I noticed my dad was being unusually quiet.

“Hey, Dad. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fine,” he said gruffly. I could tell something was upsetting him, but I was afraid to push the matter much further. I wanted to leave on good terms.

Eventually we reached the Denny’s where the busses were to meet. I was quick to find the AP Mag. bus, but was more excited to see the busses of the bands. We unpacked my things after I introduced my dad to the rest of the AP crew. He seemed greatly satisfied that there were a relatively small number of guys. The ones that were there, he gave a warning glare.

Finally I understood.

“Dad, are you worried about me?”

“Well, of course… Every father… shows concern…”

“Oh Daddy, you DO CARE!” I yelled, hugging him. Of course I knew he cared, I just wanted to embarrass him. He turned red, hugged me back, and left.

Rude. I thought. I forgave him quickly though, it WAS my fault after all.

I dismissed the thought and began rummaging through my bags.

“What are you looking for?” One of my co-workers, Nate, said. He was the manager of AP affairs (aka the “whine-at” guy).

“My camera! Gotta check the scene, duh!”

“Good idea. I think it’s in this one.”

We spent at least 10 minutes rummaging before I finally found it. In my pillowcase. Good gravy.

I tied Harley’s leash to one of my belt loops and headed off  to where the vans/busses of the musicians were parked: in a back lot of the restaurant.

I rounded the corner while checking the settings on my camera, then looked up to find myself in a music Wonderland/Narnia.