Baby, This is Paradise

•9•

// I really hope you all enjoy it so far! Please please leave feedback, I love hearing from you all. On a different note...
Will Vic's ex show up?
Will Claire back out of the touring deal?
Will Jaime ever stop being so damn cute?\\

Claire's POV

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I shove half my wardrobe into a suitcase and sit on my bed, staring at a picture of my parents on vacation in Aruba. They look so happy, so proud...

I turn the picture over. I'm a failure. I take a long shower and finish packing. Makeup, check. Tee shirts, check. Shitload of regret and shame, check.
Nice.

I hope they can forgive me when this is over. I spy a box in the bottom of my closet.
"I don't remember this being here..."

I open the top. There are about six band tee shirts in there. Green Day, Guns n Roses, AC/DC. All my brother's.
My brother. Caleb.
Ouch.

Old memories swell in my head. Caleb practically raised me. He was five years older, and was better family than my parents could ever hope to be. He was intelligent, handsome, the perfect son. I always looked up to him.
My parents never had time for me. Never had time to teach me how to ride a bike, never had time to ask about school. I was their burden, and Caleb took me up on his shoulders like real family.

Caleb died in a freak car accident last year. My life hasn't been the same since he left. I've tried so hard to impress my parents my whole life and now that he's gone, I get nothing from my mom and dad except a check every month. They don't call to see how their only child is doing, not that they'd care.

Maybe I should leave. That would catch their attention. I needed a change. A drastic one. Maybe Alex was right, I just needed to live a little. It's not like my parents would care if I travelled with four men across the world. Frankly, I didn't care what they thought anymore.

I grabbed a wad of cash and stuck it in my suitcase, snatched my wallet and credit cards, and hit the door.

I met Alex outside.

"You ready?" She asked.

I sighed, looking back on my sad apartment, the life I'd just left behind.

"Hell yeah. Let's go on an adventure."

•••

We met the boys at the hotel at 7:30 and the tour staff loaded our suitcases onto the bus. I had changed into leggings and an oversized hoodie and exchanged my contacts for glasses.

We planned to sleep the 8.5 hour drive overnight on the bus. Vic obviously offered to share a bunk with me, and Alex sort of jumped on top of Jaime, leaving him no choice but to scoot over.

The bus was fantastic- like a house on wheels. At the back was a bathroom and the bunks; one queen-sized bed on top with a ladder leading up to it and another on the bottom. There were four bunks total, two on either side of the bus. The beds had curtains that could be pulled around, to keep out sunlight during the daytime commutes. At the front of the bus was an open area with couches and a TV.

"LET'S WATCH A MOVIE!" Screamed Jaime. Tony's face lit up.

"Tony, I swear, if you suggest Star Wars again, I will kick your ass." Said Mike.

"Damn, Mike. Don't be so grumpy" said Tony.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed anyway" he said, starting toward the back of the bus.

"Don't worry about him", Vic said. "He gets sort of grouchy when he's tired."

"So!" Said Alex. "Who's up for Star Wars?"

Tony nearly pissed himself out of excitement and scooped Alex up shouting ,"Yes! Yes! Yes! The roadie has spoken!" He slid the disc in and I curled up next to warm Vic, who wrapped his arms around me.

I soon found myself asleep with a rock star for the second time in 24 hours.