Comfort Zone

One For The Road

Chapter 2

•Ashton•

In Canada, when you're 19 (18 in Alberta), you are at legal drinking age... so of all the places for them to send me to "re-evaluate" and clean up, why Canada?

Just because I'm being thrown back into hell (high school) doesn't mean I won't be able to drink anymore.

Besides, I didn't do anything to deserve this. I have to assume because they've taken away my electronics and ties to the Internet, but anyone could easily guess that the fans must be pissed. I've gathered a lot of hate lately from my drinking habits and some mistakes I've made, but my fans always have been and always will be true.

My parents agreed to send me off, in hopes I would come back all happy and great and ready to record and go back on tour.

Of course the boys would be visiting to record and write with me on occasion, but public school will restrict me from most of my old responsibilities.

That, and since my GPA is currently 60, I have to go on a school trip with the Leadership committee to Croatia for extra credit.
___________________________________________________________________
•Paisley•

I was woken by Justice ripping a headphone out of my ear. "Whatcha listenin' to?" She smirked. I rolled my eyes and yawned, adding "You're an asshole, J."

"I know," she threw her head back in a joking evil way and I couldn't help but laugh. Once she looked at me again she gave me a simple smile and asked how I was doing. She and Jack were the two people I was comfortable talking about my anxiety with, and she's always known how to deal with my attacks. They didn't come often, but she was being extra careful since we were travelling and she knew I hadn't even been out of our small town in my life.

"Good, really. And the Arctic Monkeys."

"Good, Pais! I'm so proud of you, wait what?"

"You asked what I was listening to! It's 'One for the Road' by The Arctic Monkeys! Remember, I showed you that R U Mine song before and you liked it!"

She tilted her head in thought and then eventually shook it. "Nope. Don't recall."

I groaned and grabbed my headphone back. "Noo!" she complained, as she tugged it back. "You've been asleep and left me alone for the last two and a half hours, we're almost at the airport anyway so you might as well stay up and talk!"

I rolled my eyes again with a laugh.

"Fine, can we just listen to music together then?" She smiled and reached below her seat by the window to pull up her purse. She rummaged through it for a couple minutes until she let out a relieved breath and revealed her cell phone. "Phew, okay. Gimme a headphone and plug 'er in!!" I did as she said and she started browsing through her music until she was satisfied with a song. "Ugh, I am in looove with this song!! It's gonna make you cry, I just know it!" I laughed and looked at her screen. "Who are they?"

"This band I saw on TV that time Mom got it to work!" She replied. "It took super long to find wifi to go on the ITunes Store, so I only got one song. But how good-"

She was interrupted by an ashy blonde in the seat in front of us.

"Excuse me, but who was that you just said?" He looked as if he'd just woken up from a nap on the window and his hair was stuck to one side of his face by the density on the cold windows.

"Um, like the band?" Justice asked.

"Yeah," The boy said. He had a strange Australian accent which led me to figure he was one of the new boys at our school.

"Uh, 5 Seconds of Summer." She stuttered back.

"I thought nobody knew them here?" He seemed shocked.

"I don't think they do, I actually just found them a couple days ago, are you a fan?"

"I'm- Um, no... My uh, my little sister used to like them. They're not my type." The new boy was struggling with his words.

Before I could reach into the cold air and touch the awkwardness, we came to an abrupt stop.

The boy turned back around and Justice jumped in her seat, grabbing my shoulders. "We're here!!!!" She yelled. It was Justice's first time away too, and she was much more excited than I.

I gathered my breath and let it out slowly, standing up as I did.

As we walked into the airport, Justice smiled at me and I returned the favour. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
______________________________________________________________
Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading! And for 200 reads in less than 24 hours, that's awesome for me!! I know it's not much as of now, but I have some really exciting stuff planned for when they get to Croatia! If you have any feedback I'd appreciate it so much, don't be afraid to be honest! Constructive criticism is still feedback:)

-Nadia