I'm with the Band

twelve

Louis

Keeping my eyes on the road was becoming a difficult task when all I could focus on was Sailors fingers tapping against the car door. She'd barely said a word since I'd woken her up for practice earlier. She sat in the back of the room with her head in her hands, eyes telling me she wasn't truly with us despite how loud the room was. The circles beneath her eyes were a deeper shade of purple and her lips were chapped from her repeatedly biting them out of an anxious habit. I hated that everything that had happened changed her so much.

Don't get me wrong, Sailor had always been the anxious type but ever since last summer, since that damn party, she'd been the most anxious I'd ever seen her. She would barely look anyone in the eye when speaking, was constantly fidgeting with the rings on her fingers, and would bite the inside of her cheek so hard it'd bleed. If you hadn't known Sailor, you probably wouldn't pick up on it right away as she hid her anxiety in the form of terrible jokes and sarcasm. If I hadn't known Sailor since birth, I wouldn't have realized it was a defense mechanism as she was rather funny. Don't ever tell her I said that though.

My thoughts were interrupted once again by Sailor's tapping. I let out a small sigh, not wanting to be a dick to her right now due to the circumstances but I needed to stop the noise. I took a sideways glance at her, seeing her eyes looking straight ahead letting me know she was trapped in that big brain of hers.

"Hey Sails, if you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?" She blinked a few times before looking over at me with furrowed brows, the absent minded tapping being stopped momentarily.

"Venice, Italy. You know that, why did you ask?" I gave her a small smile before looking over at her hand. Her eyes followed mine before she brought her hand to her chest, mumbling out an apology.

"It's alright. I think I'd go to-"

"California, specifically Malibu," She finished my sentence with an eye roll, "You think I don't know where you'd want to go given the chance? You only bring it up at least once a week," I shrugged with a smile.

     "Just checking to make sure I don't need to revoke your best friend card," Her mouth fell open before she narrowed her eyes at me.

     "Oh please like you could find anyone else to put up with all your bullshit," I couldn't help the large grin on my face as I just shook my head, "Besides, who are you going to replace me with? Niall? The man couldn't handle the responsibilities that come with the title," She scoffed, folding her arms over her chest as she slumped in her seat.

     "I mean, Niall is a close second," With that, she hit my arm, making me wince, "Ow! I'm just joking, Sails. You know you'll always be my number one."

     "I better be. You can't get rid of me that easily," I let out a laugh, "And for the record, Niall is my number one," Now it was my turn to be offended, watching Sailor trying to hold back a laugh, "You know I'm joking. You'll always be my best friend, Lou. I don't think anyone else could put up with my bullshit either. Not to mention, who else would get me into loads of trouble?" I nodded at this, both of us knowing Niall was just as much of a goody two shoes as her.

     The rest of the ride was spent with me trying to keep Sailor's mind off the events soon to follow. I could tell with each turn closer to home, she became more fidgety and her focus would divert elsewhere, her eyes staring off into space. I hated how much she got stuck in her head because I knew her inner monologue was never nice.

     We pulled into the driveway and I put the car in park. Sailor was still in her own world, crunched up in her seat with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her left cheek was indented, telling me she had the inside tucked between her teeth. I let out a sigh as I unbuckled, grabbing one of her hands to gain her attention. She blinked a few times before her eyes met mine.