Runaways (A Jack Barakat Fanfic)

2 - The 'New' Girl

"I'm really not sure about this," Rhianne told Leo as he added the finishing touches to her hair. He hadn't let her see what she looked like, which concerned her a little.

"Don't worry, I'm almost done." He replied before quickly cutting the last piece of hair he needed to. "There,"

"Okay, now let me see," She muttered. Leo grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around before taking the waterproof cover away from around Rhianne's shoulders. It didn't look too bad; the colour was more of an ash grey colour than a silver, which made her feel a lot more comfortable, and the shorter layers suited her face shape perfectly. She never thought it was possible for him to work his magic like this.

"What's wrong with it? Did I cut it too short? I'm sor-"

"Leo, shut up. I love it," She told him He let out a quick sigh of relief.

"I like it, it suits you," The hairdresser working on the customer next to her said. Rhianne let a smile form on her lips before standing up and finding her purse.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked her. She looked up at him, a little stunned.

"Paying for the-"

"You're not paying for anything. Call this a leaving present, seeing as I won't be seeing you for a few months." He opened his arms and welcomed her into a warm embrace. Leo had been Rhianne's rock ever since she had moved to America, if not before that. The pair had met on Tumblr a few years back and established their friendship from the get go. It was Leo who told her that there was an exchange going on with the two universities and persuaded her to move in with him. In the last year, she had been living with Soph in a student flat though, as she couldn't afford the rent at Leo's with her not having a job.

"I'll miss you. Will you feed Galaxy for me while I'm gone?" She asked him. He let out a small laugh. Galaxy was her pet goldfish.

"Sure. Now come on, you've got to get going before that bus leaves without you. Know where you're getting picked up?" He asked her, pulling away from the hug. She nodded. "Want a lift?"

"No, I'll be living on a moving vehicle for the next few months. I want to value all the time I can with my feet firmly on the ground. Leo kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair a little before he picked the suitcase up and walked her to the park. They walked in silence for a while, taking in the perfect surroundings which they knew as home. Leo dragged the bag behind him, and Rhianne walked next to him, clinging onto his arm for support. She thought of Leo as a big brother, and she was really going to miss him when she left. As they sat down on a bench just outside the park, Rhianne's phone rang. It was her new boss.

"Hello?" She answered timidly.

"Hey, is this Rhianne?" The voice asked her. She nodded, then mentally slapped herself for doing the same thing twice in a day.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Well, I'm Rian. We're just trying to find our guitarist, Jack. He went out for a walk and hasn't turned up for bus call yet, but we'll be there soon." He sounded extremely cheerful. The name Jack sent bells ringing in her ears.

"I met a guy called Jack earlier; he was near Starbucks with a coffee in his hand," She told him.

"Did you see which way he went?"

"No, I had to run. I'll call you back if I see him again though." She assured him.

"No worries, we'll pick you up at the park in town in about ten minutes, that okay?"

"Sure,"

Rian was the first to hang up after their short conversation, but he seemed really nice. Although she knew that he wasn't her 'boss' exactly, she felt that he had more authority than the rest of the crew would have. Leo placed  a comforting arm around her shoulders as they waited in silence, but with a certain glow of excitement in the air.