Somewhere in Neverland (An All Time Low Fan Fic)

7) Bubbles in Our Brains

"Whoo, I've missed this so much!" Alex cawed and high-fived Jack as they raced onto the tour bus. We were packed and ready to leave for our next destination, but not before we participated in the bands' first destination tradition: get insanely and unbelievably drunk. Or at least, most of them.

"You girls ready?" Rian called to Noelle and me where we were sat in the back lounge of the tour bus. We'd decided against helping the band pack up their equipment, especially after Noelle's and Jack's argument, and had instead retreated to the bus.

"Yeah," We called and headed to the front just as Jack was coming out of the bathroom, dripping sweat and grinning like a manic. His black and blonde hair was damply stuck to his head, while his brown eyes beamed down at Noelle. The only spiteful part about him was his voice.

"Sure you can drink with the big kids tonight, Noelle?" Jack snapped and Noelle stuck her finger in her mouth, imitating a gagging noise and continued in the direction of the door to the bus.

"God, I can not fucking stand him. I mean, who the hell does he think he is? Seriously, what an immature little-" Noelle started but was soon cut off as Mason pulled us aside.

"One drink each. Got it? You're still minors, and therefore I will not have everyone in jail because you two drank alcohol." We both gave Mason a pleading stare, but he shook us off and walked away, looking back only to shoot one final, firm "One!"

"Bring on the tequila and tonic!" Noelle shouted to no one in particular.

"Eh, vodka and pineapple is more my style." I laughed. Of course, drinking wasn't our speciality. We'd gotten drunk a few times in our life, sure. But we'd never been close to drinking freely and casually our whole lives. This was an all new adventure.

"MaKenna, come talk to me!" Alex slung his arm around my shoulders, already smelling faintly of alcohol, and led me away. I winked back at Noelle, who was already being swallowed up easily by the crowds of bands around her.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" Alex had to scream over the laughing crowd and thumping background music that had started to play.

"Yeah, it's so much fun!" I said. We stopped abruptly at the long table set up with many different kinds of alcohol.

"What will it be, ma'lady?" Alex bowed, stumbling over himself as he began fixing me a drink when I just shrugged at the many choices. "On the house." He winked and handed me his concoction, taking one for himself. Alex gulped is down swiftly and then turned to fix another drink.

I slowly took a sip of the drink Alex had given me. It tasted fruity, but as it went down, it burned strongly of alcohol and made my face squeeze up into a wince.

"How is it?" Alex turned back towards me. I held up my thumb, smiling a thin lipped smile so as not to let any of the liquid trapped inside my mouth dribble down onto my chin. Alex happily and grabbed my hand, leading me away from the table and towards the crowd.

"You played great tonight!" I shouted towards Alex's ear. He smiled. It was a smirky type smile that should not have made my heart flutter as it did. But maybe that also had to do with Alex's hand still clasped around mine.

"Thank you, babe." Alex smiled, and leaned down to peck my cheek. I felt all the blood rush into my cheeks as I smiled towards the ground. The only part of my face not flaming was the small damp spot from Alex's peck, still teeming with a strong alcohol smell. He was getting drunker by the minute.

"So, you ever partied this hard before?" Alex asked me as we continued walking. We weren't going in any particular direction, just skirting around the crowd. Alex occasionally hugged and fist bumped random drunkards and party goers, all the while keeping his hand clamped to mine as we ambled directionlessly through the crowd. We were lost in a sea of alcohol and sweat, spinning and giggling and talking, laughing about nothing and drinking to everything.

"Nope." I said, giggling for no apparent reason. I'd finished my one drink allowed, but it was already leaving a warm, buzzing feeling in all my muscles, causing me to laugh at absolutely nothing.

"Not ever?" Alex asked, his words slurring even more than they had just a moment before. He'd lived up to the tradition easily; he'd gotten drunk out of his mind.

"Never." Alex pulled my to face in front of him, discarding his drink in a trash can that had received my empty cup what felt like years ago in this spinning universe.

"Oh, babe," Alex slurred with a chuckle, leaning over me until his lips were pressed into my tangled mass of dirty blonde curls, dangerously close to tickling the skin of my ear. "I will ruin you."

I could see nothing but his beautiful brown eyes as he pulled away. Bloodshot from the alcohol mixed with exhilaration from the night's events, they mixed and matched evenly with my ocean hinted blue eyes, curiously and bubbling. He was just so close, everything was so close, and yet all I could see was Alex.

"You wanna get outta here?" He jabbed at the All Time Low tour bus parked behind him with his thumb, indicating our escape route. It wasn't very 'out of here,' but I grabbed his warm hand and let him lead me towards it without another word.

We stumbled up the four steep steps, fumbling with the light switch. It dimly lit up the kitchen and living room space, but the lights were burning and blazing already. We made our way onto the couch, a laughing, cackling mess. Our hair, masses of straight and curly, brown and blonde, were tangled in our faces and damp with sweat against our foreheads.

"You're so much fun, MaKenna." Alex sighed happily. He stared off into space intently, focusing on something beyond the bus and the Warped Tour grounds and even Seattle before resurfacing back to me. He gazed down at me on the plushy couch, smirking ever so slightly. "And I just think you're beautiful." His words were so slurred, they hardly made since.

But then, he kissed me. So forcefully, reeking of alcohol. Our tongues swirled together happily, battling on another. Alex's hands roamed the entire length of my body, prying into every curve while my hands nestled into his thick hair, pulling and kneading him. Wanting him close. So much closer.

But, as our lips melted together in harmony and ecstasy, I knew it was wrong. Oh, so very wrong. This beautifully strong kiss sobered me in ways that only made Alex drunker. Didn't he have a girlfriend? Somewhere, waiting for him to call and tell her how the night went? Leslie? Linda? Alex's lips fluttered to my neck, hitting spots that made me gasp and moan, and all thoughts were forgotten except Alex. Wanting more of him. Kissing him.

A cough broke us apart. I gasped loudly, while Alex, in a drunken stupor, merely raised his head to glance up at Rian, who was staring down at us with surprise and accusation. I fumbled under Alex, lifting myself away from him and storming past Rian towards the exit, needing air and Noelle.

I found her, drunker than supposed to be, cursing about Jack and drinking more alcohol. I pulled her away, coaxed her down into a sleepy stupor, and then told her everything. She didn't seem to mind, just nodded. I frowned, but continued to take her back into the bus.

I didn't so much as glance at Rian and Alex, who were talking in an extremely loud manor on the couch. I pulled Noelle into her bunk, and then found my way to mine, right above Alex's.

Within moments I heard Noelle's soft breathing, signally she was asleep. I rolled over as much as the small compartment would allow, breathing in and out. And all the while, feeling the ghost of Alex's kisses everywhere on my skin.