McKenna "Mikey" Rhodes is in a quickly growing band. This year her band is booked to play Self Help Fest, a music festival created by the band A Day to Remember. It sounds great, right? Things take a turn for the worst, calling for a change of pl...
"Mikey." I opened one eye. Neil was peering into my bunk. "We go on in a few hours." He smiled slightly and stepped a few steps to the left. "JEREMY."
I stretched and climbed out of my bunk. Jeremy and I had decided to take a nap after the acoustic show. I checked the time on my phone.
"Neil!" I shouted. "You were supposed to wake us, or at least me up, after an hour!" It was now 4 pm. I wanted him to wake me up at 1.
"You seemed like you needed it!" He defended.
"I did!" I grabbed the clothes I was wearing earlier and disappeared into the bathroom. I had changed into more comfortable clothes before my nap.
"Then why are you mad?"
"Because I needed to be in the venue at 2!"
I walked out of the bathroom and threw the clothes in my bunk.
"Why all the yelling?" Kevin said at an equal volume to Neil and I.
"She's mad I didn't wake her up from her nap 3 hours ago." Neil explained.
"Whatever. Its fine." My tone changed to a more calm one. I slipped on my converse. "I was just going to learn the basics of guitar and drum tech-ing today. Like if the techs ever needed assistance or whatever. I'm sure I can do it tomorrow." I smiled at Neil to let him know I wasn't upset.
"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up when I should have." He smiled back.
"Its fine. Just know that if something goes wrong with your guitar tonight and Phil isn't there to fix it, its your fault." I patted his shoulder. He laughed.
I got off the bus and checked my texts as I walked into the building. It was looking like I would be working the merch counter again.
I located the concession area, got a soft pretzel and a water bottle and made my way to the merch tables. I helped get everything set up and went to find the backstage area. I didn't find any of the boys there so I went back out to the bus. They were all tossing a frisbee back and forth by the buses.
"McKenna!" Jeremy shouted when he saw me. At first I thought he was strangely excited to see me, but I quickly realized he had sent the frisbee flying my direction. I dropped my water bottle and caught it.
"Nice reflexes!" Josh cheered.
"Thanks. Think fast," I yelled, sending it his direction. It touched his hand but fell. I laughed and grabbed my water bottle off the ground.
I joined the guys in playing frisbee. I got hit in the head a few times, tripped over my own feet once or twice, and backed straight into Alex at one point. It was fun though. The guys had to go in for soundcheck after a while and I decided I would watch them. I was able to pick up a few tips on helping them if my assistance was needed, which was a nice bonus.
"Hey," Neil smiled at me as they finished soundchecking. We started walking away from the stage together.
"Hey." I greeted.
"Walk with me?" He asked, glancing behind him and seeing nobody was following us.
"Sure." I shrugged. "What's up?"
"I don't know. Just felt like going for a walk," he shrugged, casually running a hand through his hair. I hadn't noticed until now, but he was a lot taller than I was.
"You're like a giant compared to me." I blurted.
"You are pretty short." He messed up my hair.
"Mess up my hair again and you're a dead man." I warned semi-jokingly. He raised his hands in defense.
"So, I see you are a blink-182 fan." He gestured to my tank top with the blink logo on it. "And I'll have you know, that I am also a fan." He held up his hands and showed me his knuckles, which had a letter spelling out "blink 182" on each finger.
"I've noticed that tattoo before but I didn't know what it said," I lied. I knew what it was.
"Well now you know." He smirked at me. We found our way outside and we started walking along the grounds, watching for any fans who might be watching for us. They had just opened the doors so most of them were too distracted with the excitement of getting in to notice us.
"So, Jeremy said you were having a bit of a rough time. Understandably so, obviously. I want to know if there's anything I can do to help you." He stuck his hands in his pockets as we walked.
"Thank you, Neil but I-" I stopped myself. A grin spread across my face. "But I think there is something you can do." I told him. He looked surprised, like he didn't actually think I would say anything. He offered.
"Name it."
"I need you to be my best friend." I looked up at him to see what his reaction would be. Much to my dismay, his expression didn't change much. "Since my best friend previously is actually a backstabbing-boyfriend-fucking-bitch, I kinda need a new one."
"Easy enough," he slung an arm around my shoulder as we walked. "What's the first thing on the agenda, b-f-f-l?"
"Haven't gotten that far yet."
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After the show I was so tired I could barely walk. I felt like a fucking zombie. I passed out on the couch in the main backstage room while the guys played pool and waited for the kids to clear out. When I woke up, it was to Neil gently shaking my shoulder.
"We're going back to the bus. You coming?" He asked softly. I nodded.
"Help." I rolled over onto my back and held my hand out. "I'm stuck." He grabbed my hand and gently yanked me into a sitting position. "How long have I been asleep?"
"An hour." He shrugged. I stood up and started walking towards the back door with him.
"So NOW you wake me up after an hour." I joked.
"Shut up," he laughed.
"Its okay. You're not the professional waker-upper." I patted his shoulder.
We got back to the bus and I was the first into my bunk. I didn't even bother changing into pajamas. Jeremy wasn't far behind, seeing as he didn't get much sleep either. Tonight I passed the hell out and stayed that way until noon the next day.
A/N: So I've decided to change the title of this story from "A Change of Plans" to "Shit Happens" and with it I've made a new cover. I just didn't like the original title or cover.
