Heavy Wears The Crown

Thirty Three

 "What the fuck am I doing? I can't tell the difference from wrong and right. I second guess my decisions 'Cause I haven't been this person in my whole life"

---------- Out of Time - A Day To Remember ----------

        "Just couldn't get away from us, huh?" Gunner teased and punched my shoulder.

I winced and rubbed it softly. "I guess not..." I looked up Nolan. He hadn't said a single thing since we'd mounted the bus again, this time on our feet. With any luck, my back wouldn't bruise, it was a little sore but I'd held onto Nolan on the fall and he'd kept himself raised just far enough that I didn't come down full force.

When I landed, I couldn't feel the pain anyway. I could feel his chest on top of mine, his legs clasped over one of mine, his body trembling as if there was a build up going on inside of him and he was about to explode, and his eyes... Dark, furious, confused, digging so deeply into me I felt like I might as well have just handed him my autobiography. When I had sat up I realized, oh, that had hurt.

"You're a glutton for punishment." Derek chuckled.

"Maybe we can make that our next song." Holden agreed and Nolan, ignoring everyone went to the fridge and pulled out a water. Lemon flavored of course.

"Where are your bags? Let's get to unpacking you." Finn suggested and kicked his shoes off.

My face warmed up. "Uh, my bags? Yeah. Okay, well they're on their way to LA." I grinned and shrugged sheepishly. At this Nolan did glance my way. "They were sort of already in cargo when I jumped off the plane."

"You left your bags?"

"It was..." I glanced to Nolan and then back to the group. "A spontaneous decision." These weren't exactly my specialty. As I thought about it now I realized how ridiculous this was.

Not only had I given up half a million dollar for what, two more months of touring with Nolan? I had also decided to take on the rest of the country without a tooth brush! Realizing how under prepared I was for now, every, occasion thrown my way worked me into a panic almost immediately. My throat closed and my heart rate doubled. I had the boots on my feet, the clothing on my back, and the bit of cosmetics and my wallet, phone, and charger in my purse which had fit in the overhead compartment.

What if it rained and I had no umbrella or snow boots? What happened tomorrow when my clothes were dirty, or tonight when I needed to put on pajamas. Oh my God, my towel, my brush, my tampons!

"I guess we should stop at the store." Nolan muttered just as my panic was peaking.

"What?"

"The store Carter." He said softly, his eyes avoiding my own. "We'll have to stop somewhere."

"I-it's late." I sputtered. "Everything will be closed!" What a stupid, stupid, stupid decision I had made.

"You can wear something of mine. We'll stop somewhere in the morning."

"B-but-" My underwear, my tooth brush.

He finally looked me in the eye and a bit of saliva finally brushed past the lump in my throat. "It's just one night."

Meekly I nodded.