In The End

18: Logan Collins

I walk with Oli towards BVB's stage, holding his hand. We'd spent our last hour at the Bring Me The Horizon tent, and everybody seemed to pair off. I finally recognized the girl. It's Juliet Simms, the one who played at the diner. I could've sworn they'd hated each other three days ago, but I guess circumstances have changed. I can tell the girls know I'm feeling down, because the teasing has stopped and they're casting sorrowful glances in my direction. I ignore the blue eyes that haven't left my face. He can deal, and we can just be friends. It doesn't matter.
   My mind is glued to the feeling of Oliver's hand in mine, and I unconsciously lean into him. I hear someone let out a frustrated sigh and mutter bad words under their breath, but I decide to let it go. He can't play with me anymore. Andy hands all of the girls backstage passes, along with Austin. He completely skips Oli before heading on stage.
Oliver has a small disappointed look on his face, and I don't really feel like watching their show after what just happened, so when I see Juliet walking towards the stage to join the crowd, I grab Oliver's hand and drag him over to her.
"Juliet!" I call, making her turn. When she sees me, she smiles.
"Blade! Hey girl! What're you doing here?" I smile softly, not able to manage anything more.
"Andy invited my friends and I to go on tour with them. Speaking of Andy, he wanted me to give you this." I hand her the pass, and Oli observers me quietly, knowing full all well the truth was far from what I've just said. She smiles brightly at the pass.
"Really? Nice! Thanks, Blade! Oh, and I'm holding you to the lip ring tips! You and I should hang soon!" I smile at her words. "Yeah! How about tomorrow? We could go to the nearest mall at the next city we hit. What is it, Dallas, Texas?" She nods. "Let's go there." She smiles at me.
"Perfect! And invite your girlfriends! Girls day sounds nice, huh?"
With that we part ways, and I turn to Oli. "What time's your show?" His lips tick up at one corner, forming a small smile that could easily be mistaken for a smirk.
"Six. One of the last bloody ones too. Sucks."
"It doesn't have to," I say with a smile, tugging on our intertwined hands. His smile widens at this. With that, we start to run to wherever life takes us.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

  Two Weeks Later

   We arrive at the Hartford, Connecticut show, and I have to say:

Everything sucks.

   Warped tour is supposed to be the thing that makes my life all better, that makes me happy for at least two months. But so far, all I've done is mope on the bus, cuddling with my plush Firefly Serenity blanket and watch Tim Burton movies. I talk to Andy like normal, except my smiles are fake, and any emotion in my voice is an allusion. Not even the Oliver Sykes thing will go anywhere: I see the way he looks at Cybil.
    Speaking of Cybil Knightly, Jake asked her to come on tour with us. Cannon moved into the OM&M bus for room's sake, and Cybil took her bunk. But, it's kind of bittersweet now, because Jake met  Inna Logvin, and is head over heels for her.  Poor Cybil, she's kind of at an ambivalence. Jake, who won't give her the time of day anymore, and Oli, the cute British boy who stares after her like a lost puppy.
    I try not to think about it as I slip into my white blue flower print shorts, along with a white Set It Off crop crop top. I slide into my electric blue vans, that go with the blue and purple toned flowers on the shorts and the Duality diamond. I let my naturally wavy hair loose, to emotionally exhausted to do anything. I half heartedly slick on my perfect heavy cat eye, and decide that I want to go with a maroon colored lipstick, taking a break from my ruby red one I use pretty much everyday. I skip out of the bus, knowing that Cannon would probably call them and let them know I'm with her.
    Cannon smiles widely at me when she sees me, and makes her way over to me, leaving Austin alone to converse with his band outside of the Right Foot Stage. We decide to simply walk around, because silence was the most comfortable thing for me right now. I watch the Warped Tour workers, swiftly setting up the stages and safety rails, along with all of the tents.
   It seems like before my eyes, the venue fills up with people ready for some jams, and I find myself with Cannon at the Full sail stage. I shrug. Well, might as well try to enjoy something, right?
   We make our way to the front to see Palaye Royale setting up. I turn to Canon.
    "What time is it?"
   She checks her phone. "3:05." My eyes practically bug out of my face.
"You let me mindlessly wander for four hours?!" She grins innocently.
"Has it been that long?" She seals off her stupid act with the batting of her eyelashes, and I roll my eyes at her. Suddenly, I'm tapped on the shoulder. I spin around to see Logan Collins.
    Logan is the dancer who took my place in the dance crew I used to be apart of. I quit for two reasons: A, my dad. That's pretty self explanatory.  B, my brother, Jada, went off to fight in the war, and it just wasn't the same dancing without him.
   "Logan? What're you doing here?" I ask, surprised. He smirks at me, his blonde hair falling into his green eyes while tucking his hands into the pockets of his faded black jeans. I swear, people wear the most impractical things to this tour.
    Instead of answering, he picks me up by the waist, throws me over his shoulder, and starts running. Um, excuse my French, I'm not fluent and I'm a bit rusty, but da fuq?
"Logan! Put me down! You here me? Down down down down DOWN!!!" The people around us turn to stare, which also includes the bands doing signings. Black Veil Brides being one of those bands.
Logan laughs. "Okay." He then stops at the very edge of the Full Sail stage, right I front of the Palaye Royale merch tent. "But just look." He moves out of the way and points at something fairly close, considering everything is at least a football field away, not counting the stage. But when I see who it is, I gasp, and my hands fly over my mouth as I make a strangled cat noise. I feel a sob fly down my spine, and it's like my feet know what to do before my brain, because I'm off. I full on sprint past all of my friends, the strangers who stopped to stare, Palaye, who's staring from the stage, and any other living organism who could be witnessing this moment. Jada Anders, dressed in his camouflage print Army shirt, his matching baseball style cap that he got on base that he's wearing backwards, black basketball shorts, his black nike dancing sneakers, and his dog tags, braces himself for impact and holds his arms open. I crash into him, arms wrapping tightly around my brother, sobs wracking my entire small frame. Please let this be real. Please let this not be a dream.
I feel his deep laugh shake my entire body, letting me know this is reality, and I let his scent wash over me and calm me, like I did when dad decided I did something wrong, or the time Mason burned the wings off of the butterfly I rescued. I feel like I'm finally home.
"I know, B, I know. I missed you too." With that, I hear someone start to clap, and look up to see Logan. Suddenly, people join in, and a circle of all the dance crew members form around my brother and I. The clapping speeds up, along with whistles joining the sound.
Logan cups his mouth and shouts, "welcome home, sergeant Jada Anders!" Everyone in the crew, which is almost forty people now, start to cheer, along with the bands and fans of warped tour. Jada smiles shyly, and I smile at the dance crew with grateful looks. They brought my brother to me. They knew I'd want to see him.
It's like everything is un-paused, and the performances start. I drag Jada out of the circle of G&BOMR members, and towards Palaye Royale's performance. They start to play My Youth Generation, and I shout to Jada, "let's see if you still got it, old man!"
He smirks at me. "You're on."
And that's basically how a circle formed at the center of the Full Sail Stage area occurred, most watching the band while some focus on my brother and I. I'm aware of a set of eyes from the stage on me, but try my best to ignore them. Right now I want to enjoy my sliver of happiness. Lord knows it won't last long.