Bless The Broken Road

Chapter Two- My Name Is....

            Sydney Jael Smallbone looked up from her seat on the tour bus. She and Joel had just turned 30, while Luke was 28. Both of her brothers were married....and she didn't even have a boyfriend, much less date regularly. Luke was on his phone, laughing at something his son, Jude, had done. He had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis a few months back, and was finally able to return to touring after that difficulty. Joel sat on the other couch with his wife, Moriah, snuggled up beside him. The two had been married for a year, and Sydney saw signs that indicated she was pregnant. The biggest was the morning sickness. And then, there was the band, Blake, Timmy, Ben, Mark, and Stephen, all sitting on the floor and playing truth or dare. And then, there was Sydney, who was called Jael (Jai-elle) most of the time. She, sadly, had also been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of twenty-three. She and her younger sister, Libby, were the last two single Smallbones. She played with her Australian penny necklace, smiling at the crest. Luke sat beside her, sliding his phone into his pocket.

     "Twenty minutes." She looked up at him.
     "Hmm?" He smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders.
     "We'll get there in about twenty minutes." She chuckled, gently pushing the arm away and standing.
     "Well, how'd you know I was going to ask, mate?" Like Joel, her accent was still quite strong, while Luke's had faded some. He laughed quietly.
 
      "You had that look on your face. How are you feeling?" She shrugged, trying not to trip over Blake, who had been dared to stop, drop, and roll down the length of the whole bus.

      "Blake, watch it! And I'm feeling okay. I think we can do the second set tonight, if you're alright with that." The second set was the one where she, like Joel, jumped off stuff. The first set didn't have her jumping as much. Luke nodded.

      "That's fine with me. If you get too tired after sound check, we can switch it." She smiled.
       "Alright. I'm going to go and get my things ready. Oh, and Joel, Moriah?" They looked at her.
       "Congratulations." Moriah looked at her, shocked.
       "Thanks. We're both- wait....what? How did you-" She smirked and took off for the back lounge. As she got there, she heard Luke.

        "What was she talking about?" She giggled, putting a couple of her notebooks in her bag. A few minutes later, as she finished packing, they arrived in Columbus, Ohio. As she got off the bus, Joel called to her.

       "Jael! Can you come here for a minute, please?" She shook her head slightly, laughing.
       "What do you want, mate?" He led her over to a guy, who looked to be about thirty-something. He had dark hair, and striking hazel eyes.

       "Jael, this is Daniel Evans. He's Colton's new drummer." She smiled slightly, and he returned it.
       "It's nice to meet you. I'm Sydney, but most people can me Jael." He chuckled.
       "I'm Daniel. My older siblings usually call me Dan or Danny." She looked at her brother, and smiled again. She could feel her face growing warmer.
        "It's very nice to meet you, Daniel. Now if you would please excuse me, I've got some things I need to do." She said smoothly, and quickly left. Right before sound check, she ran into her brothers, who were laughing about something.

      "Alright, you two. What's so funny?" Luke chuckled, looking at her.
      "Joel was telling me about what happened right after we got here." She raised an eyebrow.
      "Oh, really? With Daniel?" Luke nodded, and she laughed.
      "Luke, nothing happened. I met Daniel, we introduced ourselves, and I found out he's Colton Dixon's new drummer. End of story." Luke gave Joel a look.
      "Oh, is that so? You said they were staring at each other, practically starry-eyed." He shrunk back a little as his twin glared at him.
      "Well....I may have stretched the truth a little?" She crossed her arms, still glaring at him.
      "Next time, mate, you're staying out of it. Understand?" He nodded, eyes wide and lips pursed.
      "Good. You two aren't teenage girls. I believe you two have better things to do that gossip about me meeting Colton's new drummer. Got it?" They both nodded, and she left, turning on her heel. She walked a little ways, and then turned a corner, crashing straight into Daniel. She had been moving so fast, that he fell backwards, and she landed on top of him. He smiled slightly, and she blushed.

       "Sorry. I wasn't really looking where I was going." She started to get up, but he rolled over so that he was on top of her. He smirked at her.

       "I kinda like the view from here." He said quietly, attempting to flirt. She shoved him up, standing.
      "Sorry. I don't appreciate people flirting with me." She started walking away. He grabbed her arm, catching her and looking her in the eyes.

      "Sydney, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable like that." She pulled her arm away, and gave him a look.
       "I understand. Just don't do that anymore, please. And if you will excuse me again, I have a couple last things to do." He nodded slightly, and she strode off. He watched her leave, smiling slightly.
       "Yeah. I think I might be in love." He said quietly.

Hey! So....whatcha think so far? If you haven't, you must watch the video up top. Anyone who ships Daniel and Sydney so far? Also, next chapter will be featuring jilnysoto as Jilny, _ily_13 as Natalie, christismysaviour as Emily, and ThisWillBeLovely as Antonia. Thanks for reading!! Love you guys!! -Craver_Priceless