Permanent Vacation // 5SOS

12. Cody

"When we get to San Francisco, we'll take you guys sight-seeing." Luke says as we walk down one of the many hallways to this massive stadium. I've been chatting with the boys for a while, and it turns out that they aren't kicking us out; they've offered to take us all the way to LA with them, on the condition that we don't leak anything about them to the public. They have a reputation to uphold, which I totally understand since I'm a huge fan.

"Sure. Sounds fun." I grin. Ashton gets to the dressing room door before the rest of us and opens it wide. The first thing I see when I walk in is Michael and Tess asleep on each other on the couch. My jaw drops and Calum takes his phone out to get a photo.

The forgetful cutie doesn't realise his phone isn't turned down and the flash is on.

"What the fuck Calum?" Michael groans, not opening his eyes. I wonder if my sister knows she's practically wrapped around him. But she's asleep, so that's good.

"Dude, what happened?" Ashton asks. Michael finally opens his eyes, then seems to realise who he's lying on the couch with.

"She started crying in her sleep, and she wanted a hug when she woke up so I obliged. Didn't know we'd both fall asleep." He explains tiredly.

"Maybe we should just go." I suggest, knowing the reason for my sister's tears straight away and wanting to leave her to get some rest. She doesn't sleep much anymore.

"Why? We need to wake her up anyway. The bus is waiting for us all." Calum says. Lately he's been getting more and more whiney... Or maybe I'm only just noticing it.

"All of you can go fuck yourselves. I'm tired. Let me sleep." Great. They woke her up.

"Idiots." I sigh, walking back out the door and down the hallway towards the exit.

"Cody, wait up!" Luke's coming after me apparently.

"What?" I snap. He's caught up and we're walking together.

"Everything okay?" He asks. I just sigh again. "Cody, if something's wrong, you can tell me. I won't say a word to the others if you don't want me to."

"You guys woke her up." I reminded him. He frowned.

"So?" He asked. I stopped walking.

"Tess doesn't sleep." My words only confuse him more.

"Uh, she just was."

"Luke, that's what I mean. You guys woke her up during one of the very very rare times that she can actually fall asleep. Do you have any idea how frustrating that would be for her?" I ask.

"Okay, I think I'm starting to understand." He says slowly. "Why does that effect you?" Could he be any more dumb?

"She's my twin sister. How do you think I feel when I see my other half suffering daily because she doesn't sleep anymore?" I might start yelling soon. And then I might punch him. And then I might scream at the top I my lungs.

"What do you mean 'anymore'? Insomnia's only recent for her?" He asks. I don't answer, knowing I'll break down in tears if I answer honestly.

"Tess, come back! He didn't mean it!" What? Luke and I both look back the way we'd come and Tess is storming out of the dressing rooms with the others trailing behind her.

"YOU CAN ALL GO FUCK YOURSELVES!!" She shouts over her shoulder.

"Tess, what's going on?" I ask as she comes towards Luke and I.

"They woke me up and had the nerve to tell me to sleep when I'm dead." She spits. My eyes widen and I can practically feel the blood running out of me. They... They said that? "I told you they were cock-sucking pricks that don't care about anyone but themselves. We should've stayed in the car. Then I wouldn't be fucked up and we wouldn't have constant reminders of the one thing we were trying to leave behind."

"Tess, don't say that. It's been fun with the boys." I say quietly, barely holding back my tears.

"Oh yeah, sure. It's been great fun losing my memory every few minutes and having this fucking elbow injury. It's been great freaking you out every time I can't remember anything. I just love being terrified that I'm gonna forget everything again in a few minutes. Heck, I probably won't even remember saying any of this." Tess yells, walking away towards the car park. Everyone's silent as we watch her disappear; nobody's brave enough to go after her.

"What was wrong with what I said?" Calum asks quietly. Michael sighs.

"She doesn't sleep." He says. I shake my head as tears well up in my eyes.

"It's more than that." I tell them. Luke puts an arm around my shoulders. "She doesn't sleep because something happened four months ago and now she has night terrors." I explain.

"What's that got to do with what Cal said? What happened four months ago?" Ashton asks. I took a deep breath as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Our parents were killed."