Better Off (Lil Peep)

Chapter 29: International

Gus' POV

It's 3 in the morning and we're still on the road. On the way to the airport. We're going international. First to London, then Madrid, then Paris, and then all the way to Moscow for two dates. It's nearly the end of the tour. Today is my 20th birthday, and I smile. What a way to spend it, flying international for my first time. After the drama at the beginning of the tour, the rest had been smooth sailing. We were quiet and we did our jobs and made sure that nothing else got out of hand. We'd yet to hear word from Russ or his boys about any drama.

I was thinking of not going back to the states for a while. Staying, in Europe with Layla. I had friends in London and I wondered if it would be so bad to take some time away.

We boarded the plane, it was 4:30 in the morning. Layla held my hand and I felt restless. It wasn't my first time on a plane but I'd never been on a flight this long, I felt giddy. Layla held my hand and put a xanax in my palm. I grinned and popped it, tipping back the water they'd given us before takeoff. I was sitting there in the window seat, i realized it was maybe my 3rd time on a plane.

~~~~

I awoke just as we landed in London, I felt excited and scared all at once. We exited the plane and all met up at the gate, to find our tour bus. At least we had the bus so we could drive all around Europe. It was 6 in the morning and we needed to get some rest. But of course even at 6 am Layla had to be dramatic. Supposedly the British bus driver kid was some friend of hers she'd met back in LA. I rolled my eyes too tired to think as the two chatted, and we all made our way onto the bus to pass the fuck out. We needed rest before our first international show.

I stared at Samara. We'd barely spoken since the kiss, and I had hardly even looked at her. I'm surprised she was still here- things with her and Wicca didn't seem great and she'd been quiet, spending most of her time with just Goth and occasionally Luca too. I didn't even really think they were friends. I shrugged it off. I still looked at her and she was still just as beautiful- I missed us, even just us talking.

I felt my eyelids getting heavy as I tried to stay awake waiting for Layla to join me in bed.

Suddenly the sky around me is at dusk, where am I? There's a casual rocking motion, am I on a boat? I shakily sit up. My head hurts. I touch it, and my vision half blurs as I see the red liquid on my fingertips. I'm cold as hell, I'm only wearing a wife beater tank and boxers. I shiver.
"Hello?" The sound echoes around me and all I hear back is my own cracking low sound of my voice. My throats hurts. Clearly I am alone. The small boat has no paddles, the river is slow, calm, only moving me a little at a time. The mountains around me seem impossibly high.
Then I hear the voices. I can't distinguish who it is, until I see Russ on the shore. My heart pounds. He's got his knife at Samara's throat, just like before back at the beginning of the tour. I open my mouth to scream no, when he appears again. A duplicate of him, holding his knife to Layla this time.

"Choose." they suddenly both disappear and reappear. "Which one of us is real? You'll have to guess." He laughs at me. I can't choose.
Samara? Layla? Why?
I feel myself jump into the cold ass water and start swimming my way over to the shore, my arms feeling heavy the harder I try. I hardly can make it to the shore when I look up and I don't see them at all anywhere.

"Over here" I hear Russ' voice and I turn around halfway as I see both of them, throats being slit, falling into the water.

I desperately try to scream, but no sound comes out, as I feel myself being pulled under the water. Then everything goes black.

I jolt awake, in a sweat half screaming, as I see Samara burst in to my bunk.

I blink hard, trying to keep my shot together but she can see I'm not okay.

"Gus what happened?"

"Bad uh- bad dreams." I choked out, it was the first time we'd spoken in literally a month. Goth was standing behind her and I gulped.

"Where's Layla?" I asked instinctively see that she had yet to join me in bed (her pajamas were still next to me in the bunk)

" we haven't seen her. Or George." Samara shrugged, biting her lip.

"Who the fuck is George?" I snap, pulling my ass out of the bunk.

"The driver? Him and Layla were talking for the ride then they left once we parked? I don't know." Goth shrugged.

"Shit." I grab my phone and open Snapchat and there's a pic from her. I click it, and my heart sinks. Layla, cheating on me with that stupid kid. I shake my head and pretty much drop my phone. I sit on the couch numb.
"I need a fucking xanax. And Coke. I want my Coke." I whisper getting up and heading to my bunk. I don't even know what else to do in this moment.

I call Layla.

"Don't ever fucking come back you cheating whore."

Click. What the fuck was this day.