Broken - A Ryden fanfic

Chapter nine- Lay in the Atmosphere

"Yo Kenny, where the hell are you going?" Brendon called to the guitarist who he spotted attempting to sneak down the hall.

Kenny froze in his place when he heard his name. He spun around and plastered a smile on his face, holding his hands behind his back. "Just going to the bathroom! Be back in a sec."

"Alright well, hurry back. We're gonna play cards against humanity after Dan finishes his food." Dallon added dismissively.

It had been about two hours since the four of them left for their first stop on their tour; the iHeartRadio theatre in Burbank. After a heated argument between Brendon and Dan that lasted at least ten minutes (Dallon had to intervene for the sake of his sanity), they finally agreed on Taco Bell for dinner. Brendon cheered triumphantly once this was decided, the glee showing on his face. The same could not be said for Dan who was infamous for his poor sportsmanship.

The group of friends sat at a booth in the tour bus, a plate of wrapped up tacos in the middle of the table. Brendon didn't waste much time to eat three entire tacos and make a bit of a mess in the process. Dan scoffed at his friend, his gaze shifting to his other two friends across the way to shoot them a look that says "can you believe this guy?"

Dallon just chuckled and continued to work on his meal silently.

Though Kenny was acting a tad strange. He'd normally be the first to laugh at his friend's antics, but his only reaction was a faint smile and a laugh that sounded forced- like an attempt to relieve tension. Dallon picked up on this quickly and sent him a look of concern. However Kenny just shook his head and kept his eyes on the table. He was nervous, Dallon could tell.

And witnessing this display only caused his concern to grow.

Meanwhile, Kenny disappeared down the hall and made his way into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and made sure the door was locked. Once he was certain that the coast was clear, he turned to face the tiny shower. "Alright Ryan, you can come out now."

Drawing back the curtain, Ryan stepped out of the miniature sized shower and breathing a breath of relief. "Thank god, I thought I was gonna starve in there." He muttered, giving the shorter male a lopsided smile.

Kenny gave a little nod in response, handing the wrapped up taco to his stowaway friend. "You do realize that this is a really bad idea, right?"

"Oh yeah, I'm aware." Ryan dismissed, unwrapping the food with a grin. "I already went through most of the 'what-ifs' in the two hours I spent in that piece of shit shower."

Kenny rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands, watching Ryan dig into the taco anxiously. "So... I mean- I don't wanna tell you what to do or anything, that's kinda Dallon's job. But.. I don't think sticking around on our tour with us is a good idea."

"Mm hm." Ryan hummed, happily taking a bite of his taco.

"I can't sneak you food forever. Someone's bound to notice after a couple times that I keep disappearing into the bathroom after I finish eating." Kenny warned.

"I know."

"Well- maybe they'll assume that I've had bathroom problems?" The guitarist stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I guess that's not as bad as Brendon finding you. But still."

"Is that sour cream? Nice." Ryan mumbled to himself, half listening to Kenny's nervous rambles.

"So.. maybe you could catch a cab or something when we stop? I could lend you some money if you need it. I just don't want you to get into any trouble. Plus- Brendon seemed kinda angry with you before? I don't know what that's about, but-"