Never Give Up (for KING & COUNTRY Oneshot)

Never Give Up

this is dedicated to natalian_1

Joel

We're not moving out of this city until tomorrow, so we all take our time in the lounge of the venue, goofing off and relaxing, trying to get ourselves calmed down from the show hype. Danny and Ben battle each other in ping pong, while Vince and Lynch push each other around on a cart. The rest of us watch them and laugh, taking sides and cheering them on, while we sit back and relax, eat, read, or talk to our families on the phone or over Skype.

After I say goodnight to Moriah and hang up, I feel myself zoning out from what's going on in the room. My mind keeps returning to the girl I gave my necklace to tonight. I don't know why, but I... I just can't get her out of my head.

I keep sending up arrow prayers for her, because God knows her situation when I don't, but she still won't leave my mind. She still hasn't when we finally head back to the buses to go to bed. While we're walking there, Dad stops me with a hand on my shoulder.

I turn to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you alright, Joel?" he asks, his eyes assessing me carefully.

I try to force a smile, but I can feel myself fail. "Yeah, I'm fine... just tired."

He nods, but he doesn't look convinced. "If you change your mind, I'm here for you, Son."

My smile this time isn't as chipper but is completely genuine. "Thanks, Dad."

He just returns the smile and squeezes my shoulder briefly before releasing me. We turn back to the buses, and three steps in, I'm praying for that girl again. That's what I'm doing in the back of my mind until I finally manage to slip into sleep.

Time-Skip Sponsored by George Washington

I wake up at 5am, completely alert.

That's not normal after a late show, but it's something I can't argue with, and I know I'm not going be able to go back to sleep.

Carefully, so I don't wake the others, I get up, slipping into the bathroom and changing into jeans and a t-shirt with a hoodie over. I grab my phone from where it was charging, then quietly exit the bus.

It's still dark this early at this time of year, and the air is cold. I shiver slightly, glancing around the parking lot. I start slightly when I see my dad, sitting in a lawn chair with a tray in front of him, where a mug of coffee and his Bible are resting. The clip on his phone has it on the chair back beside him, and its flashlight is illuminating the pages of the Bible so he can read them.

I shake my head slowly, in both amusement and admiration. The Old Bloke has to have his morning time with Jesus, no matter what.

He looks up and meets me eyes, smiling slightly. "G'day, Joel."

I force myself to return the expression. "G'day."

"You're up early," he comments mildly, his eyes looking over the rim of his glasses to search my face.

I shrug. "Yeah... I don't really know why. I just knew I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Figured I might as well be productive."

He nods slowly, but his eyes as they continue to exam me make it obvious he's thinking about something deeper.

Finally, he sighs, a little sadly, taking off the glasses and setting them down on the tray. "Joel, are you sure you're alright?"

I nod hurriedly. "Yeah, Dad, I'm fine... I swear."

"You know, Son," he chides gently. "Your mum and I didn't raise you to lie to us, and you're really not very good at."

I drop my eyes from his, opening my mouth to reply, but he beats me to it.