The Shadow of Me

Chapter 7

The third day of Knotfest was when Of Mice & Men were playing. The day of my birthday.

I was sleeping pretty good when I was woke up by a few people shouting "Happy Birthday!"

I almost fell off the bed when that happened. I looked up to see who it was. It was all of Death Punch and Of Mice & Men. Jeremy was standing with Alan by the table, the ginger helping my cousin to hide something.

I yawned as I sat up on my bed, "What's with the yelling?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame it. Which didn't work.

"It's your birthday, Kiddo," Chris told me, grinning. 

I rolled my eyes. Jeremy and the guys always loved going all out on my birthday. Even when I told them not to. And they're getting Alan and them into it with them.

"I'm not a kid, Chris," I told him, laughing as I stood off my bed. 

"Happy birthday, Baby Girl," Jeremy said with a grin as he walked over, Jason taking his spot beside Alan.

My cousin pulled me into a tight hug, "I can't believe you're twenty one already," he whispered. "It seems just like yesterday you were a ten year old sitting on my lap as I was teaching you to play the drums."

I blushed as all of the guys started singing Happy Birthday to me while Jeremy led me over to where Jason and Alan were standing, still hiding something from my view. 

"Make a wish, Baby Girl," he told me as the two guitarists moved to reveal a gorgeous cake. 

It had my favorite fruit on it with twenty one candles. I grinned as I made a wish and blew out the candles. I laughed as Zoltan cut the cake, like every birthday. Each one of us got a piece and sat around the room, eating and laughing. 

"Oh! Guess what Callie found and sent to me earlier?" Jason said all of a sudden. Making me nervous.

Knowing Callie, she found the most embarrassing video ever. I watched every move Jason made as he hooked up his computer to the TV in the room. Jeremy grinned as Jason started the video. Apparently he watched it after Callie sent it to her boyfriend. 

The video was one that Callie took of me when we rode the SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. How she has the entire video, I'll never know. 

"Ready, Holly?" Callie asked an eighteen year old Holly.

The eighteen year old Holly Heyde was laughing nervously, "I still don't know how I let you talk me into this, Callie!"

All Callie did was laugh at her friend. It wasn't so bad for the first bit. But, when she saw the drop coming, Holly started freaking out. 

"Callie! You're so fucking dead! When we get off this fucking thing, you are so graveyard fucking dead!" Holly nearly screamed at the top of her lungs as the wait for the drop came.

"It's not so bad, Holly!" 

"Not so bad, not so ba-" Holly was cut off by her own screams when the drop came. 

The rest of the ride consisted of Holly screaming for Jeremy to save her from this madwoman. When the ride was over, Holly was gripping onto the safety bars so tight that her knuckles were white. 

"Holly," Jeremy said as he tried to get her to let go of the bars. He was the second person to try. "Baby Girl, let go. The ride's over."

Holly opened an eye and looked around before she let Jeremy pick her up and carry her away from the ride.

"You're so dead, Callie," Holly muttered before burying her face in Jeremy's chest.

I tried to hide behind Jeremy as the video finished playing. I heard the guys laughing pretty hard at the embarrassing thing Callie talked me into. 

"Come on, Holly, don't hide behind me!" Jeremy said, laughing as he moved me so I couldn't hide behind him. 

"Why did you have to show that one?" I asked him, my face still red. 

"Birthday tradition," Jason responded, laughing as everyone threw away their plates.

******

My face was still red at the festival from the video. I groaned as I plopped down beside the merch tent for In This Moment. 

"Everything alright, Holly?" Jessica, the Merch Girl for In This Moment, asked me as she patted the metal chair beside her.

I stood and made my way over to sit by her. Her long black hair was French braided four ways to meet in the center like a ponytail.

"Everything's fine," I told her. "Except I managed to lose Alan and Jeremy already."

"Isn't Alan the rhythm guitarist for Of Mice & Men?" She asked me, turning more towards me. 

I nodded, "Yeah," I responded as I sat up straight. "What time is it?"

"Uh, it's three forty," she responded, looking at the clock on her phone.

I nodded. I still had an hour and twenty minutes to get to the stage where Of Mice & Men were playing. I would just meet them there. 

"So, tell me, are you and this Alan Ashby I heard Maria talking about serious?" Jess asked me as she put her phone away.

I looked to her, "Jess, we just met."

"So?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's love at first sight. It's how I met Brandon. Not even two months later, we were dating. And now, we're married. Known each other for a year."

"Jess, I'm not you," I responded, sighing before I stood. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Austin or somebody."

Jess nodded and waved before I took off. And not even ten minutes later, I ran into Austin. 

"Sorry, Holly," he said, laughing as he helped me to steady myself. "You alright?"

I nodded as we went to find some shade. Seeing as it was blistering out. He got us both a bottle of water and we sat where it was cooler. 

"So, spill," he said as I opened my bottle of water. I took a long drink of it. 

"Well, I was embarrased that Jason played that video for you all," I explained. "I am deathly afraid of heights. And Callie knew that. But, since Jeremy and Jason were on another ride, I agreed to ride it with her. And that video topped it off."

"Why were you embarrassed that he showed that video?" he asked me, confused. 

"I guess I didn't want you guys to see that side of me," I said, sighing. 

"Holly, it doesn't change what we think of you," he told me. "Hell, Alan still drives all of us crazy. Asking our opinions on date ideas. He was even asking me not long after we all left the hotel. And don't tell him I told you."

I had to laugh at that, "I won't tell him," I said before he spoke up again.

"Also, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I took you to get another tattoo for your birthday," he told me. "Jeremy showed me the tattoo design you gave him and I was thinking, maybe after this tour, you could stay with us in LA."

"Austin, I would love that," I told him with a grin. I stood and hugged him tight. 

The only problem I had with LA was the fact that he lived there now.