The Devil In The Mirror

XIII

"Thank you guys so much! We appreciate you coming out tonight and watching our show. Goodnight!" I bellow into the mic before dropping it, hearing the ear splitting screech erupting from the speakers as the lights go out.
I walk off stage to the bus where the driver announces we're getting hotel rooms with the two days off that we have. In good spirits, I throw my purple hair into a bun and shower-cap before showering. I slather in more hair dye and look at the finished result as we pull into the hotel parking lot.
"See you touched up on the purple." CC comments. I give a small smile and nod. He returns it.
"I like it with purple."
"Thank you."
~
I enter my cold and dark room with a growling stomach. I open my luggage and slip on a white tank top and black leggings, taking off my "hair dyeing" clothes. I shove my hair in a beanie and head out to the UNOs next to the hotel.
"Mind if I join you?" I hear Jinxx ask from behind me. I smile at him.
"Of course Jinxx."
We sit at a table and talk about the upcoming tour dates.
"Do you ever get tired of touring?" He asks me.
"Yes and no. Yes, in the factor of how much it wears you out. And no, because I absolutely love meeting fans and exchanging the passion and love of music." He nods and smiles at my answer.
"What about you?"
"Never. I absolutely love touring the world and meeting new people. Sometimes I have the off day where I dread it, but all in all, it's a very amazing thing that I'm extremely thankful for."
~
We head back to our rooms in good spirits and full bellies.
"I'm turning in for the night. I shall see you tomorrow." He gives me a warm smile before heading into his room.
"Goodnight Jinxx."
I head into my own room, taking out my notebook and writing down some lyrics until a knock comes at my door. I leap up and answer it to find a sobbing Ashley.
"Ashley, what's wrong?" My voice coated with fear.
"She...she's in the hospital." He sobs, falling. I catch him in my arms and stroke his hair.
"It's okay Ash. It's going to be okay. Now tell me, who's in the hospital." I coo to him.
"Alyssa. For cutting." He sobs even harder. I feel fresh tears fall down my own.
"Is...is she okay?" I feel my throat close up.
"I don't know." He clutches onto me for dear life. I cry into his shoulder as heavy footsteps approach us.
"Is...everything okay?" I look up to see Andy and Christian. Andy's eyes fill with pain and CC's with confusion.
"Alyssa's in the hospital as a result of self harming." The words come out cracked and difficult to form. I rise up and hand Ashley off to Christian.
"Hey Ash, let's go to the hospital and go see if we can see Alyssa." They walk off with the slowly disappearing sobs of Ashley.
I can't even look at Andy. My heart feels likes its swallowed up and choking to pump blood through my veins.
"Ara-
"Andy you should go." I cut him off.
"No. I'm not going to." He says defiantly. I glare at him.
"You're going to leave me alone." I say.
"No. Because you're clearly not okay and I'm not just going to leave you alone."
I watch him. Looking for anything. Anything that might seem to falsify his claim. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Okay. Okay, fine." I whisper. He wipes a tear from my cheek and hugs me tightly, running his fingers through my hair and walking us into his room.
"Go sleep if you want. I'm just going to eat." He whispers, kissing the crown of my hair before walking away. I go to his bed and curl up under the sheets. I rest my head on the pillow and shut my eyes.
It's not long before I feel Andy's warm but small body against my own. I snuggle up against him, and he does the same to me.
"Goodnight Aracelis."
"Goodnight Andrew."
And with his chuckle ringing in my mind, I fall into a deep sleep.
~
I wake the next morning with my head atop Andy's bare chest. His shallow breaths told me he was not yet awake. I open my eyes, feeling my long lashes brush against my brow bone as I stare at his sleeping form. His typically stern face is now soft and pleasant. With no stress or worry to ruin his boyish complexion. His snow white skin shimmers in the sun's rays through the open window curtains. His tattoos popping off in a quite beautiful way.
Staring at Andy is like staring at a piece of art by Da Vinci; simply mesmerizing.
"Good morning." His deep voice fills the morning silence. His face still soft and his blue eyes still closed.
"Good morning yourself."
"Enjoying the view?" His soft chuckle sends goosebumps to my skin.
"Not in that way, but yes. You're quite mesmerizing to look at. Much like Jinxx. But...you're different..." I trail off. He opens his eyes and furrows his brow, breaking his carefree expression into one of confusion. He looks at me with eyes I'm unfamiliar with.
"What's so mesmerizing about me?"
"The way when you sleep you look so peaceful and carefree. You don't look so serious or stressed. You have such a boyish complexion hidden behind years of pain that brought about a man." I reply. He sits up, so I sit up with him. I look away and attempt to get up from the bed. He grasps onto my wrist, dragging me back to him. I fall onto him, placing my hand on his sternum for balance.
He holds it there and uses his other hand to grasp my neck gently towards him so I look directly at him.
"Don't be ashamed of curiosity."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"Not this cat. This cat can keep searching until she finally digs up the old cat." He whispers. I feel his hot breath against the front of my neck and the quickening of his heartbeat.
"Andy..." I trail off, feeling my own heart rate quicken. He trails his thumb across my cheek, biting his lip. He finally lets me go and I take the chance of getting out of bed.
"I'm going to shower, if you don't mind." I announce.
"Of course not." He breathes. I nod and head into the bathroom.
~
I'm shirtless and braless when Andy walks in the door.
"Shit! Sorry. I forgot. Sorry, sorry." He apologizes. I laugh at him.
"Andy, you've seen my ass butt naked before so shut up and come in. I'm not even fully naked." I say, turning away from the door. I hear him come in and shut the door.
Suddenly, a cold finger trails across my back, causing me to shiver.
"Sorry. I just never noticed your back tattoo." He murmurs. I raise his finger back to my back.
"Feel free to look at it. Probably the only time you'll see it until the summer." I say. He chuckles and traces the skulls and roses that go diagonally across my back.
He wraps his arms around my hips and kisses my shoulder after he's done.
"Your tattoo is beautiful." He whispers against my skin.
"Thank you." I say quietly. He lays his face into my neck, closing his eyes. I lie against him and rest my eyelids.
This moment. This moment I will cherish. The way Andy just kind of puts me on another planet.
"I'll let you shower." He murmurs, letting go of me and leaving the bathroom.
~
"Want to go swimming later?" He asks me as I scrunch my soaked hair with a towel.
"Just us or as bands?"
"Bands."
"Yes. It'll be a stress reliever for Alyssa." I say, feeling my smile drop at the thought of Alyssa.
I never thought of her to do that. She was the brute of the band. She was the person you came to next to Reiko to beat a bitch's ass.
In an hour we're on our way to the hospital to pick up Alyssa. The nurse named Bella is kind and quiet, silently having us sign her out and showing us to her room.
I walk in, seeing her arm wrapped up like a pillow and her staring out the window.
"Hey Lys. Time to leave." I smile. She gets up and leaves without a word and I take her straight to Ashley.
~
I'm in the opposite side of the pool with Jinxx and Cara while the others relax and laugh in the deep end.
Jinxx and Cara get along well and she actually talks around him. They seem to like one another.
"So what's with you and Andy?" Cara asks me quietly.
"Nothing. Why do you ask?"
"You spend a lot of time together." Jinxx comments
"Unlike yourself and I?"
"True..." He replies.
"Hey slut bag!" I hear Jake call. I roll my eyes and look at him.
"Hi faggot. Care to enlighten me on your bullshit of the day so I can return from not worthlessly using my brain cells to bother with your ass?" I snap. He steams and jumps out of the pool over to me and quite literally, throws me out of the pool.
I get up and raise my fists.
"Don't. Fucking. Call. Me. A. Faggot." He yells.
"HEY!" I see Andy out of the corner of my eye come running towards us as I quickly kick Jake into the pool and walking away.
"What happened?" Andy asks angrily.
"Why don't you FUCKING ASK HIM!" I scream, running up to my hotel room.