"Panda. Panda!" She shook his shoulder and he rolled toward her.
"Hmm?" He squinted at her in the dark.
"Japan is attacking and I'm out of supplies." She said softly.
"What?" He'd barely been paying attention.
"Japan is attacking and I'm out of supplies."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I-I can't-well I can, but I don't want to leave. And it can't really wait and I'm kinda-" He put his hand up in her face as he sat up.
"Stop. Please. I'll go. It's okay."
"Thank you." She smiled in relief.
"No problem." He found a t-shirt and pulled it on before finding his shoes. "Do you need anything else?"
"Something for nausea." He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I'll try not to be too long, Peanut." He kissed her forehead and left the bus. Bethany day down at the table with a can of ginger ale and took a few painkillers. The next thing she knew Andy was shaking her awake. She peeled her face off the table and groaned. There was a puddle of drool on the table top. She made a mental note to clean that up before breakfast.
"Hey." Andy said. Bethany rubbed over her face with the sleeve of her sweater.
"Hi." She mumbled back.
"Here's you're stuff." He offered the the plastic grocery bag in his hand. "I'm goin' back to bed. You should too." He yawned and kicked his shoes off. Then he hauled his shirt off and crawled back into his bunk. As well as her "supplies" and nausea meds he also got her a bar of chocolate. She smiled and tucked the chocolate into her bunk so no one else would find it. After dealing with the things that had made her wake Andy up initially she crawled into her bunk and closed her eyes.
When she woke up she could hear everyone talking. She had a stomach ache and her legs hurt. Part of her didn't want to get up. Another part was screaming that she needed a shower. And a tiny part was incessantly chanting the word coffee. She slid out of her bunk and patted down to the bathroom. It was empty so she took a short shower and got dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. Unlike most girls she didn't get cramps while on her period. Instead she had a perpetual stomach ache the four to five days her period lasted, generic body aches and she got irrationally angry with everyone and everything. Five days of feeling like she was going to throw up, but not actually throwing up effectively destroyed her appetite. After her shower she threw her wet hair up into a bun and pulled on a pair of socks. She joined everyone else in the kitchen.
"Morning Peanut." Andy said when she sat down beside him at the table. She crossed her arms and rested them on the table before resting her head on. Then she sat back and flicked her eyes over the table, realizing she hadn't washed it after she drooled on it. Andy must've known what she was thinking, because he asked someone to hand him the washcloth. CC threw it at him and it landed on his head. He wiped the table before chucking the washcloth back at CC.
"Coffee?" Jake offered. She nodded. A blue mug, not the one she'd had when tour started, but very similar, was placed in front of her. A few minutes later, during which she'd stared at her cup, but hadn't actually taken a drink, there was a knock on the door. Jake opened it and Juliet came.
"Hi!" She smiled at everyone and Bethany got up so that Andy could get up. Bethany dropped back down into her seat and took a drink of her coffee.

———

Though she loved Andy and Juliet Bethany struggled to watch them be happy and couply. She knew they weren't trying to rub it in her face, but she still missed Luke and it made her ache for something she couldn't have to watch them. So she took a few things with her and went to Palaye's bus. They'd be spending the next day on the road. And since they were all going to the same place, she'd just stay with them.
"Emerson! Perfect! C'mere." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to the bathroom.
"What are you doing?"
"I want you to cut my bangs." She held up a pair of scissors.
"No." He said and took a step back.
"Please. I was gonna have Sebster do it, but he can't 'cos the scissors are right handed."
"It's not my fault nothing is made for left handed people." Sebastian called from his bunk.
"Please, Em."
"I don't want to fuck up your hair."
"It'll be fine. If it looks bad I'll just pin it up until it grows out. Please?" He sighed.
"Fine. Give me the scissors. But if I fuck up you can't be mad."
"Deal. Here." She handed him the scissors and showed him where to cut. "Cut up and at an angle. 'Kay?" He took a deep breath and started cutting.
"There." He dropped the scissors on the counter. Bethany turned to look in the mirror.
"They look great! Thank you!" She gave him a hug.
"You're welcome." Emerson left the bathroom and Bethany grabbed the scissors to fix her bags up just a bit. When she was done she pinned them back and pulled the rest of hair up into a bun.
"Whatcha up to B?" Remington asked.
"Gonna do a face mask. Wanna join me?"
"Sure." She had him sit down on the toilet so she could pin back his hair.
"So just spread it over your face as evenly as you can." He did as she told him to.
"Now what?"
"Now we wait fifteen minutes and then peel it off." He nodded and looked at himself in the mirror. "Wanna watch the office of parks and rec?"
"Yes!" He grabbed her hand and drug down to the opposite end of the bus. They sat on the couch together and Remington turned on the TV. "Which would you rather watch?"
"I don't care. You choose." Then she gasped and stood up. She grabbed her bag off the floor and pulled out her chocolate bar. She sat back down beside Remington.
"Were you planning on sharing that?" He asked.
"Mm. I don't know. Depends on if you'll take a selfie with me." He rolled his eyes.
"Fine." She grinned and grabbed her phone. They both grinned and she threw up a peace sign as she took the picture.
"We're so cute! Our brothers are so lucky they got such cute siblings. Don't you agree?"
"Yep. Definitely."
"Stop inflating his ego." Emerson said from his bunk.
"Aw, it's okay, Em. You're cute too!" She could practically hear the eyeroll. She giggled. Then she broke off a piece of her chocolate and gave it to Remington.

———

A couple hours later everyone was drinking except Bethany. She never had alcohol and she didn't care to try it, but she was also taking Flurazepam. So she sat at the table drinking a can of ginger ale while the others drank gin and whatever the amber liquid was that Emerson and Remington were drinking. Sebastian sat down across from her and pushed open the window before lighting a cigarette. Watching smoke made her want to as well, but she resisted. She pulled her pack of clove cigarette out of her bag.
"Can I use your lighter?" Sebastian slid the lighter across the table. He kept his eyes on the window. "What's up? You seem distracted."
"I'm losing Larisa."
"What? Why?" He shrugged and breathed out a cloud of smoke that got tugged out the window.
"'Dunno. She says 'm not invested 'nough." He took a drink of gin straight from the bottle. "I love her and she doesn't believe me anymore." He was starting to slur his words.
"You're gonna kill yourself." Bethany said, grabbing the bottle and pulling towards herself.
"You drink gin?" He asked, eyes narrowed.
"No. I've never tried it. But I can't because of my meds. Not that I care. I'm just taking it so that you'll stop drinking it." He pouted and blew out more smoke. Bethany took a drag on her clove cigarette and blew out. Cloves and nicotine mingled in the air briefly before getting sucked out the window.
"What am I doing wrong? Is it the distance?" He flicked his cigarette butt out the window and Bethany did the same.
"Could be. Or it could be something else."
"Like what?" Bethany sighed.
"I love you, Sebster, and I want to help, but I really don't know much about relationships. The only person I've ever dated was Luke and we all know how that went. Just talk to her. She needs reassurance that you still want this as much as she does." He nodded. He reached for the bottle of gin. "Nope." She sat it on the bench beside her. He pouted.
"Please."
"You're cute, but not that cute, Sebster. Sorry." She picked up her phone and went wide eyed when she saw the time. It was almost two thirty am. "How 'bout we go to bed?" He grumbled, but let her pull him down to his bunk. "Get some sleep. And if you still want to talk in the morning we can, okay?" He nodded, yawned and climbed into his bunk. She managed to get them all to bed with little struggle than collapsed on the couch and was out in seconds.

———

"Shut up before you wake her up." Sebastian hissed at his brother. Bethany mumbled something and rolled off the couch. She laid there for a few seconds letting her brain catch up. Then she groaned and pushed herself up off the floor. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Remington and Sebastian were the only two up. Remington was snickering because she'd just rolled off the couch. She sat down beside Remington and yawned.
"Morning." He said around a yawn. Both he and Sebastian had bedhead and cups of tea.
"Do you know how many girls would kill to se you two like this?" She asked before yawning again and grimacing when her jaw clicked.
"Mm. It's quite a sight." Sebastian said before taking a drink. It was then that Bethany noticed the bus wasn't moving. She glanced out the window. It was gray and cloudy out.
"Where are we?"
"Dallas." Remington told her. She nodded and stood to make herself a cup of tea.

———

bennyharris 1/2

2/2

❤️liked by emersonbarrett, niedosyt, thejulietsimms and 433 others
bennyharris IF BY THE TIME WARPED TOUR ENDS I DONT HAVE A PICTURE WHERE ALL THREE OF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE CAMERA IM GONNA STRANGLE ALL THREE OF YOU!!! sebastiandanzig emersonbarrett remingtonleith palayeroyale 🙄🙄🙄

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remingtonleith can you even reach our necks???
user1 who's here for her pics of palayeroyale show of hands 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️
user2 me!!!!🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️
bennyharris THATS NOT THE POINT!!! ILL USE A CHAIR IF I HAVE TO remingtonleith
user3 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️
flandangerous answer your phone
sebastiandanzig honestly id love to see you try
user4 tbh I'm here for her interaction with them more than the pictures
thejulietsimms come see me! I missed you too! You're basically my little sister too and I wanna see you before I leave!
user5 same tho user4 she really does act like their little sister or sum
bennyharris MAYBE flandangerous BITE ME sebastiandanzig I WILL! CHILL thejulietsimms

———

It was pouring. Sebastian was holding an umbrella in one hand and texting with the other. Bethany ran off the bus and joined him under his umbrella.
"Hi!" She grinned up at him and held her bag closer to her chest so it wouldn't get wet.
"Hey."
"The rain always makes me want to listen to I'll Follow The Sun."
"Yeah. Um, sorry about last night. I mean, I don't remember most of it, but. . . uh-"
"It's fine. What are friends for if not to help you with your relationships and keep you from drinking yourself to death. Oh! That reminds me. You left this on the table last night and I held onto it so it wouldn't get lost." She held out his lighter.
"Thank you. I wondered where I left it. Figured I'd never see it again." He took from her and dropped it in his pocket.
"No problem." They watched the rain falling for a few minutes. "I was serious last night when I said we could talk today if you wanted." She took a deep breath, "I know we don't really know each other all that well and I'm probably not your first choice, but I am your friend and I thought a lot about what you said last night and I have some advice. If you want it."
"Can you take this for a second." He offered her the umbrella. She took it and he pulled out a cigarette. Once he'd lit it he took the umbrella back. "Alright, hit me."
"She thinks your relationship is falling through the cracks, right?" He nodded and she kept going, "She thinks she losing you, she'll only try for so long before giving up on you completely. She needs proof that you're still willing put in effort. She needs to know you still care. And I know you do. I've seen you when you to or about her. You get the same look in your eyes that Dad does when he talks to Mom or about her. You love her. She needs reassurance. I understand what she's feeling right now. But in my case the guy really didn't care. But that's not the point. Just. . . talk to her. And maybe send her flowers or something. I dunno. Just a thought." He nodded along as she spoke. He blew out a cloud of smoke and looked down at her.
"Talking only does so much when she thinks there's someone else."
"Is there someone else?" She cocked her head to the side. He sighed.
"Honestly, I don't know."
"How-?"
"I'm . . . confused. Maybe she's right. Maybe I am just stringing her along. Damnit! Why is this so difficult." The last part was more to himself than to Bethany. He looked at her again and seemed to realize she was there. "Thank you, Bumblebee." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top her head. Then he sighed.
"No problem. I'm always here and I . . . I think
a lot of you. You've seen me at my most vulnerable and even though you don't know everything you don't judge and you're always willing to help. You've helped me so it's my turn to help you." Bethany smiled at him and for just a second saw something in his eyes that she couldn't determine. It was there and then it was gone. It was replaced by exhaustion. She knew that look, that feeling, all too well. She felt her phone buzz and pulled it out of her pocket. "I gotta go." She said, "Juls is waiting."
"Take the umbrella."
"Are you sure? I'm already kinda wet and I don't wanna-"
"It's fine. My bus is right there. Besides I'm not sugar. I won't melt." She smiled and rolled her eyes.
"If you're sure."
"I am." She took the umbrella from him.
"Thanks, Sebster."
"Anytime, Bumblebee." She started speed walking away. Sebastian sighed again before crushing his cigarette under his heel and pushing his wet hair off his face. He hadn't lied. He was confused. He did love Larisa, but more often than not he found his mind drifting to someone else. He didn't know what to do. He hadn't planned this and he was really afraid that he was going to lose Larisa. He needed to talk to her before she gave up on him. He looked up and smiled as he watched Bethany skip and jump around. Damnit.