I arranged my hair around my face and smiled as it fell perfectly in place over my eyes. I looked myself up and down in the mirror and poked my tongue out at Vic who was mocking my actions from the bus' kitchen.
“You look great.” He laughed. “Besides, you're not allowed to look hot. Anyone who so much as looks at you funny will get a beating form Mike and I.” I laughed and punched him in the shoulder as I grabbed a glass of pepsi. “No one will get away with touching our little sister as easily as Jaime did. He got band privileges and I still don't like it.”
“Jaime and I aren't together, Vic.” I shook my head. We were definitely off, he liked girls too much, which was understandable, he was a rock star, enjoy it. “So my dating options are limited to Jaime and Tony?” Vic raised an eyebrow in thought and then shook his head.
“Nope, just no dating on that thought.” We both collapsed into the couch laughing and could hardly contain ourselves when Tony walked onto the bus. He looked between us with total confusion before backing off the bus again, second guessing whether it was worth joining in on this conversation.
“I'm gonna end up being a cat lady if I live by your rules, Victor.” He nodded with a cheesy grin and took a swig of his pepsi, though I highly doubt that was the only thing in there. “What if I meet my soul mate and they sweep me off my feet?”
“I'll make sure they have no hands to sweep you up with!” We both doubled over again and were trying to steady our breathing when Jaime yelled in that they were all leaving soon.

The venue for the party was large and spacious and every band and crew were there, dancing or drinking, or both in many cases. I didn't know too many people personally, I knew a lot of them from magazines and MTV, but to them I wasn't a friend, I was a fan and a crew member of a break-out band. I waved to Jack who was grinding an uncomfortable looking Rian in the middle of the dance floor. He beamed and waved me over, I told Vic where I was going and I jumped into dancing with Jack, Rian bowing behind him and thanking me while he backed away towards the bar. Jack pulled me into a hug and shouted over the music that he had had way to many pre-drinks with Alex.
“He's been attempting to drown out his sorrows.” Jack laughed. “The sorrows brought on from seeing you again. I think you remind him too much of Chloe.” I nodded.
“I know,” god damn the music was too loud. “He wrote a song about her?” Jack looked at me knowingly.
“Inspired from your contagious bad luck with Sundays, ah Care Bear?” I told him to shut up and dance and started jumping around with Jack and the bassist, who I discovered was Zack. Jaime cane over half and hour in and dragged me to the bar for tequila shots, even though he knows I specifically hate them. Four shots, three beers, and three vodka and red bulls later, hanging off Zacks shoulder I was escorted back to my brothers. Mike stood laughing at me and I held onto Zacks hand while I slapped him.
“Poor piggy had too much to drink?”
“Shut it Whiskey Hands.” I mumbled before nuzzling my head into a confused Zack's shoulder. “Thats it, I don't want to come back to the bus with you any more.” Mikey took my hand from Zack and stared at him. Jack bounded over and pulled me up so I was cradled in his arms.
“Sorry, Fuentes.” Jack shouted as he backed away from my family. “I got buisness with your sister here!” He pushed us through the crowd, Zack following close behind, and to the table where Alex and Rian were sitting. “As you are both suitably inebriated, now we sort this out.” I was instantly sobered by the sight of Alex and stumbled as Jack placed me back on the floor.
“I remind him of his dead girlfriend. There's not much to discuss Barakat.” I shuffled my feet and stared at the ground, hoping it would open up and swallow me whole. Jack protested that there was every thing to talk about, that we needed to get over the Chloe issue and sccept that we needed each other in our lives. I shook my head and started to walk away. This was so unfair on Alex. He had found his girlfriend hung by her own hand in her garden, and now Jack wanted him to get over it? Sure, it hand been a long time since, but it was still going to be a part of him, you can;t just take those things away. Just like killing Jaime will always be a part of me, finding a dead Chloe will always be a part of Alex. I'd accepted that Alex wouldn't want to talk to me anyway, and I shook Zacks hand off my shoulder.
“C...Carrie.” I turned at the sound of his golden voice, letting the sound of him pull me back towards the table. “I'm so sorry.” I stared dumbfounded at Alex. What? Sorry for what? His eyes were bright red and his drink was gone, “That thing... every time we touch, I get flash backs of...” I slid into the booth beside him and leant my head on his shoulder. I didn't want to put my arm around him lest it happen again, this was the only way I could think to comfort him. His breath caught, but he relaxed into it, leaning his own head on mine and sighing. “I missed you when you moved. I couldn't explain it either, I hardly knew you.” I replied that I had felt the same way and that California would have been six times more fun with them all there. We sat like that for a while, Jack brought over more drinks and we sat in a comfortable silence, waiting for someone, anyone, to start the conversation again.
“Do you want to take a walk?” The question came from a person I expected least, I had never spoke to him before now, never known him. Did he mean just the two of us? Or Alex and I? Or a collective everyone? “Carrie?” I looked up at Zack confused. Oh, fuck it. I stood shakily and struggled to walk to the door of the venue, my head spinning and my stomach turning.
“I'm sorry, Zack, but I don't think walking is an actual possibility right now.” He wrapped his arm around my middle and practically carried me outside. We rounded the corner and her perched me on top of a garbage can next to one of the side doors. “What are we doing out here?” He took a deep breath before answering my question.

“I want you to leave Alex alone, avoid him, never talk to him again.”

Notes

I'm writing ahead at the moment so hopefully I'll get into some regular update schedule and it wont be as erratic as it is at the moment :)