After the show they had to get straight on the road for Winnipeg. It was only five minutes into the trip, and already Canadian jokes were being flung left, right, and centre. By the time the boys had consumed a few beers each, the jokes started to get absurd.
“Hey guys, how many people live in Winnipeg?” Zack started once excited laughter had died down.
“I dunno, I dunno, how many?!” Jack replied eagerly.
“A moose!” Zack cackled with laughter. The joke didn’t make any sense, but the boys were in hysterics. Annabelle exchanged a look with Matt who was finishing some work on his laptop. He rolled his eyes, a dimple showing. Jack offered Annabelle a can of beer. She passed, opting not to drink.

Unfortunately she was quickly manipulated into a dangerous game of beer pong. She had always been terrible at hand eye co-ordination, beer did not help. She was the first to lose it, almost collapsing.

“Guys! I told you not to get me into this!” She slurred, lying down on the floor. Zack looked at her incredulously.
“She’s had, like, five cups...” Alex raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
“Lightweight!” Annabelle raised a lazy hand from her position on the floor, giggling. Matt, who had also been drinking, shook his head.
“You guys are irresponsible.” He said. The band looked at him pointedly, and Annabelle continued to giggle from her position on the floor. He laughed. “Seriously. Don’t tell your school. Or your parents.”
“My mom.” Annabelle corrected. The boys exchanged looks.
“Sorry. Don’t tell your mom.”
“Yeah, l-like I would tell my mom about this.” Annabelle rolled over. “Okay, I better go to bed before I do something embarrassing.”
She tried to get up, but the bus turned a corner and she fell over, laughing. Alex shook his head, smiling slightly, and lifted her up. He was trying to feel grumpy about her being a ridiculous drunk, but she was too cute. He carried her into his bunk and lay her down.
“Hey, hey, hey...hey...hey” Annabelle garbled. He looked down at her. “You... are....pretty.” She grinned. He laughed. She was adorably goofy while drunk.

“Goodnight.” Before he knew what he was doing, he lent down and kissed her on the forehead. She widened her eyes, smiling slightly, shivers travelling up her spine. Alex coughed and pulled the curtain shut, silently cursing. It had just felt so natural. She snuggled under the covers, curling up, the smile still plastered to her face.

Alex returned to a chorus of ‘oo’ing. He rolled his eyes at his friends.
“When did you stop hating her?” Zack asked. “And what made you change your mind?”

Alex shrugged, licked his lips, shrugged again.
“I dunno man, I guess we just sorta clicked.”
Jack sent him a wink.
“Guys she’s still only sixteen! You gotta remember! Hey, is it my turn?”
“I don’t wanna play anymore. It was only fun when we were getting her drunk.” Jack picked up a cup and started drinking it.
“Wow. Evil just put on a Jack Barakat suit.” Alex was only slightly disgusted at his friend. She was pretty adorable, but still; it was insanely creepy of him.
“I’m bored!” Jack complained.
“You’re the one who stopped the game!” Rian retorted, picking up a beer and joining him on the couch.
“Also” Jack pointed a finger accusingly at Alex, “age has nothing to do with it!” He crossed his arms over his chest, “my parents are nine years apart, and they love each other!”
“Yeah, man” Zack nodded, “that’s true. Mine are like seven years apart.”
Alex flopped down next to Rian.
“You don’t get it. She’s still in high school.” He wrinkled his nose, “It’s weird.”
“What’s weird? Your ginormous crush on her?” Jack poked his tongue out at Alex. Even Matt laughed. Alex looked horrified.
“What?!” He almost yelled, his voice breaking, he remembered Annabelle was asleep in the other room and dropped to an angry whisper, “I do not have a crush on her!”
“Sure, sure.” Rian slapped him on the back. 

“I’ve known her for, like, three days!” Alex flung his hands into the air in exasperation, “I do not have a crush on her.”

“Okay...” Jack grinned evilly.
“Okay, what?” Alex replied nervously, not liking the expression which had formed on the guitarist’s face.
“I dare you to share your bunk with her for the whole night, and then we’ll see who has a crush on who.”
Alex’s jaw dropped, “That’s sick.”

Jack shrugged, “I’m just going to tease you for the rest of your life then.”
Knowing Jack, he would. Turmoil raged through Alex’s body.
“Did I not mention that we’ve known her for like three days?”
“Even you can’t deny that she’s fitted in swimmingly.” Jack mimed swimming, filling his cheeks with air, and then questioned the band around them with a look. They quickly agreed, nodding and murmuring. Alex groaned.
“I thought you were always up for dares, buddy...?” Zack winked at him.
“Fucking hell...” Alex was not happy, he tried to think of some witty retort, something to shut Jack down. The notion of this dare was so preposterous. His brain, from the beer, had slowed to a gentle chug. Nothing came to mind. “FINE. But I like Annabelle in a purely plutonic way!”
Jack chuckled evilly, Rian laughed mumbling something sarcastic under his breath. He did not want to lose credibility amongst his friends, because they would tease him for months, and he just couldn’t be bothered dealing with that. He also didn’t want to freak Annabelle out, or make him seem like a huge pedophile. He tried to think up excuses to tell a sober Annabelle in the morning.
“Guys, do you realise how much a of a creep she’ll think I am?”
Rian slapped his shoulder again, pushing him up off the couch. “Dude, you’re Alex Gaskarth. You can do whatever the fuck you want, girls her age would fucking kill and climb over each others' dead bodies to sleep in the same bed with you.”
"Wow. Bit graphic?" Matt said.
Alex shook his head, rubbing his face with his hands.
“Man, its not such a big deal, stop being a sook.”
“Yeah, also, go and bugger off.”
Alex raised his hands in defeat, and retreated back towards the curtain.

Annabelle was sleeping calmly, a tiny smile on her face. Her cheeks were pink, and her hair ruffled. Alex closed the bunk curtain and changed into track-pants. He regarded the small bunk once more; how he was going to fit, he did not know. He crawled in, and closed the curtain behind him. Annabelle was still fast asleep. He lay down next to her, his back to hers. He spent three minutes trying to keep himself in the bed. This was not working. Fuck it, he thought, turned around and gathered her up in his arms. She sighed softly in her sleep. He smiled into her hair. He realised she must have changed after he had put her in her bed, because her legs were now bare, soft and shaved, and a huge t-shirt was all she was wearing. He wondered how far into the conversation she had heard. He dispelled the thought from his mind. With her comforting smell filling his nostrils, and her reassuring warmth filling his arms, he smiled as his eyelids fluttered closed. For once he was not sleepless.

***

Annabelle was so surprised to wake up with the singer wrapped around her. Her head was throbbing persistently and she looked around, considering whether to escape and climb out of the bunk over him. When she realised how tight his arms were fastened around her, she let the idea go. He looked so sweet and innocent when he was asleep, so angelic. Why the hell was he cuddling her anyway? Maybe he forgot that she was in here when he crawled into bed after a sorry night of drinking... Her brain hurt. She regretted being pulled into a game of beer pong. It was hot and sticky in bed with him, but she didn’t feel trapped like with other boys, at other times. She realised her t-shirt at rode up in the night, and was now gathered up around her ribs. She tried in vain to pull it down without disturbing the frontman. He stirred, sighing and mumbling something, and then snuggling into her further. Her t-shirt was not protecting her back or butt, and she was tightly pressed against him, she could feel his morning boner. She felt like laughing. Her friends at home would never believe this. The whole situation was ludicrous. He would have a lot of explaining to do when he woke up, but for now, Annabelle decided to make the most of it. She was in bed with Alex Gaskarth. He had a boner. She had so much over him now. She snuggled into his chest, and he responded by holding her even tighter. She wondered whether he was actually asleep, or just pretending. Perhaps she was a giant teddy in his mind. She smiled, closing her eyes at the thought.

Notes

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