As her older brother finished his short conversation with Ben, Frank pulled up his jeans and zipped his hoodie back up. "I really gotta get going, guys." He said, opening his arms to Lili. "A hug, maybe, boogerbutt?" He laughed, looking down at his sister. He hadn't used that nickname in years. She was a toddler when he last recalled the word, walking on shaky legs around his guitar. Lili stood and shimmied into his embrace, smelling his hoodie. He smelled of dust and honey. Weird, but nice. "I'll see you around, right?" She mumbled, looking up to her hooded sibling. "Course." Frank replied, pressing his cheek to the top of her head, squeezing her lightly before letting go. Showing him out, Ben opened the door for his idol, both waving at him on his way out.
(Later that day)
Cuddled into the sofa with her legs underneath her, Lili's eyes glazed over as she stared at the tv screen. Some kinda reality program. The bus door swung open, the slow smell of alcohol and sweat seeped in, along with the loud singing of familiar voices echoing from outside. Danny, James, Sam and Cam had all got horrendously drunk after the signing, obviously. Pinching her nose at the smell, Lili grimaced at her partner. Catching her disapproving eye with his, Danny smiled stupidly at his wife, fantasizing about her through clouded vision "My bride!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, beer bottle still clutched in his left. A drop landed on the thin cream carpet, sinking into it rapidly. Danny watched as the droplet became nothing at his feet, saddened a little. Looking back up to the couch, Lili sat with folded arms, watching the other three dance like idiots by the door, singing in slurs. "To the bedroom." Danny laughed, pointing to the bunks. He was revolting when he was drunk. "For sex!" He shouted, still pointing to the beds and swinging from his beer bottle. The shout startled everyone on the bus, making Lili look at him in shock. "We're not having sex tonight." She whispered in monotone to avoid his aggression. Danny's face twisted from shock to anger; He'd never been refused before. He was Danny Worsnop. "Who the -uck do you think-?!" He shouted, hiccuping through his sentence. The guys outside had stopped singing now, listening and giggling at their lover's tiff. Ben rushed up from his bunk as soon as he heard the ruckus, opening the door to the living area. Danny stood, shouting at the black-haired girl on the sofa. She was red-faced, tears brimming in her eyes. "Lili, c'mere now." Ben spoke, making everyone turn to him. "Get your fuckin-ands off of er' now, Brucey." Danny growled. Always stealing what was rightfully his. Lili stood from the couch and passed to Ben, crying as she shuffled behind his back. "Danny, mate; the girl don't want it. Go to bed." Ben reasoned, choosing his words carefully. Danny gripped the bottle in his hand and shook it, only a drop or two left. He raised his arm and threw the bottle at the wall, smashing it into a thousand tiny green fragments, shouting and slurring as it went. James, Sam and Cam all stepped into the bus at this point, hearing the loud shatter from outside.
Grabbing her hand, Ben ran with Lili through the bus, passing behind Danny's back. Ben got her to the door, making sure she was outside before Danny's rage tantamounted. Turning back to the drunken trio, he began shouting orders at them. "James, restrain him. Sam, get him to bed. Cameron, get her stuff packed. She's staying with someone for the night." Lili's face was soaked with tears, panicking as Ben barked at the other band members. "W-where am I staying?" She managed to stutter through her tears, grabbing Ben's hand with hers as she heard Danny scream. "Somewhere away from here. I have some good friends staying. All you gotta do is choose." Ben began walking her into the darkness of the night, pulling her hand as he went.
"We've got Attila-no, they'd try it on with you. They party a lot too." Ben said to her quietly, leading her towards what she thought looked like other buses. "Yeah." Lili muttered. She loved Attila, but Chris was a party animal. She wasn't even allowed to drink yet. "Over here should be All Time Low and the Motionless guys, but I'm not sure how well Alex values his sleep. You like Motionless in White, right?..." Ben stammered, still pacing with her in tow. "Y-yeah." Lili repeated. The wind was cold, making her shiver slightly. "No, forget it. Ricky and Chris would start with Danny. Devin doesn't like him much either. Danny once called him a he-she. They're probably out getting chicken wings, anyway." Ben crooked out, ignoring her slight shaking. "Escape the Fate, Black Veil Brides... Way too loyal to Danny. Andy would ask too much." He whispered, slowing down, his head darting from side to side. "You got your phone, right?" He said, coming to a grinding halt. Reaching into her back pocket with her free hand, Lili fumbled as she handed over her smartphone, unlocking it with shaky fingers. Ben grabbed the phone, turning the camera's flashlight on, pointing it to the grass. As he shined the light into the distance, more trucks started appearing in the darkness. They'd managed to weave their way through the truck-stop, 40 or so buses surrounded them. That's why it was so dark. "Okay, two more rows sweetie." Ben mumbled into the darkness, flashing the phone onto the number plates. "Until what?" She asked, wiping the tears from her face. She could barely see his hand in hers, fingers interlocked. "Until you're safe. He has an awful temper and I don't want him anywhere near you. Let's get moving again." Ben spoke into the darkness, pulling at her hand again. Lili stumbled along the hard earth, looking back at the fading light of Asking Alexandria's bus about 9 rows back. Everything was silent again.