A/N: All right guys, here's the deal. Most of you may have already read this story and I did put it on Wattpad but no one seems to have gotten the message so I'm putting it back on here because haha yolo. If it still gets removed, it will be on Wattpad under the same pen name I have and the same story titles. Hopefully I'll also get a new crowd. PLEASE help spread the word about my story, guys. It's going to take so much work to recover all the chapters from my sequel. I love you guys so much. xo
"So, you guys," Danielle smirked as she sat on the small couch in a rocky bus on a late, summer night. Her band mates, Jeff, the bassist, Erick, the guitarist, and Andrew, the drummer, looked up at her. Erick was tuning his guitar softly while looking at her intently under his snapback.
"We start our biggest tour tomorrow." She couldn't contain her smile. The guys all started cheering and fist pumping.
"Do you have the time we're playing?" Erick asked, looking back at his guitar.
Danielle unlocked her phone, scrolling down her notepad. "We play on the Ernie Ball stage at 2 P.M. Signing at our tent is at 6 P.M." She locked her phone again, a big smile creeping back onto her face.
"Who else is going this year?" Jeff asked, immersed in his phone.
"As far as I know, some main bands are Falling In Reverse..."
"Fuck yeah, Ronnie Radke!" Erick shouted.
Danielle laughed, still trying to think of the bands. "All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, Tonight Alive, Pierce The Veil, Breathe Carolina, Mayday Parade, The Used—oh, and Of Mice & Men."
All of the boys' heads suddenly perked up and they all exchanged glances and smirked. "What?" She asked with a laugh.
"You were obviously thinking of them first, you just didn't want to hear us bitch about it," Erick laughed.
She narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
"'Ohmygod, Austin Carlile! He is soooooo dreamy! Ohmygod, one time, we had a conversation for like twenty minutes and he followed me on Twitter and he talks to me sometimes and inspires me to keep writing and helps me remember what I live for!'" Andrew began mimicking in a high pitched voice, batting his eyelashes and constantly flicking his wrist. She grabbed a pillow on the couch and threw it at his head while the rest of the guys laughed.
"Ha, ha, you guys are fucking hilarious," she tried to say as flatly as possible, but Andrew was still batting his eyelashes and she couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously, guys, he's an amazing person."
"We know that," Jeff laughed. "We just love messing with ya."
"If it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't be here," Erick said, flashing her a small smile.
Her cheeks turned crimson as she looked down at her hands. It was true. Austin was the one who put in a good word for her and her band. She met him a few years ago at Warped Tour, and told him about how he saved her life and how she wanted to start a band and become like him someday. He told her never to give up and even asked for her Twitter account so he could follow her and keep up with her daily life. She thought he would never talk to her, but he did constantly, always replying to her sad tweets to reassure her that she could do it.
That's when she met the guys at college, who all played an instrument and had the same dream. When she told them she could sing—and even scream—they put her in immediately. After bringing her into Erick's basement in his own, small recording area, she covered a few songs and she showed them how well she could actually scream. Being a girl, it was rare to find ones that put in as much time and effort practicing as she did.
And then, few months later, she tweeted him and told him about their EP they finally produced with five of their own songs. He tweeted back later that day to congratulate her and even said he would put in a good word with people and get her band to tour soon. He kept to his word, because she did a small tour with Sleeping With Sirens as the headliner, Tonight Alive (which was pretty fun, considering she was with another girl, Jenna, who later lent their band a small tour bus), and a few other small bands. They got a lot of publicity after that, especially after rumors floating around that she and Kellin had a "thing."
Then one day this past year, she got a call telling her she would could be squeezed in during Warped Tour. Excitedly, she told the rest of the band and they immediately began practicing more and more, getting ready for this day. And now—it was finally here.
"Well, we have to get up really early tomorrow and sound check and so on and so forth," Danielle said, getting up from the couch. "You guys better go to bed soon."
"Yes, mom," the guys all muttered, developed in their own thing. She rolled her eyes, heading to her own bunk. She went into the back of the bus and changed into her pajamas, throwing them in a pile with the rest of their clothes and climbed into her top bunk. She closed the curtain and shut off the small light inside, nestled into her warm blankets and pillow.
Suddenly, her bunk was filled with bright daylight and something hit her in the face. She sat up quickly, hitting her head on the top. "Ow!" She yelped in pain. Erick was standing by her bunk, laughing hysterically and clapping his hands like a seal.
"I swear, it was Andrew's idea!"
Danielle picked up a pillow with a paper cutout of Austin Carlile's face plastered on it. She threw it back at Erick's feet and slammed her face back into my pillow. "You guys are dicks!" A muffled scream drew out from her face plastered in the pillow.
"No, seriously, Dani, we're in Salt Lake City already." She heard Andrew say, suppressing his laughter. "We saw the Of Mice & Men bus already, maybe if you're lucky, Austin will come out in his boxers!"
Without turning around, she shoved her middle finger in his face. He started laughing again and tore her blankets off, leaving them on the ground. She hunched herself together, groaning from the cold.
"Rise and shiiiiine, Princess!" He sang as he walked away. With a final groan, she jumped out of the bunk, throwing her blankets back on her bed. She quickly changed and began doing her hair and make-up.
"Oh, she's gotta be ready for her Prince Charming, forgot..." Andrew said as he walked into the back room. She eyed him angrily. He snickered, walking away. She hated the fact that they did this to her in the morning. During the last tour, the guys constantly messed with her, knowing she was not a morning person at all. Yawning, she made her way to the front of the bus, grabbing the pancakes Erick made earlier. Out of all of them, he was the best chef.
She bit into them hungrily, drowning them in syrup. After she finished, she brushed her teeth and quickly walked out to meet the rest of them, waiting patiently on the couch for her. "Ready?" She asked with a smile.
"To meet Austin or to play?" Erick smirked. The guys tried to hide their smiles. She felt like kicking all of them.
A few moments later, they were out of their tour bus, walking past the gated fence and into the actual venue. A bunch of crew members were hanging around, setting up last minute things. She was amazed; she had never seen Warped Tour so empty before.
"I can't believe this is actually happening," Danielle said with a smile. "Guys, we're going to meet so many bands!"
"In other words, she's going to meet Austin—again!" Erick said playfully.
"Okay," Danielle stopped, unable to hide her smile. "The Austin jokes are old now."
"I think they keep getting funnier," Andrew said with a smirk.
She stuck her tongue at him. "Let's just get to Ernie Ball."
They walked around the venue until they found the stage and went into the back—a place they had never been before. A few crew members in bright orange shirts turned to acknowledge them.
"Hey! Band name?" One guy with a clipboard and headset asked.
"A Different Salvation," Danielle answered, wishing she could let go of the heavy amp she had to hold. The guy looked down his list and smiled, checking their name off.
"Go in the trailer and you'll find a spot with your guys' band name in masking tape on the wall. Just set your stuff down there and we'll keep it safe," he winked at them and walked away quickly. They all hurried up into the trailer, looking around for their name. Erick found it first and set down his guitar case. Danielle put down the amp and untangled the microphone hanging around her neck and placed it on top. The rest of the band put down their stuff while their tour bus driver helped carry in the rest.
Danielle hopped up onto the stage and overlooked the entire scene. From here, she could see the line already formed at the front gates. A smile lit up her face. In a few hours, she would be standing here with some of those faces looking up at her, some singing her songs. And she couldn't wait.