Hey there. Thanks for checking out this page. :) I'm Deedee, and this is my first fanfic outside of the 'Coraline' board, so please be nice, although constructive criticism is awesome. I had an idea about this early on Sunday, and thought 'Ah what the heck. Fanfic time.' :D I hope you all enjoy. I plan to make this a multichapter WenxOlivia story (Although it's not completely focused on them. :3 You'll get action and stuff too.), because you don't find very many of them around. :) So enjoy! Please review- I'd love to get your thoughts on it, and just as a side note, a triple O is how I break down my chapters, so you get an idea of different settings or skips in time. I'm sorry it starts off a little slow, but it picks up later on. :)
The pain that surged through Olivia's body was nothing compared to the state she saw her friend in. "WEN!" She screamed, but her call fell on death ears and before long, she was engulfed in the black shroud that was unconsciousness.
OOO
It had started out just like any other day.
The sun beat down on the garden of Olivia's house, as the blonde teen lay flat on her stomach, notepad in right hand, and pen in left. She sighed thoughtfully, tapping the lid against the page, her brow knitted together in deep concentration.
Writers block. A songwriter's worst enemy.
The sound of the backdoor opening snapped her back into reality, and she looked up startled at her gram, the elderly women's frail frame silhouetted against the light coming from inside.
"Olivia, What are you doing out here by yourself? Shouldn't you be with your friends?"
Olivia laughed, by her focus was back on the notepad, as she scribbled out something, before almost immediately crossing it out. "Charlie's at the dentist, Wen's out riding with his family, Mo and Scott are on a date, and Stella won't answer my texts or calls…" She counted off each of her friends on her fingers and gave a little shake of the hand to put emphasis on the point. "Although Wen said he'd be back about 2ish, so I'm waiting for him to-"Her thoughts were cut off by the ring of the front door, to which the teen suddenly perked, almost as though sensing who it was.
Her gram smiled slyly. "Is that your boyfriend, dear?"
Olivia felt the heat rush to her cheeks and she tried to conceal the blush. "Gram! He's not my boyfriend! We've been over this! Moxie just… Put us all on the spot." Scrabbling to her feet, she rushed away without another word, mostly to escape the embarrassment that lingered around her gram, but also out of excitement at the prospect of Wen coming over early.
Things had changed over the months. For one thing, the band's popularity had been steadily increasing, and so, as a result, the same could be said for their work load, although the friends were lucky to find time to spend with their families. Olivia was grateful for this- she couldn't face the prospect of leaving her gram alone all day, and she often felt guilty on tours, even the short ones. But when she wasn't with her gram she was with at least one of her friends, most commonly Wen, of whom she was growing fonder of as the days went past, and autumn faded into a chilly, crisp, white winter, winter fading into a blossoming, colourful new spring. Many times, she had imagined what it would be like to actually be loved in return by the boy, but she continued to trick herself into believing they were friends.
Just friends.
But as she placed a steady yet nervous hand on the door handle, she found that it wasn't Wen that greeted her at the door.
"Liv! Liv, look! Look look look!" A magazine was thrust into Olivia's face before she could get a look at the face of her guest, but she knew immediately by the sound of her voice who it was.
"Stella, calm down!" Olivia cried out, taking a soft step backwards and nearly slipping over some unknown object on the carpet behind her. She snatched the magazine and yet it down, bewildered as the paper was replaced by her beaming best friend's face. "What? What is it?"
"Guess who just got Lemonade Mouth permission to tour around the entire United States of America?"
"No. Way."
"Way!" The two shared an excited fan girl squeal, before hugging.
"Stella, I bow down to your superior contacts and power of persuasion." Olivia smirked, faking a regal bow, to which Stella laughed.
"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome." She boasted proudly, crossing her arms with a triumphant smile. "We're hitting New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, New Orleans, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco! It's going to be epic!" Olivia was grabbed by the shoulders at this comment and shaken briefly before being released. "Olivia do you know what this means? Lemonade Mouth is going to be famous!"
"I… Kinda thought we were already famous, but yeah. I get the point."
"We need to tell the others! Can I borrow your phone? Thanks." Without even allowing time for an answer, Olivia's phone was snatched for her, and the message was sent. It was time for another band meeting.
OOO
Charlie, Mo, Scott, Olivia, and Wen all gathered in a small huddle, sitting on the tables and chairs, whilst Stella handed out the lemonade cans with pride. The original room where it all started had become a second home to the band, and it was their traditional hangout. It was almost laughable to believe this was once a detention room. The atmosphere was alive with chattering and jokes, discussions about school or family also mingled in.
"Order! Order!" Stella clinked a plastic spoon against the metal rim of her can, and the room fell quiet. "This tour is gonna be our biggest one yet, so we need to know what's happening. We'll be leaving tomorrow, singing our most well-known songs and hopefully a few new ones, courtesy of Olivia. We'll be away for about a month, so pack anything you need. The bus will be our home for then, but unfortunately there's not enough room for family."
Olivia's heart sank at this thought. Another tour away from her gram. At least she'd be able to call her, and she promised herself that she would bring back souvenirs. (Not that her gram needed any. Her shelves were jam-packed enough as it was- there wasn't really any need for more clutter!)
Whilst Stella rattled on and on, and Charlie, Mo and Scott turned their focus on talking about the different stops they would be making, arguing over sights they wanted to see, Wen looked up from his place, his head rested in his right hand, supported by his elbow which rested comfortably on the table. His soft hazel eyes tore away from Stella and settled on the girl resting her head on the table next to him. Her hands were folded under her chin and she seemed to be daydreaming about something, but it was often hard to get inside Olivia's head.
She stirred when she noticed the sudden attention she had attracted and she turned her head slowly in the direction of her best friend and co-songwriter.
The boy gave her a small smile and nudge in the arm with his elbow. "Liv, Stella's speech isn't sending you to sleep, is it?" He asked quietly, a hint of humour in his voice.
Olivia smiled in reply, and shook her head. "No… I'm just thinking about my gram, you know? I feel like it's my responsibility to look after her." She looked down thoughtfully, her brown eyes filled with sadness. "And how can I do that when we're always on tour? I mean, don't get me wrong, I do like touring, it's just I feel… Guilty."
Wen nodded, and sighed silently. "I understand. It must be hard. I always feel bad about leaving my dad, Sydney and Georgie, but I know they have each other. But you're the only one your grandma has got. And you don't want to leave her alone." He paused to take a sip of his lemonade. That was when the idea kicked in. "Well, if it makes you feel better, we have a spare bedroom in our house. She could stay there whilst we're on tour. I'm sure the company would do her good."
Olivia looked up at this proposal with interest. It always amazed her how the boy would go out of his way to help her. He always came through for her, because in his eyes Olivia was the most important person in the world, and he would do anything just to make her smile. She often dubbed him her 'Guardian Angel' something that Wen was noticeably proud of. The idea of having her gram stay with someone instead of staying home alone settled her nerves slightly, but the thought of being away from home for so long brought new fears to mind. At least if she was going to be away so long she would be with her friends. And… The trip would be fun, right? There was no need to panic. Everything was going to be fine.
OOO
That evening Olivia lay on her bed with a sigh, still attempting to write the song, but with so much on her mind, it was impossible. And now with the added pressure of the tour it was a miracle she hadn't been driven insane.
The soft creek of her bedroom door alerted her to her gram's presence.
"Olivia… Are you alright…?" Her soft tone spoke a thousand words, but they did nothing to settle the young blonde.
"Urgh…" She flopped her head forwards onto her pillow and rested her hands on her neck in annoyance. "Yeah… It's just… I'm going to be away so long and I don't want to leave you."
She heard a sigh and a rustle as her gram sat on the end of her bed a hand placed softly on Olivia's arm. Olivia looked up sadly at her gram who just smiled in response.
"Olivia. I am so proud of you. You are such a beautiful, strong, brave girl, just like your mother. You've looked after me all these years but you've had no one to look after you. Now you do. Your friends will look after you, and Wen. I know I joke about you two, but I can tell that he cares a lot about you. If push comes to shove, Wen will always protect you. I have faith in the boy."
Olivia knew her gram was telling the truth. Wen was a true friend and she always felt different around him. She knew he was a pacifist, but at the end of the day he would stand up for her, even if it meant sacrificing something in some way. She felt safe, and when she was with him she felt on top of the world. She only wished her grandpa was still there for her gram to feel the same way.
"I have faith in him too."
"Good. Because if you have faith in him, and he has faith in his parents, then I'll be fine when I'm with them." Her gram smiled and gave Olivia a brief hug before leaving for downstairs. The moon shone in through the window, bathing her room in a soft, warm glow, and as she drew the curtains she finally found a smile painted itself on her own lips.
Starting tomorrow, she would be spending the whole month with her friends. Her band. Her family.
OOO
Charlie tapped his drumsticks against each other as he and Stella patiently waited for the others to arrive. Behind them stood tall and proud their tour bus, a bright mix of oranges and yellows, the band members decorating the sides with a big lemon in the background. Printed under the image in bold read: 'BE HEARD. BE STRONG. BE PROUD'. The logo was placed above the image, a deep black, standing out against the lighter colours. Overall, the bus was huge, about the size of a large coach, and Charlie was highly impressed, even though he had seen it many times before.
Stella frowned, bouncing on the balls of her feet, constantly looking at her watch and rubbing her hands together as though cold. "Ugh! Where are they?"
Charlie laughed at her impatience. "Calm down Stella, Jeez. It's only 7:15, and you said they didn't need to arrive until 7:30. I'm only here because I needed time to get my drums on board. Give them time, Stell. They'll make it."
"I bet Mo and Scott are gonna turn up at exactly the same time." Stella randomly smirked. "And then Wen. Then Olivia, because she always turns up last."
"You're probably right." Charlie relaxed, leaning against the side of the bus, tapping out the tune to 'Determinate' on its side. He tensed a little at the mention of Mo and Scott, it still stung that she rejected him, but he had moved on. There was no need to dwell on it, especially since he and Mo were still friends. Then his thoughts drifted to Wen and Olivia. It annoyed him how they were completely oblivious to each other's feelings, and he strongly hoped that the tour would give them an opportunity to get closer. But for now there was no need to be awkward about feelings.
As Stella predicted, the next to arrive were Mo and Scott, almost in sync with each other as their cars pulled up and the two members clambered out towards each other before making their way towards Stella and Charlie.
"Hey guys." Mo greeted Stella and Charlie with hugs, whilst Scott with brief handshakes. "Anyone else here yet?"
"Not yet, Mo. It seems as though Stella's getting worked up, because it's 7:25 and she wants to get going." Charlie nudged Stella in the ribs, who gave a gruff, irritated 'Humph.' in reply.
Mo laughed and shook her head. "Stell, you said they didn't need to be here until 7:30…"
"Exactly what I said."
Stella shot Charlie and Mo both glares, shutting them both up.
It was another 2 minutes before Wen arrived; giving Sydney and his father a brief hug each before running to join the others.
"Jeez Wen, Where were you?" Scott sniggered sarcastically. "Olivia was worried sick…."
At this Wen looked startled around for the girl, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Oh…? W-Where is she…?" He peered behind them, as if Scott had been concealing her from his view behind his back.
Stella punched Scott in the arm softly, but with a look of displeasure on her face. "Pay no attention to him, Wen. He's just messing with you- Liv isn't here yet."
"Oh…" The light from Wendell's eyes flickered out and he dropped his gaze to the ground.
Scott rubbed his arm with a frown, but dropped his gaze like a scolded child. "Sorry… I was only kidding." He whined slightly, a small pout in his voice. "But seriously, where is she? Olivia's always last, but never late."
Wen positioned himself between Stella and Charlie, leaning calmly against the bus's side. He scanned the area, as though Olivia's gram had decided not to park her car in the car park by some mean odds, but there were no other vehicles around, except the bus and a few stray bikes in the bike rack to their right. He sighed, folding his arm and closing his eyes, allowing himself to feel the heat of the sun on his face.
Everything was completely silent, but for the wind dancing through the trees, whistling as they went by, and the birds singing in harmony, so it startled him to hear the sharp crackling of gravel as a tyre rolled over it.
Opening one eye, he felt relief wash over him to realise that Olivia had finally made it. She was only two minutes late, but Stella still gave her a mumbled annoyed comment about them needing to be on the road immediately, and so found it was her duty to shove them all into the bus without another word.
There was a short hiss as the bus rose and a growl from the engine before the band set off on the most important journey of their lives.
OOO
The inside of the bus was about 7 or 8ft wide, by 40ft long, with a separate bathroom, complete with shower, and 2 small changing rooms. To the left as you entered, about halfway down the bus stood a small square table with 2 chairs and on the far right, a long, white, leather sofa with room to seat the whole band comfortably (Although Stella usually took up the entire seat by lying flat across it whilst watching TV). The kitchen was in the far right corner to the right of the sofa, bordered off with a small wooden wall up to the hip, and a gate the same level. It was cramped, but allowed room for a fridge, stove, and counter, all of which were kept in immaculate condition, constantly cleaned by the band's assistant. (Who was away during this particular tour, due to paternity leave.) As for beds, the tour bus contained cosy 'bunk bed' style draws in the sides like they used in old trains.
But as of yet, none of this was needed. Instead, the 6 friends sat in the coach style seats nearer to the front of the bus. Olivia leaned her head against the vibrating window, her eyes closed in deep sleep. They had a long way to go, so the band had taken the opportunity to get some sleep. Now, all but Wen and the driver slept peacefully, Mo and Scott cuddled together, blissfully unaware of anything else. Wen smiled to himself. They were so close- they probably dreamed about each other. Charlie was slouched back in his chair, his arms dangling behind the seat, his legs crossed on the seat. He mumbled slightly, but only turned onto his side, still in the land of dreams. Wen couldn't see Stella, but knew she was asleep by the sound of her breathing. She wasn't shuffling around a lot either, and that was usually a sign that the girl with unlimited energy was taking a rest.
All of them were so peaceful.
But still, Wen couldn't sleep. There was this horrible sensation in his gut, a knotting feeling, as though he was gripped by an unknown fear. But why? He sighed in irritancy, and then looked down at his hands. He paused for a moment and it was as if the world around him had fallen silent on his command. Then he looked to the girl on his right, and the sounds of everything came back to him. The birds outside, the rumble of the bus, the whoosh of cars passing outside…
Olivia stirred slightly, as though sensing eyes on her. Somewhere half way between sleep and waking, she turned, her eyes meeting Wen's and she yawned quietly into her hand, looking around almost confused, forgetting where she was. There was peace for a moment before she muttered a quiet; "Wen…? How long have we been on the road…?"
"Nearly 2 hours… We still have about 9 hours to go. We're in the mountains at the moment, going along a gravel road Sleep well?" He smiled, relaxing back in his chair. After nearly half an hour of hearing no conversation it was good to hear her voice.
Olivia sniggered slightly, rubbing her eyes. "I had the weirdest dream…" When she met his inspecting looks, she continued. "I was with my mother… And we were talking. But… It felt so real…" She looked down sadly with a soft sigh. "She was… talking to me- telling me to be strong, because I can face anything. And then she said something about you. But… I can't remember what…" She seemed annoyed by this fact but her mood lightened when she turned her attention to the window. "Hey look! Wen look!"
Despite keeping her voice a quiet and low as possible, Wen immediately sensed her excitement and followed her gaze, leaning towards her slightly to get a better view. Outside of the window, they stared in awe at the scenery, the sky painted with the pinks and oranges of sunset, the distant ground silhouetted against its glory. The shapes of trees were obvious, but then there was the occasional lone house standing against the world, against its surroundings. The sun said its goodbye, disappearing over the hills, bathing the earth in a final golden ray of light before disappearing completely. The world darkened slightly, and Wen felt a cold shudder run down his spine. It was moments like these that made you appreciate life.
But what came next was totally unexpected.
The bus shuddered and shook, causing its inhabitants to awake in alarm.
"Oh no… Oh no, oh no, oh no!" The driver exclaimed in absolute fear, swerving the bus. "Hold on to something!" He cried out.
Startled, Olivia wrapped her arms around Wen's torso tight, burying her face into his jacket, whilst the boy grabbed the seat in front, his arms around his terrified friend, barricading her from harm. Charlie grabbed the bar separating the seats from the back of the bus in a vice like grip, holding it to his chest, his eyes squeezed tight shut, his head lowered. Scott and Mo held each other, looking away from the front of the bus to avoid the terrifying sight.
The bus jerked suddenly, its wheel loosing grip as it turned, and it skidded out of control. That's when the bus began to flip along the track, collapsing down the side of the giant rock hill, and into the forest below.
There was a terrible hissing noise coming from near the driver's seat, but other than that all was silent. The bus had landed on its side, but the emergency exit door had been smashed clean off, leaving room for the band to escape the bus. But right now they had other problems.
Wen was trapped under a seat in the rubble, unmoving and in a bad state, Olivia opposite to him, weak and half blind from the blood entering her right eye.
The pain that surged through Olivia's body was nothing compared to the state she saw her friend in. "WEN!" She screamed, but her call fell on death ears and before long, she was engulfed in the black shroud that was unconsciousness.
So? What do you think? :D Please leave a review, I'd love to hear what you think so far. I know it needs a little work, but hopefully it should get better as it progresses. Thanks guys!
Dee xx