Part Four: The Morning After

RECAP:

I clutched his shirt as he slipped his arm under the back of my legs and pulled his other arm around my back. Then he slowly lifted me up bridal style and carried me back to the front end of the bus. There he sat me down against him and pulled a big blue fluffy blanket around my already cold body. I let my mind go blank as he stroked my hair and held me close, cradling me as if- if he were to make a wrong move I'd break into pieces. Which wasn't too far fetched. And slowly I drifted off to a soft dreamless sleep...

"Doesn't anyone have any coffee?!"

Who is that yelling? That voice... it sounds familiar but I can't pin it.

Grumble.

"Gah, I'm so tired and hungry! Gosh... who ever decided that staying in our tour buses for three days instead of hotels was out of their mind!"

Please make who ever it is stop...

I slowly turned over on my side and winced. My ribs still hurt from the bad beating I got last night.

"Apple cinnamon tea?! Who the hell is going to drink this crap! I want coffee!"

Ow... light... sound... stop... ppleeaasseee....

"And what is this? Splenda? Is that another word for "ass powder"?!"

I turned over again and this time made a visible wincing noise as I slowly batted my eye lashes to opening. I wiped the rest of sleep from my eyes reluctantly as I looked at who stood before me. Who ever it was- was tall and slimly muscular. At least, that's what I could tell from looking at them from behind. Oh...that behind!

"Doesn't Brenden carry at least one packet of instant coffee? At least one?!" The voice was gruff, like that of someone who had gargled with Ajax.

"Could you please keep it down?" My voice was a little hoarse from crying last night. "I'd like to go back to sleep for another year or so..."

That was when the person stopped and turned around. First thing I saw was the wave of feathery brown hair. Then I saw the tight black shirt and pants, and then those captivating eyes came into view. Oh, and let us not forget the smirk. The killer smirk. A smirk that made any girl weak at the knees. A smirk that would make even a nun lose her Godly virginity to its power, and I knew exactly who it was.

"You're Adam Lazzarra!" I jumped.

"And you are?" He looked at me quizzically.

I frowned and put my hands on my hips, sitting up a little. "Mia."

"Ah, well then Mia." He shrugged. "Why don't you put those eyes to good use and help me look for the coffee." Then he turned his back to me and began looking for some more coffee.

"Where's Brenden?" I mumbled looking around.

"He went to go see Jesse about something." Adam shrugged like it was nothing. "He told me to keep an eye on you. Something about- you were fragile and needed to be watched. You know, Brenden doesn't normally make me watch his groupies after a good night. You must've given him a hell of a good night then, huh?"

"What?! I'm no groupie!" The word sounded so degrading.

Then he turned and smirked at me. "Oh, really? You sure look like one, of course not as pretty as the ones he usually has, but you get drunk and tired and what can you do?"

My jaw dropped. How can someone so beautiful be so extremely infuriating!- and rude! It was all that I could do not to jump up and punch him in the face!

"You wanna say that again, duckweed!"

"I think the term is "duckweed", and yes, Brenden seems to have settled on something…" He looked me up and down with his piercing blue eyes. "Well, something…."

"Something what?! Go ahead and say it! Something what?!"

"Plain."

That was it! I was going to make his outsides look like his insides! I was going to shove his head down his ass and make him eat his own disgusting underwear!! And I would've too if it wasn't for the lack of sleep and food. It was only a jump to a standing position and then a punch to the nose, but then the light headed bubble rushed up and I almost fell. In a flash he caught me with both arms and pulled me close. I slowly looked up and met his eyes as we stayed in this position. I didn't know what to do and I don't think he did either. I could feel his hot breath on my cheek as he pulled me in closer with a huge smirk on his face. I made a swinging motion to slap him in the face but he caught it just an inch before it could reach the flesh.

"You-!"

"Shhhhh…."

He slowly moved his hands from my waist to my hips and then pulled me tight against his body. As Adam Lazzarra pulled in for a kiss I completely lost all moral consciousness. I stood there helpless and confused. It was almost as if the whole world stopped just for us. Our eyes locked and our middles met. The air in the whole bus was suck out and hearts beating fast Adam leaned in.

"What are you doing?" Brenden snapped me out of it.

"He needed coffee." I replied in a small voice.

"Coffee's in the cabinet." Brenden said glared at Adam.

"Yeah, I looked." Adam replied smugly. "It's not there."

"That means we're out." He narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Adam laughed and smirked. "Anyways, want to go get breakfast?"

That was when Brenden snapped out of his hawkish glare and looked around. "Yeah, everyone's already been up and waiting." Then he turned to me. "Want to go get something to eat? I'm sure you're hungry."

Actually I wasn't, but I didn't want to seem rude. "Okay, but what am I going to wear?"

"Here, I'll get you some clothes." He smiled and disappeared in the other room for a moment, taking Adam with him for a little 'chat'.

I sat back down on the seat and looked around. It looked cleaner in here; someone must've cleaned it up. Soda cans and dust that had been there before were now gone. The empty seat where I had slept had a big blanket on it and a soft white cotton pillow. I smiled at the thought maybe someone cared enough to put it there for me. Brenden.

"Hey, here you are. They might be a bit big, but here's a belt." He smiled and handed me a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a belt as Adam followed him out.

"Thanks."

I smiled weakly and walked into the bathroom to change. All I wanted to do was get in and get out. I threw on the clothes and didn't give a second glance at my bruises or scars from last night. It wasn't something I really wanted to remember. So I gargled with toothpaste and hand combed my hair and ran out the door. Without a moments notice I found myself outside greeted by an audience.

In a slew of coffee and cigarettes there stood the full band of Panic! At The Disco, and Adam of Taking Back Sunday, along with Will and Travis. They stood there, a tribal community full of backstage jungle fever and brute emo strength. Their band t-shirts hung tight like armor against the heated asphalt, and their feet were covered in the finest converse. There were three clans and each warrior had his own niche or specialty. First clan was Panic! At the Disco whose members stood in the best vaudeville fashion. Among them was Brenden the knight, whose ability was to out nice people were ever he went, Ryan the prince, who loomed like a royal dark cloud above every mission, Jon the mage, who was better than a dog- he was a Walker, and Spencer the jester, whose many jokes kept them occupied. Will and Travis, the dwarf and the elf, stood as enemies and friends that made up a clan of mischievous disposition. Alone they were helpless but together they could do anything. And Adam Lazzara was the lone wolf, which is self explanatory. They were an army of men fighting against a savage world of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

"She's fine.... But she's kind of hungry." Brendan replied to what was not being sad. "Lets all go get something to eat. Shall we?"

"Heck ya!" Spencer smirked and did a little dance.

The tribe laughed simultaneously showing their age. Until they noticed me. Everything seemed to stop and go silent as if the lights had dimmed and the previews had started. It was then that I wished I hadn't changed so fast. The jeans barely fit me and kept falling off making me stop to pull them up, and his shirt went down to my hips, but the minute there was a gust of wind you could see them hug my curves. All the boys stood there staring at me like a slab of meat or new prey. It was making me nervous.

"A-Are we ready to go?" I swallowed.

Brenden was the first snap out of it.

"Yeah, lets go."