The Taste Of Something Sweet CHARATERS [alex gaskarth]

"LET'S ROLL PEOPLE!" Zack shouted. Everyone sprinted to the buses. I was almost trampled but an arm caught me.
"Watch out there!" said a male voice. Long sandy hair swept over his face. He pushed it aside.

"Shaant?" I said with confusion.

"Holly? Holly!" he said scooping me into a hug. "Why are you here?" he said after releasing me. Yeah, I'm friends with the Shaant. Shaant Hacikyan of Cute Is What We Aim For. We were best friends in middle school, and high school. Then he wished me well and went to tour with his band. He's a rock star, and he broke my heart. In a different kind of way, we weren't and "item", and he didn't know him leaving me hurt so much. He didn't know. But he was my best friend and it pained me to leave my best friend. But then I met Taylor, and I was good for the time being.

"Me and Taylor are, uh… All Time Low's merch girls."

"Merch girls?! Jack suggested that didn't he?" Shaant asked. I nodded.

"Little pervert. He wants to get in one of your pants. Probably Taylor."

"What makes you say Taylor?" I asked pushing my bangs out of my eyes.

"No, no! Not like that, I didn't mean it like that!" he said franticly. "Jack probably wants to screw you, too! He's just like that."

"Well, I wasn't thinking of it that way, but I kind of am now." I put my hands on my hips in mock anger.

"Everyone probably wants to sleep with you, Holly. Look at yourself," he sighed. "You have changed quite a bit since two summers ago, you know."
I nodded. "I know."
Silence.

"Well I bet that Jack probably wants to get into Taylor's pants because I've so seen the way Alex looks at you. Alex probably already told everyone, his band, the other bands, and the merch people, to back off. Alexander William Gaskarth is like that you know."
"You know Alex?" I said putting my arms down, letting the blood pulse back through them.

"Cute Is What We Aim For and All Time Low, tour together a lot. We're good friends. Plus, Alex went to our high school for the last two years we were there." What? I didn't remember that!

"Seriously? I'd think I would've remembered him."
"He was in a cover band then, not an individual band. Probably why you didn't know him and didn't screw him." Shaant said with a loud exhale.

I cringed. "I’m over that phase, Shaant."
"Oh?" he said, unconvinced. "Since when, Holly Jevee Travis?"

"Since a few months ago." Our conversation was interrupted when the door of the All Time Low bus flew wide open, slamming against the side.

"HEY HOLLS, WE'RE NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!" Alex shouted out.

He stepped out and jogged toward me. "Shaant?" he said surprised.

"Sup, Alex."

"Well, uhm, sorry to interrupt but uhm, - oh! Shaant this is Holly, Holly, Shaant."

"Oh I know Shaant." I said. The corners of Alex's mouth curved down a little. "No, no! We were best friends in middle school and high school."
"Oh. Well so sorry to interrupt you guys but, the buses need to leave and they're waiting on us and you Shaant." Shaant put his hands up.

"No problem! See you later, Holly." I nodded and pulled him into a hug.
"Love you, man," Shaant said with a smile.

"Love you too, dude," I said back. It was our inside joke. Shaant once dared me to dress in his clothes and go to the mall with him. He called me "MAN" the whole time. I called him "DUDE".

Shaant let me go and confronted Alex. "Later, whore." Alex did a fake hurt face. I giggled.

***

"Under aged drinking, terrible mess, cursing like sailors…" I mumbled as I watched Jack battle Zack in Guitar Hero.

"I'm only a little under aged!" Alex said chugging another gulp of Jager. "I'm 20."

"So am I, put you don't see me going shot for shot with a Jager bottle." He smiled. I giggled at his slurred grin.

"Try it!" he said holding the bottle out to me. I shrugged and took a swift gulp of the sweet liquor.

"Ah! That's so sweet," I passed the bottle back to Alex. We passed the bottle back and forth for a while. I noticed how much we were drinking once the bottle was near empty.

"Easy on the Jager, Alex! You need to play tomorrow. No hang-overs allowed!" Jack shouted as he fired up Star Power on his mini guitar.

"I know, seriously. We should both lighten up." I took the bottle from him and placed it on the table. "You look seriously tired; maybe you should go to bed," I suggested.

"I should, but I won't. I'm not gonna leave you with these players over here." He nodded towards the boys.

"I'll be fine. Sleep. Now." I ordered.

"Ugh. Fine." Since he was already on the couch, he turned and pulled a blanket over his face.

"I think I'll go to bed, too," I leaned towards where I assumed Alex's ear was and whispered, "G'night, Alex. Sweet dreams." Then I walked towards the bunks.

I pulled away the curtain that separated the sitting area and the bunks.
"Ah!" someone shouted, and smacked their head on the ceiling. Whoever it was was on the top bunk.
"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," I said with remorse.

"No, no. That's okay." She looked down to me. "You must be that chick Alex was talking about." She smiled. "Holly right?"

"That's me. You are?"

"Cypress. I'm Jack's little sister. Only by a couple of minutes though. Seems crazy, huh?" Cypress jumped down from the bunk.

No, not really. Not weird to me.

I counted five bunks. Wow. She has her own bed on their bus.

"Uhm so you're probably looking for Alex's bunk correct?"
"That is correct." She pointed to the one with lined paper taped all over the walls.

I raised my eyebrow. "Not very organized is he?"
"Oh no! Those papers are lyrics. But he won't let anyone read them until he's completely finished with any of them. I think he's well over done though."

"Well I'm just gonna go out there with them since I'm well awake now."
"Sorry, again."
"No it’s really no big deal. I was supposed to be awake 15 minutes ago anyway." She shrugged and walked away.

I quickly began to change into the PJs Jonas packed for me (he packed all my bags). Since the "PJs" were a long sweater and sweat pants, I took off the sweater and pulled on a cami.

Much better, I thought. I yawned as I climbed into Alex's bunk.

"I'm in love with the girl I hate, she enjoys pointing out-," my cell phone rang. I picked it up quickly.

"Hello?"
"Thank God. I was afraid you weren't going to pick up on the first try."
"Hey Martin!" I exclaimed.

"Jonas is killing me, Holls!"
"Oh God, what is that boy doing?"
"Worrying about if his future nephew is being conceived right now. I keep telling him to chill and that you're not getting pregnant with Alex…" he paused. "You're not right?"
"NO! I was about to try to sleep before you called me. Then I heard a sudden montage of Forever the Sickest Kids."
"Oh. Well talk to Jonas, he's trying to bite my arm off to get my phone!"
"Oka-" I was cut off by a panicky voice.
"Holly!"

"Hey Joey."
"You're still a virgin right?!" he shouted.
"No." I said matter-of-factly.
"I mean tonight wise."
"Oh," I blushed. "Yes."

"Good. And another thing, why are you the only girl on their bus?!"
"I'm not. Jack's sister is here too."
"Oh, well what is she going to do if one of the guys tries something with you? She doesn't know you, Holls."
"Look Jonas. I am sooo tired! Can't you just say good night to me and let me sleep?"
"Are they making you sleep on the couch?"
"No, I'm sleeping in Alex's bunk," I said. Before he had a chance to freak out I added, "But Alex is sleeping on the couch so don't freak out."

"Oh. Okay then. Well I'm pretty tired too, and you sound okay so I'll see you tomorrow. G'night. Sweet dreams, Holly."
"Dito, Joey." Then I hung up.

***

Twist. Twist. Turn. Flip.

For an hour, I have been lying in this bunk bed thing and I still haven’t fallen asleep. I began to curiously read Alex's lyrics and papers he had on his walls.

"Within May we chose to die together. But you lied.
Now come June, you'll be gone and i'll be searching for you.
& by the end of the year, things will fall apart.
The room we're in will be dead."

I read all his papers all night. They were all so calming. I put them all into melodies that I had come up with, and soothed myself in my head as I silently sang myself to sleep,

Alex's POV

"I've got fifteen dollars on the girl. What's her name again?" Rian said to someone.

"Her name is Holly. And I think this is ridiculous, guys. What if neither leaves?" Zack replied
"Then everyone keeps their money." Jack said.

What is going on? I thought. I was still lying on the couch with my eyes closed. I didn't feel like getting up so I had to force myself to.

"What are you guys talking about?" I said sitting up.

"Nothing!" Rian said shoving a paper aside.

I quickly leapt up to grab it from his slow hands.

"A pool?" I said as I read the paper. "Jack has 10 dollars on the chances that I will leave her, and Rian has 15 dollars on the chances that she will leave me." I read off the paper. "Thanks for not participating, Zack." I said turning to Zack. He smiled and nodded.

"This is ridiculous," I threw the paper to the floor. "Why are you guys doing this?"
"Well, I saw the way she acted toward you. She wasn't the nicest person to you, Alex. She looked like one of those hard ass girls who don't let dudes in." I raised an eye brow at him and he shrugged.

"Jack? Care to explain?" I asked.
He sighed and simply stated, "You're a man whore."
"Represent," I said, popping my non-existent collar.

A loud scream coming from the sleeping area interrupted our conversation.

"Holly? Was that you?" I said mixing my words with a laugh.

"Yeah. Sorry, my cell phone alarm went off and it scared me!"
I laughed. "Weirdo."

"I HEARD THAT!" she shouted back to me. Jack looked at me curiously.

"I'm out!" he said. I'm assuming he means the bet.

"What?! Why!" Rian asked.
"Because, look at him!" he walked up and pulled at my cheeks and face. "He's in deep puppy love!"

I slapped his hand away. "Stop that!"

Holly skipped into view, fully dressed. "Good morning!"
Everyone but me raised their eye brows at her.

"You don't want to know." She said as a reply to their reactions.

"Ooo, did someone get some while we were all sleeping last night?" Zack said turning to me.

"No," she replied plainly. "Two reasons, one: my brother is leaving since he has to work," she smiled widely. "And the other is sort of personal. Not an interest in guys."
"She stopped PMSing." Jack guessed. She gave him a glare. "What? Am I not right?"
She sighed and nodded. "You're just like my brother, Jack. Nosey as hell."