Chapter Nine: Hungover Lunch Date

                                    

                                          
Mike 

"I'm getting worried man, you think I should go check on her?" I asked Ronnie, who was hanging out with me at the Asking Alexandria party while I waited for JC. 
Jessica got off work an hour ago.

"nah man," Ronnie replied, laughing at me. "just give her a second."  

I sighed and dialed her number again. 
after a few seconds I heard a familiar paramore song start to play behind me.
I turned around quickly, and was attacked by my girlfriend. 
JC jumped on me, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist and pulling my face to hers for a kiss.
Ronnie and Ryan cheered behind us, laughing. 

"I get the feeling you knew something I didn't." I said, turning around to face them with JC still in my arms. 

"oh we would never!" ryan said, feigning hurt. 
I let JC down and we all stood around, talking and laughing. 

"wait, why aren't we drunk yet?!" Ryan asked, running off to find us some alcohol.

"you okay Ronnie?" I asked, knowing he was living a drug and alcohol free life. 

"yeah I'm used to it. coke for me." he raised up his glass and took a drink.

"so mike was telling me that today was your first day as a merch girl?" he turned toward JC.

"yeah, it was actually really cool." she replied, gleaming. 

"mike! mike, how drunk are you man?" Danny came stumbling up behind us and wrapped an arm around JC's shoulders. 

"uh, ryan just ran off to find us some whiskey. why?" 

"I need you to drive me to go get more!" he yelled laughing. 

"I'll be back in a few minutes baby." I said to JC, kissing her sweetly before following Danny out to his car.
-------x------

JC 
I reluctantly kissed Mike as he turned to leave. 

"well. this is shitty." I mumbled. 

"what's wrong?" Ronnie asked. 

"I haven't seen mike like all day. and now that im off work he's going on a beer run." I grumped. 

he tried to console me a little, but I ended up walking away and inside the bus.

"hey JC!" Justin Hills sat beside me on the couch.

"hey." I mumbled. 

"what's wrong?" he asked laughing. he was clearly drunk.

"i havent seen my boyfriend all day and now that I'm off work he's decided to go on a beer run for Danny." 

"come on man! don't be sad!" he yelled, hugging me around my stomach.

"justinnnnn." I whined, pushing him away from me.

"drink with me?" he asked, pouring us a couple shots. 
I decided to take him up on his offer, and we drank.
alot. 
I was so drunk.

"where is m-mike?" I whined, slumped against the wall. 

"heh, I'll take you to bed" Justin replied.

"no I need mike!" I shouted, trying to stand and failing a few times. 

I finally got my balance and grabbed the bottle of whatever we were drinking as I stumbled down the steps. 

"dannnnnny!" I yelled, spotting him by the door.

"oh, shit you're hammered," he said laughing as he caught me on my way to the ground. 

"where's my boyfriend?" I yelled obnoxiously. 
he pointed over to him. he was standing with a group of people. 

"he- he forgot about me?" I started to cry.

"huh?" Danny asked, leaning down so that he was closer to me. 

"I only came to this sssstupid party to hang out wi-with him and now he forgot about me." I whined, starting to cry harder. 

"Danny!" I yelled as he scooped me up in his arms. 
I kept crying like a little kid and everyone was looking at us as he carried me through the crowd. 

"she's drunk and crying. here." he said, dumping me into someone else's arms. 
I immediately knew who it was and suddenly forgot all my worries. 

"JC? what's wrong?" he asked, setting me on my feet. 

"come inside with me." I said, biting my lip and pulling at his tshirt. 

he raised his eyebrows at me. but did as I said. 
I kept stumbling and thank god he was right there or I would've face-planted a time or two.

when we walked on the bus there were a few people in the lounge, so I yanked him into the bathroom with me.

"are you serious?" he asked with disbelief as I pulled my shirt over my head. 
I grabbed his shirt and yanked him down to my level.
"yes."  i moaned into his mouth as we kissed. 
he didn't need to be told twice.
he picked me up, settling my butt on the counter. 
as we explored each other's mouths my hands made their way to his shorts, and I started to rub him over his clothes. 
"I cannot believe this," he said quietly, kissing his way down my neck. 
he easily slid my shorts down, and dropped them on the floor.
he trailed little kisses all over my body, slowly making his way from my neck to my panty line.
he hooked his fingers under the skimpy material and pulled them down over my hips and let them fall the rest of the way.
I desperately tried to keep my moans to a minimum as he explored me with his mouth, but I doubt I succeeded. 
after bringing me to climax multiple times he stood up, pulled a condom from his wallet, and took off his shorts and boxers. 
he immediately grabbed my hips and slid into me, wasting no time. 
I gasped, and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him down to kiss me. 
he picked up speed quickly, getting faster and making me moan. 
I wrapped my legs around his waist and gripped him with my fingernails. 

"I love you." mike whispered, sucking on my neck just before he finished, leaving us awkwardly clinging to each other so that I didn't fall from my precarious spot on the counter.

"oh god.." I sighed, out of breath.

"what?" mike asked, chuckling as he helped me down, and held me closely so my shaky legs didn't fail me.

"I just- I don't- I'm so glad you're mine." I stumbled over my words, leaning up to kiss him sweetly. 

"wouldn't wanna be anyone else's." he replied smiling. 

he released me and we gathered our clothes, dressing awkwardly in the confined space. 

"you ready?" he asked, putting his hand on the doorknob. 

"always ready for the walk of shame." I said, laughing. 
he chuckled, and wrapped his arm around my hip  as we walked back out through the kitchen and lounge area. 
alot of people had gathered in the bus and the crowd was thick. they said things like "damn mike!" and "hell yeah, get some," while we tried to leave, making me blush awkwardly.

we stepped out into the night and ran into Danny and Ronnie. 

"I can't believe you little assholes!" Danny said loudly, joke-punching Mike in the shoulder. Ronnie just laughed. 
I blushed and put my face into Mike's ribs. 

"have a drink!" Danny shouted, thrusting a cup at me.
I obliged, and tilted it back. the harsh liquid burned all the way down, and I blacked out.
--------x--------
Mike
"JC!" I heard Tony's voice yell outside the bunk. 

"it's 7:25! don't you have to meet Kyle at 7:30?" he yelled again, yanking the curtain back.

JC sat up quickly, smacking her forehead on the roof again.

"ah, shit, shit, shit!" she yelled, taking the blanket to cover herself as she climbed over me.
she grabbed some clothes and ran into the bathroom. 
she came out a minute later with super-short shorts and an AA tshirt on. her hair was in a sloppy bun and her makeup from last night was still smeared across her eyes. 
she stopped for a second to take her pills.

"have a good day baby." she said, leaning up to kiss me. 

"I'll come see you!" I called out as she grabbed her purse and put on her big sunglasses. 
she walked out, unintentionally slamming the door behind her. 
I sighed, and hopped down from the bunk. I walked in the bathroom and got the blanket off the floor before climbing right back up there.  
it took me a while to fall asleep without her there, but eventually my hangover won.
~
I woke up to my phone buzzing incessantly by my head. 

"what?" I answered, my head pounding. 

"bring me food" JC whined. I could hear the hustle and bustle of Warped Tour in the background. 

"I'm sleeping." I replied.

"that'll be $40.. mhm, thank you!" she said cheerfully. "well I'm working. And you kept me out, and got me drunk, and let me go to sleep naked so I had no time for food. so get up." I heard Jessica laughing in the background. 

"fine. I'll be there in 20 minutes." I said grumpily, hanging up before she replied. 
I heaved myself off the bed, and walked into the bathroom.
I pulled on a beanie, and a pair of big sunglasses.
I brushed my teeth and hair quickly, and grabbed some shoes before leaving. 
I texted JC after asking a guitar tech what food places were near, and being directed to McDonald's across the street. 

Mike: catering or McD's?
JC: McD's! I want a large fry and a strawberry milkshake. 
Mike: healthy eating at it's best. 
JC: love you babe.

I locked my phone and jogged across the busy street, hoping no fans recognized me. 
somehow I made it out of the restaurant without anyone asking for pictures or autographs, and jogged back to the bus. 
I walked the short distance to the  tent and texted JC once I was behind it. 

Mike: I'm here. 

"hey, mike brought me lunch. will you be okay for a few?" she asked Jessica. 

"yeah man, go enjoy your lunch. you've been sick all day." she replied. 

"ah yes!" JC said excitedly, reaching for the bag of food.

"what are the magic words?" I asked teasingly, holding it high above her head.

"you're the best?" she asked, looking up at me through her sunglasses. 

"uh-uh!" I taunted her. 

"how about 'give it to me now or someone's not getting laid tonight'?" she replied, giving me a grin.
I gave her the food, and she plopped down in the dirt.

"I'm seriously so mad at you." she said, putting a few fries in her mouth.

"why's that?" I replied. 

"you knew I had work and you let me get shitfaced and leave this morning looking like I partied a little too hard last night." she said. 

"you were drunk when I got back! and you look fine JC." 

"oh yeah I was wasn't I?" she said, laughing. "well, you also convinced me to have sex with you in a tour bus bathroom! that isn't ours!" she said, laughing harder. 

"what?!" I protested. "no! you totally dragged me in there and made me do it!" she laughed and punched me. 

"I've been getting so much shit online. Danny posted a tweet last night about how much noise we were making." she complained.

"yeah well. its warped tour." I replied shrugging. 

"and I look fine?!" she asked, yanking off her sunglasses. 
she had dark purple bags under her eyes, and her makeup from last night was beyond repair. 

"absolutely flawless." I responded, kissing her nose lightly. 
she smiled at me, and replaced her sunglasses on her face. 

"I've been so sick. I don't know what Danny gave me but I've puked like 4 times." she said, continuing to eat her food.

"I'm sorry babe." I said, moving to sit beside her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. 

"how are you feeling?" she asked, leaning into my side. 

"eh, decent. I have a pretty bad headache." I said.

"I'm sorry," she replied, turning around to kiss me.
she grabbed her phone and turned it toward us. 

"selfie!" she demanded, and I held up my middle finger, and kissed her cheek while she snapped the picture. 

"perfect." she said laughing. 
I got the notification that she tagged me in a photo a few seconds later. 

"hungover lunch date with my one & only, @ptvmike <3"

I smiled, and kissed her.

"alright, well I need to go back to work," she said, standing up and tossing her trash in the trashcan.

"I'll see you tonight." I said, pulling her close to me for a hug. 

"I need to get drunk and make this hangover feel better." she said, laughing as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I'm down." I said, laughing. I leaned down and kissed her sweetly before releasing her. 

"I love you," she said, kissing me a few more times. 

"love you too baby." I replied, smiling down at her.

"hey, tell Jaime to come get Jess and take her to lunch." she said quietly, before she disappeared. 
I turned around and walked back to the bus, delivering JC's request to an excited looking Jaime.
---------x-------
JC 
I felt alot better after my little lunch date with Mike. 
I walked back around and jumped right into the flow of work, helping Jessica out as much as possible. 
for some reason everybody wanted AA merch today, so we had a line of 20 or more people all day.
about an hour after Mike left, Jessica's phone started ringing. 

"hey baby." she answered, grabbing a couple t-shirts for some snotty little girl.

"no, I can't.... we have a huge ass line...." she looked over at me with pleading eyes, and I smiled, giving her permission to leave for a while.
"okay. meet me at catering in like 3 minutes....  love you too Jaime." she grinned and hung up her phone. 

"thank you so much!" she said, hugging me quickly. 

"no problem. take your time." I smiled and she waved as she walked around the table and disappeared into the crowd.

"excuse me!" a tall, baby-faced girl snapped from across the table. I looked up from the text I was sending Jaime. 

"excuse you?" I said, shooting her just as much attitude as she shot me. 

"I want that one." she snapped, jutting her finger toward a shirt on the wall.

"guess what? I don't fuckin care." I said, giving her a sweet smile. 

"whatcha need babe?" I asked, pointing to the cute guy standing behind her. 

"are you fucking kidding me?" she whined, getting loud. 

"you better calm the fuck down, before venue security comes to get you. I do not have to sell anything to someone giving me a bitchy attitude. so you can go to the back of the line, and try again." I said, turning away from her to get the shirt the guy asked for. 
when I turned back she was gone. 
the next girl in line fist-bumped me. 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and Jessica and I packed up much faster now that I had the hang of things. 

"you coming to our bus tonight?" she asked, as we walked through the bus lot together. 

"I'm not sure... I'll find out and text you." I gave her a short hug before we split ways and headed "home." 

"honey, I'm home!" I called out jokingly, as I stepped into the cool, crisp air of the bus. 

"hey there darling." mike replied, pulling me into him for a hug.

"I'm sweaty let me shower!" I complained, pushing away from him. "and where is everyone?" I asked, looking around him into the empty lounge. 

"who cares? and I actually have no clue." he replied, hugging me tighter. 
I gave in and wrapped my arms around him, breathing in the familiar scent of his body wash.

"I missed you today booboo!" he said, leaning down to kiss me. 

"I missed you too." I said quietly. 
it was really weird not spending all my time with Mike these days. 

"danny wants to know if we're partying with them tonight. he's getting strippers." he said, raising his eyebrows at me.

"oh my god," I replied laughing. 

"we don't even have to go in the bus!" he whined, pleading with me. 

"okay fine." I replied smiling. "but no staying out until 5:30, or having sex in someone's bathroom, or waking up late this time." 

"I'll have you safely tucked into bed by 3." he said, laughing. 

"but for now, I want to take a shower and put on clean clothes, and make myself look half-way presentable." I said, releasing him and stripping my sweaty clothes as I made my way to the bathroom. 
-------x-------
"morning Kyle!" I said cheerfully as I walked into the AA bus the following morning. 

"I see you're in much better condition than yesterday morning?" he said chuckling a little. 

"I woke up in time for breakfast, and I'm gonna take Jessica to the Starbucks over there before we go set up." I replied smiling. 

"how was the loverboy this morning?" he asked.

"great, like usual. he got me into bed around 4, and woke me up at 7. so that's a step up from dragging me home at 5:30 and having tony wake me up at 7:25." 

"got you into bed? don't you mean into the bathroom?" he asked snickering. 
I shot him a look as Jessica walked in, and he shut up.

"what happens at warped tour parties stays at warped tour parties." I said, smacking his head as we walked out of the bus. 
we got our coffee and walked to where our tent would be set up today.
Jessica was the only girl friend I had on tour at this point. I had met a few band members' girlfriends, and a photographer here and there, but I spent all day with her and we quickly got close. 

"so how's the medication thing working out? I mean are there any side effects?" she asked, after we set up and had a little time to kill.

"it's actually going really good.. I don't know if you consider this a side effect but Mike and I have alot more sex." I said laughing. 

"yeah, everyone knows!" she replied, laughing with me. 

"alcohol gets the best of me okay? Mike wasn't drunk! blame him!" 

"we know it wasn't innocent little JC's idea." she said, still laughing. 

not long after the steady stream of customers arrived, and kept us busy until dark.

"no mike today?" Jess asked, closing up one of the t-shirt boxes. 

"I don't know where he is.." I trailed off. throughout the day I had barely noticed lunch time had come and gone, and my boyfriend hadn't come. 

"hey I'll finish this up, I'm sure Jaime is waiting for you." I said, taking the box from her arms. 

"it'll be okay JC.. I'm sure it's nothing." she said, giving me a small smile before walking away.
I neatly folded up, and put away all the merch, counted out the profits, and wiped off the table before folding it up. 
as I walked back to the bus, the familiar feeling of the weight of anxiety settled over me. 
I approached the bus, and took a deep breath before pulling the door open.