“I am literally going to piss my pants on this.” Mike laughs nervously as he attempts to braid my long hair.
“Don’t be a big baby!” I giggle, watching as the couple in front of us gets buckled into the light blue seats. “You can’t turn back now anyway, we’re next…”
“I wasn’t gonna turn back! I can’t let you go on a rollercoaster by yourself. What kind of boyfriend would do that?” He groans and runs his fingers through my hair. “Fuck it, I give up on braiding…”
“You should be able to.” I smirk and turn to face him. “Your hair is long enough to braid...”
“Oh, you’re so funny...” He rolls his eyes, before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine. I smile against his mouth and pull away after a few seconds.
“After we get off, I want to buy presents for the guys…”
Mike rubs my lower back and nods. “I wanna get Tony those weird flavored beans. There’s like earwax and grass flavored…”
“He’ll probably like them.”
“Probably.”
“Are you going to get a present?” I hug my arms around his waist.
“Hells yes! I already have Gryffindor robes, so I’m getting the fucking Elder Wand and a chocolate frog.”
“Do you realize how adorable yet creepy you are?” I pull my face from his shirt and look up at him. “You’re a grown ass man and you have a pair of Gryffindor robes. Not to mention that you’re super excited about buying a fake wand…”
“I may look like a grown ass man, but I’m actually an eleven-year-old, still waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter.”
“More like a creeper who I should keep away from elementary schools…” I say through an obviously playful smile.
“You’ve got it all wrong.” Mike shakes his head and sighs childishly, watching as the rollercoaster moves back into the loading station in front of us. Then he nudges me forward and we walk to the seats. As I sit down, Mike smirks. “Damn girl, are you sure you’re a muggle, because your ass is magical!”
I sit back in the seat, my eyebrows raised amusedly. “Are you done?”
“Nope.” He flops into the seat next to me and buckles himself in, before looking back at me. “Mind if I Weasley my way into your pants?”
I burst into laughter. “Oh, fuck… That one was horrible.”
He scoffs. “I’d like to see you come up with something better!”
I roll my eyes and look ahead, still laughing quietly. “Is that a wand in your pocket, or are you just excited to see me?”
Mike laughs loudly and then grips the silver handles, as the rollercoaster starts to climb the hill. “Can I explore your chamber of secrets?”
“Michael, you’re mental!” I lean forward, so that I can look over at him. “I swear, you’ve been wanting to say dirty Harry Potter jokes to a girl for years now.”
“Well, I can check it off my bucket list now.” He intertwines his fingers with mine and then looks at the ground below, as the cart nears the top of the hill. “Holy shit… We’re up high. No more talking.”
“No, no! One more…” I feel his grip tightening and I smile to myself. “Tonight you’re going to make me Moaning Myrtle.”
Mike flashes a triumphant smile, before quickly pressing his head back against the seat and gasping as the rollercoaster drops. “FUCKING SHIT, we’re dead…”
“Open your eyes, dammit!” I laugh immediately, letting go of his hand and holding my arms in the air.

Mike and I are sitting in a booth in Margaritaville. He’s looking down on his phone, with one arm draped across my shoulders. I’m nibbling on a sour chunk of pineapple and listening to other people’s conversations. It’s almost midnight, and Mike and I have probably both had about eight drinks all together.
“Look at this picture…” Mike holds his phone up and shows me an Instagram picture of Copeland Quinn. “It’s so damn cute!”
“It’s?” I laugh quietly and toss the last bite of pineapple into an empty glass. “It is a little girl, idiot... Did Kellin get to see her today?”
He nods and sets his phone down on the table, before hugging his arms around my neck and yawning loudly. “Orlando is technically Kellin’s San Diego...”
“That makes no sense, baby…” I murmur, while pushing my face into his t-shirt.
“You make no sense, baby.” He says, trying to copy my voice.
“It’s funny… Even after a few drinks, your jokes are still not that funny.” I mutter.
“You like making me cry, don’t you?” He smirks.
“Don’t cry….” I exhale slowly. “Just relax.”
“I’m about to fall asleep...” He laughs and runs his fingers through my hair. “Can you call Vic to come drive us?”
“Call Vic?” I roll my eyes in annoyance. “He’s going to be pissed, Mike… He’s probably sleeping and someone else is gonna have to come, because we already have a rental car here.”
“Well, unless you want me to crash the fucking car… I can’t drive.” Mike unravels his arms from my body and tilts the last bit of ice from a margarita into his mouth. “Besides, Vic’s not sleeping… Vic’s like a vampire. He never sleeps.”
“Give me the keys, Mike.” I hold my hand out. “I’ll drive.”
“You’re not driving.” He sips on more ice, this time some of it falls out of his mouth and onto his shorts. “Sheeeet.”
“I am driving, so give me the keys.” I hand him a napkin.
“Lana…” He groans. “You’re drunk, I’m drunk…” Mike points to a random guy. “He’s drunk... We’re all just a bunch of fucking drunks…”
“Jesus Christ, you are such a child.” Sighing, I reach over and grab Mike’s phone, before climbing out of the booth and dialing Vic. The phone rings three times before Vic picks up, his voice sounding tired and strained.
“What’s wrong?”
I look back at Mike, as he rests his head on the tabletop. “Can you pick us up, booboo?”
Vic is silent.
“Please?” I lean against another booth. “Mike is practically sleeping at the table and he won’t give me the keys.”
Vic sighs from the other side. “You two are literally children… I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
We got back to the bus around one in the morning. I didn’t even bother getting into pajamas; I just took my shorts off and climbed into the back bed with Mike. Actually, I had to assist him in taking his shirt and shorts off before I was able to get comfortable in bed. Once we were both in, Mike wrapped his arms around my waist and sighed heavily, before kissing my chin. I smiled and wrapped one of my legs around his. “Thank you for everything today, Mikey.”
“You’re welcome…” His eyes open again and he rubs my side gently. “I can’t wait to eat my chocolate frog for breakfast.”
I giggle quietly and snuggle into him. “You’re silly… Get some sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am!” He sighs and closes his eyes.

The next morning, I wake up to a churning stomach and a throbbing headache. Next to me, Mike is snoring loudly, with his body lying diagonal on the bed. I nudge his legs away and the sit up, my sudden movement making me even more nauseous. I’m going to puke. Fuck. I kick the covers off my legs and stumble out of bed, running into the bathroom. My hand flicks the lights on and I sit down near the toilet. Just being on the bathroom floor of a tour bus full of four guys makes me want to vomit even more.
I take a deep breath and pull my hair into a ponytail, before leaning back against the shower. This is so typical. I had some tequila last night and now I feel like shit. I will never fully comprehend how Mike’s skinny body can handle so much shit, without him feeling sick. My stomach gurgles and I lean over nervously, throwing up into the toilet. It’s weird, but I honestly have a fear of vomiting. It is the worst feeling in the world. I’d rather get my nipples pierced than throw up, and that’s saying something.
After about a minute, I flush the toilet and lean back against the shower, wiping spit from my chin. This fucking sucks. I feel like I’m going to fall asleep and throw up at the same time.
“Lana, I have to piss! Hurry the hell up!” Jaime mutters from outside.
I groan and rub my forehead. “Fuck off! I’m sick…”
“You’re sick?” He opens the door slightly and peeks his head in. “What the fuck are you doing on the floor?”
I tuck a few fallen pieces of hair behind my ears and sigh, standing up slowly. “I threw up…”
“Aw, my poor koala bear!” Jaime pushes the door open wider and looks me up and down. “Damn. You look like shit…”
“Not in the mood.” Rolling my eyes, I shove him against the sink and squeeze past, walking past the bunks to the main room. Vic is bent down with his head in the fridge and Tony is singing quietly from his spot at the tiny table. I flop down to the leather couch and pull a blanket over, resting it on my bare legs.
“Do we have any milk?” Vic asks with a fake accent and backs away from the fridge. When he notices I’m on the couch, he raises an eyebrow. “What’s got you down, darling?”
“I’m sick.” I answer with closed eyes.
“Sick how?” Tony takes a drink of his Red Bull and looks over at me. “I swear if you give me the chickenpox…”
“Really, Tony?” Vic opens the freezer, still searching for something to eat.
“Hey man! I was never vaccinated for that shit.”
“I’m just hung-over…” I mutter, before rolling over and closing my eyes. “Stop yelling!”
“Go back to bed, grumpy pants.” Tony smirks.
“EW! EW! Oh my fucking god.” Jaime screams and comes running down the hallway, gagging dramatically.
“Now what’s the matter?” Vic sighs and bends down to recheck the fridge, probably hoping that his breakfast has magically appeared.
“There’s spit on the toilet!” Jaime frantically searches for a towel. “I went to lift the goddamn seat and there’s spit or puke or something on it! Lana, go clean it now!” He gags again and turns the sink on.
“I’ll clean it when you clean your piss off the bathroom floor.” I mutter, closing my eyes again.
“What the hell is all the yelling for ladies?” Mike walks into the main area, while opening a chocolate frog box. “I can’t catch a fucking wink around here.”
“Jaime got puke on his hand.” Vic says plainly, before pulling on a t-shirt and trotting down the bus steps.
Mike turns to Jaime and looks at him, confusedly. “Why the hell did you throw up on yourself?” He spits some of the plastic wrap onto the ground.
“It’s your sunshine’s vomit.” Jaime begins scrubbing his hands under the running water. “Disgusting.”
I sit up angrily and throw the pillow at Jaime, as hard as I can. “HEY ASSHOLE, I DON’T FEEL GOOD! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!”
Jaime grunts in pain. “Jesus Christ, are you on your period?!”
Mike rolls his eyes at Jaime. “You’re so fucking dramatic...”
“Me? She just hit me!”
I scoff. “With a pillow.”
“I’m out!” Tony busts into laughter and heads toward the door.
“I’m a sensitive little Mexican boy!” Jaime starts to dry his hands off. “I like magic tricks and I still watch Rugrats! Please, do not hit me!”
Mike starts to laugh, but I shoot him a deathly glare and he coughs instead. “Jaime, seriously...”
“Alright, alright!” Jaime holds his hands up, laughing playfully. “I’m sorry. I’m just gonna go cry…in like the shower or something…”
When Jaime goes back into the bathroom, Mike sighs and walks over to the couch, before gently crawling on top of my body. “What’s wrong, baby?”
I sigh and lie back down, running my fingers through his messy hair. “I just don’t feel that great.”
He lies on top of me, pushing his face into my chest. “You threw up?”
I nod, smirking faintly. “It was all those margaritas from last night.”
“Lightweight.”
“Hey!” I murmur, trying not to laugh. “At least I could take my own pants off last night…”
“Fucking tequila...” He laughs quietly and rubs my thighs. “You should eat something small for breakfast. I’ll get you an aspirin and hopefully it’ll help.”
“But I don’t wanna eat…” I whine.
“Why, are you gonna get sick again?” He kisses my collarbones and then looks up.
I shrug, staring up at the ceiling with tears in my eyes. “I feel nauseous.”
“Aw, baby… Don’t cry…” Mike murmurs and goes back to rubbing my thighs. “You’ll feel better if you just take a nap… I can skip the signing this morning and—”
“No y-you can’t.” I reach up, rubbing tears out of my eyes. “It’s not Pierce The Veil without you… I-It’s just Vic, T-Tony, and stupid Jaime…”
“I’ll send Casey in my place.” Mike smiles weakly. “He knows a thing or two about drums.”
My head shakes. “No. You’re gonna go and I’ll just watch TV. Make Casey stay here with me though.”
Mike nods slowly and kisses my right shoulder, before closing his eyes. “I love you… Don’t cry.”
I hug my arms around his neck and close my eyes as well. “I love you too.”

So, I ended up feeling a little better around one o’clock. The guys were still at the signing and Casey was playing videos games on the ground, so I decided to get up and take a shower. Then I got dressed, but was too lazy to put any makeup on.
Now I’m sitting on a table backstage with Kellin, my legs dangling and my head resting on his wet shoulder, as I watch the guys play through their last song. The weather is really shitty today, so everyone in the crowd is soaked from the rain. That doesn’t stop them from jumping around and screaming the lyrics though. It also doesn’t affect Vic or any of the guy’s playing. If anything, they seem to enjoy playing in the rain more than playing in normal weather.
“What’s got you so down today?” Kellin moves the shoulder under my head and I look up at him.
“Just tired.” I say quietly.
“Hired?” He yells over the music.
My eyes roll. “Tired!”
“Oh, gotcha.” He hugs one of his arms around my neck and goes back to watching.
About a minute later, the crowd explodes into screaming and clapping and Vic thanks the crowd. The four of them then, one by one, wander off the stage.
“Woot, woot!” Jaime chuckles, as he slips the bass off his shoulder. “Is the princess feeling better?”
I stick my middle finger up at him and he smirks, before running down the backstage steps.
“Where’s my water?” Vic clears his throat a few times and walks in a circle.
“Probably under my fat ass.” Kellin slowly removes his shoulder from under my head and hops down. “I probably flattened the damn thing...”
I hop down too and sigh, before moving over to Mike, who’s talking to Casey and pointing to his drum set. Each step I take emphasizes the throbbing behind my eyes. I feel hot. I feel dizzy. I feel worse than this morning.
Mike laughs and then looks away from Casey, his smile widening when he sees me. “I broke three drumsticks during the same song. Did you see it?”
“Nope.” I laugh slightly, wishing I could find that a little more humorous. “Sorry.”
“I need to go out and buy some more, before we get on the road again.” He wipes his forehead with his tank top. “How’s your stomach?”
The floor beneath me feels like it’s spinning. I lean back against the wall and shrug. “My stomach’s fine… It’s my head now.”
“Did you take another aspirin before we left?”
I nod, looking up at him. “I just want to go back to the bus.”
Mike leans down and kisses my forehead, before starting to walk backwards. “Okay... Let me just help Casey with my shit. You go on, I’ll be right behind you.”
Taking a deep breath, I straighten and start following everyone toward the stairs. Kellin is still standing by the table, talking with Vic. He grabs my arm and reels me back in, as I pass them. I literally want to shoot him in his pretty little face right now. Why can’t anyone leave me alone? I’m sick and they all know it.
“I heard you went to Universal Studios yesterday and didn’t get me anything!” Kellin frowns playfully. “What kind of best friend are you?”
“I didn’t…” My voice suddenly just disappears and my mouth closes. My heart starts to race and my legs feel like jelly. Oh, god no. Before I can grab someone or something, everything goes black and I faint in front of both Kellin and Vic.