What's So Good About Picking Up the Pieces?

Lyla's P.O.V:

I awoke to the faint sound of music playing off in the distance. I opened one eye, then the other, squinting to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight streaming in the windows. My head felt like it had been runover by a train. My memory of last night was fuzzy at first, but the more I laid there the more I remembered.

Mike. Mike was here.....which meant Vic was here. I got completely smashed and had sex with Austin.........greattttttt.

I noticed I was in my bunk, wearing one of Austin's shirts. He must've carried me here after I fell asleep in the back. The bus was quiet. I carefully stood up as all the blood rushed from my head. I noticed that the bus was parked and the guys were gone; they must be out doing a signing or getting ready to play. I grabbed my phone and glanced at the time: 3:24 pm. Jeez I had slept all day.

I went into the small bathroom and brushed my teeth. I washed off the smeared make up that was left from last night. I put on a pair of Nike running shorts and a Lakers tshirt and tossed my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head and put my glasses on. My eyes hurt too bad to force my contacts into them.

I walked slowly to the front of the bus and grabbed a bottle of water. I curled up on the small couch and put my headphone's on, the sounds of "Snuff" by Slipknot filling my ears as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

I couldn't believe what had happened yesterday. My mind was reeling. I hugged my knees to my chest as I sat up against the arm of the couch, letting my head drop to the side, closing my eyes once again. I kept the music quiet as to not make my pounding headache any worse. I wasn't in the mood to do anything today, let alone go out there where I might run into Mike again, or worse.....Vic.

I heard the front door of the bus open quietly as Alan walked in followed by Austin.

"Hey sleepy head," Alan said to me as he walked past back to his bunk. He grabbed whatever it was he looking for and turned and walked back to where I was sitting.

"See ya later Lyla. Feel better," he said nicely as he kissed me on top of my head before turning and walking off the bus, leaving the door open for Austin to follow.

I glanced at Austin out of the corner of my eye, and averted my gaze back to the wall. I smelled his cologne as he approached me, squatting down so his face was level with mine.

"Are you okay, Lyla?" he asked sweetly. I leaned my head over and looked at him, a single tear escaping from my eye. Austin immediately brought his hand to my face to wipe it away with his thumb.

"No," I said quietly, closing my eyes. I wasn't okay, and I couldn't lie to my best friend. I opened my eyes again gazing into his big brown eyes. He cracked a sly smile.

"Austin I'm sorry....." I trailed off. He knew what I was apologizing for. I practically jumped him last night to make myself feel better.

"Don't be," he said softly. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He kissed my shoulder and rested his forehead on it. We just sat there in silence for a few minutes before he spoke.

"I love you Lyla. And I'm here for you. You know that, right?" he asked, our eyes meeting once again. I shook my head.

"Yeah," I mumbled. Another tear making it's way out. "Gah I'm such a baby," I scoffed out loud as the tears began falling more rapidly.

"No you're not, Lyla. You're hurting. I wish I could take it all away," he said, sitting next to me on the couch and pulling me in to a hug. There wasn't much room left on the couch since I was sitting sideways and he struggled to keep himself from falling. I felt him sigh.

"I have to go. We play in 20 minutes....." he trailed off, obviously feeling guilty for having to leave.

"Go. They need you," I said, nuzzling my head in his neck.

"So do you," he replied.

"Go before I make you," I said smiling a little. He chuckled quietly. He stood up and kissed me on the cheek.

"I'll be back later, okay? Call if you need anything.Love you best friend."


I nodded, "Love you too best friend," I replied and he turned and walked off the bus, shutting the door behind him, leaving me to my thoughts. I chugged the rest of my water bottle, tossed it in the trash, and stood up making my way to my suitcase.

I dug around under all the clothes until I found what I was looking for: the pack of cigarettes I had hidden from Austin. I didn't smoke much anymore, Austin forced me to quit, which I was glad for; it was a gross habit. I brought along a pack incase I got really stressed and needed a release.....it was either these or a razor blade, and since I promised Austin I wouldn't do that ever again, the Marlboro's it was. I grabbed a lighter and walked out of the bus into the bright midday sun. I didn't even know where we were, not like I really cared at this point.

This tour sure was off to a shitty start: I was being a horrible friend, and I wasn't even taking pictures, which was why I was here in the first place.

I took a seat in the dirt, leaning my back against the bus, pulling my knees to my chest. I pulled out a cigarette, put it to my lips and lit it. I took in a deep breath, letting the menthol flavor fill my mouth before I blew it out, smoke filling the air around me. It felt so good.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the bus as I continued to puff on my cig. It wasn't long before I felt a presence hovering over me. Expecting to see Austin I was already preparing myself for a lecture. When I opened my eyes I wasn't expecting to see who was standing above me, staring down into my eyes.

Mike.

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Mike's P.O.V:

I hadn't been able to sleep all night. I couldn't get Lyla off of my mind; I couldn't help but wonder if she was okay. I tossed and turned as I remembered back to the good old days, when we were best friends, inseperable and happy. All I wanted was to see her and hug her and never let her go again. I had lost her once before.

I had thought about her a lot over the years, but I had no idea where to even begin to look for her. Her dad wouldn't tell me anything; I'm guessing that was per her instructions. I missed having her around. She was in my life for almost 8 years and then all of a sudden she was gone, and it left a whole. We had so much fun when we were younger. She was so fun and goofy and hilarious. She was the sweetest person I had ever known, always willing to help others, and loving with everything she had. She was like my sister; we knew everything about each other, and when her and Vic started dating we just got closer.

I still hadn't ever really forgiven Vic for what he had done. I didn't know all of the details; he never would tell everything. All I knew was that after almost 4 years of dating he broke up with her over the phone, never giving her a reason other than "this isn't working". I still don't know why he did it, but after he broke up with her Vic was a wreck for a really long time. He still wasn't the same. After we found out that she moved away Vic changed, and he never really talked about her after that.

Every once in a while her name would come up over the years, and you could physically see Vic change. It bothered him; he missed her and still loved her, which made me even more confused about why he did what he did. He had a few steady girlfriends but I could tell they never measured up to Lyla.

I wandered around the venue trying to find her. I saw Of Mice and Men getting ready to go on and I walked over to their stage, but I didn't see her anywhere. Austin saw me and hustled over.

"She's not here," he said, obviously knowing who I was searching for. I looked at him, my eyes flashing with worry. "She's on the bus. She's pretty upset. You should go talk to her...." he said as he looked at me. I was surprised; I figured he would tell me to leave her alone. The expression on his face looked like that's really what he wanted to tell me.

"Thanks, man," I nodded as I turned and walked toward the bus. Off in the distance I spotted it. Someone was leaning up against it sitting on the ground. As I got closer I could tell it was Lyla. She had her eyes closed so she didn't see me coming, and she was smoking.

Man she has really changed.......

I walked up to her and stood by her feet. She had her hair in a ponytail and her face was bare, and she was wearing her glasses; she looked just like she did all those years ago, except for the nose ring. I didn't say anything, but she soon opened her eyes. She obviously wasn't expecting me to be standing there, her eyes opened wide in shock as her breath caught in her chest. I smiled at her a little as she averted her eyes to the ground. I was just hoping she wouldn't run this time.