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Cliff's Californian apartment wasn't much better than the one he'd occupied in New York. It had the necessities, of course, but it was just about the polar opposite of his childhood. It was on the ground floor, thankfully, but that made it a bit more prone to robbery or being defaced. The small living room which joined with the kitchen could only hold a small group of people, not that Cliff really invited anyone over to his place unless he needed to. Parties were usually at a club or a bigger home and the band wasn't really a problem to fit in the apartment.
By eight thirty in the morning, Cliff was already up and sitting cross-legged on his bed. The young man watched the wall before him absentmindedly, holding a cigarette between his lips as it lazily smoked from the end. These calm, peaceful mornings were something he treasured. He could zone out and reflect on what was bothering him without the worry of attracting attention or standing out. It'd be a real shock losing them when the tour began. After a few minutes, he slowly kicked his legs over the side of his bed and ran a hand through his spiked hair. He'd already showered for the day, dressing in his usual style with a Nirvana t-shirt and a pair of dark red skinny jeans.
Stifling a yawn, Cliff grabbed his two duffel bags and carried them to the front door. He hadn't packed much in all reality. He only grabbed what he needed. Anything else could easily be bought on the trip. It was his music equipment that took up the bulk of what he was bringing. An amp, cords, pedals, his electric, and his acoustic were all coming on the trip along the West Coast. He settled down on one of the weathered sofas of the apartment and pulled out his acoustic and one of his countless picks from his pocket. Rumor said that Cliff's pockets really just led to an endless abyss of guitar picks in a multitude of colors and thicknesses. Ask him for a pick and he could hand you a handful of them. As he waited for the day to begin, Cliff plucked the strings of his guitar slowly, one by one, as he tuned them to perfection. Satisfied, he started to play softly first and then much louder as he grew confident. Before he knew it, he was strumming the guitar loudly, getting so into the music he forgot the fact that it was nine in the morning and people were still asleep. Angry knocking sounded on his door and Cliff looked up.
"Hello?" he asked, ceasing his playing for a moment. Not hearing a response, he placed the guitar down and went to investigate. He opened the door and came face to face with a middle aged woman, frowning deeply. Instantly, he recognized her as his upstairs neighbor who, if he remembered correctly, was never fond of him. It was as if she'd looked at him the day he moved in and said 'he looks like a kid I should hate.'
"Clifford Harrison," she snapped. Cliff narrowed his eyes as she used his full name. "It is nine o'clock in the morning and the other residents in the building are trying to sleep. So please, shut up." She looked around the room and seemed to instantly notice the bags. Her eyes lit up joyfully. "Are you...leaving?" Cliff nodded slowly, reluctantly giving her the satisfaction of being correct.
"For now," he said. "I'm touring with the band." A child on Christmas could not have been happier than the woman.
"Praise the Lord," she muttered. "I'd say it was a Christmas miracle, but it's summer. Memorial Day miracle, perhaps?" Cliff gave a roll of the eyes and a fake grin before slamming the door as politely as possible. As the door closed, his phone went off with a text from Milo. Cliff grinned lightly in amusement. He didn't think Milo had it in him to get up this early.
Wow, kid, I'm proud of you. I've been ready for a while now. Come here whenever convenient. -Cliff
After sending that, Cliff packed away his guitar and started to get ready to head out. First and foremost, he pulled on his pair of gray and yellow Chucks. Cliff then pulled on his plain, gray hoodie and followed it with a black-and-white checkered flat brim hat. Dressed and prepared for the trip, Cliff finally carried his belongings out to the sidewalk and sat on the curb beside them, waiting for Milo.
To say he had been awake since the early hours of the morning would be an understatement, for Halen had not gone to sleep at all for the past twenty-four hours of his life, and in all honesty, he was feeling wide awake. Two green Monsters and a bottle of lemonade had accomplished keeping the boy alert, and he was busy trying to tame his wild locks of hair when he felt his iPhone vibrate in his back pocket.
"God damn it," he mumbled to himself as he fished out his phone, then unlocked the screen and read a text from Milo, one of his band mates.
"leaving! leaving! ill pick you guys up one at a time, who's first?" the text read, and Halen had to hide the smirk on his face as he replied: "I'll be waiting out front, pick up whoever you want first."
To say that Halen was patient was pushing the envelope quite a bit, but in this case, he didn't mind waiting. This was his last opportunity to take in the silence and the solitude. Of course he didn't mind the company of his fellow band mates, but most of the time, he wanted at least an hour to himself. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel the buzz of excitement, which is why he had been preoccupied with packing for the past four hours. He knew that he most likely packed more than he needed, but it was better to be safe than sorry. And so, after he was done messing with his hair, he adjusted his plaid shirt, the white V-neck underneath, and his suspenders. Some went as far to say that Halen had an almost 'homeless' look about him, but he liked to think of it as vintage.
He finished off the look with a couple of necklaces, then grabbed his sunglasses off the bathroom counter and walked over to where his bags and guitar case were waiting. Picking up both, he walked out of his room and down the hall, through the empty house. His mother had already gone to work, so he never got to say goodbye to her, but he could always text her later on. She worried too much, to say the least.
A minute later, he was sitting out front on his driveway, his luggage under him while he tossed his phone from palm to palm, left to day dream about what adventures were lying ahead of him and his band mates.
"God damn it," he mumbled to himself as he fished out his phone, then unlocked the screen and read a text from Milo, one of his band mates.
"leaving! leaving! ill pick you guys up one at a time, who's first?" the text read, and Halen had to hide the smirk on his face as he replied: "I'll be waiting out front, pick up whoever you want first."
To say that Halen was patient was pushing the envelope quite a bit, but in this case, he didn't mind waiting. This was his last opportunity to take in the silence and the solitude. Of course he didn't mind the company of his fellow band mates, but most of the time, he wanted at least an hour to himself. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel the buzz of excitement, which is why he had been preoccupied with packing for the past four hours. He knew that he most likely packed more than he needed, but it was better to be safe than sorry. And so, after he was done messing with his hair, he adjusted his plaid shirt, the white V-neck underneath, and his suspenders. Some went as far to say that Halen had an almost 'homeless' look about him, but he liked to think of it as vintage.
He finished off the look with a couple of necklaces, then grabbed his sunglasses off the bathroom counter and walked over to where his bags and guitar case were waiting. Picking up both, he walked out of his room and down the hall, through the empty house. His mother had already gone to work, so he never got to say goodbye to her, but he could always text her later on. She worried too much, to say the least.
A minute later, he was sitting out front on his driveway, his luggage under him while he tossed his phone from palm to palm, left to day dream about what adventures were lying ahead of him and his band mates.
Milo's body jumped up and down in the front seat of the Skoda. Around new people Milo was quiet and peaceful, but with people he knew, or by himself, Milo was energetic, and more so in the context of leaving for his first tour. At the back of his mind he was bothered by usual fears musicians had. Oh god no one's going to go to the shows, oh god they'll all hate our songs, oh god they'll all hate our songs that I wrote. Milo had grown up completely surrounded by music and had all kinds of influences, so he at least partially worked on all of the songs, able to throw something in from some random source, like 80's shoegaze or modern electric pop. His stomach was twisted up more than usual, he was bad at meeting new people, and now he was about to embark on a who-knows-how-long trip filled with meeting new people.
His good mood wasn't ruined however, and his lanky legs bounced up and down. This had been a habit of his since he was young, to the point where his parents tried to have him diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school. Milo was deficit free, just jittery. Also a bad driver. Milo was honestly a bit of an awful driver, but planned on driving for most of the tour. He loved his Skoda immensely, even though he wasn't really a car guy. He can't tell the difference between a Mercedes and a Honda but when he saw the beat-up Skoda on the side of the road with a "for sale" sign in the windshield he needed it. Swerving in and out of traffic, he could hardly get to 65 mph, the Skoda's engine was old and probably broken in some way. His hair swayed with him back and forth as he floored the gas petal, the engine whining and cars still passing him, annoyed at the teenage driver.
He looked behind him at the limited space in the car. He wasn't even sure he could fit everything in there, bass, guitar, synthesizer, and oh god the drums. Milo's T-Bird Bass also just had a ridiculously large case, but he needed a hardshell that would actually fit the odd body shape. The case was big and rectangular, with "MFK - MILO" painted on the front and a bad brains sticker in the top left corner. Chipped and faded, the paint wasn't even spray paint, which usually lasted pretty long, but cheap craft store paint he took from his younger sister. "Oh god there are going to be suitcases too" he mumbled over the folk he had playing. Milo honestly thought the song was hilarious, and was saving the Miley Cyrus for when everyone got in the car, he was shameless about his love for pop, but never brought any of that to the band's actual music. Also he just thought Miley Cyrus got pretty good looking in the last year, and the music video for her new single was able to totally exploit hip kid's aesthetic tastes, to an impressive point.
Milo had only brought with him a duffel bag of T-Shirts and underwear, planning to wear the same ripped jeans the entire time. It wasn't the first or last time he would spend weeks on end in the same pair of pants. He realized he would have to take out the back seat of the Skoda and leave it somewhere. Luckily the junky van was still able to carry all five of them even without the back seat, two in the front and three in the first row. "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant" he sang softly along to the song.
He'd been getting texts the past few minutes and haphazardly replying to them, illegal in California. He was already close to his friends apartment, and as he neared he saw a familiar figure sitting on the curb. Milo sped up, then jammed on the breaks right in front of his friend, tires screeching, luckily no one was behind him. He reached over and poked his head out of the passenger window "Cliff!" He said, his voice squeaking at the final two f's. His head bobbed back and forth.
His good mood wasn't ruined however, and his lanky legs bounced up and down. This had been a habit of his since he was young, to the point where his parents tried to have him diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school. Milo was deficit free, just jittery. Also a bad driver. Milo was honestly a bit of an awful driver, but planned on driving for most of the tour. He loved his Skoda immensely, even though he wasn't really a car guy. He can't tell the difference between a Mercedes and a Honda but when he saw the beat-up Skoda on the side of the road with a "for sale" sign in the windshield he needed it. Swerving in and out of traffic, he could hardly get to 65 mph, the Skoda's engine was old and probably broken in some way. His hair swayed with him back and forth as he floored the gas petal, the engine whining and cars still passing him, annoyed at the teenage driver.
He looked behind him at the limited space in the car. He wasn't even sure he could fit everything in there, bass, guitar, synthesizer, and oh god the drums. Milo's T-Bird Bass also just had a ridiculously large case, but he needed a hardshell that would actually fit the odd body shape. The case was big and rectangular, with "MFK - MILO" painted on the front and a bad brains sticker in the top left corner. Chipped and faded, the paint wasn't even spray paint, which usually lasted pretty long, but cheap craft store paint he took from his younger sister. "Oh god there are going to be suitcases too" he mumbled over the folk he had playing. Milo honestly thought the song was hilarious, and was saving the Miley Cyrus for when everyone got in the car, he was shameless about his love for pop, but never brought any of that to the band's actual music. Also he just thought Miley Cyrus got pretty good looking in the last year, and the music video for her new single was able to totally exploit hip kid's aesthetic tastes, to an impressive point.
Milo had only brought with him a duffel bag of T-Shirts and underwear, planning to wear the same ripped jeans the entire time. It wasn't the first or last time he would spend weeks on end in the same pair of pants. He realized he would have to take out the back seat of the Skoda and leave it somewhere. Luckily the junky van was still able to carry all five of them even without the back seat, two in the front and three in the first row. "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant" he sang softly along to the song.
He'd been getting texts the past few minutes and haphazardly replying to them, illegal in California. He was already close to his friends apartment, and as he neared he saw a familiar figure sitting on the curb. Milo sped up, then jammed on the breaks right in front of his friend, tires screeching, luckily no one was behind him. He reached over and poked his head out of the passenger window "Cliff!" He said, his voice squeaking at the final two f's. His head bobbed back and forth.
Tansy was walking from the ice cream shop, double scoop ice cream cone in hand as she hopped back onto her board again. Taking continuous licks of the ice cream like a little kid as she made her way towards her house. Finally reaching the gated community, punching in the code and allowing the gates to open. No one in her lame ass rich gated community like her. They all thought of her as a hoodlum, riding her long board, her grungy style, mixed with her tattoo and piercing apparently she just screamed I’m going to break into your house and spray paint every sign I see. she let out a small giggle at the thought of the complaints her parents had gotten in the past.
She kicked up her long board at the edge of her drive way carrying it the rest of the way. Inside she was greeted by her three very large great danes she spent a few minutes with them petting and kissing them as a way of telling them goodbye. Her phone vibrated again taking her attention away from the over grown dogs.
"Exciting eh? Getting ready to go on tour finally. We're going to the toppermost of the poppermost, I know it! Are you ready yet?"
She smiled seeing a message from one of her close friends. She was convinced they became close due to being the only two girl in the band, they always had each other’s backs when the boys decided to pick on them or tease them.
My love, I’ve been ready since last weekend, I’m dying to get out of this house. This tour is going to be life changing!
She sent back, she was a lot like Skylar in the sense that she hated text lingo. She’d much rather take her time spelling everything out, in her mind it seemed more personal to type See you later then C U L8tr. she shoved her phone into her pocket once again and ran up the stairs towards her room followed by the three dogs as they thundered behind like a heard of horses.
She meant it when she said everything had been packed since last weekend, she had managed to fit all of her clothes, shoes, and accessories into one large suite case and her make-up, toiletries, and shoes in another smaller backpack. She had one case that fit all of her Synthesizer excitement, the bag honestly looked like a maze of wires, knobs, and lights, but she knew exactly how everything worked. She’d even been asked on occasion how the hell she knew how any of that shit worked. Last but not least there was her keyboard . Which by now I’m sure you could guess it was yellow, her favorite color. The very front of the Key board read Lady Lux-Machines For Kids. After two trips back and forth she finally found herself sitting in the drive way waiting on Milo, her beats still around her neck now blaring an upbeat Swedish House Mafia song. She had gotten use to her ordinary life, but it was time for a change and she just hand an overwhelming feeling that this trip was going to change their life. When she had told her parents, they simply said be careful and that was it. Her parents didn’t care much about her or what she was doing for that matter.
Skylar's phone buzzed and her little ring tone went off again, this time to a different Beatles song, she looked at her phone:
My love, I’ve been ready since last weekend, I’m dying to get out of this house. This tour is going to be life changing!
She smiled at the thought of her friend Lux. Sometimes she called her mellow yellow, for her love of life and the color yellow. It was nice to have another girl to back her up and even nicer to have a smart girl who knew a ton about music. Skylar figured Lux was among the smartest of them all considering what Lux played, basically all Skylar did was hit drum heads in different patterns and compared to all the talent involved in synth.
All this reminded Skylar of her drum set, which she had all nicely packed away in the garage. She walked down to her garage to go get and bring them up to the driveway which would be a daunting task. When we get famous we better hire a roadie. She decided. She'd do it all though, for her drums. Her record collection was one thing, her drums another. It was like comparing the Monkees to the Beatles and her drums where defiantly the Beatles.
She tapped in the garage code and when inside. The several cases were all nice and neat just as she left them. Skylar was very proud of her drums, they were a Ludwig drum set, like the one's the Beatle Ringo Starr had used and she used her life savings practically to buy a real nice set. On the drums face was the bands logo, Machines For Kids and she was very proud of that. As she started loading the cases(those had cost another small fortune) out to the driveway she decided to text Lux back.
Just about ready to go. I did last minute packing last night, you know me, my suit case is huge, it's the one my mother took to Europe back when she was a rich teenager. Also my drums, trust me you don't want to load drums by yourself, it's hard work. I wonder how we'll all fit, if worst comes to worst I guess I can take the roof, haha.
Skylar really was concerned, she knew she'd take up a lot of space so she texted Milo to warn him,
Hey Milo, um just wondering, how are we going to fit my drums and my huge suitcase in your Soka? Oh and by the way, when were all rich an successful I say we hire a roadie, then I won't have to lug my drums everywhere by myself. :)
My love, I’ve been ready since last weekend, I’m dying to get out of this house. This tour is going to be life changing!
She smiled at the thought of her friend Lux. Sometimes she called her mellow yellow, for her love of life and the color yellow. It was nice to have another girl to back her up and even nicer to have a smart girl who knew a ton about music. Skylar figured Lux was among the smartest of them all considering what Lux played, basically all Skylar did was hit drum heads in different patterns and compared to all the talent involved in synth.
All this reminded Skylar of her drum set, which she had all nicely packed away in the garage. She walked down to her garage to go get and bring them up to the driveway which would be a daunting task. When we get famous we better hire a roadie. She decided. She'd do it all though, for her drums. Her record collection was one thing, her drums another. It was like comparing the Monkees to the Beatles and her drums where defiantly the Beatles.
She tapped in the garage code and when inside. The several cases were all nice and neat just as she left them. Skylar was very proud of her drums, they were a Ludwig drum set, like the one's the Beatle Ringo Starr had used and she used her life savings practically to buy a real nice set. On the drums face was the bands logo, Machines For Kids and she was very proud of that. As she started loading the cases(those had cost another small fortune) out to the driveway she decided to text Lux back.
Just about ready to go. I did last minute packing last night, you know me, my suit case is huge, it's the one my mother took to Europe back when she was a rich teenager. Also my drums, trust me you don't want to load drums by yourself, it's hard work. I wonder how we'll all fit, if worst comes to worst I guess I can take the roof, haha.
Skylar really was concerned, she knew she'd take up a lot of space so she texted Milo to warn him,
Hey Milo, um just wondering, how are we going to fit my drums and my huge suitcase in your Soka? Oh and by the way, when were all rich an successful I say we hire a roadie, then I won't have to lug my drums everywhere by myself. :)
"But you can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant!" Milo said, a goofy smile on his face, he was completely oblivious to Cliff wanting to drive. "It's a good thing you said that Cliff it's a good thing you said that" Milo said, grabbing his ipod, the skoda didn't even have a CD player, let alone a pre-made 3.5 mm connection, so milo had to buy a little tapedeck that had a 3.5 mm sticking out. He switched on Miley Cyrus's newest single, We Can't Stop. It was already on his ipod, bought days ago. "Have you seen the music video? I would date Miley. I would date Miley very much" his goofy smile was still visible. His love for pop wasn't ironic in any way. His bandmates often questioned it, but it's what enabled him to make the band both interesting and catchy. He knew how to write pop hits with Lux's synth, then bring in Jimmy Page's essence in with Cliff's Jackson, with help from the rest of the band of course. Hell, he even knew how to do it the other way around, writing pop guitar with metal synthesizers, from listening to bands like Acid Witch. All of them together created a unique sound that Milo thought should've made them pretty big, but at the same was thankful they weren't. Milo relished their small-timer fame, they were stuck in a perfect place where they weren't in huge venues yet, but the small venues allowed them to be more intimate with their crowds, which were usually filled with the rowdiest bunch.
Milo's old scratched up flip phone buzzed "Hey Milo, um just wondering, how are we going to fit my drums and my huge suitcase in your Soka? Oh and by the way, when were all rich an successful I say we hire a roadie, then I won't have to lug my drums everywhere by myself. :)" Milo laughed to himself for a second, then realized the full problem that he'd been thinking about a bit before. "ah shit" he mumbled under his breath. Milo, as he always did, decided to push the problem to the last moment, and started driving toward's Sky's house. He hoped she would let him leave the back row of the Skoda at her house. On the way there he flicked his eyes from the road to his phone, "Yoo bro its Skoda the van isnt from avatar lol. uhh weve got a bit of a problem though hope youve got some room in your garage <3" he typed, swerving through traffic, and sent it to Sky. He texted the way he did half way because it bothered the others and half way because he didn't see a problem with it. He knew how to write correctly, and it felt almost cute to him, so why shouldn't he? Milo wasn't in any way macho kind of guy, and embraced his androgynous behavior with love. He thought cute things were cute and didn't have a problem the adjective, even though it might bother other manlier guys.
"Arlo Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's son! How could you not like him, and that song is legitimately funny" he said, his eyes flicking towards Cliff. Milo never felt sick of defending his tastes in music, it was important to him. He of course knew what everyone else listened to, his room was decorated in Beatles gear in the 6th grade, Sex Pistols stuff in the 8th, Sonic Youth in the 10th, and an odd mix of all of it in the 11th. He was fully entranced in "alternative" culture, but culture in general just interested him, so of course he knew all of Miley Cyrus's or Kanye West's hits. "Woody Guthrie's on like, the same level as Bob Dylan, and Bob Dylan is way more punk than anything that's come after him. Except maybe The Smiths" he said, teeth flashing with his usual grin.
He weaved through all the other cars, the skoda whining and rattling the entire time, he found his way to Sky's neighborhood. He stopped more carefully this time, but his tires still screeched when he pulled halfway into Sky's driveway, so to not actually hit his favorite drummer. "Sky!" He said, opening his driver side door.
Milo's old scratched up flip phone buzzed "Hey Milo, um just wondering, how are we going to fit my drums and my huge suitcase in your Soka? Oh and by the way, when were all rich an successful I say we hire a roadie, then I won't have to lug my drums everywhere by myself. :)" Milo laughed to himself for a second, then realized the full problem that he'd been thinking about a bit before. "ah shit" he mumbled under his breath. Milo, as he always did, decided to push the problem to the last moment, and started driving toward's Sky's house. He hoped she would let him leave the back row of the Skoda at her house. On the way there he flicked his eyes from the road to his phone, "Yoo bro its Skoda the van isnt from avatar lol. uhh weve got a bit of a problem though hope youve got some room in your garage <3" he typed, swerving through traffic, and sent it to Sky. He texted the way he did half way because it bothered the others and half way because he didn't see a problem with it. He knew how to write correctly, and it felt almost cute to him, so why shouldn't he? Milo wasn't in any way macho kind of guy, and embraced his androgynous behavior with love. He thought cute things were cute and didn't have a problem the adjective, even though it might bother other manlier guys.
"Arlo Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's son! How could you not like him, and that song is legitimately funny" he said, his eyes flicking towards Cliff. Milo never felt sick of defending his tastes in music, it was important to him. He of course knew what everyone else listened to, his room was decorated in Beatles gear in the 6th grade, Sex Pistols stuff in the 8th, Sonic Youth in the 10th, and an odd mix of all of it in the 11th. He was fully entranced in "alternative" culture, but culture in general just interested him, so of course he knew all of Miley Cyrus's or Kanye West's hits. "Woody Guthrie's on like, the same level as Bob Dylan, and Bob Dylan is way more punk than anything that's come after him. Except maybe The Smiths" he said, teeth flashing with his usual grin.
He weaved through all the other cars, the skoda whining and rattling the entire time, he found his way to Sky's neighborhood. He stopped more carefully this time, but his tires still screeched when he pulled halfway into Sky's driveway, so to not actually hit his favorite drummer. "Sky!" He said, opening his driver side door.
"Hey guys! Good Morning Milo and Cliff!" Sky exclaimed as the car pulled up next to her drive way. She had finished moving the last of her equipment. She threw her arms around Milo, then Cliff, then her phone(which had been dropped one too many times)went off and she checked it. It was from Milo, he must of sent it a few minutes ago.
"Yoo bro its Skoda the van isnt from avatar lol. uhh weve got a bit of a problem though hope youve got some room in your garage <3"
Skylar read it over and laughed at the first part, she knew nothing of cars since she consumed nearly all her time in music, but frowned at the last part. She looked over the familiar car, then to her suitcase, and then to her drums.
"Well I do have room in my garage and my mom never goes in there, it's full of my dads old stuff, so it should be safe. Umm may I ask why? Whatcha two thinking?" She replied out loud. Just then a thought overcame her.
"Oh and um guys, I'd like to say we have all the time in the world, but I kinda didn't tell my mom I'm going on this tour, she thinks I'm going to go tour the community college so we may what to hurry, something tells me she won't be too happy about all this if she sees it."
Skylar let out another long sigh and decided to have another smoke. She took out her half empty pack and offered it around before lighting up and taking a long draw. This was a challenge, too much of a challenge for this early in the morning, and if it's outcome was anything like AP Geometry, then she'd fail it.
"Guys do me a favor, make sure you leave your ciggie butts all over my moms yard, she hates that, hates smokers, reminds her of my dad." Smiled Skylar calming down a bit. She had inherited her mother's love for sleep and her mother wouldn't get up on a weekend unless Erica needed something so that gave them some time. She peered in the car and then something else griped her, she was claustrophobic. It's okay Sky you can do this, you got this, hey at least the cars vintage, that's a plus She thought to her self suddenly on edge again. She'd make it work, she'd make it all work.
"Come on guys," She called over her shoulder walking throws her suit case. "Let's get this over with."
"Yoo bro its Skoda the van isnt from avatar lol. uhh weve got a bit of a problem though hope youve got some room in your garage <3"
Skylar read it over and laughed at the first part, she knew nothing of cars since she consumed nearly all her time in music, but frowned at the last part. She looked over the familiar car, then to her suitcase, and then to her drums.
"Well I do have room in my garage and my mom never goes in there, it's full of my dads old stuff, so it should be safe. Umm may I ask why? Whatcha two thinking?" She replied out loud. Just then a thought overcame her.
"Oh and um guys, I'd like to say we have all the time in the world, but I kinda didn't tell my mom I'm going on this tour, she thinks I'm going to go tour the community college so we may what to hurry, something tells me she won't be too happy about all this if she sees it."
Skylar let out another long sigh and decided to have another smoke. She took out her half empty pack and offered it around before lighting up and taking a long draw. This was a challenge, too much of a challenge for this early in the morning, and if it's outcome was anything like AP Geometry, then she'd fail it.
"Guys do me a favor, make sure you leave your ciggie butts all over my moms yard, she hates that, hates smokers, reminds her of my dad." Smiled Skylar calming down a bit. She had inherited her mother's love for sleep and her mother wouldn't get up on a weekend unless Erica needed something so that gave them some time. She peered in the car and then something else griped her, she was claustrophobic. It's okay Sky you can do this, you got this, hey at least the cars vintage, that's a plus She thought to her self suddenly on edge again. She'd make it work, she'd make it all work.
"Come on guys," She called over her shoulder walking throws her suit case. "Let's get this over with."
Skylar watched as Milo loaded the back seats out by himself and jumped to action when he asked, "Sky can yeh open up the garage then either of you help me get this in there."
"Sure thing!" She replied, bolting for her garage and opening the door. She hurried back and helped Milo carry the seats up her driveway.
"Sorry about all of this, if I didn't have my cases my drums would be much more lighter and take much less space, but I've heard horror stories of what can happen to an un protected drum set." Skylar explained as they made it in the garage. She helped Milo set it down under the stairs that lead to a storage loft and draped a old tarp over it, that way when Erica and her little friends wanted to play club house they wouldn't find the seats.
"Think I should leave a note or just leave?" She wondered making sure everything was perfect and closing the garage door. "I mean does anyone else's folks not know where they're going?"
Skylar was beginning to wonder if her mother would even care that she left. She'd be kicked out for sure if she ever tried to come back, it was a run and never look back sort of thing. Still, she hoped that maybe her mother would call and actually be genuinely concerned for her well being. And maybe not kick her out when she returned and burn all her possession she left behind. But she knew chances of this were probably slim. And she was going to do this no matter what.
"Oh and just wondering, who are we planning on picking up next?"
"Sure thing!" She replied, bolting for her garage and opening the door. She hurried back and helped Milo carry the seats up her driveway.
"Sorry about all of this, if I didn't have my cases my drums would be much more lighter and take much less space, but I've heard horror stories of what can happen to an un protected drum set." Skylar explained as they made it in the garage. She helped Milo set it down under the stairs that lead to a storage loft and draped a old tarp over it, that way when Erica and her little friends wanted to play club house they wouldn't find the seats.
"Think I should leave a note or just leave?" She wondered making sure everything was perfect and closing the garage door. "I mean does anyone else's folks not know where they're going?"
Skylar was beginning to wonder if her mother would even care that she left. She'd be kicked out for sure if she ever tried to come back, it was a run and never look back sort of thing. Still, she hoped that maybe her mother would call and actually be genuinely concerned for her well being. And maybe not kick her out when she returned and burn all her possession she left behind. But she knew chances of this were probably slim. And she was going to do this no matter what.
"Oh and just wondering, who are we planning on picking up next?"
Tansy sighed as she waited for her friends to pick her up. She thought it was taking them quite a bit longer than usual to get their but then again Milo was picking up everyone and they were all kind of scattered. She rested her key board on her lap, her legs crossed at the ankles, turning it on she began to mess around on it. She was always coming up with new beats and ways to make them sound more and more like they were falling down the rabbit hole or having a rave party in wonderland.
She loved their 70s inspired psychedelic sound, it was definitely different from today’s fluffy pop culture. But, she honestly could care less if they sound like Justin Beiber as long as she got to play her thing. She tapped on a few keys before deciding to text Halen.
“Hey Babe, they pick you up yet?” she asked
At first everyone had been kind of weirder out at the fact that Tansy called everyone Babe or Baby or Love, but that was just who she was and eventually they had gotten used to it.
Cliff couldn't help but grin slightly as Milo made his signature, goofy smile. His brow furrowed in confusion, however, at the comment Milo made. Oh shit, this could not be good. Before he knew it, Miley Cyrus's voice was filling the car. Emitting a loud, dramatic groan, Cliff rolled his eyes.
"Really, Milo? Really?" he asked. Cliff took a drag from his cigarette slowly and the breathed the smoke out toward the window, which he cranked open for that purpose. He got one more drag out of the cigarette and then tossed it while Milo went on and on about the singer. "Yeah, she's pretty attractive. But I don't really bother to watch her music videos because, y'know, it's not really my forte. He glanced over boredly as Milo phone vibrated. "You shouldn't text and drive, kid. An old band mate of mine nearly died because of that." He didn't like to patronize. In fact, Cliff would have rather kept his mouth shut. But, his band meant a lot to him and he didn't want to see any of them get hurt, especially just before their biggest tour.
"Arlo Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's son..." Milo began again, continuing the earlier argument about the music in the car.
"It's not that I don't like him. I'm just not fond of his music," he replied. "I respect Guthrie, don't get me wrong, but I'd certainly rather listen to Cobain or even the Beatles than this." Their music taste was quite different and it usually accounted for a few good debates. Yet, Cliff wasn't prepared to bash his preferences. He might not approve of the music, but if Milo liked it, he would just have to live with it.
As they drove into Sky's neighborhood, Cliff slowly sat up to look a little less intimidating or anti-social. Subconsciously, he gripped the handle on the door as Milo weaved in and out uncontrollably. "Maybe you want to, I don't know, slow down, Milo?" he suggested again, looking over at the younger male with his brow slightly creased. I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, he thought fevrently, lighting up another cigarette to ease his nerves. They turned into the driveway of Sky's home as she started waving at them.
"Hey guys! Good morning, Milo and Cliff!" she cried cheerfully. Cliff smiled crookedly in his usual way and waved his free hand as the other held his cigarette. "Hey there, Sky." He stepped out of the car for a moment and hugged Sky back as she threw her arms around him in her over-excited way.
Cliff denied the pack politely as Sky offered it, gesturing to the smoke in between his calloused fingers. He laughed at Sky's request but, nevertheless, flicked his smoke on to the yard of her house. Cliff started toward her drums, thinking to help her, but then he decided he wouldn't want someone to touch his instruments and he didn't want to have the worry of dropping something on his shoulders. Instead, he retreated into the car again and sat there for a while, trying to ignore Miley Cyrus's voice that rang through the car. At the comment about everyone's folks knowing or not knowing where they were going.
"Well, I haven't spoken with my folks in years," he replied. "I don't think they care, either way." The lot left soon after, on their way to Halen's house. As they parked in the driveway, Cliff decided to get out again and follow Milo to the front door, hand shoved into his hoodie's pockets. Slowly, the guitarist rocked on his heels and looked around slowly.
Skylar smiled at Cliff comment about his parents, she was thankful she wasn't the only one with parents who didn't approve of her life choices. She admired Cliff, always had since she joined the band, he was older and seemed to have a sort of final say on things or that's how Skylar saw it. He was a bit like a role model to Skylar and she did have a bit in common with him. As they drove in the sound of pop music Skylar opened her mouth to say something, but Milo beat her to it by turning on something else.
"Yeah Halen's house is closer." She added before glancing out the window and watching the scenery fly by. The excitement of fleeing home and going away on a tour had hit her and she was getting rather excited. When they approached Halen's house Milo offered to go fetch the band's singer be himself but Skylar went out and followed Cliff and Milo to Halen's doorstep.
Skylar liked Halen, they shared a favorite band and she liked anyone who could dig the Beatles like she could. If you could appreciate the old stuff, you were awesome and a friend, but if you loved it like she did, then you were amazing in Skylar's eyes. Also she knew the singer would probably be the one to let her do a oldie or two when they were preforming. She messed around with her curly hair which was still a bit wet from her shower and was beginning to frizz at the ends a little. Skylar couldn't stand frizzy hair and couldn't stop messing with it when she though it was frizzy.
Being preoccupied with her hair she didn't noticed the wasp that had flew on her hat but when she did catch sight of the insect she yet out a scream and started flipping out, like she did whenever a bug dared to get too close to her. In her little crazy moment she ended up getting stung by the wasp before stepping on it.
"Oh Fuck!" Skylar shouted a little too loud as some lady's who'd been walking by talking turned and gave her a dirty look. "I got stung by that fucking wasp! You could have helped!" She was frustrated and now her arm stung which didn't help her mood at all. Skylar sighed to herself, she knew she was going to be the difficult on, the one always in the way and messing up stuff.
"Yeah Halen's house is closer." She added before glancing out the window and watching the scenery fly by. The excitement of fleeing home and going away on a tour had hit her and she was getting rather excited. When they approached Halen's house Milo offered to go fetch the band's singer be himself but Skylar went out and followed Cliff and Milo to Halen's doorstep.
Skylar liked Halen, they shared a favorite band and she liked anyone who could dig the Beatles like she could. If you could appreciate the old stuff, you were awesome and a friend, but if you loved it like she did, then you were amazing in Skylar's eyes. Also she knew the singer would probably be the one to let her do a oldie or two when they were preforming. She messed around with her curly hair which was still a bit wet from her shower and was beginning to frizz at the ends a little. Skylar couldn't stand frizzy hair and couldn't stop messing with it when she though it was frizzy.
Being preoccupied with her hair she didn't noticed the wasp that had flew on her hat but when she did catch sight of the insect she yet out a scream and started flipping out, like she did whenever a bug dared to get too close to her. In her little crazy moment she ended up getting stung by the wasp before stepping on it.
"Oh Fuck!" Skylar shouted a little too loud as some lady's who'd been walking by talking turned and gave her a dirty look. "I got stung by that fucking wasp! You could have helped!" She was frustrated and now her arm stung which didn't help her mood at all. Skylar sighed to herself, she knew she was going to be the difficult on, the one always in the way and messing up stuff.
Milo's usual smile of crooked teeth was spread over his face when Halen opened the door, but then disappeared when the yelling appeared. "Shit shit shit" he muttered, while Sky yelled at a passerby, "You okay?" asking Sky, he leaned over her, probably ignoring her personal space a bit. He really wasn't that much taller than her, especially in comparison to Cliff. "Maybe your arm's going to fall off and you'll never be able play drums again" he mumbled, his smile coming back. After his comment he felt slightly like a father making jokes at their child's expense, even though Milo was in no kind of way a fatherly figure. Most of the band was older than him, anyway. Sky looked fine, just in a bit of pain. "Uh, as long as you're not allergic you'll be fine" He said to sky as he walked away, patting her on the shoulder as he passed to follow Halen.
"Yeah" Milo said, mainly to himself, "yeah! help" he said, looking up and flashing his teeth at Halen. He set the guitars down next to his bass, all going upright. "Two guitars eh? We don't even have acoustic songs" he said, standing back for a second, then leaned on Halen. He was unbalanced leaning on his slightly taller friend, only their shoulders touched. He set up the back of the van where all the guitars would sit upright, and eventually Lux's synthesizer. Milo's bass was the longest of the cases, and the only one to touch both sides of the van. He pushed Halen's guitars more to the left, leaning space on the right for suitcases. In front of the guitars were Sky's drums, bass drum upright, toms sitting how they would normally sit, same with the snare, with the cymbals and stands laid over them. There was enough room left for Lux's synthesizer and her suitcase, but barely.
"God! you guys are like fucking rockstars or something with all this shit you're bringing" He said, thinking about the nearly empty duffel bag and backpack he brought. He always had the backpack on him anyways. It was filled with the random odds and ends he always had, a notebook for ideas (not always music related), pens, pencils, lighters, whatever book he'd been reading, a hat, and whatever else he felt like bringing. The duffel bag literally only had t-shirts (of the band variety, Tool, Sublime, the Pixies, Neutral Milk Hotel, and more, all of them in black or white), underwear and a beanie.
He hopped back into the driver side seat of his car "We're not even late!" he said, moving his rear view mirror slightly. Before pulling out of the driveway, he changed the song on his ipod. King Krule this time, the thing about Krule was that his discography was short, he was just a young-ish kind from London, and didn't have time to build it all up. The song playing however, was one of Milo's favorite of all time, and he was amazed someone only a bit older than him could write it.
"Someone text our lady Lux please. I think we'll pick her up, then we'll go somewhere for lunch then sit down somewhere for a few hours and plan out our entire fucking tour, then head over to metaphor" he said, back on the road. He drove to his friend's house quickly. He, like at all the houses before, jumped out of the car quickly and went to fetch his bandmate.
"Yeah" Milo said, mainly to himself, "yeah! help" he said, looking up and flashing his teeth at Halen. He set the guitars down next to his bass, all going upright. "Two guitars eh? We don't even have acoustic songs" he said, standing back for a second, then leaned on Halen. He was unbalanced leaning on his slightly taller friend, only their shoulders touched. He set up the back of the van where all the guitars would sit upright, and eventually Lux's synthesizer. Milo's bass was the longest of the cases, and the only one to touch both sides of the van. He pushed Halen's guitars more to the left, leaning space on the right for suitcases. In front of the guitars were Sky's drums, bass drum upright, toms sitting how they would normally sit, same with the snare, with the cymbals and stands laid over them. There was enough room left for Lux's synthesizer and her suitcase, but barely.
"God! you guys are like fucking rockstars or something with all this shit you're bringing" He said, thinking about the nearly empty duffel bag and backpack he brought. He always had the backpack on him anyways. It was filled with the random odds and ends he always had, a notebook for ideas (not always music related), pens, pencils, lighters, whatever book he'd been reading, a hat, and whatever else he felt like bringing. The duffel bag literally only had t-shirts (of the band variety, Tool, Sublime, the Pixies, Neutral Milk Hotel, and more, all of them in black or white), underwear and a beanie.
He hopped back into the driver side seat of his car "We're not even late!" he said, moving his rear view mirror slightly. Before pulling out of the driveway, he changed the song on his ipod. King Krule this time, the thing about Krule was that his discography was short, he was just a young-ish kind from London, and didn't have time to build it all up. The song playing however, was one of Milo's favorite of all time, and he was amazed someone only a bit older than him could write it.
"Someone text our lady Lux please. I think we'll pick her up, then we'll go somewhere for lunch then sit down somewhere for a few hours and plan out our entire fucking tour, then head over to metaphor" he said, back on the road. He drove to his friend's house quickly. He, like at all the houses before, jumped out of the car quickly and went to fetch his bandmate.
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