Wrap Your Arms Around Me [Oliver Sykes]

Torn Between Ripping Him To Pieces And Keeping Him Around.

I’m nervous. I mean, who wouldn’t be? It’s time for my first show at the Vans Warped Tour. This is a bit of a big deal. I peak around from backstage and smile when I see all the fans gathered to see us. The space looks much smaller than it did last night, but then it had been just me and Oli down there. Now there are a lot of people out there, and they’re all here for me. Well, me and my band…you know what I mean.

“You ready?” Andy asks, appearing at my side. Everything is already set up and we’re waiting for the guy with the impressive headpiece and clipboard to give us the okay to go ahead and begin performing. All the fans are already cheering and yelling our names.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, chewing on my bottom lip. Andy puts a hand on my shoulder and I turn to face him. His brown hair is cut short and his brown eyes search my own. He’s worried about me.

“I know it’s not my place, but just forget about whatever happened last night, okay?” Andy says. “Right now none of that matters. Let’s just go out there and give our fans the show of their lives.”

“This is why we’re best friends,” I laugh and throw my arms around Andy, pulling him close in a big bear hug. Andy pats my back and then we wait patiently for the guy to nod. Kylie and Starr appear to my right and they’re both fiddling with their guitar and bass. I grab my guitar – yes, I sing and play lead guitar…jealous? – and sling the strap over my shoulder. I let my fingers fall on the strings and I take a deep breath as the guy nods his head at us. I run on stage with my band and grab the microphone, smiling at everyone in the audience. I wait for the screaming to die down a little bit before I let my trademark smirk sneak its way onto my face. “You guys ready to rock?”

“Hannah I fucking love you!” Some guy down in the front row screams over all the yelling fans who are chanting our name. I wink down at him and he smiles like an idiot.

“This first song is a personal favorite of mine,” I smile, looking down and then back up at the audience flirtatiously. “It’s called, Games.”

The crowd erupts again in chants and screams. I let myself slip away with Andy’s drum beat and get lost in the music, forgetting about Oli and everything around me. If I had been asked where I was, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. I wasn’t at Warped anymore. I wasn’t on stage, performing in front of hundreds of people. I was in my happy place, or what Andy calls my “zone”. When I’m there, I can do anything.

A sweaty, scream-filled half-hour later, the guy with the headpiece is giving us the signal that our set is over. I say goodbye to the fans and send a few air kisses in their general direction before skipping off stage. I feel on top of the world, like I could do anything right now. I could probably just jump up and I’d keep going all the way to the moon.

All of my elated feelings and smiles come crashing down when I see Oli standing at the bottom of the stage steps, smoking a cigarette. He’s talking to Jona, his back to me. Andy appears next to me and I can picture him smirking knowingly as he leans across the railing, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You sure nothing happened last night?” He asks.

“Yes, I’m sure nothing happened,” I huff. “Why do you think something did?”

“Because you have that look on your face,” He says simply. “You’re torn between ripping him to pieces and keeping him around longer, for what reason this time I have no idea.”

“So not true,” I avert my gaze and look at the floor, chewing on my bottom lip. Andy knows me so well it’s scary sometimes.

“Okay then,” Andy says. “If nothing happened, go down there and say hi to him. We’re walking that way anyway.”

“Fine,” I stick my tongue out at him childishly before turning and beginning my descent down the stairs. When I make it towards the bottom I open my mouth to talk to Oli, but he turns and walks right past me with Jona, up the steps of the stage. I turn around and stare after his retreating back, mouth agape. I had obviously been trying to say something, and he just marched right past me without even looking in my direction.

“So, you gonna tell me what happened last night or what?” Andy asks. I sigh and link my arm with his, the two of us beginning to walk to the tent where we’re going to be signing stuff for fans until BMTH is done and we switch spots at the table. I sit down at the front with Andy following me, Kylie next to him, and Starr at the end. We’re handed sharpies by our tour manager, Tommy, and the fans begin lining up.

“Well, you know how I took my walk last night?” I ask. Andy nods. I sigh and smile at the first fan, a boy of about my age with black choppy hair.

“Can you marry me?” He asks. I smile.

“Sure,” I laugh. “Spring or summer wedding?”

“Summer,” He seems taken aback by my question. I sign his poster and bat my eyelashes up at him.

“Garden or beach?”

“Beach.”

“See you then,” I laugh and he looks as if he’s ready to pass out.

“Will you stop doing that?” Andy asks, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “You promised to marry me first, remember.”

“Andy, we were, like, ten,” I laugh. “Besides, I’m engaged to like…”

“A lot of guys,” Andy laughs and I roll my eyes at him, signing a young girl’s picture. She smiles shyly down at me and I smile back up at her. She’s about fourteen, maybe fifteen. Her shirt is the first TDDWP shirts we had made available for purchase. I love seeing those shirts – it lets me know who’s been there for my band since the beginning. “Anyways, so what happened while you were out walking?”

“I went to the venue,” I pause to take a picture with a sixteen year old boy who tells me I’m the love of his life. “And I was just lying in the middle of the crowd area, staring at the stars. And Oli appears out of nowhere.”

“This isn’t going to end well,” Andy laughs. I laugh too and hug another fan, put my name on another piece of paper, interacting excitedly with the people who look up to me.

“Anyways, so he shows up and-” Pause for a picture. “He tells me he’s in love with me, and then he leaves.”

“For real?” Andy turns to face me, eyes wide.

“Yeah, for real,” I snort. “I think he’s just playing games with me or something.”

“I have been telling you that he still digs you since he left,” Andy rolls his eyes. “Why can’t you just accept the fact that maybe someone genuinely cares about and loves you?”

“I…” I can’t finish my sentence. Andy said something that I’ve been thinking for years. It’s no secret that I’m a flirt; I mean my career is pretty much based off it. I flirt with fans, other musicians…I’m known as the rock version of Taylor Swift actually…but that’s because flirting gives me control. I have the power. Feelings take away power, so I tend to run from commitment.

Is that why I’m running from Oli? I mean, I don’t have feelings for him, but if I did, would I be running then too? I’m just confused right now, but if I was 100% sure of my feelings, would I still be in this position?

Curse Andy and his tendency to be like a walking fortune cookie, always making sense and calling me out when I’m being childish and shit. I need a new best friend.

“Besides,” Andy chuckles. “It’s not like you had sex or lost your virginity to him or something. If you did something like that and told him you had feelings for him…poor guy. You would have screwed with his head so bad if that happened.”

“Andy?” I gulp and take a deep breath.

“Yeah?” Andy turns to face me and I sigh, chewing on my bottom lip.

“I did.”

Hey guys, so I’m sorry I have to do this, but I won’t be updating the next chapter until I get at least 3 votes and 3 comments on this chapter. Okay? I hate to do this because it seems like I’m forcing you to do stuff, but i'd really love to know what you guys think/if you like the story so far. Spanks <3