Rebel Love Song

8: Of Course, HOney

*blade ^^*
All five members of Black Veil Brides stand there, staring at me strangely. Honestly, I don't get their looks. Did I do something? Wait, I get it now, they think I'm stalking them. I hold my hands up in defense.

"Nonononononononono, I'm not stalking you, if that is what you are all thinking. I just used to go to the Festival with my family, before--" I cut myself off and hold my breath as their eyes light up with curiosity. The only sound is the music forcing our veins to pump our blood to its beat, and everyone else's cheers and hollers and chattering. I give a weak smile before hanging my head and turning away, using my hands to feel and shove people out of my way.

I can vaguely hear people shouting my name, but with all the ruckus, I can't be sure, because it sounds like a faint whisper. I find Jada and Mom together, sitting at the bar with their drinks: Mom, a whiskey, and Jada, a alcohol-free Shirlee Temple. I run up to mom.

"Please tell me you're sober enough to drive."

"Of course, HOney," Mom slurs, and I take her face in my hands. Her pupils are dilated. I let out a stream of words I'd rather not repeat in the future and reach into her left front pocket for my keys. I take them and set off to find the twins.

But, before I'm out of ear range, I call out to Jada, " Stay here, and keep her in sight." He nods in response. I take off into our previous dance floor and search. I spot Jake and Ashley looking around and stop dead in my tracks. I spin back around in the direction of the bar to see-- and hear-- a drunken CC yelling out my name less than three feet in front of me. Crap! they're looking for me?! I start to go left but stop when i see Andy approaching, his electric blue eyes set on me as he fights the crowds within arms reach, with Jinxx in tow. I turn right immediately and start shoving my way through.

Thank the lord, I finally find the twins. Elijah is dancing with a red-head-- Aspin? yeah, that's her, because Tommy is glaring in their direction. I kind of really want to punch my friend right now. What is it with red-heads? I turn and see Dakota's green hair by the wall. I have to do a second glance in that direction to make sure it's her because of what I see.
She's being pressed up against the wall, being passionately kissed by an identical red-head as the one dancing with Elijah. I find the third child, Jaxon, not far, thankfully though the boy is smart and is standing on a different wall, ignoring the world.
Those triplets really are something. Now, to be clear on the reason I double-checked that it was Dakota making out with Zoey, is because she hasn't really dated anyone in a while, and I didn't think a girl like Zoey is her type. Now, I did know that girls are her type; everyone did. It's one of the reasons my father didn't want me to hang out with her. My dad is heavily homophobic, and it didn't matter if he cared for me or not. At the age of fourteen, he'd locked me in my room for three days without food, and I got my water from my bathroom faucet. It would've gone on as long as I didn't promise to never see or speak to Dakota again. And, sadly, it had worked for a while. For a week and a half, I'd avoided the twins, and everyday I'd come home crying. The silent treatment ended when I'd walked over to my locker, which sadly but conveniently had a clear view of the bathrooms, and saw Elijah, with a somber look on his face, holding a sobbing Dakota outside the girl's restroom. As soon as she'd cried, "is it because I'm gay?" I'd burst into tears and ran over to them. It was if they'd sensed coming, because as soon as I had reached them, they'd pulled me into the center of their embrace, whispering apologies that I had whispered back. It was kind of hard, having to lie to my dad to hang out with them, and it was always a different excuse every week. Eventually, my dad became suspicious, and the beatings got worse, but that was after a year. At fifteen, I'd snuck Mom the documents to start work. I'd copied them three times , to give to the three jobs I'd applied for. When I told my dad I got a job, he just stared at me, slapped me, and called over his shoulder as he walked away, "don't screw up." Thankfully though, I was done making up excuses every week, because then everyday, I was working with my best friends, and I still am.
When someone's hand falls onto my shoulder , I let out a shriek and throw a cheerleading jump. Yeah, cheer leading, for two-- no three--years: four to seven. I blame daddy dearest. The person yells in my ear, but comes out like a normal tone because of the music, "Blade! Blade! Blade! God, Bladen! It's me! Elijah!" I lick the hand he had clamped over my mouth, like I had done with Jada. He lets me go.
"What the H-E-double hockey sticks?!" I scream. I've honestly never liked saying hell, it's a bit too religious for me, and I stopped believing in any type of religion when my dad started hitting me. That said, I still swear in a lot of religious ways.
Elijah wipes his hand on his jeans, a bit too long to be honest. Ever the drama queen. Oh, and yes, my full first name is Bladen, but everyone calls me Blade.

"You weren't answering me or Dakota!" he yells, fighting the music for dominance to be the sound that fills my ears.

"Dakota?!" I yell back. I feel a small tap on my opposite shoulder from the last time and turn. Dakota is grinning from ear to ear, and yells, " Hi!!!"

I smirk and respond, "Having fun?"

She smiles dreamily, obviously not getting it. "Yeah, actually, I'm having a blast!" I have to bite my fist to contain my laughter. I glance at Elijah to see him holding a beer, watching me with curiosity. Where he got the beer, I don't know.

"Are you gonna get some tonight?!" I call out to her, making her snap back into reality and stare at me wide eyed, completely tomato red while Elijah is now choking on the beer. I laugh and clap him on the back a few times, until he is able to breath again, before grabbing Dakota by the hands, screaming, "I'm so happy for you! that took forever! I was starting to see the Zakota struggle!" when I remember the urgency to leave, because I spot Andy and Jinxx coming in from behind Dakota, CC from the right, and the bassist and the melodic guitarist from the left. I drop my smile and drop one of Dakota's hands, only to grab one of the wheezing Elijah's, who had been resting both of them on his knees like he'd just ran a mile in gym class.

I drag them to the bar where Jada and Mom were waiting and yell at my older brother, "Take her hand and follow me!" he nods and takes our mother by the hand, connecting his free one with Dakota's. I whisper, well, more like yell, to Elijah, "Take us to my car!" He doesn't show any sign of acknowledgment, he just starts walking, which is a big enough sign for me.
" Hun, wake up," I hear my mom call, like she would whenever Dad or Mason would beat me to unconsciousness, that is, if Dad hadn't beaten her to it first. I panic, thinking that yesterday was all a dream. I pry my eyes open to find myself in Dakota's room. I only know that instantly because the walls are decorated identically to hers: Marilyn Manson, Falling in Reverse, Sleeping with Sirens, Black Veil Brides, Black Sabbath, The Relapse Symphony, Fall Out Boy, Tracey Bonham. And so many more band posters pinned to them.
In fact, there are so many posters are pinned to her walls, there isn't an ounce of wall paper being shown. I continue to look around the room, until my eyes land on my mom, who is at the bedside.
"Mom? How did I--"
"Elijah carried us in here, with Jada. He spent the night too." She points at Dakota's black leather couch, that has a sprawled out Jada on it. "Kristen had the keys to his dodge, so she took the rest of your crew home." I nod, and look at the time.
"Oh, Mother of God," I start, staring at Dakota's BVB alarm clock, horrified.
"Wha--?" my mom starts, but she's cut off by my scream, which makes my brother fall off the couch and spring up in a karate stance. Elijah comes in with a baseball bat right as I throw Dakota's alarm clock to the floor by his feet. Within seconds, he's smashed it to bits. While he was smashing, Dakota ran in, with two frying pans in hand. What is it with these people and their reflexes? She lowers the pans while watching her twin smash her precious clock to bacon bits. When Elijah's done, he just stares at the remains.
"Was that an alarm clock?" He asks stupidly and I nod, screeching, "I'm late! I'm late I'm late I'm late!" Over and over again. Dakota is still staring at the crushed clock. "Did you just...?" She trails off in Elijah's direction, who responds really really dumbly, if I must say.
"Yup. Peace is restored," Elijah shrugs off, walking back out of the doorframe, bat dragging on the ground. Dakota's hands tighten around the frying pans and she mutters something pretty insulting about peace.
Like, seriously, what did peace ever do to her? I mean, it didn't help her alarm clock any, but yeah!
She slowly walks out of the doorway, and seconds later, the silence is interrupted by a female battle cry, and a very feminine but obviously male scream. Mom looks at me in terror. I just shrug and say, "I don't care. I'm gonna be late. "