outside

chapter 13

"What is it?" Van asked, referring to the apparent "bad news" that Bondy had.

"Well, as you know, we've gotta finish the tour, lad, and we've gotta leave tonight for the next city. We've still got another three weeks here in the states and then we're back off to the U.K. for a month before we get a break so..." Bondy sighed, pulling Maddie closer to him. My heart sunk a bit. I wouldn't see Van or the rest of the boys for almost two months?

"Oh..." Van replied, his perky attitude almost immediately diminishing.

"The girls could just come with us for the rest of the U.S. tour, though, couldn't you?" Van asked hopefully, turning towards me. I shook my head.

"My brother's here, though. I can't just leave him in his state. Plus, I have work. I just started a new job, I can't just let that slip through my fingers." I sighed. It pained me to say this but it was the truth.

"Right, right. Yeah.." Van said, brushing it off like it was nothing and turning his back to tend to his tea kettle. That stung a little bit.

I was going to miss Van a lot, especially now since I had started to develop feelings toward him that were actually real and not just he's-the-lead-singer-of-my-favorite-band-and-I-love-him-because-of-that feelings. I thought he had felt something too because of how close we had become in the last few days, but I guess not. Who was I kidding? He was in a band, and was becoming more and more famous any day. He was just being nice to me because Maddie and I needed somewhere to stay. Also, he had just said this morning that he was glad that we were friends.

Friends.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"Well, we've still got one last day together. Let's make it count." Bob perked up from the hallway across the room that connected the kitchen to the living area. I smiled a bit, thankful for his positivity.

"Yeah, good idea, lid. What should we do, you lot?" Benji asked, hopping up to take a seat next to Larry who was sitting on top of the kitchen counter.

Immediately, the Kansas City Aquarium came to mind. I had always wanted to go there ever since I found out Jackson had moved here for college and I hadn't gotten around to it. Today was the perfect day to go.

"How about the aquarium?" I asked, gazing hopefully around the room.

"Of course you'd choose that." Maddie teased. I blushed and looked down at my bare feet. The black nail polish was beginning to chip from my toes. "She aspires to be a marine biologist, she's absolutely obsessed with sea life." She further explained to everyone who nodded their heads thoughtfully.

"I think that'd be ace." Bob said, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the room. I picked my head up and grinned.

"Yeah, that's good with me." Van added, pouring his now-ready tea into a mug.

"Isn't there a Legoland attached?" Benji asked. I nodded, I had never cared much for legos. Although my brother was absolutely obsessed with them when he was younger, and I'm pretty sure I still have scars on the bottom of my feet from stepping on them.

"Can we go there? I've always wanted to visit a Legoland!" Larry exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air like a child. Maddie agreed that her and Bondy would join him and Benji asked if he could come along as well.

It looked like Bob, Van, and I were the only ones going to the aquarium.

Lovely.

I made a promise to myself that I would try to stay as far away from Van as possible today, even though I really didn't want to. I knew I'd miss him like crazy, but I didn't want to make the goodbye that was probably for forever even more hard on myself.