Guardian (A TBP Fanfic)

Driving

        "Nice to meet you! Where are you from?" She smiled. "I'm from a small city outside Nashville." I said with a smile. "That's awesome! Well, you're in our small city." She laughed. I smiled and Kacey gestured inside. "Put that thang away! You're gonna scare her!" Kacey said to Kelly. "It's all good. I don't mind guns, but I mostly do target practice." I said with a big smile. Kacey had a weird smile on her face. "Kace, no." Kelly groaned. It might not be the best thing to shoot after almost getting shot, but it might help me.

        "Let's do some target practice then we'll talk." I smiled, "Alright." She lead me to a little shed in the back. She opened it with a pink key shaped like a pistol hanging off her car keys. She unlocked the door and I walked in. It was a tiny shooting range! It had little lights. The shed opened up to the backyard, targets zigzagged in the distance. "I designed it myself. Take your pick!" She said, throwing me the keys. I caught them and opened the gun cabniet to the right of me. It was full of small-calliber guns. I picked a pistol.

        "Good choice! I win, we visit Miranda right now, you win, we can eat dinner and hang for a bit, and cake." She said, narrowing her eyes. "You're on!" I shouted. I went first. I closed one eye and held it single handedly. "It's better to hold it with two hands." I smiled, turning around, "I like to do it this way first. Thanks though!" I said. "Firing!" I said, turning back around.

        I shot the bullseye three times and missed by a bit on the others. I turned around to see Kacey with her mouth hanging open. "Uh.... I'd better start cooking! Sheesh!" She laughed. She took aim and hit the bullseye once.

        I just smiled at her. We ran up to the house and she started cooking. She had a little bar with cute fringe barstools, I sat down. My phone buzzed and I got a text from Kimberly: Please be safe. And tell me if there's a problem. Love ya -KP.

        I smiled at the message and replied: Kacey and I have been talking, and we are eating dinner and she is taking me by Lindale on the way back. I will call when I'm headed your way. Love ya too, big sis! -Grace.

        I smiled, Kimberly was like another big sister to me! "Can you pour the sauce?" Kacey asked me, I jumped. "Sure! Sorry! Kimberly just texted me!" I smiled. Running over to the counter, I undid the spaghetti sauce and poured it on top of the pasta while she stirred.

        "I swear, she acts like your mom!" Kacey laughed. "Yeah, but it doesn't bother me. I'm just glad she has my back." I smiled, Kacey nodded. "Almost ready!" Kacey called through the house. Kelly came walking into the kitchen.

        My phone buzzed and I looked down. Kimberly had texted me a smiley face! I quickly texted one back. "Alright. We can eat in here at my small table." Kacey laughed. I followed both of them into a bright room with a powder blue dining roomish table.

        We all sat down on the pink painted chairs. "Alright. Let me go get drinks. Grace? What would you like?" Kelly asked me. "Umm just water. Thanks so much!" I called.

        Kelly disappeared into the kitchen. "So." Kacey said. We both sat still, waiting for Kelly. "So." I replied. "How are you feeling?" Kacey asked me. Sitting there, I had a bunch of thoughts come into my head. How did I feel?

        "I feel a bit better that he's locked away, but sad that we all had to miss the concert." I said, looking into my lap. "It's probably better this way. You're shaken and The Band Perry isn't really The Band Perry without Reid!" Kacey comforted me. "Thanks. I just don't know what to do about Miranda." I said, not looking at Kacey. 

        "She'll be okay. I know where she probably is, just to blow off some steam. I'm going to take you to talk to her, and clear things up." Kacey said, all of us were done eating so I helped her clean up. All three of us washed our plates and put them up. "Alright, so I guess we're gonna head out. Kelly, do you want to be dropped off somewhere?" Kacey asked. "Nah, I think I'll just stay here or drive home. Thanks! And Grace, it was so nice to meet you!" She gave me a hug. 

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        I walked up to the bar with Kacey in silence. She pushed open the door and we walked in, my boots hitting the hardwood with loud steps. There was a lot of yelling going on in a back room! Kacey and I exchanged a look and she lead me to the back room. 

        Miranda was standing in the middle of the room, having an argument with a man that was waaay bigger than her! They were having a screaming match! "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Miranda yelled, sounding kind of drunk. Crap.... Before I knew it, he had swung at her! She dodged it. I looked over at Kacey and she looked kind of pissed. 

        She walked forward and tapped the guy on the shoulder, he swung backwards, narrowly avoiding Kacey. "Hey, bud! Stop messing with her." Kacey yelled at him. I walked over and looked at him, square in the face. "Let's settle this. Darts. You and me, if I win, she buys drinks for the whole bar, if I win, she gets to order whatver she wants." I snarled at him. He laughed in my face, "Aww the girl attacked by cats wants to challenge me? How cute!" All of his drunken buddies laughed, I punched his arm.

        I smiled at him, "Aww you think that's cute huh?" I asked, looking at him. "Yeah, what are you, like 12?" He laughed at me. "Actually 19, but good guess." I said, tipping over his drink. "Kacey, take Miranda and run." I said out of the side of my mouth. 

        He turned bright red and yelled, "You're on!" He grabbed the darts and threw them into my hand. "You're first." He told me. I smiled and threw the dart, barely missing the outside of the board. All of his buddies roared with laughter. "I was just getting warmed up." I said, I ran back and grabbed the dart. "Now we start." I said. "Oh haha, very funny, just getting warm..." His mouth fell open, I had made a bullseye! 

        I smiled before leaning on the counter, waiting for his turn. He got it completely off the board and into the wall. I laughed slightly. I ended up winning the game, a good 60 points more than he had. I smiled at him, he took a swing, but I dodged. He ended up paying for everyone's drinks. Miranda was sitting in the corner, looking at me. I Kacey came and grabbed her drink. I smiled at the man and we left, draggin Miranda out the door. 

        "Sorry." She started saying a million times, she was kind of drunk, which made me feel awful for her. Usually, she was pretty mean or funny when drunk, but now she was just sad. "Let's take you home." Kacey told Miranda. Miranda didn't say anything back, but walked toward the car. Kacey had both of us sit in the back.

        "Kimberly's really worried about both of you." Kacey told us, glancing at us via the rearview. I nodded, not really knowing what to say, Miranda was silent. I saw tears going down her cheeks and turned to her. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I feel really awful." I said honestly. "N..no. It's okay, I started it, I shouldn't of yelled at Kimberly like that." She said, putting her face in her hands. "C..can y'all take me to Dallas? I wanna talk to Kimberly." Miranda said sheepishly. 

        "Of course." Kacey said, I could see her smile in the rearview. 

        We pulled up to the small hotel, they had decided to stop at a hotel, parking the busses in the back. I helped Miranda get out and helped her inside. Kacey went to the front desk and talked to the lady. She grabbed a roomkey and all of us went upstairs. 

        I called Kimberly, she sounded like she was about to cry! We ended up in the room next to her, she was staying alone, her brothers and their bandmates were in the connecting room. I knocked on Kimberly's door and she opened it, her eyes widening when she saw Miranda. 

        "I'm so sorry!"Miranda gasped, hugging Kimberly. "It's alright. I forgive you." She smiled, hugging her back. Kimberly hugged Miranda for a while and turned to me. "Are you okay? WHat happened?" There was a floodgate that opened, full of questions. "I'm fine." I said, giving her a hug. "I'm glad, but why do you smell like a bar...?" I pulled back and blushed. "Well... We almost got in a bar fight.... but I stopped it." I said. Kimberly pulled all three of us into a hug. The door opened and Neil strolled in. 

        "Well, hello." I said with a smile. "Hello, my lady." He said in an awful british accent. I started laughing! 

        All of us talked for a good while, and then Kacey and Miranda went to their rooms, Florida Georiga to theirs, and Neil to his. Reid was already asleep.