Fluorescents

16

" I know, that she knows, that I'm not fond of asking."

The very familiar song plays in the background as I tap my fingertips against the side of the bus. After I obliged to Derek's offer he lead me towards the black van and reintroduced me to everyone in Alex's band, except the man himself who hasn't bothered to show up yet.

" Where the hell is he?" Derek groans, focusing his rage and annoyance on the long haired bandmate I remember as Nick.

" I'm not sure, he said he had to do something before we left." Nick shrugs nonchalantly, as if this behavior from Alex should be something we should have already been aware of. Maybe we should get use to it. He was late arriving to the buses twice and now he's late once again. This is his job though, he should be professional and shouldn't have to rely on his band mates and others to simply just get use to immature behavior.

" I'm going to go get this asshole." Derek groans before shifting his leaning body back on his feet and looking back at me, almost as if he's asking for permission to leave me.

" I'll go with you." I chirp and he smiles lightly before nodding his head ahead of us, towards the buses. We begin to make our way forward towards the bus, our feet making a tapping noise against the pavement as we walk. Neither of us bother to say anything during the small walk so I simply revert my attention down towards my walking feet. For my outfit today I wore thick heeled black boots with a pair of dark mom jeans and a black and white long sleeved crop top. The outfit was simple yet stylish and cute enough for my liking, not to mention I have learned to enjoy and admire the way my boots tap against the floor as I walk. It's an oddly satisfying sound.

Once we get to the bus me and Derek stop at the entrance and he taps his knuckles on the door, lightly at first then more briskly as a short time goes on without a response from anyone inside. Derek groans in his spot before pulling on the handle and attempting to waltz inside but before he can he stops himself and steps back. I watch from my spot behind his strong build as Alex and the bare back of a familiar girl are close to one another and seem to be wrestling back forth with one another. Oops.

Alex reverts his attention towards the door and gazes at Derek with a wide grin before his eyes meet mine and his grin fades almost instantly. The familiar girl turns her head towards the entrance and scrambles for her top that's laying on the floor before putting it on and rushing out of the bus and towards ours without saying a word to either of us. I finally recognize the familiar girl as the blonde haired assistant with the name Amy.

" You could have given us a little while
longer." Alex complains in a teasing tone as he buckles up his pants. Derek's face contorts next to me before he storms off, agitation engulfing his model-like features. Why is he so angry? I understand that he was wasting our time but its his life, he can sleep with whoever he wants to. It's none of our business.

I stay back and watch Alex intently from my spot outside the bus as he finishes buckling his pants and fixing his hair. I'm not exactly sure why but I feel like waiting for him. After he's finished he finally reverts his attention away from himself and gazes ahead of him. His face seems shocked when he sees my figure still standing where it was before but when I open my mouth to speak he beats me to it. " Did Derek bring you over as Amy's replacement?" He asks a smirk implanting his lips. I roll my eyes but don't bother answering him and begin to make my way back towards the van. I should have left the second Derek did. " Hey." He calls after me and I continue to walk, ignoring his repetitive calling and whistling. I'm not a dog, he can't just call after me and expect me to come running back to him.

I continue to ignore him as I walk away up until I reach the van. When I finally arrive I look back at him as an amused grin pulls at his lips and I quickly revert my attention away from him. He saw me ignoring him as some little sick game of his but I'm not amused nor am I interested in playing. Derek approaches me and I gaze up at him as he reverts his attention away from me and scowls at the figure standing behind me. I can tell that there's bad blood between them and I'm somewhat curious to find out why but I also know my place and know that I shouldn't be getting involved in anything regarding other people's business. Especially if it has anything to do with Alex.

" You ready?" Derek asks gazing down at me with a wide grin after Alex steps away from me and makes his way onto the bus. I nod my head and he rewards me with a wider grin before moving his arm towards my shoulder and nudging me towards the entrance of the van. When we finally make our way there we gaze inside the van to find Jamie, Matt and Nick in the very back of the van while Alex is in the middle portion of the van patiently waiting for our arrival.

" Sit right here sweetheart." Alex says with a smirk, patting on the spot next to him. I look up at Derek as he hovers over me and decide to step in when I notice the enraged look on his face. I wouldn't want them getting into an argument in the middle of our ride so I might as well make the sacrifice and sit next to Alex, even if it pains me to do so. When I step in and sit down an accomplished grins pulls at his lips and he instantly wraps his arm around my shoulder. I flinch when his arm makes contact with my shoulder and I turn to look at Derek who seems deeply agitated. I decide to continue going against Alex and move his hand to lay up on the top of my seat instead of my shoulder. He tries to place it back but before he can I move my body forward and rustle away from him. He laughs next to me and I roll my eyes. He's such an asshole that seems to love the way he constantly agitates me and gets under my skin.

" I'm sorry." Derek leans into me and whispers, startling me away from my thoughts.

" It's ok." I tell him giving him a wide smile as he gazes down at me. He has a large build and I'm sure that the way he's looking down at me makes me look like a child. Shortly after, Derek looks away from me when Lauren calls for his attention in the front seat. She begins to talk to him about the tour and I gaze at them trying my best to ignore the obnoxious figure standing beside me. They talk about the interview and Lauren keeps complaining about them being late but Derek doesn't mention finding Alex & Amy. My curiosity as to why he didn't call them out creeps up but I shake it off quickly.

I finally peel myself away from Derek when I feel and hear Alex rustle in the spot next to me. When he catches all our attentions in the confined space we watch intently as he pulls out something from his pocket.

" Really?" I scoff as he pulls out a flask from his back pocket and begins to open it.

" What?" He says a wide grin pulling at his lips as he gazes at the disapproving faces surrounding him. This man is absolutely ridiculous. " One for the road."

A/N: yay a chapter that isn't just another boring ass filter lol hope you enjoyed