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Acting Like A Guy

Chapter 4

After an exhausting 3 days running about the floor of venues or on the stage or anywhere I could find a good shot I had a 2 day break. The break’s because we have a 21 hour drive from Jacksonville to Mexico City, how boring is this going to be? I’m stuck on this bus for basically the whole day because we have to have 4 pit stops and then stop at night so the driver can sleep.

This morning I chose to sit at the booth with my laptop to edit the pictures from yesterday; I was way too tired to do them in my bunk last night and it’s more comfortable out here. I sat with a mug of black coffee, 4 different SD cards full of pictures and my laptop. Knowing the guys for just under a week I’m guessing they won’t be out their bunks until at least noon so that gives me like 6 hours to do what I need to. I like being up early, I could go to my bed at 3am and still be up at 6am to do what I need to.

I’m really proud of myself to keep this act up for a week; everyone thinks I’m a guy, nobody even suspects that I’m a girl so let’s hope it lasts for as long as I need it to. I’ve took 400 photo’s yesterday, some are absolutely crap so they just get deleted but the majority of them are good or I’m able to save them. I managed to get into the crowd a couple times to get photos. I got this awesome one where someone has put the Rock’N’Roll sign up with their hand and Austin is right in the middle with the three other guys visible.

At around 7am I get a call from Alex telling me about his work, he’s a chef in this restaurant called Cleo. He loves to cook, I miss his food because it’s nicest food you’ll ever have and that’s just his vegetarian menu. All I’ve been eating is fries and junk food so I’m in need of a good, yummy meal that will satisfy me. I told him about tour, how I loved it and it’s only been four days. He tells me about mom and how she wants me and Alex to meet her new man. Alex says he’s going to wait until I’m free so we can meet him together.

The bus pulls over at a gas station for our first pit stop in Mobile in Alabama, Alan is the only guy up and he’s been keeping me company since 9am. I grabbed some cigarettes from the gas station store then lit one up a bit away. Don’t want to blow the gas station up now, do I. Alan smokes with me and we try to walk along the thin curb without falling. It’s hard trying to walk, smoke and balance all at the same time so we just give up and sit down.

Our driver Kenny comes over to join us on his break, I give him a cigarette and he parks his ass next to ours on the curb. It’s a pretty nice day today, sucks we’re stuck on a bus but it’s cool. I took a picture of Alan and Kenny smoking once I had finished mine then went back onto the bus. It felt good to walk on solid ground not a bus ground, also to breathe in some fresh air that was polluted by cigarette smoke. At least half an hour later we were on the road again.

Me and Alan occupied our time by playing Mario Kart, it was the only game we could agree on playing but it didn’t stop us arguing over who was going to be Donkey Kong. Aaron, the bassist of the band, joined us as we started a second round and he chose to be baby Mario, baby Mario sucks though. It was fun because we all equally ruled at the game so it was a real competition to win.

“Why are you all being so loud?” John, the tour manager, grumbled walking out from the bunk area. “You realise today’s a sleep day” Alan threw a pillow at John to shut him up as we continued to play the childish game. “You guys suck” he muttered grabbing orange juice from the fridge and went back to his bunk. We all just laughed at him because his hair was a wreck and he was only in boxers so it wasn’t a good look.

We stopped off for a longer break in Houston, Texas. Kenny has been driving for 12 hours so he’s having an hour power nap while we explore our surroundings. We went to the beach that was a 10 minutes away from the bus, some of the guys started building a sand castle and some went on the horse rides that went up and down the shore for 5 bucks.

I had brought one of my cameras so I captured everything that I could; I got a good one of all the guys standing with their pathetic attempt at a sand castle and a good one of Leo, guitar tech, on a horse. Phil, the other guitarist, even took my camera and made me get in a couple photos.

“Let’s go get food, I’m hungry” John whined as we washed our feet in the little shower things.

“Pizza” Tino shouted then did his really loud whistle thing.

“Fuck man, give us a warning” Joey, drum tech, moaned rubbing his ears and shoving Tino. He was next to Tino so that must have hurt. “But yeah, let’s get pizza”

We walked back to the bus a little and went into the small pizzeria where we got a huge table to fit all nine of us. We just ordered a huge cheese pizza and a huge meat feast pizza with beers all round, I’m going to have a couple drink but I’m not getting anywhere near wasted.

Everyone cheered when the food was brought out and a couple families surrounding us gave a lot of dirty looks. The guys I’m with are either use to the looks or haven’t even noticed, but it’s probably the first thought. I eat a couple slices while listening to this story Leo was tell us about his girlfriend, last year she had bought this dog off a dodgy guy who gave her it for a good price and it turned out to be a baby fox. She still has it because it just acts like a dog and she wouldn’t give it up. I’m more of a cat person because they’re lazy and so am I, they’re also super fluffy and cute. Here comes my girly side.

Everyone got back to the bus a bit late, well an hour late but we came with pizza for Kenny so he can’t be mad, plus he had extra sleep. When we all got on the bus Kenny set off straight away because he wanted to stop for the night once we get into Mexico.

Joey had bought this old game of Simpsons Monopoly from a shop we had walked past so we set that up in the back lounge to play. Because there is nine of us, Alan used a dime as his character, Leo used this small action figure and Phil used a ring. I got to be that three eyed fish thing, Austin was Santa’s Little helper, Tino got to be Bart on this tractor thing, Aaron got to be one of the Aliens, John was Homer dressed up as something and Joey picked out that he wanted to be that statue of some guy I can’t remember.

“You’re such a cheat” Austin yelled once the game was over, Alan had one but everyone thinks he’s cheated to win. He probably had because we all cheated the whole game.

“I’m not, you all just suck at this game” he smiled. The game lasted 4 hours because nobody would admit defeat; I came fourth which was good. “I won fair and square”

“Fair and square my ass” I muttered getting water from the fridge.

We’re all sore losers because we wouldn’t talk to Alan for the rest of the night, well until then next pit stop in some place called Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico. I gave in because I go out and smoke with Alan. We just talked about what we’re going to do on our free day in Mexico. I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet, I have been offered to go sight-seeing or paint balling. I really don’t know what one sounds better.

At about midnight me and Alan said out goodnights and went to sleep in our bunks. I changed in the bathroom, did whatever else I had to the rolled into my bunk and fell asleep straight away.