expectations.

“Presley! I’ve been looking for you!” Pres giggles, leaning back onto the soft material of the blow-up kiddie pool.

“I’ve been here the entire time, Ally Cat. Now join me in my bubble party.” Alan groans. She was drunk, all right; there was no doubt about that.

“No, now come on. I’ve got to get you back to your band.” He reaches for her hand but she draws back, bringing some of the bubbles with her.

“Oh hell no,” he utters, realising that she was down to her bra and panties. “Elliott is going to kill me.”

“Oh, Smelliott! He should come swim with me too!” She scoops up some of the bubbles into her hands before promptly dumping them onto his feet.

“Stop it, P!” He reprimands, trying to get the suds off his shoes.

“Did you do anything besides drink?” She looks up at him guiltily, like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Maybe just a teensy weensy bit of pot.” He sighs.

“Let’s go.”

Her bottom lip pushes out into an admittedly adorable pout.

“I don’t wanna.” Alan looks around for some sign of help. Everyone was ignoring them. Drunk girls were kind of the norm at Warped parties.

“How about we play a game?”

“A game?” She repeats, eyes alit.

“Yeah. First one to your van wins.”

“Okay!” She jumps up and out of the pool eagerly.

“Do you know where your clothes are?”

She glances around helplessly before shrugging. “Nope. Now ready, set, go!” And with that she sprints off down the path, leaving a stunned Alan trying not to look at the half-naked girl.

She was surprisingly agile for having that much alcohol in her system. “Wait up, Princess!”

She just laughs, purple hair trailing behind her.

She stops suddenly and Alan almost rams into her. “I’m bored of this game. Let’s play hide and go seek!”

His eyes grow wide as he envisions all the things that could go wrong with them playing that game. Most of them involved someone finding her helpless, half-clothed, and stoned.

“No, Pres-” She ignores him.

“Presley!” He calls out a minute later, slightly breathless from all the running around.

“This isn’t funny! We’ve got to get you to your bus.” She giggles and he practically dances with relief at the sound. He hadn’t lost her so he might not be murdered by either Elliott or her band members tomorrow.

When ten minutes pass and he hasn’t found her, her giggles turn into soft little snores. He spins in a circle, looking for the source of the sound. It was almost like she is above him.

In a hopeless last attempt before he resigns to ask the other guys for help, he climbs up the tour bus railing beside him to the roof.

And there she is.

He gathers her into his arms, trying to be gentle. She’s much easier to handle when she’s asleep.

“Hey! Put her down!” Some tattooed guy yells, running to the bus. Alan didn’t recognize him from
any of the bands. He must be a tech or crew or something.

“That’s my friend and I’ll be damned if I let you take advantage of her!”

“Look kid-” is all Alan can say before a punch to his jaw knocks him out cold.

Notes

Uh oh. Colten thinks he saved Pres. I guess we'll see how that turns out. :))