Ransom(19)

I nod, knowing it will have no effect. We’ve been promised vacation time for months. But something is always coming up—some opportunity, some show, some interview that we would just be crazy to pass up. So it goes, on and on, until I can’t even remember what city we’re in anymore.

Reed watches me for a minute as if trying to decide if he should say something else. Finally, he sighs and gets up. “Get some rest, man. We’re taking off in a minute.”

I close my eyes again and sink into the pillows, trying to get the image of laughing green eyes and curly brown hair out of my head. Why does she have to keep showing up like this, jumping into my thoughts when I least expect it? It’s been a whole year. Isn’t it time I moved on?

I hear the other guys in the front of the bus. Someone turns on the radio, and the noise level doubles. I’m pretty sure I can hear some female voices, too. They must be continuing the party from backstage. A moment later, the bus starts to move.

Are we going to the hotel? Or is it a travel night? I can’t even keep any of it straight anymore. We’re in St. Louis tonight, I think, which would mean we’re sleeping here before heading out in the morning. Or was St. Louis tomorrow? Cursing, I pull out my phone. I may as well accept that my life is now completely dictated by the itinerary Dan, our tour manager, sends out each morning.

“Hey, man.”

I look up to see Levi ducking through the curtain into the back lounge. He has two beers in his hands, and he passes one over before taking up the seat vacated by my older brother. His appearance doesn’t fill me with the same annoyance. Unlike Reed, my old friend rarely feels the need to punch or lecture me.

“Thanks.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “Hey, aren’t you a little young for this?”

He laughs. “Apparently, trivial matters like legal drinking ages don’t apply to rock stars.”

“Really? So what’s your excuse?”

“Oh, burn.” He rolls his eyes and takes a swig. “So what’s got your panties in a bunch?”

I ignore him and concentrate on my phone. Scrolling through the messages in search of the link to the itinerary, I notice a marked increase in the amount of unknown callers. I’m going to need to switch numbers again, which really pisses me off. It seems like no sooner do I memorize a new phone number than it somehow leaks to the public. We tried to figure out where the leaks were coming from, but we eventually just decided it was inevitable that I’d be changing my number every few months.

“I’m trying to figure out where the hell we’re going,” I tell him. “Did we check out of the hotel this morning? How fucked up is it that I can’t remember that?”

He gives me a sympathetic look. “No, we’re staying one more night before we head to St. Louis.”

I shake my head. “So tonight was… Kansas City?”

“Yup.”

I toss my phone aside, feeling irrationally angry.

“Hey, man, don’t sweat it,” Levi says. “We’ve been adding so many dates I can barely keep track anymore. But I’ll do a better job of reminding you of the schedule. You’ve got a lot on your plate. It’s not a big deal if some of the details are slipping.”

I nod, looking away. I don’t want him to see how down I’m feeling. He’s told me a million times that he wouldn’t trade places with me for anything, but I still feel like a dick, complaining about my supposedly golden life in front of my old friend.

Levi moved to town around the time I hit junior high. A year older than I am, he started off as my brother Lennon’s friend. But once he began hanging out around the house, it didn’t really matter. We were all pretty tight, regardless of age.

Levi is a huge music fan, the only person I know who can hold his own when my dad gets going on the subject of musical influences. But the dude can’t sing or play an instrument for shit. He has zero rhythm, and he’s pretty tone deaf, too.

Still, he hung out while we practiced, learning about our equipment and the basics of sound production. When he graduated, he planned to go to school to study sound design, maybe to work in a theater. But then we got the call to make our album and tour with Grey Skies. There was never any question that he would come with us.

He makes a hell of a roadie. He seems to know what we all need, anticipating every problem, without any of us having to say a word. Cash’s string breaks? Levi shows up with a replacement before Cash can even ask. Reed’s going through sticks too quickly? Here comes Levi with a few suggestions on how to keep better grip control. The little brother’s feeling sorry for himself? Levi to the rescue with a beer and a shoulder to cry on. He’s an indispensable part of our team.