Love Songs & Other Lies(34)

Pax gives me a knowing look. “He’s all yours. Whatever you want him to do.”

“I want you to go talk to Jenn.” I nod toward the tour’s surly publicist, standing by the exit with her arms crossed. She’s not much older than us, but she’s scary, with her clipboard-waving and her constant yelling, and the way she’s always jabbing her pen at someone. But I swear, Reese has a thing for her. She’s one of the few girls I’ve seen him talk to without any indecent proposals or nausea-inducing innuendo.

A cocky grin spreads across Reese’s face. “Nice.”

“Tell her you need the bus to make a pit stop at a pharmacy.” I stare at him, begging him to ask.

He squints his eyes at me. “Why?”

“You need to refill your prescription. For your—you know—rash.”

“Hell, no.” Reese throws the card down on the floor like it’s dirty. “What’s the penalty for not doing it?” He’s looking over at Jenn, like she’s the one who needs the prescription.

“Not an option,” Pax says.

I’m not sure I’ve ever smiled so much. “Better jump on it, buddy.”

Reese glares at me before walking toward Jenn. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets, his eyes focused on the floor. He shifts nervously from foot to foot as he speaks to her. I know the exact moment he says it, because I watch her eyes go wide and then she just nods at him as she grimaces. Like she’s just smelled something rancid. This is priceless.

Reese returns to his seat and tips back his bottle.

“Not needed, man,” Pax says.

Reese shakes his head at us. “Trust me, it’s needed.”

We all burst into laughter. Everyone except Reese, who is flicking beer caps onto the floor.

My third turn, when I have to draw a pick, I breathe a sigh of relief as I grab Sid’s. Until Reese leans over and whispers something into his ear, eliciting a confused look from Sid. I’m in trouble.

Reese sticks his hand out to Sid. “Trust me.” Sid nods and clasps his outstretched hand. “I’m going to go get your dare,” Reese says as he walks away.

“You have to play the rest of the game with her here,” Sid says. I have no idea what he means. Everything looks fuzzy around the edges and I wonder if Reese is bringing Jenn over here.

“With who?” I’m confused, until I see Reese wandering back, one arm slung over Vee’s shoulders. She usually makes her way back onto the bus after we perform. I hadn’t even realized she had stuck around.

Reese pulls his chair back and waves Vee to it. “Take my chair.” Like he’s being a gentleman and not the world’s biggest jerk right now.

Vee leans forward in her chair, her elbows on her knees. “Reese said you needed one more person.” She’s looking at Sid, who is shuffling the cards together again. “What’s the game?”

“We’ll walk you through it as we go,” Sid says. “You need a pick to throw in.” Sid fishes in his pocket but comes up empty, and I grab one of my spare black picks and hand it to her. With her eyes fixed on the pile of picks, she gives me a mumbled “thanks.” Is this ever going to get less awkward?

The answer is yes. Two rounds later, Vee is talking to me in full sentences. An hour later, I’m starting to forget she might hate me.

“Go over there. Right now.” She’s practically yelling, as she points a finger at Sid, who has a row of empty glasses in front of him. “Tell them”—she laughs before she can finish—“tell them they remind you of your mom.” She giggles, and I can’t help but laugh at how amused she is with herself. “And invite them back to the bus!” She says it in a dramatically sexy voice, then her face gets serious. She points a finger at Sid. “But don’t you dare bring them on that bus. I mean, how deranged is someone who actually wants to hook up with a guy who compares them to his mother.” Vee’s nose is scrunched up and she shakes her head. “Gross.” She bounces in her chair. “Go! Go!”

Sid pops out of his seat like he’s actually excited about his task. “On it,” he shouts as he walks away, red cup still in hand.

I laugh, and Vee meets my eye, clearly amused that I’m amused by her challenge. We’re sharing a smile when Tad wanders into the room, his camera hanging at his side for once.

“Time to go.” Tad waves his hands toward the exit. “And neither of your bands were eliminated, if you care.”

Vee gasps, and her face is serious. She looks from me to Reese with a guilty look on her face, then bursts into laughter. We all join her, way past caring about anything Tad is saying.

By the time I make it to my bunk, everything is spinning.

A string of whiny, mumbled curses drifts out from behind Vee’s curtain. She’s got to be in bad shape.

“Stick one leg over the edge of the bed. The room will stop spinning,” I say, looking over at her bunk as she pulls the curtain open.

One leg slides over the edge and she turns to look at me. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“I still hate you,” she says.

“I know. Don’t worry, tomorrow you probably won’t even remember being nice to me tonight.”

She doesn’t say anything, but there’s the faintest hint of a smile on her lips as we silently race toward unconsciousness.