Old Cassettes and Cigarettes

The next morning, Caleb and Avery found the tour bus in the parking lot at the town's civic center. The rest of the band was there and Avery walked up to Kyle, who had her bags at his feet. She thanked him for bringing them for her before she shoved it into the storage compartment on the side of the bus. She said hello to the rest of the guys and Angela, Austin's sister, before she clambered onto the bus.

She had spotted Danielle, Caleb's girlfriend, in the parking lot with the rest of the people crowded around the tour bus. Avery didn't want to watch the two say goodbye. She was jealous because she didn‘t have anyone who would be missing her. Everyone she was close to was going on the tour, except for Angela. And well, maybe Kyle and Caleb’s parents and siblings, but they didn’t usually come out to say goodbye.

Avery took a deep breath as she mounted the top step of the bus. It looked pretty big for the moment. Everything was sparkling clean and organized. That would change in a day or so. She took a mental picture of how things looked.

The front lounge was beautiful. It had a flat screen TV against the wall backing the driver's seat. Kent would most likely hook his Xbox up to it the moment the bus started rolling. There was a mini fridge and a sink, and a small bathroom a little further down the hallway.

Then she spotted them; the bunks. There were twelve of them. twelve tiny, soon to be cluttered, dirty, and smelly bunks.

Avery had been on tour with the guys twice before. She knew she had to choose wisely. Everyone thinks that, 'oh I would love to go on tour with six loud, crazy, obnoxious boys and three of their crew members. It'll be sooo much fun'.

No.

Most of the time, yes, it is a blast, but the other part of the time, it can be miserable. And when it's miserable, it's nice to have your own space away from the craziness.

Avery chose the bunk nearest the back lounge all the way at the top. That way, she would be away from the noise that would be going on in the front lounge the whole summer. And, she wouldn't have to hear whoever couldn't sleep tossing and turning in their bunk above her. She threw her purse and phone charger into the empty bed, and then went back outside to grab her sheets and pillows out of Kyle's car.

She easily found her black and blue plaid comforter and pillows in the back seat of Kyle's car and slowly started to drag them back to the bus. She almost made it to the door when she was stopped by someone. Her bloodshot eyes and pouty lips made Avery want to cry herself, but she took a deep breath and tried to smile at her.

"Hey Danielle."

The pretty blonde smiled sadly back at her and tucked her short hair behind her ears.

"Can I ask you for a favor, Avery?"

Avery readjusted her grip on her sheets and nodded quickly.

"Will you keep an eye on Caleb for me this summer?"

"Uh, yeah sure Dani," Avery replied, unsure of why she was agreeing to do this. "Why, is everything okay with you guys?"

Avery’s pulse quickened, and she swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump from her throat. The bubble of guilt in her stomach was gurgling upwards, making Avery queasy.

Did she know?

Danielle shrugged. "He's just been really distant with me lately and I'm just nervous about us being apart this time."

Avery sighed heavily, thinking she had dodged a bullet for now. She was positive that some sort of drama would pop up on this tour, but she didn’t want it to start rolling on the first day.

Danielle had no idea that Caleb and Avery had hooked up countless times while he and Danielle were together. It’s not like Avery had planned on it happening, but she and Caleb were really close for so long, and Avery was a lightweight when it came to consuming alcohol. Things just happened, and they had both agreed to not let it happen again.

But, it did.

And each time, it got harder and harder for Avery to let Caleb go. She was so hung up on him, but he just would not break it off with Danielle.

"Don't worry about it Danielle. He's probably just been stressed out about having to tour again so soon after the last one. You guys will be fine. I'll make sure he calls you every day."

That put a smile on her face and it made Avery's stomach drop slightly. He made her so happy and Avery couldn't stand her. She thought she was a horrible person for thinking that, but it was true. Since Caleb and Danielle got together, Avery did not like the girl one bit. But, if she was what Caleb wanted, she should be happy for him.

"Thanks Avery, I owe you one."

And Danielle turned away with a small wave and headed back to her own car, where Caleb was waiting for her to say their last goodbyes.

She could already tell it was going to be a long three months.

Notes