Front & Center (Book 2 of the Back-Up Series) (4 page)

After our show in Buffalo, it
was only an hour drive to Rochester. Our three a.m. arrival gave us a decent amount of free time. Once we all woke up, the guys decided to go out for food. Jack wanted to stay behind, but I convinced him I really needed some privacy to call Dad and Evan. He reluctantly agreed and left with them.

I
made a quick call to my dad to make sure he was ok. I gave him the run-down of how our tour was progressing, caught up with news about his job, and assured him despite what he read on the Internet, I definitely wasn’t pregnant. Once I was done with him, I then called Evan.

We were on the phone for more than an hour. He and my friends have
also read the good and the bad on the Internet. He personally didn’t believe any of it, but was just concerned for me. I assured him I was fine and lied that I wasn’t paying attention to the gossip.

He
said he finally had dinner with Lizzy. She has been to Hoboken to see them play at The Zone. He’s crazy about her. Secretly I’m hoping things work out with them. It’d be awesome if my brother and Jack’s sister fell in love as well.

He casually asked, “How’s your boyfriend?” sparking my suspicions he was totally on to the fact that Jack and I are doing it. I will have to fess up very soon. I’m just not ready yet. I decided that on our next day off I’d be making another phone call to finally come clean.

He
filled me in on what’s happening at home. His mom had her first chemo treatment for her breast cancer. He and Dad have been a huge support to her. Barb started her ordeal by carrying so much angst. Finally telling her son the truth about his father definitely relieved a lot of her stress. Dad said she was now concentrating on her recovery.

A few weeks ago, Evan was stunned with the news that he’s my dad’s son. I was too, but I understood the reasons Barb and Dad hid this from us. Evan, however, is still struggling with it. Aside from the fact I gained a brother and he a sister, it’s the whole “
who am I?”
issue that’s driving him crazy. He couldn’t get past the fact that they lied to us. For his entire life he thought his real dad abandoned him. Only to find out his real dad was within arms reach the entire time.

Since then,
Evan has been coming around slowly. He and Dad saw each other last Sunday for brunch. I felt that was a huge positive. I’ve been skeptical about getting my hopes up, but I see the Sunday brunch thing as a good sign. I am proud he is moving forward, even if it’s one slow step at a time.

He
dropped a tiny bomb on me that Matt, my ex-boyfriend and ex-band mate, has already broken up with his girlfriend Gina and is chasing Lori.

Lori
?

I can’t believe that. Lori
chased Matt for years and finally backed off, or so I thought. She did not share this bit of info with me, either because she is not happy about it or maybe she is and she’s afraid I’ll kill her. I know she ended things with Trey before we left on tour, but I also know they still talk and text. I hope she knows what she’s doing.

Evan said she’s been
doing a phenomenal job as their agent. She already has them booked to play in a charity concert for a New York radio station in a few weeks. They have been getting ready with some new material they wrote and they are all extremely eager.

Alisa and Logan are
neck deep in wedding plans. It’s driving the rest of them crazy to keep hearing about flowers and cake flavors. Evan asked me, “Isn’t there like one kind of wedding cake?”

Joseph
our drummer is dating a girl named Sandy. She is very petite, practically half his size. They met a week ago and she’s already been to their show.

Nina is doing well as my replacement. She has
also been helping Lori with her new job as the boys’ agent. Since Alisa is so busy with the wedding, she hasn’t been able to do so. Lori has proven to be most fastidious in her new role as agent to Cliffhangers. I knew she would be.

Ace
the bouncer, and his wife Cindy had their baby boy. They named him Justin, a suggestion from their daughter Paige, who at the age of three is already a huge Justin Bieber fan. Ace is off the wall excited and shows off tons of pictures. Evan said Justin looks just like Ace, baldhead and all.

After hanging up with Evan
, I called Lori, but she wasn’t able to talk. I told her to text me when it was a good time and she promised she would. I can’t wait to hear what the hell is going on with her and Matt.

The guys got back a few minutes
ago. Although we still have a few hours before rehearsal, it’s pouring out, and we all decide to lazily hang in the bus. As my mind wanders from paternity tests, to my Internet haters, to Lori hiding things from me, I’m pulled out of my reverie by something flying through the air. It looks like a pair of boxers, and they land right on Hunter’s head.

“Waa tha
fock?” Hunter says around his
Blow Pop
.

Jack is standing near the kitchen fuming. “If I find one more pair of your fucking
underwear lying around this bus, I’ll make going commando the least of your problems.”

At first I think
Jack is joking, until I see the look on his face. He is dead serious. It’s true they are slobs, but Jack included. It’s only been recently that he has been much more cognizant with keeping the bus clean. Mainly because he hates seeing me clean up after them. It’s adorable how he’ll pick up after himself, yet always making sure I know it. The neater he is the more he gets lucky. Since he’s made this breakthrough, he expects his band mates to as well. He doesn’t seem to understand that he benefits from being neater. His band mates do not.

Hunter
calmly pulls the boxers off his head and the pop out of his mouth and says, “You can suck my dick.”

“
You seriously need to get laid dude. I’m sick of you and your walking hard-on.” Jack responds without sympathy. He quickly looks over at me and says, “Sorry, babe.”

I throw him a look
and say, “Knock it off.”

“Thanks for reminding me
. Actually my problem is, I haven’t gotten laid in way too long and it pisses me off that you are.”

Jac
k shakes his head at Hunter and says, “That’s a mother-fucking-shame.”

Hunter
gets up and wordlessly walks past Jack to his bunk. A few seconds later, we hear his music playing and a dull thumping.

Hunter’s choice of
heavy metal music is the last thing I want to hear right now, his being alone in his bunk is the last thing I want to think about, and the sound effects he has added are making me want to throw up.

Ja
ck calls out, “Shut the fuck up!”

“Jack, he’s going to pummel you.”

“He can bring it.”

“Stop picking on him…please.”

“Fine. Only because you asked me to.”

I
can’t blame the guys for their moods. We have claimed the bedroom as our own, and since Scott or Hunter didn’t have their companions, there were no arguments. Regardless, it’s still unfair that Jack and I get to sleep somewhat comfortably in a bed, while they are cramped in their little bunks. Jack said it’s not the bunks that are making them irritable, but the lack of females in them. He further explained they are both
horny and annoyed
that Jack isn’t. I guess he was dead on…Hunter just confirmed the exact same issue.

Jack has little patience and wants them to stop
bitching about it. At the time he said, “It is what it is, and they need to deal with it.”

Trey
watches quietly. We all know he isn’t horny, since he has been getting his fill backstage after our shows. He suggested Hunter and Scott should help each other out, and then they’d feel better.

The
sound effects increase in tune to Metallica. Usually I escape to my room when they all start ragging on each other. The only reason I’m not in my room now is because I need an empty outlet for the laptop. I quickly decide to tune them all out and put in my ear-buds to watch my favorite movie.

Jack
slides into the booth next to me. He pulls a bud out of my ear and inserts it into his own. “What are we watching?” he asks cheerfully, like he just didn’t flip out on Hunter.

“
I’m
watching The Notebook.”

“Again?”
He rolls his eyes and gives me an -A
h hell, but ok, I’ll watch it too -
kind of look.

Ignoring him,
I start the movie.

“I don’t get your obsession with this movie.”

“You mean besides Ryan Gosling?”

“Ppffit. He’s got nothing on me.”

“You’re right, he doesn’t.” Kissing his cheek I add, “It’s just a sensational love story. They are meant to be together and nothing stops them. Destiny…I believe in it.”

“I’m your destiny
, baby.”

“
If your band mates don’t kill you first.”

Jack
doesn’t argue and leans back in the booth, laying his arm along my shoulders. My level of horniness progresses as the movie does. First Jack traces patterns on my neck with his fingers. Then his hand finds my thigh as he slowly moves it up and down, getting closer to my crotch each time. Next his lips find my ear, tugging on my earlobe. My moan tells him that he’s completely distracting me from a shirtless Noah.

“Let’
s forget the movie and make out,” he whispers into my ear.

Trying my best to ignore
the onslaught of ear nibbling, I concentrate on the tiny laptop screen.

“So, is that a no?”

“Jack, before they kill you they may castrate you, and that would be extremely upsetting to me.”

He glanc
es at me for a few seconds and blinks. “Good point.”

The thought must be sobering and scary,
because he immediately tones down his efforts. Soon enough Ryan Gosling is able to suck me in. I start to lose myself in the movie until I feel his chest rising and falling. He is passed out, his lashes fanning his cheeks, his lips parted slightly. He is so beautiful.

I pull the
plug from his ear and put it back into my own. Jack shifts and leans his head against my shoulder. He smells so damn good. I can feel his soft hair brushing up against my cheek and it makes me want to run my fingers through it, but I don’t want to wake him.

A little while later,
Hunter walks back out from the bunks. I’m guessing his mood hasn’t improved, because he scowls at Jack and asks, “Can you plug his nose and mouth and do us all a favor?” He says this with such complete seriousness that it causes me to laugh and my shoulders to shake.

Jack
wakes up disoriented and sees Hunter positioned in front of the table aiming a pair of boxers at his head.

“Go ahead, I fucking dare you,
” he challenges.

“You two fight like an old married couple. Why don’t you finally do each
other and do us all a favor. I’m sure Scott and Leila wouldn’t mind.” Trey privileges us with his words of wisdom.

“He’s fucking getting on my nerves
!” Hunter barks out. “He isn’t the first person in love. At least he gets to be with his girl. He’s right, I am horny as hell and I miss Amanda. I don’t need constant reminders.” Hunter grumpily sits on the couch next to Scott. “Let’s play
Call of Duty
, I’m in the mood to kill someone.”

“Instead of playing t
hose stupid games, why don’t you guys do something productive, like cleaning up your messes?”

Hunter and Scot
t look like they want to slit Jack’s throat.

“Fine. F
orget I mentioned it.”

“Smart move
, Lair,” Hunter barks.

“I don’t know what your problem is
, Hunt. You’ve gone longer than this without sex.”

“Jack
,” I scold, as mediator mode kicks back in.

“What?”

Hunter releases a stream of curses. “I’m envisioning your face on each and every one of these dead motherfuckers.” I’ve never seen Hunter so agitated. 

Jack ignores Hunter’s admission. After a few minutes, he instigates again.
“Maybe Trey is right and Scott should help with your situation until Mandi meets up with us in Chicago.”

“
You’re fucking hilarious, Jack.” Now it’s Scott’s turn to be annoyed. A round of gunfire blasts through the bus, prompting Hunter to laugh and Scott to lose it. “FUCK! Stop killing me you dickhead.”

“Blame Jack
,” Hunter says triumphantly.

“
Stop busting their chops.” I nudge him with my elbow.

He shrugs sheepishly
. “Fine.” Turning towards Hunter he adds, “Sorry, man.”

“Thank you.”

“Scott, is Patti able to meet us in Chicago also?”

“
Not sure yet,” he responds, as his body ridiculously makes the same motions his hands are making on the video controller. “Damn it, Hunter…I quit!”