Page 21 of The Devil's Tattoo
Dee tackled him with a laugh, and they almost fell to the ground in a heap. I was so glad they were there. Their idiotic behavior detractedfrommine.
Bob, our driver, was laughing as the boys wrestled each other. For me, it was way too early for that kind ofenthusiasm.
“Do you mind driving around a bunch of degenerates like them?” Iaskedhim.
“Nah.” He shook his head. “I’m an old rocker myself, so for me, it’s kinda fun. Reliving theolddays.”
It wasn’t a full-sized bus, so once we’d stuck in the bags that couldn’t fit in the trailer, we had to cram in with little space tospreadout.
Simone was following us in a rental car, a swish little 4WD crammed full with both bands’ merchandise. Dean was off somewhere and was going to meet us in Sydney by the weekend, so for the time being, she was the only manager with us and was more than glad to handle The Stabs, as well. Sometimes, I had to remind myself this was Simone’s dream as wellasours.
Dee winked at me from under Frank’s armpit where he was in a headlock, and I knew there was incoming. Glancing at the door to the hotel, the guys from The Stabs were walking toward us, bleary-eyed in the sunlight. Seemed like they had a hard night after I left the venue, and I tried not to care how harditwas.
Will had on aviator glasses and a worn denim jacket, and I found myself staring and feeling a little hot under the collar. He held two takeout cups of coffee and was saying something to Sticks, who was shaking his head and knocking away one of the cups, but who knew what that was. I was too busy thinking about my hands in his hair…again.
“Got an extra coffee,” Will said to no one in particular. “Anyonewantit?”
“Zoe wants it,” Dee said, and right then, I could havekilledhim.
He held it out, and I went to take it, but my hand shook so much it slipped from my fingers and fell to the concrete, splashing over myboots.
“Shit,” I cursed, my faceflamingred.
“Aw, dammit,” Will hissed, jumping backastep.
I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me, but I was seriously beginning to think I had some kind of mental deficiency where good-looking guys were concerned. I picked up the now empty cup and walked over to the bin, doing my best to ignore Dee’s laughter so I could escape my awkward nightmare.Idiot, idiot,idiot.
As I walked back, Simone gave me a knowinggrimace.
“Can I ride with you?” I asked wryly. It was only an hour to the Gold Coast, but I couldn’t think of anything worse than riding in that bustoday.
She looked at me and then looked at the boys loitering in the car park andnodded. “Sure.”
“Zoe?” Dee called as we began to walk towardthecar.
“I’m riding with Simone today,” I called back. “I’ll entertain youtomorrow.”
He shielded his eyes from the sun, and even without looking, I could tell he was concerned. He would be kicking himself now for making fun of me. Something so small shouldn’t get to me like this, but he knew me well enough to knowitcut.
I waved him off and opened the passenger side door to Simone’s rental. As I settled in, she slid on her black rimmed glasses and started the car. On anyone else, they would look super awkward, but she could pull the nerd glasses off like no one’s business. She turned on the radio to Absolute and a Two Door Cinema Club song was playing. As the bus pulled out of the car park, she followed, tapping her fingers against thewheel.
She shifted in her seat about a million times before we’d even hit the highway, and it was only a fewblocksaway.
“Are you okay?” I asked, glancing at her and then to the road ahead where the bus with my awkward crush and my infuriating best friend was sitting at a trafficlight.
“Can I ask you a question?” sheasked.
“Uh, sure,” I replied, curious as to what had herworkedup.
“How well do you knowChris?”
“Chris?” I askedsurprised.
“Yeah, you guys spend a lot of time together. With the band andstuff.”
“Yeah, I guess we know each otherprettywell.”
“Does he ever mention me?” She said it in a small voice, which made me think she was embarrassed to be talkingabouthim.
