Page 52 of The Devil's Tattoo

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My one true love was the silly band I was a part of. The Devil’s Tattoo. And the Will Strickland thing? That was more trouble than it was worth. It would consume me and leave me broken again. I was fooling myself that I could go on and not have shit happen again. I wasn’t going back there. I would never goback.Ever.

* * *

We gotthrough our show in Canberra the next night withoutincident.

It wasn’t one of our best, but I got up there and played and did my thing. The moment we finished, Dee let me go back to the hotel, telling me he would take care of our stuff. I was so thoroughly embarrassed, angry, and overwhelmed after my freak out that I couldn’t face anyone, so Ihightailedit.

Thankfully, Will left me alone. I knew Dee had something to do with it, but I didn’t question anything. I just put my head down and went through themotions.

The day before, Dee had sat with me at the art gallery in silence for an hour before I worked up the courage to go back. He did so much for me, and I seemed to give him so little. I would find a way to make it up to him. I couldn’t keepthisup.

The next day, we had another bus ride to endure. Simone sat with me in the car park as the trailer was secured, and I stared at theasphalt.

“Is there anything I can do?” sheasked.

I shook my head. “I just needsometime.”

“Do you wanna ride with metoday?”

I looked up at her hopefully, and shesmiled.

“Dean?” she called out, and he wandered over, hands in his pockets. “Do you mind if Zoe rides with metoday?”

“I’ll hang with the guys on the bus,” Dean said, patting me on theshoulder.

I didn’t have it in me to argue as he wandered off to where I knew the guys were standing and loading up the last of the gear. I wanted to get away from Will. After running out on him like that, I couldn’t look him in the face.Notyet.

I had to apologize to him eventually. I had to tell him I couldn’t… I wasn’t ready for that yet. I’d made it so glaringlyobvious.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced at the text that had just appeared from Dee. I knew he was watching us from across the car park, but I was determined nottolook.

“You okay? Do I need to smiteanyone?Xx”

I smiled a little at his reference to our first show when I’d asked him to smite Will for being such a shameless manwhore. I thought Dee had been too drunk to remember.Apparentlynot.

“Not yet,” Itextedback.

“Ready to go?” Simoneasked.

I folded myself into the front passenger seat and sank into my hair as we followed the bus to our nextdestination.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Simone asked once we were out on the openhighway.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t really have the strength to talk about muchrightnow.”

“Okay,” she replied, and I could hear the unmistakable note of concern in her voice. “But I’m here if youwantto.”

“I know. I appreciate it.” The radio was playing just loud enough to be heard over the road noise, but it was still painfully silent. “What’s going on with you and Chris?” I asked as much to fill the void as to try to emerge out of myselfagain.

Simone glanced at me with a small smile and then looked back at the road. “We had a talk last night afterthegig.”

“And?”

“Wetalked.”

“About?”

By the way her face reddened, I knew they must have come at least a little clean with each other. “Did youtellhim?”