Learn to Fly

by Heidi Hutchinson

  “Hey,” she greeted casually, “what’s up?”

  Carl strode across the room without saying anything. It was obvious from his behavior that he was looking for something. He scowled at Lenny, surveying her appearance and that of the yet to be used bed. The persistent frown on his face relaxed somewhat.

  “What’s going on, Carl?” Lenny tried again, but she already knew the answer.

  “I wanted to check to see if you were alright,” he lied.

  “No, you wanted to see if I was alone.” Lenny corrected and the corner of her mouth pulled up into a half-smile as she shook her head. She crossed her arms and leaned against the closed door.

  Carl gave up the act, “Well, yeah.”

  “I understand this whole scenario is new for you, but you’re just gonna have to trust me.”

  “I trust you,” he took a breath; “it’s those other hooligans I have a hard time with.”

  “Carl, I appreciate the over protective father routine, but I can really take care of myself.” She gently tugged on his arm and led him to the door. “Get some sleep, big day tomorrow.” She opened the door and he walked into the hallway. He turned to say something else and she interrupted, “Goodnight, Carl,” then closed the door.

  ***

  Carl stood in the dimly lit, empty hallway for a moment and then started to the elevators. He trusted Lenny, even more so now that she had basically just thrown him out. She was a strong young woman, no nonsense, focused. And she wasn’t going to let anyone push her around. He pressed the button and waited. With a “ding!” the door opened. Exhaling a relieved sigh, Carl entered the lift and leaned against the wall. This tour might be successful yet. The boys appeared to be more centered than ever, and with Lenny on the inside, Carl felt like he could relax a little.

  When they had come to him months ago, asking for him to return as their tour manager, he had flat out refused. However, he'd known most of them since they were tots and their persistence wore him down. They made a lot of promises. No drinking, no girls, no drugs. And they refused to do the tour without him, so the label had offered him an obscene amount of money.

  It had seemed that their hiatus had given the band the time and space they needed to figure out how to be musicians again. They were dedicated to the creative process and claimed to have no interest in their previous...temptations. Carl only halfway believed them. He wasn't a complete idiot, they were terrific liars, that's why he needed an inside man, so to speak.

  Carl had agreed to their request and then he started his own search. He needed someone who the band would trust. Someone seemingly innocent and innocuous. Someone they would invite along if they were getting ready to trash the entire eighth floor of a swanky hotel. But this someone would have to have loyalties to Carl, at least enough so he could try to stop whatever destruction the band had in its sights. Because when it came down to it, Carl loved these guys like brothers. Okay, maybe more like cousins. He wanted to see them succeed, not crash and burn.

  He was about to give up hope when Lenny had breezed into Jerry's office. She was perfect. Carl couldn't describe it; he had a feeling deep in his gut that this girl was the answer to his prayers. Of course, that didn't mean he thought the next six months were going to be a prance in the park. Carl had gone to Lenny's room to make sure she was keeping up her end of the bargain. He was wonderfully relieved to find out that she was alone. Extra point in her column.

  The door opened to his floor and he strode more leisurely to his room. As he got into bed and closed his eyes, he acknowledged the ridiculous feeling of excitement he was getting. He hadn’t felt this much anticipation for a tour since Double Blind Study was still a garage band. It felt good. And right.

  Last night’s show had gone perfect. Playing poker until early morning with his oldest friends had been a welcome change from the infamously crazy after-parties of the last tour. And no had one mentioned Lenny’s looks, or even her gender for that matter. Maybe they didn’t notice. This might work after all.

  ***

  Lenny was the first one awake. She tucked her small travel duffel into the compartment on the crew bus and hurried across the street to the tiny coffee shop. The wonderful aroma filled her nose and woke her up just a little bit more. She ordered enough coffees for the bus drivers, herself and Carl. Shifting the large order into a more manageable hold, she headed back to the waiting buses.

  She passed out the coffees to the thankful drivers and sidled up to Carl. He glanced over at her, a bit surprised as she handed him his coffee.

  “Thanks,” he muttered.

  They stood side by side without looking at each other for a few moments. Then Carl spoke again, “Sorry about barging in last night.”

  “Not a problem,” she answered quietly. “But try to keep in mind, I’m on your side.” She looked at him with a wry smile.

  He chuckled softly and took a sip of his coffee, “It’s new, I’ll have to get used to it.”

  The Chicago morning was beautiful. Lenny admired the tall skyscrapers against the periwinkle sky. She had missed traveling and the excitement of waking up in a new place with the city just waiting to be explored. Her heart beat faster in anticipation of the upcoming touring schedule. She had no idea how much free time for her would even be possible. It didn't matter. She'd find a way to make the most of it.

  “I was gonna have you ride with the crew for a couple of days but I changed my mind.” Carl gave her a sideways glance, “I want you on the Red Bus with Sway, Harrison and Blake.”

  “Any particular reason why?” Lenny saw this as a good sign. It meant Carl wasn't afraid of her being alone with the band members during the long hours on the road. When he had laid out the rules yesterday, one of them was: “No girls on the buses during travel.” Family and committed girlfriends could be the exception, but none of the guys were in a relationship. Lenny had been concerned about the logistics of keeping an eye on them if she wasn't going to be around them without supervision anyway. Carl's directive just changed that.

  “You're my eyes and ears,” Carl shrugged. “We'll try to switch it up periodically, keep them on their toes.”

  “You got it, boss,” Lenny nodded towards the hotel where the musicians were making a slow and bleary-eyed exit, “Time to get to work.” She slammed back the rest of her scalding hot coffee, ignoring Carl's startled look. Tossing her empty cup into a nearby trashcan, she headed for the approaching band members.

  Lenny grabbed the suitcases from out of their hands and pushed them onto their respective buses.

  “C’mon, ladies! We have a long way to go!” She directed with authority while she loaded their few bags.

  “Damn, new girl! Calm down!” Blake protested sleepily. Lenny only laughed and shoved him up the steps of his bus.

  “Your adoring public awaits.” Lenny dramatically ushered Mike and Luke onto their bus. Even in the the early morning, Luke looked completely rested and relaxed. Lenny held in a contented sigh as he gave her a heart-stopping grin at the foot of his bus. He held her eyes for a second like he wanted to say something, but he just shook his head and climbed up the stairs.

  Lenny gave Carl an exaggerated salute before following Sway up the steps of the Red Bus. He looked amused and impressed with her efforts and Lenny couldn't help but smile. As far as new lives go, this one was shaping up quite nicely.

  ***

  Lenny settled into her seat on the Red Bus. She was a hard worker and she knew it. Her effort and quick success had already won her the respect of the road crew within a day. Even Carl seemed a bit less tense. She was excited and relieved to be on the road. This was new and different and she knew she’d be good at it. Just like everything else she’d put her mind to. And there was more than enough for her to do to keep her from thinking about all the things she was running from. A short seven hour drive, stage set up, show, stage tear down, back on the bus, drive all night. She could totally do this.

  “Carl actually trusted you with us?” Blake teased
from his reclining position on the couch.

  “Yeah, what about the 'No Babes' rule?” Sway added from somewhere in the kitchenette area.

  “I don't count.” Lenny answered, not even looking up from her notebook.

  “What? Why don't you count?” Blake pushed himself up on one elbow to look at her. “Are you a lesbian?”

  Lenny smirked and shook her head, “No, I just don't sleep with rock stars. It's a rule I have.”

  “Screw that!” Sway dropped on the sofa opening a can of soda, shoving Blake out of the way. “We're not rock stars, we're musicians.” He shook his head, obviously offended by her word choice.

  “Fine, I don't sleep with musicians then.” Lenny corrected, rolling her eyes.

  “So Carl thinks nothing will happen because you have this special rule?” Sway asked, belligerence all over his face.

  “Is that all you think of me as, Sway?” Lenny narrowed her eyes at him. “Just another conquest?”

  “N-no,” Sway stammered.

  “Then why is it every conversation I have with you ends up being about sex?”

  “It's the only thing he thinks about.” Blake grinned at his friend who elbowed him hard in the ribs.

  “That's not true!” Sway protested. “I have layers, I ain't all about sex.”

  Lenny tapped her pencil against her knee, contemplating his defensiveness.

  “Sway's just having a hard time adjusting to the No Bob Tour.” Harrison had settled onto the floor and was already rummaging through the video game consoles. He found the setup he was looking for and started plugging it all in. “He has to talk about it a lot before he can let it go. It's his way.”

  Sway 'humphed' and settled deeper into the cushions of the couch. Blake took a controller from Harrison and joined him on the floor and they began an epic battle involving robots and zombies.

  “I'm sorry... No Bob tour?” Lenny questioned.

  “Yeah. No Booze or Babes. Bob.” Harrison explained as his avatar decapitated a zombie.

  “Right,” Lenny hid a smile and reopened her notebook.

  The cabin was quiet save for the gory zombie deaths that were coming from the plasma TV. Lenny went over her lists for what to do when they arrived at the next venue. She knew she had it down, but she always double checked. Being wrong was not her favorite thing.

  “I still don't get why you're the exception to the babes rule.” Sway broke into Lenny's thoughts.

  Lenny looked up to see him staring at her intently. His blue eyes were hooded and soft. The blonde hair he usually kept pulled back hung forward and touched the stubble on his well-defined jaw. Lenny understood a little more how the girls were so easily taken with him. Five seconds of his direct eye contact and she felt caught, examined. The seduction thing made a lot more sense suddenly.

  Sway wet his full, perfect, bottom lip with his tongue as he waited for Lenny to give him an explanation. She swallowed and he must've noticed her unease because his mouth crooked up slightly on one side.

  “For shit's sake, Sway!” Blake interrupted by punching Sway in the thigh.

  “What?” Sway exclaimed innocently. He rubbed the place where Blake had hit him and winked at Lenny.

  Lenny let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and looked back to her notebook. She felt the heat creep up her neck in embarrassment. Even as she tried to fight it off, she felt her ears go white-hot and she vaguely wondered if she was going to spontaneously combust on the spot. That would only further Sway's ego she was sure. She could see the headlines now: Girl explodes from seduction overload after extended eye contact with rock star.

  “Lenny is off limits!” Blake was actually yelling. He hadn't even paused in his grizzly zombie killing spree. He would periodically glance over his shoulder to look between Lenny and Sway.

  “I know that,” Sway defended himself, “She was just turning me down left and right I had to make sure I still had it.” He leaned back on the couch and put his hands behind his head. “And I do.” He smiled wickedly at Lenny.

  “Just ignore him.” Blake directed at Lenny. “He really can't help himself.”

  “I really can't.” Sway shrugged, agreeing with the guitarist. “And I also can't let you believe that you don't fall into the babes category, because you totally do.”

  Lenny still hadn't spoken. She was certain her face was a lovely shade of maroon. She was having an internal argument on how she would handle this. Acknowledging it seemed to be the best option.

  “Yep. You caught me,” she gave an embarrassed smile, “I'm a just a dumb girl after all.”

  Sway's face fell and he leaned forward bracing his arms on his knees, “That's not what I was saying at all.”

  Harrison and Blake had paused their game and turned around, concern evident on both their faces.

  “I was just having some fun, I didn't...”

  “He's an idiot, Lenny,” Blake threw a glare at Sway. “No one thinks you're a dumb girl. We're really glad to have you here.”

  “Seriously,” Harrison's dark eyes were round and pleading, “You have to ignore him. He just likes a challenge. He hits on me at least once a day.”

  Lenny smiled at Harrison. He really was the most adorable guitar player she had ever met.

  “That's true, actually.” Sway added and Lenny laughed out loud then. They seemed to relax a little.

  “Guys, it's fine.” Lenny was touched by their concern for her feelings but it wasn't necessary. “It's not like I've never been flirted with before. It's just been...a long time is all. I forgot what to do in that kind of a situation,” she attempted to laugh it off even as the truth in her words burned her throat.

  All three guys exchanged frowns.

  “What do you mean, 'it's been awhile?'” Harrison seemed confused.

  Lenny bit the inside of her cheek, unsure how much she felt comfortable revealing. She liked these guys and all, but that didn't make them best friends by any means. And this subject in particular made her feel more exposed than she had anticipated.

  “Yeah...” Blake showed disbelief. “You weren't in prison or something, were you?”

  “No,” Lenny said, forcing a wide smile. “No, nothing like that. I've just been busy for a couple years. Haven't gotten out much.” She grit her teeth at the twinge of hurt in her voice.

  They eyed her momentarily and decided not to push it. She was relieved when Harrison and Blake went back to their violent game.

  It was a strange morning for her, that was for sure. After a couple of hours, Sway went to take a nap, which then led to Blake and Harrison talking her into playing their game with them. A few rounds of that and they went to get some sleep too, leaving Lenny alone with her thoughts.

  She stared out the window, enjoying the peacefulness of the prairie as it passed outside. What a weird first day.

  ***

  During stage setup, the band was sleeping and Lenny decided to learn as much as she could about the equipment. She had never handled musical instruments before; she came from a family of devoted athletes. She understood gym equipment and sports gear; weight plates, dumbbells, sparring helmets and gloves, various forms of physical protection and how to utilize all of those items to the maximum benefit of the user. Guitars, drum kits, amplifiers, mic stands and the like were completely foreign to her. But she was a fast learner and applied herself full force.

  She made sure the band got to sound check and then she took her first official break of the day. She changed into athletic shorts, a sports bra, and running shoes. She texted Carl, telling him she would be back in two hours, and went for a run.

  The fresh air helped clear her head. The time went fast and she arrived back at the venue. After a couple minutes of snooping around, she found a shower in the stadium and took advantage of it. She dressed quickly in jeans and a blue tank top and went backstage to make sure everything was still on track.

  Sam, head of security, greeted her first and pointed her towards Carl, in the sound boot
h with the technician. Carl looked up and smiled when he saw her. She raised her eyebrows in silent question; his smiles had been few and far between for the most part.

  “It’s all good,” he said happily, “all according to plan.”

  “Good.” Lenny shifted her gaze to the band warming up on stage. “They sound tight,” she looked at the sound tech, “Would you mind if I sat in here with you during the show? I won’t get in the way.”

  “Fine with me,” he replied.

  Carl dismissed himself leaving Lenny and Greg, the sound engineer, alone. Lenny paid attention to all the little switches and knobs, memorizing as much as she could without asking questions. She didn’t want to be a distraction.

  ***

  Mike could see everything from his position behind the drums. He watched Lenny walk back to the sound booth but, more importantly, he saw Luke staring at her. His posture and playing changed just noticeably. It was like he was trying to show off a little. Mike chuckled to himself, realizing Luke’s crush. He made a mental note to ask him about it later.

  When sound check wrapped up, Mike took a long pull from his water bottle and followed the rest of the band back to the Blue Bus to chill before the show.

  “So, I noticed that someone has eyes for the new hottie,” Mike casually remarked as they relaxed in the main lounge.

  “Who doesn’t?” Sway mumbled, rummaging through the fridge.

  “No shit, that chick is smokin’.” Blake took a drink from his water.

  Mike kept his focus on Luke who shifted uneasily on his feet, looking anywhere except at Mike.

  “I wasn’t talking about you horn dogs,” Mike replied.

  They turned to Luke who still hadn’t said anything.