Luke and Mike went offshore fishing. Easy enough. All Carl had to do was follow them to the pier and wait in a small café till they returned.
Sway, Harrison and Blake said they were going to a local water park. Lenny suspected Carl had her follow those three because she was younger and would blend in easier with the youthful crowd. She was thankful that she could wear her bathing suit and still get a tan, adding to her alibi of going to the beach.
The guys rented a private cabana but that didn't limit their social capacity. It did, however, make it easier for Lenny to track them.
Sway had women all over him, constantly bringing him lemonade and reapplying sunscreen to him every ten minutes. Harrison and Blake were much more active, they enjoyed the rides and were very affable with the fans that recognized them, signing autographs and posing for photos. Lenny had been impressed with their graciousness and humility.
Sometime in the late afternoon, Lenny lost them. They left the water park early and Lenny got stuck in traffic. This is exactly what Carl didn’t want to happen.
Desperate, she called Harrison on his cell, thinking he was the most likely to tell her the truth.
“Hey Lenny, how’s the beach?” He sounded nervous, that wasn't good.
“We came back early, Tanya got a sunburn.” That would be an easy cover, Tanya was always sunburned. “Where are you guys?” She tried to sound curious but not overly so.
“Um, we’re headed to a movie downtown.” He didn’t sound like himself and Lenny could hear Sway whispering something to him in the background. “I have to go, it’s about to start.” And he hung up.
Lenny had no choice but to believe them so she pointed the rental car in that direction. But they weren’t downtown. They went to the far west side. To a biker bar.
About the same time Lenny figured out they weren’t at the theater, she saw a picture sent to her on Twitter of Blake having a drinking contest with the lead guitarist from their opening act, Juniper Highlights.
Cursing herself for being so naïve and cursing them for lying, Lenny called Carl. They each raced to the bar to attempt to stop what they both feared. But by the time they got there, it was too late. Blake had already crawled up on top of the bar. And now he was waving his shirt over his head.
Lenny got to him first and shoved other patrons out of the way. She grabbed him by his pant legs and shouted up at him, “Blake! Please come down!”
“Pretty Lenny!” He smiled at her happily, “C’mere, Pretty Lenny.” He wriggled his hips to the beat and attempted what Lenny could only guess to be his best Coyote Ugly moves. His words were slurred and he was weaving a little on the bar. Out of the corner of her eye Lenny saw dozens of camera phones taking pictures. The place was packed.
This was a nightmare.
She climbed up on the bar with him much to the pleasure of the crowd. The air was now filled with cat calls and whistles. Ignoring all the requests for her to take off her own shirt, Lenny grabbed Blake tightly by the shoulders and began to help him down off the bar into Carl’s waiting arms. His skin had a fine sheen of sweat mixed with beer and Lenny's fingers had difficulty getting a decent grip on him. She was forced to hold him close to her to keep from dropping him. The stench turned her stomach and added to her already pissed off state.
As they helped him through the crowd, he stumbled, and Lenny and Carl had to hold him up on each side. Sway and Harrison emerged from the mass of bodies and were met with angry glares from both Lenny and Carl.
“Can we help?” Harrison asked.
“Pay your friends tab!” Lenny bit out. She ignored Harrison's wide eyes. She felt her anger burning low in her belly and knew she was on the verge of losing her temper.
Blake, oblivious to Lenny's ire, started singing along with the music and tried to dance again but fell instead. He sat down hard on the floor with his legs splayed out in front of him like a toddler. He reached his arms up towards Lenny and gave her a sloppy grin.
“Kiss me!” He declared. “Kiss me now!” And then he dissolved into uncontrolled giggles.
Lenny ground her teeth together, her heart beginning to hammer with barely controlled rage. She and Carl helped him back into a standing position and maneuvered him through the door and into the parking lot. Blake's arm was haphazardly pulling her hair as he tried to keep his own balance and Lenny grimaced.
Waiting outside were the punkers from Juniper Highlights, doubled over in laughter. Lenny used all the self-control she had left to move past them and get Blake in the van before any media showed up. But then, they started heckling.
“Your mama had to come get ya, huh?” The tall skinny one laughed. Lenny's face was already flushed with exertion but she felt a new surge of heat bloom across her cheeks.
For some reason, Blake felt it necessary to defend himself; he pushed Lenny and Carl away and held up his fists, charging towards the mockers. “I’ll kick your ass!” He was threatening when he stumbled and fell backwards. Lenny and Carl helped him up again. The punkers were laughing even harder now.
Lenny shot a death glare in their direction but kept moving. We just need to get out of here. Lenny tried to focus on the task at hand.
“Guess you can’t hold you drink as well as you thought, huh, old man!” More laughter. Lenny literally bit her tongue and tasted blood. She exchanged glances with Carl from behind Blake's shoulders and he shook his head at her. He must've been reading her mind.
“There’s nothing worse than a talent-less, washed up rock star who doesn’t know when to quit!”
That was the last straw. Lenny'd had a long day. She was beyond angry at this point. Of all the mistakes she had made that day, letting a some dick-less moron talk trash about someone she considered a friend would not be another one.
“HEY!” Lenny whirled on them, dropping Blake into Carl’s arms. “Blake Diedrich has more talent in one earlobe that you have in your entire piss poor excuse of a band!”
Then she charged. She was lunging, her vision completely red, when she felt two strong arms grab her by her waist and pull her back. She pushed the arms away, clawing to get to the punkers. She broke free and tore towards them once more.
“Who do you think you are? Huh? You’re no one!” She screamed as she rushed them. She shoved the guy and he fell to the ground with a thud, her eyes blazed with fury as she cocked her left leg up to kick him in the chest. Suddenly the arms grabbed a tight hold of her again and lifted her up and backwards, retreating to the waiting van.
The frightened hecklers had fallen silent. Sway handed Lenny over to Harrison who pulled her into the van and closed the door. He got in the front passenger seat and Carl squealed the tires on the van as he whipped out of the parking lot.
Lenny was in the backseat breathing hard, blood boiling. Her body trembling with the adrenaline surge. Harrison tentatively touched her arm to calm her down but she jerked away.
“Are you kidding me?!” She yelled. “What the hell?” She threw her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes, angry tears pushing out from under her eyelids.
“I’m sorry, Lenny-” Harrison began, his expression pale.
“Don’t!” She snapped, pointing her finger at him. She rubbed the wetness off her face and smelled the beer on her hands from carrying Blake. She let out another growl and wiped her hands on her jeans.
“Lenny,” Sway leaned around the seat but Carl reached over and put his hand on his chest, signaling him to stop.
No one dared to speak the rest of the trip. By the time they made it back to the buses, Blake was ready to throw up. Lenny helped him to a patch of grass a few yards away and rubbed his back as he heaved.
Carl took Harrison and Sway inside the bus and proceeded to lecture them for their recklessness and irresponsibility. Lenny would have laughed if she wouldn't have been so mad; he was treating them like teenagers.
She rubbed Blake’s back as he clutched the earth, holding on for dear life. As his body expelled the alcohol again an
d again, he began to cry. Lenny didn’t feel it appropriate or beneficial for her to say anything.
“I’m so sorry.” Blake sobbed over and over again. “I’m sorry, Lenny... p-pretty, pretty Lenny…” More heaving.
Luke and Mike came around the corner of the bus. Lenny's heart caught slightly as she and Luke held eye contact. She knew she was mirroring the frown on his face but she didn't know what to say. He glanced up at the bus where she could still hear Carl yelling.
Suddenly, Carl came stomping down the stairs and huffed out into the darkness. His lighter ignited his cigarette and then he paced around the parking lot like a caged animal, kicking rocks and randomly yelling.
Luke went up inside the bus and took his turn yelling at Sway and Harrison. Lenny wasn't even surprised. She knew how deeply Luke cared for his mates.
Mike slowly shuffled over and sat down near Blake with his back against a tree.
“You never did know when to stop,” Mike remarked pensively. He let his head drop between his knees and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.
Lenny could tell Mike was thinking about more than just tonight’s incident. Her anger slowly dissipated and turned into compassion. They had seen their share of success and failure. They knew each other's ugly sides better than anyone. How hard it must be to see someone you care about slip into old habits, long conquered.
She looked at Carl, still having a fit in the distance, and she understood his worries better. She was wrong. He wasn’t being controlling, he was being realistic.
“At least we got there before he went full college coed on us.” Lenny joked lightly.
“Yeah? Where’s his shirt?” Mike raised his eyebrows pointedly.
Lenny shrugged in mock confusion, making Mike laugh.
“I think I’m dying.” Blake moaned from the grass.
“You’re not dying, don’t be so dramatic.” Lenny rubbed his back as he hurled some more. “You’re gonna be hella sick tomorrow, though.” She added with a touch of sympathy in her voice. Blake groaned in response.
“How was the fishing?” Lenny looked at Mike.
“Good.” Mike's expression softened with the subject change. “Peaceful.”
“You do anything this exciting?” She gestured to Blake.
Mike chuckled, “Not in a long time.”
Lenny motioned to Mike to help her get Blake, who had finally stopped vomiting, into a standing position. They helped him up the steps and into the bus, pushing past the lecture in the front room. Luke stopped yelling and assisted in getting Blake into his bunk.
Lenny set a garbage can next to him and propped pillows behind his back so he was lying on his side. She took a seat on the floor and leaned against the opposite bunk.
“I’ll stay with him tonight in case we need to go to the hospital.” She was worried and annoyed at the same time. She should have taken Carl more seriously. How was she going to repair this?
Harrison and Sway felt badly, it was obvious. They should feel bad. They had broken their promise to Carl, they lied to Lenny and now Blake had to be watched to make sure he didn't die in his own vomit.
Mike nodded and headed for the door. He grabbed Luke’s arm, pulling him with, on the way out.
Luke stopped momentarily and touched Lenny’s shoulder. “You sure?”
She nodded but couldn't look up at him. She felt too responsible for all of this.
Luke paused just above her then he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “You’re amazing,” he whispered in her ear before he followed Mike out of the bus.
Lenny expelled the air in her lungs slowly. Luke’s sweet gesture had sent shivers through her. She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. The lines between professionalism and friendship were tangling. But she was too tired to care at the moment.
She watched Blake’s sleeping form, his mouth hanging open. She was more upset that they had lied to her than she was about the drinking in general. I'm the worst kind of hypocrite, she thought bitterly. What kind of right did she have to be angry with them for lying when that's basically all she had done since she'd met them?
She should have kept a closer visual on them. She hoped Carl wasn’t going to fire her. It would probably depend on what the media reported tomorrow.
Sway and Harrison hung their heads like ashamed puppies and went to bed without saying a word. Lenny knew she had scared them with her outburst and part of her was satisfied. She chuckled inwardly. If Sway hadn't stopped her she would have given that little douche bag a good thrashing. She hadn’t let her anger get the better of her in a long time. It felt kinda good to unleash the back country girl, she had missed her.
***
Mike sat on the couch across from Luke and contemplated how to address the growing concern he had for his band mate's feelings in regards to their new assistant. He had thought it was a brief crush, but now he wasn't so sure. Mike could see the attachment to her gaining strength and he didn't want to see his friend get hurt. Either one of them.
“What's going on with you and Lenny?”
Luke's eyebrows drew together and his mouth ticked up on one side. “I'm not sure what you mean. Can you be more specific?”
Mike rolled his eyes. Was he really trying to play coy about this? It was definitely not his usual.
“C'mon, man.” Mike scratched the back of his head in frustration. “It's me.”
Luke took a deep breathe and looked down at the floor. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees and looked back up at Mike. His face was serious and almost inquisitive.
He dropped his voice to just above a hush, like he was afraid someone would hear him. “You know all those things we sing about? Love, passion, truth, beauty, life...?”
Mike nodded, feeling his frown deepen.
Luke shook his head slightly, as if he didn't believe what he was about to say. He rubbed his face aggressively with one hand and chuckled sardonically at himself. “When I look at Lenny...I feel like I finally know what those songs are talking about.” He pushed back in his chair and closed his eyes, “Do I sound completely crazy?”
Mike held back a smile and answered quietly, “No, you don't sound crazy.”
***
Lenny left the bus early while everyone was still sleeping. She had a lot of time to think throughout the night as she watched over Blake. She was still disappointed that they had lied to her, but this wasn’t her first experience with a bunch of guys hell bent on getting messed up. She had three older brothers, after all. And that didn't even cover half the things she'd seen grown men do when testosterone got involved.
She went across the street to a local fast food restaurant and ordered copious amounts of greasy hash browns, breakfast sandwiches and coffee. She had one of the employees help her transport her large order, promising him a free CD in return.
Carl was waiting in his usual spot for coffee. It was a relief to Lenny because she wasn’t sure how mad he was at her from the night before. She handed him his coffee and waved him into the Red Bus where she deposited the rest of her bundle. She thanked the employee for his help and gave him the CD.
“Aren’t you the girl who tried to knock out Travis Cline last night?” The kid asked, referring to the lead singer of Juniper Highlights that Lenny had attacked outside the bar. The kid had stars in his eyes; he was acting like he had just met a celebrity.
“Were you there?” Lenny asked, eying him suspiciously. He looked too young to have been at the bar.
“Nah, my buddy sent me the video in my email.” He held up his phone and showed Lenny a grainy replay of her outburst and Sway throwing her into the back of the van.
She tried to feign indifference. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“C’mon, that was awesome!” The kid argued. Carl gently grabbed the young man’s elbow, unsuccessfully trying to hide his smirk.
“Take your CD, kid. Thanks for the help.” He turned him over to security at the bottom of the stairs to continue
his exit.
“I thought we should have a family meeting,” she started to explain, ignoring what had just happened with the internet video as she unpacked her purchases on the table top.
“I’m not mad at you, Lenny.” Carl got her to look at him.
“You have every right to be, Carl. I let you down.”
Carl gave a lopsided grin, “No, actually, you didn’t.” Lenny frowned at him and he continued. “I watched all the media coverage of last night’s incident and no one has video of Blake’s ‘King of the Castle’ speech. But there is video everywhere of a blonde bad-ass attempting to take out Travis Cline.”
Lenny’s face fell, “Oh, no.”
Carl laughed, “It’s alright, Len. You saved the day.” He laughed again at her horrified expression. “I’m just glad Sway got to you before you could do any real damage and I had to bail you out of jail.”
Lenny finally saw the humor in it and let out a small laugh herself. “Yeah, I woulda hurt him pretty bad.” What she didn't say, was that her reason for panic was two-fold. If she was identified in that video it could cause even more trouble. I'm sure the sponsors would love that kind of publicity.
They heard a groan from Blake’s bunk, interrupting Lenny's thoughts and she went to help him up.
“What the f-.” Blake was holding his head and trying to sit upright.
“C’mon, your Majesty,” Lenny helped him up and to bathroom.
When she heard the toilet flush she reminded, “Make sure you wash your hands.” She was talking too loudly on purpose and Carl chuckled.
Blake staggered out of the small bathroom and Lenny led him to the booth of waiting food. His face turned up at the smell and he tried to pull away.
“No, no, no.” Lenny prodded, “You have a show tonight and you need a healthy breakfast.” She unwrapped the hash browns for him and raised an expectant eyebrow.
Blake grimaced but surrendered and took a bite. After a few more small tastes he started eating normally and even asked for some coffee. Lenny sat next to him in the booth and put her hand on his back. She ignored Carl's watchful eye. If she expected these guys to be upfront with her from now on, she was going to have to let some of her own walls come down.
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