Chapter Six

After a very unrested night I quietly got out of bed and got myself together heading downstairs to a quiet place where I could be alone. The guys had been out all night partying, lucky for them for they missed the fight and I had heard them come in not too long before getting up so I knew they wouldn’t be awake for hours. Seeing that it was only 6:30 a.m. I knew Justin and Morgan wouldn’t be up for awhile so I fixed myself a pot of coffee, poured me a nice hot cup and snuggled into the couch with my cell phone and purse.

Two hours later, completely frustrated, I hung up my cell phone and slammed it down to the kitchen table where I’d finally moved to an hour before, and sighed. Never in my life had I had to deal with such incompetent people.

“Guess asking how your morning is, is out of the question huh?”

I almost jumped out of my seat at the sound of the voice and quickly raised my head watching Trace as he sat his bag down on the ground.

“Mind if I have a cup of coffee? You look as though you could use one too.”

With a weak smile and deep breath I stood from my chair taking along my cup and walked over to the counter getting another cup from the cabinet.

“Black or cream and sugar?”

“Little sugar with lots of cream.”

I nodded, pouring both of us a cup and took them to the kitchen table where he sat watching my every move.

“So what brings you here?” I asked, sitting back down in my chair and shoving all my papers back into my purse as I caught him eyeing them. I knew exactly why he was there, but Trace had always made me nervous and I was trying to make conversation. From the moment I met him he had been nothing but nice to me, but as Justin’s best friend I was sure Justin had told him everything and for some odd reason I was afraid of what Trace might think of me.

“My bud needed some support for one. Two I had to discuss a little business with him over our clothing line. You? I thought Morgan was actually showing this time.”

“OH….um…she did.”

I pursed my lips and shrugged my shoulders, I myself didn’t even know anymore why I was there. “Bur here I am. She drug me along.”

He eyed me suspiciously and set his mug down on the table reaching over to thump the airline tickets that stuck out of my purse.

“Plan on leaving so soon”

I shoved them further into the black leather and stood from the table taking my cup to the sink as Justin loudly entered the kitchen. “Dude you made it. ‘Awesome.”

I watched from the corner of my eye as Trace stood from the chair and greeted his friend with a hug and a slap to the back. “Wouldn’t be anywhere else. Rilyn was keeping me company till your lazy ass would wake up.”

It was then that Justin turned his head noticing I was in the room and I couldn’t quite tell what the look in his eyes was, but I quickly looked away, not taking the time to figure it out., and turned to the sink to wash out my cup.

“You got here sooner than planned dude, which is good, we can go out to the golf course today and take in some holes.”

“That’s cool man. I’m just gonna toss my stuff in the other room and take a piss then we can discuss some grub. I’m about to starve.”

I wiped down the counter as I listened to Traces footsteps on the hardwood floor and laid the rag on the sink intending to make an exit, but before I could move I felt his breath on my ear and the heat of his body awful close to me.

“Riles I……”

“Don’t!”

I cut him off with my sharp protest and turned, having little room between him and the counter and looked up into his eyes. “Whatever you are going to say don’t bother . You made it clear that in your eyes I am no more than your part time slut and I don’t want to hear the lies.”

“Baby no……..”

His hands landed on my hips and what little distance between us he managed to close by moving closer and leaned down so his lips were just a breath from mine. “No, I have never thought of you that way. I love………”

“Man where’s……woo…..sorry…..”

Justin quickly moved away from me and I placed my hands on either side of me grabbing the edge of the counter feeling like I could pass out any second. My heart was racing but I wasn’t sure if it was Trace catching us so close or Justin about to say he loved me, either way I couldn’t budge, but none of us had time to even react before a very angry Chris loudly made his way into the kitchen screaming at the top of his lungs.

“YOU MOTHER FUCKER! YOU ARE A LOW DOWN SON OF A BITCH! “

Within seconds Joey was behind Chris and his arms circled the shorter man pulling him back to his chest to keep him from moving any closer to Justin.

“I knew you were up to something when you invited all of us here, but I never dreamed you were so low down that it would be to end of the band. Your sorry ass was nothing until I put this band together and the only reason you are so poplar you little punk is because all of us. We all made it to the top together so go ahead you piece of shit and leave the band and see how far you get on your own, but when you do, don’t cross my door again.”

“I’m not ending the band Chris.”

Justin took a step back putting himself further from Chris and a look of panic was clearly on his face. By now the whole house had gathered into the kitchen watching the whole scene go down. Everyone that was, except for Morgan.

“You have it wrong. I would never….”

“Never my ass!”

Chris yelled doing his best to pull from Joey’s grip. “Your little head began to swell and now you think you’re too good for us. Have it your way bitch cause I’m done.”

With his final word he yanked from Joey’s arms and stormed thru the house I swear slamming every door along the way. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife and it took an awkward moment of silence before Justin finally got the nerve to speak.

“I swear guys, it’s not like that. I just thought that while we were on break I’d dabble in something of my own. Y’all are my friends, I would never just walk out on you.”

It was Lance who finally spoke up and the last one I expected to ever be as angry as Chris but it was apparent in his tone when he opened his mouth.

“That’s just great Justin just ruin the group. Would’ve been nicer if you’d just come out and said it instead of beating around the bush and us hearing it from someone else.”

Lance left the room and slowly Joey and JC followed him without uttering a word. I could tell Justin was hurt and I did feel sorry for him, but I was still angry at his words from the night before and I was not about to comfort him so quickly. Besides I’m sure the guys were wrong with their accusations, but I didn’t know for sure what was going on myself.

“Well I don’t think that went as planned.”

Trace did his best to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t working too well. Lynn had made her way over to Justin and had wrapped her arms around him and pulled him so tight to her it looked as though he couldn’t even breath.

“Mom I have no idea how they found out. There is no way. Very few people knew. I don’t understand how.”

And as if on cue in walked the obvious answer.

“Wow….is the gang in a fowl mood or what. Ummm…coffee smells good.”

All eyes were on her as she casually walked to the cabinet, grabbed a cup, and poured the remaining coffee into the cup.

“It’s not hazelnut, but suppose it will do.”

For a moment it looked as tho Justin had grown a brain. For just as casually as she’d made her way into the room, he moved the same motion toward her, folding his arms across his chest and played coy.

“Say, honey, you wouldn’t know by any chance how the guys found out about my album do you? I mean did I let it slip or did you say something, or……”

going to try doing your own album. You know how Chris gets. He blew the whole thing out of proportion. Don’t be mad at me baby. I was only trying to help.”

“Oh…..I’m not mad at you. I was just hopping they would be supportive and not start assuming things.”

I wanted to rip out her eyeballs and toss them to the wolves. It amazed me how well she could play him and he didn’t have one clue. The girl had talent at playing him a fool, that much I’ll give her credit for, and then suddenly I wondered just how much she was playing him for. Guess it really didn’t matter tho. I had made up my mind that morning that Justin and Morgan were no longer my concern and I was sticking to it.