I've known Justin for six years and he hasn't breathed a word to me about what he and Jazz are hiding. She's hiding more than just what she and Justin aren't telling Lance and I. Lance and her are far too comfortable with one another. I wonder if Justin knows, even a slight hint should satisfy my curiosity. Justin and I are in the lounge, writing a song for the next album alone. "Do you know why Jazz and Lance are so close?"
"Yeah, they've really gotten to know each other from talking all the time."
I nod, knowing there's more than that to it. I jump when my phone screams at me. "Yeah?"
"Hi, Josh. I miss you."
"I miss you too, Bobbie." I head for the table at the front of the bus and Justin climbs into his bunk.
"What's wrong, baby?"
I shake my head for a second. "A couple friends are hiding things and I'm racking my brain."
"What kind of things?"
Damn, she's a bit too nosy right now. "Justin might be in a relationship and hasn't told me about it. Lance might have closer ties to a mutual friend of ours. Both situations involve the same teen girl." I spot Jazz getting her morning bowl of cereal. I grab a notebook and pull a pen from my pocket. 'What are you hiding? One thing concerns Justin and the other has to do with Lance. Spill' I scribble and push it to her.
'I will tell you when the time is right' is the cryptic answer she scrawls on the paper.
'Just tell me the one with Lance at least'
'He and I are from the same parts of Mississippi, both know a Darren in Clinton, Mississippi and his sister used to baby sit me-do the math'
'Stop being difficult and just tell me'
'When the time's right I will. He's supposed to tell you and whoever else he hasn't told. I told who I said I was going to.'
She won't tell me because Lance was or is supposed to tell me. 'Justin?'
'His choice on whether to tell anyone'
I slide my lips to one side of my face as I lean back against the wall. "Hmm."
"What, Josh?"
"Thinking about some things and why she's being cryptic. I'm going to need to talk to them because she won't tell me much. I'll call you back."
"Baby, I want to visit."
"Let us get used to our schedule and I'll let you know. January is off limits."
"I can't see you all of January?" she whines. I swear she can be such a primadonna and a bitch. I know she'd start some serious shit with Jazz and she wouldn't hesitate to beat the shit out of my girlfriend.
"As per request of Justin, Joey and Jazz."
"Oh," she replies flatly. "Who's Jazz?"
"It's that girl I told you we met a year and half ago, the one that Joey has on tape sleeping and goofing off."
"The little girl?"
My eyebrow raises, grabbing Jazz's attention in a split second. "The one that's like my baby sister, yeah."
'Why did your eyebrow fly up?'
'Bobbie called you a little girl'
'Now I want to smash the bitch's face into a very hard surface, I'm NOT a little girl. I'm a teenager. Stupid bitch'
That made me laugh to myself, it's how she wrote it and the fact that I know she would. 'Cut the hostility'
'When she cuts the bitchfest, I'll stop being hostile'
I look at her and she gives me her 'fuck yourself' smile. "Bobbie?"
"Yes, baby?"
I roll my eyes. "Just to warn you, if you piss off Jazz, she won't hesitate to swing. I suggest you let her be when you come out." I warned her.
'She is coming on fuckin tour with us?'
'Only parts of it'
'I hope you realize that if I beat the whore's ass, I'm not liable for my actions once I black out'
'When do you black out?' I'm worried.
'When I'm pushed beyond mad'
I swallow. "Baby? Seriously, leave her alone," I advise, being as serious as I've been.
"Why?"
"I don't want to see her snap. She blacks out when she reaches her boiling point. I don't want to see how bad it is, I would rather not know," I inform her.
She scoffs and I'm pretty sure she's rolling her eyes. "Fuck her."
"I've seen video of her sparring with her ex and his friends, she gave one of his friends a busted lip. She's punched me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me."
"Whatever, Josh." She's not going to heed my words of caution when it comes to the teen girl who's touring with us until the end of next year, 14 long months. "When can I see you?"
"It usually takes three weeks to settle into our scheduling, so that's when."
"Ok. I love you," she coos.
I shake my head. "Love you too," I tell her and hang up, glancing at Jazz.
She makes a gagging noise and puts her finger in her mouth. "I will voice my opinions."
I rest my head on the wall. "I know. What's going on between you and Justin?"
"I told you, it's up to him who we tell and when."
"Ok, you and Lance?"
"Like I wrote, he's supposed to tell whoever doesn't know."
"Who does know?"
"James," she calls out.
He sticks his head out of his bunk and looks at us before rolling out for the day. "What, S-Jazz?"
"Can I tell him who knows?"
"About what?"
"Faoi conas a fhios againn a chéile agus cén fáth go bhfuil muid chomh compordach le chéile?"
"I'll tell him and Preab when I'm ready," he tells her, a snip in his tone. His back is to us as he pours a cup of coffee.
"James, you tour together. You work together. They deserve to know."
"I know and we've been over this time and time again."
"A fhios a gcuid cairde agus teaghlaigh cheana féin! Tá siad ag dul a fháil amach sa deireadh! Ba cheart dúinn a insint dóibh!" she hollers at him, waking up Justin in the process.
"I'm not ready to tell them yet. Morning, Justin."
He grabs his cereal supplies and sits down, smiling at Jazz. He grabs the notebook and pen. 'Morning, Jazz. What was the yelling about?'
"James is being unfair and we were fighting over telling a couple people something."
She tells a partial truth and my eyebrow goes up in confusion. He writes something I don't recognize and she answers, they go through this for the next half hour. Whoever has the pen, they quickly write what comes across their minds and read what the other writes faster than I can decode what the first three words are before responding. They're definitely teenagers. "Lance, how do you know her?"
"Through Darren," he admits to me.
"When?"
"Awhile back."
He's going to be terse and vague about the information he gives me. "How far back?"
"I don't remember exactly, it's been awhile." He's avoiding eye contact. "I have to call someone. I'll tell you later." He walks into the lounge, his cell phone attached to his ear.
"This is going to be the death of me," mutter to myself. I see Jazz straddle Justin's lap and her head dip to his for a split second before settling on the other side of him. He scoots to the wall and she puts their breakfast things away, girlfriend duties. Are they dating? "Bounce, are you dating her?" I whisper, nodding in Jazz's direction.
He shrugs. "Depends on your definition of 'dating'."
I sigh and hang my head, pinching the bridge of my nose. He did that to aggravate me and it worked. She sits back down, her back to him, and lays her head on his lap. They make faces at each other and laugh. I still have Pixi stix from a couple weeks ago and Chris will confess anything if he has enough sugar in his system.
Author's Chapter Notes:
JC's POV
Chapter End Notes:
Feedback is welcome. It's like chocolate to me.
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