When Layla Jones is invited to tour with up and coming rock band, Greta Van Fleet, she is ecstatic for the opportunity, especially since the band members just happen to be her childhood best friends. She has never known life without them, and she is...
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"Here, Lay... throw me your keys and I'll go see if I can get your Jeep started." Jake called, walking backwards towards where my first and only car, a forest green 1998 Jeep Cherokee, was parked near the barn. I tossed him my keys, which he caught easily, and proceeded into the house. The house was old, but had been renovated by my dad throughout the years. It had an open floor plan on the first floor, with original hardwood floors and a beautiful stonework fireplace, an eat in kitchen with a copper backsplash and an old fashioned cream-colored farm sink. I smiled, looking around, before hiking up the staircase and down the narrow hall to my bedroom. Everything was exactly as I had left it when the band left for tour, but my mom had obviously washed the linens and remade the bed. My bedroom was a bit of a time capsule, as I assumed most childhood bedrooms were. The walls were painted a muted, chocolate brown color, filled with band posters and artwork. Various different types of stringed lights hung around like vines, hundreds of polaroids of me, my family, the Kiszka family, my friends, and our horses clipped to the wires. I walked to my nightstand where a there was a framed picture from my high school graduation. I was in my graduation gown, Jake holding me on his shoulders looking up at me. Josh was reaching up to hold my hand, us laughing at each other. Danny stood slightly behind Jake, grinning and holding a peace sign up. Sam was squatted in front, making a goofy face at Ronnie who was next to him, laughing and wearing my graduation cap. I picked up the picture and smiled just as Sam bursted through my bedroom doorway.
"Aww, I love that picture." He walked up behind me, looking over my shoulder.
"Me too... that was the night we went to the arcade after my graduation and played pac man and ate ice cream until I threw up all over Danny in the parking lot, remember?" I pointed at Danny in the picture and Sam laughed loudly.
"Oh my gosh, he was mortified." Sam moved to look at some of the other pictures quickly before plopping down on the overstuffed chair in the corner of my room. I opened a few of my dresser drawers and started pulling out clothes suited for camping.
"Your mom knows..." I said in a hushed voice, pulling my favorite flannel from my closet and glancing at Sam. He made a face.
"Yikes. Should have seen that coming, I guess. Did she ask you about it this morning?" He sat forward, watching me as I began to pack the clothes in a large duffel bag. I nodded.
"She already knew about Jake's feelings too. I was about to get her advice on how to handle it, but Jake came out on the porch with us before I could." I pointed to my pair of Blundstone boots that were against the wall next to Sam, and he grabbed them and handed them to me.
"You're going to have to talk to them, Layla." His eyes darkened with seriousness.
"I know that, Sam. That's what everyone has told me. It's not so simple when I don't even know what I feel. What am I supposed to say? Hey Jake and Josh, I know this is complicated for you two, but let me just make it worse by saying I don't know what I feel and I might have feelings for both of you for all I know. Here's an idea... why don't the two of you fight to the death to see who gets to have me? What the hell kind of narcissistic shit would that be for me to say?" I threw my hands in the air and began shoving the rest of my clothes in the bag.
"Hey..." Sam warned. I stopped and took a breath before looking at him.
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just stressed." I zipped up the bag and slung it over my shoulder. Sam stood and put a hand on my arm.
"You're a good person, Bug. You'll do the right thing." He smiled. Sam had always had this wild confidence in me, like I could and would to everything good and right.
"What is the right thing, Sammy?" I looked up at him, pulling my eyebrows together. He smiled and kissed my head. I breathed, an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness and love for Sam washing over me. He truly was my little brother in my heart, and I concluded in that moment, like I had many times, that I would do just about anything for him.
"Your guess is as good as mine, but I know you'll figure it out. Come on, we gotta get your mind off of this." He led me out of the bedroom and back down the stairs. I locked the front door from the inside before we stepped back outside and closed it behind us. I could see Jake sitting in the drivers seat of my Jeep, his left leg stretched out of the open door as he revved the engine a few times.
"Good, you got it started!" I tossed my duffel in the back seat. Jake stood up, ducking through the doorframe.
"It actually wasn't too bad. I bet your dad has been driving it around some to keep the battery from dying." He patted the side of the Jeep.
"I love that man." I smiled, suddenly wishing my parents were home.
"Let's get going guys. We're leaving for the campsite as soon as Dad and Ronnie get home from work." Sam jumped into the passenger side of the Jeep and clapped his hands together.
"So you're leaving me to drive back home alone, I guess? Alright then." Jake leaned down to look at Sam and then at me.
"Poor thing..." I pouted my lip at him. He laughed and softly pushed me out of the way, walking back to his car.
"See you back at home." He waved a peace sign over his shoulder and got into his car, starting it and disappearing down the driveway. I climbed into the Jeep and buckled my seatbelt, putting it in reverse to back out from the barn. Sam rolled his window down as we drove back down the driveway and onto the main road. It felt good to drive after so much time in a tour bus and airplanes.
