Twisted Broken Strings (South of Forever, Book 0)

Chapter 3

Read Twisted Broken Strings FREE via NoiseTrade!

Koty's hands tightened into fists. His muscles coiled, threatening to launch his knuckles into Johnny Z's face. If he hit one of his group mates, he would probably be kicked out of ESX. As nice as that would be, he would probably also spend some time in jail. He shut his eyes, struggling to gain composure. His arms shook.

He had no idea how things had gone so awry. Perhaps if he had caught up to Jett in a less busy area of the airport—away from his immature group mates—they could have snuck away for a quick drink. Instead, what he intended to be a friendly introduction turned into the embarrassment of a lifetime. All he wanted to do was board the plane, hide in his seat, and die. Maybe the plane would crash and grant his wish. His manager would probably not approve of his recent suicidal thoughts, he surmised, and would lock him in a room with a therapist.

"Koty!" a fan screamed.

He opened his eyes. The crowd around them pressed tighter. Groaning, he looked for an escape route.

The body guards rushed in, effectively blocking the fans the way that football players sometimes blocked a field goal. They formed a tight ring around ESX, using hand gestures to disperse the crowd. Within moments, most of the people had backed off.

"Aw," Johnny Z whined. "I wanted to sign some titties."

Dev looked like he was going to vomit. "Seriously?" he hissed. "What is wrong with you?"

Johnny Z grinned. "I can't help myself," he said, slinging an arm over Koty's shoulders again. "I just love the ladies."

Koty tensed, fighting the urge to shove Johnny Z. Not only had his group mates ruined everything, but they were completely oblivious.

Before he could say anything, a flight attendant called their zone over the loudspeaker. Koty let the body guards lead him to the boarding area. He pulled his ticket out of his pocket.

"So, who was that?" Johnny Z asked. "New squeeze, or did you just dump her?"

"No," Koty said slowly. "I think she just dumped me."

"I'm sorry. How long were you guys dating?" Dev asked quietly.

"I didn't even know he was dating," Johnny Z said.

The flight attendant scanned their tickets, and they filed through the tunnel leading to the plane. Koty's stomach twisted into knots. He hated flying. No matter how hard he tried to calm his nerves, he always felt nauseous the entire time. No amount of Dramamine helped, either. He had hoped most of ESX's tour would be by bus, but so far, all of their travel during tours required flying. "She's not my girlfriend," he said, gritting his teeth against the nausea. "I was just trying to buy her a drink."

Johnny Z whistled. "Damn, man. You really do some damage." He clapped Koty on the back.

The members of ESX took their seats, their body guards sitting around them. If a fan tried to get to them during the flight, a solid wall of muscle surrounded the guys.

"Welcome aboard," a flight attendant told them. Her name tag read Cindy. "Can I get you gentlemen anything?"

Koty raised a finger. "Whiskey on the rocks."

Johnny Z whooped. "Finally, our boy joins me in drink! I'll have the same, and I'll buy the first round."

"You can't," Dev reminded him. "It's all on the label." He ordered a Coke for himself.

Benny ordered a Hurricane. "Might as well go out with a bang," he said.

The group fell into silence as they nursed their drinks. Koty watched other passengers board and struggle with their luggage, grateful for the duffel bag that fit neatly under his seat. The label would supply almost everything while they were on tour: wardrobe, toiletries, and hair products. He had brought only his favorite pair of jeans, a couple books he hoped to snag some time to read, and his guitar, which he had checked in at security. It would arrive in its beat up case and someone would bring it to his room for him, hopefully without Scott Woodrow seeing. ESX's manager didn't approve of extracurricular activities that didn't directly benefit the group's performance.