Band On The Run

Last Day Of Magic

“Are you going to be free this Saturday?”

Well, that was a question.

Puffing out my cheeks thoughtfully, I held the breath until I could no longer, letting out in a giant gust as I dropped my head back against the coffee table. “Man, I couldn’t tell you,” I admitted.

Obviously not too impressed with the reply, Jake just eyed me despairingly for what seemed like an uncomfortably long time.

Thankfully I had the grace to have Will ready to jump in, distracting my favourite Englishman from his favourite of expressions – except for the drunk ones, of course. “She has a gig on Friday, not Saturday,” said William.

Letting my head tip back all the way against the coffee table, I shot him an incredulous look where he sat cross legged alone on the couch. Since when did he know my schedule better than I did?

Apparently he guessed what went through my mind the moment our gazes crossed, because he sent me a look all too reminiscent of the one Jake had just had me fixed in place with. And it was with a roll of his eyes that he mentioned, “You’ve always barely known where you’re supposed to be by the end of the night, Keel. Someone has to keep tabs on you.”

Although that was an observation that hit too close to home to be exactly reassuring, I just gave a careless shrug. “Tedious job, really,” I said, feigning disinterest.

Maybe I was getting to be a better actor.

Only a few inches from my side was Luke, his head dropping slightly to his shoulder, appearing like he might just nod off at any moment.

Poor kid, I thought sympathetically. I knew that my tour schedule was a bit crazy – I knew first hand, after all – but he really wasn’t standing up well to it anymore. It might have to do with the fact he was spending more and more time with us lot, he was proving to be a brilliant mediator. At least Seth and I were less likely to be horridly nasty to one another in his presence, just moderately snarky instead.

I elbowed him lightly in the side. So much for my maternal side, yet when he jolted slightly I sent him a soft smile, nudging him gently with my shoulder. “Look alive,” I warned, “You have to outlast them if you want to be in one piece in the morning.”

With a horrified expression, Luke sent wary glances about the room before asking, “What do they do?”

“It depends,” I replied, specifically vague.

My words had mostly been to keep him awake since, though there was truth among them. Those boys would do anything to keep the boredom at bay on the road, and that included some cruel pranks on the first one to fall asleep. Or maybe I was just being facetious since I knew Luke had gone to the party that took place after my gig while I’d gone back to Nick’s apartment. A bit jealous maybe that he’d been out with my back up band until the sunrise, though I’d spent the night holed up in my music room so it was an even split.

And he got a dreadful headache out of the deal while I got the beginning of some lyrics, so who really won in the end?

“How about tomorrow, Keely?” questioned Jake, gaining my attention again.

Letting out a giant breath, I took a sip from my bottle as I stared up to where he was standing by the chalkboard. The songs we’d been practicing had been wiped from it in order to make way for Jake to create some kind of order. Apparently he couldn’t stand the last minute decisions of who was going to do the publicity for the night, which was slightly ridiculous since we were a notoriously unreliable band in the first place. We barely made interviews when we were together. It was ridiculous that we were suddenly caring when we’d dissolved the band years ago. I’d be quite content to continue on with the mad rush of trying to figure out who had time to do publicity an hour before it started.