On the Road: (Vagabonds Book 2) (New Adult Rock Star Romance) by Jade C. Jamison
Authors: Jade C. Jamison
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downright cold. I’d since taken to drinking two or more beers before going onstage, because they kept me warm in the skimpy tops I had to wear.
Vicki and I were talking over our beers before the show, and I was shocked that she hadn’t remembered my confrontation out by the van with the carny-looking dude earlier that week. I didn’t know if she was pretending she didn’t remember or not, but I suspected she truly had no memory. That was another reason for me to worry.
But she was speaking first about drugs in general. She hadn’t said it, but I knew it to be true: there was never a drug she didn’t like, never a taste she would turn down. Then she started talking about how much she loved coke, but she couldn’t afford it, not with the cheapskate stipend Peter gave us. She said she was considering crack because of that.
“Are you fucking kidding, Vicki? That shit is so addictive, you can never quit.”
“That’s just what they say so you don’t take it.”
I wanted to slap her. Hell, I wanted to beat my head against a wall. She was so fucking stupid sometimes. “And why do you think they don’t want you to take it? You ever think about that?”
“‘Cause the man wants to keep us down.”
Wow. She really had been doing too much shit. I had to try another tactic. “How do you think your mom would feel if she knew you were taking hardcore shit? That you were considering crack, for Christ’s sake?”
She huffed and rolled her eyes. “My mom’s not perfect, Kyle. She’s done her share of shit. Believe me.”
“Crack?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno.”
God, she was so full of shit, but I didn’t want to call her on it, didn’t want to call her a liar. She was an addict and fighting with her wouldn’t do shit. I let out a long breath of air and took my last swig of beer before crushing the can in my hand. “Vicki…just look at it this way. Crack is to coke like meth is to speed. Seriously, Vick. Don’t do that shit. It’ll kill ya. For reals.”
She frowned. “Would you stop worrying about me, Kyle? This is supposed to be fun. It is fun, but it’ll stop being that way if you lecture me like a fucking teacher all the time.”
That was when I knew I couldn’t save her. All I could do was try to protect her, try to encourage her to not do the worst things…and be there to catch her when she fell.
I just didn’t know that I would be around when she did.
* * *
As if Vicki’s drug bullshit wasn’t enough for me to begin to hate the whole band drama, Liz was going to do her damnedest to pile more on. A couple of days later, we’d just finished lunch. Vicki and I had gone outside to have a smoke and Liz joined us, but she said to me, “Walk with me, Kyle?”
I almost started laughing, because it sounded so dramatic, so much like something a movie character would say. But something was bothering her, so I kept my smile to myself and said, “Sure.” We started walking away from the restaurant, and I heard one of the other girls come out and start talking to Vicki. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Liz was a woman of few words—so if something had been nagging at her enough to want to have a quiet conversation with me, I didn’t want her to beat around the bush about it. “What’s up?”
“You were talking a while back about the elephant in the room . So I want to know—are you the reason Barbie wants nothing to do with me anymore?”
I felt my brow furrow before I shook my head. “No. She’d already made up her mind long before that.”
“Yeah, but did you say something to her before?”
“No.”
She stopped walking, so I turned to face her. “I saw you guys the other day—you seemed pretty cozy. Are you guys—?”
“Oh, hell , no.” Yeah, Barbie was a pretty girl, but it was no secret that she and I weren’t even friends. Sure, I’d felt bad for her and I had grown to
Vicki and I were talking over our beers before the show, and I was shocked that she hadn’t remembered my confrontation out by the van with the carny-looking dude earlier that week. I didn’t know if she was pretending she didn’t remember or not, but I suspected she truly had no memory. That was another reason for me to worry.
But she was speaking first about drugs in general. She hadn’t said it, but I knew it to be true: there was never a drug she didn’t like, never a taste she would turn down. Then she started talking about how much she loved coke, but she couldn’t afford it, not with the cheapskate stipend Peter gave us. She said she was considering crack because of that.
“Are you fucking kidding, Vicki? That shit is so addictive, you can never quit.”
“That’s just what they say so you don’t take it.”
I wanted to slap her. Hell, I wanted to beat my head against a wall. She was so fucking stupid sometimes. “And why do you think they don’t want you to take it? You ever think about that?”
“‘Cause the man wants to keep us down.”
Wow. She really had been doing too much shit. I had to try another tactic. “How do you think your mom would feel if she knew you were taking hardcore shit? That you were considering crack, for Christ’s sake?”
She huffed and rolled her eyes. “My mom’s not perfect, Kyle. She’s done her share of shit. Believe me.”
“Crack?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno.”
God, she was so full of shit, but I didn’t want to call her on it, didn’t want to call her a liar. She was an addict and fighting with her wouldn’t do shit. I let out a long breath of air and took my last swig of beer before crushing the can in my hand. “Vicki…just look at it this way. Crack is to coke like meth is to speed. Seriously, Vick. Don’t do that shit. It’ll kill ya. For reals.”
She frowned. “Would you stop worrying about me, Kyle? This is supposed to be fun. It is fun, but it’ll stop being that way if you lecture me like a fucking teacher all the time.”
That was when I knew I couldn’t save her. All I could do was try to protect her, try to encourage her to not do the worst things…and be there to catch her when she fell.
I just didn’t know that I would be around when she did.
* * *
As if Vicki’s drug bullshit wasn’t enough for me to begin to hate the whole band drama, Liz was going to do her damnedest to pile more on. A couple of days later, we’d just finished lunch. Vicki and I had gone outside to have a smoke and Liz joined us, but she said to me, “Walk with me, Kyle?”
I almost started laughing, because it sounded so dramatic, so much like something a movie character would say. But something was bothering her, so I kept my smile to myself and said, “Sure.” We started walking away from the restaurant, and I heard one of the other girls come out and start talking to Vicki. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Liz was a woman of few words—so if something had been nagging at her enough to want to have a quiet conversation with me, I didn’t want her to beat around the bush about it. “What’s up?”
“You were talking a while back about the elephant in the room . So I want to know—are you the reason Barbie wants nothing to do with me anymore?”
I felt my brow furrow before I shook my head. “No. She’d already made up her mind long before that.”
“Yeah, but did you say something to her before?”
“No.”
She stopped walking, so I turned to face her. “I saw you guys the other day—you seemed pretty cozy. Are you guys—?”
“Oh, hell , no.” Yeah, Barbie was a pretty girl, but it was no secret that she and I weren’t even friends. Sure, I’d felt bad for her and I had grown to
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