Taste of the Guitar Strings

Me and Brandi sat on one of the benches in the lobby of the police station.
We only had to wait for someone to come and get us. We weren't being arrested since we had nothing to do with the drugs, and even though we had trespassed into the mall, Jake was the one responsible since he had opened the doors for us, and had the keys, without permission from his dad, I might add.
Riley and Jake were in another room with Jake's mom as she talked to the police officer that arrested us.
We could see what was going on in the room from the glass window.
I looked down at my feet, then at Brandi. Her face was all wet from her tears, and her make-up was smudged, her mascara running down her cheeks. Her short cropped red hair with blonde highlights were pressed down on her forehead making her look like she had just come out of the rain or something.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded slowly, then looked up at me into my eyes.
"I am sorry this happened, Tibby!" she said sadly, almost about to cry again. "I didn't want you to get in trouble, I just thought I would bring Jake since I knew you liked him, and he had keys to the mall, so I agreed that we go there.....but....I didn't know he had drugs!"
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and hugged her as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed, for the millionth time that night.
"It's okay, I understand." I told her sympathically and understandably. I could never be mad at Brandi. "You know....don't actually expect I actually like Jake anymore."
She giggled a little and smiled. "I know."
Then she looked back up at me. "But what if Jeph finds out. He is going to be soo pissed at you...." I looked at her jokingly. "Oh great, thanks." I said. "and it'll be all my fault." she finished.
"It won't be your fault." I said to her. "I will take all the blame, I don't care. What can he actually do? Say I can't go with them to the tour, and I have to stay home? I don't think so."
We laughed together. "True." Brandi said.
"He is probably on his way by now." I said nervously.
Brandi just nodded her head, and we waited there on the bench.
Jake, his mom, and Riley finally exited the room. Jake's mom obviously will have to pay bail money for Jake to not go to jail. As they left, all three of them passed us as we sat there.
Brandi didn't even look at Riley. Unfortunately, their relationship was over. Brandi was still furious at him.
I glanced up as they passed.
Jake glared at me, and then left with his mom, Riley close behind.
When they left, I mumble under my breath, "Bastards!"
Five minutes after they had left, one of the police officers came to both of us, still sitting down, and he asked, "Miss Tibby Smith?"
I looked up. "Yes?"
"There is someone here to get you." He told me.
I sighed heavily, and the butterflies in my stomach grew.
"Okay." was all I said.
"Just follow me." the officer commanded.
As I got up, so did Brandi to follow me since I had told her, I am sure Uncle Jepha would take her home.
The police man stopped walking and looked back at Brandi curiously.
"She is with me." I told the man, knowing what he was going to ask.
He just nodded and continued to take me and Brandi to this room at the back of the hallway.
It was identical to the room Jake and Riley had gone in. It was painted all white and had a table in the middle with a few chairs around it.
He opened the door, went in and we followed him.
I walked in slowly, afraid to see Jepha waiting for us in there.
As we walked in, I saw a person sitting down at the table, back facing us.
I thought it was Uncle Jepha, but as I got closer, the figure turned around, and I saw that it wasn't Jepha, but instead Bert!
I heard from behind me, Brandi gasp as she saw him.
Poor Brandi, looking terrible from her crying and all, and here was Bert, her secret admirer, as she looked this way.
"Bert?" I asked surprisingly. "What are you doing here?"
He rose from the chair, and replies, "To come and get you, of course. Or do you want to stay here all night at the police station?"
I looked at him stupidly. "I know, bu-" then stopped as I saw Bert give me this look, that at once told me to be quiet and go along with it.
I knew what Bert was thinking. If the officer knew that Bert wasn't either my guardian or of relation to me, he then wouldn't let Bert take me, and instead wait until Uncle Jepha came.
The police man now had a suspicious look on his face.
Bert turned around to the police officer, and smiled innocently. "I told her that her mom would pick her up, but she is apparently busy tonight, so I came to come get her. I am her brother."
The officer looked at us closely, then nodded understandably.
Bert turned back at us. "We should go then." He said to us.
I nodded agreeably.
Bert then turned back at the officer. "Thank you for everything, officer, and I promise it won't happen again."
"Thank you." The police man said to him, and Bert started to walk to the door.
Brandi and I then followed him out the door.
We exited the police station, and walked to Bert's car in the parking lot.
He waited until we were in the car, Brandi sitting in the back, and I in the passenger seat, when he looked at me and go, "What were you two thinking?!"
"It wasn't our fault Bert! We just wanted to hang out at the mall, but we didn't know those assholes had pot with them."
Bert didn't reply, just nodded. "Okay, but it better not happen again! You are lucky Jeph doesn't know."
I looked at him, eyes wide open. "He doesn't know?!"
Bert nodded. "We were in the livingroom still working on the song when the phone rang, obviously from the police station about the incident, and I answered it, and found out what happened. Knowing Jeph would explode if he found out, I told him I needed to quickly go to the grocery store. He was suspicious but he said okay, and I left to go pick you up."
"Good plan." Brandi mumbled in the back of the car.
Bert turned around, almost forgetting she was back there. "Oh, hey Brandi! How have you been doing?"
Brandi's face turned red, and she didn't know what to say. After a few seconds she finally got out, "G-g-good."
I smiled, and so did Bert as he turned back to me, and started to car.
"What are you going to say when Jeph sees I came back home with you?" I asked him.
Bert rolled his eyes, as if he already knew what to do. And apparently, he did. "I will just say that after you and Brandi had left the movie theater, you two had went to the store to get a couple of stuff, and since I was there and saw you two, I decided to just take you home with me." he said so matter-of-factly.
I thought about it for a moment, making sure there was nothing out of hand, then shrugged. "Okay."
Bert smiled, then hugged me. "I am just glad you are okay."
"Bert, I am fine." I said a little embarassed.
He just smiled, and we exited out of the parking lot as he headed to Brandi's house to drop her off.
There was silence in the car, when Bert broke the silence and said, "You know, we have only 10 days until the tour, so I think you need to start getting ready."
"I know, I know." I replied to him. Then as it came right to my head, I asked, "Are we going to take the RV? You know the BIG one?" I loved the big RV, with 2 rooms, 1 huge bathroom, a room that was suppose to be a garage for people who brought along motorcycles or something when they traveled, but instead, we changed it into a game room, and as many games and movies you could possibly think of on the flatscreen TV.
Bert smiled, almost childishly, and nodded.
"Yes!!!" I exclaimed happily, as Bert laughed.
I turned around to look at Brandi to see her smiling happily, but as I looked at her, she looked sad, and when she saw me looking at her, gave me a tiny grin.
I knew what she was thinking. She wanted to go along too, and I wanted her too, but I didn't know how she really could.
Not that there wasn't room in the RV, because trust me, there was plenty of room. It's just her parents were strict about things, and I mean, we would be touring all around the world to different countries, and we had already asked her parents if she could go, but they said no.
"I am sorry Brandi. I wish you could go!" I told her.
She gave me another small grin, and reassured me, "It's okay! You just have to promise me you will get me as many souveniers, and pictures as you can! Plus videos....oh, and phone numbers of some of the band members that are touring with you!"
I laughed. No matter how sad me and Brandi can be, she always sees the bright side of everything!
"I will, definitely!" I said.
"Good!" she replied.
We finally got to Brandi's house, and she got out of the car. I got out too, and walked with her to the door.
"Will I get to see you again? Before you leave for tour, I mean." she asked concerned.
As much as I didn't want to, I shook my head. "I don't think so. We will be soo busy getting ready, even though it is ten days away, it will take a while." I told her.
She just nodded sadly. "Okay, well....text me when you are on the rode....call me as much as possible! And tell me everything that happens!"
I smiled. "I will!"
We then hugged each other, as she went into her house.
I then walked back to the car, got in as Bert drove out of the driveway.
It was quiet in the car, when Bert finally said, "Brandi is a great girl! Such a good friend to you. I love her!"
I looked up at Bert suprisingly and smiled impishly.
He saw my face expression, and quickly said, "Not that way! I mean the way I love you! As a sister, or a daughter almost, like how Jeph feels." Bert knew about how Brandi having a crush on him.
I smiled. "I know! I love you like a brother!"
He smiled back. "Good!" he then said.
We finally entered the drivethrough of me and Jepha's house, and we got out and headed to the door.
Bert was the first to enter, me following closely behind.
Jeph looked up as we entered. "Hey! What took you so long?" He asked to Bert, then when he saw me, he look surprised.
He looked at Bert. "I thought Brandi was going to bring her back home."
Then Bert told Jepha everything that he told me he was going to say.
When he was done, Jepha nodded understandably. "Oh okay, so did you have fun?"
"I always have fun with Brandi don't I?" I said sarcastically to him.
Jepha smiled and came up to hug me. "Of course."
"Great, just forget about me then!" came a voice from behind us.
I looked to see Quinn sitting in the livingroom.
I laughed, and let go of Uncle Jepha, and ran to Quinn, jumping on his lap, embracing him.
Quinn coughed underneath me, since I was hugging him tightly around the neck.
"Okay....okay, I said hug, not squeeze." he managed to say.
I chuckled, and let go, still sitting on his lap.
"Oh, get over it baby!" I said, and he laughed.
I then stood up, and started to walk to the stairs.
"Well, I am going to go to bed now. I have had a long day." I said, glancing at Bert as I said 'long day'.
He knew what I meant and winked back at me.
"Okay then." Jepha said. "You do need your beauty sleep, as the next 10 days will be nothing but packing, and yet again.....those shitty interviews."
I smiled, and walked up the stairs to my room.
When I got in there, I shut the door, quickly dressed into my pajamas, as I wanted to sleep as soon as possible, and got into my bed.
The warm sheets felt soo good, and I soon drifted to sleep when my head softly laid on the pillow.