I Know You've Got Your Life In Place But I've Yet To Take The Hint

I woke up in the morning with a raging headache, a half empty bottle of tequila, wet sheets, and Jack sleeping on my floor with a half-dressed brunette.

My blanket was tangled around my waist and my pillows were nowhere to be found. Groaning, I buried my face into the mattress, determinded to get a little bit more sleep. I didn't remember a damned thing about last night. Even the show was but a blur in my mind. I know it'd gone good. It'd gotten a little rowdy, with people trying and succeeding to climb onto the stage to be with us. The security guards were always a little more lenient for the last show. I think that's how the brunette had ended up coming home with us; she'd jumped onto the stage determined to show Jack that she could play guitar as well as he could. Whether she suceeded or not, I had no idea.

I was almost asleep again when a feminine voice suddenly jolted me into awareness.

"Alex? Alex. Where are you? Alex .. Alex I want to - Alex what the fuck is this?"

I knew that Lisa was in now in my bunk room because one, her voice was very loud and was causing my head to have quite the reaction, and two, by her words. She had most certainly just stumbled onto the sleeping Jack and pretty brunette.

I groped my way to the end of the bed and lifted my head about an inch off the mattress. Sure enough, my girlfriend was standing there, hands on her hips, looking like she was ready to kill me.

"Hey, Lis," I said weakly, and waited for the blow.

"Alexander. Why is there a half naked girl lying on your bedroom floor with Jack? Doesn't he have his own bunk? What, did you have a threesome? She totally looks like that type. I bet you enjoyed it, didn't you, Alex? I bet you - "

"Lisa, calm the fuck down. I didn't sleep with her. I don't know why they are in here. They weren't when I went to bed. I just woke up. I'm hungover as fuck. Leave me alone."

Lisa looked hurt. "Fine." She did an abrupt about face and marched out the door. I could hear her heels clicking all the way to the door.

I got off the bed and went over the the sleeping forms on the ground. I leaned down and shook Jack's shoulder gently. "Jack, wake up. I need you to go back to your room."

Jack turned slightly and cracked open one eye. "Mhmmmm. Five more minutes, Lex."

I smiled at that. He was like a child on a school day. "Now, Jack. Lisa's here."

Jack opened both of his eyes at this. "Shit."

I smiled at the understatement. "Yeah, you said it. She's pissed. Care to explain why you and this girl are sleeping on my floor?" I inquired. Knowing Jack, he probably wouldn't remember either.

"Oh, that's easy. There were people in my bed ... and I didn't feel like getting into a confrontation because they were bigger than me, you know?" Jack paused for a minute and looked at the girl beside him. "We didn't do anything on your floor, though, don't worry. Just some making out and then we went to sleep."

"I don't care what you did or didn't do, it wouldn't be the first time." I said and waved it off. "Why would last night be any different? I just need you and this girl to get out of my room so I can find Lisa and try and talk some sense into her before she goes mad and kills the band and crew trying to get answers."

Something flitted across Jack's face. "I don't know why you stay with her." Turning away from me, he shook the girls shoulders and woke her up. Within a few minutes, they'd gathered their things and disappeared.

I had the strangest feeling that Jack was mad at me, but I didn't know why. I chalked it up to the fact that Lisa was here. Lisa and Jack didn't get along. She was always blaming him for the stupid things I got into (like I couldn't dream up a prank of my own), she didn't like that he brought back girls to our bus (even though Zack and Vinny did the exact same thing), and most of all, she didn't like how close we were. He was my best friend.

I grabbed some random clothes and slid into them before braving the rain and stepping outside to find Lisa. She hadn't gone far. She had located some of the other guys and were sitting with them, talking and laughing like everything was fine. The moment I stepped closer, her smile was replaced with a frown and her arms crossed.

"Alex."

"Lisa." I mimicked in a snooty voice.

"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice" she hissed.

"Don't accuse me of being a cheater, then."

"Maybe if you let me come along on tour and see what you do, I would know that you weren't a cheater."

I frowned at this. "I've told you once, I'll tell you again. There is no place for you on tour. I need to be able to concentrate, to do what I have to do. It's a job just like any other - you wouldn't be able to follow me around if I was like, a cop or something."

Lisa snorted. "If you were a cop, you'd be with other guys and I wouldn't have to worry about what you do."

Vinny spoke up from somewhere behind me. "What are we then, aliens?"

She turned to face him. Her eyes were smoldering. "I mean, reliable, trustworthy, decent guys. Not man whoring, trouble making alcoholics."

I snapped at that. "You do NOT talk to my friends like that."

Lisa's face was glowing in rage. "So, your friends mean more to you than I do?"

"At the moment, yes."

She stalked off just then. I heard, felt, and saw her slam the door to the bus. I figured she was going to sleep in my bunk, figuring I'd come crawling after her. Not this time. Not right now, at least.

I mumbled to the guys that I was going to find somewhere to sleep for a little while.

I opened the door of the bus really quietly and tiptoed past my bunk. I didn't hear a sound. If she'd been crying or raging to someone on the phone, I would have gone to see her in a heartbeat. But if she was silent, it meant she was angry and needed some time to herself. I think we both needed a few hours to ourselves. This always happened when she dropped in unexpectedly while we were touring.

I crept into Jack's bunk. He was all alone. I kicked off my shoes and crawled into his bed with him, pressing up against him. He must have still been awake, because he moved slightly.

"Lex?"

I laughed softly. "Do you always think it's me whenever someone crawls into bed with you?" I asked.

"Most of the time," he replied. "You're the only one who ever sleeps with me besides fangirls, and they're normally already in my bed by the time I get there."

I smiled. "Can I sleep with you?"

I felt Jack laugh. "It'd be pretty stupid to say no, now wouldn't it. Is it her again?"

I didn't have have to say anything. Jack already knew.

"Promise me your going to leave her, Lex. I can't stand to see you unhappy."

I sighed. "I can't promise you that, Jack, and you know it. I love her."

I felt Jack's sigh matching mine. I wrapped my arm around him and drifted off into a silent sleep.