Caught Like A Fly

I don't know if it was fortunate or unfortunate that I wasn't having a hard time pretending to get along with Ally. We had a lot in common, but that tended to happen when you liked music and thought the same guys were hot. I even went as far as introducing her to Jacky. He was going to have questions for me later when he got me alone.

"You're so lucky," she said, taking a drag of her cigarette. I was a bad influence; I smoked a lot when I was stressed, and I felt pretty stressed. "You're dating Connor, Jacky Vincent is your best friend and Ronnie Radke lets you wear his clothes."

"I feel lucky," I said, nudging a pebble with my toe. We were sitting on the sidewalk next to a mini mart while the boys filled up the van and washed the windows. "I can't believe I'm here. We worked so hard and it's finally paying off."

"I bet it feels really special to be able to experience all of this with your boyfriend," she said, and it sounded wistful. "Being single really sucks."

"No, enjoy it while you can," I laughed, and she smiled. "It only sucks until you're in a relationship, and then you want to be single."

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"I don't know," my voice was resigned, and I was about to continue, but I left it at that. She needed to be left wondering.

"You can talk to me, you know," she said as she leaned closer to me.

"I think I'll be alright," I said, the little bubble of suspicion growing. Something wasn't right; she was either up to something or she was hiding who she really is. I made a mental note to continue to deem her untrustworthy.

* * *

Andy thought she was all that and a bag of potato chips. She walked around with her nose in the air and a haughty strut that made me want to trip her. I almost strangled her every time we spoke. She was trying to get along with me and she was failing miserably. Anyone with eyes could see that she hated me and for no reason other than I was alive. She wasn't jealous, unfortunately, since she flaunted how amazing she thought she was, but she didn't know what I knew. Connor told me all of her stupid little insecurities that normal girls would be happy to have. She was a spoiled brat that got handed everything to her on a silver platter, and I was going to make sure that stopped.

Also, it was obvious she was up to something with Jacky, even if it was a little kissing every now and again. She didn't cling to him like they were actually having sex, but it wouldn't be long before that happened. Everyone else must have been blind, because it was plain as day. I had a plan, and if everything worked according to plan, it was going to be epic.

* * *

Tour was back to normal. The excitement of Falling in Reverse joining us was gone, and my routine was pretty much the same as it was. I hadn't seen Jacky for longer than a half hour in days since we started hitting some really big cities where he and his band were invited onto radio shows and phone interviews, and my mood was becoming a problem.

"Another radio show?" I asked him as he left the stage and gave me a hug.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired of these bloody things," he said, sweat dripping off of his nose before he could wipe it away. "You should come with."

"Why?" I asked, and he chuckled.

"Because I want you to," he said and shrugged. "Isn't that reason enough?"

"I guess," I said slowly. Connor was headed in our direction, and it looked like he had words for somebody.

"Andy! Come on, we're going to dinner with Ally's family," he said, but you could tell that's not what he really wanted to say.

"I have a radio show with Jacky," I said confidently, and his face fell. "I'll meet up with you afterwards. Where's the restaurant at?" He glumly gave me directions and promised to wait for me before they left for our next stop.

"I think he may be onto us," Jacky said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "About time he caught on."

"Jacky!"

"What? You ogle me far too much to convince anyone that we aren't at least making out in dark corners," he said with a smirk. He led the way to the bus with my protests following behind him.

* * *

Radio shows were, well, radio shows. The host asked us questions, and they even asked Andy a few. He had heard of their band and that they were touring with us.

"Andy is an interesting name for a girl," said the host towards the end. "What's it short for?" I was sure I had heard Andy's real name before, but my source was probably Vivian, and I wanted to hear it from Andy herself.

"Um, Adelaine," she said, and cleared her throat. "Andy is much easier to say." I found myself smiling widely and fought the temptation to hold her hand. This host was especially talkative and he noticed everything.

"That it is," he said. "You're a pretty girl, is there a boyfriend we need to be worrying about?"

"My lead singer, Connor," she said, and she had that forced smile on her face and let out a fake laugh. "He's amazing; I wouldn't trade him for the world." I wasn't smiling anymore. What if I just wanted to believe she was faking her smiles and laughs? Why would she say something like that? A wave of insecurity crushed into me and I began to feel self-conscious. I was definitely not the surfer boy that Connor appeared to be, and I found myself beginning to regret not going to work out with Ronnie and Mika. I had black hair, piercings and tattoos; Connor had maybe one or two tattoos, but his face was clear of any metal and his hair was dirty blonde. We said our goodbyes to the radio host and I stared at my feet until we were outside.

"Hey, are you okay?" Andy asked, bending over and looking up at my downcast face. She gently touched my chin and peered into my eyes, her expression etched with concern. "Of course not. That was a stupid question."

"I'll be alright," I said, the smile still coming easy to my lips regardless of how I felt at the moment. She followed me up the steps and to my bunk and sat down next to me. The bus pulled from the curb and we were off on our merry way.

"Connor? Yeah, I can't make it," she said, her phone to her ear. I didn't even see her dial his number. "The radio station was further away than I thought. I'm sorry, I'll see you when we get to the next city. I love you. Bye." She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and turned to look at me. It was like she was interpreting my every thought as she stared at me with those unblinking eyes.

"I'm not worth all of this pain, Jacky," she said quietly, still holding my gaze. "I'm just a girl too scared to woman up and go for what she really wants. You deserve so much better."

"Lying to Connor like that was pretty womanly," I told her. "We might have been five minutes from the venue."

"There's nothing brave about lying to someone," she said, and finally looked down. "You're a beautiful person, Jacky. I can't keep doing this to you."

"It's okay," I said, and a bubble of panic began to well up. "It's only until this tour is over, and then you're breaking up with Connor and all of this waiting will be over."

"What if I can't leave him?" she asked, her voice filled with horror and sadness. "He knows everything about me, Jacky. A few words and the right setting and I'll--" I stopped her there, and I knew this kiss was really important. Such a simple action, and I had to let her know that everything was going to be okay, that she didn't have to worry about me and that no matter how convincing Connor was, I could one-up him every time. I prayed to whatever higher being that might be up there that it was enough.