The Plan

"Kelly! Holy shit, just calm down and tell me what's wrong!"

I wished I could tell her what was wrong. Unfortunately, I couldn't breathe correctly and my sobs weren't helping. I was in the back of the van, hidden among the boxes. Simone was standing at the open door, one hand in her hair and the other reaching out for me. Her eyes held such concern that I tried my hardest to regulate my breathing.

When she came to the conclusion that I couldn't speak, she crawled into the van with me. The show had been over for two hours and the full boxes of unsold merch were stacked around me. There was barely room for the both of us but she wrapped her arms around me tentatively and let me cry it out on her shoulder. I felt bad because I was ugly crying and probably ruining her shirt.

Atlanta was not treating me very well at all.

"Simone? What's going--oh my god, Kelly?"

I recognized Mike's voice immediately and that just pushed me further into my misery. I hadn't wanted anyone besides my best friend to see me like this and though I was very close with Mike, I wasn't ready to be leered at like a circus animal. Simone shushed him and I was thankful for that at least. He didn't leave though; I could see his worry through my tears.

"I don't know what's wrong," Simone said quietly. I let out a small sob. "She disappeared, no one knew where she went, and I found her like this."

"Shit, get her into the van. I'll drive," he said, gesturing for her to come out. He stepped aside as Simone gently pulled me out of the van. I rubbed my face with the sleeves of the sweatshirt I was wearing. Now that I was out on the street, I tried to keep myself composed. Mike closed the back doors of the van behind us.

The air was hot and heavy. The humidity settled into my skin and I pulled the sweatshirt off, unsure of when I'd even put it on. For half of a moment, I wanted to walk down the sidewalk. It passed though, and I climbed into the backseat of the van, followed by Simone. I didn't cry anymore. Mike got into the driver's seat and immediately pulled away from the curb.

We all remained silent. The radio was off and I didn't ask where we were going. Simone sat on her heels, keeping her arms wrapped around my shoulders and her head rested on top of mine. I zoned out, staring at Mike in the rearview mirror. His eyes met mine briefly and he smiled tightly before looking back at the road.

After a while of driving, we pulled off of the road and into a deserted parking lot. Looking at the signs littered around the place, I deduced that this was a bar and that it wasn't a very popular one. Mike turned in the seat when he turned the engine off and offered me a tissue. I wasn't sure where he'd pulled it from but I took it gratefully, blowing my nose.

"Do you want to go inside Kell?" he asked slowly, "I promise that no one we know will be inside. I used to come here all the time when we were recording, it's very quiet."

"Yes," I said, "We can go inside."

The three of us stumbled our way into the bar. It was quiet, like he'd promised. The bar was small, not very long, and there were a few booths lining the walls. It appeared a little broken down, which I appreciated. There were a few men sitting at the bar and Mike approached it, leaving Simone and I to settle into a booth that was far enough away from everyone.

When he came back, he was holding a beer for himself, water for Simone, and two Amaretto Sour's for me. I drained the first glass immediately, despite it's size and then stirred the next sullenly. They watched me as I watched my glass and I was aware of their anxious looks to each other.

"I guess you want to know what's wrong," I said suddenly, glancing up. I sipped the drink through the straw this time. They both nodded but, in true Mike and Simone fashion, tried to tell me I didn't need to spill until I was ready. I held up a hand to stop them. "I can talk now."

I sipped my drink again, letting Mike settle back into the booth and drink his beer. Simone sat next to me though her entire body faced me. Her eyes analyzed me carefully, reading every move I made and getting ready to swoop in when I broke again. I knew I wasn't going to though.

"Well, we packed up all the shit right? I was putting the last box in the van and uh, Max came over to bring me to the bar across the street or whatever. I dunno, I went in and there were some fans, y'know? I was hanging out though, waiting for Simone to come in because I didn't see anyone from the band and then I spotted, uh, Andy at the bar..."

"Christ, Kelly," Mike swore. My eyes shot up. Mike never usually swore, not to God at least, that was something he took very seriously. To hear him say that now surprised me. "What did he do?"

"He was just standing there! I started walking over and then, there was this girl, and she was all over him and he kept...he kept fucking touching her. I stopped walking and I just looked, h-he didn't see me but he kept touching her and it was like the way he touched me and you were so right Mike, you're always fucking right. Now I'm involved and I'm fucked. I should have known better! We're not you and Simone, we-we're just not, we fight all the time and we're stupid. I just can't fucking believe it after last night."

I sipped at my drink again, letting my eyes fall down to the table. Simone was rubbing my back gently and Mike was drumming his fingers on the table. He sighed and I looked up at him. He stared at me with a soft gaze and shook his head.

"There has to be some explanation," he said, "I know I always doubted him but, things are different now. I spoke to him and--this is private, mind you--he's very serious about you. We spoke the other day and, honestly, he wouldn't do this. He especially wouldn't do this now."

"I don't know what it is then! It was definitely him and his hands were all over her, on her hips and hugging her and touching her face," I dropped my head in my hands, "And Max wouldn't shut the fuck up. I wouldn't be surprised if he invited me there just to see that."

"He did! Kelly, can't you see that?" Simone jumped on this theory. "You got his friend kicked out of the Nashville show, of course he's looking for revenge!"

"Sure, but Andy still had his hands all over that random fuckin' bitch! Max didn't put him up to that," I pointed out, taking the straw out of my drink and downing it in two large gulps. Mike nodded and then shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea what's going on but we'll get to the bottom of it Kell, I promise," he said. I sighed deeply and stood up, walking over to the bar and ordering another drink. While the bartender mixed it for me, I glanced over at my friends. They spoke closely across the table and I couldn't help but smile grimly.

If nothing else, this would bring them closer together.