She Could Make Hell Feel Just Like Home

Vic leaned back on the couch, tapping the pen on the paper before letting out an angry grumble and dropping the pen and notebook on the floor.
“Is someone being a grumpy-pants?” Jaime asked, flopping down next to Vic and picking up the notebook off the floor. “Wow, this is a great song. Where’s my solo?” Jaime joked. Vic grabbed the empty notebook from Jaime and dropped it back on the floor.
“I’m really not in the mood Jaime, I haven’t written in weeks.” Vic muttered, dropping his head back onto the headrest of the couch. The bus jumped and Vic jerked his head back up. Jaime had moved and was now half-sitting and half-laying on the couch next to Vic, staring at him.
“Have you heard of something called sleep lately Victor?” Mike asked as he came out of the bathroom. Vic looked up at him, confused.
“You’ve been sleeping for the past half hour. I tried waking you up when we stopped to pick up some delicious gas station food.” Jaime explained. “Then I tried staring at you to see if you would wake up. Who knew a bus leaping over a pothole would work.” Jaime laughed. Mike pushed Jaime’s feet over and sat down next to Vic.
“You seriously need to relax. You’ve been uptight since we left Seattle.” Mike stated, pulling a carton of nerds from his pocket and popping a few in his mouth, chomping down on the little clumps of colored sugar.
“Yeah well, I’ve been trying to write and nothing’s coming to me.” Vic explained, rubbing his eyes, trying to push the sleep away.
“Maybe if you slept, you would be able to write.” Jaime suggested.
“Well Jaime, I can’t sleep.” Vic said. “I don’t know why, its just not coming.” He looked out the window at the dark world that passed by. “Where are we even going right now?” He asked. Mike shrugged and stood up, throwing the nerds box into the garbage and missing.
“Some college for something they’re doing. I have no idea. Maybe some college girl can help you write some song.” Mike said, stretching his arms over his head and touching the ceiling. “That or they’ll take you in as their child. I bet a good chunk of them are taller than you.” Mike teased.
“Shut up Michael.” Vic sighed, then got up and headed back into the sleeping quarters of the bus where Tony was passed out. He got up onto the top bunk above Tony and lay down, trying to sleep. He heard Mike and Jaime come in around two hours later, then closed his eyes.
When he opened them he was sitting in a chair in an auditorium next to a red haired girl with small gauges and the bluest eyes he had seen. She looked at him and smiled, running a hand through her wavy red hair. She said something, but it never reached his ears. She cocked her head to the side with a smile, and said something else, reaching forwards to touch his face.
“Vic! Helloo! Victor! Mr. Fuentes!” Vic opened his eyes to see Jaime looming over him, his hair looking like he had stuck his finger into an electric socket. “Are you going to come get food here or are you going to lay in here like a zombie, talking to yourself?”
“I was not talking to myself.” Vic said defensively, sitting up in the bed and sliding off the bed, pulling on a pair of shorts and a shirt, then heading into the bathroom, closely followed by Jaime.
“You so were. You were mumbling something to yourself, saying, ‘wait, don’t go’, ‘don’t leave me’, ‘I need you’.” Jaime told him. Vic shut the bathroom in Jaime’s face since Jaime almost followed him in.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Vic said as he looked in the mirror at his tired face. His hair stuck up everywhere, so he attacked it with a brush. “I didn’t dream last night.”
“You were out like a light man. We were having a conversation and then the next second, you were gone.” Jaime said through the door. Vic opened the door and followed Jaime outside.
“Right, well just drop it.” Vic said finally as they walked into Ihop and joined Mike and Tony at the table.