Better Than Me

"...graduated in May and was hired on at the studio in early September." Corinne was describing the years between high school and the present in more detail than she had at the reunion. "Working there, I got to see a lot of impressive makeup. I actually befriended one of the makeup artists and she started teaching me some techniques. Then, I met Christian and the guys and it made perfect sense for me to go back to school to become a makeup artist myself."

"How did you meet the Black Veil Brides?" Jacob asked, cutting into his syrup-soaked waffle.

"Layla, the makeup artist I'm friends with, knows Sammi, Jeremy's girl," Corinne explained. "Sammi was doing a shoot with the guys. The pictures weren't for anything in particular, so Sammi called Layla to do the guys' makeup. At the time, Layla was still in the process of convincing me to go back to school, so she invited me to tag along."

"And you saw Christian and BAM! Love at first sight," David guessed.

Corinne laughed. "Hardly. Christian was one of the most annoying people I've ever encountered. I'm still not sure how he convinced me to date him."

"He harassed her until she said yes," Riley interjected, gesturing with her fork, on which was pierced a strawberry. "First, through Layla; then, he sent flowers to the studio; and finally, he showed up at the studio himself." Snickering, Riley ate her strawberry. "She couldn't resist those puppy dog eyes."

A faint tinge of pink colored Corinne's cheeks. "Yeah, well, it was worth it. He's a really sweet guy."

"Are you sure it's not just the fame and money?" Cody piped up.

"Cori isn't a gold-digger," Riley retorted. "Christian is wonderful to her. He treats her like a princess."

"What about you?" David questioned. "How'd your fairy tale play out?"

Corinne smirked. "Andy stalked her."

"He did not!" Riley protested.

"They played pool at a bar one night," Corinne said. "He showed up every weekend after, just to see her."

"Three weekends," Riley said. "We didn't stay at the bar the fourth weekend; we went to the movies."

"And they've been together every since," Corinne concluded.

"Were you already with Christian?" Cody inquired.

Corinne nodded. "Yeah. But I didn't want to bring Riley around like I was putting the guys on display for her amusement."

"Smart girl," Jacob said. "That's a quick way to get yourself banned from hanging out with a band."

"Sammi warned me of the same thing," Corinne said.

David continued the interrogation. "How long have y'all been with Christian and Andy?"

"CC and I have been together for a year and eight months," Corinne answered. "Riley and Andy have been together a year and three months."

"That's a long time," Jacob commented.

Riley glanced at him, but his expression was pleasantly blank and gave nothing away. His words, though, caused her stomach to again do something weird, uncomfortable.

"It works," Corinne said, shrugging. "We have lives that are totally separate from the guys and obviously, they have lives that have nothing to do with us. Although...this tour is the first full tour they've done since Riley and I have been in the picture."

"How long are they going to be gone?" David queried.

"Six months," Corinne said, and her unhappiness was evident in her tone.

"It could be worse," Jacob said comfortingly. "Six months is nothing. It'll be over before you know it."

That was similar to the assurance Andy had given Riley in San Diego: "We'll be together again before you know it." Riley frowned at the memory of those words, not even realizing she was doing so.

"Riley?" Cody was watching her with a slightly furrowed brow. "Are you okay?"

Riley blinked. "What? Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"That's because it's three-thirty in the morning," David said, checking his cell.

Corinne groaned. "And the drive home is over an hour."

"Y'all could crash at my place," David offered.

"Thanks, but we can't," Riley said. "We've already abandoned my parents for the evening. It would be unforgivable if we were MIA in the morning, since we're leaving for Kentucky in the afternoon."

"Gotta get you some!" Cody crowed, his eyes glinting devilishly. "You know, y'all don't have to go all the way to Kentucky to get laid."

"If that's an invitation, we're gonna have to pass," Corinne said. "You're charming in your own way, but you're no CC or Andy."

"Do y'all have to leave tomorrow?" David wanted to know.

Corinne and Riley looked at each other.

"Technically, no," Corinne said. "Why?"

"We're playing in Clanton tomorrow night." David's dark eyes widened slightly. "Y'all could come."

"The guys are off tomorrow," Corinne remarked. "We intended to get to Kentucky early enough to spend some time with them."

David turned to Riley. "Didn't you say you're off until Thursday?"

"Yep," she confirmed.

"Then meet up with your guys on Sunday. You'll still have three full days with them if you fly home Wednesday night."

Riley hesitated, biting her lip. She was surprised by how tempted she was to stay.

"C'mon," Cody urged. "You haven't seen Jacob and David in ten years. One more night is nothing."

David couldn't hide that he was hopeful. Jacob, on the other hand, was busy with the last of his waffle. His face was again void of any emotion.

Riley realized that she would have liked Jacob to express a desire for she and Corinne to stick around. Why do I care if Jacob wants us here? she wondered, annoyed at herself. David and Cody do. That's a majority.

"Do you want to stay for another show?" she asked Corinne.

"That's up to you, love."

David and Cody gave Riley similar pleading stares. Both of them were adorable and had undoubtedly mastered the pitiful "begging puppy" look.

"Fuck!" Riley swore. "You two could teach Christian a thing or two."

David grinned. "Does that mean y'all will stay?"

Riley exhaled loudly, feigning an irritation she didn't really feel. "Yes."

"YAY!" David and Cody cheered, earning a few funny looks from the other diners.

Riley and Corinne laughed. Jacob was now absorbed by a message on his cell, yet Riley could have sworn she saw the smallest of smiles quirking the corners of his mouth.

**********

The girls were going to have to follow Lynam and their crew to the club in Clanton, which was almost precisely halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery. Therefore, they were reunited with the band as early as two p.m. the next afternoon.

Still half-asleep when they'd left her parents' house--and determined to prove that she didn't place any importance on the Lynam guys' opinions of her--Riley hadn't changed out of her black chemise and her Pink Floyd pajama pants. Her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of Aviators. She had brought an outfit for the show tonight, but what did it matter how she looked in the car?

Corinne had merely raised an eyebrow at the sight of her and volunteered to drive.

Now, they were at a gas station on the outskirts of Birmingham. Todd, Lynam's sound guy, was filling up the van. Joseph Gooch, drum tech, was inside with David and Cody. Jacob was in the bathroom.

"I'm getting a snack," Corinne said, pushing open her door. "Want something?"

"Chex Mix and a peach Sunkist, please," Riley requested. She was reclining slightly in her seat, her bare feet resting on the dashboard. Her hot pink toenails and a toe ring shone in the sunlight.

Her cell suddenly emitted Black Veil Brides' "Die For You." Riley was reluctant to answer it. She hadn't been able to actually speak to Andy yet about the fact that they were remaining in Alabama for another day. She'd called him earlier and had been relieved when he didn't answer, sharing the news via voicemail. She hadn't given him any reason, though. He deserved to hear that straight from her mouth.

She picked up her cell. "Hey, Andy."

"Hey, babe. I just listened to your message. Why are you staying in Alabama? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she assured him quickly.

"Good." She heard the flick of a lighter. "So what's up?"

Riley glanced through the open window and saw Jacob crossing the parking lot, headed towards the van. His hair was in its typical disarray and there were sunglasses concealing a large portion of his face. He was in a lightweight hoodie, black jeans, and black cowboy boots.

"Riley?" Andy said, the first hint of worry in his voice.

"Lynam wanted us to hang around for another show," Riley blurted without further consideration of how best to break the news.

Andy was silent for a long time. Riley had been honest with him and told him about being reacquainted with David and Jacob at the reunion, omitting both the skinny-dipping and the bar. She had told him they were in a band and that she and Corinne were going to watch them play Friday night. None of that had bothered him. However, Riley knew that it would bother him to learn that Lynam was enough to keep them apart for one more day. Because David and Jacob weren't exactly what one would label "close friends." Because she hadn't even attempted to be in touch with either of them for the past ten years. But mostly because David and Jacob were guys.

"You're staying for...them?" Andy said finally.

"It's kinda strange, I admit," Riley conceded. "But we've had so much fun catching up. None of us is quite ready for it to be over. Plus, they're a really good band."

Andy sighed. Riley could picture him as clearly as if he was standing right in front of her: he would be scowling the way he did whenever he was displeased with something, a faint crease between his eyebrows and his blue eyes narrowed.

"We'll come to Louisville early tomorrow," Riley said, wanting to soothe his annoyance. If he dwelt on this too much, the emotion would advance into anger. She didn't want to spend the next three days with him fighting.

"Whatever."

"Andy. Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad."

"You're doing an admirable impression of it then."

"Sorry," Andy muttered. "I just was really looking forward to being with you tonight. I miss you."

Something very much like guilt slithered through Riley's stomach. "No, I'm sorry. I should have said no to David."

"No, you shouldn't have. If you want to spend more time with Lynam, spend more time with Lynam. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Really? It's okay?"

"You don't need my permission, Riley. I love you. Have a good time."

"I love you, too." Riley ended the call. She was smiling. Andy was so sweet and understanding. How did I ever get so lucky?

Riley was distracted by a noise. She straightened up, lowering her feet to the floor. Todd was no longer next to the van. In fact, no one was in sight.

The noise continued, brought to her on the cool breeze. Singing. Beautiful, soulful singing.

Riley slipped her feet into her flip-flops and stepped out of the car. The voice seemed to pull her, guiding her to the van. The driver side window was open. Riley lingered out of sight. A song was playing quietly on the stereo, but it was barely audible over the sound of Jacob's singing.

"...Memories fade like a face in the crowd/Happiness seems so hard to find/It wasn't always this way, you see/When life meant something to me/Her face grows longer as the days pass by/Just another dream that she hides..."

Goosebumps erupted along Riley's arms as she listened. There was a passion here that she had not witnessed last night.

"Beautiful girl, head full of gold/She lost sight of her dreams, somewhere along the way/Daddy's little angel fell into the wrong scene/Who's gonna save you when the world is coming down?/Who's gonna save you now?

"It wasn't always this way, you see/When life meant something to me/Her face grows longer as the days pass by/Just another dream that she hides.

"I wanna see my face on the screen/I wanna see my name in the lights/I want to shine like the stars, but I could never get it right..."

The bells on the door of the gas station jangled, breaking the spell. Jacob's voice ceased abruptly and Riley darted back to the car just as David, Cody, Joseph, Todd, and Corinne filed out of the building.

"God, Cori, I thought you'd gotten lost!" Riley teased, leaning against the side of the car. "I was about to come in after you."

Corinne laughed. "I wasn't lost. It just takes ages to find anything with these idiots around." She gestured at the four guys, all of whom immediately began claiming that her statement was false and they were innocent.

Riley sank into the passenger seat and shut her door. Corinne slid in behind the wheel, handing Riley a bag of spicy Chex Mix and a twenty-ounce peach Sunkist. Talking loudly, David, Cody, Joseph, and Todd disappeared into the van.

Jacob eased the van forward and the girls rolled along behind him. Riley's eyes were fixed on the scenery flying by them as they sped out onto I-65. She could hear Jacob's voice in her head, over and over, singing those lyrics. But one lyric in particular stood out to her.

"I want to shine like the stars, but I could never get it right."

Beautiful. Meaningful. And expressing frustration. Jacob was an exceptional talent; why the hell was he stuck here, in Alabama, playing in bars every weekend? He deserved so much more.

Riley wanted to know who did that song. She wondered if Jacob would be embarrassed that she'd overheard him, then decided that he probably wouldn't be. Singing was how he made his living. She was going to ask him about the song as soon as they arrived in Clanton.