Picking Up the Pieces

The things I do for money.

No, I'm not a prostitute, but I'll accept basically any job I can get.

Which is what I had just done. I'd hung up the phone with my boss not even a minute ago, after I accepted a job as a tour manager for some band that started touring tomorrow. Apparently their previous manager quit on short notice, and these band members were quite the partiers, so my boss called me asking me to do it, knowing I'd be able to keep them under control.

I was to meet the band at nine tomorrow morning at this venue downtown, where we would pack up and leave for Los Angeles as soon as we could.

I better start packing.

******

I pulled my car into the parking lot of the venue at precisely 8:55 on that foggy Monday morning. I saw that there was a tour bus already waiting, and a few guys were hanging out beside it.

I pulled my suitcase, backpack, and purse out of the trunk of my car and walked towards the bus. I was really nervous. I really hoped they liked me, and that they weren't as bad as my boss had described them.

I had barely taken three steps when a small, skinny guy with long hair ran up to me and shook my hand excitedly.

"I'm Vic! You must be Zoe!" He said. "Can I take your bag?" I didn't even answer him, but he took my suitcase and began to roll it toward the bus. I followed.

"The rest of the guys should be here shortly," he explained. "Always fashionably late, they are. I'll introduce you to everyone." He led me to the sidewalk beside the bus where all the guys sat, chatting with excitement.

"Okay guys, this is Zoe. Our new manager," he announced. "Zoe, meet Jaime, Mike, Casey, Shane, Joe, Evan, and Luke." He pointed left to right as he introduced them to me. "We still need Jake and Tony," he added.

I nodded showing I understood and waved to all of them. Vic disappeared inside the bus for a bit, I'm guessing putting my suitcase away, and I was left alone with the others. I took a seat on the curb, next to the one Vic had identified as Jaime. I fiddled with the sleeves of my hoodie awkwardly, waiting for someone to speak.

The silence was broken shortly after, but not by anyone who I expected it from. I looked up past my sleeves for a second and saw a pair or worn black vans, along with a pair of skinny ankles covered with a pair of black jeans. I looked up farther to greet the person, but when I saw his face, I could barely make a sound.

Standing in front of me was Tony Perry. The Tony Perry. The Tony Perry that had made my high school life a complete hell. He looked exactly the same, except with a ton of tattoos and maybe a little more muscle. The plugs in his ears were a bit bigger as well. But he still had that adorable puppy look to him, while looking extremely hot at the same time. Another thing that was the same as it was in high school was my absolute loathing for him.

Just about every day, from the first day of freshman year, all the way to the last day of senior year, Tony Perry had made it his mission to make me miserable. He'd humiliate me, make fun of me, and even force me to do his homework.

And now, he stood before me, and I was about to live with him on a bus for three months.

Awesome. Just awesome.

"Zoe?" He whispered, staring a me in disbelief. "Zoe Green?"

No way. He was NOT going to make this tour hell for me.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

His brown eyes bugged out of his head and his mouth dropped open slightly. "I'm Tony Perry, don't you remember me from high school?" He continued. "San Diego East? 2005?"

I shook my head and quickly thought of a lie. "I went to high school in Sacramento," I told him.

He shrugged, (hopefully) giving up. "Funny, you look just like this girl I knew in high school."

The guy standing next to him finally spoke up. He had ginger hair that was spiked in the front, and had about as many tattoos as Tony. He stuck a pale hand out to me and I shook it as he introduced himself. "I'm Jake, I'm a guitar tech. You're Zoe, right?"

I nodded in response then returned my hands to the pockets of my hoodie. I saw Vic bounce out of the bus and jog to my side. He put a skinny arm around me and squeezed me close. "Isn't she lovely?" He said smugly. "You guys can get acquainted later, but now we have to leave," he announced. I saw Jaime and Evan leave to load the rest of the stuff in the bus, while Vic led the rest of us into the front lounge of the bus.

We all sat down on various places, I at the table, and the boys resumed chatting amongst themselves, giving me some time to think.

Thank god Tony had dropped the subject earlier. I don't know if I could stand him knowing that it really was me from high school. But would I be able to keep it a secret forever? I'm not the best at keeping my mouth shut. And we were basically going to be living together for three months...
fantastic.