Time Bomb

“Baltimore?” Josh repeated the word for what Matt counted as the fifteen time in two minutes. “Baltimore?”

“Sixteen.” Matt mumbled rolling his eyes as Ian snickered.

“Huh?” Josh asked glancing at his best friend with a puzzled look.

“Sixteen, you have said Baltimore exactly sixteen times in the last two minutes. When are you going to get it? They want Riley to go to Baltimore.” Matt explained clearly annoyed.

“I don’t get it, why though?” Josh rambled on, running a hand through his hair.

Mike shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose before speaking. “They want Riley to go there, because you told Jack to figure out a way to keep helping her. Obviously he didn’t know what else to do and he didn’t have the balls to ask, so he sent Cassadee to do the work for him.”

Glancing at Cassadee who was still seated on the small bench at the table, Ian offered a smile and a shrug. “Sorry, he gets dumb sometimes.”

Giggling, Cassadee nodded in understanding, she knew several people who could be that way. “I don’t want to butt in, um, Mike is right.” She spoke up.

Turning to face Cassadee, Josh raised his brow, signaling for her to go on as he waved his hand in a gesture that stated to do just that.

“Riley clearly has feelings for Jack. I know Jack has feelings for Riley and although this may not be the best time in their lives to explore them, they are still there. You said yourself, Josh, that Riley was pretty broken when this tour started and now look. Jack is a really nice guy and he just wants to help her.” Cassadee explained, trying to be as convincing as possible.

If Riley didn’t go to Baltimore, then it was on to the next plan, convincing Jack that Vancouver is where he needed to be for a bit. Cassadee got a gut feeling that it was going to be way easier to convince Riley than Jack.

“We know that time is running out on the tour and Jack, well all of us really, want to help her. He would have come over himself, but he was too scared that if you got upset with his solution then you’d rip his balls off and shove them up his own ass. Jack’s words, not mine.” Cassadee concluded, getting a laugh from Mike, Matt and Ian upon the last statement.

Josh nodded in understanding; Jack Barakat was a smart kid. Josh would have ripped his balls off and shoved them up Jack’s ass if Jack had come over here himself asking for this. Taking a seat, Josh nervously rubbed his hands together. This had so many pros and cons to it. He did tell Jack to figure this out and if this was Jack’s way of figuring things out, then Josh at least had to try and work with it.

Josh Ramsay was a reasonable man; Cassadee learned that the previous day.

Cassadee didn’t get why Jack had been so scared to talk to him. Then again, Cassadee wasn’t Jack and the intent that she didn’t want Riley for anything more than a friend was pretty evident. If Cassadee were Josh, she’d be grilling Jack too.

Either way it didn’t really matter whether Josh liked Cassadee or Jack more, he felt that Riley going to Baltimore for a while could be a great change. It was a place where she had the chance to clear a lot of things away and be who she wanted to be. Josh trusted enough that if there was trouble, of any kind, Riley or Jack would contact him.

The next step was to convince Riley going to Baltimore was a good idea. Cassadee explained that she’d be spending some time with Rian in Baltimore, before heading home to Florida for the holidays and that she thought it’d be fun if Riley came along. Hesitant at the idea, Riley insisted she couldn’t just take off and leave her mother alone over the holidays. This was an issue Josh said they’d run into.

Clearing his throat, Alex stepped forward. “Josh said he’d make sure your mom had a good Christmas.”

Riley sighed, weighing out her options. She knew Josh would make sure his aunt had a good holiday, whether her daughter was there or not. Her mother loved spending time with Josh and his parents would be thrilled to have the extra person. It wasn’t the same, while her mother had all the comforts of family, Riley basically had a group of strangers. Yes, she knew them but she didn’t know their families or friends or that they’d even want her around during that time.

“I know, but I’d still feel bad.” Riley spoke barely above a whisper.

“I know it’s hard, but think of it this way you’d have Jack there and us.” Cassadee said, pointing between her and Alex.

“We’re not your mom, I get it, but my mom is pretty awesome and she loves having people over. She especially loves it at Christmas time.” Alex grinned. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I promise.”

“Rian’s family are really nice too and so are Jack and Zack’s.” Cassadee added eagerly hoping that some encouragement of any type may help. “Jack’s sister, May, would love you.” She gushed. Alex nodded excitedly.

“I get that you’re trying to make me feel okay about this, but I just need some time to think it over.” Riley answered standing up from where she’d been on the couch in the back lounge.

Excusing herself, she slowly walked out of the back end of the bus and toward Jack’s bunk. Riley could feel her hands shaking from nerves and it was sending her emotions through the damn roof. Sniffling, she blinked hard a few times and hoped that the few people sleeping weren’t woken up because of her pacing back and forth along the floor.

Shaking her hands at her sides she clenched and unclenched her fists, taking a few deep breaths. Knowing that Cassadee and Alex said Jack wanted Riley at home with him was one thing, but hearing Jack say it was another. Doing her best to calm down, not wanting to go into this looking and feeling like a train wreck, Riley opened the curtain to Jack’s bunk poking her head in. It was times like this; she wished that she could have a bottle of vodka.

Although it was daylight outside of the bus, the tiny bunks were lacking windows coupled with dark curtains, making them extremely dark. Inside Jack was laying on his back, playing with his iPad and the mini lamp turned on for some light. Seeing Riley, he smiled and put the iPad away, moving over so that she could scoot in with him. The bunks weren’t very big and sharing them really limited the space, but Jack wouldn’t complain.

“Hey, I just woke up.” Jack said running a hand through his hair that was stuck up in all directions from his nap. He wore his glasses, the dark frame shielding his even darker eyes; normally Riley would take time to tell him how cute he looked.

“Do you want me to come to Baltimore?” Riley asked, her blue eyes piercing through Jack.

Swallowing the dry lump in his throat, Jack nodded and smiled. “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure you’d agree so I got Cassadee to ask.” He confessed shyly.

Riley sighed and gave Jack a small, sad smile. It was a smile that Jack hadn’t seen her use in a while and it was twisting his gut. He didn’t like it when Riley was sad or upset. Riley was meant to be happy and smiling.

“Y-you do want to come, right?” His voice sounded like a scare child as he spoke.

“I do, but I can’t leave my mom alone over the holidays and what if your family doesn’t want me there over the holidays? What if I come with you and everything falls apart?” Riley rambled on, running her fingers nervously through her thick, dark hair. “I can’t deal with that happening, Jack.”

“I know.” Jack nodded, reaching out to hug her. Holding her tightly to him, he smiled and nuzzled the top of her head with his nose. “If you come, I’ll call my mom the second you agree and tell her she’s having one more for the holidays. Your mom has Josh and his family, she’ll be fine. We’ll be fine, this will all be fine.”

Fine, it would all be fine. Jack smiled and hugged Riley tighter, kissing her cheek and smiling. They’d be fine, because he wasn’t letting it go down any other way.