Same Band... New School... New Species?!

Same Band...New School...New Species?! - 22

I have never been happier to come home in my life. The second we opened that door, relief and joy flooded through me. I was home... and I never wanted to leave again. We could record here, have what we need delivered. I would never leave the loft again.

When the door was wide enough for me to burst into the room, I did just that. I dropped my luggage by the sofa and sprinted to my bedroom. I heard Sparrow laughing and more luggage dropping, followed by feet against carpet as I was joined in my room.

I have a huge bed, two kings pushed together because after concerts we usually just crash in my room. It's the closest to the door and we all love my room. There are football posters on the walls, only a smidge of girly-stuff and not to mention it's the biggest bedroom; three beanbag chairs and a couch in all. I guess living with five guys rubbed off on me because there was just so little actually feminine stuff in my room.

I jumped on my bed from the door and landed, in a pile on my mismatched sheets. My bed is my favorite part of the room because it is literally a color explosion. Seconds later I was attacked. All five of my brother's puppy piled and sighed in comfort.

"It's nice to be home," Frost laughed, his arm across my middle and legs under Lyle.

"You said it," Nix grinned.

"Can we just stay here?" I asked, voice muffled considering Ink's arm was on my face.

"Sounds good," Ink grinned as I twitched my face, trying to get his arm off.

"I don't think so." Renni said from the door.

"Jesus!" Frost jumped, sitting up. "Renni don't do that!"

"Sorry," she grinned. "Now, there will be no talk of hiding up here while I deal with the rumors. Come on you six, what happened in Rome?"

"Crys fell in love, got pregnant, nearly eloped and we had to drag her arse back here," Ink sat up, staring Renni right in the eye. "Luckily we found a back-alley abortion clinic before we got on the plane."

"Is he guy in question the one that got in the van with you?" Renni asked.

"Yup."

"Nix?" Renni turned to him, ignoring the exchange with Ink as if it had never happened. Ink has always messed around with Renni, it's just the way it is. "What really happened?"

"We didn't fit in there," Nix shrugged, sitting up.

"And the bruises?" she crossed her arms, turning dead serious.

"Bruises?" he played innocent.

"Don't screw with me," she snapped, sounding like an angry mother, which she pretty much was right now. "I may not have seen it when you got off the plane but your makeup rubbed off your jaw in the car."

We all turned our heads to look at him. Renni was right, the huge bruise on Nix's jaw was visible through the makeup, he must have rubbed his jaw or something.

"Come on." Renni's voice lowered, as it did when she was really pissed off. "What. Happened?"

"There was a fight with some of the guys at the school," Nix climbed off the bed and walked up to Renni. He was a few inches taller than her because Renni is about half an inch taller than me. She's a dark woman with curled black hair and huge brown eyes. She's like the mother we never had, we all respect her.

"Why, how, with who?" her frown deepened.

"Because they insulted Crys, when I was in their dorms and outnumbered and with a few guys from another dorm."

"Are you okay?" Renni dropped her stance and put a hand on Nix's arm.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm fine."

"That is not the bruise of an okay person," she insisted.

"I wasn't okay when it happened," Nix admitted. "But I'm okay now."

We all looked at each other. Nix would never admit to any of us that he wasn't okay, but to Renni it was another matter. She looked at him for another long moment before nodding and dropping her hand.

"Alright," she nodded. "I'm going to do more damage control, rest up here for a while. Lyle, I better have those promised songs in my hand soon."

"No probs Renni," Lyle grinned.

"Crys," Renni walked up to the bed and stood in front of me. "Are you okay? You've been looking pale since you came off the plane."

"Yeah," I reached up and hugged her. "Missed you Renni."

"I missed you too Crys," she squeezed, then let go. "Now all of you, take care of each other."

"Okay," we all said in unison, then grinned.

"Spooky," Renni shivered dramatically.

There were grins and laughs as she turned and let herself off of the loft. There was a collective sigh as we collapsed back in the puppy-pile and fell straight asleep. It was nice to be home.