Stepping Stones to Hell

chapter 5

Robin splashed cold water over her face then dried it with a towel. Sleeping on the tour bus was so hard which made waking up when she was able to sleep in her own bed rough. She stared at herself in the mirror, studying the bags under her eyes. She was supposed to meet Nancy at one and not intended to sleep until eleven. It just sort of happened.

She brushed her teeth then made her way back into her room. As much as she loved touring and playing shows, she loved being home.

The band had been fortunate enough to start making very very good money. The first thing she had done was buy a small house on a bit of private land. She had put a lot of thought and work into decorating her space so it really felt like her home.

Her bedroom consisted of various things. She had a king sized bed with black silk sheets and red pillows. She had a large framed movie poster for Back To The Future with the same guitar Marty played at the prom mounted on the wall next to it. On the left side of the room was a large dark brown wooden dresser.

On top of the dresser was a jewelry box shaped like a coffin, a gift from Eddie that he handmade himself. On the inside of the coffin were places to hang necklaces and earrings. But on the door he had painted the date she had joined the band in small pink numbers.

Though she wasn't the greatest plant mom, she did have a small cactus sitting in the window sill as well. Succulents didn't need much attention so it was easy to keep this alive while touring.

Her closet was a decent size which was good since she collected lots of silly t's while on tour. Anytime they were able to stop and explore a city she always looked for some sort of cheesy shirt or hat.

Typically though, Robin would have chosen her favorite David Bowie shirt because she wore it everywhere. However she didn't wash the shirt before they left for tour. So, she instead grabbed some jeans and a Goonies t-shirt.

She brushed out her hair and decided to wear a navy blue ball cap free of bad jokes. She was about to head out the door when her phone started to ring. She hurried to the kitchen to pick it up, "Hello?"

"Hey!" Steve's voice came from the other end. "I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I'm proud of you. What you're doing today is a big deal."

Robin's posture softened and she managed to choke out, "Thanks, Steve. I love you, too."

"Okay, well. Be safe, I'll see you in a couple days. Call me if you need anything, bye!"

"Bye," she said before hanging the phone back on the wall.

She took a few minutes to water her plants that weren't succulents which by some miracle had also survived while she was away. She really needed to make friends with the closest neighbor so she had someone keeping an eye on things.

She heard the clock in the living room ding which meant it was twelve. She had an hour until it was time to meet Nancy and had about a forty minute drive. "Shit," she sighed, grabbing her car keys off the wall.

Robin never really got better at driving. She actually hated it and reminisced frequently on the days Steve chauffeured her around. She hated being behind the wheel with so many cars on the road. Too many people honking, not enough people using blinkers. It was stressful.

The one thing that got her through driving every time was her trusted cassette. The Cranberries' album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We. She never changed it. It was her true comfort, not to mention she believed now that if she tried to change it she would wreck or something wild would happen. Not that that surprised her, she had been superstitious since she was a child. However, being self aware of that fact didn't mean she could change it.