Chloe Carter was the ultimate groupie.
As the baby sister of an exceptionally bright storm chaser sister and a world famous boy band brother, Chloe had always tagged along to her siblings' adventures, but deep down, she knew she was avoiding her ow...
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WHILE MY TRIBUTE to Kate's lost friends played out on the stage to an audience of crying teens and young adults, I excused myself and went back to the tour buses. The night air was warm and full of constant noise from the bustling city and concert-goers. I liked Las Vegas every time we came, but it was bright, loud, and dry — the total opposite of back home.
Security all said hello to me or dipped their head in greeting as I settled into the tour bus, crossing my legs underneath me while I settled into the tour bus' bed in the back with my lyric book in my lap.
It was a whirlwind of activity when the guys got back, but I kept my head down, busy with the new song I was developing. The record label wanted the guys to have their next album finalized by the end of the month. I was writing around the clock to try to meet the deadline with the number of songs we typically had to propose to them.
Killian ruffled the hair on my head as he moved around me to get a change of clothes (the two of us typically shared the actual bed in the bus while the other guys used the built-in bunk beds), and Jackson got nearly fully naked in the main area of the bus up front as he changed into his typical night-out clothes. Xav and Dylan would each take turns using the cramped bathroom to get changed and touch-up their appearance.
"You comin' with us tonight, bug? We're plannin' to gamble a little and drink a lot," Killian asked while shrugging on a clean t-shirt.
I shook my head. "I'm hoping to write the lyrics for another song or two before we hit the road tomorrow afternoon. Y'all have fun."
"Your loss," Killian said, pulling on a dark baseball cap and sliding his sunglasses back into place. He moved out into the main cabin and started shoving Jackson, who was only in a tee and boxers, toward the door. "Let's go, Jackson. The girls'll love you like this."
Jackson tripped while trying to put his pants on through his laughter. He pushed Killian toward the door, which gave him enough space to jump into his skinny jeans and flip off my brother.
"You're idiots," Dylan sighed while passing Xav on his way into the bathroom.
Now, only Dylan wasn't ready to go, and Killian was never one for patience. He grabbed onto the other two and shoved them off the bus unceremoniously. Thuds and bangs accompanied both of them as they stumbled to the pavement outside. Xav snapped at him, calling him some less-than-pretty names, and Jackson laughed hysterically the entire time.
When Killian jumped out of the bus after them and shut the door, my skin prickled at the awareness that it was only Dylan and me in the bus now. Almost immediately the door cracked open, and his head peeked out.
I patted the heavy comforter next to me on the bed. "They're gone."
