Chords

Self De·struc·tion

"Jess?"

"Jess!"

"Jess?!"

"Wait a second."

"Dexter!?!"

The four scatter outside the lobby. Tai looks up and down the halls where his friends scramble and call out names. His shoulders slump and he decides to look outside since everything else is covered. He skirts around the street corner and texts the others.

"Outside looking."

Tai totters along the sidewalk until spotting Jess - er, Dexter - arguing with another man. It's barely been ten minutes and this guy's already gotten into fight. Tai speeds up to catch him before it's too late to prevent anything physical.

"Give me my stuff back, I just got it!" Dexter huffs.

The other man, barely thirty and has his hands full with a doggie bag and a lighter and cigars, folds his arms and shakes his head. Tai finally makes it over to ask what's going on.

"This your dad?" The stranger frowns.

Tai furrows his brows and looks down at himself. He never thought he was that short. Looking up he shakes his head, eyebrows still drawn together.

"Oh." He plays with the lighter before handing it over. "Well your friend here can't read no smoking signs."

Dexter grumbles and tries to start up again, but Tai manages to talk first. "Yeah, he's a slow reader."

He smirks. "Is he new around here?"

Dexter starts to get impatient. He makes a face.

"We're only stopping here before Chicago." Tai replies.

"I was going there too." He humphs in pleasant surprise. "What for?"

"My band's travelling a few states over to The House of Blues . . ." 

"I was going there too. I'm producing a bit."

Dexter exaggerates a sigh and goes to walk off. Tai snatches his arm to tug him back in place. The stranger raises a brow at them. 

"You seem busy. But uh, you're pretty cool." He digs in his pocket before slipping out a card to offer. "Talk later? More about your music next time?"

Tai skims it over. Jonathan Gaber Abbott. He looks back up and nods with a small smile. The man waves goodbye to Tai, gives Dexter a dirty look, and is on his way down the street.

He sends another text. "Found him. But does he look like my dad compared to me?"

Tai shoves the hotel doors open, handle in one hand and Dexter's forearm in another. The others stop running around when they see them and rush over.

"Where was he?" Mary asks.

Tai lifts a lighter and pack of cigars. She turns the corners of her mouth down. "I didn't think he smoked."

"Was about to." Dexter mumbles.

"Uh-uh." Mary snatches the supplies and stuffs them into her purse. "You're not screwing up my lil' Jessie."

"You're . . .what?" Binny says.

"And I still need to finish my yogurt!" Mary demands. "You don't get to interrupt my breakfast with screwing everyone over."

Dexter growls. "Listen up, brat-"

Mary simply turns on her heel and goes back to the booth. She grabs a plastic spoon from a nearby container and plops down at her seat. The others shrug and decide it's best to join her instead of argue.

Dexter is shoved back into the corner with Ptolemy. He shoves Ptolemy away for more room and folds his arms grumpily. 

"I'm getting so sick of this dude." Binny says, gaining a silent nod from Mary as she eats.

"How do we turn him off before he actually gets away with something?" Ptolemy asks.

"You can't just treat it like a light switch." Dexter replies.

"So you know how it works." Ptolemy confirms.

"Like I'd tell you how to get rid of me." Dexter gives him a look. "It's going to take a lot more than stupid manners to -"

Ding! Dexter flinches in mid movement before easing up and relaxing. He blinks and looks around confused.

Mary sets her spoon down. "Jess?"