Never As It Seems

Chapter 19

Although she had experienced it several times, Amber still couldn't help getting caught up in the atmosphere of the concerts. Tonight was up several notches on the excitement scale though because Dessa was there. She wished now that they had brought her to the arena before. This was the most carefree she had seen her friend in a while and she kicked herself knowing that she could easily have done this with her several times by now. She made a mental note to make sure to bring her to the last night, which was coming up way too fast. Amber put that thought aside almost as soon as it entered her mind and looked across at Dessa once again. She was grinning from ear to ear as they waited for the final warm up act to finish and then for Keeper to hit the stage. They had both begged Jay to stay with them but he insisted they needed girl time and that he had video games to play that were far more important.

The lights finally went down and the band were once again rocketed onto the stage. For the hundredth time Dessa thanked Amber but this time she squealed it at the same time as looking as though she might actually burst. Amber laughed and found herself totally caught up in the gig alongside her best friend.

Just before the concert finished and Dessa looked like she had no energy left whatsoever, Amber pulled her, very reluctantly, away from her seat and towards the barrier she had stood behind the very first time she had been there. Dessa protested, wanting to enjoy every last second of the show but when they got to the barrier her eyes nearly popped out when the security guard moved it and ushered both of the girls through to the backstage area. Jay was waiting for them with a knowing grin. When they reached him he shouted over the din.

"Okay listen. As soon as they get off stage they'll go with these guys." He gestured towards the three burly men standing with him. "You're going too. Just stick with them, they go pretty fast."

"I don't understand." Dessa shouted back.

"You're getting a lift home with the band." Amber explained. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

"What? No way!..." She was interrupted in her disbelief by one of the men putting a hand on her back.

"Get ready." He called into her ear and pointed towards where the band were about to appear.

The girls exchanged an excited smile and then in what seemed like one motion, the band were there and they, the security guards and a tiny looking Dessa, were running away.

Jay put his arm around Amber's waist and they walked in silence, waiting until they didn't have to shout before they said anything.

"I think that went pretty well." Jay finally said, with a satisfied grin.

"Yep!" She beamed at him. "I think we make a pretty good team!"

He squeezed her before they parted ways. Amber headed to the tour bus to wait for Jay while he worked. It had become almost routine now and she always enjoyed the couple of hours she got to herself before he took her home. Tonight was no different and she selected a girly film to watch while she waited.

She didn't really take much notice of the film more than having it on to keep her company. Instead she let herself get lost in her thoughts. She replayed the day in her mind, smiling and laughing to herself as she recalled some of Dessa's facial expressions and reactions. She loved her friend and realised just how much she was going to miss her when she headed off to Uni in a few weeks. Things were certainly going to be very different come September. With Dessa and Jay leaving town, Amber had resolved to put a lot of focus on what she was going to do with the next year. She had already applied to spend a few months volunteering at a mother and baby home in Uganda. It was something she had always wanted to do and apart from the thought of being away from Jay for so long, she was excited about the possibility. As far as the rest of the year was concerned, she really didn't know what she was going to do but she felt the burden of making some decisions, for her parent's sake.

Somewhere towards the end of the film, she became aware of raised voices coming from outside. She muted the massive TV and strained to hear who the voices belonged to. Pushing back the duvet she had borrowed from Jay's bed, she walked towards the stairs, stopping when she heard the door of the bus open. For a minute the voices stopped and when they started again, not only did she hear that their owners were now on the bus but she also became aware of who they were. Not knowing what to do, she sat on the top step, hoping they would soon stop.

"If you have a problem, just say it. This is getting ridiculous." Jay's voice sounded irritated.

"Too right I have a damn problem with you!" It was Connor. "Do you know how many trained guys applied for this tour?" He snarled.

"I'm not going to apologise for having a job."

"Tell that to the guy who lost out on it trying to feed his family." Amber was aware that Connor seemed to be finally venting his problem with Jay. She felt guilty for listening in but she was intrigued after all this time to know why Connor hated him so much.

"I can't do anything about it. I needed this job." Jay's voice sounded guarded. He must have known Amber was on the bus. She was always here at this time.

"Ha! And we all know why you needed it don't we?!"

"Shut up!" Jay snapped.

"Or what Jay? It's not like you can shut me up given your situation."

There was something sickening in Connor's tone and Amber really didn't want to hear anymore. Not knowing what else to do, she crept down a few more steps and then froze again when Jay spoke. His voice was low, almost a growl.

"I'm not going to do anything about your childish snivelling for no other reason than you're not worth the effort. Do you really think I care about your opinion of me?"

"I don't care if you do or not but I bet you care about what that sweet little girl of yours thinks of you." Amber felt her stomach jolt.

"You leave her out of this. If you do or say one thing to her..." Jay sounded ruffled and Amber couldn't help feeling flattered even though she still didn't totally understand what was going on.

She jumped at the sound of kitchen utensils clattering to the ground and without thinking, made her way quickly to the bottom of the stairs. Neither of the men noticed her presence, even though she let out a gasp at the scene before her.

Connor had Jay pinned against the door of one of the cupboards in the kitchen by his shirt. It was a strange sight as Jay's stature made him easily able to physically fight him off but for some reason, he didn't.

"You're in no position to threaten me you little jobsworth. I'm sick of the way you swan around here like you have a right to this job when you haven't had a day's experience in your life."

Amber watched as Jay seemed to let everything Connor said wash over him. This angered Connor even more and his face grew redder by the second.

"Come on you little girl." He challenged but Jay didn't respond. Amber could see the muscle in his cheek twitching though and she knew he couldn't remain calm for much longer. Connor knew it too and taking advantage of the fact he pressed in closer and almost spat his next words into Jay's face.

"She's cute that little lady of yours." Jay's nostrils flared slightly but still he didn't react so Connor pushed further. "There are a lot of guys around here who haven't seen their wives for a while."

That was the trigger and in one movement Jay had Connor pinned by the throat against the opposite counter. Amber couldn't help letting out a frightened yelp at the same time that Matt appeared in the doorway. Both men looked at Amber and then at Matt.

"Bill called and said things were getting out of hand in there." Matt said calmly. He looked at Jay "It wouldn't look good mate." He said with a frown.

Jay let go of Connor, who rubbed at his neck. He walked the few steps to Amber and took her hand, moving his thumb across the back of it to calm her. It did the trick and her heartbeat began to return to normal. And then it stopped as Connor spoke.

"And just like that, once again, 'Mr. I can do nothing wrong' is rescued by the older brother."

...........................

Author's note: Thanks for reading and voting :)