- billboards {h.s.}

4

Summer

I didn't have the energy, nor did I care enough to ask or even wonder why Ryan had started acting weird the moment I got back on the bus. He was keeping his distance, which left me wide open to Kasey's flirting since he was now awake.

I took to counting billboards again as I waited for literally anyone else to wake up. Harry was awake earlier but he'd gotten back in his bunk and pulled the little curtain shut.

I thought I'd sigh myself to death at that table with Kasey. Once again he'd trapped me between the window and his self. Every time he'd tell a joke he'd lean even closer. It was almost beginning to make me claustrophobic.

"One time we were on stage and-"

"Hold on, I think someone's calling me." I pulled my phone out and pretended to answer it. "Hello? Oh hey, yeah, I'd been meaning to call you," I put my hand over the mic. "Excuse me, Kasey." I said, gesturing him to scoot over.

He nodded and quickly got up, looking a little disappointed.

I walked up to the front of the bus and sat in the passenger seat. Sherry looked over at me with a sympathetic smile. "Boys getting on your nerves?"

"Just Kasey really. He thinks we're gonna get together. I've told him its never gonna happen, but that doesn't seem to matter." I ran a hand through my dense curls and leaned back in the seat. I curled my feet up under me, deciding I'd ride with Sherry for a while.

"Be mean, that always works. Give em the old, not in your wildest dreams speech." She laughed. "I remember when they used to chase me,"

Sherry began to ramble about her days touring with all these old bands my parents used to talk about. She told me how all of her kids are kids she had out of wedlock during her groupie days.

"All my kids are musicians. Two sing, one plays a mean guitar, another plays the violin like no one's business, and my youngest, bless her heart. She sings, plays the drums, and in her free time she tattoos. It's all about lineage,"

I began to regret coming to the front. The last thing I expected was to hear about how she strategically got pregnant by musicians so her kids would be talented. I was half impressed and half disgusted.

"Excuse me Sherry, I need to hit up the bathroom, really quick."

I headed towards the back of the bus, but I ran into Harry at the bunks. "Hey, are you doing anything right now?"

I shook my head. "Nope, just trying to find somewhere peaceful to sit."

He nodded. "Do you wanna go make some music? Have you even seen the little studio set up we have?"

I shook my head. When I got on the bus, I was only worried about putting my stuff up and avoiding everyone, I never really went past the tables, which were just past the bunks.

He grabbed his guitar from the space underneath his bunk and gestured me towards the back of the bus.

There was a glass enclosure with a mic stand and a few stools. There was a little soundboard inside the glass enclosure as well. It was an impressive set up to be on a bus and with such limited space.

He got in and got settled while I went back to the bunks to look for my song book. I was rifling through my sheets when Ryan walked up to his bunk.

"Hey, Ryan. What happened to you earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

I'm not one for playing games, so if he was gonna act like nothing happened, I was gonna let it go.

"Nothing, nevermind." I said as I finally found my book. I turned and walked back towards the studio where Harry sat waiting for me. I walked in shutting the door behind me. "Your band is weird."

He chuckled. "Well lucky you, I'm nothing like them."

I chuckled as well. "So, was there a certain song you wanted to sing?"

"Actually I was thinking maybe we could collab and write one together. I write songs too, but I'm no where near your level." He said. "You really are amazing. The way you string those words together and tell stories. If I just sang the songs, I'd be missing a huge opportunity. I wanna create with you so that I can learn from you."

"I'm super flattered, Harry." I tapped my pen on the sparkly pink cover. "You have it too, you just gotta dig deep."

"Thank you," he nodded. "Do you sing?"

"I was actually classically trained, but that's not where my heart's at. I'd rather write."

He nodded. "Would you ever consider doing a duet with me?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Seriously? You've never even heard me sing!"

"Derek told me a lot about you. He told me about when you first came to the record company you recorded a demo. He actually let me listen to it. Your voice is heavenly."

"Heavenly?" I giggled nervously.

"Like an angel," he beamed grinning at me.

"Stop," I said putting a hand up, not able to wipe the smile off of my face.

Harry

It only took about five minutes for me to see Summer in the same light Ryan and Kasey saw her in. She was wonderful. Her smile made me smile. Her laugh made me laugh. Her creativity made me want to create.

The guilt about telling Ryan not to get involved with her for the sake of distraction immediately set in, but it also immediately subsided. It may have been selfish, but I think I wanted Summer all to myself.

The guys walked past the booth, seeing us both in there, but no one interrupted. They could see we were working, but no one could hear us because it was soundproof. Neither Kasey nor Ryan could witness me making the moves they couldn't.

We'd actually began talking about he boys. She told me how her plan for the summer was to avoid being alone with Kase at all costs since he didn't know what no meant. That made me feel better, that was one less person I had to compete with.

"What about Ryan?" I asked her.

She shrugged "I mean we were clicking, but this morning he started acting weird, like he couldn't be bothered with me anymore, so I just left him alone."

I saw her insecurities peek through as she picked at her already chipped nail polish. Maybe she thought she'd began to annoy him or maybe she'd done something that was a turn off to him. Whatever the case was, she was wrong. His actions were because of me.

"I'm sure that isn't the case," I said only trying to make her feel more at ease. "He's probably just tired or something."

"Probably," she nodded as she picked at her curls, separating them and pulling them out, just to let them go again. They coiled back up to her head immediately and disappeared into the mass of curls. "I kept him up all night running my mouth."

"I'm sure he was clinging onto every word." I said. I know I would've been.