Eight Dollars (Trixya)

Day 1

In the morning, I re-packed the few things I'd taken out of my suitcase and, with Brian, headed for the tour bus that was waiting outside. We dropped our bags in the lounge- kitchenette area, before claiming our bunks, him in the middle, me just above.

Once we had about settled in to the bus, Brian met up with the people helping him out on this tour who would also be on the bus. There was a middle-aged woman who would be our driver, a young male tour manager whom I immediately took a disliking to for quite possibly being a few years younger and slightly hotter than me, and a girl in her early twenties to run the merch stands.

Claire, our driver, had gone outside for a smoke, so Brian was chatting to the tour manager at the other end of the bus, laughing at something he had said as I watched from where I was stood in the kitchenette. I decided I really did not like this man at all. Kyle, I seemed to remember his name was. Fucking Kyle. What an ass, with his... Hair and his... Face. Fuck him.

I heard a suppressed giggle from beside me, and saw the merch girl laughing at me. Her name was Amy, and she had bright blue hair and an eclectic dress sense, looking kinda like what I imagined Trixie might look like if she was a real girl. I frowned a little, unsure of what was so funny.

"You look ready to kill someone," she remarked.

"I'm not going to kill anyone!" I defended.

"You only really need to worry when they start sticking their tongues doen each other's throats," she smirked, "And I can't see that happening right now,"

Was I that essy to read? Evidently, yes.

"They can do whatever they like, it's none of my business,"

"But you'd like it to be," she guessed.

I rolled my eyes, but she took it as confirmation.

"Now we're getting somewhere! Its always more fun when you don't have to pine in silence,"

"I'm not...!" I began, but a look from Amy silenced me.

It was then that Brian and Kyle joined us, Amy giving me a conspirational look as Brian sat next to me on the sofa. This was going to be extra fun, having someone watching everything I did as the person I wanted to notice carried on, seemingly oblivious.

"I was just suggesting that we all went out for lunch together, to get to know each other, if that sounds ok to you?" Kyle asked. Fucking Kyle, of course he would want to do that.

The petty, jealous (and slightly unreasonable) side of me wanted to say no just to be awkward, but I knew that wouldn't win me any real victory, so I let the promise of food win me over.

-

We found an Italian restaurant not far from where we'd left the bus, all five of us sitting round a table. We all had beers, apart from Claire, who obviously wasn't drinking.

Brian poked my side with his elbow as he looked over his menu.

"What are you getting?" he asked, still reading.

"I was thinking pepperoni..." I started, only to be interrupted.

"Ew, gross! I was gonna see if you wanted to share, but evidently not, since you're being uncooperative with my lifestyle choices,"

"Oh, go fuck a salad," I retorted, eliciting a snort from him.

"Maybe I will," he laughed, his expression enough to keep me up for a thousand nights just to fully appreciate the way in which he glows when he's smiling.

Tours always looked better with good company, and right now it seemed more than bearable.