You Never Know What You'll Find Out On Tour

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Michael!”

“Oh great, sunshine is back. Why’re you here? Thought your brother and his band are back?”

“Oh they are, I just don’t want to see them right now, hey where’s everyone?”

“Oh, they’re coming back in about an hour, they forgot it was karaoke night.” Michael’s parents own The Green Hut, so Michael works behind the bar, and if police come in? He either runs upstairs or on his good days, like today, he looks about 21 so he can get away with it.

“So what happened? You’ve been so excited for weeks that your brother was coming home and now you’re here, probably going to be drowning your sorrows with,” he puts a glass in front of me and starts filling it, “cherry coke and maybe I’ll even slip you a shot, whilst laughing with me about all the prats that have signed up for karaoke.” He knows me too well. I smile at him and drink my coke.

“Just another idiotic argument, but do you remember how I was supposed to be going on tour with them in three weeks?” he nods “not happening anymore.”

 “Okay seriously, what happened at your house?”

“Like I said, idiotic argument.”

“Okay look, you know I'm not one to pry and I know that you’ll tell me eventually but Em' you’ve got three weeks until the tour, you’re going to make up with him, because face it, he’ll go away and then you’ll feel guilty again and he is practically the only family you have. Well apart from us.”

About five months ago I moved into Michael’s house, with his family, for about a month, until my parents noticed nearly everything gone. I had to move back home because they guilt tripped me saying that social services will get involved. I'm still allowed to stay at Michaels for like a week, but then I have to go home for about 3 days and the whole cycle starts again. Oh and me and Michael, never dated, probably never will. Just very good friends.

“Hey Michael?”

“Yeah?” by this point he’s serving at the bottom of the bar.

“Can I stay at yours for like a week?” he sighs loudly.

“Fine, just go home now and get your stuff please?”

“Okay, I’ll be about half an hour,” he just waves and carries on serving.

I rush outside and head back through the forest, everyone asks me why I take the forest because you always hear about some girl getting raped on her regular route home. But in my bag, I have: hairspray-stings like a bitch in your eyes; pepper spray-in case the hairspray doesn’t work; my phone-you know dial 999 whilst running and one of those rape whistles.

I open the back door to my house, thankfully no ones in the kitchen and the stairs are right beside it. I rush through and take the steps two-at-a-time, but I reach the top and what happens?

“Where’ve you been?” I turn around to find Liam leaning on the bedroom doorway.

“Out.”

“Where’s out?”

“Let’s see, you go downstairs, into the kitchen, out the back door, front door if you prefer and voila, you’re outside.”

“Ok then, be like that. Why’d you come back? The girl I used to know would book a hotel room with Daddies credit card,” I glare at him.

“Yeah, the girl you used to know. How long have you been away? Nearly 2 years, if you don’t count the one week breaks, I've changed and I think you should too. Oh and I don’t have to run to a hotel anymore, I have a friend who puts up with me now.”

“Michael?”

“Yes Michael. Why? It’s not like you care. Five months ago I moved out, not that any of you’s would know, I lived with him for about a month until my parents found out, said something about social services, when we all know it’s about ‘status’ with them. It would look too bad. Tell Ry' I’ll be back in a week,” I turn and head for my room.

“No,” I freeze.

“What?”

“No, I'm not telling him. You.” He storms off down the stairs. Shit.

I rush into my room and grab the essentials: toothbrush, brush, clothes, make-up, charger, shoes, money and IPod.

I run down the stairs and drop my bag by the front door, it’s 8.00pm and getting dark, I am not walking through any forest. I head into the living room where they’re all watching TV, looking pissed. He told them, this conversations going to be absolutely terrific.

“Ry'?” I speak barely over a whisper, every other time I've stormed out it was to go to a hotel, alone. So the conversation wasn’t as bad. Now he’s going to want to know where I’ll be staying and I don’t really want to tell him ‘a pub’. He turns to look at me slowly.

“Who is he to you?”

“The brother who’s always home,” that was harsh, I know, and he looks hurt, but it’s the truth.

“Really? How old is this ‘Michael/brother’ then?” age again, this conversations going downhill.

“Why does it matter? Like I said he’s a brother to me, nothing more, nothing less, got it?” he nods and pauses a minute before saying.

“Seriously, how old is he?”

“16 like I said before.”

“Bullshit, I knew you were lying before when you told us, just like I can tell now.”

“Fine he’s 18 ok? Is that what you wanted to hear? No, probably like you don’t want to hear that his family owns a pub, not far from here and that’s where I’m going! Call me when you’ve calmed down,” I storm off out the front door, already calling Michael.

“Michael, can you or your brother pick me up please?”

“Sure, another argument?”

“Yeah.”

“On my way,” he hangs up and I hear the front door opening from behind me. I don’t really want any of them to meet Michael the moods they’re in.

“Go inside whoever it is.”

“I'm afraid we can’t do that,” I turn around to find them all standing on the front step, I get ready to run.

“Don’t even think about it, it gets very boring on a tour bus, we’ve worked out a lot,” damn!

“What are you’s doing?”

“We’re going to meet Michael,” says Connor smiling and right on cue, he pulls up.

I need more than luck.