I ate lunch with the boys everyday that we remained in L.A. I still didn't really know anybody in orchestra, so they would be all I'd have going forth into the tour.
After my five days at home was up, it was time for us to head out to our next stop: Centennial Hall in Tucson, Arizona.
It would take a few days to get there by bus, and we'd have our first show on April 21.
I packed up my suitcase, grabbed my backpack and my violin, and waited at the front of the Pantages with the rest of the cast and crew.
"Okay," Jordan Samuels, a recent acquaintance, began, "I need you to choose your bus buddy. Do all four of you have a bus buddy?"
Ben pointed to Josh. "I'll take that loser."
Jordan nodded. "I'll take DeMarius. Sky, you're left out."
He looked down at me. "I'll take Aiden."
"Aiden, do you take Sky?" Jordan asked, followed by Ben humming 'Here Comes the Bride', followed by Josh slapping him upside the head.
I shrugged. "Sure, I'll take him."
"Load it up!" The bus driver shouted. After luggage had been loaded, we all piled on.
Cast members sat more towards the front, with the crew and orchestra either in the back, or in another bus.
Sky and I sat in the middle, closer to the front than the back.
He demanded the window seat, and he was such a baby about it that I gave in.
"I'm afraid I'm not very good company." I apologized in advance.
He laughed. "Pssh, sure you are. I'm not asking you to entertain me the entire time."
"Well, I can talk, and I have headphones." I offered, ignoring his words.
"Then we'll talk and listen to music. What kind of music do you listen to?"
I shrugged. "Instrumental. That's about it. A little jazz and R&B here and there,"
"What's your favorite song to listen to?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You can tell a lot about a person by their favorite song."
"Hmm, 'A-Flat'. Black Violin."
"What's 'Black Violin'?"
My eyes grew wide. "How do you not know?"
"I'm uncultured. Please, educate me."
I laughed softly and pulled out my headphones, handing him one of them.
"It's different, but it's really cool." I said as I selected the track.
He plugged his other ear so he could hear it better.
"Oooo," He cooed when the violin melody began.
"How do you like it?"
"Definitely different." He nodded. "But I like it."
"What's your favorite song?" I asked as the track ended. "'ABCs', right?"
"Yes, because I'm five years old." He rolled his eyes. "No. Right now, it's probably 'Masquerade'."
"What's 'Masquerade'?"
He looked at me like I'd just jumped off the Empire State Building and survived.
"From The Phantom of the Opera?"
"I don't know what that is either."
"How do you not know?! It's a musical!"
I shrugged. "I don't listen to musical theatre—"
He placed his finger over my lips. "I'm gonna stop you right there. Plug the headphones into my phone. Right now."
I normally was not one for following directions that weren't mandatory, but I did as he said.
"We are going to listen to showtunes and you are going to like it." His tone was almost threatening.
He opened up his music app, and I was greeted by the largest selection of musicals I'd ever seen. Most of them I'd never heard of.
Les Misérables, Hamilton, A Chorus Line, Wicked, Next to Normal, In the Heights, Dear Evan Hansen, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and many, many more.
He scrolled down, almost to the bottom of the list, and tapped the album entitled, The Phantom of the Opera.
I jumped at the first chord of the 'Overture', as I'm sure everyone has at some point.
I was completely blown away by the music. He noticed.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
I nodded, smiling. "Incredible."
"You should watch the movie. They have a really good one with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum."
"I don't know who they are either." I laughed.
"That's okay. I'll teach you."
We spent the rest of the bus ride listening to musical tracks. Whenever there was a bus stop, we'd press pause, and when we were on the bus again, we'd continue listening.
I didn't mean to fall asleep against his shoulder, and I don't think he meant to fall asleep with his head atop mine, but accidents happen.
