DAMAGED

KAT

Stupid. I felt pretty fucking stupid having woken up sprawled across that guys lap. What the hell had my body been thinking last night? First the bus jolted me between alternating nightmares, one that was real and one I imagined was happening. What kind of douche asks someone if they have been in a lot of wrecks? I was so exhausted my mind was struggling to understand anything let alone the reasons someone has for being a total tool. He had smelled good though and he had been warm. I stood up stretching out every muscle that felt tight and unused. It was habit to stretch my body back to limber the same way I had in ballet as a young girl but grace and punk looked odd together. I just wanted to crawl into whatever hole in the wall motel we would all be staying at for the weekend, my body having grown accustomed to cheap sheets and a worn in mattress.

It was 3 a.m. and sticky as hell outside of the bus, the summer had settled into this town for the long run. I couldn't remember where in Florida we were but the hands of humidity were plucking random hairs up and away from my head. I wasn't in love with summer but I could barely survive the winter so I would take it.

"Kat, come and get it!" I shot a look ahead and saw the tour manager Joe with a key, like an actual key dangling from his fingers. I smiled and hurried over, the faster I got to him and listened to him rattle off the details I would need for the festival in the morning the sooner I could sit in the bottom of the shower until all the remnants of this day were gone.

"Thanks Joe." I felt strange taking the key and the motel behind him looked more frightening than the last but if it had a shower I was set. The bus lurched behind me and I figured they were taking her in for fuel and cleaning.

"Don't thank me yet kitten. There was a mix up in booking and bunches of you are sharing a room. There are seven to every room; they are dragging out some cots that probably haven't seen the light of day since field tents during the civil war. It's only going to be for one night so I don't want to hear about it." His eyebrows were thick and dipped low whenever he was serious. I couldn't help it; the groan was out before I could stop it. He rolled his eyes and patted my shoulder.

"Who am I rooming with Joe?" I knew at least four of them would be my band so this wouldn't be so bad. I only had to share my space and my shower with two strangers.

"Casey and Court Reilly, the brothers who joined up with us last night, from the look of it on the bus you already know Court." My whole body and not just the heart of it sunk at hearing the names. I knew my lip was out and pouting but Joe had three daughters. My lip got me nowhere. "Can I at least use your shower Joe?" He smiled at my obvious lack of argument, nodded, and brushed a stray hair out of my face. I would have asked to stay in his room but last time out on the road some nasty rumors had started about the two of us that I would rather not revisit. I loved Joe but Jesus the idea of being sexual with him was gross. He had known my parents. No, that was gross.

I pulled my shirt away from my body and walked towards room eighteen. I couldn't believe we were staying in a motel where eighteen was the last door, on the other side of it was probably some version of Norman Bates. I shivered despite it being as hot as the surface of the sun; I hated small out of the way motels. When I got to the door I heard laughter and at least two guitars, leave it to musicians to never stop even in the middle of the night. I twisted the handle and met at least five pairs of eyes. His were one of them. I glanced to the rickety cooling unit and saw the stack of duffel bags and suitcases. Mine was fairly easy to spot, it was an inconveniently huge sixties number covered in marker and faded punk stickers. It had been my dad's; they found it in the clean up the day after the wreck. It was a beaten up number that had more super glue holding it together than anything else but it was mine.

"Hey Kat, I'm giving you the window seat but I'm taking the other side and I'm crashing out girl." I smiled gratefully at Harper for giving me the side furthest away from everyone else. I yanked on my suitcase until it pulled loose but couldn't grab the olive duffel bag before it rolled off the stack and lodge against the bed frame. Harper was laughing at me.