Authors: Liliana Rhodes
"Geesh, calm down. I spoke to my mom. Even she wasn't as crazy as you." Lucky plopped herself down on the couch. "I really need to talk to you so if you'd like to get back to being my best friend I'd really like that."
"I'm sorry, but its not like you to just disappear all night. Are you just getting back?"
"No, I just got up and had some breakfast."
"Where did you sleep?"
"In Jude's room."
"Are you freaking kidding me? Doesn't he always leave with a groupie or two?"
"I'm serious. And that's what I want to talk to you about, it doesn't make any sense," Lucky said.
"Well we don't have time now. Stan wanted to leave early remember? You can tell me on the bus. I've been packing your things too. I don't know why you unpack so much for an overnight."
"Crap! The bus. I told Ross and Mike they could ride along."
"Who? Ugh, those damned groupies? Seriously, what's wrong with you?"
"It was Kat. She just kept pushing and I couldn't say no."
"I gotta teach you to grow a backbone one day. I think you're going to need it if you stay in this business. Besides who gives a crap what Kat wants?"
She knew Jordan was right and admired that her friend always seemed so tough, but she knew how sensitive she really could be. Looking at Jordan in her leggings and an over sized men's plaid men's shirt, she realized she didn't have the sadness she had when she left her last night by the bus.
"Did you and Dylan make up?"
"Seriously Lucky, we're going to be late!"
"They can't leave without me, its my band."
Lucky ignored Jordan's eye roll. She understood her desire to not be late, but it was her tour, her band, her bus. They wouldn't leave without her. Plus she needed to change out of last night’s clothing.
Changing her jeans and putting on a clean lavender cotton tunic, Lucky was ready for the long bus ride. She parted the front of her hair and braided it then pulled the braids back to clasp them to the back of her hair, letting the rest of her hair flow wildly around her.
As she and Jordan grabbed their things and headed to the lobby, Lucky couldn't stop thinking about Jude. She believed she had him all wrong from the start. Whether he used women in the past she still wasn't sure, but it didn't seem like it was something he did anymore. She hoped that wasn't wishful thinking on her part.
Entering the glass encased lobby, they noticed Stan closing the bottom storage area of the bus then climbing aboard. When the bus began to move, Lucky's heart dropped to her stomach.
"Oh–! You can't be serious!"
She grabbed Jordan by the arm and began running through the lobby with their luggage rolling behind them. Bursting through the front door, they waved wildly at the bus hoping someone would see them. The bus stopped at the corner and they quickly ran over to it.
"See Luck, its not your bus, its Stan's," Jordan said.
ALL MY EX'S LIVE IN TEXAS
Chapter Twelve
Jude
Jude fell in love too easily. The gossip was true, he had slept with hundreds of girls, possibly thousands. But that was all in the past for him, like a bad dream he couldn't escape.
Right now he was certain he was in love with Lucky. She embodied the perfect woman to him. Beautiful, curvy, talented, but no ego. Reminding himself that in the past, his perfect woman seemed to change as often as he met one, he knew he needed to control himself.
It was difficult. He couldn't wipe the image of her tousled hair and sleepy eyes when she caught him cooking out of his head. If only he didn't care so much, he would have kissed her; and maybe more.
He found it hard to believe that a gorgeous girl in her twenties would have never been kissed, but that wasn't something people lied about. Nor was Lucky the type to lie. As much as Jude wanted to be her first kiss, her first everything, he knew the importance of experiencing the world and other people. Plus he'd rather be her last, than her first.
Climbing aboard the bus in his jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, and his favorite boots, he listened to the heavy thud of his footsteps and wondered where she was. Jordan hadn't boarded either so he assumed they were just running late. If they didn't get to the bus soon enough, they'd learn Stan didn't tolerate lateness. It was a fact he himself learned plenty of times on tour with Silverlight.
As he settled into his seat, he heard loud voices he didn't recognize boarding the bus. Ross and Mike threw their duffle bags on a couple of seats. The men were interchangeable with their college boy, clean cut look. Both wore jeans and striped polos, the only difference being that Ross's was sky blue while Mike's was pale green.
Jude saw guys like them around all the female musicians. He never liked it. To him male and female fans were completely different, the women seemed to genuinely care about the band and musician they were following. The guy groupies, were looking for something different.
They wanted more than just a sexual relationship, they wanted a piece of the pie. He'd seen it too many times before. The male followers wanted a little bit of that stardom for themselves.
He didn't trust Ross and Mike. Jude recognized weasels when he saw them. He only wished he could say something to protect Lucky without appearing jealous. Then again why couldn't he? He was Jude Morrison. He could do whatever the hell he wanted.
"Get off the bus," he growled at them as he approached.
"Hey Jude! Dude, I've been dying to meet you," Ross said.
"Get. Off. The. Bus."
"Jude dude, relax. Lucky invited us. She wants us here."
"I'll make this easy on you. Leave now and never bother her again, or I will personally throw you off the bus myself."
"Hey guys!" Kat said as she entered the bus. "So glad you could make it."
Jude felt his anger burn even more. Grabbing Kat by the arm, he pulled her out of earshot from Ross and Mike."
"You should know better. I know Olivia wouldn't have invited those pricks along unless someone else pushed her to."
"Olivia? Oh you mean Lucky. I think those loud drums have done something to your brain. She wants them here. It was her idea. I think she's into Ross. Can you blame her? He is dreamy and he's always ready for a good time."
"Stay away from her. She's dealing with enough right now. She doesn't need a bad influence."
"What are you talking about? I'm a great influence. She's a big girl, Jude. I didn't realize you were here to babysit her."
Kat walked away, down the long aisle of the bus and sat near Ross and his friend. Furious, Jude slumped in his seat quietly growling as he wondered how he could protect Lucky from whatever those guys had in mind for her. His only choice was to convince her to send them home.
Once Lucky and Jordan arrived, he kept his eye on Lucky. Her long light brown hair was loose and wild except for two braids like a crown on her head. She spoke excitedly to Jordan and he wondered if it was about him. He hoped it was.
He had to stop that. He had a bad habit of falling in love on tour. Sometimes every single night. He couldn't help it. He loved women. If he had to list his vices, women definitely topped the list. He simply couldn't resist them. There were a lot of reasons why he needed to stay away from Lucky, and knowing whether he was falling into his old habits was one of them.
Dylan, alone with Jordan's attention being held by Lucky, sauntered towards the back of the bus. Jude remembered being that young and on tour. Dylan reminded him a lot of himself.
"Hey man, can I join you?"
"Sure, I don't own these seats. Sit wherever you'd like."
"Thanks. Listen, I just wanted to say its amazing to play with you. Like dream come true amazing," Dylan said.
"Well I have to admit I'm having a good time. I didn't expect to."
"Why are you here? I mean its awesome for us but what do you get out of it?"
"Freedom. Whatever you decide to do, either stay as a touring musician or join a band, make sure you always have an out."
"Is that why you left Silverlight?"
"Yes and no. Silverlight was great. We were the biggest band in the world, who wouldn't love that? But the band didn't work right anymore. Was I to blame for their split? Yeah, in a way. But only because I didn't have the freedom to also chase my dreams. A lot of factors were at play though."
Plenty of people called those factors many things–ego, stupidity, ambition. Jude called them Donna. Just thinking about her was enough for him to rebuild the wall around his heart.
"I'm still trying to figure out what I want," Dylan said. "I thought I'd keep touring until I found the right band. Every band I've been in we just fight."
"That's how bands are. Eventually everyone thinks they're right."
"I've been touring since I was eighteen. I had to. I didn't have a place to live. My dad split when I was little. After that mom starting going out to parties and clubs. She'd leave me home alone and I'd take care of her. By the time I was eight, I was cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry."
Jude listened not wanting to interrupt Dylan, but he wondered if family dysfunction was a prerequisite for a music career.
"My mom made some new friends and suddenly she was drinking more and doing drugs. We lived in an old apartment development. You know the kind, the red brick buildings that faced a common court."
Jude nodded then stole a glance at Lucky who scribbled into her notebook. They had so much in common but he knew he couldn't open up to her. It wasn't right, she needed to spread her wings.
Dylan continued, "One of our neighbors realized how often I was alone and called family services. I know he thought he was doing the right thing, but after that I spent my life in and out of foster care, moving whenever my mom got custody back and changing schools. I ended up with no friends, nothing.
"The only consistent thing was my music. My dad had been a musician and when he left, he left behind one of his guitars. I always thought it was his way of giving me something. Of making sure I had something in my life. Maybe even a future.
"I taught myself how to play and when the time came that I turned eighteen and was on my own, I went to every audition I could find. I'd sleep on people's couches, stay the night in a shelter, I didn't care. I wanted to call the road my home."
"How'd you get into bass?" Jude asked.
"Less competition. Everybody wants to be a guitarist. Not many appreciate the bottom end. So for three years now I've been touring non stop. It's great. I have no complaints. But..."
"But what?"
"But Jordan," Dylan leaned into the aisle to get a glimpse of her as she took random photos. "She's it, man. She's the one. I knew it when I first set eyes on her. And now she's thinking of moving to LA and I want to get off the road. I just want to be with her."
"Then what's the problem?"
"That wasn't the plan. I know I can get studio work, and maybe she can come on the road sometimes, but the fact that I'm thinking of all of this right now scares me."
"Don't think about it then. Sometimes you should listen to your heart and not your head."
Even as the words came out of his mouth, Jude recognized the irony. It had been a long time since his heart beat the way it did for Lucky. Then again it had been a long time since he was on tour.
As Lucky stood up and stretched by her seat, Jude found himself following the hem of her shirt, wishing it was shorter and he'd get a small flash of skin. He thought about how soft her skin was, how good it felt to hold her so close. Closing his eyes for a moment, he smelled the coconut of her shampoo.
"Jude!"
"What? Oh sorry Dylan, I thought you were done. I didn't get much sleep last night."
"Oh yeah? Wild night? I've seen you leaving with some pretty hot chicks after the shows."
"Yeah, the one last night was the hottest. I could get used to seeing her every morning," Jude said as he thought about Lucky.
"You don't get tired of it?"