What She's Doing Now (Sequel to The Great Pretenders)

The Apology Song

By The Decemberists

So I wrote you this song

In the hope that you'd forgive me

Even though it was wrong

Being so careless with a thing so great

Lucy cracked her eyes open and winced at the light that was peaking through the curtain of the bunk. Pain squeezed her forehead and she left like she'd eaten socks. She turned to feel a body next to hers in the bunk. Panic engulfed her as she mentally assessed her situation.

Clothes, she thought, Yes! I still have my clothes on. But who is sleeping next to me? Now she was in a tiny bed with...she rolled to see her bedmate. It was Zoey...oh God yes, thank you. But how did they end up here? Eating burgers with everyone. Beer. Catching up with the guys on what they'd been up to. Beer. Meeting the most adorable drummer ever.More beer. Having a conversation with Matt in the bunk area alone. Laying down side by side talking about their daughter and who knows what else. Extra extra beer. Ugh...she sat up and waited for the pounding to stop. With her eyes half closed, she swung her feet of of the bunk and stood. The motion of the moving bus did not mix well with a hangover. If this is what it meant to be a rockstar, she was glad she became a teacher.

She wandered through the bunk area, careful not to make too much noise as not to wake anyone else up. She wandered into the common area that adjoined the small kitchen area.

"Good morning Sunshine," a male voice boomed. Or at least it sounded like it boomed.

Lucy stopped and peered at the half naked man standing in front of her. "What are you doing?" she asked stupidly, her mouth feeling like it was full of cotton.

"I'm eating breakfast," Brian said raising his bowl to show her.

"No," she said "I meant what are you doing up so early?"

He shrugged "I always get up this early."

She shook her head and it began to pound "How is that possible with as much as you had to drink?"

"I guess I'm immune to it now," he chuckled "You have a hangover?"

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly "If you mean the cymbals and drums pounding in my head, then yes, I think I have a hangover."

"You think?" he asked tilting his head in confusion "You don't know whether you have a hangover?"

Lucy blushed "I've never had one," she admitted.

"You've never had a hangover?" he asked horrified "How is that even remotely possible?"

"I'm a school teacher with a teenager. I don't have much time to go out drinking with my buddies."

He took a bite of his cereal and chewed thoughtfully. "That can't be true. Our next door neighbor when I was growing up was a high school biology teacher and that lady can drink my grown ass under the table."

"Science teachers have more stress," Lucy said sitting at the table and running her hand through her tangled hair.

"You look terrible," he said between bites.

She tried to glare. It was too bad she was hung over and her eyes hurt because she really couldn't appreciate his developed chest or each muscle of his six-pack.

"We don't all roll out of bed looking like God's gift," she retorted.

He smiled "Want some granola?"

"I'd rather have a soda."

He nodded as he placed his bowl on the table and grabbed a coke out of the small refrigerator.

Lucy took it from him and opened it, taking a large sip.

"Zoey still sleeping?" he asked picking his bowl back up.

"Yeah," Lucy mumbled as she sat at the table. She was surprised when he took the seat across from her. He chewed and she sipped in relative silence, the need for conversation not pressing on them as they had never been very close. She knew he made Zoey happy and had been a good husband for the most part.

"You and Matt get everything straightened out?" he asked after a while.

"I guess," she hesitated "I mean, it's his choice. Whatever he wants to do next."

Brian lifted his bowl to his lips and slurped the milk. After he was done, Lucy pointed to her lips to signal he had a milk mustache. He wiped his arm across this face.

"You know...when Matt first got together with you back then...I thought he was just messing around with you to get over Val."

"Um, okay?" Lucy said confused at the direction the conversation was going.

"But he really liked you. Probably more than I thought he did."

"Is there a point here, Brian?" she asked closing one eye to try to relieve the pounding.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't take it seriously. I'm sorry that I probably pushed him to ignore you a few times...so he could hang with us instead of hanging with you. That probably didn't help the way the situation..the way it turned out."

Lucy took a deep breath "Brian, we were faking. We were just trying to make Val and Mark jealous.

He lifted his eyebrow "So you guys slept together more than once to make your exes jealous? Your exes who probably don't even know that you guys did.I mean none of us suspected. Or at least I didn't."

"It was a mistake," she replied before finishing her coke.

"If you say so," he said softly "Thing is...Matt wasn't into those girls that night you showed up at the beach. He didn't want anything to do with them. I made him hang with them, you know...kinda be my wingman. And then you showed up. I could tell you were jealous and then after that, you left. I know it was cause you were pregnant but maybe if I hadn't convinced him to do stupid shit, you would have trusted him back then. So I'm genuinely sorry."

She took a deep breath, her heart a little lighter "I appreciate that Brian. Really."

He nodded as he stood and rinsed his bowl out at the small sink. After awhile, they heard Zoey moan loudly moving into the small area with them.

"Damn you, Brian," she croaked "I haven't been this hungover since we got married in Vegas." She shuffled to the table and sat down. "Did you make coffee?"

Lucy shook her head and showed her the can of coke.

"I made some, " Brian said moving swiftly around to pour his wife a cup.

Lucy still marveled at his lack of hangover symptoms.

"I'm getting too old for this shit," Zoey whined as Brian set the coffee in front of her.

"You are a becoming a lightweight," he offered "You two barely finished a case of beer."

"You're not allowed to talk about beer for at least two days," Zoey threatened sipping from the cup.

"Yes m'am," Brian said giving her a mock salute and flashing an 100 megawatt smile.

"Not now, Brian," Zoey said seriously as she set down her cup "Where is your shirt?"

Brian looked at Lucy and then back at Zoey, one corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk. "Um, dear, you're wearing it."

Zoey looked down at herself and was surprised when she realized she was wearing Brian's large black v neck tshirt. "Oh... My...God."

Lucy smiled at her friend. She had missed seeing her and watching her with Brian, well that made her long for someone of her own.