Just Off the Key of Reason

Chapter Two - It's Not Worth the Hearing You'll Lose

A/N - Thanks to ohfrxnkie for the karaoke idea. :P 

Wednesday, 7th of March, 2007 - Brooklyn, New York

Joe had opted to take the wheel for the four-hour trip to Brooklyn after their uncomfortable night of sleep in the bus. It had been cheaper to sleep on the hard benches and get breakfast the next morning at a diner than it had been for them to rent rooms in a motel. Food always won over comfort. They left just after midday, hoping to make it for a decent night's sleep before their show the next night. The most annoying part about not having a driver was that they had to return the rental bus before they had their flight from one side of the country to the other, which meant their first leg was just one giant circle as opposed to going across the whole country. It would have been easier to just supply their own bus and plan the dates around where they would have to drive. But the label had insisted it would be better for them to split the East and West coast shows and that this was the cheapest way to do it. Given how much money Pete had cost them, they weren't about to object. Joe didn't mind though, he'd always liked driving and road trips were a good reminder that the band hadn't changed as much as it felt like they had sometimes. Between belting out hits on the radio and playing stupid road games, the time was passing quickly. As it droned on into the late afternoon the five of them found themselves yawning, fighting to stay awake. A warm car was always far too inviting. Andy was the first to fall victim to the cosy atmosphere in the bus, falling asleep with his head pressing against his window. Pete kept himself occupied by scribbling half formed lyrics into his notebook, blaring music into his ears to drone out any outside thoughts. Joe had come prepared and bought himself an energy drink when they refuelled to push past the need to nap and get them there on time. It was odd for her being so easily integrated into their normal routines, but she supposed they'd already been doing this for years, they weren't about to change for some stranger. She looked over at Patrick, who was staring out the window at the passing scenery wistfully. They'd both been relegated to the back seat, furthest away from the air conditioning, when they'd made the mistake of going inside for snacks at the gas station. She leaned against the side of the car, turning in her seat to face the singer and propping her feet up on his legs. He looked at her shoes in his lap for a moment before turning to her expectantly, but she only yawned in response.

"You can sleep if you want." He suggested.

She shook her head, "I'm all right, just needed to stretch my legs." She explained. He shrugged as he looked back out the window, resting his hand on her legs.

After another hour of driving they pulled up in the driveway of the person's place that they were crashing at. The record label promised they'd splashed out on the second leg of their tour, but on the first leg they'd had to arrange their own beds on stop overs. They piled out of the bus at about 6pm, grateful to be free from the confined space. Andy had said that this place was owned by a friend of his from a band he used to play in, and that the guy was away for the weekend. The house looked like it had been abandoned. A collapsing chain link fence bordered the footpath, and the front windows were boarded up. Despite being a bit sceptical at first, when Andy fished a spare key out from behind one of the many pot plants at the door and let them into the house, they all figured that he must have been telling the truth. They pushed their way into the small home, eager to claim beds; there were two beds and one couch to divide.

"Well, if you guys want to split up the two beds between you, I can take the couch?" She suggested.

"No, no, it's all right, you can have one of the beds." Patrick offered with a smile. Pete quickly whacked him on the back, getting an 'oof' and a glare out of Patrick.