Lynne

Chapter 9

  I sat on my knees on the floor of my room, trying to decide what to pack for the concert. A pair of duffle bags were open in front of me, empty. Len had let me borrow them, and I probably could have fit my entire wardrobe in both of them. The only thing I really needed to bring was my signature outfit, but Len had taken the box and packed them both away with his stuff. We would also only be staying in the hotel for a night or two, so besides my stage outfit, I would only be wearing pajamas.

I decided on bringing one of my sun dresses, just in case, along with a pair of shorts, sweat pants, and two tank tops for sleeping in. I barely filled one of the bags, and I felt determined to bring at least one fully packed. I threw all of my bows in with it, along with all of my hair products and makeup. Almost halfway full.

I sighed, standing over the frustratingly empty bag. What else could I pack? I mean, what else could I need? I didn't have many options.

Fuck it, I thought to myself before zipping the bag up, and carrying it into the living room. Len had already made a pile of bags near the front door. It contained one of his bags along with the guitar case that held Emma safely inside.

I set my bag in the pile just as Len walked out of his room.

"Not gonna bring yours?" He asked, motioning to the case as he dropped another bag.

I shook my head. "I'm afraid something'll happen to it." I did only get it yesterday.

"There's no point in having a guitar if you're not gonna use it," he pointed out.

I brushed my hair behind my ear. "I guess. But I'm not bringing anything else."

He chuckled. "There was no way in hell I'd carry that amp again anyway."

I smiled, staring down at my flat bag. "I only used one of the duffles."

"That's fine. I don't have a ton of room in my car anyway. The less stuff, the better."

I pointed down to his bag. "What all are you bringing?" I asked, trying to get ideas. I still hoped to fill the bag.

"Mostly stuff for the show. Cords for the amps and stuff."

I felt a pit beginning to form in my stomach. "Yeah. The show."

He gave me a concerned look. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I answered. He wasn't convinced.

"Nervous?"

I took a deep breath. "A little."

He nodded. "Your first shows the worst. It gets easier after it."

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching our front door. We both paused, waiting for the door to open.

Miku poked her head through it. She seemed slightly surprised to see the both of us staring at her. "We're leaving tonight," she stated.

Len seemed taken aback. "Tonight?"

"Last minute change. Erik said he wanted to do a rehearsal."

"Rehearsal? Why do we need a rehearsal?"
Miku nodded to me. "Gotta teach Rin how things roll."
The pit was growing larger by the second. I felt like an inconvenience.
Len nodded. "Alright. What time are we leaving?"
She shrugged. "Anytime. The rooms are already booked. Luka and I are leaving as soon as we're packed."
"The traffic is gonna be terrible," Len pointed out.
"That's why we're in a hurry. The longer we wait, the worse it'll get." She gave a wave. "We'll text you directions. See ya."
Len waved back before she shut the door, her steps exiting the same way they came.
I hadn't realized that my breathing was getting heavier. "What are we gonna do?"
He stared at the bags, thinking for a moment. "We should probably just leave later tonight," he began. "If we leave at, like, nine or something, we should be behind any traffic."
I nodded. "O-okay." I looked down. "I gotta go make some phone calls."
"Alright. I'll let you know when we're about to leave."
I turned away from him, walking into my room and shutting the door behind me. My phone was sitting on my bed. I grabbed it with a shaky arm, and dialed my Mom's number.
I didn't have to wait long for her to answer. "Hey honey," she greeted, her voice both excited and gentle.
"Hey, ma."
"What's up?"
I sat on the edge of my bed. "Packing for the concert. We're leaving tonight."
"Tonight? I thought the show wasn't until Saturday."
"We're doing rehearsal tomorrow," I explained. "They have to 'show me how things roll.'"
"When are you gonna be home?" I heard shuffling on her end. "Sorry, I'm at work right now."
"It's fine. And Sunday. We're not staying long."
"Well we should go to lunch or something," she suggested. "When you get back. And what about your birthday?"
I shook my head even though I knew she couldn't see me. "I don't need anything for my birthday."
She didn't buy it. "We'll go to dinner or something. You can invite Ia and all your new coworkers!"
I smiled. "We could maybe do something like that. Speaking of Ia, did she come pick up her tickets?"
"Sure did. She said she was going with some friends from school."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "You didn't say anything, did you?"
"Only that you already had yours and you were meeting her up there."
I had the best Mom ever. "Sweet."
She paused. "I'm sorry I can't go," she said. "I'll watch it on cable. Me and Dad both will."
My stomach lurched. It was going to be on T.V. "Don't worry about it."
"I can't wait." Her voice cracked.
I didn't want her to start crying again. "I gotta go pack, Mom. I love you."
"I love you too, Rinny."
"I'll call you before I go on stage," I promised.
"Alright."
"Bye Momma."
"Bye hun."
I brought the phone away from my ear, staring at it. I hesitated before pressing the "End Call" button.
Next, I dialed Ia's number. I had only texted her since the night I became a Vocal, and I decided I had to talk to her before this concert whether I liked it or not.
"Yo," she answered. "Are you hyped, or are you hyped?"
I laughed. "I'm pretty excited."
"Where are we meeting?" She asked.
"Our seats are right next to each other," I lied. "I'll be there."
She sighed. "I still can't believe there's gonna be a new one. Did you hear Len's song with her?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. "Uh, yeah. What'd you think of it?"
She raised her voice excitedly. "What do you think I think of it? It's fucking amazing. She sounds so pretty."
Thanks, I thought, a giddy smile stretching across my face. "Yeah, she does."
"The Vocal's Twitter said that she and Len are gonna be a duo."
"I heard." Before I could react, Len opened my door.
"Hey, Rin-" he started before a quickly put a finger to my lips, shushing him.
"Uh," I could hear the confusion in Ia's voice. "Who's that?"
"It's-uh, it's the radio," I said quickly. "Len's on the radio."
She laughed. "You think just because he tried to sleep with you that you're on a first name basis with him?"
I sighed. My lies were just piling up at this point. "Yeah, sure," I answered sarcastically. Len must have heard her comment, because he stared down at the ground like a toddler in time out.
Ia laughed. "Alright. Well I gotta call Ally and Clara. Gotta let them know that they're going to a concert with us."
I had heard a lot about Ally and Clara, Ia's two best friends (other than me, of course) but I had never met them. "Okay. I'll talk to you later then."
"See ya in two days."
Deep breaths. "Two days."
She hung up first. I dropped my phone on the bed.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to barge in," Len apologized. "Nice save, though."
I smiled. "I'm good under pressure."
"Then the concert should be no problem for you," he said.
I gulped. Maybe I wasn't so good under pressure.
"Anyway, I just wanted to ask if you had any other bags. I'm packing the car up now so we don't have to do it later."
"Just my guitar," I pointed over to the caramel beauty laying on the floor.
"We'll take the guitars down when we're leaving. It's not good for them to sit in it for so long." He looked over the instrument. "You name it yet?"
I shook my head.
"Remember," he said slyly. "It has to be girl."
I giggled. "I don't think that rule applies to me."
He shrugged. "Whatever you're into."
"Gross," I said, rolling my eyes.
He flashed me another small smile before exiting. I heard him walk to the front door, open it, and exit, taking the bags with him.
I lied back, my legs dangling off the side of the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was two days until showtime, and I was already getting stage fright. I closed my eyes, focusing on the knot in my stomach, and trying to get it to go away. They had already heard me before. Everyone who's going to that concert already loves Vocals, so why would they hate you?
Because I don't sing about my latest hookup and fistfuls of ecstasy, I thought before quickly dismissing myself. These guys were my friends now, I shouldn't be complaining about their music. Even if I didn't agree with it.
For a second, it felt weird defending them. In reality, I barely knew them. But they were my friends.
And eventually, they'd feel like my family.
"Rin," I heard someone whisper. I groaned, turning over.
"Rin, get up." The voice was gentle, but firm.
A hand found my shoulder. "We gotta hit the road, Rin."
I opened my eyes. My room was suddenly very dark. "Wha-" I began, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
Len was standing over me. "It's time to go."
"Wha-what time is it?" I asked mid-yawn.
"Ten thirty." He took a step back. "I got everything packed. You can sleep in the car."
I stretched my arms. "I must have passed out or something."
He walked to the light switch, flipping it. I narrowed my eyes as they adjusted to the sudden light. My guitar, along with it's case, was gone. Packed into the back of Len's car, no doubt.
I stood, still blinking the sleep out of my eyes. "Let's go." I grabbed my satchel off the floor, sliding my phone into it and throwing it over my shoulder.
We walked out of my room, turning the lights back out as we did so. We did the same with every other room in the house until we walked to the front door in complete darkness.
The hallway was colder than I ever remembered it being. I crossed my arms, trying to keep from shivering as we descended the stairs. The knot in my stomach was back as soon as it had disappeared.
We got in the car as we had already done so many times before. Both Miku and Kaito's cars were gone.
"When is everyone else leaving?" I asked as we pulled out of the garage.
"Oh, they already left. We're the last two." He waved to the guard at the gate.
"Then why is everyone's cars still at home?" I asked as we turned onto the road.
"The girls are all riding up together, and Kaito and Gakupo are riding up together," he explained.
"Oh, okay." I looked out the window. The city shone in it's normal brilliance. Instead of continuing down the hill like we always had, we turned onto a road that ran around the neighborhood, toward the mountains. "I haven't been up here in so long."
"Yeah, me neither. They're like a home away from home." He leaned his seat back a bit. "I love them."
It was too dark to see any significant features of the mountains. They stood as black silhouettes against the gray sky, which was still brightened by the glow of the city. "How long until we get there?"
He sighed. "If traffic's decent, we should get to the hotel by midnight."
"Damn. We taking any breaks? Or are we just gonna drive non stop for the next two hours?"
"We might have to take a bathroom break," he joked. "But nothing that'll last more than ten minutes."
I leaned my head against the window. "Alright."
A few minutes of silence passed. The only noise was the gentle hum of the car gliding down the highway. My eyes began to close again.
"Are you parents going to the concert?" Len asked, stirring me from my sleep.
"Nah. They're too busy."
"That sucks," he said.
I shrugged. "It's no biggie. They said they're gonna watch it on T.V. And Ia's coming, so that should be fun."
"Is she the one who came to the last concert with you?"
"Yeah," I confirmed, sitting up. "She has no idea."
A half-smile appeared. "That'll definitely be fun."
I chuckled. "I hope she doesn't get mad at me or anything."
He shook his head. "She'll be too busy trying to get over the fact that her best friend is famous."
We continued chatting during the entire drive. Our conversations turned from normal topics to more odd ones.
"I'm telling you," I insisted as we drove down the empty highway. We had been driving for almost two hours. "The mountains would be so much safer in a zombie apocalypse."
"No, it'd be the plains. The best possible place would be in a little cabin on a tiny hill overlooking a ton of plains," he argued.
"Why?"
"Because then you could see something coming from far away."
"But that means it can also see you from far away," I pointed out.
"But zombies can't see."
I raised my eyebrows. "And you know this, how?"
"Have you seen any zombie movies?" He asked.
"Only all of them."
He rolled his eyes. "I doubt that."
"You callin' me a liar?" I asked with a mocking tone.
He chuckled. "I ain't callin' you a truther."
"Don't make Drake and Josh references at me, asshole." I laughed. "Name a zombie movie. I've probably seen it."
He obeyed. "28 Days Later."
I nodded. "Yup."
"The Cabin in the Woods."
"That movie isn't a zombie movie," I pointed out.
"There's zombies in it. It's a zombie movie."
I shrugged. "Either way, seen it."
"Night of the Living Dead," he continued.
"Seen it."
"Dawn of the Dead."
"Seen it."
"The Evil Dead?"
"Yup."
"I Am Legend."
"Psh." I looked over at him. "Of course I've seen it."
"What about any of the Resident Evil movies?"
"More like all of the Resident Evil movies."
He sighed, clearly losing his patience. "Warm Bodies?"
I laughed. "That hardly counts, but yes."
He shook his head. "Zombieland?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Huh?"
"Zombieland. With Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg?" He widened his eyes at my confused expression. "You've never-" he leaned forward, lowering his voice. "You've never seen Zombieland?"
I shook my head. "Never heard of it."
"How can you possibly have seen all these lower budget movies when you haven't even heard of Zombieland? The greatest zombie movie of all time?" I had never seen him so passionate about something.
I giggled. "I dunno."
He shook his head in disbelief. "How can you even call yourself a zombie fan?"
I looked back out the window, my grin still present. "Oh, whatever."
"We're watching it when we get home," he declared. "First thing."
"Whatever you say," I agreed, trying to see the world outside through the darkness. It was almost midnight, and we had driven far enough into the mountains for the sky and the mountains to be the same dark color; I could no longer tell the difference between them. "Are we almost there?"
He nodded. "Yup." We passed a navigation sign. He pointed at it as we passed. "Red Rocks, five miles," he read. "That's us."
I sighed in relief. "Thank God. You look like you're about to pass out."
He chuckled. "I feel like I'm about to pass out."
Our conversation had almost made the pit in my stomach disappear. Almost.
Only a few short minutes later, he turned onto an off ramp. We followed the road around a corner, which revealed a small patch of city lights set in the bottom of a valley.
"The stage is on the other side of the mountain," he informed me sleepily. "We gotta be there by seven p.m. tomorrow."
"Thank God. We can sleep in," I answered, stretching my arms.
The roads in the town were nearly empty. We passed a ton of small shops with extravagant looking clothes in the windows. I had always thought that small mountain shops were so cute, and the idea popped in my head to go shopping. Like Len hadn't spent enough money on me already.
The road ran next to a river. It was calm and empty, and behind it stood billboards advertising rafting down it. They were lit up by small spotlights on the metal frame.
The car turned onto a bridge leading over the river. We took a left into the parking lot of our hotel. I recognized Miku and Kaito's cars parked next to each other by the front door. We took the empty spot next to them. Len pulled the keys out of the ignition, leaving the lot in silence. Even Len's car seemed relieved that we had finally arrived.
The moon was high in the sky, and my jacket was in my duffel bag, so I grabbed it and my guitar case out of the trunk with goosebumps on my arms. Len did the same, carrying his two bags in one hand and his guitar in the other.
We walked through the automatic doors, catching the attention of a sleepy looking clerk behind the desk. He wore a green uniform, his brown eyes droopy and his short black hair messy on his head. The lobby was grand, but small, with a leather couch on the right and a dark coffee table in front of it. A small T.V. hung on the wall. It was turned off.
"Rin and Len?" The clerk asked with a monotonous voice.
I chuckled lightly. Half because I liked the way "Rin and Len" sounded, and half because he obviously knew who we were.
Len nodded, and the clerk reached under the desk and handed him a pair of key cards.
"Thanks," Len said, turning toward the elevator. I followed, nodding my thanks to the boy behind the desk.
We rode the elevator up silently. My legs were sore from sitting in the car for so long.
The doors opened on the third floor, revealing a long hallway stretched in front of us. Doors lined the left wall. The right was bare except for a few paintings hung randomly along.
Len looked down at the cards, and started down the hall. He stopped in front of room 317, and slid the keycard into the lock. A quiet beep sounded, and Len pushed the door open into our hotel room.
It looked just like any normal hotel room, which kind of surprised me. I half expected a five star suite. The bathroom door was right next to the front door, and past it were two large beds with a nightstand between them. On the far end of the room was a small couch with a table in front of it. Across from the beds was a counter with a small T.V. atop it, and a few shelves below it with a mini-fridge and a microwave sitting on them.
Len walked over to the bed closed to the window, throwing his hags down on it. "I hope you don't mind sleeping in the same room."
I shook my head. "I don't care." I set my things on the floor between my bed and the wall. I fell into the bed, breathing in the clean smell of the soft comforter.
I heard Len chuckle, before moving his things to the couch. "It's almost one," he stated.
I groaned in response. "I'm so tired, but I'm never gonna be able to sleep."
I heard him sit on his bed. "Why not?"
I lifted my head, resting my chin on my arms so I could look at him. "I'm terrified."
He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. "It's just rehearsal."
I sighed. "But the show." Just talking about it made me want to puke.
He shrugged. "What's the biggest crowd you've performed in front of?"
I let out a laugh. "You guys. When I was in the booth."
Len gave me a surprised look. "Really?" When I nodded, he looked back up at the ceiling. "Oh, shit."
"Yeah, 'Oh shit' is right," I murmured.
He paused. "At least you won't be alone when you first go up," he pointed out.
"Huh?"
"I'll be up there," he promised. "They'll probably have us singing Unhappy Refrain and Butterfly together before you do yours. For the big reveal." He made dramatic hand gestures with the last sentence.
I smiled lazily. "There's one good thing." I found it kind of pathetic that we were a duo now, and we only had two songs together. But hey, we didn't have much notice.
He rolled over, laying on his side facing me. "We should really get to sleep now."
I nodded, crawling to the top of my bed and pulling the neatly folded covers from under the pillows. "Yeah." I slid between the thick comforter and the fluffy mattress, sighing into the pillows.
Len rolled over the other side of his bed and sat up, his back now facing me. I widened my eyes as he gripped the collar of his shirt. He pulled it over his head, revealing the toned muscles on his back. He tossed it on the ground casually. I couldn't help but stare as he lied down again, shutting my eyes tight the second he rolled over to face me. I hoped he couldn't see my blush in the darkness.
I took a deep breath. It was only rehearsal tomorrow. Nothing big. I could worry about the actual concert later.
I curled myself into a ball, trying to crush the uneasiness in me. I'll be okay, I kept telling myself. I'll be okay.
Somehow, I drifted off to an uneasy sleep.