Just Off the Key of Reason

Chapter Thirteen - A Reception Less Than Warm

A/N - It's Chicagoan, for the record.

Saturday, 16th of June, 2007 - Portland, Oregon

'Tense' would've been the appropriate word to explain how the atmosphere had changed between their first and second leg. Patrick didn't want to abandon his girlfriend when she didn't know anyone else, but nobody wanted to hang out with him when he was busy fawning over her. The awkward love triangle that now existed also wasn't fun for anyone and they all felt like they had to walk on eggshells to make sure they didn't say something out of line. As a result, Patrick and his girlfriend just spent all of their time together. He found himself feeling isolated and like a socialite all at the same time. At the Washington show he spent more of his time showing her around than actually doing sound check and making sure he was ready to play, leaving most of the band rolling their eyes every time he stopped in the middle of his checks to explain something to her (though, Pete could hardly complain when he dropped his bass in an attempt to reply to a text from his own girlfriend). Everyone had the nagging feeling that six was a crowd, particularly considering that there were only six beds on the bus that were all already taken between the five of them and the driver. Even Patrick had to admit that sharing his bunk wasn't enjoyable and it was not something he had entirely thought through. He didn't like cramming himself into one at the best of times and having to share that space was fairly uncomfortable, even despite the company. They made the three hour drive to Oregon through the night after their first second leg show and then had the day to either explore what they could before the show in Portland or sit around on the tour bus. After a restless night's sleep, nobody felt much like walking around before they had to play a set.

The summer air was finally starting to have that dense, humid heat to it and they were fast realising that six was also a crowd when you're all crammed into a tiny lounge room with sticky leather seats. Patrick had been sent on a coffee run with his girlfriend so that everyone else could get some space from 'Oh, no way, that's my favourite too!' before they did something they'd regret. Despite removing a third of their numbers, the bus did not cool down any and in fact only seemed to grow warmer as the minutes passed. "Is it just me, or is the tour bus stuffy?" Pete thought aloud as his eyes scanned the wall for an air conditioning panel or at least a fan. Andy nodded in agreement from behind his book. Joe jutted his foot in the direction of the kitchen, where he could vaguely see the controls for a central cooling system. "Wow, they really went all out." He muttered as he forcibly removed himself from the couch that was stuck to the underside of his thighs and walked over to it.

"Yeah, they fucking better have after making us sort our own shit out for the first leg." Joe grumbled as he sprawled across the couch into Pete's now empty space.

"I've heard around the office that if Pete didn't cost you guys so much money on those paintings he so desperately needed, the tour would've been like this the whole way through."

"Look, I know you work for our boss and all, but can we not talk work when we're dying of heatstroke?" Pete glared down at the girl lying on the linoleum floor of the kitchen. "Why are you even down there?"

"It's cooler." She shrugged lazily.

"Nothing is as cool as me, babe." He winked. She rolled her eyes as a chorus of groans sounded from the lounge room.

He fiddled with the dials on the wall, trying to work out how to turn the bus into an ice arena as soon as physically possible. He would much rather be freezing to death than slowly melting. As he pulled the dial as hard as it would go to the cold side, he felt it snap off in his fingers.