Day Nine: Chicago

In the morning I wake up extremely well rested, so I get up and take a shower.

After getting dressed I go downstairs for breakfast. At the elevator I run into Stepha`n

who looks like he hasn’t slept at all.

“Rough night?” I ask him.

He looks at me and smiles. “You should see the other guys. Compared to them I

am peachy. We went out after we dropped you off and didn’t get back until three

hours ago.”

“What? Why aren’t you knocked out in bed then?”

Again he smiles at me and explains that he is going to a local drums and

percussion dealership. He has an endorsement deal with them and is going to pick up a

new set of drums and cymbals. When we reach the first floor Dom, Jason, Reagan and

Con are waiting in the lobby. Stepha`n walks over to them and they leave at once.

They must all be going to that dealership to get the new stuff. I watch them get on

the night liner and after it starts moving I turn and go to the breakfast room. The only

people sitting there are an old couple and a man in a dark suit. I nod and greet them. I

decide to sit in the far corner of the room and the waitress from yesterday walks up to

my table.

She smiles at me and says: “On your own today? Where did you leave those

lovely boys you were with yesterday?”

I look up and jokingly tell her I drank them under the table last night and that

they are still recovering right now. She laughs aloud and asks me what I would like for

breakfast. I look at the menu and ask her for some cereal and coffee. On the table I

find a newspaper and flick through that while waiting for my breakfast. It of course

doesn’t take long to be served. I thank the waitress and start sipping my coffee.

Somehow it seems to be the best coffee I’ve ever had and even the cereal tastes

different. I look out the window and see it is very sunny outside. Nothing can spoil this

great day, I decide. I flick through the newspaper to see if it can give me an idea of

what to do today, when I get a pat on the back and Paul and Gino join me at my table.

Stepha`n was right, these guys look much worse than him. I laugh aloud and get an evil

look from both of them. I suggest coffee, take their grunts as a yes and hold up my

hand to the waitress. One look at the guys sitting with me she immediately

understands what I’m asking for. She walks over with 2 cups and a pot of coffee. She

puts the cups in front of Paul and Gino and fills them up. My coffee cup is also topped

off and then the waitress turns and leaves again. I hear her laughing as she walks

away. I smile to myself and take a sip.

“I take it you had a great time last night?” I ask in a low voice.

Both of them start grinning from ear to ear and nod at me. “You really missed a

great party. Moe passed out and Con started singing with Reagan and Jason. We lost

Jordy for a while, but he turned up at the hotel again when we got back. I hooked up

with two really pretty girls and Paul got chased by their friend.”

I laugh at the vision in my head of last night’s events, but I’m relieved I wasn’t

there. Paul talks about how he got away from the girl. I’m not really listening to it,

because in my mind I’m still trying to picture Connor singing. I would have loved to

see that! After a while Moe and Jordy join us and I order them coffee as well.

Amazingly enough they look even worse than Paul and Gino. Soon Dom, Jason,

Stepha`n, Reagan and Con come back from their trip and it seems like Christmas came

early this year for them. They eagerly tell the other guys about their new stuff.

Reagan tries to include me in the conversation, but I just can’t make any sense of all

that technical talk. They are describing everything and all I get from it is that they are

extremely thrilled to have this gear. Looking at my watch I see that it is 11:00 a.m.

already. Reagan must have seen me do it, because he then looks at his and asks

around what people are going to do today. Everyone then makes plans for the day and

agrees to have dinner together in a restaurant in city centre. I don’t really think I

should include myself in their plans, so I get up from my seat and quietly leave to go

to my room. At the elevator Reagan comes up to me and asks why I left. I explain to

him I don’t feel right including myself in their plans and I’ll make my own for the day.

He asks why I feel that way, because according to him I am now as much part of the

group as any of them.

“Maybe you just need a little more time to get to know everyone. Why don’t

you and I hang out today and weÅLll join the rest for dinner?”

I agree to this after making sure he really doesn’t want to be with his friends. I

tell him to meet me in the lobby in half an hour, so I can get my camera. I get back to

my room and I contemplate for a moment if I should put on some shorts. I open my

window and I feel a pretty cold breeze coming into the room, so I decide against the

shorts. While getting my camera out of my backpack I wonder what we are going to do

today. Yesterday we already saw most of the city, in a cab, but still… I’ll ask Reagan

what he wants to do. I put on my Vans and walk out the door. I wait for the elevator

to open and Stepha`n, Moe and Jason come out. They say hi and go to their rooms. I

get on the elevator, go down to the lobby and see that Reagan is not there yet. I sit

down in one of the comfortable chairs to wait for him. Then I hear someone arguing

on the phone close by. It doesn’t take long to recognize Connor’s voice. I don’t really

pay attention to it, because I don’t want to be rude. Until I hear my name being

mentioned. I now listen intently, why would I come up in a conversation he is having?

Unfortunately I only hear his side of the conversation and only shards of that. Is he

being accused of something? Oh wow, he must really be fed up with it now. The

coldness and anger in his voice are very audible. Then he says that it’s over, goodbye.

“Hi, are you ready to go?” I jump at the sound of Reagan’s voice.

Without looking back I quickly pull him to the exit. He stops when we are

outside and looks at me questioningly. I tug at his arm again and assure him I’ll

explain later. We walk a little further and hail a taxi.

As the cab starts driving, I explain: “I’m sorry about that. It’s just that I

overheard Con argue on the phone and I heard my name being mentioned. I think he

just broke up with his girlfriend and I didn’t want him to know I overheard.”

Reagan then says: “Wow, really? I guess he mentioned you being on the tour and

Erica probably accused him of cheating on her with you, because she is extremely

jealous. Maybe he got so tired of things now that he broke up with her once and for

all.”

To change the subject he asks me where I would like to go. I remind him that I

don’t know the city and ask him to surprise me. He tells the driver to go to the Sears

Tower and tells me the view from that building is so cool I have to see it. After having

enjoyed the amazing view from the Sky deck and being terrified to go on the ledge,

we move on to North Michigan Avenue. We pass some interesting buildings and

museums. We walk in and out of different shops and buy ourselves all kinds of stuff.

Then we come across a little souvenir shop, which we just have to go into. We look at

the different refrigerator magnets and soon choose the best ones. After having paid

for them we leave the shop again.

“Are you in for some huge laughs?” I ask Reagan when I notice a costume shop.

He looks at me confused, so I point towards the shop. He starts laughing and

agrees that we should go there. We try on all kinds of hilarious costumes and laugh our

asses off. We take pictures of each other as well, obviously without the shopkeeper’s

knowledge. After a while we are so exhausted and hungry that we decide to go and

grab something to eat. Probably because we didn’t buy anything the shopkeeper

shoots us an angry look and starts complaining. We look at each other and start

laughing as we walk out. Reagan spots a place to eat, so we go into some building and

upstairs to the fourth floor into Potbelly Sandwich Works. We both order a Roast beef

Original with an Oreo Banana milkshake. I notice that Reagan also orders everything

except pickles and when I point it out to him he starts laughing at the coincidence. We

sit down to eat our sandwich and drink our shake. While eating we talk about where to

go next and Reagan says he knows the perfect place which is only a fifteen minute

walk from where we are. Telling me about Navy Pier makes him excited as a little kid,

so he tells me to hurry up with my food and shake. The minute I’m done he gets up

and starts walking towards the exit. I tell him to slow down, because I still have to go

to the bathroom before we leave. He then decides to do the same. After we are both

done I hurry after Reagan downstairs and outside. We walk a little further up the

street and then turn onto East Grand Avenue. We walk all the way down to the pier

and by now Reagan is ecstatic.

“When I was little my family and I went on vacation here a few times and I

loved this place.” he explains with sparkles in his eyes.

He walks over to the ticket booth and buys us both a 5-ride combo ticket. First

we go on the Ferris Wheel and share a gondola. The view from here is great! You can

see the skyline and also look over Lake Michigan. Afterwards we go on the Musical

carousel, which isn’t that great anymore when you’re an adult. But that doesn’t stop

us from laughing and having fun anyway. Then Reagan wants to go on the Wave

Swinger, but I refuse because of my fear of heights. At first he thinks I’m joking, but

when he sees the fear in my eyes he stops pushing me towards the ride and decides to

go alone. I sit on a nearby bench and wait for him there. I watch him get in his seat

and wave at him. He sticks up him thumbs with a huge grin on his face. I laugh at his

enthusiasm; you really wouldn’t say he is the guitarist of a heavy metal-band right

now. While I’m waiting for Reagan I spot Paul and Jason in the crowd. When they see

me as well I wave at them.

“Are you here by yourself?” Jason asks. I shake my head and point towards the

Wave Swinger.

As the ride is finished Reagan gets out of his seat and walks over: “That was

great! I loved it when I was little and I still do!”

To Jason and Paul he says: “Hey man! You should go on that thing.”

With the same look on his face as I had Jason shakes his head. I then turn

around and spot an 18 hole miniature golf. I ask if they want to play the game and

they agree to humor me. None of us are very good at it, so we have a lot of fun. It

takes ages to finish the whole course, because we keep losing our balls and joke

around. When we finally do finish the game, my stomach aches from laughing so hard.

I spot some shops, go straight to them, look back at the guys and see them rolling

their eyes at each other as they follow me. When I enter the t-shirt-shop Tee-Zeria,

they come in as well to look at the shirts. We all laugh when we spot one of Dreads on

Fire. Jason decides to order one, just for the fun of it. He chooses a shirt and tells the

person making the shirts that he wants the Dreads on Fire-picture on it.

When the shirt is done Jason jokingly tells the cashier: “This really is a terrible

picture of us.”

Paul, Reagan and I start laughing out loud. The girl behind the register clearly

doesn’t recognize Jason or Reagan or cares about what Jason says and shrugs. After

paying for his t-shirt she puts it in a bag and hands it over. Still laughing we leave the

shop. To commemorate this great day I decide to buy a Chicago-shirt at one of the

souvenir shops. After having been in all the shops with me, Jason and Paul decide to

go back to the hotel. I’m still having so much fun that I’m not tired at all, so Reagan

and I stay behind. I buy us an ice cream and we sit down on a bench to enjoy the view

over the Lake. We finish our ice creams and I ask what else we can do. Clearly

astonished by my energy he stares at me. I look back at him with anticipation and

after a minute or two he suggests the Funhouse maze. I jump up at once and tell him I

love funhouses. He smiles, shakes his head and takes my hand to lead me there. We go

into the funhouse and after what seems like hours we get out again laughing out loud.

Suddenly I start to feel lightheaded, so Reagan suggests going back to the hotel, which

I of course agree to.

He arranges a cab and within twenty minutes we are back at the hotel. I thank

him for the awesome day and walk up to the elevator. As I wait for it to arrive, I start

feeling more lightheaded. I take in a couple of deep breaths and lean against the wall.

When the doors to the elevator open I quickly get on. I press the button to my floor

and the doors close again. I take out my room key, but drop it on the floor. I bend

down to get it and as I get up again I feel really dizzy. Just as I grab the railing the

door opens.

“Hey, are you ok?”

I feel a hand grab my arm just as I start fainting. The next thing I know I feel

myself move and when I open my eyes I’m looking straight at Connor. I blush as I

realize he must have seen me faint. Completely embarrassed I ask him to put me

down, but from the look on his face I realize it’s no use. He then opens the door to my

room and puts me down on the bed. I thank him for his help and lie down. He smiles

slightly, turns around quickly and leaves the room. A couple of minutes later there is a

knock on my door.

I go over to open it and Reagan looks at me with concern. “What happened? You

were fine when I left you at the elevator.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I ate something wrong before. I’m ok now, though.” I half

smile at him.

He ignores my reassurance and tells me to go lie down. I decide not to disagree

and get back on the bed. Reagan sits down next to me. He hands me a glass of water

and some aspirins and I take them.

“I think I just need some sleep and then I’ll be fine. What time was the plan to

go to dinner? Maybe I’ll feel better later and be able to join you guys.”

He tells me it’s at 7:00 p.m. and offers to stay until then, but I tell him he

should go do something fun. After promising to call his room as soon as I wake up he

reluctantly leaves my room. He lets me know he will come here before he leaves for

the restaurant and shuts the door. Right outside I hear Reagan greeting Connor and

asking him if he’s ok.

“I’m fine. I finally broke up with Erica, because I just got tired of all the

bullshit.”

“Dude, that sucks!” Reagan says.

“Nah, I should have done it sooner. She is a complete psycho! I already told her

you hooked up with Skylar and still she was convinced there was something going on

between me and her.” Con answers.

“No man, it’s not like that. We are just friends.” Reagan says. “Not that I

wouldn’t want more. For the first time in a long time I have serious feelings for a girl

and she just wants to be friends, but rather that than nothing at all.”

Then I don’t hear anything anymore, so they must have walked away. I feel

really bad about what Reagan said, but I can’t let him know I overheard his

conversation with Connor. I guess I’m going to have to pretend I didn’t hear anything.

I close my eyes for a moment and fall asleep. A knock on my door wakes me up and I

get up to answer the door. Reagan is standing on the other side and asks if I feel up to

going out yet. Feeling much better than before, I decide that taking the opportunity

to get to know the other guys better is the right thing to do now. I get my jacket and

bag and follow Reagan to the elevator. In the lobby Jason, Connor, Yuri and Moe are

waiting for us. Jason and Yuri seem glad to see me coming along and ask how I’m

feeling. I smile and let them know I’m fine. When Gino and Jordy walk into the lobby

we all go outside. There are 2 cabs waiting for us, so we get in and are driven to the

restaurant.

The door is opened and I follow Gino out of the cab. I look at the restaurant and

it’s called Gene & Georgetti. From the outside it looks really nice. We all walk in and I

admire the interior of the restaurant. It has a very homely feel to it with all the wood

paneling. There is one big row of five tables in the back and I’m guessing that is for

us. About a second later one of the waiters leads us to that very spot and holds out a

chair for me. I sit down and thank him for helping me. Reagan takes a seat next to me

on my left, Gino sits down across from him, Jason across from me and Yuri next to him

with Moe on his other side. Jordy takes the seat at the end of the table, next to Moe.

Connor hesitates for a moment and then sits down at the head.

The waiter takes our drink order and goes off to get them. When he returns he

asks if we would like to look at the menu now or wait for the rest of our party first.

Connor decides that we will look at the menu and make our choice, but will wait for

the rest before we order. The waiter hands us a menu and just as everyone has one

Dom, Stepha`n and Paul walk in and take the last three empty seats at our table. Their

drink order is taken as well and they are handed a menu. I decide to just have a main

course and dessert, so it is going to be a Broiled Small Filet Mignon with fresh

asparagus and mashed potatoes. With that I’m ordering a glass of red wine. I close my

menu and wait for the others. Everybody must be really hungry, because all menus are

closed within minutes. All the guys are having an appetizer, but I know I won’t have

room for dessert if I do that as well. When the appetizers are served I get my wine.

Feeling a bit silly with just the wine in front of me I focus on the plates of food.

Reagan ordered fried clams and they look really good. Dom who is sitting on the other

side of me has the fried Ravioli, which looks nice too. When I tell them this they both

offer me a taste and I gladly accept. Both dishes taste really good and now I wish I

ordered an appetizer after all. Though knowing my stomach can’t handle three

courses and I’m a dessert freak, I made the right choice. While eating, the guys swap

stories about what they did today and I just listen to them. Reagan then tells everyone

what we have been doing and I join in.

We laugh our asses off, but when nobody else does he says: “Well, I guess you

should have been there.”

Jason tells the others the t-shirt story and everyone starts laughing. When our

main courses are served I’m on my second glass of wine, so I’m a little more relaxed. I

speak up a bit more and try to get to know everyone a little better. The only person I

dare not talk to is Connor. He is very sociable with the others, but hasn’t said much to

me. I try to think of something to ask, but somehow all that comes up is the urge to

ask personal things. I realize I can’t go into personal stuff, because it’s none of my

business and I wouldn’t appreciate it if it were the other way around in a group like

this.

“So Skylar, tell us. What do you do when you are not working?” Jason asks.

I slowly look up from my plate and blush when I notice all eyes are on me now. I

just took a bite of food, so it takes me a moment to swallow. When my mouth is

empty again I say: “To be honest, not much. I mostly either take work home or listen

to music while reading a book. Occasionally I turn on the TV and watch MTV or VH1. I

do speak to my dad almost daily, because he lives alone and I want to make sure he is

OK. I go grocery shopping with him once a week too, but that’s about it. I know it’s a

sad, boring life, because my brothers tell me so all the time.” I smile sheepishly when

no one really responds. I quickly focus on my plate and take another bite.

“How about your mom?” Jason asks breaking the silence again.

“She passed away when she was six and she doesn’t remember much about her.

Sorry, but I already asked that when we were in Montreal.” Dom answers for me.

I smile at him and say: “It’s OK. It was a long time ago and I was still really

young when she died. I don’t really know any better than my family consisting of my

dad, my two brothers and me.” To try and turn focus away from me I ask Jason what

he does in his spare time.

“Me? I just spend as much time with my two boys and girlfriend as I can. I try to

make the most of it by being home as much as possible. Even though it is hard every

time I leave, I couldn’t see myself working a nine-to-five-job.” Dom nods and confirms

this as do Stepha`n and Paul.

“I guess when you have someone waiting for you at home it is hard to leave, but

when you don’t every time you are home you itch to go back on the road again.”

Reagan says. Gino, Jordy and Moe agree with him.

Having been on the road for a couple days now I can’t imagine why anyone

would want to do this all the time. I guess I’m more of a stay-in-one-place kind of

person.

“How about family? Any brothers and sisters? And parents?” I ask in general.

They look back at me unsure who should answer, so I say: “Reagan?”

“Basically it’s just me and my mom. Dad is around too somewhere, but I don’t

really see him much.”

“Ah, ok. Thanks. Dom?” I say looking at him.

“My parents are happily married and so are my two older sisters. We are a very

close family, so we see or speak to each other weekly.”

“Wow, that sounds nice. You must be one of those lucky ones.” He smiles and

nods at me. I look at Paul and wait for him to answer.

“Oh, you want an answer from me too. Well, I’ve got a little sister and two

little brothers. Parents aren’t around, we grew up with my grandmother.” He clearly

doesn’t want to tell more, because he quickly looks over at Stepha`n.

“Nothing to tell here. These guys are my family. I don’t know my biological one;

I grew up in an orphanage.”

Jordy then says: “There’s my father and I have three older brothers. My mother

split after I was born.”

“Will you be writing about this in that story of yours?” Moe asks.

“No, of course not. I just want to get to know all of you better. And you asked

me about my personal life, so I thought it was only fair to ask about yours.”

“Ok, yeah, that is fair. My family is just my parents and me.” I smile at Moe and

thank him for telling me.

Yuri then explains that his parents are immigrants from the Czech Republic and

they came to America after his older sister was born to try and give her a better life.

By the time he came they had done very well for themselves already. Dad worked hard

for a shoe manufacturer and was soon promoted to head of his department. These

days he is the general manager.

“Wow, so the expression that America is the land of opportunities is very true

for your family.” I say. Proudly he nods and smiles broadly.

I look over at Jason and he says: “My family is not at all like me. Both my

parents and my siblings are Harvard graduates. They are all doctors too. You can say

that I’m the odd one out. I talk to my brother sometimes, but my parents and sister

refuse to speak to me. I disappointed them not only by not going to college and

pursuing a career in music, but also by having a family without being married. Oh

well, I’m just glad that I got this family here.” I feel kind of sorry for him, but he

doesn’t really seem to mind all that much.

I guess I wouldn’t either if my family couldn’t accept me for who I am. I look

over at Gino and he grins from ear to ear. “My family is great! I’ve got ten siblings; 6

sisters and 4 brothers. Most of them live all over Italy and my parents still live in the

house I grew up in. Every year we all come together and have a whole week of parties.

We have a blast cooking and eating and just hanging out.”

“That sounds really good! I can only imagine how much fun it is.” I say

excitedly.

Looking around the table I realize it’s Connor’s turn to speak about his family,

but I don’t want to put him on the spot. I look at him briefly to see if he is going to

talk, but he looks at the table. The others slowly turn their attention to him as well

expecting his story. When he remains silent for a moment Reagan decides to divert the

attention to desserts. Everyone is done eating and our plates are all cleared. The

waiter asks if we’d like to see the dessert menu and I eagerly nod my head. He hands

everyone a menu and I decide at once to have the Chocolate Tuxedo Mousse

Cheesecake. I just love cheesecake and with chocolate it must be even better. After a

couple of minutes the waiter comes back and asks if we are ready to order. When

everyone is nodding I give him my order and the rest follow. As he leaves we start

talking about what to do later. Most of the guys want to go out. Jason, Paul and Dom

are going back to the hotel, so they can call home. Not wanting to be dull I agree to

go out as well. The desserts arrive moments later and from the first bite I know I

picked the right one. I thoroughly enjoy the dessert and when Reagan asks if it is good

I give him a big grin. I hesitate for a moment and then offer him a bite.

He pulls a face and jokingly says: “You like that? Mine is much better…haha”

He offers me a bite of his Key Lime Cheesecake and I have to agree that it is

nice, but definitely not as nice as mine. When we are all done with our desserts

Connor asks the waiter for the bill. When it arrives he gives the waiter his credit card

and waits for it to come back. I take the opportunity to go to the bathroom and when I

come back everyone is at the door waiting for me. Outside there are three cabs ready

and Jason, Dom and Paul get in one of them. They are off to the hotel straight away.

The rest of us pile in the other two cabs and head to a club. At least that’s what

Reagan tells me on the way. Once we arrive at the club I notice there is a long line of

people waiting to go inside. Thinking we will probably go somewhere else I turn

around to go back in the cab, but the others walk up to the entrance. I quickly follow

them, to my amazement the doorman greets the guys and we are all let through. It is

very crowded and hot inside, so while we make our way through the crowd I take off

my jacket. Just as I start wondering where we are headed I see Jordy, Yuri and Moe

take a seat in a booth. Gino joins them. Reagan, Connor, Stepha`n and I take the booth

next to theirs. A waitress comes up to take our order and Connor orders a round of

beers for both tables.

"This one is on me. The rest you'll have to pay for yourselves." He announces to

everyone.

A few minutes later the waitress returns with a tray full of beers. She smiles

and hands them out. We all raise our glass and say cheers. I turn to the other booth

and do the same. I try to talk with Stepha`n, but the music is just too loud. He then

asks if I'd like to dance, but I decline. I really can't dance and don't want to embarrass

myself in front of these guys. Reagan asks as well, but I refuse his offer too. Stepha`n

and Reagan decide to go anyway and leave me behind with Connor. I look over at him

and he is busy watching his glass intently, so I do the same. I try to think of what to

say. Maybe I better not, before I say something stupid. Besides he wouldn't hear me

over this music anyway. Instead I turn in my seat and watch the dance floor. Reagan

catches my eye and waves at me. I smile and wave back. He gestures for me to come

over to him, but I vigorously shake my head. He goes back to dancing and I look

around the club some more.

I finish my beer and see that Connor has as well, so I ask if he wants another

one which he does. I get up from my seat, make my way to the bar and order two

beers. Holding the beers above my head to avoid bumping them into someone I push

through the crowd. Just as I reach our booth I almost trip, slam the glasses on the

table and manage to find the bench before I'm on the floor. I slide across it towards

Connor to explain that I almost tripped and that's why I put the glasses down so hard. I

laugh at myself for my clumsiness. When he doesn't respond I slide back to the other

side of the booth and stare in the distance. Jeez, he could have at least acknowledged

me. I hate it when I’m being ignored, if only I had the courage to say so. Do I annoy

him so much that he needs to resort to ignoring my presence? Maybe I should make it

easier on him and just sit at the other booth. I look around to see if anyone is sitting

there and when there isn’t I grab my beer and move to that booth. I feel the urge to

look at Connor to see if he even noticed that I left, but I refrain myself and drink my

beer. By the time I finish it, I feel pretty miserable sitting here drinking by myself.

Though sitting with an empty glass is even more pathetic, so I go over to the bar again

and order another beer. As I walk back to my seat I sneak a peek at the other booth

and Connor is looking straight at me. Even though I feel awkward I can’t seem to look

away, until I walk into someone and I am forced to look ahead of me.

When I look back over at Connor he is not in his seat anymore. I put my glass

down on the table and turn around to scan the crowd, but I can’t find him anywhere. I

sit down in my booth wondering why he was looking at me and where he is now. A

hand on my shoulder makes me look up and Reagan is standing next to me. He lowers

himself to ear level and asks if I’m having a good time. Should I answer him truthfully

or is it better to lie now? Not wanting to be a spoilsport I smile at him and stick up my

thumb.

He sits down next to me, puts his arm around me and says in my ear: “You are a

terrible liar. Connor said you were bored out of your brain.”

Irritated I say: “Oh yeah, he said that? Well, if he would have talked to me I

wouldn’t have been. What the hell is his problem? I can’t get a reaction from him at

all, but he can go over to you to tell you that I’m bored.”

Goddamn him! If he doesn’t want to bother with me, why would he care if I’m

enjoying myself? Seeing him walk through the crowd towards the other booth the urge

to stand up and stalk over to him overcomes me. Before I know it I am standing in

front of him and open my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but something inside

me stops me from actually saying anything. After a moment of silence I turn on my

heel and walk back to where Reagan is sitting. He raises an eyebrow at me and I sit

down hard waving him off. I empty my glass in one go and drag Reagan to the dance

floor. Luckily the three beers have taken away a large part of my inhibitions, which

relaxes me enough to be able to dance normally and I let myself go. We dance

together for a couple of songs and when a slow song starts he gently pulls me closer

and puts his hands on my waist. I put my arms on his shoulders and we slowly move in

step with the song. It surprises me how natural it feels, but I keep my distance to

avoid sending the wrong signals. When the song is finished and changes into a faster

one again I am convinced that Reagan and I would probably have worked very well as a

couple, if only I felt the same as him. We dance for a while longer when he lets me

know he needs a drink.

I follow him to the bar and he orders two beers. He hands me one and asks if I

want to sit down. I nod, start walking and sit down in an empty seat at one of the

booths. Reagan takes a seat on the other side of the table and sips his beer. Moe grins

slyly, says something in his ear and Reagan starts frowning and shaking his head. Moe

then looks at me and frowns as well. OK, so they were talking about me. Maybe Moe

thought that Reagan and I hooked up or something. Oh wait, what if everyone thinks

that. Without thinking I look straight over to Connor, who is studying his glass again

with a frown on his face. When Jason says something to him he looks at him for a

moment and then shrugs while nodding his head. He gets up to let Stepha`n pass and

sits back down. Stepha`n then comes over to our booth and asks us if we want to go

somewhere else. When the guys all nod he gestures to Connor, Gino and Yuri that we

are leaving. I get up and wait for the others to do the same. Following the guys out

the door I put my jacket on. When I step outside we walk over to a couple of cabs

waiting at the corner of the club. We get in two cabs and about ten minutes later we

stop again. As we get out I see a Karaoke-bar. I look at Reagan, ask if that’s where we

are going and he nods while grinning. Oh my god, this can’t be good. They all walk up

to the entrance and Jordy opens the door to let everyone in. I reluctantly follow the

guys inside. Hoping for a seat in the back of the room I move slowly. Luckily Connor is

in the front and he does pick a table in the back. I pick up the pace then and sit down

in the furthest, darkest corner I can find. Reagan then goes over to the bar to get us

all drinks. He comes back empty-handed and explains that a waitress will bring the

drinks to us. He sits down and picks up a menu. I frown at this, but when I look closer

it is a song-menu. You can pick a song from this menu to sing on the well-lit stage in

the middle of the bar. At this moment there are a couple of girls doing a Bangles-song

and having the time of their lives. There is no way in hell I will go on that stage and

make a complete a*s of myself. I notice that Jordy and Yuri are also looking at a songmenu.

Having picked out a song Reagan hands the menu to Gino who starts flicking

through it. Meanwhile Reagan goes up to the DJ booth and talks to the DJ for a

moment. He comes back to the table just as our drinks are being brought over. There

are eight shot glasses and eight beers being placed on the table.

The guys start shouting “JaÅNger-time” and all take one of the little glasses.

They wait for me to take mine, hold up theirs when I finally do, shout “JaÅNgertime”

again and we all empty our glass.

Everyone looks excited and I shake my head. After taking a couple sips of his

beer Reagan gets called over to the stage and sings his head off on “Beat It” from

Michael Jackson. I laugh at his choice of song as well as his interpretation. Later on

Gino, Jordy, Moe, Yuri and Stepha`n go on stage to sing the Spice Girls-song “Wannabe”

and get a great response from the audience. Reagan and I laugh our asses off at the

sight. When they are done singing Jordy goes over to the bar and comes back to our

table with eight more JaÅNger-shots, which is already the fourth round. I try to decline

but Jordy won’t let me and forces a glass in my hand. Not being used to drinking this

much in one night I start getting pretty drunk and I decide that this is definitely the

last shot I’m having. Stepha`n asks me if I want to do a song, but I shake my head and

say no firmly. Assuring me it’s just for fun and nobody will care if I sing badly I still

hold my ground and refuse. He then looks over at Reagan and they exchange an evil

grin. I warn Reagan that he better not put me on the spot and he then looks at me

with an innocent face. I throw him my best angry look and keep a close eye on him. I

forget however to keep an eye on Stepha`n as well and when I hear my name being

called I realize my mistake. I close my eyes and duck away, but the guys start pointing

at me and soon a spotlight is on me as well. Cursing under my breath I slowly get up

and point at Stepha`n throwing him an evil look. I get on the stage, reluctantly take

the microphone and look at the screen to see what song they chose for me. I sigh in

relief when I see it is “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon. I know the song by heart, so

at least I won’t have the melody or lyrics wrong. The song starts and I move

awkwardly first and as the text appears I sing softly, but at the second verse I loosen

up and get into it. When the chorus starts I turn to look at the guys and sing it to

them. I eventually have so much fun that I don’t want the song to end. When it does I

put the microphone down and walk back to my seat laughing out loud.

“I knew you’d have fun up there.” Stepha`n says.

I turn to him and respond: “Yeah, well, that may be, but I’m still going to get

back at you and Reagan for this one.”

I smile and wink at them both and they laugh unimpressed as do the other guys.

Having gotten a taste for karaoke I take one of the menus and look through the songs.

I choose “With a little help from my friends” from Joe Cocker and go over to the DJ to

tell him I want to do that song. He nods, asks me my name and says he’ll let me know

when it’s my turn. I go back to my seat and Reagan asks what song I requested.

To try and make him nervous all I say is:”You’ll see.”

Then I hear my name and confidently walk to the stage. When the guys

recognize the song they all join me and help me sing it. We laugh so hard we almost

don’t manage to finish singing. A few songs later the waitress comes up to our table

and lets us know that they will close soon. We finish our drinks and all make our way

to the exit. Just outside the door some guy lets us know they called a couple taxis for

us and asks if anyone knows where we need to go. Everyone automatically looks at

Connor and he explains that he is the tour manager. The guy asks the name of our

hotel. When the cabs arrive we all get in and the guy from the bar gives the address to

both drivers. Once at the hotel we stagger out of the cabs and walk through the doors

of the hotel. While laughing and tripping over each other we go to the elevators, get

in and go to the right floors. When we reach my floor, Connor, Stepha`n and I get out

saying goodnight to each other. I go to my room, get inside and turn on the TV while

changing into my pajamas. I lie down on my bed and flick through the TV channels a

couple of times.

When nothing is on I turn it off again and get my phone from the nightstand. I

see that I’ve missed two calls from the office, an unknown number and even a couple

from Ben’s cell phone. I consider calling him back until I notice it is already 3:00 a.m.,

so it is 4:00 a.m. in Boston. To be sure nothing serious is going on back home, I get my

laptop from the desk and turn it on. I check my e-mail and there are two new ones.

They are both from Ben as well, which worries me. I open the first one quickly, but it

just says to call him right away. The second one explains more. He has spoken to Beth

and heard that I got hurt. He wants to make sure I’m OK, so he wants me to call him.

I’m so embarrassed. I totally forgot to check my phone and e-mail before leaving for

dinner. I didn’t expect Beth to tell Ben about what happened last night though. I’ll

have to call him first thing in the morning. Then there is a knock on the door. I open it

and Connor is standing at the other side.

“Call your boss. He just called me. I told him you are fine, but he wants to talk

to you personally.”

I look at him embarrassed and apologize for the hassle. After assuring him I’m

going to call Ben right away he leaves. I pick up my phone and start dialing.

It rings once and then: “Skylar?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Right, so you are ok? I got worried when Beth told me what happened last

night and you didn’t pick up your phone or respond to my e-mails.”

“I’m fine. Nothing really happened. It was just an accidental hit in the face.

You barely see anything now.” He hears the confusion in my voice and explains that he

feels responsible for my well-being because he sent me on this assignment.

“I’m sorry I didn’t check in with you earlier. I forgot to check my phone and email

all day. I assure you it will not happen again.

He stays quiet for a moment, but then says: “Every time I send someone on

their first assignment I expect them to make a mistake or two. Just make sure you

check in with me regularly from now on.”

“Yes, sir I will.”

“Yes, well, I’m glad you called. Goodnight then.” Ben says.

After he hangs up the phone I check my messages to see if there’s anything else

I’ve missed. I have two messages. The first one is from Ben asking me to call him back

and the second one is from Sylvia.

“Sylvia here. That column for the Boston Herald was crap. I hope you are

f*****g one of those guys on the tour, because you sure as hell are never going

anywhere as a journalist.”

What the hell am I supposed to do with this? It wasn’t even my article. She

sounded weird, drunk maybe. I can’t believe what she said. Still trying to wrap my

head around it, there is a knock on my door. I open it and Reagan is standing in front

of me. Without saying anything he kisses me. Not realizing what’s going on I let him

lead me back into my room. Then I come to my senses and push him off me.

“I’m sorry, but you have to leave.” I say while making him leave again.

I close the door behind him and am so confused about what just happened that I

really need to talk to someone, but I don’t know who to call. I can’t call Beth,

because it’s the middle of the night. I can’t call dad, because he will kill Reagan for

making things so difficult for me. Maybe I can talk to Jason, since he is the oldest and

knows Reagan best. I pick up my room key and walk over to Jason and Connor’s room.

I knock on the door and unfortunately it’s Connor that opens it. He looks at me in

confusion, but offers me to come in anyway. He must see how upset I am.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to talk to Jason about something.”

“He’s asleep already. I guess you can try to wake him…” He stops talking when I

start crying.

I’m just so upset and confused that I can’t control my emotions anymore. He

closes the door and hands me the box of tissues from the dresser. I let myself slide

down on the ground with my back against the bed. He gets a glass from the table and

pours something in it. Then he sits down across from me and hands me the glass. He

grabs his own from the side table, tabs my glass and says something inaudible. I take a

sip and notice it is whisky. I flinch once, but then empty my glass. Connor fills it again

and says cheers. I keep sobbing and use up one tissue after another.

After finishing another glass and having it filled up again I ask: “How come the

world makes complete sense one moment and none the next?” He shrugs at me and

shakes his head. A couple of drinks later I say: “Reagan came to my room and kissed

me again. That b***h editor-in-chief of mine, Sylvia, left a nasty rant on my message

service. And I just don’t have a clue how to deal with either.”

Connor empties the bottle in our glasses, he holds up his and says: “Your guess

is as good as mine.”

Then he takes one big gulp to empty his glass and calls room service to order

another bottle. I go over the conversation I had with Reagan again about the first time

he kissed me and just wanting to be friends and I’m sure I didn’t give him any reason

to think I changed my mind since then. Soon they show up with the new bottle of

whisky. Connor pours us some more and sits back down across from me. I’m getting

more and more drunk, but I just can’t stop drinking yet.

With a lot of effort I make up my mind and determinedly say: “You know what,

it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

I hold up my glass and Connor hits it with his. I notice that it’s already six in the

morning and we have to leave in an hour, so I finish my drink and try to get up from

the ground. When I fail the first time I try again and with some help from Connor I

manage to stand up straight.

“I should leave. We have to go back on the bus in an hour and I have occupied

your time long enough.”

When he looks at the clock and sees that I am right about this he helps me to

my room with some difficulty. When I’m unable to open the door, he takes the key

from my hand and lets us in. He puts me on the bed, but loses his balance and falls on

top of me. I start laughing and then we look at each other for a moment. The tension

is building up. For a second he leans in, but then changes his mind, gets up and leaves

the room.

Author's Note

There are 19 more chapters to the story, so if you'd like to review the rest, please let me know.