Page 86 of The Rogues

“It’s actually given us a lot more free time than we had on our last tour,” Cleo answers the way Zoe wanted us to.

“It’s eased a lot of pressure,” I add. “Our tours are long. We have the time of our life, but it’s hard doing this for an extended amount of time, so having them here with us definitely helps take the load off, per se.”

“And there hasn’t been any drama to report for us here at Channel Six?” Willa asks, fluttering her eyelashes.

Nicola cracks a smile while Lark crosses her arms and says, “The guys have been very kind and professional. If anything, I think they’re a lot more tame than the press gives them credit for.”

“Speak for yourself,” Cleo mutters, just loud enough for me to hear.

“What was that?” Trixie asks, zoning in on Cleo’s comment like a hawk.

To her benefit, my best friend doesn’t stutter. She just steels her shoulders. “I think my friends have had a much easier time adjusting to this situation than I have, but that’s to be expected. None of them have dated one of them.”

My heart stops for half a second as the hosts seem to latch onto her statement and continue, “That’s very true. I’m sure traveling and working with your ex-partner has to be extremely difficult. How have you guys adjusted to what I assume is a very uncomfortable situation for your bandmate?”

She directs the question at Lark, Nicola, and me. The other two look a bit shell-shocked, unsure how to respond.

The other host adds, “I’m sure it’s been very difficult for you guys as well, to see this situation unfold.”

The energy suddenly feels weird, like the three of us are on the chopping block for allowing this tour to happen. My eyes prickle as a mix of emotions washes over me.

“I think time heals all wounds,” I say without thinking, but my instincts exceed me. “And with this tour, we have plenty of it. Maybe we can mend this gap between us so we’re no longer on opposing sides. This industry is hard enough; we don’t need to be at each other’s throats all the time. It makes doing our jobs that much harder.”

To anyone else, Cleo’s stare at me might look normal, but I can see the slight pinch in her narrowed eyes. She smiles at the host. “Once again, my best friend proves to be a better person than me.”

Once we’re off set and back in our green room, there’s an awkward silence that I wasn’t anticipating. I look around after I gather up my things to find the other two have left and now it’s just Cleo and me.

She’s staring at me, her eyes narrowed with irritation. “Why did you do that?”

“What?”

“Why did you answer in a way that made me look like a complete bitch?”

I balk. “I was just trying to segway the conversation.”

“There was no need. I had it handled, and I needed to continue the narrative.”

“Did you see the way they were looking at the rest of us?” I ask. “It was like they were accusing us of putting you in that uncomfortable situation. Here we are, not being outright hostile over the guys, and you were acting completely different. They were looking for a story, a way to make it an inner band issue, don’t you see that?”

Cleo’s eyes widen with something that I can’t fully detect. I think it’s pity. “Josie, no. That’s not what was happening. They wanted you guys to say something in support of me, not continue the surface-level placation storyline.”

I feel like gripping my hair and tugging it right out of my skull. “Maybe I didn’t want to trash talk them. Is that so wrong? I mean, Cleo, nothing actually happened with them. You do remember that, right?”

Deep down, I know she does, but sometimes I wonder if she is so wrapped up in the pretend relationship that she forgets the real reason why she dislikes Cyrus so much. I mean, it can’t be because of a break-up, so what the hell is it about?

“Of course I remember,” she snaps, her eyes full of ire. “What the hell, Josie? I’m the last person who wants to be in this position, but I can’t handle the consequences of what our team made us do in the first place.”

The fight leaves my body as fast as it came, my bones tired from the sudden rush of adrenaline. “I just don’t want us to be the bad guys. The guys have been gracious in all of their press releases since the tour started, and we don’t have the privilege to make petty digs right now.”

Cleo pauses, her anger falling away. She walks over to me and sighs. “People have been speculating that Cyrus and I are getting back together and I can’t have that.” She shakes her head. “Saying what I can to remind people of our dynamic is the best way I can keep those speculations at a minimum. Our team wants me to play into it for publicity, but I just can’t.”

I deflate, knowing all too well how it feels to have that kind of power taken from you. “I’m sorry.”

Cleo’s hard demeanor softens, and it’s like I can see my best friend poking her head through the barrier. “No, I’m sorry. This tour has just been—” She stops, her hands going to her head. “Gosh, it’s been driving me fucking crazy. Being near them… it just pisses me off. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

I nod, understanding that more than anything. This is still uncharted territory for us. We’ve only been on the road for a little over three months, and I’m sure the longer it goes on, the more frustrating the speculation will be.

“What if we, I don’t know, go out for lunch? Try to see some of the sights. Maybe that will take your mind off it.”