AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll come with you.” Drew reached into his bunk and pulled out his jacket, slinging it over his arm.
“No! I need some time to myself.”
“That’s the last thing you need right now.”
“Don’t push me on this, Drew.”
When Drew refused to budge, Jason shoved him backwards, causing him to stumble. Drew straightened up and pushed Jason against his bunk, pinning him in place. The atmosphere grew thick with tension as the pair stared each other out, neither one willing to back down. In the past, their feuds had almost ruined their close relations
hip forever and it hurt my heart to even contemplate them going down that road again.
“Guys.” I leapt up from my seat and ran over to them. “Please. If Jason wants some time alone…”
“You don’t understand, Lucy.” Drew shook his head but released his grip on Jason.
“She understands better than you.” Jason gave Drew a cold stare before turning to me. “You wanna come with me?”
“Yes. But you said you wanted to be on your own.”
“If you come Drew will get off my back.”
“You don’t need a babysitter, Jase. Go, get some air. Give me a call in half an hour and let us know you’re okay. And if you decide you want some company, I’ll come find you.”
Even as I spoke, I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. I didn’t know what was wrong with him, or if I should have asked him to call. I truly didn’t think he was about to do anything stupid, but in order to pacify everyone, I had to say something that would calm the situation and it was the best compromise I could think of under pressure.
Jason nodded, giving me a tight smile before heading out without a glance at Drew. Once he’d gone, I looked up at Drew; his brown eyes were fixed on me. “I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want to see things fall apart between you two again. You have to give him some space.”
“He shouldn’t have space when he’s like this.”
“Like what? Do you even know what the problem is?”
“He’s craving, Lucy! We’re on tour, and he is stressed and craving cocaine.”
Okay. Maybe they weren’t oblivious. If anyone could spot the signs, it was Drew, and the mere thought of Jason craving shot fear through my veins. But was that really it, or was Drew just panicking over nothing? I mean, I was having a great time on tour but I didn’t have to perform and I was tired. The guys had a lot of pressure on them, and although the feedback from the shows had been super positive, they had to maintain it for another twenty-two gigs with barely a day off in between. And they had to perform every one as if it was their first. It was draining on them all, and every one of them had had an off day during the week. Perhaps it was Jason’s turn for a meltdown.
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “Trust him, Drew. Just give him this one chance.”
“One chance is all it takes for him to fuck up.” Drew’s face hardened, and I knew him well enough to understand why. It took all of his strength not to run after Jason and lock him inside the bus, but he also knew he couldn’t follow Jason around for the rest of his life to prevent him from using.
I rested my hand on Drew’s arm. “Go and call Ellie. If Jason doesn’t call me in half an hour, we’ll both go and find him, okay?”
Drew nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Lucy.”
I gave him a small nod then headed back to Mack and Joey to continue our game.
What followed was the longest half an hour of my life. I hadn’t realised how much Drew’s panic would rub off on me, but the idea of Jason and cocaine made my heart thunder. It had been a long and rough road for everyone concerned, and I couldn’t stand the idea of seeing my friends and family in so much pain again. The year before, when Jason almost died, I thought my heart was going to break in half. Seeing him suffer had never been easy, but the closer I got to him, the more I understood how much Ellie and Drew had been through. I didn’t want to be in that position. Ever.
When my phone rang, my pulse raced until I heard Jason’s voice – normal-sounding – and he told me where to meet him. I let Drew know where I was going before I left, and then headed out to meet Jason at the café a few streets away, where he sat at an outside table, holding a cup of coffee. Opposite him, another cup of coffee awaited me and I smiled as I sat down.
“Thank you.” I gestured to the steaming mug in front of me.
“You’re welcome. I owe you for getting me out.”
I gave him a sad smile. I’d intended for it to look happier, but my own worry had taken over and my lips didn’t curve upwards as far as I’d expected.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Jason sounded stern but he smiled. “I don’t want you worrying about me too.”
“I can’t help that, Jase. But I will always do whatever I can to stop you feeling suffocated by it.”
