Tanner’s eyes narrow, and I tense, waiting for him to turn on me and tell me how much of a dumbass I am. “Not only did you put this whole tour and our band in jeopardy, but you put one of my best friends in a fucked-up situation that could have literally cost him his life.”
My breath shudders in my chest. Fury laces Tanner’s words like he actually gives a shit about me. I mean, we’re all like brothers, but out of the four of us, me and him don’t see eye to eye on almost every single thing.
“Now get the fuck out of here.”
Calvin’s nostrils flare, but he stalks through the bus, grabs his bags shoved into the hall closet, and leaves without another word.
I tap on the door.It’s crickets on the other side. I pound harder. I know she’s in there. Where else would she be? She’s not on the bus or in the pool. I checked everywhere in this godforsaken hotel.
“Ellie, open the door!” I yell. “I have a key! You can’t keep me out.”
When she still doesn’t open up, I slide the card from my pocket and peek inside. The room is dark and quiet. Almost eerily. “May?”
I train my ears, listening for any sound. I squint, trying to make out anything, but the curtains are pulled tight, not even a glimmer of light spilling in.
As I take a step inside, reaching to flip the light on, my foot catches on something. I slip, arms flinging out, grasping for something to hold on to, but my foot is sliding across the tile, squealing like a pig while my arms flail about in the darkness. My foot kicks out from under me, sending me to the floor like a sack of goddamn potatoes. “Fuck!” I scream, landing on something wet and…squishy?
I pull out my phone, flipping on the flashlight as my ass remains glued to the floor. I sit up, shining the light around me. What the fuck?
White boxes surround me.
What is…is that donuts? I hop up, nearly slipping again. Looking down at the pile of smashed donuts, I cringe. Jelly and chocolate are all over the floor and stuck to my ass. Jesus Christ, it looks like someone murdered a donut factory in this place.
Yeah, it was me. I massacred at least twenty donuts with my big-ass body. There are multiple boxes scattered across the floor and a fresh dozen all over me.
Why does she have so many donuts?
This is bad. Real fucking bad. Fuck!
Scrambling, I hit the light switch. When it illuminates the room, I find it empty. No surprise. She would’ve come running had she heard me killing her precious donuts. I rush out, leaving a trail of donut flakes and crumbs behind me.
54
ELLIE
The paper bagholding my bottle of wine is clutched to my chest protectively as I ride the elevator up to my room. I’ve never needed it more.
I already went out once and hit all the bakeries in a three-block radius, but when I got back, I realized I didn’t get anything to drink. So, I went back for some alcohol to wash them down with. I’m normally not an emotional drinker. I like to have fun when I drink, not get all sad. My period must be coming because I’m extra emotional tonight. I plan to eat my body weight in donuts.
It has nothing to do with the events that have unfolded over the last couple of hours.
I was upset seeing Travis talking to Calvin, but after I cooled off, I realized I should give him a chance to explain. After the show, I went backstage to find him. Calvin stopped me in the hall. He said Travis was with a girl and didn’t want to be disturbed. I instantly felt sick. I thought he was lying, but I could hear a girl in the room talking.
Fury erupted from everything I’ve been bottling up tight, and I unleashed it on Calvin. I told him I knew about his littledrug dealing, and if he didn’t knock it off, I was going to tell. It was only a threat—I didn’t know Tanner was behind me.
I was so torn up, I called Liv and confessed everything—not the drugs—that’s not my story to tell, but everything that’s happened between Travis and me and how I thought maybe I was...I don’t even want to say it now.
Falling for him.
I stare at the donut bracelet that I stupidly thought meant something more and bite back tears. Angry tears, sad tears—it’s all the same. I’m tossing it in the trash.
As soon as I step into my room, something feels off.
“Where have you been?”
I jump back, shrieking, and flip the light on to find Travis sitting on my bed. Sneaky sonofabitch. My heart’s pounding like a caged bird, but I do my best to remain calm. Ignoring him, I stroll into the room, instantly noticing my donuts aren’t stacked by the door where I left them. I’d only popped in long enough to set them down.
“Don’t ignore me.”
