I didn’t know what to say to that, so I replied, “I don’t mind the nickname, Vi.”
Anger flared behind her eyes. “Who told you to call me that?” Without waiting for an answer, she shoved past me and marched up the aisle to the front of the bus. “Which one of you told her to call me Vi?”
“Not me!” Riot replied.
“Vi’s your name,” Milo argued.
“So it wasyou!”
“Can we not argue in front of the new girl?” Cash asked. “Also, you’re distracting me while I drive.”
“He really is the tour bus mom,” I whispered to Milo.
The drummer erupted in laughter. “I like Roxie. She’s smart.”
Riot smiled over at me warmly, then went back to arguing with Violet.
The rest of the drive was uneventful; I eventually put my headphones on so I could work in peace. But my eyes kept being pulled to the right, in the direction of where Riot was sitting at the booth. He wore a faded gray Led Zeppelin T-shirt that showed off the tattoo sleeves on his arms.
Violet’s warning echoed in my head:don’t hurt them.
I would do my best.
We arrived at the Houston arena mid-afternoon. We parked next to the equipment van, which was already open and had black-clad roadies unloading equipment.
“Our label ponied up for hotel rooms in a third of the cities,” Cash explained while we walked outside. “The rest of the time, we sleep on the tour bus. It’s cheaper that way.”
“What about tonight?” I asked.
Cash gave me a small smile. “Tour bus. Our first hotel is in Fort Worth.”
“Great,” Milo muttered. “Two days of bunk beds to look forward to.”
“Complaining about it willsurelyhelp,” Cash said dryly.
Milo shouldered his duffel bag and carried it inside.
“Hey,” Riot said, tugging on my arm before I could follow the drummer.
“Hi.” I could feel my cheeks already turning red as the lead singer stared at me intensely. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to thank you for coming.” Riot shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. “I know it’s crazy dropping everything to go on tour with a band you just met. But I think this is going to be great. For everyone.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I said, smiling back at him. His eyes were dark pools which held a lifetime of emotion. Joy and pain andhopeall mixed together in an intense gaze that made me want to wrap my arms around him and surrender to the feeling that—
No. I gave myself a shake. That’s not why I was here.
But it was awfully hard to remember that when Riot was smiling at me like this.
He turned and walked inside. I let out a long sigh when he was gone.
It was going to be a long three months.
8
Roxie
I followed the others inside the concert arena and through the winding tunnels reserved for arena employees. The dressing room was behind the main stage, another large, open room with couches and a long table.
