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Part I Chapter 3

The next morning, at around seven A.M. the guys were shuffled onto the bus by their Manager Dennis in order to get to the next venue on time. Dennis left and got onto the management bus with the heads of the stage and crew set up, the dance coach, and the stage manager. This was actually the extra crew bus, but they called it the management bus, this was where Win had usually slept.
“Man I am so beat!” Nick said flopping on the couch in the game room. Kevin had retreated straight to his bunk and Brian went to make himself some coffee. Howie was attempting wake himself up, but stifling a yawn he wasn’t making any progress.
“I’m gonna nap guys, let me know when we get there.” AJ said throwing his overnight bag into his regular bunk.
“Sure thing AJ,” Brian replied as the bus rumbled to life and jerked out of the parking lot.
AJ wobbled to the back of the bus to the game room and poked his head in. Howie and Nick were enjoying a video game.
“Hey guys, keep it down would you.” He said. Nick gave him the okay sign and muted the television. AJ went to his usual bunk to nap and snapped the curtain back.
“Holy shit! Looks like God answered my prayers, there’s a girl in my bed!” AJ laughed. Win jumped up so fast she hit her head on the roof of the bunk and sat there rubbing her head for a second, realizing that the bus she was on was moving. Then she looked up and realized she wasn’t dreaming.
“Shit!” she spat holding her head. Heads poked out of the game room and Kevin’s out of his bunk.
“Hi Winifred, have a nice sleep?” Brian asked as he walked out of the kitchen towards the end of the bus.
“I am so sorry, I must have over slept!” she said grabbing her bag.
“No really, it’s okay, kinda nice really, what did you say your name was?” AJ asked coyly.
“Her name is Winifred, leave her alone AJ,” Brian said sitting down at the table with his coffee.
“Winifred, very cute, so, what are you, crew or stalker?” AJ asked with a smile.
“Oh just your neighborly stalker, great, the buses left, Red is gonna kill me!” she said looking hopelessly out the window.
“Let me just get out of here, since this is, I’m guessing AJ’s spot, you’d be AJ, right?” Win asked.
“You don’t know who we are?” he asked with a smirk.
“I’ve never met you so no, I’ve seen you’re picture, but that’s all.”
“Yes, that’s AJ, but what are you doing on our bus?” Kevin asked pushing AJ’s butt out of his face.
“Alex and his friends took over the management bus, and Red didn’t bother to get her a room, I met her last night when I came out to get my Discman,” Brian said walking back and seating himself in Howie’s bunk.
“Well she’s welcome in my room, any time she likes,” AJ said moving to take a seat next to her. She stood up and pulled Jack’s cage out with her. AJ saw the rat and scrambled back yelling,
“Holy shit, she’s got a rat!” He fell back into Kevin’s bunk and got tangled in the curtain. They heard a loud ripping noise and the curtain fell as AJ and Kevin flailed around.
“Get off of me man!” Kevin yelled.
“Let go of my arm!” AJ said now completely hidden from view.
Kevin gave a great heave to the wriggling mass of black curtain that was AJ and he spilled out into the aisle. Kevin scrambled forward out of his bunk and looked over at AJ who was struggling back to his feet.
“She’s got, a friggen, rat!” AJ stammered backing into the kitchen.
“I take it he’s afraid of rats?” Win asked.
“Just a little, and I must admit I’m not to fond of them either,” Kevin said inching away from the cage.
“I’ve never really been afraid of them, I mean I always had to throw away the mice for my mom, and this one is in a cage, so, he’s fine. Come on Kevin, I made coffee.” Brian said going back to grab a few cups.
Kevin wrinkled his nose.
“Oh knock it off, it’s a pet rat in a cage, it’s not like a sewer rat or something. Come on.” Brian said pulling his cousin out of the bunk. AJ went and sat down at the kitchen table. Nick and Howie emerged from the game room and were staring at the rat, who was looking quizzically at them, turning his head and twitching his whiskers.
“This your pet rat?” Nick asked.
“Yeah,” Win replied.
“What’s his name?” Howie asked kneeling down to get a closer look at the rat.
“Jack,” she replied.
“Is he friendly?” Nick asked.
“Sure he is, want to hold him?”
“Okay, cool,” Nick said sitting down in Kevin’s bunk. Win set the cage down and opened the top. She put her hand inside and he gleefully skipped up her arm to sit on her shoulder.
“Can I pet him?” Howie asked.
“Mm hum, go ahead.” Howie reached out a tentative hand and gently stroked the rat’s fur. Jack turned his head and sniffed at him but didn’t bite.
“Wow, he didn’t bite,” Howie said surprised.
“He won’t bite, unless you smell like something good to eat.” Win replied and they all laughed.
“Here Nick, hold out your hands.” Win picked up the rat off her shoulder and placed it in Nick’s hands.
“Now hold him close to your body, yeah, like that.” Nick held the rat close to him and marveled at how still the rat sat as he looked around.
“He’s incredible, I’ve never been able to hold small animals, my sister’s hamsters always bit me.” Nick said incredulous.
“Aw man, come on guys, get that rat off my bed!” Kevin yelled.
“He’s not on your bed, Nick is holding him!” Howie replied reaching out to touch the rat again.
“That’s still too close for comfort, put him away!” Kevin replied.
“Here Nick, now hold still, Win stood up and tapped Nick’s shoulder, clicking her tongue. The rat scampered up his shirt and sat on his shoulder. She sat back down.
“Don’t move, watch this,” she said tapping her shoulder.
“Jack, hup!” she said and they watched the rat leap from Nick’s shoulder to hers.
“Oh my god! That was cool! Does he do anything else?” Howie asked as she cooed to Jack, he had climbed back down into his cage.
“Yeah he does lots of tricks.” Win started and she had forgotten to be upset over being stuck on the guy’s bus.
“Hey Winifred, why don’t you join us for some coffee?” Brian called.
“Sure,” Win replied pushing Jack’s cage back into the bunk to safely stow him. She stood up and went out to the kitchen.
“Oh here, let me,” Kevin said sliding out and allowing Win to slide in and sit down. Nick and Howie grabbed the coffee and took seats also. Win looked around and found herself sitting between AJ and Kevin, although she didn’t know his name was Kevin.
“Okay, so lets see, you are Brian, you are AJ, and you would be?” she said looking at Kevin.
“I’m Kevin, it’s nice to meet you Winifred,” Kevin replied shaking her hand awkwardly because of the way they were sitting at the table.
“And this is Howie and this is Nick,” Brian filled in as they took their seats at the table.
“Nice to meet you guys too,” Win replied, “but everyone calls me Win.”
“Not even Winnie?” AJ asked pushing a little too close to her for comfort, but she pushed him back over and said, “No one’s ever called me Winnie.”
“So what do you do?” Brian asked.
“I’m Red’s lackey, so I do just about everything, save putting up stage. I run errands mostly and lug boxes, clean buses. The usual, oh thank you,” said Win as Brian handed her cup of coffee.
“That’s got to be rough, when do you get done on nights?” Kevin asked.
“Whenever Red tells me I’m done, he always has one thing or another for me to do. I’m never done before midnight, unless you count yesterday, I was done at ten.” Win slowly sipped her coffee and felt her eyes opening some more.
“So how have you been enjoying your first month on tour?” Nick asked.
“It’s okay, as long as I don’t get forgotten, twice they’ve left me behind, I’m starting to think that no one notices me,” Win laughed.
“That’s not okay, really, I’m gonna talk to Red,” Brian replied.
“Oh it’s no big deal,” Win said waving away the unpleasantness.
“Yeah it is, I’m wondering who else has a problem with this Red character besides us,” Howie said.
“What, you guys don’t like him?” she asked.
“We can’t stand him, the guy is a royal jerk, we now have it confirmed, by the way he treats you.” AJ replied sitting back.
“I’ve had worse bosses before.” Win replied.
“Boy have you had it bad then, if you call this good,” Nick said.
“Hey, work is work, I don’t take it personal.” Win replied.
“You are an awful good sport,” Howie said shaking his head.
“You have to be, otherwise the entire world gets you down. Whatever, tell me about you guys,” Win replied, again waving her hand at the idea of her job.
“You really don’t know anything about us?” Kevin asked.
“Nope, never had TV growing up, never really listened to music either, sometimes listened to the radio, but that’s it really. I think I heard one of your songs a while back, um, what was it now, what was it, something about going out, you’ll be late,” Win started. AJ snapped his fingers and they burst into song,
“Listen baby I’m sorry, I wanna tell you don’t worry, I will be late so don’t stay up and wait for me, I’m dropping out my battery is low, we’re going to a place near by, gotta go.” Win was laughing when they finished and clapping her hands.
“Yes, yes, that was the one. You guys are really good,” she replied.
“Thanks, we think so,” Howie said with a pompous fake grin.
“You must be judging by the gangs of fans I see mobbing the places every night.”
“They do love us for some reason.” Nick said with a grin.
“I’ll have to sneak away and watch one of your concerts one night,” Win said with a smile.
“Hey, I got an idea, why don’t you stand with Steve, he’s always right up front, you’ll have a great seat,” Nick said.
“Steve, now which one would he be? Tall, dark and scary or tall blond and scary?” Win asked, they all laughed.
“I don’t really know that many people at all, Red keeps me pretty busy, and keeps everyone away from me.”
“That sucks, what say you come hang out with us sometimes,” AJ said leaning in again.
“That’s really nice of you to offer but,” Win started, but Brian chimed in,
“Yeah, you could hang out with us tomorrow, we’d introduce you to the rest of the crew, let you get to know some people.”
“It’s really cool of you to invite me, but I doubt Red will let me off to hang out with anyone, let alone you guys, he’d probably think that I’d try to disfigure one of you or something.” They all laughed again.
“Tomorrow night is a party for all crew, that means everyone, especially you.” AJ said putting a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll probably be on garbage duty or something, anyways,” she waved her hand again, and AJ caught it in his.
“Nothing doing, you will go to the party, as my date,” he said. She laughed and said,
“Now you are funny,” he squeezed her hand tighter then let it go. She noticed he was very cool, very confident about himself. She had to laugh again, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into.