She smiled as his words and nodded in agreement. Jane had been worried how the dynamic of the group would be now after their most recent falling out. It was normal for everyone to bump heads about minor things, but this one was big. It had been about the latest song they released, which she had suspected would cause some problems, but she didn’t expect it to be to this magnitude. --------------------------------------------- They had all been at Jane’s apartment when she was emailed the mastered version of the song they had recorded a month back. Rob had expressed his concerns about its sound previously, but Jane had thought everything was under control until she played it over the speakers in the living room. An argument quickly sprouted, and she asked Sam and Austin to leave so she could deal with him herself. He was much more receptive to her opinions when there wasn’t an audience. “Rob!” she had raised her voice was the front door closed. “You knew what we were recording. You said you wanted us to get picked up. You said you wanted us to make money off this thing. The scene is changing, Rob. We gotta keep up,” she frowned as she put a hand on his shoulder. It was a bit of a reach for her, and she could feel his muscles tensing under her touch, but she kept it firmly planted there. “Look at me. I know you don’t think this song showcases our true potential. I get that. It’s simple. But it [i]works[/i], Rob.” She removed her hand, but held his gaze. “Once we get the recognition we deserve, we can change it up. I promise.” Although Jane might have been exaggerating a bit – she loved their new sound – she didn’t want him to quit the band or become miserable. She needed him there with her. --------------------------------------------- They had only a six hour drive to their first stop. Phoenix. It was some sort of music festival with different genres of music: punk, hard rock, surf rock, shoegaze, metal. It was hard keeping up with all of the names for them these days. Their set was at 7, so they would have time to explore the area or catch some bands they wanted to see before they had to set up. Jane had been driving and daydreaming about the first night of their tour when her phone began to ring. She groaned as she looked at the name that popped up on the screen, “Lena.” “Yeah,” Jane answered, already unamused with the conversation that was about to take place. “You don’t even say bye, Jane? You just kick me out of your room and leave for two months?” Lena asked rhetorically, her tone sharp. “I said bye last night,” she replied, trying to keep her voice calm and monotone to avoid any suspicion from the guys. Lena scoffed. “That’s all I am to you, huh?” Jane rolled her eyes. “You’re my roommate, Lena.” Her tone became stern. “Jesus Christ, Jane. I’m such an idiot!” She shouted into the phone, causing Jane to move it away from her ear. “I’m moving out when you come home.” Instead of replying the way she wanted to, Jane hung up on her and threw the phone down by her feet, taking a deep breath and turning up the radio in the car to avoid any questions from the guys. It didn’t stop Austin, their bassist, from getting curious about the conversation. He had already began asking questions to get to the bottom of what was happening between the two of them, but Jane normally just brushed him off. “J, you can’t deny it. You’ve totally been fucking Lena and haven’t told us.” Jane’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head as they remained on the road. “Shut [i]up[/i], Austin.” “No,” he laughed at her response. “Come on, tell us. Me and Sam made a bet on it.” This caused Sam, their guitarist, to punch Austin in the arm. “Dude, shut up. I – ” “FINE!” Jane yelled abruptly, gripping the steering wheel. “It’s true. Don’t fucking tell anyone. I didn’t get to go to college, so I had to do my experimenting somewhere else,” she joked with a smirk forming on her lips. “Yes! Sam, you owe me twenty bucks,” Austin said grinning towards him. “What a good start to the day.” “Alright, shut up, shut up,” Jane groaned as she waved a hand back at them. She was laughing, not as upset as she thought she’d be when the secret finally came out. She actually felt a bit relieved, inspiring her to grab a cigarette from the pack and toss one to Rob as well. After lighting it, thick white smoke poured out of her mouth with a relaxing sigh. They’d only been on the road for two hours, but Jane found herself getting antsy. She didn’t like to sit still for too long. “Do you guys wanna get some food soon? I didn’t eat breakfast,” she sighed, feeling her stomach grumble more frequently. She dug around in the purse on her lap to grab a joint she had rolled the night before and lit it as her bony knee held the wheel, smiling as she exhaled it slowly. "You in, Rob?" she asked, holding the next hit in and passing it to him pinched it in her unpainted fingernails. Jane smiled at him and nudged his arm. "Are you fucking stoked or what?" She knew how badly Rob had wanted to tour, and she was happy they were finally able to make that a reality.