Toured Out Part Three

Not allowing anymore minutes to pass for Kevin to think up another question for him, Nick made sure the door shut behind him tightly. He turned on the shower, letting the water warm up and started to peel off his clothes. Nick caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.

“Good god, I look like shit,” he mumbled as he looked as his dirt-streaked face and his disheveled hair.

Pulling the shirt over his head, Nick stepped into the cramped shower stall and let the water run over his head and back. For a few brief moments, all the bad things that had been happening lately had disappeared from his head until a pounding on the door brought his thoughts back to reality.

“Nick, you have to be geared up in five, get out now!”

“YEAH... YEAH,” Nick yelled back at Kevin. “Damn that ass. He is such a stickler for time schedules. Like the fans would know that I was ten minutes late? We never start at the same time - ever!” he mumbled as he quickly lathered up his body.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Nick walked out of the bathroom and into the greenroom. “Okay where’s my crap?”

“Your crap is over there....see it, it says N - I - C - K in big bold letters” AJ replied.

“What the hell is your problem now? Cutting back on the nicotine?” Nick hissed.

“Guys! Knock it off!” Brian pleaded. “Everyone in on edge, let’s just everybody do their little parts to make this a fun show, okay?”

“Fuck.”

“Nick! Please!” Brian begged. “Okay, what’s wrong now?”

“I need a new pair of contacts and all that shit was in my bag that was stolen,” Nick replied.

AJ snickered. “Well, that leaves you with two choices then kid, you either wear your glasses or go out blind.”

“I guess I go out blind cause my glasses were stolen too....ass.”

As AJ tossed an annoyed look at Nick, a staff member stuck his head in the door. “Time to go guys.”

Nick stayed several paces back as the group and their entourage gathered in the hall. When they formed a circle, Kevin glared at Nick and gestured with his head for him to join in. Shrugging his shoulders, Nick reluctantly took hands with two different stagehands, staying far away from his bandmates. They bowed their heads as Brian led the prayer.

“Heavenly Father, please place your loving hands over us and the fans in the audience with us tonight. We thank you for this tour and we thank you for our friends and families. Please keep them safe as we leave one another tonight and guide us in our daily lives. In His name we pray...”

“Amen.”

The crew and the band let out a few whoops and hollers as they broke the circle and headed to their assigned spots. Nick narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out for sure where his station was at.

“Next one down, dumbass,” AJ hissed.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” Nick questioned.

“GUYS!” Kevin glared. “Shut up!”

The show seemed to be taking forever, but everyone did their parts in playing around on the stage and during songs to make it appear happy and harmonious for the fans. When the final curtain call came, they finished the songs and what ordinairly led to them going offstage ended up with each of them giving each other a tight hug and a whisper of ‘I’ll miss you and take care.’

~*~*~*~*~


“So Nicky, give me a call after you get settled, okay?” Brian asked as he shoved the last of his gear into his carryon bag.

“Sure thing Bri and thanks for not biting my head off, god knows I deserved it these past few weeks.”

“Don’t worry buddy, all’s forgotten,” Brian assured as he patted Nick on the back when he walked by.

Since the only gear Nick had to pack up was already packed on his bus, he started heading out to get a quick change of streetclothes before he caught his flight home. Howie had left thirty minutes ago to do a charity thing and Kevin had already said his goodbyes and apologies were exchanged.

“Devon? You around?” Nick called out.

No answer came. “Oh just great,” Nick mumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Guess I walk on my own”

As he trudged towards the back door, he kept looking to his right and his left. As he put a hand on the door knob, someone screamed from behind him.

“EEEEEYAAAOOOW!!”

Nick turned to see AJ doubled over in laughter. “God Carter, you look like you just shit your pants!”

“What the hell AJ, you want to give me a heart attack or something?”

“Just chill, god I’m sorry. Let’s walk out together, there’s strength in numbers,” AJ suggested.

“Think they’ll be any teeny’s hanging around?”

“One could only wish,” AJ replied.

“Oh god, that is just sick and wrong,” Nick stated as he cautiously pushed the door open. “SHIT....RUN FOR IT!”

Both men sprinted towards Nick’s bus and literally dove in when the driver luckily saw them running and pulled the door open at an opportune moment.

“Shit, I can’t believe we’re terrified of a group of screaming girls,” AJ panted pulling his pack of cigarettes out of his front shirt pocket.

“Well, unless Neil here wants to drive us to the airport, I think we’re stuck until the parking lot clears.”

“No problem Nick, I’ll get you two there, just sit back and I’ll let you know when we get there,” the driver replied with a cheerful tone.

“Nick, I want to apologise for all the nasty and mean things I did these past few months on the road. I guess it was getting to me and I wasn’t being very nice to you. God knows you didn’t deserve to cut your hand.”

“Thanks AJ, but I’ve been a dick myself so I guess we’re considered even now, okay? No harm done.”

“Looks like this is our stop,” Nick commented as the bus made a sharp turn, indicating that they were pulling into a parking lot.

“You take care kid, and I’ll see you in six, okay?” AJ asked as he pulled his friend into a hug.

“You too AJ, and thanks for putting up with me.”

“Well it’s the least me and your fans can do, right?” AJ replied with a wink.

Nick’s only reply was an obvious fake smile and his middle finger waving proudly in the air.

AJ smiled, “Back at cha.”

The End