Everything I owned was packed and waiting for me on the curb.

Instead of rushing for them, I stared blankly at my bags. My mind and body were unable to react. I didn’t know where to begin. Houston had been furious, but I didn’t think he’d be this upset. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to think rationally rather than emotionally.

One, they couldn’t finish the tour without me.

Two, it was impossible that they’d found a replacement in a matter of hours when the reason I was standing here was that they were too damn picky.

I wouldn’t figure out what bug was up their ass this time by guessing, so I turned away from the bus to go find them when one of the roadies found me instead.

“Oh, shit. H-hey, Braxton,” he said, looking alarmed. “I’m really sorry about this. I was supposed to have this done before you got back, but—”

“It’s fine,” I reassured before he could finish. “What’s going on? Where are you taking my stuff?”

The roadie’s blue eyes widened even further at my question. I think his name was either Alan or Alex. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been around long enough to be sure. He was cute even with his greasy blond hair that clearly hadn’t been washed in a while.

“You didn’t know? I was told to move your things to the second bus.” Suddenly realizing this was our first conversation, he stuck out his hand. “I’m Alex.”

“Braxton,” I offered while shaking his hand.

“Yeah, I know,” he teased with the beginnings of a blush blooming on his cheeks. “Everyone knows who you are.”

“Oh, yeah?” I tried my best to sound excited. Any other time I would have been.

“Yeah, you’re pretty awesome.”

I could tell he wanted to say more but was trying to play it cool. Perhaps he sensed that I wasn’t in the mood to be praised after being discarded like yesterday’s trash. Either way, I was grateful. My guard only worked when my back was against the wall. Alex, on the other hand, was nice. I was afraid I’d end up crying on his shoulder if he said too much. I bet he wouldn’t find me so awesome then.

“Thanks,” I said, giving him a smile that felt real. “Do you know why I’m being moved? Sorry, no one told me.”

“Houston thought you’d be more comfortable on another bus.” Thankfully, Alex didn’t pry. Spilling my guts is what got me in this position, so I wasn’t about to do it again. “Should I wait until he’s back or…?” Alex let the question hang in the air.

“No. It’s fine. I guess he just forgot to tell me,” I lied. That pedantic, priggish pile of pig shit hadn’t forgotten a damn thing, and neither would I. For now, I breathed in and out through my nose, forcing my anger to wait its turn.

Nodding, Alex lifted my bags from the ground. When I tried to help, he waved me off. “This way.”

I followed him to the bus parked behind Bound’s bus. When I boarded, I expected to see it occupied and maybe a little crowded. Instead, it was a ghost town.

“Where is everyone?” I questioned while looking around and waiting for someone to appear.

“They were all split up and moved around. This baby’s all yours.”

This time around, it was hard not to react.

Was separating themselves from me really that dire? They’d actually vacated an entire bus so that they wouldn’t have to share a space with me anymore.

I had privacy now, but I wasn’t grateful for it. I was angry enough to scream and afraid of how alone I’d be by the end of the tour. There would be nothing to distract me from my thoughts and the fear of what was happening hundreds and soon to be thousands of miles away.

No company is better than bad company.

Still, I felt terrible for the crew, who were probably feeling cramped before Bound decided to kick me off their island. There was a vast difference between Bound’s bus and this one. The most noticeable was the twelve narrow bunks compared to the band’s spacious four. This bus also didn’t have the slide-out feature that doubled the interior’s size when the bus wasn’t in motion. Everything here was standard with a straight out of the factory design, not that I cared. I’d be more than comfortable here with no one to share the space. My problem was the real reason I’d been moved, and it wasn’t for my comfort.

I’d been exiled.

I could feel the invisible branding of a familiar scarlet letter on my chest even now.

“Is this okay?” Alex asked after I’d been silent for too long. “If not, I can let Houston or Xavier know.” His expression didn’t match his offer, though. Alex looked like he’d rather swallow rusty nails than play the messenger. The crew was happy and well-treated by the guys, but it didn’t change the fact that they were intimidating. It was a natural thing for them.

“This is fine. I’m just worried everyone will think I’m a diva or something.” Thanks for that, Houston. “If they want to come back, I really don’t mind sharing.”

“They don’t think that. Houston made it clear he wanted you to have the privacy.”

I bet he did. He managed to cast me aside while looking like the gallant hero. I hated him even more than before.

“I see.”

Smiling, Alex made for the exit. “If you need anything, I’ll be around!” he shouted before disappearing into the dark. The drivers were set up in hotels for the night, so I was utterly alone until morning.

Sinking onto the worn couch, I tried not to replay the events from this morning, but it was impossible to deny a moment to relive Houston’s kiss. If I chose to see it, the silver lining was that I no longer had any secrets.

The problem was that they still had all of theirs.

“I knew you were a dick. I had no idea you were this cold.”

When we returned to the bus, the first thing I noticed was that Braxton was missing. She always came straight home after a show to eat, shower, and ignore us the rest of the night with her headphones in and music on full blast. Sometimes she’d talk to her friends, but never any of her family. Now if I asked her why now, she’d probably tell me to shit a rock or something.

Houston shrugged, making me want to break his collarbone. I had to give him credit, though. He was pulling off pretending he wasn’t regretting his latest fuck-up.

No, I wasn’t the only one who had them. I was just the only one who got any shit.

“Think what you want, but it was for her sake, too,” Houston claimed.

I caught Rich rolling his eyes and smirked. Interesting. “Oh, thank heavens. I was afraid you only kicked her out for you.”

“She was distracting. I did it for everyone since you both seem to forget that she’s off-limits.”

“You had your tongue down her throat!” Rich spat. His fists were balled when he shot to his feet. One wrong word from Houston, and he was swinging. “We saw you.”

“I know,” Houston admitted with a solemn nod. I didn’t think he felt bad for kissing Braxton, but I believed he wished he regretted it.

“If she hadn’t stopped you,” Rich continued, “would you have gone further?”

“Of course not,” Houston lied through his teeth. I think he’d forgotten that we were there, watching from the moment he asked her if she wanted to come for him.

I snorted.

“Whatever,” I cut in before Rich could argue. “This is getting lame. I’m ordering pizza.”

No one said shit as I pulled out my phone. I already knew what they liked, so they didn’t bother to make requests. After ordering the pies, I remembered that we hadn’t stocked up thanks to that stupid, useless pact, so I stepped off the bus, slapped some cash in the hands of a roadie, and sent him off to find booze. Alone, I lingered outside despite the sweltering Arizona heat. Even at night, my balls felt like they were baking.

Thirty seconds must have passed before a thought entered my head. The moment it did, I started for the bus next to ours. I wasn’t the type to talk myself out of things. It’s the reason I caused the most trouble.

I knew Braxton was awake. She was a night owl like the rest of us. The only morning person was Houston. No matter how late he turned in, he was always up bright and early the next morning. By the time I reached her doorstep, I had my phone out once again.

When in Rome…

Except, this territory that we’d stumbled upon didn’t have any rules. This was the first time the three of us had been after the same girl. It would help if one of us had even the smallest claim to her, but she didn’t seem to know who she wanted, either. She went on a date with me, kissed Houston, and treated Rich like her white knight.

Braxton wasn’t Rome. She was no-man’s-land.

Sighing, I sent her a text.

What kind of pizza do you like?

It was a lame attempt to get her to talk to me, but I had nothing else to go on. We weren’t friends. Once again, Houston had made that decision for everyone.

Future GF: Not hungry.

It had taken her longer than I liked to respond. My response was short and to the point.