First Chance Book 5

“Guess I’ll be the one to fetch them from the airport.”

“Are you sure, Jason? I could just hail a cab for them.”

“No worries. I was planning to head out anyway. We’ve got guests coming and our pantry and fridge are practically bare. They can tag along to the store with me on our way back, pick out some food they like.” I was going to make a run anyway, so one extra stop won’t hurt.

“Okay. Just a heads up though, Raven isn’t a fan of flying, so she might be a bit grumpy after the flight.” Abby gives me a fair warning.

“She’ll get over it.” I reply, grabbing my car keys and heading out to the garage.

The weather is perfect, and the forecast promises a week of mild temperatures and clear skies. They’re lucky.

We’re not far from Los Angeles International Airport, so I head there first, knowing they should have already landed.

Pulling up to the airport pickup, I spot Selena and Raven standing outside, luggage in hand. They both look peeved.

I can only hope this week isn’t filled with the attitude I see on their faces.

I roll down my window and call out. “Trunk’s open, load your bags and hop in.”

Raven takes the lead, stowing her bags in the trunk with Selena following suit. Selena chooses to sit in the back and Raven takes the front seat beside me.

“Took your sweet time, didn’t you? I thought there was supposed to be a car picking us up, not you.” Raven’s tone is laced with annoyance.

“I’m the car. You landed twenty minutes ago. I figured you’d have to wait for your luggage and navigate your way out of that labyrinth.

“I was doing myself a favor. I would have been waiting forever, and you know the rules, you can’t loiter in the pickup lane.”

“Sure.” she replies, staring straight ahead.

“Enjoy your flight?” I ask Selena, catching her eye in the rearview mirror.

“About as much as I enjoy things up my ass, which is not at all, in case you were wondering.” she retorts.

“Umm...okay.” What else can I say to that?

It’s not my fault she doesn’t enjoy ass play, nor is it my fault she had a terrible flight. I did book them in first class, so it should have been comfortable at least.

“You should fly back home with Raven for me. She makes a minivan full of newborns seem like a dream compared to being on a plane with her.”

Raven swivels around to face Selena.

“Selena, you knew how I felt about flying. You could have said no when Abagail called, or suggested we drive.

“But no, you said yes, and then left me with no choice, seeing as the tickets were already bought. So right now, I’m blaming you for my mood.”

“Maybe in a few hours, when my ears have popped, I won’t be as pissed off as I am now.”

Selena doesn’t respond, and if I were her, I’d let it lie. Raven’s acting like a spoiled brat, making a mountain out of a molehill.

“By the way, we have to stop at the store before we head home. There’s no food, so if you want to eat this week, I’d keep the complaints to a minimum,” I say.

Silence. It’s so quiet I can hear the tires rolling on the asphalt and the low hum of my car’s engine.

Awkward, really, so I decide to turn on the radio at a decent volume, enough to drown out any potential arguments.

Nothing worse than party poopers, especially when we’re on a two-week break from our schedule. A schedule that’s about to get even busier with more shows than we had at the start of this thing.

Breaking Benjamin blares from the speakers, ~Breathe~, a song that even I, as a rock artist, can appreciate.

I notice Raven mouthing the words; she must be a fan. Maybe they’re on tour. I could hook them up with some tickets.

They are Abby’s best friends after all, and one of our mottos is that if it’s one of our significant other’s family or friends, they become ours.

We wouldn’t let just anyone into our circle because who knows who you can trust these days.

We’ve all had some weird encounter with a groupie, obsessed with the idea of being with us or befriending us.

That’s not something any of us are down for.

I pull into the grocery store parking lot and ask if they’d like to come inside to pick out food they like. Raven and Selena both decide to join me, with Selena opting to push the cart.

I hate pushing the shopping cart.

We finish shopping pretty quickly, maybe an hour and four hundred dollars later. I know, it’s a lot of money, but there are six of us staying for a week.

When Selena and Raven leave, we’ll be doing some adventuring of our own, no playing host.

When I drive through our security system, allowing the gate to open, it’s like watching a high school reunion. Abagail runs out, causing Selena and Raven to jump out of the car and engulf her in hugs.

You’d think they hadn’t seen each other in years, not weeks.

This reunion leaves me with every single grocery bag. So I text Gage and Zepp to get their asses out here to help me.

“What is this supposed to be?” Raven asks me, a look of distaste on her face.

“It’s chicken parm, what else could it be?” I reply, a bit defensively.

“It doesn’t look like chicken or parm. It looks like slop on a plate, something you’d feed an animal maybe.”

“If you reckon you can whip up a better meal than me, then go ahead and make your own damn food.” I can’t help but let my anger show.

“Jason, cool down. That was unnecessary.” Gage chides me.

“Really, Gage? If Raven wants to criticize the food I prepare, then why should she have to stomach it? She’s got two perfectly good hands, she can fix herself something to eat.”

I grab my plate in one hand, my glass and fork in the other, and storm off to my bedroom. At least there, I can eat in peace.

Earlier, I had a hunch that this week might turn into a disaster of attitudes, but then I thought, give her a chance.

Sure enough, I give her a damn chance and she proves to me once again that the woman doesn’t know the first thing about being happy. She’s always so full of rage, taking it out on anyone within her reach.

Selena, on the other hand, is relaxed and unapologetically herself. I like that. She’s not ashamed of who she is.

I hole up in my room for the rest of the night, falling asleep early. Even though this is sort of a vacation, the guys and I want to give Abagail and her friends an adventure they won’t forget.

***

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

- Abraham Lincoln