I laughed because I was a pro at making friends. "I'll do what I can."
"Well, if it gets too weird, you can stay in motels. It's up to you. Personally, I think it's much better than that bus."
"Rolling pigsty?"
"Absolutely. And you never know when some groupies will storm it to get a piece of band ass. Some of them can be mean and crazy."
"Gee, this sounds better all the time." I still wasn't worried. If some groupie wanted a piece of band ass, they were welcome to it.
"So you'll take the motel?"
A motel room sounded much nicer than the bus, which was certainly the belly of the beast. But I'd come here for that beast and I wouldn't be denied. Adventures like this were the things I lived for, so motel rooms would be my last refuge. For now, I wanted them to bring on the circus. Horny groupies? Who cares? Surly band members? No surprise there. An abrasive band manager and roadies who think I'll wash out? What did I expect?
"No. I'll take the bus. Like the song says, I owe myself a fiery life. If I'm going to do this, then I'm going all the way."
"'Fiery Life,' huh? You like that song?"
"It's my favorite. The melody always makes me weepy, and the lyrics were custom written for me. Chuck is a genius. I might be more attracted to River and Buck, but I wouldn't refuse an offer from Chuck simply because of that song."
Jason darkened. "Chuck is not a genius. Song or no song, if you screw him, I'll throw you off the bus myself."
"Jeez! Don't worry, Jason. I won't have sex with Chuck. Okay?"
Jason sputtered a laugh. "We'll see."