"What city are we headed to?" Audrey, the lead singer of Pussy Explosion shouts over the music. The van was rolling down the nearly empty highway as sun was beginning to set.

Amy looks down at her phone. "Next up is Tuscon," she reported.

"Ugh when's L.A.?" Audrey asked impatiently.

"After Tuscon," Amy replied. "We'll be there on Tuesday." Although she was the photographer, Amy seemed to have taken up the role of all around manager, as well.

Laura, who was driving the van at this point, glared back at Audrey. "We'll get to L.A. when we get to L.A. Stop worrying about it and stop getting your hopes up. Your ex will not be there."

"You don't know that!" Audrey yelled, sounding both obstinate and hurt at the same time. It'd only been three days, but Amy already knew that a summer on the road with four other women was going to be a lot to handle.

Audrey and Laura began yelling back and forth for a bit, when Amy's phone rang. She looked down at it. She looked back up at her new friends, who had stopped yelling when they heard Amy's phone and noticed a shift in her demeanor.

"It's Karma," she announced.

"Boo!" said Audrey and two other voices in the back of the van.

"Ignore it," Laura warned, her tone serious. Amy hesitated. "Ignore it, Amy. You have to ignore it.

Amy stared at it for a couple seconds longer and then pressed ignore. Cheers came from the back of the van. Laura nodded sympathetically. "It had to be done," she said.

Karma and Shane had just finished their shift lifeguarding. It'd been a pretty quiet day at the pool and Karma had spilled some big news to him. Without Amy, she wasn't sure who to go to.

"Want a ride home?" Shane asked, in a rare moment of generosity.

Karma nodded. "Thanks," she muttered quietly.

Once in the car, Shane told it to her straight. "You need to call Amy," he said.

Karma shook her head. "I'm supposed to be giving her space." Shane could hear the resentment in her voice.

"I know," Shane said. "And it kills me to say it, because Amy really really really needs that space… but this is different. You need to call her.

Karma dialed and listened as it rang and rang."She didn't pick up," Karma told Shane.

"Call again," Shane replied, without hesitation.

"No," Karma replied, "She'll call me back. It's Amy." Shane wasn't so sure, but he let it go for now.

About an hour had passed and Amy was still sitting in her seat, arms crossed, feeling huffy and conflicted. "Let's get some food," suggested Laura as she switched lanes, getting ready to exit. "Maybe that'll make you feel better."

"Yes," Audrey agreed enthusiastically, "I'm starving!"

The women got off of the van and entered the diner. Amy's eyes lit up when she saw a selection of donuts. "Let's get some actual food in you first," Laura said, reading Amy's mind. Amy laughed.

They all sat down and began scanning the menus. Amy still looked distracted. Meg, the band's drum player, infamous heartbreaker, glanced over at Amy and then back to her bandmates. "You know," she said, "I feel like we should be insulted. You're on tour with four smoking hot lesbian-"

"and bi!" chimed in Stacey, the guitarist.

"Yes, Stacey," continued Meg, "four smoking hot lesbian and bi-"

"Can't we just say queer?" Asked Aubrey.

"Can't we just let me finish a sentence?" Meg replied. "Four smoking hot queer women and yet you're still hung up on this straight one."

Laura, who'd been quiet up until this moment, added her two cents. "Leave her alone, Meg. That's how love works."

"Not that you'd know anything about that," teased Aubrey.

"Alright, alright. Everyone figure out what you want to eat. The waitress is heading over," said Stacey.

It was Amy's turn to place her order when her phone buzzed.

She had a text from Shane: You need to call Karma.

"Amy? Earth to Amy?" Meg asked.

"What?" Replied a still confused Amy.

"Food," said Aubrey. "What are you eating?"

"Oh." Amy looked back down at her menu still unsure. Every action seemed to be in slow motion.

Laura rolled her eyes. "She'll just have two donuts." Amy nodded, thankful she didn't need to deal with formulating words.

"Whatever it is. It can wait." Laura told her knowingly.

"I'm not so sure," replied Amy.

"I don't know what you are talking about. But we have a show in 2 hours, so whatever it is, it HAS to wait," said Meg.

"She's got a good point." Aubrey weighed in. "You can call her in the morning."

Amy nodded uncertainly and picked at her donut.

Once they got back on the van, Amy fiddled with her cameras and started to plan for the concert. She'd never seen the venue before so she'd have to be adaptable. She hoped they'd get there early enough for her to have time to really get a lay of the land.

Despite all of the nerves, both her own and the band's, everything went well. When they played their final number you could feel the excitement in the room. The main act was quite appreciative of how well the band warmed the crowd. Pussy Explosion even sold a record amount of t-shirts, which meant they wouldn't even have to worry about how they were going to pay for gas the next day. All in all it was a good night.

"Great job, guys!" Amy said to the band, doing her best to gather genuine enthusiasm.

"You need a beer," said Stacey.

"But…" Amy hesitated.

"You do…" even Laura agreed and got one from the bartender to pass over to her.

They all were starting to let loose and enjoy the evening when Amy's phone rang again. "It's two in the morning," said Meg, "why are your friends still calling you?"

Amy looked concerned. "I don't know. But I should take this," she said.

"Why talk to Karma when you can do this?" Meg asked and planted a sloppy kiss on her lips.

"Alright that's enough for you tonight," Laura gently nudged Meg in another direction and pushed the beer back across the bar.

"It's not Karma," Amy said defensively, to no one in particular, "and I need to take this." Amy walked outside and answered the phone.

"What the fuck, Amy?" Shane began.

"What, Shane? What?" Amy began. "You of all people should get it. You of all people know I'm doing what I need to do for once in my life. Why are you helping Karma get in the way of that?"

"Amy," Shane said, with a seriousness that Amy wasn't accustomed to.

"Yes?" She asked, feeling calmer now that she had ranted.

"I know this is the last thing you need right now, but you need to talk to Karma. It's her mom. She's really sick. And she's shutting everyone out. And she needs you."

Hearing those words, even just coming from Shane, set something off in Amy. "Alright Shane. Thanks," she said, before hanging up.

Laura came outside and found Amy sitting on the sidewalk. She sat down beside her. "You okay?" She asked.

And finally Amy let it all out. "No," she said and began bawling. "I'm not okay and I thought after this summer I would be but now I don't know what I'm going to do and I have to be there for her but I can't be there for her and - "

"Come here," said Laura, letting Amy rest on her shoulder. "You need a good night's sleep. We'll deal with this in the morning.

"No!" Amy objected. "I have to call her. I have to call her now."

"Not like this you don't," she said, placing Amy's phone back in her bag. "I promise, it's going to be okay. You'll call in the morning." Tears continued to run down Amy's face but she had nothing left to say. So she just nodded and sat there, wondering what exactly this summer was going to be after all.