~~~I'm Never Alone, I'm Alone All the Time"~~~
*Chapter Three*
"Dudes! Dinner is ready." Haley called from the kitchen to the rest of the household. The house was quiet for a minute longer but then a stampede of footsteps could be heard coming closer to the kitchen. Chris came up the basement stairs and sat down at the table looking famished. Quinn wandered in from the living room from watching television.
"Where's Walker?" Quinn asked noticing that the head of the table was vacant.
"I think he is on some business calls talking about venues and whatnot." Chris said as he scooped up a mountain of mashed potatoes.
"We don't start for another three weeks though. He isn't going to bump it up like last time is he without asking us." Quinn said suddenly getting irritated. She had already made plans for the remainder of their time off before their tour kicked off.
Haley opened her mouth to speak but Chris beat her to it.
"No he won't do that again. He learned his lesson last time. Your silent treatment killed him Quinn." Chris said. Quinn smiled at her previous accomplishment. She really did lay it on a bit thick last time but it was deserved as far as she was concerned.
The three of them started to eat just as Walker entered the kitchen. Haley looked up and smiled at him.
"We just started. How did it go?" She asked silently hoping for good news. She wasn't in the mood for any drama tonight and certainly didn't feel up to playing band referee.
Walker sat down at the table and looked at Chris who was inhaling his dinner.
"Everything went well." He said frankly.
"What was wrong?" Chris asked as he stopped shoveling food in his mouth and looked at Walker.
Walker took a moment to finish chewing before he spoke to the rest of his band. Haley and Quinn looked at him waiting for him to answer. It felt like minutes however was really only a matter of a few seconds.
"Are we leaving early? We can't leave early again! I promised Clay three more weeks at home and I can't go back on my word." Quinn said suddenly. This leaving early buzz definitely hit her hard.
"Relax Quinn let Walker talk already." Haley said to her older sister.
"We aren't starting early so you will have those three weeks to spend with your boyfriends, girlfriends, friends or whatever you want to do. The problem was that some of our arenas are being used for some other events so we had to adjust the dates that's all." Walker said.
"Other events? Like what?" Haley asked.
"I'm not really sure exactly. I think it's another concert and some sporting event. I think it might be a hockey or a basket ball game but I'm not 100% sure." Walker said.
"At least we might be able to catch a game of some kind if it all works out." Haley said trying to sound hopeful and uplifting for the band. She seemed to always be the optimistic happy member. A role she didn't particularly enjoy as of late.
They continued the tour discussion through the rest of dinner. Walker had always been in charge of their schedules and tours. He was the eldest of the band after all. It seemed natural as the band formed many years ago for everyone to have a specific job. Chris and Haley were the main writers for the music and lyrical content of their songs. They worked well together from the very start. It made sense as they were also the lead singers of the band. The creative relationship between Chris and Haley was effortless. Quinn dealt with creative decisions for the band and other public relation concerns. The band did have a manager, Peyton Sawyer, who would be joining them once the tour began.
After the impromptu meeting during dinner, the band dispersed going their separate ways. Walker headed home but Chris decided to stick around for a bit. The James sisters cleaned up dinner and Haley got comfy for the night. Haley and Quinn had bought the house together right after Haley graduated high school over six years ago. Their parents were always on the road traveling with the RV and the girls wanted a home base. Haley had started attending college with Quinn around the time she met Chris at an open mic night near campus. It wasn't long before Haley joined Chris' band and shortly after that Quinn joined as well. It didn't take long for a strong loyal following to brew around the college campus. After a showcase for record labels at a local club, The Fire Pistols signed their first major record label. The band quickly rose to high levels of fame bringing popularity, wealth, obligations, and of course their lives changed completely.
Haley settled in the living room to watch some television while she absorbed the information about the tour. Haley stretched out on the couch taking up barely half the length with her petite frame. Chris sat on the other end flipping through the channels.
Quinn came back down the stairs in a different outfit than she wore to dinner and passed through the living room on her way out.
"I'm off to pick up Clay. See ya later." Quinn said as she breezed past and then was gone.
Chris watched Quinn peel out of the driveway and then looked at Haley.
"You know she is going to be awful when she has to leave him don't you?" Chris said sounding slightly annoyed.
"Yup I know, but we can't do anything about it. She has had to leave him many times before and it's the same every time. She has always been a tad dramatic and over emotional. You would think Quinn would get used to leaving the "love of her life" all the time. But she doesn't." Haley sighed.
"That she doesn't. God, how long have they been together anyways?"Chris asked while he stared at the television screen in search of the right show.
"I think it's up to 4 years by now. I don't know exactly. I kinda feel like Clay needs to put a ring on it already but Quinn insists she's fine with the way things are right now. At least she knows he's with her for the right reasons. Chris, I'll be right back." Haley said. She got off the couch and went to the bathroom.
She made it back to the living room just in time to catch the tail end of an ESPN news update.
"Are you sticking around for a while yet or heading home?" Haley asked.
"SHHHHH! There's chicks on the screen." Chris said as he waved a hand to silence Haley.
"Damn calm down." Haley said with annoyance. She looked up at the screen trying to find out what was so damn interesting. Chris was watching the end of coverage of the WNBA. Haley waited patiently, snickering to herself about her womanizing friend. If there was one thing Chris Keller like, it was women. As the segment shifted to NBA coverage, Chris turned to Haley.
"OK what did you want now?" Chris asked. He noticed Haley's eyes shifted towards the screen and seemed engrossed instantly.
"The regular season is underway and there was been a lot of shake up with the Clippers Roster. After disappointing injuries plagued the team last year, they are looking to this season with hope and determination. There is a lot riding on this season. Tony Battle and Nathan Scott are operating at 100% according to reports from the team trainers. Time will tell as we see when and how much Coach Jack will play them this week." concluded the male announcer on the television.
Haley watched the screen intently as a breathtakingly handsome face smiled happily. His crystal blues eyes sparkled as sweat beaded around his hairline. The video footage appeared to have been taken from a team scrimmage.
Thanks for reading...please leave a little review so I know how I'm doing and if anyone is enjoying this story so far. :)