Twisted (Torn Series)

Chapter Twelve

Drake

I smiled as the crowd screamed out our name, feeding off their energy. We had done well at every show so far, but this crowd was absolutely wild for us. I had no doubt we had secured some new fans, especially from some of the women standing in front of the stage. As I sang the last few verses of our last song and told everyone goodnight, the screaming turned into a roar.

Adam slapped me on the back as we packed up our instruments while Eric went to find the owner to collect our pay. “You’re on fire tonight buddy.”

“Thanks, I guess I’m excited that Chloe will be with me in the next couple days.”

“Somebody is going to get laid.” He said in a sing-song voice as he waggled his eyebrows at me.

I punched him in the arm as I grabbed my guitar and headed for the back door. There was no way I was going to go through the massive crowd of people to get to the front exit. I stepped out into the warm evening air and lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply to calm my after show nerves.

The quietness outside the bar was a welcome reprieve from the madness that I had just left behind. I walked slowly across the lot toward the bus, giving myself time to finish my cigarette before I boarded. Just as I reached the bus door, a figure stepped out of the darkness and blocked it.

“Hey Drake, miss me?”

I groaned out loud as I realized it was Kadi standing in front of me. “What do you want? How did you even find me?”

She held up one of the fliers we had out at every bar we played in. They had our entire schedule on them. I mentally smacked myself as I realized I had pretty much given her step by step instructions on how to find me.

“I thought you’d be happy to see me,” she whined.

“If I wasn’t excited in Maryland, what makes you think I’d be excited in Pennsylvania?”

“Oh come on baby, you know you’ve missed me. We were always great together.”

“Can’t say that I have. And like I told you before, I’m with someone now so you need to back off. You’re starting to act like a stalker.” I tried to push past her, but she held her ground.

“You mean someone who cheats on you when you’re not around.”

I rolled my eyes. “What are you talking about? You don’t even know Chloe.”

She gave me a smug smile. “Oh, but I do. I’ve spent some quality time with her and Jordan since the last time I saw you.”

I felt a burning rage take over. “You stay the f*ck away from her Kadi, I mean it.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t normally associate with cheaters but I needed proof.”

“Proof of what exactly?”

She huffed as she handed me an envelope. “Haven’t you heard a word that I’ve said? I needed proof that she wasn’t good enough for you and I have it. She’s been cheating on you while you’ve been away.”

I snatched the envelope out of her hand and opened it. There were several pictures inside and my breath caught as I looked through them. Picture after picture showed Jordan and Chloe together; hugging in the living room, Chloe holding his cheek and staring into his eyes, walking down a street hand in hand, Jordan with Chloe thrown over his shoulder, Jordan carrying Chloe in his arms by the pool, Chloe sitting on his shoulders in the pool. But the last one, it was the worst. It was a picture of the two of them cuddled up in Chloe’s bed.

I had no idea how Kadi had managed to get all of these pictures and I didn’t want to know. I threw the pictures on the ground and pushed her aside to step onto the bus.

She followed me up the steps, but stopped at the top of them. “Do you see now? No one will ever be as good to you as I was.”

I barely contained my temper as I pointed to the door. “Get. Out.”

She looked at me, shocked. “You can’t be serious! I was only watching out for you Drake, I love you!”

I shook my head, disgusted. “You don’t love me, you’re obsessed with me. I don’t want anything to do with you even if Chloe is cheating on me. Now get the f*ck out or I’ll remove you myself.”

She glared at me. “You’ll be sorry Drake Allen!”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just go!” I shouted.

She turned and stomped off the bus as I collapsed into one of the seats. How could Chloe do this to me? She hadn’t seemed interested in Jordan at all and that dirt bag had said he was only looking out for her, that he would never be with her. I was a fool, just like Logan had been. Only it sucked a lot more to be on this side of it all.

I obviously meant nothing to her or she wouldn’t be off screwing some other guy while I was away, and doing it in the house of her aunt who had just died. I looked around for something to throw before I punched one of the windows on the bus. Seeing nothing close, I stormed off the bus and walked back to the rear entrance of the bar. I was going to get drunk off my ass, being sober hurt too damn much.

When I reached the entrance, I noticed a guy standing a few feet away in the shadows. I caught the smell of weed as the wind blew in my direction. Without a second thought, I walked over to him. He looked surprised, but said nothing as I stopped in front of him.

“You have any more of that?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got this and a lot more if you’re interested.”

“I am.”

I needed a release and I knew just how to find it. I had managed to stay clean for years, yet here I was, throwing it all away for Chloe. I guess it showed just how stupid I really was.

He motioned for me to follow him. “I don’t have anything on me, but if you want we can go back to my place. It’s not far from here and I can hook you up.”

I nodded as I sent a quick text to Jade, letting her know I was going to a party and that I would be back on the bus in the morning before shutting my phone off. I knew it would throw us behind schedule if we didn’t leave tonight, but I didn’t care.

We walked to a beat up car parked in the corner of the lot and he unlocked it. “I’m Jack by the way.”

“Drake.”

“You don’t say much do you?”

“Nope.”

He lived only a couple of minutes away in the rundown part of town. I exited the car and followed him up the stairs to a small dirty apartment. The air was thick with smoke and several people looked up as we entered. Jack raised a hand to all of them, but continued through the apartment until we reached a bedroom. There were two girls and a guy having sex on the bed when we entered, but he quickly tossed them out, still naked, into the hallway before shutting the door behind them.

“I’ve got just about anything you want.”

“Coke?”

He smiled as he pulled a lock box out from under the bed. “I’ll take care of you.”

He unlocked the box and pulled out a small bag of cocaine. I held out my hand but he shook his head. “Money first buddy or no deal.”

I pulled my wallet from my jeans and pulled some cash out. “Here’s everything I have on me. Give me whatever you’ve got.”

“I like you kid, here you go.”

I took the bag from him and grabbed a small mirror off the bedside table. It had obviously been used recently; it was cloudy from the leftover powder that covered its surface. I dumped a small amount out and made a line with one of the credit cards from my wallet. I grabbed a dollar from my wallet as well, before rolling it and snorting the line.

Within minutes, I started to feel the effects. I smiled up at Jack as my body relaxed and I fell back onto the bed grinning. Why had I ever given this up? There was no feeling in the world like this high, all my worries disappeared and I felt like I could conquer anything.

I had no idea why I had gotten so crazy over Chloe, what the f*ck did she matter anyway? No need to go all crazy over some chick that didn’t care about me. I could get any woman I wanted, and there were always several lined up and waiting with no strings attached. I had my music, money, my band, and a bag full of coke. What else could a guy ask for?

I stood and followed Jack back out into the living room, the cocaine and mirror still in my hand. I spent the next several hours sitting around and joking with them, snorting another line when I felt my high start to dwindle. By the time morning rolled around, I was out of Coke and out of money. Jack drove me to the nearest ATM and I withdrew a couple hundred dollars to make sure I had enough.

When we made it back to his place, I paid him for twice the amount of coke I bought last night, as well as enough “hydros” to knock out a horse. I spent the rest of the day high as a f*cking kite off both the coke and pain pills. I hadn’t felt this good in a long time and I savored every moment. I crashed at his house that night and stayed late into the afternoon the following day. I finally decided I needed to get back to the bus before Jade or one of the guys beat the shit out of me.

Jack drove me back to the bar parking lot and I was relieved to see the bus still sitting where it was the other night. Before I got out, I bought enough to hold me over until I could find someone else to supply me.

“If you’re ever back in the area and need more, you just let me know kid.”

“Thanks, I will.”

I stepped out of the car and waved as he pulled back out. I walked across the lot to the bus and started walking up the stairs. Eric and Adam were sitting around our small table, and both their heads snapped up as they caught sight of me.

“What the f*ck?” Adam roared.

“Thank God, where have you been?” Eric asked with concern.

“Sorry, I met some guy after our show the other night and lost track of the time.” I said as I sat down beside Adam.

“You lost track of time? You’ve been gone two days, not two hours,” he said as he leaned over and sniffed me, “And you f*cking smell. Did you forget to take a bath?”

I grinned. “Sorry, I’ll go shower.”

I smacked him across the back of the head as I walked back to my bunk and grabbed a pair of clean clothes before stepping into the small bathroom. The cocaine I had snorted before I left Jack’s place was already starting to wear off so I grabbed one of Jade’s mirrors and did a couple of lines before getting in the shower.

Once I finished, I dried off and dressed before walking back upfront to join the guys. Jade came up the steps just as I sat down and launched herself at me.

“You a*shole! Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

I grabbed her wrists and pushed her off of me. “Sorry, like I told the guys, I lost track of time.”

She stared at me with her mouth gaping open. “Lost track of time? LOST TRACK OF TIME? I get a text saying you’re going to some party and then no one can get ahold of you for two days! I thought you were dead Drake!”

“I said I was sorry, what else do you want?” I shouted back at her.

“I don’t want you to say anything! We had to cancel two shows because of your stupid ass!”

Eric slid out of his seat and stepped between us. “Both of you calm down. Shouting at each other isn’t going to help anything alright?”

“Tell her that!” I growled.

“Oh shut up. I want answers Drake, where the hell have you been?”

Jade was a tiny little thing and I almost laughed at the sight of her so wound up. She rarely yelled at us, with the exception of Adam, and it was comical. It was like being yelled at by a baby kitten.

“I told you, I went to a party. I made a couple new friends and decided to stay for a while.”

She raised her eyes to the ceiling and mumbled something about needing patience. “Drake as long as I have known you, you have never done anything like this. Why didn’t you at least answer your phone to let us know you were ok?”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and held it up for her to see. “I turned it off and then forgot about it.”

“Drake, can I talk to you outside for a minute?” Eric asked as he stood.

I nodded and followed him off the bus. He walked halfway across the lot before he stopped and turned back to me. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on? I already have an idea.”

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He sighed as he pulled the envelope Kadi had given me out of his pocket and held it up. “I saw Kadi inside the bar and then found these laying on the ground by the bus so I put two and two together. Have you talked to Chloe?”

My eyes were glued to the pictures as I shook my head. “I have nothing to say to her. A picture is worth a thousand words and there are several in there.”

“I might be overstepping my boundaries here, but I think you need to talk to her before you jump to any conclusions. Kadi is a nasty piece of work and she could have taken innocent moments and turned them into something ugly.”

“I don’t see how Chloe and Jordan in bed together could be innocent.”

“She was obviously in the room with them and it’s not like they’re naked. I mean, Chloe is looking right at the camera.”

I ran my hands through my hair as I thought about what he said. He did have a point, I had to give him that, but it still didn’t explain everything. I had barely been able to get Chloe to answer my calls lately, yet she seemed to have no trouble spending all of her time with Jordan.

“I don’t know what the f*ck to think.”

“That’s why you need to talk to her before you do something stupid,” he looked at me closely, “You haven’t already done something stupid have you?”

No, nothing at all except buying enough coke to put a small dent in my bank account.

“If you’re talking about girls, then no I haven’t.”

He looked relieved. “Glad to hear it. Chloe is a good girl Drake and I’ve grown to like her over the last few months. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, there’s no way she’s cheating.”

I motioned toward the bus. “Did you show those to Jade or Adam?”

“No, I figured they were the reason you bolted. I wanted to give you time to cool off.”

“Thanks man, I don’t want them involved in this if they don’t have to be.”

We both looked up as a familiar red car pulled into the parking lot. My mouth hung open as Eric cursed under his breath.

“I might have forgotten to mention that Jade called Chloe this morning freaking out and Chloe left to come find you.”

I glared at him. “You think that might have been important?”

The car stopped next to the bus and Chloe was out and running toward me. I saw red as Jordan climbed out of the driver’s seat. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was crossing the lot. I bypassed Chloe and went straight for Jordan. When I reached him, I pulled back and punched him in the face with enough force to send him flying backwards.





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