It wasn’t the first time my little sister spilled out a secret about me. We’d learned over the years to overcome our problems relatively fast and this time was no different. I couldn’t stay mad at her…no matter how hard I tried. Would I have ever said anything to Matt if she wouldn’t have thrown it out in the open? The shock of her actually vocalizing it in front of him was what angered me most, but in the long run I knew that it saved me the torment of deciding whether or not to tell him at all.

She left on good terms and things with Matt were ok. As far as I knew, he still hadn’t spoke to Val. For all it’s worth, he could’ve had a long talk with her and now knew more than I did. The simple fact of the matter is, I don’t want to discuss or even THINK about Val. I knew in my gut it wasn’t over…but it wasn’t something I had to bother with right now. The tour was kicking off and all the drama in California could burn in hell for all I cared.

A tour bus; not the most luxurious place in the world, but far better than the piece of shit van the guys used to tour in. The 1652.41 mile ride from Southern California to the barren Midwest hub by the name of Sioux City, Iowa according to Yahoo! Maps, was 23 hours and 33 minutes, according to me it sounds like hell on earth. I’d be stuck on a bus in close contact 24/7 with Val’s twin sister. Having a sister of my own, I know they stick together like glue. Val had an insider to watch us constantly.

Matt and his 6’1” hulking frame and me at 5’8” crammed into a tiny bunk. Sounds romantic, right? Think again. I can only imagine if he is too tired after a show to shower at the venue--and Brian and Michelle will be enjoying the close proximities above us on a nightly basis.

The other girlfriends didn’t do the entire tour, with Michelle being the exception. If she wasn’t on the whole tour, she’d at least be on more than half of it. It seemed as if she could handle the tough conditions better than any of the other girls could.

There we laid, cramped tightly in our make-shift home for the next few months, about 5 hours outside of Sioux City. The bus was relatively quiet, everyone presumably asleep. I was listening to my iPod as loudly as I could stand it, closing my eyes and singing along with the words in my head. It was pitch black when the curtain was pulled over the opening to the bunk, so I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.

I had the wits scared out of me as I felt Matt’s index finger poke me in my ribs. “Shit!” I half screamed, half whispered, pulling my headphones from my ears. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked in a soft, breathless voice.

“Sorry,” Matt laughed with a throaty tone. “I kept saying ’hey, hey’, but you didn’t answer me.”

“Can you not hear the music coming out of my headphones?” I asked.

“I said I was sorry!” he pouted.

I grinned to myself in the darkness. “What is it Matt?”

“I can’t sleep,” he groaned and rolled over with his arm around my waist as I laid on my back.

“Just try to sleep baby, we’ll be there in a few hours.” I rolled over to face him.

We laid nose to nose and I could feel his warm breath on my face as he exhaled. “I still can’t believe you wanted to come along for the whole tour.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked. Yeah, I know I will probably complain endlessly about the accommodations on the bus; but that’s a small price to pay to get to see Matt and the guys do what they love most. In all actuality, I was really having a lot of fun being on the road with them, even though it was only the first day. It was like taking a road trip with your best friends.

He began to chuckle. “This isn’t exactly comfortable!”

“I’d rather be miserable on a bus with you than have to wait two and a half months for you to come back home,” I gently stroked his hair.