The music never seems to stop in Diana’s head. It was a curse she considered she had because she always felt the need to compose someway or somehow, even in the most inconvenient of times. The group was now half way through their west coast tour and on their way to Seattle, Washington. It was about seven in the morning and the only other person awake was Syn, who was driving. Diana had the portable keyboard on top of the attached table and had been playing the same notes for near three hours which was driving Syn crazy.
“Are you not going to go past that part?”

Diana whipped her head up at the sudden voice and turned around.

“I have this melody in my head but I can’t find the next couple of notes that flow with it. It’s d, a, A#, g, f, d.”

“Come here and take the wheel.”

Diana slid out of the chair and recklessly switched places with Syn who quickly found the next notes she was looking for. He must have already known what he was going to play because he was just fluidly playing like he knew what the next notes were going to be. Laughing and playing the notes again he wrote them down on her music sheet and kept playing. Every time he started the rift over he would add another note or two and would write them down. After ten minutes he stopped playing and laughed.

“This is fucking brilliant. Wouldn’t this sound good as an opening then boom you have heavy guitars and drums coming in playing this rift and taking over the song?”

“What a nightmare.” Zacky emerged from his bunk with hair everywhere and make up smeared along his face.

“Hey that’s not funny.” Diana shot back defensively.

“I’m just glad Syn finished those notes for you. You must have played them for hours. The repetition was keeping me awake and now I think I have a headache too.”

“She did and unlike you I was awake for them.” Syn tapped Diana’s shoulder and switched spots with her so she could resume her spot at the keyboard. Instead she went over to her duffle bag and pulled out some make up remover wipes. By now Zacky had sat down at the table with a bowl of cereal. Diana moved the keyboard off the table and sat next to Zacky and started scrubbing at his face.

“I can’t eat when you do this.” He whined at her dropping cheerios on the table.

“Well who is going to look at you with breakouts because you slept in this gunk?”

“I’ll cover it with more gunk.” He smacked her hand with the spoon and she smacked him with the wipe.

“Nice try. Now hold still.”

This went on until Diana deemed she had enough of it off to let Zacky eat in peace. After settling with the food Zacky and Syn switched spots so Syn could take a couple hours nap before they hit the next city. Diana stuffed the sheet music into her special folder and grabbed her book and sat in the passenger seat next to Zacky. If there was one thing that Diana had packed more of than clothes it would be books which a whole suit case was nothing of. But after sitting down and opening the book Diana knew it was a mistake if she wanted to read since Zacky didn’t know how to drive in peace.

“Aren’t you going to take a nap? I know you didn’t sleep earlier.”

“I wasn’t tired and my brain wouldn’t have calmed down either if I wanted to.”

“Are you not taking those pills? You should only have a couple left if so.”

Diana refused to look up from the book. In all honesty she still wasn’t taking them like she was supposed to and if she was she was only taking half doses. The last thing she wanted was an argument with everyone, especially Jimmy.

“You haven’t been?”

“Quit reading me.”

“Kind of hard to do when I’ve known you so long Diana. Why haven’t you?”

Diana set the book down in her lap and looked out the window.

“Remember the first night I took them and when I woke up I was freaked out and called you? I felt like I was out of my body and the only emotion I could process was terror and fear. I knew I couldn’t take them again when that happened but then I thought if I took half doses then it’ll be better which it was since I wasn’t having any weird freak outs but I still hate taking them.”

“Diana, why didn’t you tell someone? Why didn’t you go back to the doctor?”
She shrugged and felt Zacky’s hand on hers and looked up and saw him half smiling at her and the road.

“It’s going to be fine. When we get back home we can get this all sorted out.”

“Does anyone else know or think anything?”

Zacky shook his head. “You haven’t been doing your normal telling signs. You know the falling asleep in the middle of doing something or being sluggish when walking or doing something. Smooth move on your part. You just slipped saying you weren’t tired that’s all.”

“I’m not going to take them if that’s what you want me to do.”

“Why would I if you are reacting terribly to them? Anyone of us would tell you not to take them anymore.”

“Are you going to tell Jimmy?”

“Not my place to tell him. It’s your brother Diana.”

Diana picked her book up with her free hand and stared at the page as Zacky kept his hand on her other hand. She would have normally been panicked by the thought of something disappointing Jimmy but something about Zacky’s reassuring touch had her calm.

Notes