24: Shame, Shame, Shame

                                    

                                          
~ Vince's POV ~
                          
I noticed Amanda leaving the party with James and I sighed as I continued a story I was telling Stephen about the tour.
                          
"Four months yet," I answered Stephen about how much longer it was before it was over.
                          
"Our manager is thinking about a six month tour for us, no break and packing the dates together," Stephen explained about their tour coming up.
                          
"It'll be a lot," I said, sipping from my glass of whiskey. "Worth it, though."
                          
"Yeah, well. I'll take it over nothing," he said, sipping from his glass as well.
                          
Melissa came and sat next to Stephen and I felt like I was in their way, so I said goodbye and decided to head home for the night. I couldn't help but think about Amanda right now, and if I really made the right decision in ending things with her. Sure we wanted different things, but is being apart really going to make me happy in the long run? I didn't know if I'd want to marry anyone but her, but it also hurt to know she didn't want me in the same way.
                          
I tried to wash the thoughts out of my mind as I laid in my bed and struggled to fall asleep.
                          
- a week later -
                          
I was packing up my suitcase as our flight was going to be leaving soon. I looked around my apartment again and noted that we only had four months left, and how quickly that was going to fly by again. Especially now that I was going to be single during it.
                          
I noticed my phone hanging on the wall and wondered if I should call Amanda, just to tell her that I'm leaving? I knew I shouldn't, but it also felt so weird not to. I shook the thought from my mind and focused on my packing.
                          
"Dude, ready yet?" Nikki called through my door after knocking at it harshly.
                          
I opened it and we headed down the stairs and into his car.
                          
"Hard saying goodbye to Amanda?" Nikki asked in a teasing voice and nudging me in the arm with his elbow.
                          
"Not this time," I said harshly as I looked out the window, watching the street lights flow past me. He didn't say anything back and just sort of brushed the whole thing off.
                          
We picked up Tommy and Mick and headed toward the airport. Nikki's crappy old car puttered down the highway and we somehow made it to the airport in one piece. Doc was waiting for us there and since we were all on time for once, he was in a rather good mood. We got onto our plane and everything was going smoothly.
                          
I felt nostalgic staring out the window of the plane and watching the clouds fly by, and I felt it even more when Tommy plopped himself into my seat.
                          
I groaned and asked, "What do you want?"
                          
"Nothin', just haven't seen you since the wedding. You never came to say goodbye, what was that all about?"
                          
"I had to take off," I said, turning back to the window and hoping that he'd go away.
                          
"And what was so important you couldn't come say 'bye' to your best friend in the whole world?" Tommy asked in a sarcastic voice.
                          
"Amanda and I broke up, I didn't want to hang around," I said a little too loudly and Nikki's head turned around from his seat.
                          
"Wow, and you two were like 'it' and everything," Tommy said. "Damn."
                          
"So, I can have her if I want?" Nikki asked with a devious smile on his face.
                          
"Try and I'll kick your ass," I responded, chuckling.
                          
"At least you're free to do what you want with the girls that come around," Tommy said, shrugging.