Page 52 of Make Me Laugh

“We only stay in it overnight if the venue’s small and we don’t make a ton on ticket sales.” It seems he's thought of every excuse I have. “Enzo almost doubled my shows through the end of the tour tonight. We’ll have thousands of more tickets going on sale this week.” West raises his eyebrow, as if he’s challenging me to come up with another reason I shouldn’t take his offer.

“Then you can splurge and hire someone who actually manages social media accounts,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Who do you think’s crazy enough to join three grown men they don’t know on tour and share a camper with them?” West asks, pointing directly at me. “Plus, this was Enzo’s idea and if you don’t say yes, he’s not going to let me hire someone random. I’ll be forced to do it, and all that hard work you did this weekend will be a waste…”

I’m pretty sure he’s purposely sticking his lip out a little bit.

“It was Enzo’s idea?” I ask, surprised.

West nods, some excitement returning to his face. “It’s his way of saying he was wrong about you, probably. He’s a good dude, but he doesn’t say he’s sorry often. Everyone has flaws.”

The two of them being best friends still throws me off, but I’m sure people think that about me and Frankie too.

I want to say yes, to throw caution to the wind and run away from my problems on a bus with a hot stand-up comedian for a couple months. I want to be careless and maybe a little reckless, to do before thinking. I want to pretend like I don’t care about what comes next.

But I do.

I’m almost thirty-two years old, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do next, because I, the over planner, somehow was too cocky to have a real backup plan for my unrealistic expectations.

My life hasn’t felt this chaotic since my mom left me with Grams and never came back. I can’t become what she expects me to be.

“It’s too messy. I can’t add more onto an already broken plate.” The words gut me. I barely know this fucking guy, and yet somehow, it hurts to watch him hide his disappointment. “I have a life to clean up.”

He looks down and his shoulders fall with a defeated breath. “Yeah, I get it. Sorry. I… guess I’m just not ready to see ya go yet.”

West is going to make someone a very happy woman one day. The thought makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

“You’ll forget about me before long. People always do.” I didn’t mean for it to come out sad, but I can feel the tightening in my throat. I swallow it down and fake a smile, a tiny laugh breaking the tension. “You did what you set out to do. You made me, the girl from Witch City, laugh.” I can’t help myself. I reach out and squeeze his arm, trying not to focus on the perfectly sculpted bicep in my hand. “You’re going to get everything you want and probably more.” My arm falls to my side, and I instantly want to touch him again. “I’m rooting for you, Hotshot.”

I have to take a step back. I have to go to bed.

I have to get away from West.

He’s going to make me cave if he keeps looking at me like I’m ripping his heart out.

Seriously, Jo, he’s fine. He’ll be fine.

“Goodnight, West.” This time when I turn to leave, he doesn’t stop me.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE ONE WHERE THEY’RE TRENDING

Comment: To the person who posted Hex’s real name and info: I hope your pillow is always hot, you never find a comfortable position to sleep in ever again, and that whoever you fall in love with cheats on you with your best friend.

Comment reply: AND your mom’s a ho

Comment: Listen, I’m just here hoping these two post something together again. They shouldn’t waste their CHEMISTRY!!!

I got not a single minute of sleep last night—I’d never tried, but…

Knowing Joey was going to get up and leave kept me from returning to the camper. I was going to do nothing but toss and turn and then pretend to be asleep while Joey packed her things and left. Or worse, probably stare like a dog being dropped off at the pound watching its owner leave.

Joey and I have already said our goodbyes. I don’t want to do it again.

If she wants to go back to her life and pretend none of this ever happened, then who am I to try and stop her?

She hasn’t taken the plunge into the comment section yet, and part of me is glad she hasn’t. People on the internet are fucking brutal… and they’ve been worse to Hex.