Disclaimer: I still do not own the gentlemen of Good Charlotte or Yellowcard depicted here. This is still a work of entertaining fiction.

CJ came across LP and Alex at a discount CD booth. The both of them looked a little disheveled, like they might need a good-morning pot of coffee. The gates hadn�t opened yet, but they could see the kids milling about waiting to get in and get their fill of punk music in every possible form.

�Those damn leeches want to suck us dry,� Alex grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and shivering against the growing heat of the day, shivered as the dread poured thick down his spine at having to go wade through the sticky humidity another 16 hours.

�Geez. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed?� CJ asked, lifting an eyebrow and smiling wanly up at him, finding herself again captivated by his verdant gaze. She could theoretically stay lost in those eyes for hours� but Alex was a fidgety guy, so one could never keep a lock on them for more than a few moments at a time.

�Sorry.� Alex shook his head, closing his eyes against the sun and rubbing his fingers against the stiff dark stubble on his chin. �I�m not a morning person.�

�It�s 12:30.�

�Still,� he shrugged.

�Where the hell are we today?� LP asked the two of them, taking a CD from the surface behind them and looking at the back to see who was in the lineup.

Alex revolved his hand in the air, indicating he was thinking it over and not coming up with anything definite or necessarily correct. �Somewhere in Kansas, I think. Look, I gotta go find some coffee or some speed or something,� he said, the sentence beginning at an audible level then dropping towards a mumble as he turned away from the two drummers.

�Later,� LP said to him. Alex glanced back at them and waved before he disappeared.

When left alone, LP and CJ avoided each other�s eyes, CJ pushing gravel along the ground with the toe of her sneaker, LP still pretending to be interested in the CD case he was shifting around in his sweaty grip. �All right,� LP started, breaking the silence. �Look, we both were a little thrown by what that hotel manager said.� The comment in question, as innocently as it had been delivered, had assumed that CJ and LP were related -- in fact, brother and sister. The both of them had covered well for the shock while in the moment, but it had, in reality, kinda freaked the both of them out. �But,� LP continued, �we both know it was a load of crap. It was just an honest mistake.�

�No,� CJ countered, not looking up at him. �It was an easy mistake. I think it�s cuz we spend too much time together. We�re adopting each other�s mannerisms and everything.� She shook her head, reaching up to wrap one of her twists around her pinky.

�So what are you saying?� LP asked, finally placing the CD case back on the stand and folding his arms across his chest.

�I�m saying� maybe we should spend some time apart.� He stepped forward to stand next to her, his elbow lightly bumping her shoulder. �Just for a little while,� she added with a quick glance up at his face.

LP sighed, shrugging. �All right. I guess that�s a good idea,� he mumbled, his words ringing empty and noncommittal. He turned and started walking away from her, moving towards the gates that were virtually bursting with the enthusiasm oozing from the crowd chomping at the bit on the other side. CJ kicked the rock she had been harassing out of her way as she started the other direction, towards the half pipe where a few riders were checking out the hardware. LP paused, turning to look back at her. �How long�s a little while?� He asked.

CJ stopped dead at the sound of his voice, then spun on her heel, smiling. �That was long enough, don�t you think?�

LP�s smile grew to match hers and he motioned for her to come walk with him. �Yeah. Let�s go get something to eat.�

Paul almost ran over Billy on his way out of the bus. �Whoa, what�s up, dude?� Billy asked, blue eyes catching the sun before he squinted and turned his back to it, the orbs seeming to drop to black in a nanosecond.

�Benji�s really sick in there, and I don�t like the sound of dry heaving.�

�It�s only dry if nothing comes out,� Joel called to him from the front lounge where he was pretending to read one of CJ�s books, this one called �Break Any Woman Down,� a brief collection of short stories. The back cover was signed by the author. �Benj is back there recreating The Exorcist,� he finished.

�Ugh,� Paul groaned, pressing his fingertips to his ears a moment. �I can�t deal with that.� He shook his head and pushed past Billy, walking away into the brightening day as the kids began to pour into the venue. Billy cautiously climbed the steps into the bus and slid into the seat across from Joel.

�What�d he eat?� Billy asked.

�Could you-� Benji called weakly from the bathroom, holding down bile long enough to speak. �Could you not rock the bus so much?� He asked.

Billy looked back at the open door through which he had just entered, not having noticed any motion his shifting weight had created. �Okay,� he replied, flicking dark hair out of his eyes. Benji nodded, then pulled his head back into the bathroom to pay more homage to the porcelain god.

�What�d he eat?� Billy repeated, cinching his eyebrows together with concern. Joel looked over the top of the book a moment, then set it aside.

�Not sure,� he sighed. �But none of the rest of us are sick, so maybe he�s just got a virus.�

�You think he�ll be able to play today?�

Joel shifted his eyes to the heat shimmering just outside the door and squished his mouth to one side in uncertainty. �Maybe if the sky opens up and pours, cools things off� and stays cloudy, because sometimes the sun makes him nauseous.�

Billy grinned at Joel�s knowledge of his brother�s quirks and foibles. �You eaten anything yet? You didn�t eat this morning.�

Joel shook his head �no.� �I�m not hungry. That,� he gestured down the corridor behind him, �does not inspire an appetite.�

Billy leaned forward, a curious little smirk still on his face as his elbows slid across the tabletop and he looked up into the singer�s face. �Can I ask, and don�t get pissed.�

Joel rolled his eyes, anticipating what Billy was going to ask. �Go ahead.�

�Are you feeling sick just cuz he�s feeling sick?� Billy asked. �I mean, did you, like, know he was gonna be sick before he got sick?�

Joel laughed, shifting in his seat as Benji stumbled out of the bathroom and into the back lounge where he passed out on the mass of cushions and blankets in the middle of the floor. �Well, I didn�t know it was him that was sick, actually,� Joel explained, placing his palm on the tabletop just next to Billy�s elbow. �I knew I just didn�t feel quite right. It woke me up in the night, but Benj was still sleeping, but then when I woke up in the morning and he was sick, I knew what it was. For all I knew, I coulda been coming down with something myself.�

Billy nodded, sitting up again and running his tongue over his teeth. �Man. Must be cool being that close to somebody.�

Joel grunted, sliding the book back into his fingers and thumbing the pages. �Times like these I could deal with being a shade less close.� He stood up and started to the back to check on his brother while Billy continued to sit in the front lounge, not comfortable going in the back to play video games if he was at risk for contracting some dread disease from Benji.

�How you doin�?� Joel asked softly, kneeling next to Benji�s head and pulling one of the blankets out of the corner, throwing it over his brother�s body. He looked pale and sallow, chills wracking his body, brow greasy with sweat. Benji groaned pitifully when the fabric brushed his skin, as though it felt rough as sandpaper.

�Can you get� a bucket or something?� Benji asked, too exhausted to get up and drag himself back to the bathroom.

�Yeah, hold on.�

He went back into the hallway to retrieve the pan that caught the water dripping from beneath the sink in the bathroom. He dumped out the water and placed a bucket under the pipe, then turned to go back into the lounge. CJ climbed the steps into the bus just as Joel was pushing aside the curtain to return to his brother�s side. Benji groaned at the slight rocking motion her weight created and Joel dove to slide the pan next to Benji�s head just as ejected another mouthful of bile.

�Yikes, he�s still mad sick, hunh?� CJ asked, grimacing as she glanced down the hallway, then at the slim guitarist seated at the table next to her.

�Your powers of deduction are exceptional�� Billy began, a wicked smile growing on his lips as he began a long, sonorous, annoying quote from The Simpsons that he found to be incredibly hilarious.

�Shut up, Billy,� she mumbled, rolling her eyes and plopping into the chair across from him.

��I simply cannot allow you to waste them here when there are so many crimes going unsolved at this very moment,� he continued with the quote, that shit-eating grin still plastered to his face.

�Yeah, that�s enough,� CJ sighed, hoping to halt the barrage of nerd-speak spilling from his perfectly formed mouth.

�Go, go! For the good-� He was cut off when CJ reached across the table and slapped her hand across his mouth.

�Y�done?� CJ asked. Billy�s eyes were wide and smiling when he nodded emphatically. She pulled her hand away after a direct look into his eyes, a warning of the consequences if he was bluffing.

��For the good of the city!� He finished, the words bursting out of him all at once, like the phrase had been some wild beast unjustly pent up inside a tiny cage for much too long.

�That�s it,� she murmured before she jumped over the table at him, Billy sliding down in the booth and fading away from her as she punched his left arm as he used it to cover his midsection from her assault. Billy was always an interesting fight because when he retaliated he was very gentle but his strength was uncanny. He didn�t hit back, but he could stretch out those long, thin limbs and somehow pin you to the floor before you knew he�d touched you. The trick was to get him pinned in a corner where he couldn�t get his mitts on you, and that�s where CJ had him now.

Paul poked his head in through the door. �Hey, CJ,� he called. She shifted some of her attention to Paul, and Billy took the slim opportunity to duck down and quickly slide his left arm underneath her arm and around her waist. With her upper body supported on his back, he stood up easily, then flipped her upside down, one arm still at her waist, the other holding her legs next to his head so she didn�t kick him.

�Hey, Paul,� she answered casually. �What�s up?�

�Is Benji still sick?� He asked, bending his head down in an attempt to view her face right side up.

�Still sick,� she replied. Billy lowered her a little bit, and she reached her fingertips to the dirty tour bus floor. �You know, the moment you put me down I�m punching you in the stomach,� she informed Billy. He grinned down at her, lifting just a little so she could no longer reach the ground.

�Maybe we can find something to make him feel better,� Paul said, motioning for her to come outside with him before he stepped back off of the bus. Billy complied, carrying her out into the sunshine.

�What�s your plan?� CJ asked.

�Uh, I was thinking�� Paul shifted his weight to his left, rubbing his hands together as he unconsciously tipped his head to the side while trying to talk to her. �I thought�� He began again, seeming to lose his train of thought quickly. He shook his head, throwing his hands up in resignation. �Dude, can you just put her down?� He asked, squinting at Billy, placing his palm against his forehead and willing his headache to go away.

�Oh,� the guitarist breathed. �Yeah.� He lowered CJ enough so she could place her palms on the blacktop, then he dropped the rest of her body. She tucked her legs in and rolled to her feet, popping up to standing and taking a swing at Billy all in the same motion. She buried her fist in his gut and he doubled over as she stepped to Paul�s side.

�So, you were thinking?� CJ inquired, smiling up at the bassist as Billy put a hand against the side of the bus, the dust clinging to the black paint rubbing off on his fingertips.

Paul looked down at CJ. �I was thinking, you know how LP always has some� recreational substances lying about?�

�Uh huh,� CJ murmured, looking over at Billy as he seated himself on the steps of the bus and swept his hair out of his eyes, leaving two grey-brown smudges on his pale forehead.

�So maybe we can use some of his stash for, you know, medicinal purposes,� Paul finished, shrugging.

CJ blinked up at him, thinking it over. �It is supposed to suppress nausea,� she answered, nodding. �I could go ask LP to help us out. But do you think Benji would be up for it?� The two of them moved to stand just in front of Billy, listening to Benji groan in the back.

�I think at this point he would do just about anything to feel a little better,� Paul replied. CJ reached her hand out towards Billy, expecting him to flinch, even though he didn�t, just looked up at her with wide blue eyes, nothing more than curiosity gleaming behind them. She grinned, then pressed her hand to Billy�s forehead, brushing away the dark smudges of highway grime.

�I�ll run go get LP, be back lickety-split,� she said, customarily dropping the �and� as she did when conjoining words that flowed well into one another.

�Lickety-split?� Billy laughed. �What the hell is that?�

�Shut up.� She said back and messed up his hair, knowing how meticulously he put it together every day, before she ran off for the Yellowcard van. She heard him grumble, �dammit,� as she moved away.

Paul and Billy ventured to the back of the bus and found Joel sitting on the cushions at the back of the lounge still reading CJ�s book. Paul and Billy stepped carefully past Benji as he lay curled in the fetal position, clutching his abdomen. �Is he sleeping?� Billy whispered to Joel. Benji groaned to indicate that he was, in fact, awake and in anguish.

�Hey, Benj. What if I could find something to make you feel better?� Paul asked, standing just next to Benji�s shoulder.

The guitarist opened bloodshot eyes, some of the tiny capillaries in the whites having burst during the strain of uncontrollable stomach spasms. �Yeah?� He asked weakly.

�Would you do what I said if it�d make you feel better?�

Benji grimaced, ground his teeth and tucked tighter into a ball as a painful spasm wracked him and the short fingernails on his right hand cut into his palm as he balled his hands into fists. �God, yes,� he breathed through grit teeth.

Paul knelt next to him and put his hand on Benji�s shoulder. The t-shirt was damp with sweat and shifted with resistance under Paul�s palm when he rubbed Benji�s shoulder in a soothing gesture. �Help�s on its way.�

CJ bounded onto the bus, LP following behind. �We got it,� CJ announced, cheerful despite the sullen mood of the current audience. Joel looked up at LP and his eyes grew twice as wide when the drummer let a plump baggie of weed flop out of his pocket, then he opened the ziplock seal and took a deep whiff of the aroma.

�This is some good shit, y�all,� he proclaimed quietly.

�All right, Benj,� Paul said. �You need a good dose of that right there.� Paul pointed to the baggie dangling from LP�s fingertips.

�Get that shit off our bus,� Joel began, getting onto his feet and starting towards the drummer.

�Relax, Joel,� CJ said. �This might help Benji.�

�Anything,� Benji mumbled, covering his face with his hand. LP stepped over Benji and walked into the back corner of the lounge, next to the stereo system and looked down near the baseboards. A few moments later he came out with a yellow bong and a triumphant smile.

�Why the hell was that stashed on our bus?� Joel demanded.

LP looked down at the glassware in his hand, then up at Joel and shrugged. �The van�s small. Plus, if somebody raids it, I think it�d better if there was only one of these babies onboard.�

Joel pressed his hands to his temples as LP picked out some tight little buds and packed them into the apparatus. �Why would you say something like that, LP?� Joel asked.

�I�ve never seen that one,� Paul commented, pointing at the bong as LP took a hit, holding the smoke in his lungs until it burned to come out.

�Yeah, this is Lo Boy,� LP said in a choked voice as he let the smoke seep out of him slowly. �The other one�s Big Boy. The green one you�ve seen.�

�Okay, Benj,� CJ said, sitting next to Benji as LP did the same. �Your turn.�

Benji summoned the strength to sit up and waited for the well of queasiness to stop and his head to stop spinning. �Drink up, man,� LP said, presenting the guitarist with the means to end his torture.

Benji took his meds hit by hit, and he got himself to the point where he could stretch his body out without pain from his stomach. Almost by miracle he stumbled into the wan sunlight, a heavy, thick deck of clouds threatening rain having blown in by 2:30 pm. He checked on his guitars, fingertips both throbbing and sensitive, calloused and numb. Behind dark shades he ignored comments that he looked pale and stricken, beneath the brim of a trucker hat he ignored the impending rain.

�You alright?� Billy asked him just before their set.

He bared his teeth in an expression somewhere between a smile and grimace and said only, �Bring it.�

LP returned to the Yellowcard van just before Good Charlotte got on stage. Ryan and Sean were laughing much too hard about something, sitting in the front seats with the AC on full blast, despite the fact that the vents emitted air just barely on the cool side of ambient temperature. �What�s up, guys?� LP asked.

�Oh, man,� Sean sighed. �Nothin�,dude. Nothin�. Ryan�s just being a jackass.�

�What�s going on over there?� Ryan asked, pointing through the windshield towards a scuffle going on at the West gates.

�Dunno,� LP said.

Three men dressed in dark uniforms strode into the bus area, pushing artist and crew alike out of their way as they stalked towards the tour buses parked along the back of the fences. Systematically, one by one, they entered and riffled through them with a blatant disregard for privacy. Needless to say, many of the artists were heavily pissed off at the intrusion.

On stage, Benji kept his feet firmly planted to the ground, leaning into his microphone to amp his weakened voice. Between songs he gulped mouthfuls of water to keep the dizziness of dehydration at bay.

�You gotta forgive Benj,� Joel told the audience, putting an arm around his brother�s shoulders. �He�s feeling a little under the weather today.�

�Yeah, I stubbed my toe this morning,� Benji joked. �It was no good.�

The rain started to fall during their set. Warm, fat droplets exploding on so many young bodies, thin tank-tops fading to translucent against slicked skin, the circle pit opening up with increased fury from the discontent inherent with being caught in the rain unprepared. Billy, Benji and Paul were relatively sheltered from the rain, as they were pushed towards the back of the stage, trying to keep their instruments from the moisture so as to keep themselves from getting a shock. But Joel moved to the front edge of the stage and stretched his arms out over his steaming, boiling audience. There was never a better time to be young and in charge.

Which made the shock coming off of the stage that much more upsetting. The three police officers waited for them at the base of the stage, self-appreciating authority hard set in their features. �You fellas in a band called Good Charlotte?� The tallest officer asked Joel, as he was the only one without equipment to pack away into cases.

Joel looked the officers up and down, eyes landing on and scrutizing the badges pinned to their chests. �Yessir,� he replied.

The officer�s eyes wandered from Joel to Benji and Billy who were no more than ten feet away. �Could we have a word with you fellas?�

Benji dropped the top of his guitar case and came to stand next to his brother, eyeing the cops skeptically behind his dark shades. �Shouldn�t you be wearing hats?� He asked.

�We took them off so as to blend in,� the blondest and youngest officer said, leaning forward a little as he spoke, his thumbs tucked into the front of his belt. He looked highly Scandinavian; his eyes were pale blue, hair the lightest natural blonde possible just before it would begin to settle on the eyes as silver, and it seemed thin and wispy. Like Goober on that show Coach.

Benji nodded, a smirk growing on his face as he looked the cops over again. �Good job,� he said, giving the blonde officer a thumbs up as the tallest one glowered at him.

�I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation,� the tallest officer warned.

�I�m sorry, what�s your name?� Benji asked, looking up at him.

�Officer Daly.� He stepped closer to the twins and lifted a half-empty baggie of weed. �Is this yours?� He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Joel stared open-mouthed, but Benji only slightly raised his eyebrows. �I�ve never seen that in my life. What is it supposed to be?� Benji asked, squinting at the bag as though it were some foreign object of genuine curiosity.

Officer Daly leaned his nose close to Benji�s shirt and took a whiff. It was then Benji realized he hadn�t changed his clothes after the therapy earlier, but his stony demeanor never faltered. �I think you know,� Officer Daly said, the left side of his mean little mouth kicking up.

The blonde one spoke up again, speaking after a brief silence during which Daly and Benji were visually challenging one another to make a move. �You have the right to remain silent,� he said, his thin little voice matching the fruity light color and apparent texture of his hair.

Paul, Billy and CJ became aware of the situation when the weak light of the day glinted off of the metal handcuffs being placed on Benji�s wrists. �Hey, what the fuck is going on?� Paul demanded as he pushed in front of both Benji and Joel, the light-haired officer�s grip on his charge severed by the bassist�s imposition.

�Your band just got busted for possession,� Officer Daly said flatly, reaching around Paul and grabbing Benji by the shirt, pulling him, stumbling, back into the long arm of the law.

�You can�t do that,� CJ said, standing in front of Benji and glowering up at the officer. �You searched the bus without consent and without just cause.�

Officer Daly snorted a laugh, looking over at his companions, then back down at CJ. �How about just �cause we wanted to, little lady,� he replied, condescension thick in his voice. She was ready to take a swing at him after that quip, but Paul held her back.

�Well, you can�t just arrest him, dude,� Paul started, pushing CJ back behind him, where Billy rested his hands on her shoulders.

�Actually, I can, dude,� he laughed, emphasizing the last word as though it were some item of comical novelty. �And you�ll step back unless you all want to get locked up with him.�

�Maybe we do,� CJ countered, pulling against Billy�s grip.

�CJ, you guys have to stay here so there�s someone to bail me out,� Benji said calmly, seeming to be taking the situation in stride. It was more likely, however, that his illness was simply zapping his strength. Officer Daly and the others turned, pushing Benji along ahead of them as the officers all started away from the stage.

�You can fucking bet that I will crush you for this,� Joel growled, a malice so strong in his voice that it shocked the officers and his bandmates alike. Then again, there were always moments when the genuine affection harbored for those around you, affection rooted deep and often carried deep enough that it was usually taken for granted, could make a person act wildly out of character.

Officer Daly smirked, not turning his body but glancing back over his shoulder at the singer. �Was that a threat?� He asked.

�No. It was a promise. I�ll have your balls in a sling,� Joel continued, never raising his voice.

The light haired officer broke off of the procession and walked back to stand nose-to-nose with Joel, his face stern, the red flush in his cheeks seeming all the more menacing when back-dropped with such light features. �Just give us a reason,� he whispered harshly, taunting Joel as the singer stood stone still, returning the threatening glare, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. �Just give us a reason,� he repeated once, and then again, each repetition more sharp and jagged, grating with weight on Joel�s last good nerve. �Just give us a-�

Joel pushed the officer out of his face with both hands, almost knocking him down. He would have gone for an offensive attack if Paul and Billy hadn�t intervened, pulling Joel away from the officer while he recovered his balance. �That�s it, you�re done, buddy,� the officer squeaked, reaching for his cuffs and realizing he had put them onto Joel�s twin. �Hey, Alvarez,� he called. �I need your cuffs.� The officer presumably named Alvarez detached the cuffs from his belt and tossed them to his colleague, who pulled Joel forward by the head, then cuffed his hands behind his back.

�Avenge my death,� Benji called back to the remaining free members of his band as his brother arrived at his side. Paul, Billy and CJ watched the twins folded into the back of Officer Daly�s police car and watched it pull away before they went to regroup and figure out just how legal the bust had been and to get some money to bail them out.

�Way to go, Joel,� Benji murmured, leaning his shoulder against his brother as Daly and the light-haired freak spoke triumphantly to one another in the front seats.

�What?� Joel asked, falling against Benji as they took a corner. Without their hands free to steady themselves, the only way to keep sitting upright was to lean against one another.

�You didn�t have to get yourself knicked too,� he sighed, shaking his head, looking out the window to try to map the way from the venue to the police station.

�It�s not like I did it on purpose,� Joel said, a little defensive. �This stupid motherfucker pissed me off,� he said, gesturing with his head towards the officer in the passenger seat.

�Hey!� The officer turned and glared back at them with seemingly colorless eyes. �Shut the fuck up back there.�

�We have the right to remain silent,� Benji started.

�And we choose to waive that right,� Joel finished. �So I�ma talk to my brother, like it or not, you small-town, country-ass fucker.�

The colorless eyes dropped a shade towards gray and the pink, girly mouth set into a flat line. �Did you just call me an ass fucker?� He whispered, putting his hand against the caging that separated the criminal from the crime-fighter, two of his fingers poking through the mesh.

�No, I called you a country-ass� fucker,� Joel repeated, spacing the two derisions quite decisively, so even the half-witted could understand the nuance.

�Oh,� the officer mumbled, and paused as though thinking about it. �Shut up,� he added, then turned around to face the road again.

After a few minutes, Benji lost track of the turns they had taken and gave up on remembering how to get back to the show. He tucked his head down and took a deep breath. �Joel, I don�t feel so hot,� he mumbled.

Joel looked over at his brother�s pale face, a thin film of sweat at his hairline. �Oh, God, don�t say that,� Joel pleaded. Benji fell against him as they took a right hand turn, thankfully pulling up to the station before Joel could get vomited on by his twin. As Officer Daly pulled him out of the car, Benji coughed up the last bottle of water he�d consumed, aiming quite well at the shoes of his captor. �I prob�ly should have mentioned he was sick,� Joel said, chuckling as Benji flashed him a grin over the top of the squad car.

Once they were situated in an interrogation room, and Benji had been sitting still for long enough, the churning in his stomach began to subside. The two of them were seated facing a two-way mirror that took up an entire wall of the room. They assumed it was two-way, anyway, as they could hear the muffled sound of laughing and talking from the other side. The twins stared at their reflections in silence, both a little stricken at how alike they looked. Of course, they were aware they looked alike, but it wasn�t usually so obvious or thrust in front of their noses this way. Benji�s cheeks looked a little more hollow than usual, because he felt so ill, and it gave the impression that his face was thinner, longer, more like his brother�s.

�Man, those hand-cuffs hurt,� Joel said, rubbing at the angry red marks around his wrists.

�Feels like I spend too much time places like this,� Benji sighed, putting his forehead down on the table top.

�And this ain�t no video shoot.� Joel shook his head. �You think they think they�re fooling anyone with that big-ass mirror? Like they think we don�t know there�s someone back there looking back at us?� Benji looked over at his brother and stared at him with eyelids at half mast, a sign of blatant disinterest. Joel stood up and moved towards the door of the room, flicking the switch to turn off the overhead light, revealing the people on the other side of the mirror in firm silhouette. There was a slightly audible scuffle before someone burst in through the door and pushed Joel back to the table, flicking on the light again.

�The fuck do you think you�re doing?� An officer they�d never seen demanded. �Sit down. This isn�t your freaking palace, you do what I say.�

�Where�s my phone call, jackass?� Joel demanded.

�You wanna call somebody?� The officer looked him up and down, then looked over at Benji, wrinkling his nose. �You got friends that could pay your bail?�

�Just give me back my cell so I can make a call.�

�No cell. Use the pay phone down the hall.�

Joel nodded and looked back at his brother. �I�ll be right back. Hold tight.�

�Just hurry,� Benji replied.

Joel called CJ�s cell phone, glancing over his shoulder at the officer who watched him like a hawk. �CJ�s phone,� LP answered.

�LP?� Joel asked.

�Yep. Hey Joel.�

�Is CJ around?�

�Nope. She got off the bus for something. It�s raining like-�

�Look,� Joel interrupted. �I�m at the police station. I need you or someone to come down here and bail us out.� Joel heard CJ�s voice somewhere far off in the background, the low, rumbling voice of Paul coming off as just an impression of sound beneath it.

�Hey, wait, she just got back,� LP said, handing the phone over.

�Joel?�

He sighed as her voice floated over the receiver. �Yeah. You gotta get us outta here. It�s all backwater and creepy.� The officer glared at him, so he dropped his voice. �I�m getting a bad Deliverance vibe here,� he added.

�Did they tell you what the charges were?� CJ asked. �I don�t think any of this shit was legal. Apparently they only searched the buses, none of the vans or anything, so they were obviously just going for the bigger artists.�

�Bigger the artist, bigger the headline, right? Like when Snoop got busted in Ohio. They�re just trying to make an example of us.�

�Well, fuck that, Joel,� CJ said.

�Yeah, well�� he trailed off, looking around himself at where a dissenting attitude got him.

�Were you trying to get LP to come down to the station and vouch for you?� CJ asked.

He hummed in thought. �I thought that mighta been nice.�

�He�s baked as hell right now,� she laughed. �What�s your excuse? Let me get this straight, you wanted a Black man to come vouch for you while you�re stuck in jail in the middle of boot-leg, Midwest, White-bred USA?�

Without hesitation he answered, �Uh huh, yeah,� Joel replied, nodding like she could see him.

�All right, just asking. We�ll be there ASAP.�

He hung up the phone, and the officer escorted him back to the interrogation room, where he sat down next to Benji again. �Could I get some water?� Benji asked. The officer just closed the door without acknowledging the request.

CJ and LP were at the station twenty minutes later. Benji and Joel could hear her all the way down the hallway, cursing up a blue streak until the light-haired officer that had brought them in opened the door. �They�re right here,� the officer said. �Jesus Christ.� He looked shaken up by the gruff demeanor of the girl who only came up to his chest.

�Hey Ceej,� Joel said, smiling. The officer shut the door behind LP.

�Man, this shit�s whack,� LP murmured, looking around the room, walking over to the mirror and leaning close to it, peering through to the people on the other side.

�They had no right to drag you off to jail like this,� CJ said, looking down at Benji as he reclined in his chair, staring at himself in the mirror. He almost couldn�t recognize himself.

LP�s cell rang and he picked it up.

�I just want to get of here,� Benji mumbled, still watching himself. �Can we go?�

LP listened a few moments to the voice on the other end of his phone, then thrust it towards Joel without an explanation. Joel stared at the phone in his hand, then up at LP�s face questioningly. �Here,� LP said, shaking the phone. �For you.�

Joel reluctantly took the cell from LP and pressed it to his ear. �Hello?�

�Hey, man, I just wanted to say it�s fucked up what happened to you guys.�

He slowly came to recognize Ryan�s voice. �Um� thanks, Ryan,� Joel replied reticently.

�Yeah, man, same here,� Sean chimed in, obviously leaning into Ryan�s phone, because his voice sounded a bit farther off than the guitarist�s.

�I don�t know what they charged you with,� Ryan said, �but I hope it was with possession of� Sike!� both Sean and Ryan yelled into the phone at the same time, then started cracking up.

�What the fuck?� Joel spit into the phone, hearing laughter mirroring Ryan�s on the other side of the two-way mirror.

Ryan started singing, �I got friends in Kansas City, friends in Kansas City,� over and over into the phone as Sean sounded like he was nearly busting a gut on the other end of the line. CJ and Benji looked through the small window in the door to the hallway and saw the light-haired officer and Officer Daly laughing at them, pointing into the room as tears just welled down their cheeks.

�How the hell�?� Joel began, looking at Benji who had caught on to what was going on.

Benji thought back to what he�d eaten before he got sick, and remember very clearly ordering what everyone else had had, outside of a key lime soda. Because how often does a place have key lime soda? He�d stared at the tall glass of bright green liquid before taking a drink and noticed that Yellowcard was dining in the same establishment. His eyes had locked with Ryan�s a moment, and he and Sean had lifted their drinks to him, as though in a toast. They had watched in rapt attention as Benji took a big swig of his soda, grinning triumphantly as he swallowed.

Benji jumped out of his chair, toppling it as he slid up next to Joel. �You fuckers poisoned me,� he yelled into the phone. The only reply was more laughing from the singers in Yellowcard before Benji snatched the phone and flipped it closed, tossing it back at LP. �Did you know about this?� He asked through clenched teeth, pointing at the drummer as he pocketed the phone.

�Know about what?� LP asked, knitting his eyebrows together, confused as to what exactly was going on. He swore right then he�d stop smoking; he was tired of being a step behind everyone else.

�They screwed all of us,� Benji whispered harshly, mostly to himself as he shook his head.

�Can we just get outta here now?� Joel grumbled, leading the way out of the police station. CJ slid behind the wheel of a car she�d borrowed from one of the venue coordinators, and during the drive back the silence was tense and sullen. CJ kept glancing over at Benji as he slumped in the passenger seat, his head leaned against the window. She decided to break the silence.

�They didn�t really screw us,� CJ offered. Benji looked over at her. �I mean, all they really did was assume that everyone around you would care about you enough to do whatever it took to make you feel better.� Benji grumbled something inaudible and turned his eyes back to the road. �So they didn�t play anyone�� CJ continued. �Outside of the poisoning, of course... and rigging things with the cops...� She decided this might not be the best conversation to start and shut her mouth, chewing on her lips ring in a distracted fashion. She glanced in the rearview to see Joel shake his head and look out the window, LP no doubt feeling justifiably uncomfortable, even though he didn�t show it.

�This isn�t over,� Joel said, chewing on the pads of his fingertips. �Not by a long shot.�

�Couldn�t we just bury this, you guys?� LP asked softly, staring out through his window. �Please?� CJ looked back at him as she braked at a stoplight, a smile growing on her face.

Joel looked over at him with an expression on the edge of apologetic, but he still shook his head in conviction. �I don�t think we can.�