The Weight of Dreams || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 8: Smoke and Mirrors

I knew I should have brought a coat. All of mine were packed away in suitcases under the bus.

"How much longer until they get here?" I asked, turning to Tony. He was leaning against our van, typing away. I rubbed my arms, looking around.

"They'll be here soon." He said plainly, without looking up from his phone. I sighed, and eventually was hit with blinding headlights. Another van came barreling in with a screeching halt, pulling up right next to ours.

"Sorry we're late!" Josh yelled, hopping out of the driver's seat. The rest of the guys hopped out of the back. They all grabbed their bags, and made their way over to the buses.

"Hey!" Sam said, turning to me. I smiled up at him, feeling my cheeks burn.
"Hi." I sighed. He looked me up and down.
"Oh, here." He said, taking off his jean jacket and placing it over my shoulders. I looked up at him wide-eyed, my smile growing.
"O-oh.. thank you."
"No problem. Let me get this." He said, grabbing the bag next to me. He motioned towards the first bus. "We going on here?"

"Actually-" Tony cut me off.
"Not quite." He said, finally looking down from his phone. "This bus is yours now."

The guys stopped, looking back at him.
"Ours?" They said together. I smiled up at Sam.
"I told you guys it could be yours one day." I laughed. "Mine is behind it." He looked down at me with wide-eyes and a huge grin. They wasted no time excitedly running up the steps to the bus. I smiled, leaning back against the van. Tony walked over to me, giving me a smirk.

"What?" I sighed. He shook his head.
"Oh, nothing." He said cheerily. He peeked down at Sam's coat. I looked away, knowing what was coming next.
"It's nothing." I said. He giggled to himself.
"Whatever you say, dear." He said, his voice trailing off.
"So is Don gonna come out to meet them or what?" He said, almost snapping. I looked over at him, my face dropping.
"He said he'd come to say hi before we left." I said quietly, crossing my arms again. Tony nodded, pushing himself off the van and making his way onto the guy's bus. I followed closely.

When we got inside, the guys were looking around the bus, much more comfortable than the other night. It was nice to see them settling in. I saw Jake sitting in one of the bunks. I went over and sat next to him.

"Excited?" I asked. He turned to me, beaming.
"It's gonna be awesome." He said. He seemed much less nervous tonight. It was nice.
"I'm excited for you guys." I said, he nodded, keeping his eyes on me.
"Thanks for this." He said. He hesitated, then awkwardly bumped my arm with his fist. I giggled. 
"What's that for?" I asked, scrunching up my face. He was already shaking his head, running his hand through his hair.

"I.. I don't know. I'm not really sure what to do in this kind of situation." He laughed. I sighed, leaning in and hugging him. I felt him quickly tense up, but eventually he relaxed, wrapping his arm around me.
"I didn't have much to do with it, but you're welcome." I said. He smiled, then looked down at Sam's jacket.

"Oh, that's funny. Sam has the same one." He said, reaching out and touching it. I felt my face get hot.
"Oh, um.. y-yeah. He lent it to me outside. All of mine are packed away. I didn't expect it to get cold out yet." His face dropped a little, but he forced a smile, nodding.
"Oh.." He said. My stomach dropped. I could feel the instant change in his energy.

"I should go help them with the rest of the bags." He said, getting up from the bunk.
"I.. I can help-" He waved me off.
"No, no it's okay. We got it, don't worry about it." He forced another smile as he walked off the bus. I sighed, running my hands through my hair. Why was it so hard to talk to him?

"Want me to help you with your stuff?" I heard from behind me. Sam was smiling down at me, holding one of my bags from outside.
"You don't have to do that, I got it." I said, reaching out for my bag. He smiled, pulling it away.
"I really don't mind. Come on, let me see how much better your bus is." He laughed. I smirked, rolling my eyes.
"They're not that different." I said, now getting up from the bunk. I followed him back out into the parking lot.