Rob’s words didn’t register with Jane until he had already made his way into the house, leaving her standing by the van wrapped up in her thoughts. “Good night,” she called out, not sure if he heard her. What could Rob want to talk about? Why she had to nearly blow out her vocal chords so that he’d be happy on stage? Why he’s treated her like a stranger lately? Jane was over it. If she had to try this hard to continue their friendship, was it really worth it? At first, she thought so, but now, she wasn’t so sure.

After grabbing her big hobo bag out of the van, Jane entered the house and followed the noise until she made it to the kitchen to be greeted by Mark and Sarah. Her eyes wandered around the two-bedroom, cozy home, but they eventually landed back on the couple. “Nice place, thanks for letting us stay,” she smiled politely. Jane didn’t feel like tipping off the guys on what she was planning on doing that night, so she remained neutral. Looking down at her shirt, she laughed. “Do you guys mind if I shower?”

Sarah walked over to the three guys in their living room. “The guest bedroom has a bathroom, along with one in the hall. There’s a bed in there, and the couch is a pull out,” she announced as she pointed to it, and then her attention turned back to Jane. 
“You can shower in our room,” the young woman said quietly, and Jane felt heat rise to her cheeks, turning them red. 
“Yeah, thanks,” she replied, looking down and grabbing her bags before entering the couple’s room. 

She set her bags down on the floor as she observed it briefly and eventually made her way into the bathroom. It was nice – a roman tub, granite counters, and a standalone shower all in different corners – and Jane sighed in relief at the sight. After stripping down, she got in the shower and turned the water faucet to the hottest setting she could handle, and dirt from her feet began to swirl around the bottom of the shower like a whirlpool. Her long, blonde, and now tangled hair took extra effort to get clean and conditioned, and after about half an hour, Jane reluctantly left the warmth and made her way in front of the bathroom mirror.

After her towel dropped, Jane took a minute to look at her reflection. Tanned skin wrapped around her thin frame, littered with scars and a few, sun-worn tattoos. Gravity had not affected her yet; she figured it was because gravity really had nothing to pull on. She made peace with not being very blessed in the chest region a long time ago, but sometimes, she wondered what she’d look like if she got them done, or at least wore a push up bra – but Jane shook her head at the thought. That went against everything she believed in. 

A deep breath later, Jane quietly opened the door and was greeted by Mark and Sarah sitting on their bed. “I, uh,” she laughed, “left my clothes out here.”
Mark stood up. “You don’t need them right now.” 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours later, Jane emerged from the room quietly and made her way through the pitch-black house to the backyard, taking a seat on one of the patio chairs, wearing a large black t-shirt and a pair of boyshorts. The relief she received was brief, and her mind had already turned back to her and Rob. Her ear buds were in, and she hit “shuffle” on her phone. [url=https://youtu.be/hK0dwP9nzJU]Can’t Wait by CHON[/url] came on first, and Jane wanted to change it despite the correlation of the song’s lyrics and how she felt, but instead, it continued, and she hummed along quietly.

She didn’t want to lose her best friend, but maybe she already was. He didn’t seem interested in the band anymore, let alone their friendship, and maybe it would be for the better if she stopped trying to force it on him. Jane would probably have to tell him that though, because it didn’t seem like the tension was going to go away on its own.

“Fuck,” she whispered to herself, and her head leaned on one hand, while the other repeatedly delivered the cigarette to her mouth. Maybe she shouldn’t have slept with them. Jesus, what was wrong with her? Now she was regretting her sexual conquests? She groaned as she tried to get herself to stop thinking about it all, deciding to lean her head back and close her eyes after she put out the cigarette. Jane didn’t want to go back in the room to Mark and Sarah, and the house was too dark to see where everyone else was sleeping, so the wicker, cushioned chair seemed to be her best bet.