Free Miles of Pleasure by Stephanie Nicole Page A

turned sad eyes to Kaylee. He wasn't sure what to say.
    "You will have a good time," she assured him with a bright smile.
    "It won't be the same without you, kiddo," Noah assured her, ruffling her hair.
    "You'll get over it. Trust me," Kaylee told him with a teasing cuff to the chest.
    She backed away from Noah, allowing him to get back to his bandmates and finish their celebration. She quietly slipped out of the room without anyone noticing and went back to her room. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for the guys, but for the first time, she felt like she was just a hanger-on, someone who didn't really belong, but was tagging along anyway. She hated feeling as though she wasn't an integral part of the band, but it was true, wasn't it? She was just the singer's sister.

    Over the next few days, the band was on a high. Their concerts were all dead on, and they were getting more publicity since the nomination for Best New Artist had been made public. The fame machine was in full swing.
    Kaylee started to distance herself from the group, even from her brother. She spent a lot of time with Cody and Jayden, which led to spending time with Brandon.
    They were rebuilding their friendship slowly, and Brandon was working really hard to regain her trust in the time that he had left with the band. His assignment had been extended for a while longer, from writing a simple piece to writing a weekly diary about the trials and tribulations of an up and coming new band.
    "You're kinda like the guy in Almost Famous ," she told him one night as they were watching the band play.
    "Did he get the girl in the end?" he asked with a teasing smile.
    Kaylee blushed. "I think he did..."
    Brandon twirled one of her curls around his finger and leaned in close. "Maybe I'll get as lucky as he did," he said into her ear, and her blush went from pink to red hot.
    Everyone noticed Kaylee slowly shrinking into the background, but it never seemed like there was a right time to confront her about it. The band's appearances throughout the days before the shows kept them constantly on the go, then after the shows, they were all too busy partying to have a serious conversation. By the time the party was over, they were all too exhausted to do anything but fall into their bunks and sleep like the dead while the drivers took them to the next town.
    One morning, Kaylee returned to the band bus after spending the night on the manager's bus, to find Ashton waiting for her. The other guys were still asleep, and Ashton looked like he was going to fall asleep at any moment. The rough nights had taken a toll - his usually handsome face looked older, the five-o'clock shadow made him look tired rather than sexy, and the dark circles under his eyes told the story better than any bottles of booze or lines of women ever could.
    "Finally," Ashton said when he saw her. He sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to him, letting Kaylee know that he wanted her to sit there.
    "You look like shit," she said.
    Ashton shrugged. "I will get a few days of sleep and be my fine self again."
    Kaylee slowly went to the couch and sat down sideways at the far end, bringing her feet up on the couch, sitting so that she was facing Ashton. "What's up?"
    "You haven't been around lately," he said, making her aware that it was obvious to the rest of them. "I've been wanting to talk to you."
    Kaylee nodded her head. They hadn't really said anything since that morning at breakfast, when he told her nothing happened between him and Ryver. She wasn't sure she was ready for this talk, no matter what it was, but she had no idea what he had wanted to say.
    "Look, you don't owe me any explanations..."
    "I don't have an explanation," he said, confused. "I have a question."
    Kaylee blinked at him. She watched as Ashton folded his hands, then spread his fingers wide. He cracked his knuckles. He looked toward the window, then back at her, then down at the floor.
    "You look nervous as hell," she said, pointing