Reece faked feeling weak and made a big production of laying his head on the table and pointing to his mouth.

“You’re ridiculous. Food will be here in five minutes,” Bristol said. She looked at Lucy, Tam, and Carter sitting on the couch across from them. “Why are they shy all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know. Lu seems to be all about Instagram and TikTok. At least I can look up from my phone. She doesn’t seem to be able to.” He motioned for his friends to come over. “Don’t be rude.”

Bristol blushed but didn’t correct him. They were being rude.

“I’m sorry, Bristol.” Lucy sat next to Reece. Vanessa sat on the other side of Annie. Reece’s friends sat in cushy chairs across from the table. “This is a really posh bus, Bristol. I bet touring is easy in this thing.”

Bristol smiled. She was so young and so uninterested. She wondered if Lucy was taking photos and posting them. “Thanks. Also, please don’t post any photos of the inside of the bus. For safety reasons, okay?” Bristol bit back her smirk when Lucy’s eyes widened with panic.

“Oh, definitely won’t,” Lucy said.

Bristol watched as Lucy casually hit a few buttons on her phone while trying to make it seem like she wasn’t in full panic mode. After a few furious clicks, Lucy’s shoulders relaxed, and she put her phone facedown on the table. Carter opened the door when they heard a knock, and someone announcing the catering service was there with food. Reece playfully pushed everyone out of the way and hovered over the staff as they set up the food, plucking warm chicken tenders and a brownie from the serving platters.

“Can you not be such an animal? There are plates and silverware available.” Bristol put her hand on her hips and scowled at her brother. She’d picked the menu knowing her brother and his friends would eat things like chicken tenders, French fries, cole slaw, and potato salad, but she also knew that grease made her voice sound froggy, so she added salads and grilled chicken.

“This is a lot of food,” Annie said.

“My brother eats like a horse. Trust me. Most of what you see here will be gone in an hour.”

“Your family dynamic reminds me of mine. It makes me miss Sarah and Peyton.”

Bristol covered Annie’s hand with her own. It was warm and soft and fit perfectly. “Less than two weeks.” She pulled her hand away and smiled encouragingly at her.

“Hey, Bristol.” Reece interrupted them. “You never answered me. Are you going to give me eight tickets to the finale?”

“Do you even know eight people?”

“Ha, ha, ha.” He snorted. “I’m auctioning them off on eBay to the highest bidder. I mean I could pay my college tuition.”

Bristol bumped her shoulder against his. “You already have a college fund.”