Tae was the Tae in Maddie and Tae. She and her best friend had been doing this whole music thing for a little over three years. They had moved to Nashville together when they were just eighteen. It had been a whirlwind ever since. They had been on tour with Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, and they were gearing up to go out with Riley Green, and some new upcoming artist. They would be the second performer since Riley was headlining. It was a big move for their career and Tae was estatic. It was going to be great.

The only bad thing was that Tae was going on this tour with a shattered heart. Her fiancé of two years, boyfriend of two; had broken up with her a week prior to them leaving. That was five days ago. Their tour started in two days and she was a mess. She couldn’t eat, she’d hardly been able to handle water, he said her tour life was just too hard on her, and she was sure it was going to just about kill her. She didn’t know how she was going to get past this.

They were heading to California. The tour was starting out on the west coast and working its way to the east. They had just gotten a new tour bus, but they were all flying out on the labels jet together.

She was curled up on the double seat as the jet took off from Nashville. She was the true definition of a mess. She was wrapped up in a blanket with a glass of wine.

[https://pin.it/1qdn8ri outfit]

"Maddie and Tae I assume?" Riley asked as the girls who had just gotten out of a car walked to the beach house. "Beach house until the tour starts, I thought it would be a good way for all of the musicians to get to know each other and its a hell of a lot more comfortable than a hotel." he said smiling, "Go ahead and pick rooms, theres plenty and don't mind the dog... he loves everyone and I don't go anywhere without him, "I'm Riley by the way." he said reaching his hand out to shake theirs. "Big fan by the way." he said smiling.

Riley wasn't the kind of guy to let other people do something he could do so he got their bags and carried them inside and tipped the driver. "Buses will come here instead of us having to go to a bus depot and the kitchen is stocked with snacks." he said sitting their bags down as Charlie jumped on them. Charlie was a labrador pup.

Tae had been crying when the plane landed. Her face was probably covered in makeup as they walked into the beach house that Riley had apparently talked the Label into renting so everyone could get to know one another.

She smiled weakly as Riley met them at the door to great him. [b “Thanks for inviting us on the tour.”] she said as she reached to shake his hand. She looked down as a lab puppy all but tried to jump into her arms. [b “He’s precious..”] She looked over at Maddienwho was already in the kitchen trying to find some snacks. [b “Thanks for getting the bags... But we can manage. I uh... I’m gonna go lay down.”] she mumbled as tears feel from her face as she grabbed her suitcase and duffle bag to head upstairs. She ended up picking the room that had a balcony. It seemed peaceful, she had hoped Riley wouldn’t mind. He seemed nice, so hopefully he would understand that she was just going through a rough time.

[i “I promise. She’s not normally so.... sad. Her fiancé left her about a week ago.”] Maddie told Riley. [b “She’s just so sad. I don’t even know how to help her at this point.”]

"We're going to have a bonfire tonight on the beach, that might help but if she wants to hang out with Charlie, I'm sure he would love it and hes a good cuddler, we won't push her to do anything she doesn't want to go." he said softly to Maddie. "Make sure she eats something, we are all going to order in food tonight so think about what yall want." He muttered as she went up the stairs, his puppy not far behind her. The dog wanted to be with everyone and he understood that.

He welcomed everyone and went up to his room and smiled seeing Tae had picked the room beside his, he had a balcony as well. The rooms were nice but he and Tae had the best ones, they were joined in the middle by a bathroom that was shared by the two rooms. He assumed she thought Maddie had his room.

Maddie looked at Riley and nodded. [b “S’mores will make her feel better... Along with white claws.”] she told him with a smile. [b “She loves Mexican food, and wings.”]

Tae looked over as Charlie had came up to her room and jumped in the bed with her. [b “Hi buddy.”] she said as the puppy had curled into her. [b “I’ll take some cuddles.”] They said that dogs could sense when people were upset, and at that point, she believed it.

That night she was woke up from a nap with the puppy still cuddled up to her. She smelt food downstairs, and she was starving. [b “Come on Charlie.”] she said as she got up. Walking downstairs, she only seen Riley. [b “Hey. Sorry, I guess I kinda kidnapped your dog. He gives really good cuddles.”] she said as she sat down on the couch across from him. [b “Also. Sorry if I really wasn’t friendly earlier... I’m just going through some stuff.”]

"I get it and you can kidnap Charlie all you want, hes good for snuggles and theres mexican, pizza, and chinese food in the kitchen if your interested, we ordered a little bit of everything because no one could decide. I asked Maddie and she said wings and Mexican food and I made sure we got both so you had a choice." He said flashing her a smile.

He got his own food and sat down on the couch near her. "Thats one thing about the road, take out is a life saver but here, its a good thing too because no one wanted to cook, we did run and get some snacks for the bonfire and things for Smores, I am going to light the fire after we all finish eating." he said to her. He was worried she hated him even if she said she was going through some things. He wanted them all to get along.

Tae grabbed a mixture of the Mexican food and wings, along with a mango white claw. [b “Takeout has definitely been a life saver. Maddie and I have been on a few tours, but this is our first coast to coast one.”] she told him. She didn’t know if he knew their history or not.

She sat down on the coach and looked at him. [b “I don’t know if Maddie told you, but I have a feeling it’s gonna be in the magazines soon.”] she said softly. [b “My Fiancé left me a week ago.”] It felt really good to say it out loud. She hadn’t said it yet, but it felt really good. [b “He said my touring was too hard on him. I don’t even know how that’s possible considering I made it a damn point to be home almost one night a week. I mean, music is my life. I never asked him to give up his dream or me... Yet it was okay for him to give me an ultimatum. Music or him.”] She just about chugged her white claw and sighed. [b “Thet felt good to get off my chest. Oh wow. I just unloaded on you. I’m sorry.”]

She took the last sip of her white claw and then took a bite of the Mexican food. [b “So I wasn’t the right person for him. I cried a lot, but now I’m just pissed all the damn time. Like I just have the need to punch him.”]

"No need to apologize to me, I know the feeling, a girl I dated for two years left me with no explaination, no note, no anything and when I finally track her down to find out what the hell happened, shes married to another man already and I am just left to pick up the pieces." He said taking a drink of his bud light. "Sorry to unload on you, bad things happen to good people and its the shitty part of life but the positive side is your here now with your sister and all of us who care about how you feel. You need anything, you can talk to me or anyone else here and I am sure we will try to help." He said smiling.

Soon everyone wanted to go outside to start the bonfire and he lit the fire before going in to get the cooler of drinks and leave it on the porch.

[b "Some people just aren't cut out for this life, I guess."] she mumbled. [b "Oh. Maddie isn't my sister. She's just my best friend."] she said. A lot of people thought that they were related; but they weren't. When you lived with someone on the world's smallest tour bus like they had when they first started touring; you had to become close.

She followed Riley outside after she had gotten another white claw. It was beautiful. The beach, the sunset. Nashville had nothing on Malibu. [b "She was an idiot, you know."] she told Riley as he lit the fire. [b "Your ex girlfriend was a complete idiot. Leaving someone like you... She was just downright stupid."] she told him. Riley had only known her for less than a day, and he was so kind. So thoughtful. [b "Maddie told me that you ordered all of this to make me feel better...I really appreciate it."]

"I did and thank you... she seemed to think I was the stupid one chasing my dreams and said I would never make anything of myself... did most of this to prove her wrong, I'm sorry I assumed that Maddie was your sister... best friends are better, sisters can get annoying, I know I have a little sister." He said flashing her a smile, "Shes 13 and thinks her older brother is the most boring person alive." He said chuckling.

He was on his second bud light with lime and saw one of his band mates going to play the acoustic that he had brought. "What got you into music?" He asked her as he barely listened to anything else, he was more interested in what she had to say. The girl went through a breakup just like he did so maybe they could help each other that way.