Spring Breakdown

This Is Normal Life?

Luke's pov

We set up a tour as fast as we could. Getting back on the road is quite possibly the most important thing right now. Get my mind off this shit. Jason was onstage while me and Caroline was backstage, watching him. "As you may have known, we ran into some crazy shit the other day!" He shouts into the mic. "Well I gotta say, America is the land of the free and the home of the brave." He breaks into a cover of It's America by Rodney Atkins. The lights flashing and the music up loud. I smile gladly. This is so much fun. I walk out after grabbing my guitar to sing the last verse. But before I even get there, the bright lights flashing in my eyes starts to give me a headache. Jason's eyes go wide. "I'm fine." I say, ignoring the pounding in my head. Suddenly the stage vanishes and so does my best friend. The desert under my feet is hot and my shoes are gone. What's going on?!

Jason's pov

Shit! I throw down my guitar and grab his arms. "LUKE! SPEAK TO ME MAN!" He just stands there in a daze. "Hey cut the lights!" I call to the stagehands. The girls run out, looking scared. "What's wrong with him?" Caroline cries. "The flashing lights brought on PTSD." We get him backstage but he won't snap out of it. Caroline screams his name and after about ten minutes he finally comes back. "W-What happened?" "More importantly what'd you see?" I ask. "A desert.... It was super hot." "Definitely a flashback. Dammit." This is what I was trying to keep from happening to Luke!

*the next morning*

Luke's pov

I walk off the bus, still worried about the incident last night. I see Jason sitting on the steps of his bus, a cigarette burning, his hands covering his face. I sit beside him. "You alright?" "Just.... Stressed." He says, sighing and moving his hands. "What do I do about this man?" "There's nothing you can do man. Well you can get the microchip but trust me ya don't want to do that." I stare at the concrete worried. "How come the lights don't mess with you?" "I'm used to it by now." I stand up. He looks up. "Let's hit the bar, bro." "I dunno man. I kinda wanna stay here with Jack." I shrug and he stamps out his cigarette. I get in my truck and head to the bar. A few minutes after I get there, Caroline texts me asking where I am. I tell her I'm at the bar and I lay my head down on the bar top. How long will it take til I'm used to this? And what microchip was he talking about? I have about three beers then head to the buses. Caroline was holding Jack. "Where's Jason and Miranda?" I ask. "They went to the store to get something for dinner." Dang it. I wish he was here. I wanna talk to him about that microchip he was talking about. I decide to call him instead. "Hello?" "Hey man, ya got time to talk?" "Yeah just waiting in the drive thru. What's up?" "What was that microchip you were talking about?" Silence for three seconds. "Luke, don't. Please just trust me don't do it." "What's so bad about it?" "Do you really want military grade equipment in your head? Ya never know what they could do!" He's always been untrusting of the government. But he might know what he's talking about. I should listen to him. "Ok man. Thanks." "Promise me, Luke. No matter how bad your PTSD gets, you won't get the microchip implanted in you!" He sounds freaked. "I promise." I say, worried. I wonder what's so bad about it! "I'm drivin' now man so I gotta get off." "Ok. Talk to ya later." I get off the phone. Caroline asks if I wanna hold him. I smile and nod. The cute little kid is so quiet and well behaved. Then again that might be an autism thing. I don't know anything about autism. The Aldeans get back with dinner. Jason was on his phone. Miranda takes Jack into the bus. Me, Jason, and Caroline eat burgers on tailgates. "What are you doing?" Caroline asks, pointing at Jason who's still on his phone. "Research." He says, pocketing his phone. "On what?" "The autism." He says, sighing. Poor guy. I wish life could go easier for him.