SONG OF THE CHAPTER:
Mess by Real Friends
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She said she went there a lot. The girl I met at the bench, Maria. She said it was five minutes away from her apartment, and that it was her thinking spot. It's where she goes to clear her mind. I really hope she needed her mind cleared tonight, because talking to her could make everything better.
Half an hour later I'm sitting cross legged on the bench by myself. She is no where in sight. My left earbud is plugged into my ears and the song 'Mess' by Real Friends is playing softly through the small speakers. Stella's note is clasped between my shaking fingers as I re-read it. Over and over again until I don't even need the paper to know what it says.
I read until there's ink smudged across my fingers from turning the pages, and the paper has become worn from turning and crinkling in various ways.
"Hey, stranger." A voice calls from behind me and I turn around to catch sight of Maria walking up. Her eyes are puffy and the skin on her face is blotchy, she's been crying. Her hands are shoved into the pockets of her black coat as she approaches me.
"Hi. Are you alright?" I ask quickly.
"As well as can be I suppose. Mark, my boyfriend- or ex now- anyways, he broke up with me. Hence the 'ex.'"
"Damn. That's shitty." I mumble.
"Yeah. How did you get over your ex?" She asks as she moves to take a seat beside me.
"That's why I was sitting here. I was kind of hoping you needed to think somewhere, but I didn't plan on you being upset. I just wanted to talk to you."
She smiles, flashing me two rows of pearly white teeth. "I get it. So what's up?" She adjusts her legs so one is crossed over the other, her jean clad ankle over her knee.
"I'm not over my ex, like at all. I've been moping around the bus since the tour began and haven't really moved until we go on stage. The rest of my band picked up on it, 'cause normally I'm a lot louder. So they dragged me out to dinner a couple nights ago at a bar, which I thought was weird to begin with. They'd arranged to meet her there. So she knew I'd be there, my band knew she'd be there, but I didn't. And I wasn't at all ready, so I ran. That's why I was here that night. Anyways I get back after we finish talking and I'm beat, so I go to bed. I can't sleep though, so I'm just lying on my bunk. Then two of them start talking behind me about giving me something. My ex gave them a note for me." I hand her the pile of papers in my hands with a frown.
"Woah." She breathes as she skims over the words. "This is pretty rough."
I shrug. "She's always been like that, a realist. A no bullshit kind of girl."
"I can see that."
"So what do you think? Do you think it's completely pointless to try and win her back?"
She breathes out a deep sigh before handing the papers back to me. "I don't know Jack. I'm not her, but she sounds pretty through with the relationship."
"I know."
She looks up at me with her wide hazel eyes. "That's not what you wanted to hear, is it?"
I shrug. "It's what I needed."
She shakes her head. "But what you need isn't always what's best for you."
I crack a small smile. "Is that so?"
"Yeah." She answers with a smile of her own. Then there's a beat of silence. I take this as the time to look out into the lake as the waves gently lap at the shore in a soothing rhythm. "Jack," she finally says.
"Mhm?" I mumble before turning to look at her. There's a look of confusion on her face as she's thinking something over.
"You said your band was lazy and didn't do much. How are you on a tour across state if you guys are lazy?"
I laugh inside my head. Across the state, I wish. We're across the country and up a little bit into Canada, nothing like across the state. "I might have lied a teensy bit. The band isn't small, we've gotten pretty big actually. We're on our North American leg of the tour right now, then we head up to the UK for some more shows. I don't know, I guess I wanted to be normal for a little while."
She laughs. "Most likely to become famous indeed."
There's a buzz in my back pocket and I pull out my phone and curse at the screen. The show starts in an hour and a half.
"What?"
"I have to go. The show starts in an hour and a half and I still have to get back."
"Do you want me to drive you? It's a five minute walk."
I contemplate this for a moment. That's definately smarter. "Would you mind? I'll even get you a backstage pass."
She smiles. "What if I don't like your music."
"Then you don't have to stay, but it's the only thing I can offer."
"Okay, whatever. C'mon you don't want to be late."
She stands up and I realise she's quite tall, maybe three or four inches shorter than me, which is quite substantial to my six-foot-plus frame. We walk about five minutes before arriving at a small set of apartments. She pulls a set of keys from inside her pocket and unclocks a small silver car. I follow her inside and quickly buckle the seatbelt.
"Where are we going?" She asks.
"I don't actually know which venue we're playing, but I came that way." I say as I point to the left.
She starts the car and pulls onto the street. The traffic isn't as heavy as it could be, so after a haphazard set of directions we areive outside the backdoor.
"This is huge." She whispers quietly as I lead her through the back door.
"I suppose it could be nerve wracking if you aren't used to it." I tell her.
"What do you do in the band?"
"Guitar." I smile a little, I haven't played my cutom black matte eclipse in a while. I jog through the maze of halls with her hot on my heels. My phone buzzes in my pocket again and I slow to pull it out.
From: bae
JACK WHERE R U
THE SET STARTS
IN AN HOUR
Read 8:47 PM
To: bae
chill im backstage
Delivered 8:48 PM
"Okay, we have to hurry. My band's looking for me." I tell Maria before pulling her through another two turns and right to backstage. Alex is still on his phone as another text comes through.
From: bae
i dont c u
Read 8:50 PM
To: bae
look up fucker
Delivered 8:50 PM
Alex looks up and relief washes over his face and then curiousity. He strides over to meet me quickly before hugging me. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't run off like that again."
"You did, but this was an emergency." I tell him.
"And you are?" Alex asks, turning to look at Maria.
"I'm Maria." She says before extending her hand.
"I'm Alex." He answers before turning to me. "Dude, we are so playing Dear, Maria."
She looks up at me with confusion until I fill her in that it's one of our songs. "Oh. Cool." She mumbles in response."
"Are you cool here with Alex? I've got to get ready." I ask with a smile. She looks back at him with a hint of hesitation. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite. And his girlfriend would be pretty pissed if he hit on you so that won't happen either." I finish with a laugh. She nods quickly and I turn to go get ready for the show.
According to our manager it's unacceptable to go on stage with any resemblance of a homeless man, so I change out of my sweatpants and worn white shirt and swap it for a pair of black skinny jeans and a baggy striped shirt.
Once my appearance is okay I make my way back to Maria. When I get there, her and Zach are talking quietly side by side. I smile, because I know how tough he finds it to talk to anyone outside of the band. I leave them be and move to Alex.
"You ready?" He asks with a smile.
"Oh yeah." I tell him and I pick up my black eclispe with gold trim.
"So that girl there, you two like." He says with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"We fucking?"
"Yeah, you know. Little action on the side."
I laugh. "No, we're just friends."
"Sure, Jack. I'll play along." He clears his throat. "You've got a really great friend over there." He says with an accent on the word friend.
"Alex, you know you're the one I love." I move closer and wrap my arms around his neck before puckering my lips.
"Jack get off me!" He exclaims. I shrug, his loss.
And mine too, I suppose. Alex is a hell of a good kisser.
"Okay boys, two minutes till show time. You ready?" Rian asks with a smile on his face.
"You should be asking Zach that question." Alex nods his head in Zach's direction and Rian turns around before laughing.
"Who's she?" He asks.
"Maria." I fill in.
He nods and then we're being ushered onto stage.
Alex moves to the mic right away with a smile on his face. "Hey guys, how are you doing?" The crowd roars and he smiles. "Normally, we don't start with this song. But it's your lucky day." He says. Zach, Rian and I don't move. What is he doing?
Then he starts singing. He did not.
"I got your picture,
I'm coming with you.
Dear, Maria count me in
There's a story at the bottom of this bottle,
And I'm the pen"
I strike up the riff and start playing, then Rian and Zach join in. Alex smiles over at me before entering the first verse.
I bounce across the stage to where Maria is standing. She flashes me two thumbs and I smile back at her before sauntering over to Zach.
Alex is most of the way through the second chorus by the time I get back to my mic so I just hop on the spot. The crowd cheers and I spot a little boy in the front row reaching his hand out to me. I drop the pick in my hand into his outstretched palm before running back to my mic to grab a new one.
When I turn back around there's a bra sitting on the edge of the stage. I smile and leave it where it is, planning on grabbing it between songs. On the last chorus I move over to the mic and sing, not that anyone really notices it's me. Alex's mic is way louder than mine during songs, they turn mine on again when I want to talk.
The song closes with a ring from the guitars and I move to grab the bra at the edge of the stage. I notice the writing on it and bring it back to my mic.
"What you got there?" Alex asks me.
"A message." I call back with a smile.
"Really what does it say?"
"It says 'Jack I want your penis inside me.'" I tell him.
"Seriously?"
"No. It says 'Hi, I love you.' I love you too!" I call out into the audience. There's more screaming and I drop one of the straps over my mic stand and move back to the stage as the second song starts.
And that's how the rest of the night goes, me smiling without having to force it. And I'm pretty sure it has everything to do with the girl waiting for me back stage.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
hey i got a new one upp
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