Nodus Tollens
In Times Of Crisis Grab A Stranger To Use As A Human Shield And Speak In Song Lyrics
25 JUNE 2233
TARA
A pair of dark green eyes met hers, and the slick smile on his face made her blood boil. His dirty blonde hair was still perfectly gelled, which she thought was a little eerie since he just finished playing a show. His fight-eight frame blocked her from passing him, and Tara pulled her shoulders back as she glared up at him. The rhythm guitarist, without any kind of tattoos or piercings, continued to stare down at her with that creepy smile.
“Move, Gabe.” The sound of her voice surprised her, because she couldn’t remember ever sounding this angry.
“What are you in such a hurry for? Stay and enjoy my company,” Gabe said as his smile grew wider.
“Emily’s back here somewhere. If you don’t move, I’ll get her to come kick your ass. Again.” Gabe stepped to the side and let her pass, and she continued walking around backstage. Tara found the drummer next. He was leaning against a wall and twirling a drumstick between his fingers. His back was to her, so she quickly walked around him.
“Where is he?”
“Tara! I was wondering if you’d make it,” Lee said quickly. One hand cupped the back of his neck, instantly signaling that he was nervous. She kept her gaze focused up on him, she had to look up pretty far since he was five-ten, but Lee never met her gaze. She let out a small sigh as her eyes traveled down the length of his left arm, which was tattooed with skulls and roses, until she could watch the way he nervously tapped his fingers against his thigh.
“Lee, tell me where he is,” Tara said and looked up at him again. He pushed some dark brown hair off of his forehead, Lee’s hair was always messy, and his light brown eyes shone with unshed tears.
“They didn’t tell me,” Lee said quietly.
“They never do,” she said just as quietly.
“He’s in the dressing room. Fifth door on the left.”
“Thanks, Lee.” She walked away from one of her closest friends and continued walking around the maze-like backstage.
It only took a few minutes to find the room she was looking for, and another five-eight body blocked her way to the entrance. Her wavy black hair was put up on top of her head, and her tank top showed the tattoo across her shoulders. Tara’s eyes quickly roamed over the MORRISON tattoo, and she remembered sitting beside the other woman while she got it. Mercy had cried, and she now had an incurable fear of needles. Which was why she only had one tattoo and the nose piercings were fakes.
“Excuse me,” Tara said from behind her. Dark brown eyes met hazel, but Tara didn’t back down. Mercy could intimidate a lot of people, she was good at it, but not Tara. No, Tara knew her too well.
“Who invited you?” Mercy asked and crossed her arms.
“I’ve only been dating your brother for about ten years, so don’t give me that shit. I know he’s in there, so get out of my way.” Mercy smiled and started to walk off, but she paused right next to Tara instead. Tara already knew the gist of what Mercy was going to say before a single word left her lips, but she stood still and listened anyway.
“I don’t know what he sees in you anyway, not that it matters. I’m sure he’ll find someone much better now.” Tara’s hand quickly found the doorknob, and she threw the small wooden door open.
The person standing across the room didn’t jump. His back was to her, and their eyes connected through the mirror in front of him. Tara could feel her blood boiling and her heart pounding even as her eyes soaked in his six-one frame. He must have taken a quick shower, because his shirt was off and his hair was still wet. Her eyes quickly looked over his newly finished back piece, tattoos of roses and skulls and a giant hourglass, before moving back up to meet his eyes.
“Ta—”
“Shut up.” Her words were calm, but a part of her was begging to let loose and start screaming at him. Kellan slowly turned around, and Tara glared at him as he started to walk towards her. He didn’t stop until they were close enough to touch, and she could feel the heat rolling off his skin. His black hair was shaved on the sides with a wet section hanging over his forehead, and his dark brown eyes stared into hers.
“You can’t seriously be mad about this,” Kellan said. He crossed his arms over his chest, and she placed her hands on her hips. This stance felt very familiar…but she needed to focus on the present.
“I’m supposed to be okay with you being a sell-out?” Tara asked. Smaller bands were left alone. Kellan’s band was one of the smaller ones, they only played around LA, so they were free to do as they wanted. But now…that was all over now.
“I’m not a sell-out!” Kellan yelled.
“Then what the hell do you call that?!” Tara yelled and pointed in the general direction of the stage. The same stage where Mercy had stood and said that stupid fucking Two-Eight motto.
“We got a better offer, and we took it! You should be happy for me!”
“Happy that you’ve sold out and conformed just to make more money?! What happened to all those speeches and rants about always staying true to yourself and your music?! What happened to wanting to be free, huh?!”
“It’s still me and my music!” Kellan yelled. Tara bit back everything she wanted to say and looked away. Yelling about how he was actually performing The Management’s music, not his own, wasn’t going to help any. It was already too late. So she took a few deep breaths and then looked back up at him.
“Me or the band?” she asked. Kellan’s glare softened and turned into confusion as he looked down at her.
“You know I can’t leave them,” Kellan said quietly.
“Then we’re through! Again!” Tara yelled and turned around. She didn’t hear the footsteps behind her until she was outside, and a hand closed around her arm a few moments later. There were a bunch of fans pushing against the metal fence a few feet away, screaming and watching both of them.
“Would you stop being so…you?!” Kellan yelled. Some of the fans stopped screaming so they could hear better.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Tara yelled back.
“Nothing!”
“What part of ‘we’re through’ didn’t you understand?! Let me go!” Tara pulled her arm away from him, and she could hear a few shocked gasps coming from the fans a few feet away.
“What’s with you?! You were fine yesterday!”
“I don’t—”
“Wake up!” Tara bolted upright and blinked against the brightness of the room she was in. Bright blue eyes looked down at her, and she forced a small smile onto her stiff face. Right. She fell asleep in the emergency room waiting room, where all the bands and all the girls were gathered together. Emily and Aiden tried to talk her into seeing a doctor herself, but she already had that taken care of. Sort of.
“What’d I miss?” Tara asked as she looked around. Everything looked the same way it did before she fell asleep. Patti shrugged and handed her a nice warm cup, and Tara started to bring it to her lips. Her eyes caught the clock hanging on the wall across the room, and she nearly dropped her cup in shock. She slept for a lot longer than she realized. She quickly handed the cup back to Patti and then jumped up.
“Where are you going?!” Patti yelled after her.
“I’m late for an appointment!” Tara yelled over her shoulder. She quickly rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.
TORI
“Well, someone’s in a hurry,” Tori said as she watched Tara disappear around a corner. Tori fell into one of the empty chairs and closed her eyes.
“She’s always in a hurry,” Lindsay said from beside her.
“Because she’s always late for something,” Audrey said from her other side.
“How’s Jeph?” Patti asked. She was sitting across from Tori, with Aiden next to her.
“They said he’ll be okay. He’s got a mild concussion and a broken leg,” Tori reported. The hospital had been a little understaffed, so they had asked for help from anyone with medical experience after the influx of patients. (Several members of the crowd had gotten injured in the small panic that occurred after Jeph got pinned by a large piece of metal.) Emily and Tori were the only ones with any kind of medical training, so they’d both been helping the doctors and other nurses for a while. After everything was done, Emily left for a well-deserved nap while Tori stayed with Jeph.
“How long will they keep him?” Pyper asked.
“Just until they’re sure his concussion won’t get any worse,” Tori said.
“Where’d she go this time?” Emily asked and looked around the waiting room. Emily was supposed to be napping, not up and looking for…someone.
“Do you think she?” Sam asked her.
“No, she can’t stand him either,” Emily replied. The two disappeared around the same corner they had just come from, and Tori looked at the girls sitting around her.
“Anyone else confused?” she asked.
“Just a little,” Lindsay replied. Tori leaned back in her chair and lightly rubbed her fingers over her eyes. It can’t get any worse, can it?
TARA
“Good morning, America!” Tara yelled with her arms spread wide.
“Remind me to lower the dosage on your pain medication next time,” Doctor Alberts said as he scribbled something on her chart. Once he was done with that, he walked over to where she was sitting on the hospital bed and examined the cast-like thing on her nose.
“Why would I do a stupid thing like that?” The response made the older doctor laugh, and Tara smiled as much as she could with a giant thing attached to her nose.
“Keep it taped up for at least two weeks. If the swelling persists, go to an emergency room immediately.” Tara nodded in all seriousness and then she grinned up at the doctor.
“So, Doc, can you tell me how my friend is doing? A Mister Jeph Howard?” she asked.
“Are you asking me to break patient confidentiality?” the doctor asked as he stared down at her.
“I’ll have Aiden bake you some more of those brownies. The ones I gave you last Christmas.” Doctor Alberts thought it over for a moment and then clasped his hands behind his back.
“Mister Howard is slightly concussed with a broken leg,” the doctor reported.
“Is he gonna be okay?”
“Yes, he’ll be just fine. You just need to worry about your own health.” Tara nodded as she got to her feet, and she managed to give the doctor a genuine smile.
“I’ll be right as rain in a jiffy, Doc,” Tara said and tapped her right cheek next to the tape.
“Would you like a prescription this time?” he asked as he turned back to her chart.
“Nah, I think I can live with the pain. See you next time I’m in Vegas, Doc!” Tara called out as she walked out of the orthopedic wing of the hospital. She turned a corner with her eyes closed, because her throbbing nose made her eyes constantly water, so she didn’t see if anyone else was in the hallway.
“You!”
“It’s not me!” Tara yelled and threw what she was holding. She peeked her watery eyes open and saw a tall skinny guy holding her new little first-aid kit. It had bandages and tape, for her nose.
“A box, really?” Mikey asked her.
“Can I have that back, please?” she asked. Mikey shuffled over to stand next to her and passed her the first-aid kit.
“Thank you,” she said and hugged the small red box to her chest.
“What are you doing way over here?” Mikey asked and looked all around them.
“Had to see a bone doctor because someone in last night’s stampede broke my nose,” she explained.
“Sucks to be you,” Mikey mumbled and spun around on his heel to walk off. Tara quickened her pace to catch up with him, and they walked out of the small orthopedic wing together.
“So, how’d you find me? I think I forgot to tell anyone where I was going,” she said and reached up to move some hair out of her face. Patti had woken her up at seven, which had been the time of her appointment. With everything that had happened last night, she forgot to tell anyone that she scheduled an appointment with Doctor Alberts for her nose before falling asleep in the waiting room.
“Me, Raven, and Frank were playing hide-n-seek. I had a really good spot, until this guard found me. Your name came to my head first, so I told him I was looking for you. Then he shoved me into the orthopedic ward. Is your nose really broken?” Mikey asked.
“Only a little, but definitely still broken.”
“Sucks to be you,” Mikey said again.
“Would you stop saying that?!” Tara yelled.
“Shh! We’re in a hospital!” Mikey whispered. Tara glanced over at him, considered telling him that his big brother was the reason her nose was currently broken but decided against it, and then concentrated on where she was walking.
“I think playing hide-n-seek in a hospital is more disrespectful than yelling. Now, I have an idea,” Tara said as they continued to walk.
“Does it involve strawberry bubble baths?”
“That’s Plan B.”
“Then what’s Plan A?”
“Jeph isn’t going to be able to play for a while, because of the broken leg, so you guys could switch out playing for him or something. Or, you could use your other-worldly knowledge and find me a new bassist,” Tara said and looked over at him.
“Hmm, maybe—”
“New bassist!” The loud voice caused Tara to jump, and she narrowed her eyes at the person now standing next to Mikey.
“L-Lee? What are you doing here?!” Tara whispered.
“Hi. I’m Mikey.”
“Lee.” The two shook hands while Tara just looked on, in confusion and bewilderment.
“Do I really have to ask it again?”
“I left,” Lee answered simply.
“What do you mean you left?!” Tara didn’t even bother with whispering this time. The three of them turned around a corner, and Tara took in the sight of a very full waiting room. All of the girls and guys turned to look at them, and she caught a glimpse of two sparkly crowns before two pairs of very pissed off eyes met hers.
“I knew you were off with them!” Emily yelled.
“You said it was completely over!” Sam yelled right after her.
“No, she wasn’t with Kellan! I quit the band and came looking for y’all!” Lee yelled.
“Tough crowd,” Mikey whispered.
“Tell me about it,” Tara whispered back.
“It’s all lies!” Sam yelled.
“I didn’t even know the idiot was here!” Tara defended.
“Who are you calling an idiot, you midget!” Lee yelled.
“Will someone tell us what’s going on?!” Patti asked.
“Someone’s out to get us, and it has something to do with him and his band!” Sam yelled and pointed at Lee. The remaining members of The Used stepped forward and glared at Lee, and it looked like Dan was physically restraining Betty from jumping on him. Lee was actually scared enough to take a full step backwards with his hands raised.
“I’d never hurt someone like that! And I quit the band!” Lee yelled.
“You’d never quit!” Emily yelled.
“Everyone, shut up!” The entire room went silent, and Tara peeked around Mikey’s arm. At some point during all of the yelling, she had decided that hiding was probably in her best interest. Jeph was standing in the doorway opposite to the one she was standing in, and he looked good for someone who had been so recently injured. He was still wearing his hospital gown, and he was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches.
“Now, we’ll get to the bottom of all the conspiracy shit later. Right now, someone needs to leave and go interrogate our wonderful security guards and techs, because something obviously went wrong. This guy,” he stopped and pointed at Lee with a crutch, “couldn’t have done it, because it was rigged way before the show. So, you people get to work and I need my nurse.”
Everyone stared at Jeph for a second, but people quickly started moving when he let out a sharp whistle. Tori went to Jeph’s side, and everyone else got to their feet. Tara ducked behind Mikey and started pulling on the back of his shirt as she walked backwards. Mikey looked over his shoulder at her, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then shrugged. The last thing she heard before disappearing around the corner was, “There’s a full moon out!”
|XXX|
“What are we waiting for again?” Mikey asked. Mikey and Tara were sitting in front of the Blue Bus, in two lawn chairs with gigantic umbrellas, and sipping at their drinks. Mikey had some kind of giant iced coffee, and Tara was drinking a bottle of Coke. She’d also changed out of her bloodstained clothes. Now she was wearing a pair of dark green shorts, a little baggy, and a black My Chemical Romance shirt.
“For the others to get here,” Tara said and took another refreshing sip of her drink. The gauze and tape on her nose was itchy, so she was trying to ignore it.
“Okay, let me rephrase. What am I waiting for?” Tara looked over the top rim of her overly large sunglasses at her companion, and he raised a brow at her.
“I don’t know. What are you waiting for?”
“You know, I’m not really sure.”
“Is something troubling you, Mikey?” Tara asked and leaned over the space between the lawn chairs towards him. Mikey gave her a funny look and then leaned towards her, so that their faces were only inches apart as they stared at each other.
“You sound like a shrink,” Mikey said and narrowed in his eyes.
“Do you think it has something to do with my PhD in clinical psychology?” Tara asked. Mikey gasped and fell back against his chair, and Tara stayed where she was and continued to study him.
“I feel like I should be telling you all of my darkest secrets now,” Mikey said and dramatically draped his arm across his face.
“Well, if you ever feel the need to, have at it. You just earned ten free sessions for being my human shield earlier,” Tara said and smiled at him.
“Mikey!”
“Let’s trade those ten sessions in for protection,” Mikey said and dove behind her chair. Tara opened her mouth to ask what his problem was, but someone walked around the side of her bus before she got the chance to.
“You!” the person yelled.
“Yes, me,” Tara said happily.
“Do you know where my brother’s hiding?” Gerard asked as he looked around.
“I haven’t got a clue,” Tara said and continued to smile. He must not realize that his monstrosity of a watch broke her nose last night, but she’s not going to hold that against him. Last night was even more chaotic than usual. Gerard’s eyes looked around before narrowing on the table between her lawn chair and the one Mikey had been sitting in.
“Whose drink?” he asked. Tara looked over at Mikey’s drink and sighed. Gerard may not remember breaking her nose, and she has decided not to tell him because there really isn’t any point. That’s not going to stop her from messing with him a little though. Call it karmic payback.
“Fine, you caught me. Mikey was here, but he was disposable. I threw him in the river. There? Are you happy now?” Tara asked and glared up at him. As much as she could with the swelling under her eyes.
“Mikey!”
“I’m here!” Tara tilted her head back to see that Mikey was now standing behind her chair, and she quickly jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around his waist.
“Mikey, you’re alive! I promise to never kill you again!” Tara yelled and gave him a little squeeze. Mikey’s arms were wrapped tight around her head, but he was being careful not to smush her nose against his chest.
“Where have you been?” Gerard asked, completely ignoring Mikey and Tara’s moment. Mikey pushed her back around the lawn chair, and he fell into her chair while dragging her down with him. They both managed to squeeze into the space, with Tara mostly lying across Mikey, and Mikey gestured to the now vacant chair. Gerard slowly sat down and then looked over at them.
“I’ve been with her, the entire time,” Mikey said and patted the top of Tara’s head. Gerard looked like he was studying them, so Mikey and Tara watched him with dull expressions.
“Is there something you forgot to tell me?” Gerard finally asked. He was just looking at Mikey now, instead of going back and forth between the two of them.
“Do you think we should tell him?” Mikey asked and looked down at Tara. She tipped her face up towards his and tapped her chin.
“It’s probably better to tell him now before he finds out from someone else,” Tara said.
“We got married here in Vegas, and we have twins on the way,” Mikey said. Tara was so glad that Mikey was playing along with her moment of insanity; it made the look on Gerard’s face just that much more special, and where’s Raven and her camera when Tara needs to capture a beautiful family moment?
“Their names are Arnold and Romilda,” Tara said.
“We wanted to tell you sooner, but with everything happening—”
“It’s been eating Mikey up,” Tara said sadly and lightly patted Mikey’s chest.
“There’s something wrong with the two of you,” Gerard said and shook his head.
“He doesn’t sound like a happy uncle,” Tara whispered.
“He’ll come around, honeybunch,” Mikey said and grabbed the hand resting on his chest. Tara grinned as Mikey laced their fingers together, and her grin only grew when Gerard audibly huffed at their antics.
“I should get hopped up on pain meds more often,” Tara said happily.
“What was that?” Tara jumped at the sound of the new voice and tried to bury her head in Mikey’s tee shirt.
“It was just a one time thing, low dosage, from my hospital doctor for my broken nose. I didn’t mean it literally, Aiden,” Tara said quietly.
“I know you didn’t. Just don’t say things like that, okay?” Aiden said, just as quietly. Tara felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to smile at Aiden.
“She can’t get hopped up on pain meds anyway, because she’s carrying my twins,” Mikey said.
“Exactly,” Tara said and looked over at him.
“I think he’s finally lost it,” Gerard mumbled to himself.
“Tara!” She didn’t jump this time at the sound of someone yelling her name. Instead, she lazily rolled her head across Mikey’s chest to look at the newcomer. Lee was smiling down at her, and his grin took a scary turn as he looked around at the other people around her. Then he started laughing uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong with him?” Aiden asked. The Way brothers just watched as he started gasping for air.
“There’s no telling. Where’s the others?” Tara asked her.
“On the way. Apparently we’re going to have a meeting to discuss…whatever happened,” Aiden said, still looking at Lee’s laughing form.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Tara said.
“I wish Kellan was here!” Lee suddenly yelled.
“What? Why?” Tara asked him quickly. Lee straightened up and wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Think about who you’re sitting with, Tara. Really think about it,” Lee said. Something clicked in her head, and she let out a small groan.
“It’s not funny, Lee,” Tara said as sternly as she could muster.
“I think it’s hilarious,” Lee said.
“What’s so funny?” Mikey asked.
“Because I’m seriously lost,” Aiden added.
“It’s really nothing important,” Tara said and waved a hand to dismiss the current conversation. She told the girls everything, all of her past tragedies and dark secrets, but there was one thing that she’d never mentioned. It had never seemed like a big deal. With her present company, however, it was kind of a big deal. Well, it was more embarrassing than anything.
“So, Gerard, would you like to know how Tara has been ripping you off?” Lee asked. She could feel Aiden and Mikey looking at her as she begged Lee with her eyes to just shut up, and Gerard leaned forward in his chair.
“Alright, picture this. Kellan and Tara have just gotten into this huge fight, and Tara runs off—”
“I wasn’t running,” Tara interrupted.
“Power walking with righteous fury, whatever. Anyway, Tara leaves and Kellan doesn’t catch up with her until they’re outside. There’s little fangirls screaming because Kellan’s shirtless, but him and Tara just keep yelling because Tara dumped his ass and he couldn’t take a hint. So Kellan’s all like, ‘What’s with you? You were fine yesterday.’ And then Tara said…come on, say it. You know you wanna.” Lee looked over at Tara, and she could feel her cheeks heating under the swollen bruises.
“I don’t love you like I did yesterday,” Tara finished quietly. Her eyes connected with Gerard’s for a brief moment, and it was like she was trying to apologize for stealing some of his lyrics with her steady gaze.
“You never told us that!” Aiden said. Tara pulled her eyes away from Gerard’s and studied her hands.
“It didn’t seem that important at the time,” Tara said without looking up.
“You broke up with Kellan using a My Chem lyric. How is that not important?” Aiden asked.
“It just didn’t seem that important. It was the first thing that came to my mind, and I just yelled it out. Kellan really didn’t seem to like it.”
“I feel better knowing my wife used one of my band’s lyrics to break up with her ex,” Mikey said when the silence stretched for a moment.
“You two are married?” Aiden asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tara asked and smiled up at her. Aiden rolled her eyes at the question, but Tara could still see her smile.
“You! Bus! Now!” Sam yelled as she disappeared onto the Blue Bus. Aiden followed in behind her, and Tara watched as the rest of the girls (minus Tori) walked inside.
“Well, sweetheart, I have business to attend to,” Tara said and carefully stood up. She gave Mikey a quick kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair before walking over to the bus door.
“What am I supposed to do?!” Lee called out.
“You’re being babysat by the Ways!” Tara decided and walked inside. She heard voices coming from the lounge area, and she grabbed a fresh bottle of Coke before walking towards the back of the bus. She was still a little sleepy from the pain meds, so she was hoping all of the caffeine would wake her up a bit more and keep her alert. Tara stepped into the semi-crowded lounge and sat down next to Audrey.
“Sam?” Reina asked.
Everyone else was sitting down, except for Sam. After making sure that everyone was paying attention, Sam nodded her head and started talking. She told everyone about Kellan’s sudden text right after The Used first started playing, and Tara felt Audrey lightly squeeze her hand. (All of the girls knew about Tara’s history with Kellan, and just how messy it got in the end. So Tara knew, no matter what, that her friends were there to support her.) Sam also announced that Kellan’s band, Mercy’s Prophecy, would be touring again very soon. Then she began explaining The Conspiracy Theory. It boiled down to The Management being out to get them.
“You know, it does make sense,” Lindsay said and looked around.
“You’re right. Who else would want to take us down?” Audrey asked.
“I say we go kick their asses,” Patti said.
“Maybe later,” Aiden said.
“I don’t think it was Lee though,” Reina said.
“I don’t either. Lee has never really gotten along with his brother and sister, and I don’t think the boy could be mean if he wanted to,” Emily said.
“Which means they have someone on the inside,” Raven concluded.
“And my bet’s on the guards,” Pyper said. Emily, Aiden, and Tara exchanged quick glances. Tara did the background checks, and Emily and Aiden personally interviewed all the hired workers. Which means that they were the ones who let someone who was against them in, and they hurt Jeph.
“Ideas, anyone?” Tara asked.
“You said the venue people have their own security, right?” Sam asked. Everyone glanced over at Emily, because she had been one to talk to most of the security liaisons for the different venues.
“Yeah. Some of them were a little upset that we were bringing our own,” Emily said.
“I guess we’ll have to make their day,” Audrey sighed.
“What about the roadies and techies? What about our merch people?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t think anyone is safe,” Pyper said and glanced around at all of us.
“Any of them could be in on it,” Raven agreed.
“We could do it all,” Tara said quietly. She felt everyone’s eyes on her, and she fiddled with the bottom of her tee shirt.
“Explain, please,” Reina requested.
“Well, some of you girls are really good with instruments and stuff. Those girls could be techies and whatnot. The rest of us, like me, can work the merch booths. As for loading and unloading instruments, we’ll all just have to pitch in. It’s not going to be easy, but if anyone can do it…it’s us, right?” Tara asked and looked around at everyone.
“Hell yeah!” a few of the girls yelled.
“It could work,” Aiden.
“We can definitely do it, and I’m sure the guys will help each other out too,” Lindsay said.
“Then it’s a plan,” Patti said and clapped her hands together.
“Hey! What about me?!” They all turned their heads towards the voice, and Tara felt herself smile. Really felt it too. The bruises on her cheeks were really going to be a pain while her nose healed.
“Girls? What should we do with Lee?” Tara asked.
“I think we can give him a chance,” Lindsay said quietly.
“But he’s on probation,” Sam added.
“And if The Used will take him,” Pyper said and smiled innocently when Lee glared over at her.
“So, do I get to stay on this bus?” Lee asked with a wide grin.
“No!” Well, it looked like things were about to get a little bit more hectic…and they still had to plan for a show tonight.
BERT
Bert was walking around what he assumed was a parking lot, since all the busses were parked here, when he heard someone call his name. He turned around, but the sun was right in his eyes and kept him from seeing anything. He tried raising his hand to block out some of the sun, but it was still too bright. Damn sun and all its brightness!
“Bertapotomus!” Only one person called him that, and he managed to brace himself just as a body flew into his. What was with these girls and jumping on people? He ruffled her bright red hair after she stepped away, and he ducked as her hand appeared out of nowhere to smack him.
“Hello, little Barakat,” he greeted.
“It’s Audrey to you,” she said and stepped away from him. The sun reflected off of her hair, and her eyes seemed brighter. That could be from the dark circles under them though.
“So, what’s the reason for tackling me this time?” Audrey looped her arm through his and started walking in the direction of his bus. His beautiful hot pink bus.
“Some of us girls got sent off to tell the bands the new news. I’m guessing the rest of your band, minus Jeph obviously, is on the bus?” she asked and looked over at him.
“Possibly, but they could also be anywhere. What’s the new news?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you after everyone is together.”
“Don’t I get special privileges?” Audrey’s bright green eyes looked Bert over once…twice…three times before she shook her head and smiled at him.
“Sorry, Bertapotomus. No special privileges this time,” Audrey said and turned her face away from him. Bert could still see just enough of her face to see when her eyes lit up, and she started waving her hands wildly. Nearly smacked him in the face.
“Quinnathan!” she yelled and took off running. Bert rolled his eyes, without losing his smile, and then jogged after her. When Bert caught up to Audrey and Quinn, she was attached to his back and he was trying to get her off.
“Just give up, Quinn. She’s got a good grip,” Bert advised as he watched them. Quinn huffed and finally just held onto Audrey’s legs.
“Why’d you jump on me?” Quinn asked and looked over his shoulder at Audrey.
“I can’t tell you until we find the rest of your people,” Audrey said.
“Well, Jeph is still in the hospital. Dan and Betty are on the bus though,” Quinn said.
“To the bus!” Audrey yelled. Bert skipped ahead of them and got to the bus first, and he saw Dan and Betty sitting on the couch and watching TV as he walked inside. Betty was curled up in Dan’s lap, so Bert sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Quinn stood in the middle between Bert and Dan, but he didn’t move to sit down.
“Are you gonna sit down?” Dan asked without looking away from Betty. That was one intense staring contest.
“I’m waiting for this thing to get off my back,” Quinn said.
“I’m not a thing!” Audrey yelled.
“Get off!”
“Never!” Dan and Betty were watching Quinn and Audrey now, and Bert was looking at the TV. News report. Something landed in Bert’s lap, and he instantly wrapped his arms around it. He heard a loud something resembling an evil laugh and then felt the couch sink next to him.
“Dammit, Quinn,” Audrey mumbled. Bert looked up to see her sitting sideways in his lap with her arms crossed, and she was glaring at Quinn who just kept smiling like a maniac.
“Shh! Jeph is on TV!” Dan yelled. Quinn and Audrey’s faces went serious, and Bert shifted around a little so that he could see the TV better. Some woman was rambling on, and Bert could see a small picture of Jeph.
“There was an incident just yesterday at a The Used concert that left one member, Jeph Howard, seriously injured. It’s only the second concert they’ve played in the past five years, and they are already experiencing problems. We have to wonder, were they really ready for a comeback? Or is it really the end?”
“That bitch!” Audrey yelled. If Bert’s arms hadn’t been around her, Bert was sure that she would’ve broken their TV.
“Calm it down,” Bert mumbled and pulled her closer to his chest. She was shaking lightly in his arms, and if looks could kill…you know the rest.
“That was just bullshit! There wasn’t some incident! Those fuckers are out to get us!” Audrey yelled.
“What’s going on?” Dan asked.
“We think that The Management is out to get us. Mercy’s Prophecy, the band that showed up yesterday, are going back on tour. They just got off, and we also think some other bands might be joining them. And none of us think that what happened to Jeph was an accident,” Audrey said quickly.
“What about the kid from Mercy’s Prophecy that showed up at the hospital?” Betty asked.
“Lee? He’s harmless. He’s never gotten along with his brother and sister, the guitarist and lead singer, so I think he finally had enough. He’s here to help us out. To help you guys out, until Jeph is better. Totally up to you though,” Audrey said and looked around at all of them.
“A little help sounds good to me,” Quinn answered for them.
“Are you girls doing anything?” Bert asked. He knew they were, which was why Audrey and some of the other girls were sent to tell the bands the “new news”.
“Tara and Aiden were going to fire everyone when I left. We know it had to be an inside job, so…yeah.” Audrey twirled a small piece of hair around her fingers and then suddenly dropped it.
“Wait…everyone?” Dan and Quinn asked together.
“Security, techs, roadies, merch people…everyone,” Audrey clarified.
“Who’s going to do everything then?” Bert asked. He was sure they didn’t have time to completely re-hire an entire crew. It’s not physically possible, especially if they’re going through with the shows scheduled for tonight.
“Us girls are. And we were hoping you guys wouldn’t mind helping each other out,” Audrey said.
“The crazy girl was right.” Audrey and Bert both jumped at the sound of a new voice, and Bert looked over at the doorway leading to the bunks.
“Gee, what in the hell are you doing here?” Bert asked.
“Oh, I let him in so he could take a nap. He said something about Frank and Twister,” Betty explained with a small shrug. Bert didn’t hate Gerard, they were friends, but they’d had their disagreements over the years.
“Who’s the crazy girl?” Audrey asked as she relaxed against Bert.
“Tara. She told me and Mikey everything, and…yeah. Then her and Mikey went to plan a baby shower, after firing everyone,” Gerard said.
“Yeah, she’s been in a funny mood all day,” Audrey said quietly. To Bert, it sounded like this tour was already taking its toll on the women who put it together. And they’re only at the second venue.
“So, what now?” Betty asked. Everyone turned to look at Audrey, who just shrugged.
“We wait.”
MATT
“Would you two shut up?!” Matt yelled.
“Make him admit that I’m better!” Brian yelled and pointed at Ray. The other guitarist just smiled and shrugged in Matt’s general direction. Matt leaned forward in his chair and reminded himself that he didn’t actually want to kill his friends. That was just the headache.
“Brian, he beat you,” Matt said after a quick glance at the screen.
“No!” Brian yelled and fell back onto the couch. Zacky was sitting beside him, laughing his ass off.
“It’s about time someone beat you,” Zacky said and kept laughing.
“Why don’t you play him then!” Brian yelled.
“I will!” Zacky yelled back. He grabbed Brian’s tossed-away controller and started playing.
“I gotta get out of here,” Matt thought as he got to his feet. He walked away from where Zacky was now yelling and stepped outside, and he made sure to firmly close the door behind him. He pushed his sunglasses onto his face, leaned against the side of the bus, and crossed his arms. They had been waiting for a little over two hours, and there still wasn’t any news on what happened last night. Something was going on, and Matt wanted to know what.
“Umm…Matt?” He looked down and into a pair of light brown eyes. Damn, this girl was short. An entire foot shorter than him.
“Sam, right?” he asked. She was short, but he had to give credit to any girl who could actually tackle him and take him down. He knew some guys that couldn’t even do that.
“And I thought you forgot all about me,” Sam said with a small smile.
“You’re kinda hard to forget,” he said and smiled back. She looked away from him and down at the ground, and he noticed that she was lightly biting on her bottom lip.
“Us girls got…sent out, I guess, to let you guys in on what’s going on,” she said. Matt felt his smile disappear as he gazed down at her, waiting.
“Well?” he asked her when she didn’t say anything.
“We think what happened to Jeph wasn’t an accident,” she said quietly.
“Then who did it?”
“The Management wasn’t happy about all of you coming back, so we think they’re going to try and bring you down. Aiden and Tara left to go fire the whole crew, because we think it was an inside job. We’ll be doing their jobs now,” Sam said and finally looked up at Matt. Her pale eyes were ablaze with anger, and Matt was convinced that she could definitely kick ass.
“There’s something else,” he said. She gave a quick nod of her head and sucked in a breath.
“Mercy’s Prophecy is going back on tour.” Matt’s brows pulled together as he looked down at Sam, and his fists clenched and unclenched next to his sides.
“They just got off.” He was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, because he was seething inside.
“They did, but they’re going back. And we don’t think they’ll be alone.” Sam’s eyes connected with Matt’s, and the anger burning in her eyes mirrored his.
“So they’ll make their move soon,” Matt ground out from between his clenched teeth.
“Whatever they throw at us, we’ll be ready,” Sam said. Her voice was calm and confident, and the sound of her determination helped Matt to relax and unclench his jaw.
“Damn right we’ll be ready.”
JEPH
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The sound of Tori’s voice made Jeph jump slightly, but no one else in his little hospital room seemed to notice. Tori was standing with her back towards the bed, and there was someone standing directly in front of her that Jeph couldn’t see.
“I wish none of it was real, but it is,” the other person sighed. The other person was definitely one of the girls, but Jeph couldn’t tell exactly who.
“Do you mind making sure that the others know? I want to tell Jeph,” Tori said.
“Yeah, it’s no problem.”
“Thanks, Pyper.”
“Anytime.” Jeph watched a pair of arms wrap around Tori, and Tori hugged Pyper back. He heard a few more whispered words, and Pyper turned and walked out of his room a few moments later. He kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, and he heard Tori sigh as she sat down in the chair next to his bed.
“So, what’s happening?” He opened his eyes just in time to see Tori jump back in her chair and then glare at him. He smiled at her, despite the small cuts on his cheeks, and her expression slowly softened. Then she sighed again and started massaging the bridge of her nose.
“It’s all so messed up, Jeph,” she said quietly. Her green eyes connected with his, and she almost looked…defeated. As quickly as it appeared, the defeated look disappeared and was replaced with anger. “All we wanted to do was bring back some real music, and they’re trying to take it away from us.”
“Easy, kitten.” Tori’s voice had been low, and she’d sounded like she wanted to rip something apart. Or, better yet, someone. After hearing his ridiculous pet name though, some of her anger simmered. Some of it. “What happened? I know you girls have some theories.”
“We have something more than a theory. We’re pretty sure we know exactly what’s happening,” Tori said. She started talking very fast after that, and Jeph’s hands balled into fists as she talked. When she was finally through, he took a deep breath and then looked over at her again.
“We’ll beat them,” Tori said. Her jaw was set and her eyes were dark, the perfect picture of determination.
“Of course we will,” Jeph said and smiled. Tori started to smile back, but then her cell phone rang.
TARA
“Go, Patti!” Tara yelled and thrust a fist in the air.
“Is this really a good idea?” Mikey asked her.
“It’s the best idea!” she yelled and punched the air again.
“Don’t worry about Patti. She’ll be fine,” Aiden said from Tara’s other side. Aiden had Patti’s septum and snakebite rings in a small plastic bag in one hand, and the other hand was swiping all over the surface of her phone.
“Who are you texting?” Tara asked and tried to lean up far enough to see.
“I’m telling Tori what’s happening,” Aiden said.
“What exactly is happening?” Lindsay asked. Tara looked over her shoulder to see Lindsay standing just behind her, and Aiden move a little so she could get closer. There was a bigger crowd standing behind the four of them.
“You know we fired all the security guards, right?” Tara asked.
“Yeah, that’s what you and Aiden left to do,” Lindsay said without looking away from straight in front of her.
“Well, Patti and Emily are now in charge of watching the security guards that the venues provides. One of the guys thought women shouldn’t be in charge of things like security, which is absolutely ridiculous. Him and Patti started arguing, and now they’re going to settle it,” Tara said and looked straight ahead.
Patti’s multi-colored hair was pinned back away from her face, and her bright blue eyes were shining with excitement. Tara knew it was excitement because of the wide smile on Patti’s face. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top because of the heat, and Tara could easily see the tattoo that stretched across her collarbones. Never Back Down. It was what Patti lived by. Her clothes showed off her athletically toned body, and Tara could see the muscles in her arms and legs lightly flexing as she got ready for the upcoming fight. The man in front of her was about two inches taller, so six-two, and was heavily muscled. He was wearing the standard all-black uniform, but he had taken his top shirt off so that he was left in a blank tank top.
“You ready?!” the guy yelled.
“Bring it!” Patti yelled back. Tara knew that Patti had been stressed out lately, they all were, and this was the perfect way for her to vent. Tara almost felt sorry for the poor guy’s ass that she was about to kick. Almost.
“Are you sure she’ll be okay?” Mikey whispered in Tara’s ear.
“Yes, I’m sure. Patti’s a professional,” Tara whispered back. Patti ducked right before the guy’s meaty fist could connected with her face, and Tara watched as Patti’s fist caused the guy’s head to snap backwards. Patti was starting to swing again when Tara felt something vibrate in her pocket, and she mumbled a few choice words under her breath before walking off.
“Hello?” she greeted once she was away from the cheering crowd.
“Why haven’t you called me?”
“Mama Ruby!” Tara yelled.
“Well, answer the question!” Tara smiled at the light scolding, and she had a feeling that Mama Ruby was smiling on the other end.
“I’m sorry, Mama Ruby. You know how things get sometimes. I’ve been meaning to call, I really have,” Tara said quickly.
“Sure you have. You better not be doing anything you’re not supposed to,” Mama Ruby said in a warning tone.
“Of course not! I’ve just been busy, that’s all. One of the guys got hurt, but he’s going to be okay. How are things there?” Tara asked.
“Well, you’re never going to believe this, but…” Tara listened as Mama Ruby started talking about all of the small town gossip, and she started laughing and nodding her head at her mother’s words. Tara’s small hometown all knew Tara’s mother as Mama Ruby, so that’s what Tara called her growing up. Even Tara’s younger twin sisters, who were only eight, called their mother Mama Ruby. It’s just the way it’s always been. Tara may have had a stepfather for about a year, but that was when she was nineteen. She’s always had her mother, her Mama Ruby, so the two of them were very close.
“How’re the girls?” Mama Ruby asked when she was done. She had met a few of the girls over the past couple of years, but she still pretty much knew all of them from Tara’s frequent calls home. Tara kept nothing from Mama Ruby. Nothing.
“They’re doing pretty good so far. We love what we’re doing, and we’re having a lot of fun,” Tara answered honestly.
“I will never understand your obsession with those men in tight pants and eyeliner, but whatever makes you happy is good with me,” Mama Ruby said.
“Maybe I’ll bring one home so you can see what’s so special about them,” Tara said in a teasing tone. Mama Ruby let out something between a snort and a grunt, and Tara let out a small laugh of her own. Just talking to Mama Ruby could make her feel homesick. Mama Ruby reminded her of home and all the things she left behind when she moved to California.
“Well, I’ll let you go. Watch what you eat and say no to peer pressure!” Mama Ruby yelled. Tara was laughing again as she forced out a yes-ma’am and then hung up. She was turning around to go finish watching the fight when her phone vibrated again, and she groaned as she brought it back up to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Tara! Good, you’re still alive,” Casey said in a quick rush.
“Yeah, I’m still kicking. What have you heard?” Tara asked. As a journalist, Casey picked up small bits of information from all over the place.
“That there was an accident during a concert last night. Jeph Howard got hurt, right?” Damn, Casey really was good.
“Jeph got hurt, but I don’t think it was an accident.” Tara quickly told Casey about the girls’ conspiracy theory, and Casey listened quietly until Tara was completely finished.
“That definitely sounds like something those Management idiots would do. Want me to do a little digging?”
“Only if it isn’t too much of a hassle.”
“For an old friend and three of my favorite bands? No hassle at all,” Casey said with a quiet laugh.
“You’re the best, Adams.”
“You know it! I’ll call you if I hear anything interesting,” Casey said and then called out a quick goodbye. Tara stuffed her phone back into her pocket and walked back to her previous spot. Patti was standing over the security guard, and he didn’t look like he was getting up anytime soon. Some of Patti’s hair had fallen free to frame her face, and Tara noticed that the middle of her bottom lip was split. She also had a bruise running along her jaw, but she was smiling.
“Winner!” Jimmy yelled and raised one of her arms in the air.
“Dammit! I missed the whole thing!” Tara mumbled to herself.
“It’s okay. I think Audrey recorded it,” Aiden said. Patti walked over to where Tara and the others were standing, still smiling, and Tara noticed how all eyes were on Patti. All of the girls already knew that Patti would win, but everyone else looked shocked…and in awe.
“That was great. Fighting bare-fisted brings back memories,” Patti said as she took her rings back from Aiden.
“That was…awesome!” Mikey yelled from beside Tara. Patti glanced over at him as she put her septum piercing back in and nodded her head.
“So, are you guys excited to play tonight?” Lindsay asked Mikey.
“We’re playing?” Mikey asked and pointed to himself.
“Of course you are, silly. You’re scheduled to play, so you’re going to play,” Tara said and grinned up at him.
“What about what happened to the last band that played?!” Mikey yelled.
“We fired all the old workers, so everything should be fine,” Aiden said.
“Yeah, and after that display of awesomeness, I don’t think anyone is going to want to piss Patti off,” Tara added. Mikey looked down at her, and he widened his eyes as he bent over so that they were the same height. It was a considerable amount of bending since Mikey was ten inches taller than Tara.
“If I die, you’ll avenge me. Right?” Mikey asked.
“I wouldn’t dream of not avenging my brave husband,” Tara said and smiled across at him. Mikey straightened back up to his full height, and he placed one hand on Tara’s shoulder.
“I guess I better go tell the guys,” Mikey said and looked around the crowd. He disappeared a moment later, and Tara turned back around to look at the three girls standing behind her. Patti was wiping the blood off of her lip, Audrey was looking down at her phone, but Lindsay was looking over at Tara.
“So, do you think everything will work out this time?” Lindsay asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Tara said after a moment. Things would definitely work out this time. Hopefully.
TARA
A pair of dark green eyes met hers, and the slick smile on his face made her blood boil. His dirty blonde hair was still perfectly gelled, which she thought was a little eerie since he just finished playing a show. His fight-eight frame blocked her from passing him, and Tara pulled her shoulders back as she glared up at him. The rhythm guitarist, without any kind of tattoos or piercings, continued to stare down at her with that creepy smile.
“Move, Gabe.” The sound of her voice surprised her, because she couldn’t remember ever sounding this angry.
“What are you in such a hurry for? Stay and enjoy my company,” Gabe said as his smile grew wider.
“Emily’s back here somewhere. If you don’t move, I’ll get her to come kick your ass. Again.” Gabe stepped to the side and let her pass, and she continued walking around backstage. Tara found the drummer next. He was leaning against a wall and twirling a drumstick between his fingers. His back was to her, so she quickly walked around him.
“Where is he?”
“Tara! I was wondering if you’d make it,” Lee said quickly. One hand cupped the back of his neck, instantly signaling that he was nervous. She kept her gaze focused up on him, she had to look up pretty far since he was five-ten, but Lee never met her gaze. She let out a small sigh as her eyes traveled down the length of his left arm, which was tattooed with skulls and roses, until she could watch the way he nervously tapped his fingers against his thigh.
“Lee, tell me where he is,” Tara said and looked up at him again. He pushed some dark brown hair off of his forehead, Lee’s hair was always messy, and his light brown eyes shone with unshed tears.
“They didn’t tell me,” Lee said quietly.
“They never do,” she said just as quietly.
“He’s in the dressing room. Fifth door on the left.”
“Thanks, Lee.” She walked away from one of her closest friends and continued walking around the maze-like backstage.
It only took a few minutes to find the room she was looking for, and another five-eight body blocked her way to the entrance. Her wavy black hair was put up on top of her head, and her tank top showed the tattoo across her shoulders. Tara’s eyes quickly roamed over the MORRISON tattoo, and she remembered sitting beside the other woman while she got it. Mercy had cried, and she now had an incurable fear of needles. Which was why she only had one tattoo and the nose piercings were fakes.
“Excuse me,” Tara said from behind her. Dark brown eyes met hazel, but Tara didn’t back down. Mercy could intimidate a lot of people, she was good at it, but not Tara. No, Tara knew her too well.
“Who invited you?” Mercy asked and crossed her arms.
“I’ve only been dating your brother for about ten years, so don’t give me that shit. I know he’s in there, so get out of my way.” Mercy smiled and started to walk off, but she paused right next to Tara instead. Tara already knew the gist of what Mercy was going to say before a single word left her lips, but she stood still and listened anyway.
“I don’t know what he sees in you anyway, not that it matters. I’m sure he’ll find someone much better now.” Tara’s hand quickly found the doorknob, and she threw the small wooden door open.
The person standing across the room didn’t jump. His back was to her, and their eyes connected through the mirror in front of him. Tara could feel her blood boiling and her heart pounding even as her eyes soaked in his six-one frame. He must have taken a quick shower, because his shirt was off and his hair was still wet. Her eyes quickly looked over his newly finished back piece, tattoos of roses and skulls and a giant hourglass, before moving back up to meet his eyes.
“Ta—”
“Shut up.” Her words were calm, but a part of her was begging to let loose and start screaming at him. Kellan slowly turned around, and Tara glared at him as he started to walk towards her. He didn’t stop until they were close enough to touch, and she could feel the heat rolling off his skin. His black hair was shaved on the sides with a wet section hanging over his forehead, and his dark brown eyes stared into hers.
“You can’t seriously be mad about this,” Kellan said. He crossed his arms over his chest, and she placed her hands on her hips. This stance felt very familiar…but she needed to focus on the present.
“I’m supposed to be okay with you being a sell-out?” Tara asked. Smaller bands were left alone. Kellan’s band was one of the smaller ones, they only played around LA, so they were free to do as they wanted. But now…that was all over now.
“I’m not a sell-out!” Kellan yelled.
“Then what the hell do you call that?!” Tara yelled and pointed in the general direction of the stage. The same stage where Mercy had stood and said that stupid fucking Two-Eight motto.
“We got a better offer, and we took it! You should be happy for me!”
“Happy that you’ve sold out and conformed just to make more money?! What happened to all those speeches and rants about always staying true to yourself and your music?! What happened to wanting to be free, huh?!”
“It’s still me and my music!” Kellan yelled. Tara bit back everything she wanted to say and looked away. Yelling about how he was actually performing The Management’s music, not his own, wasn’t going to help any. It was already too late. So she took a few deep breaths and then looked back up at him.
“Me or the band?” she asked. Kellan’s glare softened and turned into confusion as he looked down at her.
“You know I can’t leave them,” Kellan said quietly.
“Then we’re through! Again!” Tara yelled and turned around. She didn’t hear the footsteps behind her until she was outside, and a hand closed around her arm a few moments later. There were a bunch of fans pushing against the metal fence a few feet away, screaming and watching both of them.
“Would you stop being so…you?!” Kellan yelled. Some of the fans stopped screaming so they could hear better.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Tara yelled back.
“Nothing!”
“What part of ‘we’re through’ didn’t you understand?! Let me go!” Tara pulled her arm away from him, and she could hear a few shocked gasps coming from the fans a few feet away.
“What’s with you?! You were fine yesterday!”
“I don’t—”
“Wake up!” Tara bolted upright and blinked against the brightness of the room she was in. Bright blue eyes looked down at her, and she forced a small smile onto her stiff face. Right. She fell asleep in the emergency room waiting room, where all the bands and all the girls were gathered together. Emily and Aiden tried to talk her into seeing a doctor herself, but she already had that taken care of. Sort of.
“What’d I miss?” Tara asked as she looked around. Everything looked the same way it did before she fell asleep. Patti shrugged and handed her a nice warm cup, and Tara started to bring it to her lips. Her eyes caught the clock hanging on the wall across the room, and she nearly dropped her cup in shock. She slept for a lot longer than she realized. She quickly handed the cup back to Patti and then jumped up.
“Where are you going?!” Patti yelled after her.
“I’m late for an appointment!” Tara yelled over her shoulder. She quickly rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.
TORI
“Well, someone’s in a hurry,” Tori said as she watched Tara disappear around a corner. Tori fell into one of the empty chairs and closed her eyes.
“She’s always in a hurry,” Lindsay said from beside her.
“Because she’s always late for something,” Audrey said from her other side.
“How’s Jeph?” Patti asked. She was sitting across from Tori, with Aiden next to her.
“They said he’ll be okay. He’s got a mild concussion and a broken leg,” Tori reported. The hospital had been a little understaffed, so they had asked for help from anyone with medical experience after the influx of patients. (Several members of the crowd had gotten injured in the small panic that occurred after Jeph got pinned by a large piece of metal.) Emily and Tori were the only ones with any kind of medical training, so they’d both been helping the doctors and other nurses for a while. After everything was done, Emily left for a well-deserved nap while Tori stayed with Jeph.
“How long will they keep him?” Pyper asked.
“Just until they’re sure his concussion won’t get any worse,” Tori said.
“Where’d she go this time?” Emily asked and looked around the waiting room. Emily was supposed to be napping, not up and looking for…someone.
“Do you think she?” Sam asked her.
“No, she can’t stand him either,” Emily replied. The two disappeared around the same corner they had just come from, and Tori looked at the girls sitting around her.
“Anyone else confused?” she asked.
“Just a little,” Lindsay replied. Tori leaned back in her chair and lightly rubbed her fingers over her eyes. It can’t get any worse, can it?
TARA
“Good morning, America!” Tara yelled with her arms spread wide.
“Remind me to lower the dosage on your pain medication next time,” Doctor Alberts said as he scribbled something on her chart. Once he was done with that, he walked over to where she was sitting on the hospital bed and examined the cast-like thing on her nose.
“Why would I do a stupid thing like that?” The response made the older doctor laugh, and Tara smiled as much as she could with a giant thing attached to her nose.
“Keep it taped up for at least two weeks. If the swelling persists, go to an emergency room immediately.” Tara nodded in all seriousness and then she grinned up at the doctor.
“So, Doc, can you tell me how my friend is doing? A Mister Jeph Howard?” she asked.
“Are you asking me to break patient confidentiality?” the doctor asked as he stared down at her.
“I’ll have Aiden bake you some more of those brownies. The ones I gave you last Christmas.” Doctor Alberts thought it over for a moment and then clasped his hands behind his back.
“Mister Howard is slightly concussed with a broken leg,” the doctor reported.
“Is he gonna be okay?”
“Yes, he’ll be just fine. You just need to worry about your own health.” Tara nodded as she got to her feet, and she managed to give the doctor a genuine smile.
“I’ll be right as rain in a jiffy, Doc,” Tara said and tapped her right cheek next to the tape.
“Would you like a prescription this time?” he asked as he turned back to her chart.
“Nah, I think I can live with the pain. See you next time I’m in Vegas, Doc!” Tara called out as she walked out of the orthopedic wing of the hospital. She turned a corner with her eyes closed, because her throbbing nose made her eyes constantly water, so she didn’t see if anyone else was in the hallway.
“You!”
“It’s not me!” Tara yelled and threw what she was holding. She peeked her watery eyes open and saw a tall skinny guy holding her new little first-aid kit. It had bandages and tape, for her nose.
“A box, really?” Mikey asked her.
“Can I have that back, please?” she asked. Mikey shuffled over to stand next to her and passed her the first-aid kit.
“Thank you,” she said and hugged the small red box to her chest.
“What are you doing way over here?” Mikey asked and looked all around them.
“Had to see a bone doctor because someone in last night’s stampede broke my nose,” she explained.
“Sucks to be you,” Mikey mumbled and spun around on his heel to walk off. Tara quickened her pace to catch up with him, and they walked out of the small orthopedic wing together.
“So, how’d you find me? I think I forgot to tell anyone where I was going,” she said and reached up to move some hair out of her face. Patti had woken her up at seven, which had been the time of her appointment. With everything that had happened last night, she forgot to tell anyone that she scheduled an appointment with Doctor Alberts for her nose before falling asleep in the waiting room.
“Me, Raven, and Frank were playing hide-n-seek. I had a really good spot, until this guard found me. Your name came to my head first, so I told him I was looking for you. Then he shoved me into the orthopedic ward. Is your nose really broken?” Mikey asked.
“Only a little, but definitely still broken.”
“Sucks to be you,” Mikey said again.
“Would you stop saying that?!” Tara yelled.
“Shh! We’re in a hospital!” Mikey whispered. Tara glanced over at him, considered telling him that his big brother was the reason her nose was currently broken but decided against it, and then concentrated on where she was walking.
“I think playing hide-n-seek in a hospital is more disrespectful than yelling. Now, I have an idea,” Tara said as they continued to walk.
“Does it involve strawberry bubble baths?”
“That’s Plan B.”
“Then what’s Plan A?”
“Jeph isn’t going to be able to play for a while, because of the broken leg, so you guys could switch out playing for him or something. Or, you could use your other-worldly knowledge and find me a new bassist,” Tara said and looked over at him.
“Hmm, maybe—”
“New bassist!” The loud voice caused Tara to jump, and she narrowed her eyes at the person now standing next to Mikey.
“L-Lee? What are you doing here?!” Tara whispered.
“Hi. I’m Mikey.”
“Lee.” The two shook hands while Tara just looked on, in confusion and bewilderment.
“Do I really have to ask it again?”
“I left,” Lee answered simply.
“What do you mean you left?!” Tara didn’t even bother with whispering this time. The three of them turned around a corner, and Tara took in the sight of a very full waiting room. All of the girls and guys turned to look at them, and she caught a glimpse of two sparkly crowns before two pairs of very pissed off eyes met hers.
“I knew you were off with them!” Emily yelled.
“You said it was completely over!” Sam yelled right after her.
“No, she wasn’t with Kellan! I quit the band and came looking for y’all!” Lee yelled.
“Tough crowd,” Mikey whispered.
“Tell me about it,” Tara whispered back.
“It’s all lies!” Sam yelled.
“I didn’t even know the idiot was here!” Tara defended.
“Who are you calling an idiot, you midget!” Lee yelled.
“Will someone tell us what’s going on?!” Patti asked.
“Someone’s out to get us, and it has something to do with him and his band!” Sam yelled and pointed at Lee. The remaining members of The Used stepped forward and glared at Lee, and it looked like Dan was physically restraining Betty from jumping on him. Lee was actually scared enough to take a full step backwards with his hands raised.
“I’d never hurt someone like that! And I quit the band!” Lee yelled.
“You’d never quit!” Emily yelled.
“Everyone, shut up!” The entire room went silent, and Tara peeked around Mikey’s arm. At some point during all of the yelling, she had decided that hiding was probably in her best interest. Jeph was standing in the doorway opposite to the one she was standing in, and he looked good for someone who had been so recently injured. He was still wearing his hospital gown, and he was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches.
“Now, we’ll get to the bottom of all the conspiracy shit later. Right now, someone needs to leave and go interrogate our wonderful security guards and techs, because something obviously went wrong. This guy,” he stopped and pointed at Lee with a crutch, “couldn’t have done it, because it was rigged way before the show. So, you people get to work and I need my nurse.”
Everyone stared at Jeph for a second, but people quickly started moving when he let out a sharp whistle. Tori went to Jeph’s side, and everyone else got to their feet. Tara ducked behind Mikey and started pulling on the back of his shirt as she walked backwards. Mikey looked over his shoulder at her, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then shrugged. The last thing she heard before disappearing around the corner was, “There’s a full moon out!”
|XXX|
“What are we waiting for again?” Mikey asked. Mikey and Tara were sitting in front of the Blue Bus, in two lawn chairs with gigantic umbrellas, and sipping at their drinks. Mikey had some kind of giant iced coffee, and Tara was drinking a bottle of Coke. She’d also changed out of her bloodstained clothes. Now she was wearing a pair of dark green shorts, a little baggy, and a black My Chemical Romance shirt.
“For the others to get here,” Tara said and took another refreshing sip of her drink. The gauze and tape on her nose was itchy, so she was trying to ignore it.
“Okay, let me rephrase. What am I waiting for?” Tara looked over the top rim of her overly large sunglasses at her companion, and he raised a brow at her.
“I don’t know. What are you waiting for?”
“You know, I’m not really sure.”
“Is something troubling you, Mikey?” Tara asked and leaned over the space between the lawn chairs towards him. Mikey gave her a funny look and then leaned towards her, so that their faces were only inches apart as they stared at each other.
“You sound like a shrink,” Mikey said and narrowed in his eyes.
“Do you think it has something to do with my PhD in clinical psychology?” Tara asked. Mikey gasped and fell back against his chair, and Tara stayed where she was and continued to study him.
“I feel like I should be telling you all of my darkest secrets now,” Mikey said and dramatically draped his arm across his face.
“Well, if you ever feel the need to, have at it. You just earned ten free sessions for being my human shield earlier,” Tara said and smiled at him.
“Mikey!”
“Let’s trade those ten sessions in for protection,” Mikey said and dove behind her chair. Tara opened her mouth to ask what his problem was, but someone walked around the side of her bus before she got the chance to.
“You!” the person yelled.
“Yes, me,” Tara said happily.
“Do you know where my brother’s hiding?” Gerard asked as he looked around.
“I haven’t got a clue,” Tara said and continued to smile. He must not realize that his monstrosity of a watch broke her nose last night, but she’s not going to hold that against him. Last night was even more chaotic than usual. Gerard’s eyes looked around before narrowing on the table between her lawn chair and the one Mikey had been sitting in.
“Whose drink?” he asked. Tara looked over at Mikey’s drink and sighed. Gerard may not remember breaking her nose, and she has decided not to tell him because there really isn’t any point. That’s not going to stop her from messing with him a little though. Call it karmic payback.
“Fine, you caught me. Mikey was here, but he was disposable. I threw him in the river. There? Are you happy now?” Tara asked and glared up at him. As much as she could with the swelling under her eyes.
“Mikey!”
“I’m here!” Tara tilted her head back to see that Mikey was now standing behind her chair, and she quickly jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around his waist.
“Mikey, you’re alive! I promise to never kill you again!” Tara yelled and gave him a little squeeze. Mikey’s arms were wrapped tight around her head, but he was being careful not to smush her nose against his chest.
“Where have you been?” Gerard asked, completely ignoring Mikey and Tara’s moment. Mikey pushed her back around the lawn chair, and he fell into her chair while dragging her down with him. They both managed to squeeze into the space, with Tara mostly lying across Mikey, and Mikey gestured to the now vacant chair. Gerard slowly sat down and then looked over at them.
“I’ve been with her, the entire time,” Mikey said and patted the top of Tara’s head. Gerard looked like he was studying them, so Mikey and Tara watched him with dull expressions.
“Is there something you forgot to tell me?” Gerard finally asked. He was just looking at Mikey now, instead of going back and forth between the two of them.
“Do you think we should tell him?” Mikey asked and looked down at Tara. She tipped her face up towards his and tapped her chin.
“It’s probably better to tell him now before he finds out from someone else,” Tara said.
“We got married here in Vegas, and we have twins on the way,” Mikey said. Tara was so glad that Mikey was playing along with her moment of insanity; it made the look on Gerard’s face just that much more special, and where’s Raven and her camera when Tara needs to capture a beautiful family moment?
“Their names are Arnold and Romilda,” Tara said.
“We wanted to tell you sooner, but with everything happening—”
“It’s been eating Mikey up,” Tara said sadly and lightly patted Mikey’s chest.
“There’s something wrong with the two of you,” Gerard said and shook his head.
“He doesn’t sound like a happy uncle,” Tara whispered.
“He’ll come around, honeybunch,” Mikey said and grabbed the hand resting on his chest. Tara grinned as Mikey laced their fingers together, and her grin only grew when Gerard audibly huffed at their antics.
“I should get hopped up on pain meds more often,” Tara said happily.
“What was that?” Tara jumped at the sound of the new voice and tried to bury her head in Mikey’s tee shirt.
“It was just a one time thing, low dosage, from my hospital doctor for my broken nose. I didn’t mean it literally, Aiden,” Tara said quietly.
“I know you didn’t. Just don’t say things like that, okay?” Aiden said, just as quietly. Tara felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to smile at Aiden.
“She can’t get hopped up on pain meds anyway, because she’s carrying my twins,” Mikey said.
“Exactly,” Tara said and looked over at him.
“I think he’s finally lost it,” Gerard mumbled to himself.
“Tara!” She didn’t jump this time at the sound of someone yelling her name. Instead, she lazily rolled her head across Mikey’s chest to look at the newcomer. Lee was smiling down at her, and his grin took a scary turn as he looked around at the other people around her. Then he started laughing uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong with him?” Aiden asked. The Way brothers just watched as he started gasping for air.
“There’s no telling. Where’s the others?” Tara asked her.
“On the way. Apparently we’re going to have a meeting to discuss…whatever happened,” Aiden said, still looking at Lee’s laughing form.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Tara said.
“I wish Kellan was here!” Lee suddenly yelled.
“What? Why?” Tara asked him quickly. Lee straightened up and wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Think about who you’re sitting with, Tara. Really think about it,” Lee said. Something clicked in her head, and she let out a small groan.
“It’s not funny, Lee,” Tara said as sternly as she could muster.
“I think it’s hilarious,” Lee said.
“What’s so funny?” Mikey asked.
“Because I’m seriously lost,” Aiden added.
“It’s really nothing important,” Tara said and waved a hand to dismiss the current conversation. She told the girls everything, all of her past tragedies and dark secrets, but there was one thing that she’d never mentioned. It had never seemed like a big deal. With her present company, however, it was kind of a big deal. Well, it was more embarrassing than anything.
“So, Gerard, would you like to know how Tara has been ripping you off?” Lee asked. She could feel Aiden and Mikey looking at her as she begged Lee with her eyes to just shut up, and Gerard leaned forward in his chair.
“Alright, picture this. Kellan and Tara have just gotten into this huge fight, and Tara runs off—”
“I wasn’t running,” Tara interrupted.
“Power walking with righteous fury, whatever. Anyway, Tara leaves and Kellan doesn’t catch up with her until they’re outside. There’s little fangirls screaming because Kellan’s shirtless, but him and Tara just keep yelling because Tara dumped his ass and he couldn’t take a hint. So Kellan’s all like, ‘What’s with you? You were fine yesterday.’ And then Tara said…come on, say it. You know you wanna.” Lee looked over at Tara, and she could feel her cheeks heating under the swollen bruises.
“I don’t love you like I did yesterday,” Tara finished quietly. Her eyes connected with Gerard’s for a brief moment, and it was like she was trying to apologize for stealing some of his lyrics with her steady gaze.
“You never told us that!” Aiden said. Tara pulled her eyes away from Gerard’s and studied her hands.
“It didn’t seem that important at the time,” Tara said without looking up.
“You broke up with Kellan using a My Chem lyric. How is that not important?” Aiden asked.
“It just didn’t seem that important. It was the first thing that came to my mind, and I just yelled it out. Kellan really didn’t seem to like it.”
“I feel better knowing my wife used one of my band’s lyrics to break up with her ex,” Mikey said when the silence stretched for a moment.
“You two are married?” Aiden asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tara asked and smiled up at her. Aiden rolled her eyes at the question, but Tara could still see her smile.
“You! Bus! Now!” Sam yelled as she disappeared onto the Blue Bus. Aiden followed in behind her, and Tara watched as the rest of the girls (minus Tori) walked inside.
“Well, sweetheart, I have business to attend to,” Tara said and carefully stood up. She gave Mikey a quick kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair before walking over to the bus door.
“What am I supposed to do?!” Lee called out.
“You’re being babysat by the Ways!” Tara decided and walked inside. She heard voices coming from the lounge area, and she grabbed a fresh bottle of Coke before walking towards the back of the bus. She was still a little sleepy from the pain meds, so she was hoping all of the caffeine would wake her up a bit more and keep her alert. Tara stepped into the semi-crowded lounge and sat down next to Audrey.
“Sam?” Reina asked.
Everyone else was sitting down, except for Sam. After making sure that everyone was paying attention, Sam nodded her head and started talking. She told everyone about Kellan’s sudden text right after The Used first started playing, and Tara felt Audrey lightly squeeze her hand. (All of the girls knew about Tara’s history with Kellan, and just how messy it got in the end. So Tara knew, no matter what, that her friends were there to support her.) Sam also announced that Kellan’s band, Mercy’s Prophecy, would be touring again very soon. Then she began explaining The Conspiracy Theory. It boiled down to The Management being out to get them.
“You know, it does make sense,” Lindsay said and looked around.
“You’re right. Who else would want to take us down?” Audrey asked.
“I say we go kick their asses,” Patti said.
“Maybe later,” Aiden said.
“I don’t think it was Lee though,” Reina said.
“I don’t either. Lee has never really gotten along with his brother and sister, and I don’t think the boy could be mean if he wanted to,” Emily said.
“Which means they have someone on the inside,” Raven concluded.
“And my bet’s on the guards,” Pyper said. Emily, Aiden, and Tara exchanged quick glances. Tara did the background checks, and Emily and Aiden personally interviewed all the hired workers. Which means that they were the ones who let someone who was against them in, and they hurt Jeph.
“Ideas, anyone?” Tara asked.
“You said the venue people have their own security, right?” Sam asked. Everyone glanced over at Emily, because she had been one to talk to most of the security liaisons for the different venues.
“Yeah. Some of them were a little upset that we were bringing our own,” Emily said.
“I guess we’ll have to make their day,” Audrey sighed.
“What about the roadies and techies? What about our merch people?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t think anyone is safe,” Pyper said and glanced around at all of us.
“Any of them could be in on it,” Raven agreed.
“We could do it all,” Tara said quietly. She felt everyone’s eyes on her, and she fiddled with the bottom of her tee shirt.
“Explain, please,” Reina requested.
“Well, some of you girls are really good with instruments and stuff. Those girls could be techies and whatnot. The rest of us, like me, can work the merch booths. As for loading and unloading instruments, we’ll all just have to pitch in. It’s not going to be easy, but if anyone can do it…it’s us, right?” Tara asked and looked around at everyone.
“Hell yeah!” a few of the girls yelled.
“It could work,” Aiden.
“We can definitely do it, and I’m sure the guys will help each other out too,” Lindsay said.
“Then it’s a plan,” Patti said and clapped her hands together.
“Hey! What about me?!” They all turned their heads towards the voice, and Tara felt herself smile. Really felt it too. The bruises on her cheeks were really going to be a pain while her nose healed.
“Girls? What should we do with Lee?” Tara asked.
“I think we can give him a chance,” Lindsay said quietly.
“But he’s on probation,” Sam added.
“And if The Used will take him,” Pyper said and smiled innocently when Lee glared over at her.
“So, do I get to stay on this bus?” Lee asked with a wide grin.
“No!” Well, it looked like things were about to get a little bit more hectic…and they still had to plan for a show tonight.
BERT
Bert was walking around what he assumed was a parking lot, since all the busses were parked here, when he heard someone call his name. He turned around, but the sun was right in his eyes and kept him from seeing anything. He tried raising his hand to block out some of the sun, but it was still too bright. Damn sun and all its brightness!
“Bertapotomus!” Only one person called him that, and he managed to brace himself just as a body flew into his. What was with these girls and jumping on people? He ruffled her bright red hair after she stepped away, and he ducked as her hand appeared out of nowhere to smack him.
“Hello, little Barakat,” he greeted.
“It’s Audrey to you,” she said and stepped away from him. The sun reflected off of her hair, and her eyes seemed brighter. That could be from the dark circles under them though.
“So, what’s the reason for tackling me this time?” Audrey looped her arm through his and started walking in the direction of his bus. His beautiful hot pink bus.
“Some of us girls got sent off to tell the bands the new news. I’m guessing the rest of your band, minus Jeph obviously, is on the bus?” she asked and looked over at him.
“Possibly, but they could also be anywhere. What’s the new news?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you after everyone is together.”
“Don’t I get special privileges?” Audrey’s bright green eyes looked Bert over once…twice…three times before she shook her head and smiled at him.
“Sorry, Bertapotomus. No special privileges this time,” Audrey said and turned her face away from him. Bert could still see just enough of her face to see when her eyes lit up, and she started waving her hands wildly. Nearly smacked him in the face.
“Quinnathan!” she yelled and took off running. Bert rolled his eyes, without losing his smile, and then jogged after her. When Bert caught up to Audrey and Quinn, she was attached to his back and he was trying to get her off.
“Just give up, Quinn. She’s got a good grip,” Bert advised as he watched them. Quinn huffed and finally just held onto Audrey’s legs.
“Why’d you jump on me?” Quinn asked and looked over his shoulder at Audrey.
“I can’t tell you until we find the rest of your people,” Audrey said.
“Well, Jeph is still in the hospital. Dan and Betty are on the bus though,” Quinn said.
“To the bus!” Audrey yelled. Bert skipped ahead of them and got to the bus first, and he saw Dan and Betty sitting on the couch and watching TV as he walked inside. Betty was curled up in Dan’s lap, so Bert sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Quinn stood in the middle between Bert and Dan, but he didn’t move to sit down.
“Are you gonna sit down?” Dan asked without looking away from Betty. That was one intense staring contest.
“I’m waiting for this thing to get off my back,” Quinn said.
“I’m not a thing!” Audrey yelled.
“Get off!”
“Never!” Dan and Betty were watching Quinn and Audrey now, and Bert was looking at the TV. News report. Something landed in Bert’s lap, and he instantly wrapped his arms around it. He heard a loud something resembling an evil laugh and then felt the couch sink next to him.
“Dammit, Quinn,” Audrey mumbled. Bert looked up to see her sitting sideways in his lap with her arms crossed, and she was glaring at Quinn who just kept smiling like a maniac.
“Shh! Jeph is on TV!” Dan yelled. Quinn and Audrey’s faces went serious, and Bert shifted around a little so that he could see the TV better. Some woman was rambling on, and Bert could see a small picture of Jeph.
“There was an incident just yesterday at a The Used concert that left one member, Jeph Howard, seriously injured. It’s only the second concert they’ve played in the past five years, and they are already experiencing problems. We have to wonder, were they really ready for a comeback? Or is it really the end?”
“That bitch!” Audrey yelled. If Bert’s arms hadn’t been around her, Bert was sure that she would’ve broken their TV.
“Calm it down,” Bert mumbled and pulled her closer to his chest. She was shaking lightly in his arms, and if looks could kill…you know the rest.
“That was just bullshit! There wasn’t some incident! Those fuckers are out to get us!” Audrey yelled.
“What’s going on?” Dan asked.
“We think that The Management is out to get us. Mercy’s Prophecy, the band that showed up yesterday, are going back on tour. They just got off, and we also think some other bands might be joining them. And none of us think that what happened to Jeph was an accident,” Audrey said quickly.
“What about the kid from Mercy’s Prophecy that showed up at the hospital?” Betty asked.
“Lee? He’s harmless. He’s never gotten along with his brother and sister, the guitarist and lead singer, so I think he finally had enough. He’s here to help us out. To help you guys out, until Jeph is better. Totally up to you though,” Audrey said and looked around at all of them.
“A little help sounds good to me,” Quinn answered for them.
“Are you girls doing anything?” Bert asked. He knew they were, which was why Audrey and some of the other girls were sent to tell the bands the “new news”.
“Tara and Aiden were going to fire everyone when I left. We know it had to be an inside job, so…yeah.” Audrey twirled a small piece of hair around her fingers and then suddenly dropped it.
“Wait…everyone?” Dan and Quinn asked together.
“Security, techs, roadies, merch people…everyone,” Audrey clarified.
“Who’s going to do everything then?” Bert asked. He was sure they didn’t have time to completely re-hire an entire crew. It’s not physically possible, especially if they’re going through with the shows scheduled for tonight.
“Us girls are. And we were hoping you guys wouldn’t mind helping each other out,” Audrey said.
“The crazy girl was right.” Audrey and Bert both jumped at the sound of a new voice, and Bert looked over at the doorway leading to the bunks.
“Gee, what in the hell are you doing here?” Bert asked.
“Oh, I let him in so he could take a nap. He said something about Frank and Twister,” Betty explained with a small shrug. Bert didn’t hate Gerard, they were friends, but they’d had their disagreements over the years.
“Who’s the crazy girl?” Audrey asked as she relaxed against Bert.
“Tara. She told me and Mikey everything, and…yeah. Then her and Mikey went to plan a baby shower, after firing everyone,” Gerard said.
“Yeah, she’s been in a funny mood all day,” Audrey said quietly. To Bert, it sounded like this tour was already taking its toll on the women who put it together. And they’re only at the second venue.
“So, what now?” Betty asked. Everyone turned to look at Audrey, who just shrugged.
“We wait.”
MATT
“Would you two shut up?!” Matt yelled.
“Make him admit that I’m better!” Brian yelled and pointed at Ray. The other guitarist just smiled and shrugged in Matt’s general direction. Matt leaned forward in his chair and reminded himself that he didn’t actually want to kill his friends. That was just the headache.
“Brian, he beat you,” Matt said after a quick glance at the screen.
“No!” Brian yelled and fell back onto the couch. Zacky was sitting beside him, laughing his ass off.
“It’s about time someone beat you,” Zacky said and kept laughing.
“Why don’t you play him then!” Brian yelled.
“I will!” Zacky yelled back. He grabbed Brian’s tossed-away controller and started playing.
“I gotta get out of here,” Matt thought as he got to his feet. He walked away from where Zacky was now yelling and stepped outside, and he made sure to firmly close the door behind him. He pushed his sunglasses onto his face, leaned against the side of the bus, and crossed his arms. They had been waiting for a little over two hours, and there still wasn’t any news on what happened last night. Something was going on, and Matt wanted to know what.
“Umm…Matt?” He looked down and into a pair of light brown eyes. Damn, this girl was short. An entire foot shorter than him.
“Sam, right?” he asked. She was short, but he had to give credit to any girl who could actually tackle him and take him down. He knew some guys that couldn’t even do that.
“And I thought you forgot all about me,” Sam said with a small smile.
“You’re kinda hard to forget,” he said and smiled back. She looked away from him and down at the ground, and he noticed that she was lightly biting on her bottom lip.
“Us girls got…sent out, I guess, to let you guys in on what’s going on,” she said. Matt felt his smile disappear as he gazed down at her, waiting.
“Well?” he asked her when she didn’t say anything.
“We think what happened to Jeph wasn’t an accident,” she said quietly.
“Then who did it?”
“The Management wasn’t happy about all of you coming back, so we think they’re going to try and bring you down. Aiden and Tara left to go fire the whole crew, because we think it was an inside job. We’ll be doing their jobs now,” Sam said and finally looked up at Matt. Her pale eyes were ablaze with anger, and Matt was convinced that she could definitely kick ass.
“There’s something else,” he said. She gave a quick nod of her head and sucked in a breath.
“Mercy’s Prophecy is going back on tour.” Matt’s brows pulled together as he looked down at Sam, and his fists clenched and unclenched next to his sides.
“They just got off.” He was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, because he was seething inside.
“They did, but they’re going back. And we don’t think they’ll be alone.” Sam’s eyes connected with Matt’s, and the anger burning in her eyes mirrored his.
“So they’ll make their move soon,” Matt ground out from between his clenched teeth.
“Whatever they throw at us, we’ll be ready,” Sam said. Her voice was calm and confident, and the sound of her determination helped Matt to relax and unclench his jaw.
“Damn right we’ll be ready.”
JEPH
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The sound of Tori’s voice made Jeph jump slightly, but no one else in his little hospital room seemed to notice. Tori was standing with her back towards the bed, and there was someone standing directly in front of her that Jeph couldn’t see.
“I wish none of it was real, but it is,” the other person sighed. The other person was definitely one of the girls, but Jeph couldn’t tell exactly who.
“Do you mind making sure that the others know? I want to tell Jeph,” Tori said.
“Yeah, it’s no problem.”
“Thanks, Pyper.”
“Anytime.” Jeph watched a pair of arms wrap around Tori, and Tori hugged Pyper back. He heard a few more whispered words, and Pyper turned and walked out of his room a few moments later. He kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, and he heard Tori sigh as she sat down in the chair next to his bed.
“So, what’s happening?” He opened his eyes just in time to see Tori jump back in her chair and then glare at him. He smiled at her, despite the small cuts on his cheeks, and her expression slowly softened. Then she sighed again and started massaging the bridge of her nose.
“It’s all so messed up, Jeph,” she said quietly. Her green eyes connected with his, and she almost looked…defeated. As quickly as it appeared, the defeated look disappeared and was replaced with anger. “All we wanted to do was bring back some real music, and they’re trying to take it away from us.”
“Easy, kitten.” Tori’s voice had been low, and she’d sounded like she wanted to rip something apart. Or, better yet, someone. After hearing his ridiculous pet name though, some of her anger simmered. Some of it. “What happened? I know you girls have some theories.”
“We have something more than a theory. We’re pretty sure we know exactly what’s happening,” Tori said. She started talking very fast after that, and Jeph’s hands balled into fists as she talked. When she was finally through, he took a deep breath and then looked over at her again.
“We’ll beat them,” Tori said. Her jaw was set and her eyes were dark, the perfect picture of determination.
“Of course we will,” Jeph said and smiled. Tori started to smile back, but then her cell phone rang.
TARA
“Go, Patti!” Tara yelled and thrust a fist in the air.
“Is this really a good idea?” Mikey asked her.
“It’s the best idea!” she yelled and punched the air again.
“Don’t worry about Patti. She’ll be fine,” Aiden said from Tara’s other side. Aiden had Patti’s septum and snakebite rings in a small plastic bag in one hand, and the other hand was swiping all over the surface of her phone.
“Who are you texting?” Tara asked and tried to lean up far enough to see.
“I’m telling Tori what’s happening,” Aiden said.
“What exactly is happening?” Lindsay asked. Tara looked over her shoulder to see Lindsay standing just behind her, and Aiden move a little so she could get closer. There was a bigger crowd standing behind the four of them.
“You know we fired all the security guards, right?” Tara asked.
“Yeah, that’s what you and Aiden left to do,” Lindsay said without looking away from straight in front of her.
“Well, Patti and Emily are now in charge of watching the security guards that the venues provides. One of the guys thought women shouldn’t be in charge of things like security, which is absolutely ridiculous. Him and Patti started arguing, and now they’re going to settle it,” Tara said and looked straight ahead.
Patti’s multi-colored hair was pinned back away from her face, and her bright blue eyes were shining with excitement. Tara knew it was excitement because of the wide smile on Patti’s face. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top because of the heat, and Tara could easily see the tattoo that stretched across her collarbones. Never Back Down. It was what Patti lived by. Her clothes showed off her athletically toned body, and Tara could see the muscles in her arms and legs lightly flexing as she got ready for the upcoming fight. The man in front of her was about two inches taller, so six-two, and was heavily muscled. He was wearing the standard all-black uniform, but he had taken his top shirt off so that he was left in a blank tank top.
“You ready?!” the guy yelled.
“Bring it!” Patti yelled back. Tara knew that Patti had been stressed out lately, they all were, and this was the perfect way for her to vent. Tara almost felt sorry for the poor guy’s ass that she was about to kick. Almost.
“Are you sure she’ll be okay?” Mikey whispered in Tara’s ear.
“Yes, I’m sure. Patti’s a professional,” Tara whispered back. Patti ducked right before the guy’s meaty fist could connected with her face, and Tara watched as Patti’s fist caused the guy’s head to snap backwards. Patti was starting to swing again when Tara felt something vibrate in her pocket, and she mumbled a few choice words under her breath before walking off.
“Hello?” she greeted once she was away from the cheering crowd.
“Why haven’t you called me?”
“Mama Ruby!” Tara yelled.
“Well, answer the question!” Tara smiled at the light scolding, and she had a feeling that Mama Ruby was smiling on the other end.
“I’m sorry, Mama Ruby. You know how things get sometimes. I’ve been meaning to call, I really have,” Tara said quickly.
“Sure you have. You better not be doing anything you’re not supposed to,” Mama Ruby said in a warning tone.
“Of course not! I’ve just been busy, that’s all. One of the guys got hurt, but he’s going to be okay. How are things there?” Tara asked.
“Well, you’re never going to believe this, but…” Tara listened as Mama Ruby started talking about all of the small town gossip, and she started laughing and nodding her head at her mother’s words. Tara’s small hometown all knew Tara’s mother as Mama Ruby, so that’s what Tara called her growing up. Even Tara’s younger twin sisters, who were only eight, called their mother Mama Ruby. It’s just the way it’s always been. Tara may have had a stepfather for about a year, but that was when she was nineteen. She’s always had her mother, her Mama Ruby, so the two of them were very close.
“How’re the girls?” Mama Ruby asked when she was done. She had met a few of the girls over the past couple of years, but she still pretty much knew all of them from Tara’s frequent calls home. Tara kept nothing from Mama Ruby. Nothing.
“They’re doing pretty good so far. We love what we’re doing, and we’re having a lot of fun,” Tara answered honestly.
“I will never understand your obsession with those men in tight pants and eyeliner, but whatever makes you happy is good with me,” Mama Ruby said.
“Maybe I’ll bring one home so you can see what’s so special about them,” Tara said in a teasing tone. Mama Ruby let out something between a snort and a grunt, and Tara let out a small laugh of her own. Just talking to Mama Ruby could make her feel homesick. Mama Ruby reminded her of home and all the things she left behind when she moved to California.
“Well, I’ll let you go. Watch what you eat and say no to peer pressure!” Mama Ruby yelled. Tara was laughing again as she forced out a yes-ma’am and then hung up. She was turning around to go finish watching the fight when her phone vibrated again, and she groaned as she brought it back up to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Tara! Good, you’re still alive,” Casey said in a quick rush.
“Yeah, I’m still kicking. What have you heard?” Tara asked. As a journalist, Casey picked up small bits of information from all over the place.
“That there was an accident during a concert last night. Jeph Howard got hurt, right?” Damn, Casey really was good.
“Jeph got hurt, but I don’t think it was an accident.” Tara quickly told Casey about the girls’ conspiracy theory, and Casey listened quietly until Tara was completely finished.
“That definitely sounds like something those Management idiots would do. Want me to do a little digging?”
“Only if it isn’t too much of a hassle.”
“For an old friend and three of my favorite bands? No hassle at all,” Casey said with a quiet laugh.
“You’re the best, Adams.”
“You know it! I’ll call you if I hear anything interesting,” Casey said and then called out a quick goodbye. Tara stuffed her phone back into her pocket and walked back to her previous spot. Patti was standing over the security guard, and he didn’t look like he was getting up anytime soon. Some of Patti’s hair had fallen free to frame her face, and Tara noticed that the middle of her bottom lip was split. She also had a bruise running along her jaw, but she was smiling.
“Winner!” Jimmy yelled and raised one of her arms in the air.
“Dammit! I missed the whole thing!” Tara mumbled to herself.
“It’s okay. I think Audrey recorded it,” Aiden said. Patti walked over to where Tara and the others were standing, still smiling, and Tara noticed how all eyes were on Patti. All of the girls already knew that Patti would win, but everyone else looked shocked…and in awe.
“That was great. Fighting bare-fisted brings back memories,” Patti said as she took her rings back from Aiden.
“That was…awesome!” Mikey yelled from beside Tara. Patti glanced over at him as she put her septum piercing back in and nodded her head.
“So, are you guys excited to play tonight?” Lindsay asked Mikey.
“We’re playing?” Mikey asked and pointed to himself.
“Of course you are, silly. You’re scheduled to play, so you’re going to play,” Tara said and grinned up at him.
“What about what happened to the last band that played?!” Mikey yelled.
“We fired all the old workers, so everything should be fine,” Aiden said.
“Yeah, and after that display of awesomeness, I don’t think anyone is going to want to piss Patti off,” Tara added. Mikey looked down at her, and he widened his eyes as he bent over so that they were the same height. It was a considerable amount of bending since Mikey was ten inches taller than Tara.
“If I die, you’ll avenge me. Right?” Mikey asked.
“I wouldn’t dream of not avenging my brave husband,” Tara said and smiled across at him. Mikey straightened back up to his full height, and he placed one hand on Tara’s shoulder.
“I guess I better go tell the guys,” Mikey said and looked around the crowd. He disappeared a moment later, and Tara turned back around to look at the three girls standing behind her. Patti was wiping the blood off of her lip, Audrey was looking down at her phone, but Lindsay was looking over at Tara.
“So, do you think everything will work out this time?” Lindsay asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Tara said after a moment. Things would definitely work out this time. Hopefully.
Notes
I was going to wait for a little bit before updating again, but I had a dream about the sequel to this story. Yeah, the sequel. My dream was very clear about it being a sequel. So, update! I hope this chapter cleared some things up, and there's still plenty of drama and fun times to come!
If there's any character/band member/pairing you want to see more of, just let me know! Also, later on, more bands/artists will be introduced. So if there's anyone that you want to see, just let me know! All genres are good with me too. You can request anyone from Escape The Fate to Taylor Swift, and I'll find a way to make it work.
Images!
Here's What Kellan Looks Like
Kellan's Back Piece
Lee
Lee's Back Piece
Mercy
Gabe
