It Was The Roar Of The Crowd That Gave Me Heartache To Sing

"Could you please repeat that one more time?" I asked. Everyone had drifted off to go get some much-needed sleep, and I was talking to the woman who had walked in on the earlier screaming match. Come to think of it, my throat is still a little sore...

"Seriously? Again?" the woman asked.

"I've been awake for a little over an hour, and it's already been a long day," I said with a small smile. A coke can was clutched in my left hand, and my right hand was gently massaging my temples.

"I noticed. Alright, my name is Juliet Marx. I'm a writer for Mindless Vengeance. Casey asked me to come here and continue to write about the tour. She wants to keep a constant article on them, mostly to keep support and morale going. She said she was going to call you," the woman said and cocked her head to the side. Short black hair framed her face, and a pair of hazel eyes stared into my own.

"I've been away on business for the past few days. I just got back yesterday," I said.

"Well, that explains a lot. So, what do you think about the idea?" Juliet asked.

"What idea?" Hazel eyes rolled heavenwards, and then Juliet was smiling at me.

"You're really out of it, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah. I guess I didn't realize just how tired I am," I said. Or how hungover...

"Well, I could always come back tomorrow," Juliet said and rubbed the back of her neck. I looked down and saw the bag at her feet.

"Nonsense! Just stay here. Are you tired?"

"I've got a little jet-lag, but I'm fine," she said with a smile.

"I won't take no for an answer. Let's go pass out on the first bus we come to, shall we?" I asked as I stood up. Juliet stared up at me, but then she shrugged her shoulders and stood up. She picked up her bag and smiled over at me.

"Lead the way." We had been sitting in the party tent, and the sun nearly blinded me as we walked outside. The first bus we came to was the red one, and I smiled up at it. Sleep was the only thing on my mind. The door was unlocked, and Juliet followed me inside.

"This is My Chem's bus," I said as we stopped in the little living room area. The couch that I loved to sleep on wasn't visible. Clothes and random pieces of trash covered the couch, which made it impossible to sleep on. So, what now? Bob and Ray were both affectionate, but I've learned that they like their own space. Frank...well, only Raven can handle a sleeping Frank. I sleep with Mikey all the time, and I don't think Gerard would like a random person sleeping with him. We could always leave, but we are already here.

"Here, you can share a bunk with Mikey. He's been known to snore, but it usually only takes an elbow to shut him up," I said and started walking to the bunk area.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Juliet asked. I nodded my head and then looked into Mikey's bunk.

"Psst! Mikey!" I whispered. His eyes slowly opened, and he smiled up at me.

"Hey, Tara. Wassup?" he mumbled.

"Can my friend bunk with you? I'm too tired to walk anywhere else right now," I said.

"Yeah, sure. Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I'm sure I'll find somewhere," I said with a small shrug. Mikey shrugged back and scooted back against the wall.

"If he gets out of line, then do whatever you think is necessary to put him back in. I'm off for a good nap," I said.

"Wake me up later," Juliet said. I nodded my head and then watched as she disappeared into Mikey's bunk. Now, where could I sleep? I could always just lay down on the floor, it wouldn't be the first time I had napped on a floor before, but a bed would be nicer. Hmm...

"Alright, move over," I said a few seconds later.

"I thought we were going back to the way we were," Gerard mumbled.

"We are. I hate you and you hate me, now move over," I said. Gerard groaned and mumbled something under his breath, and then he moved over so that I could climb in.

"You still haven't fixed that?" I was about to ask what in the world he was talking about, and then I realized that he was looking down at my towel-wrapped hand.

"Not yet. I'll take care of it after my nap. So, are you gonna cuddle again?" I asked with a wide smile. Gerard rolled his eyes at me and turned to face the wall.

"Just don't make a habit out of this," Gerard said as I settled myself under the blanket.

"I wouldn't dream of it," I whispered and let my eyes close.

.....................................

"So, Kodak moment?" a voice said.

"Definitely. Who do you think will kill us first?" a different voice asked.

"Gee, for sure. Tara will turn it into a joke and torture him with the evidence," the first voice said.

"Audrey, darling, you know me too well," I mumbled. My body was slowly waking up, and I could feel something heavy laying on my chest.

"Yeah, well, knowing goes both ways, doesn't it?" she asked.

"I guess so. Hi, Bert!" I yelled. The weight on my chest shifted but didn't leave.

"Hi, Tara! Sleep good?"

"Best sleep I've ever had. How about you, Gee?"

"Fuck off."

"He's not a morning person," I said and smiled up at the two people next to the bunk.

"It's three in the afternoon," Audrey said. I shrugged just as something flashed, and I saw Bob standing behind Bert. He was waving a camera around and smiling, and I felt my eyes narrow. For some reason, I had a feeling that this was going to come back to bite me in the ass.

"This one's definitely a keeper," Bob said. Gerard mumbled something against my collarbone, and a small laugh pushed past my lips.

"So, is everyone settled down now?" I asked.

"Yep, no more arguing. Well, Sam and Matt are still pissy, but everyone else is okay," Audrey said.

"We all wanna know who the new girl is though," Bert said.

"New girl? What new girl?" I mumbled. The hand that wasn't covered with a towel and duct tape started running through Gerard's hair, and I heard him sigh against the side of my neck.

"You know, the chick who came in while we were all trying to kill each other," Audrey said.

"Oh, she's not a new chick. She's a zombie, so you might want to get some protective hats. Zombies really love brains, you know," I said with my eyes still closed.

"I am not a zombie." My eyes finally opened and I rolled my head to the side. Juliet had her hands propped on her hips and was staring down at me. Mikey was standing beside her and leaning his head on Bert's shoulder.

"Are you sure? Because zombies are known to be notorious liars. Don't worry though, your secret will be safe with us," I said with a wide smile.

"You, shut up and make them go away," Gerard mumbled.

"Hey, you better remember who wears the pants in this relationship," I said with a sharp pull of his hair.

"You're not even wearing pants," he replied back.

"But you said you loved me!" Mikey yelled suddenly.

"I'm sorry, hun, but it looks like I'm attracted to assholes," I said and stretched.

"Things will never be the same," Mikey said with another cry.

"Probably not. Now, I'm off to find a nurse. Audrey, would you mind staying with Juliet? I don't think she'll eat your brain, but keep your guard up," I said and started to push Gerard off me.

"I'll just sic Bert on her," Audrey said.

"Great! Now I'm just a dog," Bert mumbled.

"It's better than a zombie," Juliet said.

"I like zombies," Gerard said. His arms were still locked around my middle, and I was still trying to pry him off of me. I think he's laughing at me...

"I hate zombies," Juliet said.

"Let me go!" I yelled.

"No, because I'm teaching you a lesson," Gerard said and laid his head back down on my collarbone.

"Tara, what did you do?" Audrey asked. I turned my head long enough to see Audrey with her hands on her hips.

"Umm...nothing?"

"Now the next time you want to take a nap, you'll find somewhere else to go," Gerard said.

"So, this wasn't an accident?" Bert asked.

"I just wanted a good nap, and Frank scares me!" I yelled and hit Gerard in the head.

"Did I miss something?" Juliet asked.

"They spend most of their time trying to find ways to kill each other," Audrey said.

"That's it, I'm out of here. I need a nurse," I said and finally pulled away from Gerard. My knees hit the floor, and then I jumped up to my feet. I brushed off the bottom of my capris and smiled at everyone around me. Bert opened his mouth to say something, but I waved and decided to run off. It only took a few minutes to make it back to my bus, and I went straight to the refrigerator. I passed by my favorite beverage and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Tara!" I spun around, nearly dropped my bottle, and smiled.

"Aiden!" I yelled back. We started moving at the same time, and we collided in the middle of the small kitchen. I could hear someone laughing behind us, and I ducked under Aiden's arm to see who it was. Tori waved at me, and I felt my smile grow wider.

"Just the girl I was looking for!" I yelled. This time it was Aiden who laughed, and I took a step away from her.

"What do you need, love?" Tori asked. I sniffed a little and held up my hand.

"I got a boo-boo," I said and stuck my lower lip out.

"Follow me and I'll get you all fixed up," Tori said and turned around. Aiden looped her arm through mine and followed after Tori.

"And then you can tell us all about your disappearance," Aiden said. I gulped and let Aiden drag me away.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a disappearance..."

"Start talking."

Anna's POV

The pavement was warm under my back, but the small amount of heat was worth the view I was getting. When I was younger, I had loved laying out in the middle of nowhere and staring up at the sky. Finding meaningless shapes in the clouds always calmed down after listening to my dad call me a failure. I'm not sure why, but most things in the world don't make sense.

"What are you doing?" I blinked up at the person standing next to my head.

"Pondering the secret of life," I said with a smile.

"Figured it out yet?"

"Yep. It has something to do with bunnies." He tipped his head back to look at the clouds, and I saw him smile when he finally spotted the rabbit cloud.

"Or turtles," he said as he sunk down beside me. Both legs stretched out in front of him, and he tipped his head back to look up at the sky.

"So, Craig, how's the rest of your band doing?" I asked.

"Still sleeping. Max was in a pissy mood because Tori was yelling at him, and Robert and Bryan weren't on speaking terms," Craig said with a sigh.

"Sounds sucky."

"What about the girls? How are they?" I rolled my head towards him and shrugged. Well, shrugged as good as I could while laying down.

"Some are asleep and then some are mellowed out. Tara stayed behind to talk to that girl who showed up. I felt like going for a walk though, so here I am," I said and patted the ground next to me.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Craig whispered.

"Well, we never expected it to be easy. But no, it wasn't supposed to be like this," I said. Craig turned his head to stare down at me, and I kept my gaze locked with his.

"Why did you choose us? A lot of bands got put out of business, you girls had your pick of any band that you wanted. So why us?" I pulled myself off of the pavement and looped my arms around my upraised knees. My chin dropped to my arm, and I cocked my head to the side so I could look at him. I thought about giving a nice long speech like people do in the movies, but then I decided against it. Speeches took too long, and it wouldn't surprise me if Craig tuned out during the middle of it. So, I went with something simple.

"Because you were the best." Craig blinked at me, as if waiting for the rest of my speech. When I didn't say anything else, he nodded his head and smiled.

"So, still feel like going for a walk?" he asked as he stood up.

"Only if I have the proper escort." I took his hand when it was offered, and we started off into town. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad afterall...

Patti's POV

My head moved from side to side, and my eyes were staring to burn. Maybe it was because I couldn't remember the last time I had blinked. Sam, Angel, and I had decided to hang out backstage to cool off. Everything had been fine for a little while, but then Zacky had showed up. He was muttering something about apes as he got closer, and Sam took one look at him before she exploded. Now she's pacing and calling Matt every name under the sun. I wonder if he knows he's being yelled at?

"Calm down!" Angel yelled. Sam came to an abrupt stop, and I finally blinked.

"Oh, thank God," Zacky mumbled from beside me. I silently nodded my head.

"I'm sorry...he just pisses me off," Sam said. Her cheeks had turned a dark pink color, and she was nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Sam wasn't the type to lose her temper, but she had been ranting and raving for the better part of twenty minutes.

"I know he does, but you need to remember that Mercy...she's well...What I'm trying to say is, Mercy used to be an actual human being. I'm sure she can still disguise herself as one when she needs to," Angel said with a smile. Sam looked at her with a small smile of her own, and I felt something click in my brain.

"You know, it's not really Matt's fault," I said. Three pairs of eyes turned to me, and more than one eyebrow was raised. Ah, so I've got their attention now.

"You lost me," Sam said and sunk to the ground. The rest of us were already siting.

"I'm guessing Matt didn't really talk to anyone after everything fell apart, right?" I asked and turned to look at Zacky. None of the guys liked to talk about the past couple of years, but I wasn't asking for deep details.

"No, we all kind of drifted apart for a while," Zacky said quietly.

"Yeah, I thought so. Just think about it, Sam. Matt's whole life had been turned upside down, he'd lost the only thing he really cared about, didn't talk to his friends...and I'm sure Mercy noticed that. I bet Matt just wanted someone to be with, and I'm also betting that Mercy knew just who he was. Let's just all be happy that Matt realized she really is Satan and left her before any damage could be done," I said.

"I think I'm getting there," Sam said. The anger that had been in her eyes was mostly gone now, and I sighed out of relief. Yelling makes my head hurt. Why yell? Just knock whatever's bothering you out and call it a day.

"Think about it this way. How would you feel if you couldn't write anymore? No one would read your books, no one would tell you they loved your newest book, and you had no reason to write anymore..." A groan stopped me from continuing, and Sam had her face in her hands.

"I think I get where you're taking this, Patti," Sam mumbled from between her fingers.

"You wouldn't care about anything anymore, or about who you were around. So, maybe, just this once, we can all cut Matt a little slack," I said.

"I guess so," Sam said again.

"Thank you, Patti, for your amazing wisdom," Angel said with a small bow.

"Well, someone had to say something that made sense," I said. I smiled in Sam's direction, and she smiled back.

"That was...interesting. So, can I tell Matt that it's safe to leave the bus now?" Zacky asked. This time Sam laughed as she nodded her head.

"Well, I'm glad that's all cleared up. Let's go see how everyone else is." And, for some reason, I felt like everything was going to be okay. Maybe.

Tara's POV

"Welcome back, everyone!" I yelled.

"You know, they all look a lot nicer when they're smiling," Juliet said. I nodded my head and turned back to look at the crowd. Everyone was back in the party tent, and so far there hadn't been a single argument. Sam and Matt had even made eye contact!

"I asked everyone here for two reasons. For one, we're leaving within the hour, so please be on your bus so that no one gets left behind. For two, we're welcoming someone new to the tour! I'd like for everyone to meet Juliet!! She's a writer from Mindless Vengeance, and she'll be sending in regular updates to the magazine. I didn't think anyone would mind, since it should help keep the fans' spirits up. So, say hi to Juliet!" I yelled.

"Hi, Juliet!" the entire tent yelled back.

"Hi, everyone!" Juliet replied.

"Now, I want everyone to be nice to Juliet. Think of it this way, she has your balls in her hand. Do something you shouldn't, and she's going to give them a nasty twist. So behave!" I yelled. Most of the guys had turned pale and wouldn't look into Juliet's eyes, while most of us girls exploded into laughter.

"Great, now none of them will talk to me," Juliet said and stuck out her bottom lip.

"Nah. Guys love danger," Reina said from beside her.

"Especially these guys," Raven added.

"Well, we'd better get ready to leave," Tori said with a sigh.

"Let's just hope things stay...quiet for a little while," Lindsay added.

Quiet...now there's an idea...