Nothing I've Ever Known
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Pierre stepped down the few steps of the tour bus, his arms raised above his head as he yawned. "Damn those bunks can be so small."
David stood right behind Pierre, clinging on to him as he looked around. "Are we playing here tonight?"
Jeff was next off the bus, he shook his head. "Maybe the reason your bunk is so small, Pierre, is because you let David crawl in there with you. And yes David, this is Cincinnati, Ohio"
The rest of the band walked out of the tour bus, Seb being the last one of them all and leaning against the door frame.
“So, now what?” he asked.
Chuck clapped his hands together and looked at the band members, “Now we have to check all our gear and then double check on when the show is going to start. After that then we can all go out and get some lunch and then hang out and do whatever before the show starts.”
Pat raised his hand, a bored look set upon his face. “May I go out and do something else rather then watch you guys do all the fun stuff.”
“Aww, come on now Patrick. Watching us set up is the greatest part of your job.” Pierre smirked.
Pat closed his eyes, taking a deep breathe and then releasing it. “It’s not that fun watching you Pierre, the only reason I film you the most is because you’re the lead singer.”
Chuck shook his head, “Don’t even listen to him Pat, you can go and do whatever you want to. We’ll see you when you get back.”
“You’re a jerk Pierre.” Seb stated.
“Yeah, and you’re a pathetic loser who can’t stop staring at a picture of a girl who doesn’t even give a shit about you any more.”
Seb’s eyes darkened, he walked over to Pierre and looked up at him “Don’t talk about her that way, Pierre. It’s none of your business what pictures I have of her.”
Pierre scowled, why don’t you move on like the rest of us have and stop expecting something to happen. You’ve lost your chance, now get over it!”
Pat walked away from the band and headed for the nearest sidewalk.
“Alright you two, that’s enough!” Chuck stepped in between them both. “Pierre, get back on the tour bus and clean up the mess you and David made. Sebastien-“
Seb had already moved away from the argument, he made his way over to the building they were playing at that night.
-----
Pat walked along the sidewalk; his eyes were focused on his surroundings. He’d only been walking for at least twenty minutes and had stumbled upon a smaller area of the city, it wasn’t crowded and the stores that lined up together were a lot older then the ones he usually went to.
“Son-of-a-bitch!”
Pat’s eye brows rose and he took a few steps back, he turned and looked at where the sudden swear word had come from. His eyes set upon an old brick building that was two stories high, a garage on the left hand side that looked like it was used only for storage but the vehicle inside it said otherwise.
He looked closer, spotting someone working underneath the hood of the SUV. “Uh, are you alright?”
With an angry sigh, the person turned around and looked at Pat. “I’m fine, just pissed off at the kid who had this vehicle before me. It upsets me when teenagers think they can treat SUV’s like a race car.”
A small smile crossed Pat’s face as he stared down at what he thought was a teenager. “Aren’t you a teenager yourself? You’re acting a little older then your age if you ask me.”
“I usually act older then my original age, I may look like a teenager, but I’m twenty-two years old so…I’ve been out of my teen years for a while now. Would it seem rude if I asked you what your name was, even though we are strangers?”
Pat laughed, not being able to help himself but walk over to the garage and hold his hand out. “Patrick Langlois, I am the webmaster, photographer, and videographer of Simple Plan, I’m usually at the merchandise stand when the band is playing their music.”
The smaller of the two reached out and shook the male’s hand, “Nice to meet you Patrick Langlois, I’m Nichole Wolf…and I’ve never heard of Simple Plan so I have no idea who you’re talking about.” she chuckled
Pat was startled, “You’ve never heard of Simple Plan? They’re like the coolest band out there right now.”
Nichole shrugged her shoulders and walked back over to the SUV she was working on and looked underneath the hood again. “Sorry, I don’t get out very much and the only artist I know music to is Uncle Kracker. Other then that, I just listen to whatever’s on the radio.”
Patrick followed her, walking into the garage and placing his hands on the edge of the vehicle. “Well, the band is playing here tonight so…if you wanted to see what they were like I’m sure I can get you a ticket to get in.
Nichole shook her head, “Thank you Patrick, but I’m afraid I can’t accept free concert tickets. If I go to any concert I always pay full price of the ticket so the band doesn't get ripped off in any way. Besides, I have to finish this.” She pointed to the vehicle.
Pat took a step back and took a good look at it; he raised an eye brow and looked at her. “Don’t you think you’d be better off bringing it to someone who takes junk vehicles and pays you like…$200.00 or something?”
Nichole frowned, “I just bought this two days ago. It cost me $3,000, and if you ask me it’s a pretty damn good price for a Jeep. These suckers usually cost a good $5,000 or more if kept in good shape.”
Pat stared at her confused, “Well if this one is in such terrible condition, why did you buy it?”
Nichole chuckled at his question, “I just received my associate’s degree in Automotive Technology, thought I’d get myself a gift by going to the nearest salvage dump and picking up my very own Jeep. This one wasn’t so badly damaged; it was the previous owner who brought it to the dump because he thought it couldn’t run any more.”
“Didn’t you ever listen to anyone who said to never buy a vehicle from a salvage dump? They never get back on the road, and they’re dangerous.”
Nichole tapped her hand on the edge of the vehicle, “Like I said, a teenager messed it up. The engine needed to be checked, which of course I have to redo the whole thing. The ABS is screwed up and causes the Jeep to lock its brakes as if it were in snow and couldn’t grip on to anything. So I unplugged the ABS, cleaned and fixed the routers for the original breaks and now…no ABS.”
The grill is damaged, most likely from hitting into another vehicle, deer, or a pole. No floor mats, or Owner’s Manual which means that where the teenager had bought this vehicle, the dealership had gotten it from an auction. And every time there is an auction, they take out everything and the vehicle then becomes cheaper. It’s a great deal for the dealership, but it really pisses me off that I can’t read what this thing is capable of.”
Pat folded his arms together and continued to look at her, he had taken a step back. “So you’re going to go through all this trouble, fixing all its problems for what reason?”
Nichole sighed, “Because this is my favorite Jeep, I love the Grand Cherokee like no ones business. This one here is a 1998 ZJ Grand Cherokee Laredo, first generation. The second generation has been out since 1999, but I decided to get the 1998 first before I couldn’t find any with lower mileage then this.”
Pat nodded his head; he looked down at the ground as thoughts began to process. He took a small glance at Nichole, the expression on her face clearly stated that this ‘piece of junk’, so he thought, was the thing she now looked forward to every day. There were no parties, drinks or celebrities.
Her life seemed a little below average, and Patrick couldn’t help but feel a little guilty since he and his friends pretty much had it all.
“Nichole, I really think you should take up my offer on those concert tickets.
----
Patrick walked back to the tour bus, he stared down at his cell phone as he texted.
“Where the hell have you been?!”
He glanced up, seeing Pierre with his head poked out from one of the windows of the tour bus. “I was looking around in one of the smaller towns and happened to come across someone. After that I kind of hung out with her and talked…”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” David now appeared beside Pierre, his head sticking out the window as well.
Pierre looked at him, “David, move it, I was here first. We’re going to get stuck.”
David shook his head, “No, I want to know who Pat was hanging out with. If we get stuck, it’s because of you Pierre.”
Pierre sighed and looked back at Pat, “Alright, Patrick. Give the man some details.”
Pat tucked his cell phone back into his front pocket and rubbed one of his arms, “Well, first things first. I gave her three free tickets to the show tonight. I don’t know if she will show up or not but-“
“You did what!?” Pierre snapped.
“Pierre, come on man. Her life is a little complicated at the moment and she’s never heard of you guys before so I’m kind of doing you a favor, if she likes the music...”
“I don’t give a crap how complicated her life is Pat, why the hell would you give her free tickets!” Pierre ducked his head back into the tour bus, he slammed the door a moment later and stepped out, coming face-to-face with him.
“Because she has nothing better to do Pierre! Her life isn’t that great, she may be okay with it but I’m certainly not. Just give her a chance.”
Pierre’s hands were clenched into tight fists; he paced back and forth in front of Patrick, “What the fuck is her name then? You have to give me a name.”
Pat sighed, “Her name is Nichole…”
Pierre stopped in his tracks, the angry scowl on his face suddenly vanished. “E-Excuse me?” he gave Patrick his full attention as he took a step closer to see if he heard him correctly.
“It’s Nichole, that’s her name.” Patrick lowered his head a little as he saw Pierre’s mouth drop open.
“What else?”
Pat looked at him confused, “What?”
“Did you catch her last name as well, Patrick!?” Pierre growled, becoming frustrated.
Pat nodded, “Wolf.”
Pierre gasped, “You didn’t go anywhere near the rest of the guys and tell them did you? Specifically Sebastien?”
Pat shook his head quickly, not understanding why Pierre seemed to be alerted. “Do you know who she is?”
Pierre ignored his question as he walked back over to the tour bus, “David, stay on the tour bus unless you’re going to follow one of the guys. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay!” David answered cheerfully. Pierre closed the door and walked back over to Patrick, “Show me where she is Pat.”
----- Back to Nichole’s
“I don’t even know if she’s here Pierre, maybe we shouldn’t bother her…”
Pierre looked around the small neighborhood, his eyes stopped when he spotted the garage Pat explained to him about. “That’s where her vehicle is at?”
Patrick nodded his head, “Yeah, you can’t see it right now because she closed the door.”
Pierre turned his attention to the building Nichole was living in, “Which floor is she on?”
Pat raised his fingers, “Number two, last door on the left.”
Pierre didn’t take a moment to wait as he made his way to the front door of the small apartment, Pat followed right behind him and they walked up the only set of stairs that led to the next floor.
With his eyes set focused on the door, Pierre walked down the short hallway until he came to the end, he looked at Pat. “Now I’m scared.”
“Move then you big chicken shit.” Pat stood in front of Pierre and knocked on the door. He didn’t seem as scared as Pierre was, he didn’t see a reason to be.
Pierre took a few steps back, lowering his head slightly, his eyes focused on the door again.
The door opened, “Patrick, what are you-” Nichole looked past him towards the man who stood off to the side.
“Pierre?...”
Pierre’s gaze met with the second pair of brown eyes that were exactly like his, “Hey Nichole…”
Pierre stepped down the few steps of the tour bus, his arms raised above his head as he yawned. "Damn those bunks can be so small."
David stood right behind Pierre, clinging on to him as he looked around. "Are we playing here tonight?"
Jeff was next off the bus, he shook his head. "Maybe the reason your bunk is so small, Pierre, is because you let David crawl in there with you. And yes David, this is Cincinnati, Ohio"
The rest of the band walked out of the tour bus, Seb being the last one of them all and leaning against the door frame.
“So, now what?” he asked.
Chuck clapped his hands together and looked at the band members, “Now we have to check all our gear and then double check on when the show is going to start. After that then we can all go out and get some lunch and then hang out and do whatever before the show starts.”
Pat raised his hand, a bored look set upon his face. “May I go out and do something else rather then watch you guys do all the fun stuff.”
“Aww, come on now Patrick. Watching us set up is the greatest part of your job.” Pierre smirked.
Pat closed his eyes, taking a deep breathe and then releasing it. “It’s not that fun watching you Pierre, the only reason I film you the most is because you’re the lead singer.”
Chuck shook his head, “Don’t even listen to him Pat, you can go and do whatever you want to. We’ll see you when you get back.”
“You’re a jerk Pierre.” Seb stated.
“Yeah, and you’re a pathetic loser who can’t stop staring at a picture of a girl who doesn’t even give a shit about you any more.”
Seb’s eyes darkened, he walked over to Pierre and looked up at him “Don’t talk about her that way, Pierre. It’s none of your business what pictures I have of her.”
Pierre scowled, why don’t you move on like the rest of us have and stop expecting something to happen. You’ve lost your chance, now get over it!”
Pat walked away from the band and headed for the nearest sidewalk.
“Alright you two, that’s enough!” Chuck stepped in between them both. “Pierre, get back on the tour bus and clean up the mess you and David made. Sebastien-“
Seb had already moved away from the argument, he made his way over to the building they were playing at that night.
-----
Pat walked along the sidewalk; his eyes were focused on his surroundings. He’d only been walking for at least twenty minutes and had stumbled upon a smaller area of the city, it wasn’t crowded and the stores that lined up together were a lot older then the ones he usually went to.
“Son-of-a-bitch!”
Pat’s eye brows rose and he took a few steps back, he turned and looked at where the sudden swear word had come from. His eyes set upon an old brick building that was two stories high, a garage on the left hand side that looked like it was used only for storage but the vehicle inside it said otherwise.
He looked closer, spotting someone working underneath the hood of the SUV. “Uh, are you alright?”
With an angry sigh, the person turned around and looked at Pat. “I’m fine, just pissed off at the kid who had this vehicle before me. It upsets me when teenagers think they can treat SUV’s like a race car.”
A small smile crossed Pat’s face as he stared down at what he thought was a teenager. “Aren’t you a teenager yourself? You’re acting a little older then your age if you ask me.”
“I usually act older then my original age, I may look like a teenager, but I’m twenty-two years old so…I’ve been out of my teen years for a while now. Would it seem rude if I asked you what your name was, even though we are strangers?”
Pat laughed, not being able to help himself but walk over to the garage and hold his hand out. “Patrick Langlois, I am the webmaster, photographer, and videographer of Simple Plan, I’m usually at the merchandise stand when the band is playing their music.”
The smaller of the two reached out and shook the male’s hand, “Nice to meet you Patrick Langlois, I’m Nichole Wolf…and I’ve never heard of Simple Plan so I have no idea who you’re talking about.” she chuckled
Pat was startled, “You’ve never heard of Simple Plan? They’re like the coolest band out there right now.”
Nichole shrugged her shoulders and walked back over to the SUV she was working on and looked underneath the hood again. “Sorry, I don’t get out very much and the only artist I know music to is Uncle Kracker. Other then that, I just listen to whatever’s on the radio.”
Patrick followed her, walking into the garage and placing his hands on the edge of the vehicle. “Well, the band is playing here tonight so…if you wanted to see what they were like I’m sure I can get you a ticket to get in.
Nichole shook her head, “Thank you Patrick, but I’m afraid I can’t accept free concert tickets. If I go to any concert I always pay full price of the ticket so the band doesn't get ripped off in any way. Besides, I have to finish this.” She pointed to the vehicle.
Pat took a step back and took a good look at it; he raised an eye brow and looked at her. “Don’t you think you’d be better off bringing it to someone who takes junk vehicles and pays you like…$200.00 or something?”
Nichole frowned, “I just bought this two days ago. It cost me $3,000, and if you ask me it’s a pretty damn good price for a Jeep. These suckers usually cost a good $5,000 or more if kept in good shape.”
Pat stared at her confused, “Well if this one is in such terrible condition, why did you buy it?”
Nichole chuckled at his question, “I just received my associate’s degree in Automotive Technology, thought I’d get myself a gift by going to the nearest salvage dump and picking up my very own Jeep. This one wasn’t so badly damaged; it was the previous owner who brought it to the dump because he thought it couldn’t run any more.”
“Didn’t you ever listen to anyone who said to never buy a vehicle from a salvage dump? They never get back on the road, and they’re dangerous.”
Nichole tapped her hand on the edge of the vehicle, “Like I said, a teenager messed it up. The engine needed to be checked, which of course I have to redo the whole thing. The ABS is screwed up and causes the Jeep to lock its brakes as if it were in snow and couldn’t grip on to anything. So I unplugged the ABS, cleaned and fixed the routers for the original breaks and now…no ABS.”
The grill is damaged, most likely from hitting into another vehicle, deer, or a pole. No floor mats, or Owner’s Manual which means that where the teenager had bought this vehicle, the dealership had gotten it from an auction. And every time there is an auction, they take out everything and the vehicle then becomes cheaper. It’s a great deal for the dealership, but it really pisses me off that I can’t read what this thing is capable of.”
Pat folded his arms together and continued to look at her, he had taken a step back. “So you’re going to go through all this trouble, fixing all its problems for what reason?”
Nichole sighed, “Because this is my favorite Jeep, I love the Grand Cherokee like no ones business. This one here is a 1998 ZJ Grand Cherokee Laredo, first generation. The second generation has been out since 1999, but I decided to get the 1998 first before I couldn’t find any with lower mileage then this.”
Pat nodded his head; he looked down at the ground as thoughts began to process. He took a small glance at Nichole, the expression on her face clearly stated that this ‘piece of junk’, so he thought, was the thing she now looked forward to every day. There were no parties, drinks or celebrities.
Her life seemed a little below average, and Patrick couldn’t help but feel a little guilty since he and his friends pretty much had it all.
“Nichole, I really think you should take up my offer on those concert tickets.
----
Patrick walked back to the tour bus, he stared down at his cell phone as he texted.
“Where the hell have you been?!”
He glanced up, seeing Pierre with his head poked out from one of the windows of the tour bus. “I was looking around in one of the smaller towns and happened to come across someone. After that I kind of hung out with her and talked…”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” David now appeared beside Pierre, his head sticking out the window as well.
Pierre looked at him, “David, move it, I was here first. We’re going to get stuck.”
David shook his head, “No, I want to know who Pat was hanging out with. If we get stuck, it’s because of you Pierre.”
Pierre sighed and looked back at Pat, “Alright, Patrick. Give the man some details.”
Pat tucked his cell phone back into his front pocket and rubbed one of his arms, “Well, first things first. I gave her three free tickets to the show tonight. I don’t know if she will show up or not but-“
“You did what!?” Pierre snapped.
“Pierre, come on man. Her life is a little complicated at the moment and she’s never heard of you guys before so I’m kind of doing you a favor, if she likes the music...”
“I don’t give a crap how complicated her life is Pat, why the hell would you give her free tickets!” Pierre ducked his head back into the tour bus, he slammed the door a moment later and stepped out, coming face-to-face with him.
“Because she has nothing better to do Pierre! Her life isn’t that great, she may be okay with it but I’m certainly not. Just give her a chance.”
Pierre’s hands were clenched into tight fists; he paced back and forth in front of Patrick, “What the fuck is her name then? You have to give me a name.”
Pat sighed, “Her name is Nichole…”
Pierre stopped in his tracks, the angry scowl on his face suddenly vanished. “E-Excuse me?” he gave Patrick his full attention as he took a step closer to see if he heard him correctly.
“It’s Nichole, that’s her name.” Patrick lowered his head a little as he saw Pierre’s mouth drop open.
“What else?”
Pat looked at him confused, “What?”
“Did you catch her last name as well, Patrick!?” Pierre growled, becoming frustrated.
Pat nodded, “Wolf.”
Pierre gasped, “You didn’t go anywhere near the rest of the guys and tell them did you? Specifically Sebastien?”
Pat shook his head quickly, not understanding why Pierre seemed to be alerted. “Do you know who she is?”
Pierre ignored his question as he walked back over to the tour bus, “David, stay on the tour bus unless you’re going to follow one of the guys. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay!” David answered cheerfully. Pierre closed the door and walked back over to Patrick, “Show me where she is Pat.”
----- Back to Nichole’s
“I don’t even know if she’s here Pierre, maybe we shouldn’t bother her…”
Pierre looked around the small neighborhood, his eyes stopped when he spotted the garage Pat explained to him about. “That’s where her vehicle is at?”
Patrick nodded his head, “Yeah, you can’t see it right now because she closed the door.”
Pierre turned his attention to the building Nichole was living in, “Which floor is she on?”
Pat raised his fingers, “Number two, last door on the left.”
Pierre didn’t take a moment to wait as he made his way to the front door of the small apartment, Pat followed right behind him and they walked up the only set of stairs that led to the next floor.
With his eyes set focused on the door, Pierre walked down the short hallway until he came to the end, he looked at Pat. “Now I’m scared.”
“Move then you big chicken shit.” Pat stood in front of Pierre and knocked on the door. He didn’t seem as scared as Pierre was, he didn’t see a reason to be.
Pierre took a few steps back, lowering his head slightly, his eyes focused on the door again.
The door opened, “Patrick, what are you-” Nichole looked past him towards the man who stood off to the side.
“Pierre?...”
Pierre’s gaze met with the second pair of brown eyes that were exactly like his, “Hey Nichole…”