In the Band

"She's what!?!" I asked, jumping out of my seat and standing there, my mouth hanging open, not knowing what to do. I felt like I had just been shot by lightning, or like metal was piercing through my veins, stabbing through the floor and making me absolutely stable where I was. I felt solid, a whole frozen being was inside of me, being held together by my skin. If my flesh weren't there my body would have melted all over the floor.

"She's... bringing your mother." Lucy said, looking at me with such an apologetic, sympathizing way that I wanted to throw up and run away for the rest of my life. "Mae I had no idea, I'm so sorry..."

I shook my head, and turned to Patrick, smiling in such a sad, sorry way that he knew I had to talk to him. He in turned, looked at Nicole, who nodded.

"We've got some time before we have to leave for Philly..." Nicole stated, and I nodded at her, then walked out the door to the RV. Before I closed the door, I heard Lucy sigh, and Grady go to comfort her.

"What's up Mae?" Patrick asked me as we walked just a little bit down the parking lot of the Applebee's.

"You know what's up Pat." I said, sighing. "I... my parents, I can't do this... my mom!? The woman that left me with my aunt who left me alone in New York?!" I shuddered and stopped when I saw two girls and a guy walking our way. They all stopped in front of Patrick and I. I recognized them from the front row at the concert.

Apparently AppleBees was a small world.

"You guys are in that band!" One of the girls gasped, smiling. She grinned at her girlfriend. "See. I told you Kate, it's them." She smiled slyly at Patrick. "Say... can I like, have your autograph?"

Patrick smiled and took her Sharpie and winked at me when she turned around and hunched her shoulders for him to be able to sign her back.

The boy smiled at me, and I smiled kindly back. He pointed to the back of his t-shirt and held out a Sharpie. I laughed a fake laugh and took it from him, uncapping it and sighing as he turned around. I started to sign his back when Lucy came out of the RV. She stopped when she saw Patrick and I signing the shirts of fans.

"Mae I'm so sorry, we don't have to go to New York you know, we can cancel... I'll talk to Nicole, she'll make a couple calls and we can just go straight to Virgini-"

"No." I said, shaking my head and capping the Sharpie, smiling as I handed it back to the boy. Patrick was already signing the shirt of the second girl. The first didn't ask for my autograph. "Lucy, I won't let the band halt a concert for something so selfish, I wouldn't cancel it for the fans... I wouldn't ruin so many people's nights, and I wouldn't do something so selfish. We'll go, I have to face my ghosts some time. You know that, but perhaps not as much as the rest of us."

The three teens were looking at us strange, they thanked us and then walked into the AppleBee's. I turned to Lucy and sighed. "I wouldn't be that person, anyone else can if they want to be, but I'm not the person to feel shitty and bring it down on the band and the few fans that we have." I nodded and smiled at Patrick. "Thanks for walking with me Pat... come on, let's go back in, I don't really feel like being out here anymore."

Pat nodded and I grabbed his hand and Lucy's and we walked back into the RV, sitting down at the table next to Grady, and Anne Marie, with a deck of cards at the ready. "Now who's ready to be served at a game of Go Fish?"