The Beginning of the End

I kept diving in and out of sleep. I would conquer it and drift off for a few minutes until I woke up every so often with that sinking feeling as though I was falling into a bottomless pit.

I swallowed the lump building in my throat and peeked at Frank. He was asleep; that was no surprise. It was very late at night. I wasn't sure if Gerard came back with the rest of the band, but I wasn't going to find out, not in the least bit.

I rolled to the floor and crawled over to my suitcase. I checked to make sure all of my possessions were in here. Indeed, everything was except for my toothbrush. That I could buy at a convenience store.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped and landed on my butt. I should've known that I wasn't going to succeed. It never hurts to try though.

"Since you're not helping me escape, I'll just go out the window," I whispered, opening the window close to the bathroom. A slight breeze came in and made my face flush with coldness.

Frank grabbed my wrist. "Lillian, that is uncalled for. Don't you think you should say goodbye to them first?"

Wow, he wasn't going to stop me? "I'll keep in touch!" I assured him, nodding my head. I think I was trying to convince myself of this more than him.

"You're impossible. He made a mistake, yes, but he was drunk."

"It's his own fault that he got drunk. I didn't do a single thing to him did I?"

"Forgive and forget!"

"It's not that easy! You almost get raped by your drunk boyfriend and see how you deal with it afterwards!"

"Alright, alright," he sighed, giving in. "You'll be safe right? I refuse to willingly let you go to only find out you're bumming it out on the streets."

"I'll think of something. Frank, I love you like a little brother. Tell them all I love them too."

We were now outside the bus. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. People would start to wake up soon and set up for the different performances today. I would have to make this quick.

I gave Frank one last hug before dragging my suitcase along with me. The both of us ran past the vast concert area until I reached the Quick Chek that would be the last pit stop before the miles of highway.

A blast of cool air welcomed me as I walked into the store. All around were food, food, drinks, and food. I wasn't in the mood to eat, but I was in the mood to buy water. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until I laid my eyes on the stacks of water.

After I leisurely bought a bottle for myself and took a healthy swig from it, I panicked. Where am I supposed to go? I didn't lie when I said I would figure something out. I wasn't sure what to do...

Oh, brain spark! I reached for my phone and dialed Erik's number. I could only hope he was near. I waited a few rings until he picked up.

"Do I know you?"

I had never been so happy to hear his impatient voice. I almost cried and screamed at the same time.

"Are you near Warped?" I asked in a hushed voice. I had no idea why I felt like I was breaking the law. There were no restictions&#151as far as I knew&#151 about calling your best friend in front of a Quick Chek at the crack of dawn.

A rush of static invaded my eardrums. I cringed and rolled my eyes. That was obviously a sigh of relief from him. I bet he thought that I was a stalker.

"You're right next to the beach. I live around there. Are you okay? Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Yes, please. I'm at Quick Chek."

It was about an hour later until a red car rolled up next to me. I was sitting on the sidewalk with a defeated expression on my face. I felt so tired and stressed, almost as though I hadn't slept in years.

Erik walked out of his car and knelt down towards me. My eyes were wide but I didn't say a thing. I wasn't sure if he knew what happened, but by the silent nod he gave me, he must have. He took my suitcase and put it into the trunk before helping me up and placing me in the passenger seat.

"You can stay with me for as long as you want or need," he said softly when we reached the highway.

Living with Erik, I never thought about that. When I was younger, I figured that we would end up finding apartments that were close to each other so we could see each other everyday without any problems. My plan changed completely when mom forced us to move to Belleville. Now, living with my best friend, that sounds...fun.

For a moment, all I could think about was all the teenage things I wanted to do with Erik. I wanted to have a camp out in his backyard, cook s'mores, stay awake all night to crash in the morning, put make-up on his face, and go out and buy massive amounts of junk food.

Besides those things I missed out on with my best friend, I wanted to talk to him about Gerard. I listened to Frank's words, I listened very carefully, but Frank doesn't know everything about me. Erik does, well mostly. I don't know; I'll figure this all out as soon as I get some sleep.