Famous Last Words

From the moment I snuck in, I knew something would go wrong. I don’t know why I felt it; I’ve snuck into concerts many times. This one was no exception. I just felt like something wasn’t right. I have always loved watching my brother play guitar from a distance. He meant everything to me, but I can’t talk to him, or have him see me. It would ruin everything I’ve worked so hard to forget.

I don’t even remember how long I was in the stadium for, but I loved that the time just seemed to stand still for a bit. I could just forget all of my worries and let the flow of music soothe me.

I didn’t start worrying about my latest problems until after I snuck back out of the stadium. I had a crisis. I had no idea on where to sleep tonight. Alleyways are completely out of the question. I slept in one last night, and too many people get raped there…including me. I’m pretty good at covering my feelings though. It’s a gift of mine, so I don’t feel the pain. You know, being homeless can do that to you. It helps you from freezing to death during the winter nights too quickly. Like the world just wants to torture you and watch you suffer for as long as possible. I’m not that easy though. I don’t let them think that they’ve won, yet.

I kept on walking out of the venue until I got to this 24 hour Waffle House. I figured nobody would hurt me here, so I took a spot right in the shadow of the light and fell asleep.

Gerard’s POV

I love my fans, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes it feels like the never go away. I know that I can speak for the whole band when I say that we are all tired and hungry. It was way past midnight when we finally got done with meeting our fans. We debated on whether we should eat out or just go straight to the tour bus.

“Gee, we’re going to the Waffle House right down the street. It’s the only thing that’s still open,” Mikey said.

I nod to my best friends as we all walk the couple blocks to our dinner. I know that it’s dangerous to walk these streets. Hell! I grew up in this neighborhood, which is exactly why I feel safe enough to walk these roads with my band mates.

When we walked onto the Waffle House property, I noticed a small girl lying in the shadows next to the diner.

“Guys,” I whisper. I tore my eyes away from the girl to notice that all of my band mates were all gone except for Ray. “Ray, do you see her?” Ray nods as he turns away from her and towards the diner.
“She looks vaguely familiar, Gee. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not. Let’s go inside.” I felt bad for her. Seeing homeless people on the street was not uncommon, especially teenagers. Growing up in this part of New Jersey you lean to look past these people and be grateful for your own fortunate life. However, I know that I would feel extremely guilty if I looked past this unfortunate soul.

From what I could see in the night, her pants came only right below her knees and her heels seemed to be sticking out of her shoes. The shirt she wore seemed to have fit her one point in time, but now swallowed her like a cloud swallows the sun on a rainy day. Her brunette hair was exceptionally long, even as it was tangled and knotted to the scalp as a result of not brushing and washing it. Her petite body looked like it was shaking from the cold as she slept.

I looked up and noticed that I must have been gone for a while, seeing everybody through the window had their food. I walked over to where they were sitting and took the only open seat. I noticed that everybody was engaging in a conversation, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk with them. The image of that girl was tattooed to my mind. She looked broken even in her sleep. Obviously alone, but the way she was just laying there made me think that her loneliness ran deeper; possibly into abandonment.

“Gee, are you okay?” Mikey asked, looking at me with concern present in his eyes. I look back up at him, glancing looks at all of my band mates.

“I’m okay. I’m just really concerned for the girl that’s out there. It’s getting cold and she’s all alone out there. I don’t know, I just feel like I’m responsible for her. But I don’t know how I could help her.”

Frank looked up at us, pausing the drawing that he was creating on a napkin. “What about taking her back to the bus for the night? Have her warm up, get something to eat, and ask her how we can help her.” Ray, Mikey, and Bob glanced at Frank; as to ask if he really suggested that.

“Well,” Mikey started. “I don’t have a problem with it. I think it’s a sweet idea, right guys?” Ray and Frank nod their heads while Bob just grunts.

“Alright, I’m just going to uh, put her on the bus,” I reply.

“And what’s going to happen when she’s a con artist or a murderer?” Bob asks. I give him a questioning look as I look at the other three. I hadn’t thought of that. “Or,” I begin. “She’s an innocent teenager in need of help. So what happens if she gets hypothermia because of the cold weather?”

“She dies and the world goes on.” As he said that, he shrugged nonchalantly.

“No. Not while I’m concerned. I can’t let an innocent girl die.” After I say this, I start walking out of the diner.

“She many not be as innocent as you think!”