Girl I Know

Matt dragged Melody backstage and shoved her into their dressing room while Brian followed closely and slammed the door behind them. He was much to angry to speak and didn’t say a word as he just stood there with his hands folded across his chest. His face spoke volumes. Melody had never been so nervous in all her life.

“I wish you people would stop shoving me!” Melody rubbed her arm in the spot where Matt was holding her as he dragged her back and shoved her into the room.

“SHUT UP!” Matt snapped and Melody backed up two steps. “This is how things are going to go. I am going to ask the questions and you are going to give the answers. Understand?”

“Yes” she nodded.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He leaned back against the wall and took off his sunglasses so she could see his eyes.

“Research for my clothing line” she bit her bottom lip hoping that was enough of an answer.

“Really? Just how did you manage to get here, Melody?”

“I…well..uh.”

“ANSWER ME!” he snapped, making her jump again.

“I took a bus” well she wasn’t exactly lying there.

Brian gripped the doorframe and squeezed it as hard as he could. “You took a bus?” Matt continued with his interrogation and she was praying it would be over soon.

“Yes” she nodded.

“Who gave you that pass?” he pointed his finger in the direction of the all access pass around her neck.

“I found it?” she lowered her eyes to the ground not wanting to get anyone in trouble.

Brian was now losing his patience and stood straight up and put his hands on his hips. She wasn’t sure who she should be more afraid of, her father or her uncle.

“TRY AGAIN” Matt yelled.

“I can’t tell you” she started to cry thinking maybe tears would work. They worked on her father when she cried in front of him. Sometimes.

“You can’t tell me?”

She shook her head no and Brian punched the wall. “DAMN IT MELODY!” he yelled and she knew he wasn’t fucking around.

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble” she explained with tears flooding down her cheeks.

“The only person in trouble is you. Now, tell me who gave you that pass” Matt lowered his voice so that it was at an even tone.

She hesitated for a second and closed her eyes knowing that she had no choice, but to just say his name. “Lyric”

“WHAT?” Matt and Brian both yelled at the same time.

The music that was blaring outside had stopped sometime after they brought her back to the dressing room. That was a sign that Fiction was done with their set.

“I said, Lyric”

“WE HEARD YOU” Matt snapped. “How the hell did you manage to meet up with Lyric before the show without anyone seeing you?”

Now she was busted and there was no way to explain her way out of it. She would have to tell the whole truth.

“We’re waiting Melody,” Her father said impatiently, but she couldn’t find the words to explain her way out of it so she stayed silent.

“You guys are on in 10 minutes!” came a knock from the other side of the door and Matt turned his gaze back to Melody.

“You are going to come with us and stay on the side of the stage until the end of the show. Understand me?”

“Yes” she nodded.

He turned to Brian who had yet to have his say with his daughter and told him to get a guard to stay with her at all times while they were on stage.

A half hour later they were well into their set and Melody was stuck at the side of the stage with not one but three guards. Brian wasn’t going to take any chances with his daughter. He was so angry he could hardly stand to look at her. Melody took the chance she had and snapped as many photos as she could.

When the band was done playing Matt and Brian walked back over to Melody and Matt grabbed her arm again. “Let’s go” he said and they headed straight for the Fiction bus. Brian grabbed Zacky by the arm on the way and dragged him along.

“What the hell?” Zacky yelled as he was yanked backwards.

“Just move” Brian said and Zacky followed along with him and Matt.

It was Zacky and Brian who stepped onto the bus first and Zacky was still clueless as to what the hell he had to be there for. He saw Melody, but nobody bothered to fill him in.
Matt dragged Melody up the stairs and held her in his grip as Brian called all of the guys to the front of the bus. When everyone was present Matt went off.

“Someone want to explain this?” he said yanking Melody forward.

“ow” she said as he held her arm tightly.

“Quiet” he spoke in a low voice through gritted teeth and turned his gaze back to the four guys, when his eyes landed on his son, they stayed there and he waited for his son to answer.

“Dad, I didn’t know she was on the bus, I swear.”

“WHAT?” Brian stepped forward and looked at his daughter. If he was mad before, that was nothing compared to how angry he was now. “You snuck onto the bus?” Melody lowered her head and nodded.
“Blade did you know about this?” Zacky asked his son.

“I didn’t know until late last night when I saw her coming out of the bathroom” he told the truth figuring he had nothing to fear. He wasn’t the one who stowed away on a bus.

“And you didn’t think to call anyone?” his father wasn’t happy.

“How is this my fault? Or My problem?”

“Don’t be mad at them, I snuck on the bus and begged them all not to tell, it’s all my fault” Melody volunteered hoping that it would get them out of hot water.

She looked at her father who was glaring back at her. “I told you that you couldn’t come on this tour!” he spat.

“I know” she cried.

“You’re going home. After the next show we are going to San Francisco and I’m going to have your mother fly out and meet us there to take you back home.”

“Im not going” she said lowly.

He stood in front of her and couldn’t believe what just came out of her mouth and that she had the nerve to answer him back. He turned his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her. “What did you just say?”

“I said I’m not going home” she spoke up a little braver now.

“That’s what I thought you said” he grabbed her arm and yanked her closer to him and leaned forward so that his face was only inches away fro hers. “You will do what I say and you are going home in two days.”

“NO!” she shouted. “I’m 18 and I don’t have to listen to you!”

That little outburst earned Melody a slap across the face and she quickly brought her hand up to the spot where her father slapped her. Zacky grabbed Brian’s arm and Melody ran passed him to the bunk she had made her own for the last day and a half.

“Come on. Lets get you a drink and calm down” Zacky dragged Brian off the bus back to their own bus while Matt stayed behind to lecture Legend, Lyric and Blade about being responsible.

“Dad, she wasn’t going to be any trouble. She just wanted to take some pictures.”

“Lyric, do you have any idea how much she hurt her parents?”

“No, but I..”

“NO, you don’t because you are not a parent yourself. She could have been seriously injured out there. You know how crazy the fans can get at one of our shows!” Matt then turned his attention to Blade. “And you! You better keep your damn hands off her if you know what’s good for you!”

“Hey! I don’t want anything to do with that spoiled little bitch!” Blade shouted loud enough for Melody to hear.

“Well ok then” Matt had no idea what that was about and didn’t care either. He looked at Legend next. “I don’t know what you did wrong, but I’m sure I’ll find something to yell at you for.”

He stood and started for the door of the bus and turned back around to address them once more. “We should be leaving soon. You all better hope you aren’t hiding anything or anyone else on this bus.”

When he walked out the door the three of them sat there looking at each other.

“Well, I’ve never been so happy to not be a member of your family” Dante teased from the doorway of the bunk hall.

All three of them turned and looked at him as if he were the enemy. He held his hands up in front of his chest. “Ok I can take a hint” he said and walked back to his bunk.

“I can’t believe he hit her” Legend said feeling bad for Melody.

“Yeah, well I told you that Brian and my dad had nasty tempers.” Lyric got up from where he sat and walked back to the bunks. Legend fixed a drink and offered it to Blade who happily took it from him.

“You know she heard what you said”

“So what!” he snapped.

“Hey, I’m just saying. Poor kid probably felt bad enough without having you jump on the I’m pissed at Melody bandwagon.”

“Whatever” Blade downed the drink and walked up to sit in the seat opposite the driver and waited for the bus to start moving.

Meanwhile…

Melody was sobbing in the bunk when the bunk suddenly became flooded with light. She didn’t move when the bed shifted, but she did turn around when she felt an arm around her waist. Legend didn’t say a word, he just held her while she cried and offered her a safe place away from everyone else who wanted a piece of her right now. At least she had one friend.

Melody woke up in the morning by herself in the bunk. The bus was still moving, but sounded really quiet. Figuring everyone else was still sleeping she got up and went into the bathroom. After she was done doing what she had to do she went to the sink to wash her hands. When she caught sight of her face in the mirror she put her hand up to the light bruise her father’s hand left on her cheekbone. It was sore and her eyes were swollen from all the crying she did. To sum it up, she looked like shit.

When her cell phone rang she pulled it out of her pocket and quickly answered it so as not to wake anyone else on the bus.

“Melody, what were you thinking?” she heard her mother’s voice on the other end of the phone and rolled her eyes.

“Mom, please I already got enough from dad last night”

“Oh I you aint seen nothing yet. Wait till I get to San Francisco tomorrow” she warned.

“Why, are you going to hit me too?”

“What?”

“Dad lost his temper and left a nasty little bruise on my face” she cried to her mother and now it was her father who was the one that should be afraid.

“Son of a bitch” she heard her mother whisper on the other end of the phone. “Melody, don’t cry, I will take care of your father and his hand problem”

“Ok” she sobbed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow”

“Yeah, Bye” Melody hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket. She wiped her eyes and dried her face before walking back out into the hall. When she saw Blade sitting on the edge of his bunk she looked at him with watery eyes and turned away quickly heading for the front of the bus.

She sat down and picked up the remote for the television and turned it on flipping through the channels looking for anything that would take her mind off the argument she had with her father.

“You look like you could use this” Dante handed her a cup of coffee and she took it happily.

“Thanks” she smiled weakly.

“And this” he handed her a plastic bag with ice cubes in it and sat down opposite her.

“thanks again” she said putting the ice up to her cheek. “damn that’s cold” she winced.

“Yeah, ice usually is” he laughed and got a smirk back from her. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at your pain”

“I know you aren’t. Do you know how long it will be til we get to the next venue?”

“Quite a few hours”

“Great” she smirked as Blade walked passed the two of them over to the kitchen area to get something to eat.

“What’s with the two of you?” Dante asked noticing the tension.

“Absolutely nothing!” she said glaring at Blade.

“Ok, well I’m going to go take a shower” he got up and left her there to continue watching television. She flipped through the channels and settled on Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. How fitting the title given her current situation, but it was her favorite movie. When Blade sat down and started to watch with her, she shot him an annoying smirk.

“What?” he spat just before shoving a piece of toast in his mouth. She just shook her head and turned her gaze back to the television. He could swear he heard her mumble the word "bastard' under her breath, but he wasn't in the mood to question it.

Two hours later….

Melody had fallen asleep and never made it through to the end of the movie. Knowing that they were getting close to the venue, Blade decided to go take a shower so he could get of the bus as soon as they got to the venue. When he came out of the bathroom as he walked passed Melody’s bunk he noticed something peeking out from under the curtain.

After looking over and seeing that she was still asleep he picked it up. It was her sketchbook. The ever-curious one opened the book and there was page after page of the most magnificent sketches. He designs were brilliant and young and he couldn’t help but think that if her father saw them, he might just change his mind about his daughter’s career path. He turned the page once more and looked down at himself. She’d sketched him with his guitar on stage and underneath the photo was a heart with words that sat beside it that read: “You had my heart, at least for the most part.” He sighed, closed the book and placed it back where he found it. It wasn’t even a minute later that the bus stopped at the next venue.