Fallen
Chapter One
Frank was so frustrated he just wanted to walk up to Gerard and strangle him. He was being so difficult about the whole situation. Everyone knew Gerard hated the union of Mikey and Alicia, including themselves so Gerard didn’t have to keep announcing the fact like the exhibitionist he was.
“Gerard could you just shut the fuck up for a minute?’ Frank asked, rubbing his temples. ‘I don’t see why Mikey can’t have a month or two off to honeymoon with Alicia. They just got married. They need a break. Mikey needs a break. Stop acting like a fucking diva and deal with the fact.”
Gerard looked at Frank and Frank could tell that a string of words not considered appropriate were playing through his mind.
“Well who the hell would we get to replace him then?” Gerard asked, sitting down on the nearest chair in a huff.
“What about Matt Cortez again?” Bob suggested as he put away his drumsticks for the night. Sound check had been long and hard and the last thing any of them felt like was a petty argument from Gerard.
“Matt should be happy to do it.’ Their manager Brian interrupted. ‘If you can give me a rough idea of the dates Mikey, I’ll call him tomorrow and see if he’s free. But I have to remind you guys that you have a meet and great now. You know, the girl who won the AP magazine competition.”
Mikey groaned.
“Why was it arranged for now? I don’t think that I can handle hanging out with another 15 year old girl climbing all over Gerard.” Ray grumbled as he emerged out of the toilet.
“Do you think we could reschedule it for later tonight after the show?” Frank asked Brian.
But Brian stood his ground and flat out refused.
“No. You guys are not canceling another meet and greet. You’ll meet this girl, and you’ll be nice to her and you’ll feign interest in what ever she talks about then you’ll sign some things, give her a few free tee shirts and then kick her out. Stop acting like fucking pussies.”
“Yeah right.” Gerard said as he got up and simply walked out of the room. Frank, Mikey, Bob, Ray and Brian all looked after him.
They stood there for a few seconds in silence.
“Is he going to come back?” Brian asked hesitantly.
Frank sighed. He had had enough of Gerard’s temperamental bullshit.
“No. Send the girl in.”
***
Frank looked in awe at the girl in front of him. She was stunning. She had long chocolate brown hair and startling green eyes. Her skin was a creamy white, and her cheeks were blushed pink from self-consciousness.
But the thing that amazed Frank the most was the fact she wasn’t dressed in all black. If Frank had passed this girl in the street, he would’ve figured she would never have heard of My Chemical Romance. She had on simply blue jeans with a plain white long sleeved shirt and a vintage looking green velvet vest.
“Hey.’ She chimed happily as she held her hand out awkwardly towards Frank. ‘I’m Emily. Emily Wright. But you can call me Em. Everyone does.”
Frank laughed.
“Hey there Em.’ Bob asked from beside Frank. ‘How old are you?”
“Oh. I’m uh… 21.” She answered, brushing her hair behind her ears unconsciously.
“Are you sure about that?” Frank laughed teasingly.
Em smiled clearly embarrassed.
“I’m a tad nervous. And my memory’s bad at the best of times. But I can show you my drivers license if you’d want to check.” She dived for her purse rummaging through god knows what.
“Nar that’s cool.’ Frank said. ‘We’ll trust you. It means we can offer you a beer now. Want one?”
Em abandoned her purse and nodded happily. Frank walked over the to the small bar fridge of the backstage area and pulled out a beer. He stood back and watched Bob and Em talking and laughing contentedly. This girl stunned Frank. He sauntered back over in the middle of Bob ranting on about the brand of drums he likes best. He seemed oblivious to the blank look on Em’s face. He handed the cold beer to Em.
“Hey I’m gonna just go out for a smoke. I won’t be long.” He explained to the two of them.
“Oh man, I’d kill for a smoke right now.’ Em burst out suddenly. ‘Mind if I join you?”
“Sure. Wanna come stand in the fresh air with us too Bob?”
“Sounds good.”
The trio huddled together in the alleyway. It was chilly and they could hear the screams and laughs coming from the crowds lining up outside the stadium for the show. Frank lit up his cigarette and offered Em one, which she took gratefully.
“I didn’t bring any smokes. I figured you guys were the idealistic teen role models these days and didn’t smoke.” Em explained.
Bob laughed a big deep belly laugh.
“If only you knew. Frank’s the biggest chain smoker I know. It’s a dirty habit but he won’t kick it.’ Bob glanced at the cigarette in Em’s hand. ‘No offence.”
“None taken.”
Frank mock punched Bob in the arm and opened his mouth to say something when suddenly there was a loud screech of car-tyres followed by an earsplitting crash.
“What the fuck was that?” Em whispered in disbelief.
Frank started running up the alley.
“I don’t know but I’ve got to go see if everyone’s okay.”
***
Emily and Bob ran up the alley following Frank. Bob pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket ready to call 911 when they found the scene of the accident. They tore around the corner and came to a halt in front of about 5 men all wearing black clothes and ski masks.
The three of them all froze at once.
“Put the phone down buddy.” One of them said as he stepped forward.
Em turned to look if they could just run back to the stadium, but behind them were 5 more men dressed identically. Bob spun around just like Em and saw they were surrounded. He threw his phone to the ground and it slid along the gravel.
“What the hell’s going on man? What do you want? Money? We can give you money just let us go man.” Frank tried to reason logically.
The man that had spoken before laughed.
“Money? We don’t need money.”
“Then what do you need?”
The masked man suddenly became very somber and sincere.
“We need you three.”
And with that the remaining men gathered around the three of them, and bound their wrists in plastic flexicuffs. Then they led them to a white Mercedes van that was parked around the corner and forced them all in.
And as the door to the van slid and shut out all the night, Frank saw the glimmer of a tear on Emily’s cheek.
“Gerard could you just shut the fuck up for a minute?’ Frank asked, rubbing his temples. ‘I don’t see why Mikey can’t have a month or two off to honeymoon with Alicia. They just got married. They need a break. Mikey needs a break. Stop acting like a fucking diva and deal with the fact.”
Gerard looked at Frank and Frank could tell that a string of words not considered appropriate were playing through his mind.
“Well who the hell would we get to replace him then?” Gerard asked, sitting down on the nearest chair in a huff.
“What about Matt Cortez again?” Bob suggested as he put away his drumsticks for the night. Sound check had been long and hard and the last thing any of them felt like was a petty argument from Gerard.
“Matt should be happy to do it.’ Their manager Brian interrupted. ‘If you can give me a rough idea of the dates Mikey, I’ll call him tomorrow and see if he’s free. But I have to remind you guys that you have a meet and great now. You know, the girl who won the AP magazine competition.”
Mikey groaned.
“Why was it arranged for now? I don’t think that I can handle hanging out with another 15 year old girl climbing all over Gerard.” Ray grumbled as he emerged out of the toilet.
“Do you think we could reschedule it for later tonight after the show?” Frank asked Brian.
But Brian stood his ground and flat out refused.
“No. You guys are not canceling another meet and greet. You’ll meet this girl, and you’ll be nice to her and you’ll feign interest in what ever she talks about then you’ll sign some things, give her a few free tee shirts and then kick her out. Stop acting like fucking pussies.”
“Yeah right.” Gerard said as he got up and simply walked out of the room. Frank, Mikey, Bob, Ray and Brian all looked after him.
They stood there for a few seconds in silence.
“Is he going to come back?” Brian asked hesitantly.
Frank sighed. He had had enough of Gerard’s temperamental bullshit.
“No. Send the girl in.”
***
Frank looked in awe at the girl in front of him. She was stunning. She had long chocolate brown hair and startling green eyes. Her skin was a creamy white, and her cheeks were blushed pink from self-consciousness.
But the thing that amazed Frank the most was the fact she wasn’t dressed in all black. If Frank had passed this girl in the street, he would’ve figured she would never have heard of My Chemical Romance. She had on simply blue jeans with a plain white long sleeved shirt and a vintage looking green velvet vest.
“Hey.’ She chimed happily as she held her hand out awkwardly towards Frank. ‘I’m Emily. Emily Wright. But you can call me Em. Everyone does.”
Frank laughed.
“Hey there Em.’ Bob asked from beside Frank. ‘How old are you?”
“Oh. I’m uh… 21.” She answered, brushing her hair behind her ears unconsciously.
“Are you sure about that?” Frank laughed teasingly.
Em smiled clearly embarrassed.
“I’m a tad nervous. And my memory’s bad at the best of times. But I can show you my drivers license if you’d want to check.” She dived for her purse rummaging through god knows what.
“Nar that’s cool.’ Frank said. ‘We’ll trust you. It means we can offer you a beer now. Want one?”
Em abandoned her purse and nodded happily. Frank walked over the to the small bar fridge of the backstage area and pulled out a beer. He stood back and watched Bob and Em talking and laughing contentedly. This girl stunned Frank. He sauntered back over in the middle of Bob ranting on about the brand of drums he likes best. He seemed oblivious to the blank look on Em’s face. He handed the cold beer to Em.
“Hey I’m gonna just go out for a smoke. I won’t be long.” He explained to the two of them.
“Oh man, I’d kill for a smoke right now.’ Em burst out suddenly. ‘Mind if I join you?”
“Sure. Wanna come stand in the fresh air with us too Bob?”
“Sounds good.”
The trio huddled together in the alleyway. It was chilly and they could hear the screams and laughs coming from the crowds lining up outside the stadium for the show. Frank lit up his cigarette and offered Em one, which she took gratefully.
“I didn’t bring any smokes. I figured you guys were the idealistic teen role models these days and didn’t smoke.” Em explained.
Bob laughed a big deep belly laugh.
“If only you knew. Frank’s the biggest chain smoker I know. It’s a dirty habit but he won’t kick it.’ Bob glanced at the cigarette in Em’s hand. ‘No offence.”
“None taken.”
Frank mock punched Bob in the arm and opened his mouth to say something when suddenly there was a loud screech of car-tyres followed by an earsplitting crash.
“What the fuck was that?” Em whispered in disbelief.
Frank started running up the alley.
“I don’t know but I’ve got to go see if everyone’s okay.”
***
Emily and Bob ran up the alley following Frank. Bob pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket ready to call 911 when they found the scene of the accident. They tore around the corner and came to a halt in front of about 5 men all wearing black clothes and ski masks.
The three of them all froze at once.
“Put the phone down buddy.” One of them said as he stepped forward.
Em turned to look if they could just run back to the stadium, but behind them were 5 more men dressed identically. Bob spun around just like Em and saw they were surrounded. He threw his phone to the ground and it slid along the gravel.
“What the hell’s going on man? What do you want? Money? We can give you money just let us go man.” Frank tried to reason logically.
The man that had spoken before laughed.
“Money? We don’t need money.”
“Then what do you need?”
The masked man suddenly became very somber and sincere.
“We need you three.”
And with that the remaining men gathered around the three of them, and bound their wrists in plastic flexicuffs. Then they led them to a white Mercedes van that was parked around the corner and forced them all in.
And as the door to the van slid and shut out all the night, Frank saw the glimmer of a tear on Emily’s cheek.