Keep the Faith
A Hero To Many
Gerard walked backstage, sighing contently and whipping the sweat off his brow. The stage lights had been unusual warm that night, either that or he had moved and jumped around too much. Probably the latter. His leather jacket was killing him and he was exhausted from the show. The four other guys from the band had already taken their places in the backstage room, each one of them sitting down somewhere whether it was against the wall or on one of the couches or tables. Gerard smiled and felt like sitting down himself before he remembered that he had forgotten something on stage.
His eyes widened slightly before he darted towards the stage, now deserted and clad in the darkness, the only light shining was soft and didn't illuminate the whole room enough. Looking around on the stage, he frowned and wondered where exactly he had left the bright red bandanna. But when he didn't find it immediately, his legs gave up from under him and he sat down on the edge of the stage, letting himself fall down backwards so his eyes could face the ceiling.
He stretched his arms out and let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence around the stage. Some of the roadies were busy packing everything up and putting it in the trucks, ignoring the worn-out singer laying on stage but occasionally shooting a worried glance at him as he didn't move for periods at a time.
“He looks dead to me.” A young voice said, not to far away from Gerard's position on stage. Gerard ignored the voice and kept his eyes closed, wondering if they would do something to him or just leave him be on his own. “Then again, I don't care, he sold out, he changed.”
“It's all the fault of that bitch he calls wife.” Another voice spat out. There was soft talking between a few people, at least, that was what Gerard observed without opening his eyes and look at them himself. Footsteps followed and left Gerard's presence. His mind was in turmoil, was it true, or was it just said to get a reaction out of him. Out of nowhere, the footsteps returned, but these were softer, smaller. His ears caught the sound of someone climbing over the barrier and eventually on the stage itself.
If security had been there, the person would've been caught already and pulled away from him but no one was paying attention to what was really happening on the stage. Some of them were too busy packing up things, the others were trying to convince the other band members to get their stuff to the bus.
Soft fingers brushed across his cheek before they whipped away some of his sweat-ridden black hair out of his eyes. Gerard groaned and turned his head away, causing the hand to jerk back. The singer opened his eyes and sat up, clenching his head in one hand and blinking several times as he tried to sharpen his sight. He looked aside and let his mouth hang wide open with his eyes framed by smudges of eyeliner, an attempt to hide the bags under his eyes but a failed one at that.
It was a young girl, sitting on her knees and looking at him with worried eyes, small tears brimming in the corners of her eyes when they made eye contact. The girl opened her mouth but closed it again, knowing that what she wanted to say might sound stupid. Gerard showed her a small smile, keeping his eyes fixated on the girl.
She had some light bruises on her arms and her hair was sticking to her forehead, caused by the sweat. Gerard frowned and looked from the bruises and blood coming from her lip to her eyes and back.
“Mosh pit.” The girl said, shrugging a little and showing him a small smile. Gerard nodded understanding and looked a little worried at her.
“Don't listen to what they said.” She muttered, reaching out with her hand for Gerard's cheek. “They don't know what they're talking about.” She said in such a low whisper that Gerard was caught in the moment and didn't know what to say. Her thumb brushed across his cheek as the eye contact between the two didn't drop for another couple of minutes until the girl bended forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Its their own choice to leave you. But you should remember that there will always be someone out there that believes in you. Someone who doesn't know you personally but wishes with all her -or his- heart to one day meet you.” The girl said with a smile on her face after she pulled back again.
“You are a hero to many Gerard.” The girl said, “If some of those choose to desert you, let them but don't forget that there are still people out there that look up to you.”
“Keep the Faith.” Gerard whispered under his breath, remembering the book he had received a few months earlier. The girls eyes lighted up and a proud smile appeared on her lips.
“You read it?” She said in such a low voice that Gerard almost missed it. He looked at her and smiled, nodding. The girl bit back tears, chewing a little on her lip before she threw her arms around Gerard's neck and buried her head in his shoulder. Gerard was taken back by the gesture for a moment before he wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her closer in the hug. The girl sniffed and pulled back from the hug, whipping the small tears out of her eyes and looking at him rather sheepishly.
“I love that book.” Gerard muttered, a small blush creeping up his lips before he dared to look the young girl back in the eye. She looked a little shocked by the sudden revelation coming from him but couldn't stop the smile creeping up her lips. “I always read it before I fall asleep.” the singer added, not knowing if he should even tell this to the girl. “The guys seem to love it too, its always found in one of the bunks.” Gerard chuckled a little.
“I'll be sure to tell everyone that you received the book. We were so nervous that it might not reach you guys.” The girl said, finally trusting her voice again after a few minutes of silence. Gerard didn't know what to say but smiled and frowned before he reached out in his back pocket and the pocket of his leather jacket (cleverly hidden on the inside so nothing would be able to fall out during the show).
His hand clenched the pen tightly as he unfolded the paper he found in his back pocket – which caused the girl to frown, wondering why he would walk around with paper in his back pocket – and started to write on the paper in a hurry. The girl looked as the pen flew over the paper and created words before Gerard reached the end of the page and signed it with his familiar autograph.
He folded it back up and gave it to the girl, smiling at her. “Scan this in, take a picture of it, I don't care, just...make sure everyone who contributed to the project reads it. Even those who's stories aren't in the book.” Gerard said, his cheek red from the blush. The girl took it and looked at the fold up paper in her hand before she nodded and looked at him with a tired smile.
“Keep the faith.” Gerard muttered before he stood up and stuck out his hand so the girl could take it.
“Keep the faith.” The girl nodded.
Gerard smiled and hugged the girl again before he was called away by Worm, who was well-known amongst the fans. Worm frowned at the girl and then at Gerard, who looked over his shoulder and showed her a genuine smile before he left to go backstage again with Worm following him.
“Keep the faith.” The girl whispered, holding the paper close to her heart as she watched Gerard's retreating form, tears falling down from her eyes and over her cheeks before she turned around and climbed off stage, running toward the exit with the paper still clenched in her hand, safely placed on her heart.
His eyes widened slightly before he darted towards the stage, now deserted and clad in the darkness, the only light shining was soft and didn't illuminate the whole room enough. Looking around on the stage, he frowned and wondered where exactly he had left the bright red bandanna. But when he didn't find it immediately, his legs gave up from under him and he sat down on the edge of the stage, letting himself fall down backwards so his eyes could face the ceiling.
He stretched his arms out and let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence around the stage. Some of the roadies were busy packing everything up and putting it in the trucks, ignoring the worn-out singer laying on stage but occasionally shooting a worried glance at him as he didn't move for periods at a time.
“He looks dead to me.” A young voice said, not to far away from Gerard's position on stage. Gerard ignored the voice and kept his eyes closed, wondering if they would do something to him or just leave him be on his own. “Then again, I don't care, he sold out, he changed.”
“It's all the fault of that bitch he calls wife.” Another voice spat out. There was soft talking between a few people, at least, that was what Gerard observed without opening his eyes and look at them himself. Footsteps followed and left Gerard's presence. His mind was in turmoil, was it true, or was it just said to get a reaction out of him. Out of nowhere, the footsteps returned, but these were softer, smaller. His ears caught the sound of someone climbing over the barrier and eventually on the stage itself.
If security had been there, the person would've been caught already and pulled away from him but no one was paying attention to what was really happening on the stage. Some of them were too busy packing up things, the others were trying to convince the other band members to get their stuff to the bus.
Soft fingers brushed across his cheek before they whipped away some of his sweat-ridden black hair out of his eyes. Gerard groaned and turned his head away, causing the hand to jerk back. The singer opened his eyes and sat up, clenching his head in one hand and blinking several times as he tried to sharpen his sight. He looked aside and let his mouth hang wide open with his eyes framed by smudges of eyeliner, an attempt to hide the bags under his eyes but a failed one at that.
It was a young girl, sitting on her knees and looking at him with worried eyes, small tears brimming in the corners of her eyes when they made eye contact. The girl opened her mouth but closed it again, knowing that what she wanted to say might sound stupid. Gerard showed her a small smile, keeping his eyes fixated on the girl.
She had some light bruises on her arms and her hair was sticking to her forehead, caused by the sweat. Gerard frowned and looked from the bruises and blood coming from her lip to her eyes and back.
“Mosh pit.” The girl said, shrugging a little and showing him a small smile. Gerard nodded understanding and looked a little worried at her.
“Don't listen to what they said.” She muttered, reaching out with her hand for Gerard's cheek. “They don't know what they're talking about.” She said in such a low whisper that Gerard was caught in the moment and didn't know what to say. Her thumb brushed across his cheek as the eye contact between the two didn't drop for another couple of minutes until the girl bended forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Its their own choice to leave you. But you should remember that there will always be someone out there that believes in you. Someone who doesn't know you personally but wishes with all her -or his- heart to one day meet you.” The girl said with a smile on her face after she pulled back again.
“You are a hero to many Gerard.” The girl said, “If some of those choose to desert you, let them but don't forget that there are still people out there that look up to you.”
“Keep the Faith.” Gerard whispered under his breath, remembering the book he had received a few months earlier. The girls eyes lighted up and a proud smile appeared on her lips.
“You read it?” She said in such a low voice that Gerard almost missed it. He looked at her and smiled, nodding. The girl bit back tears, chewing a little on her lip before she threw her arms around Gerard's neck and buried her head in his shoulder. Gerard was taken back by the gesture for a moment before he wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her closer in the hug. The girl sniffed and pulled back from the hug, whipping the small tears out of her eyes and looking at him rather sheepishly.
“I love that book.” Gerard muttered, a small blush creeping up his lips before he dared to look the young girl back in the eye. She looked a little shocked by the sudden revelation coming from him but couldn't stop the smile creeping up her lips. “I always read it before I fall asleep.” the singer added, not knowing if he should even tell this to the girl. “The guys seem to love it too, its always found in one of the bunks.” Gerard chuckled a little.
“I'll be sure to tell everyone that you received the book. We were so nervous that it might not reach you guys.” The girl said, finally trusting her voice again after a few minutes of silence. Gerard didn't know what to say but smiled and frowned before he reached out in his back pocket and the pocket of his leather jacket (cleverly hidden on the inside so nothing would be able to fall out during the show).
His hand clenched the pen tightly as he unfolded the paper he found in his back pocket – which caused the girl to frown, wondering why he would walk around with paper in his back pocket – and started to write on the paper in a hurry. The girl looked as the pen flew over the paper and created words before Gerard reached the end of the page and signed it with his familiar autograph.
He folded it back up and gave it to the girl, smiling at her. “Scan this in, take a picture of it, I don't care, just...make sure everyone who contributed to the project reads it. Even those who's stories aren't in the book.” Gerard said, his cheek red from the blush. The girl took it and looked at the fold up paper in her hand before she nodded and looked at him with a tired smile.
“Keep the faith.” Gerard muttered before he stood up and stuck out his hand so the girl could take it.
“Keep the faith.” The girl nodded.
Gerard smiled and hugged the girl again before he was called away by Worm, who was well-known amongst the fans. Worm frowned at the girl and then at Gerard, who looked over his shoulder and showed her a genuine smile before he left to go backstage again with Worm following him.
“Keep the faith.” The girl whispered, holding the paper close to her heart as she watched Gerard's retreating form, tears falling down from her eyes and over her cheeks before she turned around and climbed off stage, running toward the exit with the paper still clenched in her hand, safely placed on her heart.