‹ Prequel: Story of a Girl
Walls
Remembering Sunday
Alex was laying in his bunk when two sets of feet were heard coming onto the bus.
“So...you all chilled on the beach?” Zack was asking.
“Yeah.” V replied and dropped her bag on the ground next to Alex’s bunk. She climbed into Zack’s, which was the middle one right above Alex’s. He saw Zack climb into it after her and decided that he’d go walk around the parking lot that they were in at the moment. Maybe get a Frisbee game going.
Alex heard the murmuring conversation and right when his feet hit the pavement, he heard her voice say, “I told her that I forgave her. For me, not for she did to him.”
He shook his head and sighed, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket, not before pulling the hood over his beanie. He walked out to where the others were tossing a football, and he sat on the ground and watched them.
He pulled his knees up slightly, and his mind drifted away; back to the chestnut haired girl.
He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and shook his head. There were things that no matter how often he replayed them in his mind he couldn’t figure out where things went wrong. He thought that Sydney felt the same way about him as he did her. She was so unlike any other girl, and Alex loved that. She was vibrant, and her smile was intoxicating to him.
Her green eyes drew him in like no other; and Alex knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would always have feelings for the girl. He could still taste her kiss, and it drove him mad. He stood up and jogged over to the group, “Let’s play some Frisbee!” he said a smile on his face.
A few hours later Alex was getting ready backstage and he saw V come up behind him in the mirror. She hopped up on the counter, and Alex leant against it next to her.
“I’m really sorry, Alex.” She said softly, “I mean-”
“You don’t need to apologize, momma.” He said, smirking some, “I know what you were doing. And it’s not like any of us could’ve or should’ve expected not to see her again. I guess I just didn’t expect it to happen. At least this soon.”
“I know.” She said softly. “And she knows that you know.”
Alex nodded and draped his arm around her, “We’re okay, and even if she comes around more, we’ll still be okay.”
“But Alex, you’re not over it yet. And neither is she.”
Alex shrugged and sighed, “Maybe it’s because neither one of us want to face it.”
She sighed and nodded, “Yeah. Anyway, I think I’m going to go watch.” He nodded and she hopped off the counter and walked out.
Jack walked in, “Alex, why can’t you just let it go? She fucked you and left.”
“Jack, you don’t get it.” Alex said softly, “It was different with her.”
“Yeah, she was gone in the morning instead of you.”
“Jack, you’re being an asshole.” Alex said tiredly, “There’s more to it than that, okay? It’s more than just the sex part.”
“Alex, you haven’t been the same since that night. Neither has V.”
“Maybe it’s because we were close with her. And when people lose someone that they’re close with, things change. It changes when they leave and you don’t hear from them again.”
Jack sighed and shook his head and walked out. Alex sighed, messed with the back of his hair to perfection and walked out to watch the bands. He walked by a hallway where he could hear Amanda and Jack having a heated conversation.
“I just don’t see how seeing her again could help anything, Manda.”
“You’ve NEVER liked Sydney, Jack. So your opinion is completely biased!”
“Because I knew if Alex got involved then she would mess him up. I knew that it would happen. You heard what everyone said about her!”
“And you saw what Daniel did to her.” Amanda said heatedly. “You were there. You fucking saw. You know that she wasn’t the whore that people said she was. I can’t believe that you’re acting like this, Jack.”
“How do you expect me to act, Amanda?” Jack said, finally a hint of defeat in his voice, “He’s my best friend. And she broke his heart.”
She sighed and Alex saw him pull her close, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, “I don’t know, Jack. But you acting immature isn’t going to help anything. Just stop and give her a chance to explain. V is going to.”
Jack sighed, “Okay. I won’t be immature the next time I see her. Because I know that we will see her again. It’ll just be a matter of time.”
Alex sighed and walked to the side stage to watch. He heard a few screams of his name, and just moved his head to the music. An hour later, when he walked out to the stage he smiled, “Hey! How are you guys tonight?!”
A few screams were heard and he laughed. “All right. Well it seems as if the rest of my band is missing. Maybe you can help bring them out.”
A few screams were heard, “Jackkkk!” he shouted into the mic. Jack came running out and laughed into the mic. “Sorry. I was uh...busy.”
The crowd screamed and then Rian ran up to his drums, “Sorry guys, but I was looking for Zack. And he’s still missing.”
“Noooo! Zack, baby come back to meee!” Jack shouted and Zack walked out, strapping his bass to his shoulder. “Zack! Where were you?”
“Lost.” He said into the mic a smirk on his face.
“A man of few words, people. He’s just a man of few words.” Alex said, laughing into the mic. Zack simply kept smirking.
They jumped into the set and when they had five songs left, Alex was left alone on the stage. He sat on a stool and held the acoustic. “Hey, so I’m going to slow this down for you.” Mirroring most of the shows, he opened his mouth and the song poured out.
“He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes
Started making his way, past two in the morning
He hasn't been sober for days
Leaning now into the breeze
Remembering Sunday, he falls to his knees
They had breakfast together
But two eggs don't last
Like the feeling of what he needs...
When the song was coming to a close, he closed his eyes and had a flash of Sydney smiling at him. He felt a tug in his chest as he finished out the song.
Well I guess I'll go home now
I guess I'll go home now
I guess I'll go home now
I guess I'll go home.”
The crowd went wild and he smiled, “Thank-you!” he shouted into the mic, “I’m glad you all enjoyed.” He stood up and walked offstage, exchanging the acoustic with his electric, and then the entire band walked back on stage.
After a few screams he said into the mic, “No, we’re not fucking doing ‘Vegas’.” He told the crowd, a semi-forced laugh to his voice. Of course he knew the crowd wouldn’t have known the difference.
Just like every show.
They always asked, and he always said no. There was never going to be a change in that.
He always felt the same after the shows, except he felt the pull of the song so much more this time.
Maybe it was because Sydney Maxwell wasn’t missing anymore. And he could run into her anytime in California. And Alex wasn’t sure what he thought about that.
“So...you all chilled on the beach?” Zack was asking.
“Yeah.” V replied and dropped her bag on the ground next to Alex’s bunk. She climbed into Zack’s, which was the middle one right above Alex’s. He saw Zack climb into it after her and decided that he’d go walk around the parking lot that they were in at the moment. Maybe get a Frisbee game going.
Alex heard the murmuring conversation and right when his feet hit the pavement, he heard her voice say, “I told her that I forgave her. For me, not for she did to him.”
He shook his head and sighed, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket, not before pulling the hood over his beanie. He walked out to where the others were tossing a football, and he sat on the ground and watched them.
He pulled his knees up slightly, and his mind drifted away; back to the chestnut haired girl.
He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and shook his head. There were things that no matter how often he replayed them in his mind he couldn’t figure out where things went wrong. He thought that Sydney felt the same way about him as he did her. She was so unlike any other girl, and Alex loved that. She was vibrant, and her smile was intoxicating to him.
Her green eyes drew him in like no other; and Alex knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would always have feelings for the girl. He could still taste her kiss, and it drove him mad. He stood up and jogged over to the group, “Let’s play some Frisbee!” he said a smile on his face.
A few hours later Alex was getting ready backstage and he saw V come up behind him in the mirror. She hopped up on the counter, and Alex leant against it next to her.
“I’m really sorry, Alex.” She said softly, “I mean-”
“You don’t need to apologize, momma.” He said, smirking some, “I know what you were doing. And it’s not like any of us could’ve or should’ve expected not to see her again. I guess I just didn’t expect it to happen. At least this soon.”
“I know.” She said softly. “And she knows that you know.”
Alex nodded and draped his arm around her, “We’re okay, and even if she comes around more, we’ll still be okay.”
“But Alex, you’re not over it yet. And neither is she.”
Alex shrugged and sighed, “Maybe it’s because neither one of us want to face it.”
She sighed and nodded, “Yeah. Anyway, I think I’m going to go watch.” He nodded and she hopped off the counter and walked out.
Jack walked in, “Alex, why can’t you just let it go? She fucked you and left.”
“Jack, you don’t get it.” Alex said softly, “It was different with her.”
“Yeah, she was gone in the morning instead of you.”
“Jack, you’re being an asshole.” Alex said tiredly, “There’s more to it than that, okay? It’s more than just the sex part.”
“Alex, you haven’t been the same since that night. Neither has V.”
“Maybe it’s because we were close with her. And when people lose someone that they’re close with, things change. It changes when they leave and you don’t hear from them again.”
Jack sighed and shook his head and walked out. Alex sighed, messed with the back of his hair to perfection and walked out to watch the bands. He walked by a hallway where he could hear Amanda and Jack having a heated conversation.
“I just don’t see how seeing her again could help anything, Manda.”
“You’ve NEVER liked Sydney, Jack. So your opinion is completely biased!”
“Because I knew if Alex got involved then she would mess him up. I knew that it would happen. You heard what everyone said about her!”
“And you saw what Daniel did to her.” Amanda said heatedly. “You were there. You fucking saw. You know that she wasn’t the whore that people said she was. I can’t believe that you’re acting like this, Jack.”
“How do you expect me to act, Amanda?” Jack said, finally a hint of defeat in his voice, “He’s my best friend. And she broke his heart.”
She sighed and Alex saw him pull her close, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, “I don’t know, Jack. But you acting immature isn’t going to help anything. Just stop and give her a chance to explain. V is going to.”
Jack sighed, “Okay. I won’t be immature the next time I see her. Because I know that we will see her again. It’ll just be a matter of time.”
Alex sighed and walked to the side stage to watch. He heard a few screams of his name, and just moved his head to the music. An hour later, when he walked out to the stage he smiled, “Hey! How are you guys tonight?!”
A few screams were heard and he laughed. “All right. Well it seems as if the rest of my band is missing. Maybe you can help bring them out.”
A few screams were heard, “Jackkkk!” he shouted into the mic. Jack came running out and laughed into the mic. “Sorry. I was uh...busy.”
The crowd screamed and then Rian ran up to his drums, “Sorry guys, but I was looking for Zack. And he’s still missing.”
“Noooo! Zack, baby come back to meee!” Jack shouted and Zack walked out, strapping his bass to his shoulder. “Zack! Where were you?”
“Lost.” He said into the mic a smirk on his face.
“A man of few words, people. He’s just a man of few words.” Alex said, laughing into the mic. Zack simply kept smirking.
They jumped into the set and when they had five songs left, Alex was left alone on the stage. He sat on a stool and held the acoustic. “Hey, so I’m going to slow this down for you.” Mirroring most of the shows, he opened his mouth and the song poured out.
“He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes
Started making his way, past two in the morning
He hasn't been sober for days
Leaning now into the breeze
Remembering Sunday, he falls to his knees
They had breakfast together
But two eggs don't last
Like the feeling of what he needs...
When the song was coming to a close, he closed his eyes and had a flash of Sydney smiling at him. He felt a tug in his chest as he finished out the song.
Well I guess I'll go home now
I guess I'll go home now
I guess I'll go home now
I guess I'll go home.”
The crowd went wild and he smiled, “Thank-you!” he shouted into the mic, “I’m glad you all enjoyed.” He stood up and walked offstage, exchanging the acoustic with his electric, and then the entire band walked back on stage.
After a few screams he said into the mic, “No, we’re not fucking doing ‘Vegas’.” He told the crowd, a semi-forced laugh to his voice. Of course he knew the crowd wouldn’t have known the difference.
Just like every show.
They always asked, and he always said no. There was never going to be a change in that.
He always felt the same after the shows, except he felt the pull of the song so much more this time.
Maybe it was because Sydney Maxwell wasn’t missing anymore. And he could run into her anytime in California. And Alex wasn’t sure what he thought about that.