Melodies of a Broken Heart

Skylar frowned as she carried her three year old daughter on her hip. At the moment, she was standing on the front lawn of her old house, noting that there was a “For Sale” sign sticking up in the grass. It’d been five years since she’d been back in New Jersey. She’d been here two weeks, and already felt the regret building up in her chest. She’d got her job to transfer her- she worked as a photo-journalist for Monster Music, a magazine that she helped create from the ground up. Her blue eyes gazed at the house, feeling nostalgia wash over her. There were so many memories- good and bad- surrounding this house.

With a little sigh, Sky shifted the little girl from one hip to the other, glancing down when she felt the little girl wriggling restlessly. Carefully, she sat Aubrey down, who immediately attached her tiny hand to Skylar’s. She smiled softly. “This is going to be our new home, Aubrey.” She said softly. “Mommy lived here when she was much, much younger.” She grinned brightly when the little girl giggled. “Well, lets get going, girlie, mommy has a big day tomorrow.”

*****

The next day found Skylar standing in an office that was to be hers. She’d left Aubrey with the sitter she’d check out weeks before, and although she felt weird allowing someone else to care for her child, it was necessary.

Clutching her purse, bag, and coffee in one hand, she pushed the door to her office open with the other. There, sitting at a desk was a young woman grinning at her brightly. It was her friend Kendra, who she hadn’t seen much of lately. “Good morning, Kendra.” Skylar said politely, tilting her head in the direction of the red-head. She grinned back and replied in a cheery voice. Skylar then promptly turned and stepped into her office, quietly shutting the door closed behind her.

It was hard to believe that she found herself here, in Bellville, after all this time. Glancing around, she noted that there was a My Chemical Romance poster propped up on an easel. A frown appeared on her pretty face as she scrutinized her cousins and her old friends, leaving his face for last. He looked handsome, had certainly grown into a good-looking guy. Skylar bit her lip sharply, feeling a familiar pain fill up her heart. She rubbed at her chest lightly, and then shook her head.

No. I will not allow you to think about that! Not right now! Maybe at home when you’re alone in bed, but definitely not now! Blast you!

She stomped over to the easel and flipped the poster around. She took in a deep breath, smoothing down her hair, and then took a seat behind her desk. She pulled up her laptop, taking care to check emails and such to see what she’d be doing for the next two weeks. Apparently, there was some huge project that her boss wanted her to work on. After scanning the message, Skylar frowned a little. It mentioned a band, but it did not say which band she was suppose to be interviewing. She tilted her head slightly but then shook away her thoughts, having no idea what was about to happen.

Frank’s face popped up on her screen, in one of the emails, no doubt, and quite suddenly. She nearly screamed, barely managing to slap a hand over her mouth in time to stop the noise. Skylar glowered at her screen her irritation.

Not funny. Stop being so paranoid! Its not like he’s here, watching your right now.

Skylar threw a self-conscious look over her shoulder and then shook her head again. “You’re so silly. Get a hold of yourself, girl. This is time for your new life. Frank’s probably too busy living it up right now to even begin to think of you. He’s a famous rock star now, remember? And you’re a single mother, a dumb girl who made lots of mistakes. But that’s all behind you now. Has to be.” She had no idea how long she’d been speaking out loud. She was just thankful no one was there to witness her. That would have been embarrassing.

*****

Frank was a little tired of the interviewer. By the time they were halfway through their questions, he was on the edge of his seat, knee bouncing up and down in both anxious excitement, and irritation. He wanted to get home. He wanted to see Gara. Yes, even though it’d been five years, at least, they were still very much in love. The small ring box in his pocket was practically burning a hole through his pants. He just wanted out of there. He glanced over in time to catch Gerard giving him a sympathetic smile, and then glanced away.

“Alright, just one more question.” The girl was nervous, but was trying, very hard, to not let it show.

Finally! One more!!

“Do you see yourselves remaining a successful band ten years from now?”

Gerard answered this question.

“Well, we certainly hope so. There’s always a chance that a band won’t last or that they’ll break up, and while we hope that isn’t the case, it’s a very real possibility that we change our minds. Right now, our top priority, of course, is making music for the fans. Sure, I could tell you now that in ten years, I could see us still being successful, but you can’t predict the future.” He shot the girl a quick grin.

Frank noted the way the girl fumbled, nearly dropping her pen. She stood quickly as the five guys stood.

“Thank you ever so much. It means a lot to me that you guys could take the time to do this.”

“No problem,” Mikey stated with a warm smile.

Frank, of course, was the first one out the door. He said a quick thank you and then was practically bouncing down the hall. Gerard crept up beside him, laughing a little as he clapped a hand onto the shorter man’s shoulder.

“You sure were in a hurry there, man.”

“I know, I know. But sheesh! It was just getting to me, the sitting, the waiting. This ring is burning a hole in my pocket.” He laughed and grinned when he saw Gerard nod in agreement.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. But maybe next time, try not to look too anxious. You made the poor girl nervous.”

Frank’s smile dimmed a little. “Oh man, I didn’t think about that!” His voice was guilt-ridden, and he bowed his head slightly. “Completely slipped my mind. I was just trying not to psych myself out.”

He bit his lip and shook his head.

They split up a few minutes after that. Frank had no idea that in just a few short hours, his life would be turned upside down.