The Balcony Scene

The frigid air hit me like a semi truck, but I loved the numb feeling that the cold gave me, the sharp pain followed by a feeling of dullness. I traced the slippery metal with my shaking finger as the fresh frost crunched beneath my converse clad feet. I hadn’t bothered putting on a jacket, what would it matter anyway? I wouldn’t even remember this moment, but somehow it was so symbolic. I stared out focusing on the way the full moon reflected perfectly off of the violently rippling lake I grabbed the rail and perched up on it as a rush of thoughts invaded my mind. ‘Would it hurt or would it be painless?’ that was my biggest question. My conscience screamed 'jump' and the wind urged me into the murky depths of the lake below. I let a tear free itself from my eyes then I squeezed them shut as hard as possible. I then felt something strange, as if I were in a pair of arms.

At the last minute I decided I wanted my eyes to be open, I reluctantly opened my eyes and they met two warm brown eyes staring worried into mine "Ms. You’ve got to be careful, you could’ve fallen," he warned, cradling me in his arms. "That was the plan," I said a little frustrated by the sudden disruption, but I knew that I might as well give up because whoever this guy was he wasn't going to leave me alone. He sat me down on the curb, "Who are you, exactly?" I asked with a sigh, "Victor but everyone calls me Vic," he said with a sad-like smile "Well Victor, don't think that some charismatic Casanova is going to stop me from ending eighteen years of pain," I said a bit dramatically. He furrowed his brow and his eyes darted around like he was arguing with himself, he picked me up once more and took me towards a van. It was white with stickers on the windows and postcards.

"You’re freezing!" he said setting me down on the plush back seat of the van. Quickly he slid out of his jacket and wrapped it around me, it had fur inside of it and it was warm. The scent of his cologne surrounded me as I struggled to keep my eyes open, but with the slow sway of the car and the warmth of Vic's jacket sleep slowly took over. I fell asleep only to be awoken by metallic sun peering into my face I remembered everything except the three other guys that were here now. I didn’t remember them, Vic was next to me, I was fully awake now; I wasn't as confused when I realized that he looked oddly familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked groggily. "Umm, well I am in... a band," he said, not going into any more detail than that. He was jotting something in a notebook, so I decided not to disrupt his concentration with my questions.

"Hey, pull over," one of the guys called to the Arabian bus driver. He sighed, but obediently pulled into a convenient store parking lot. The guy quickly raced into the store. ''I'll introduce you to the boys when Mike gets back," Vic said excitedly. I nodded still trying to figure out where I would have known him from. It didn’t take Mike long to get back, Vic called a "bus meeting", all the guys turned around giving me curious glances. I couldn’t quite decide whether they were welcoming or not, but either way I was intimidated. "The guy with the face piercings and the brown paper bag is my brother Mike, the guy with the hair like Sweeney Todd is Jaime," he stopped to chuckle at his own joke. "Anyway, the only guy left is Tony," he said. The crew mumbled a half hearted 'Hello' and Vic's brother Mike, I think that’s what they called him, looked me over taking a swig of his drink "What’s your name?" he said a bit demanding "Cherrie," I said looking down at my feet, he didn’t say anything else. He went on talking to Vic, "Did you finish that song?" he asked peering over the seat. Vic shook his head and innocently smiled. Mike growled and his eyes turned toward me I still couldn’t tell whether I was welcome. So I stayed in my place. I kept staring at Vic his face looked so familiar and so did the other guys, but especially him.

"What band are you in?" I blurted suddenly, remembering that he'd said he was in a band. He looked nervous like he didn’t want to tell me, his eyes darted again. "We're Pierce the Veil!" Jaime finally blurted, giving Vic a curious look. I tried to refrain from jumping up and down like a school girl "That’s where I know you guys from!" I said excitedly but I didn’t jump around. I figured they’d probably got enough of that at concerts, and then it seemed that the awkwardness was gone and everyone started talking to me except Mike. He looked disgruntled and only occasionally glanced at me with that indescribable look that he kept giving me.

"Where are you from Cherrie," Tony said with a smile. I'd always expected Mike and Tony's personalities to be switched with Tony being the one being quiet and Mike the one jumping all over me, I was so caught up in the thought, that I'd forgotten that Tony had asked me a question. "Umm... Dallas," I stuttered. Tony's lip curled into a mischievous smile but he didn’t explain why. The bus driver pulled over at a McDonalds because he was hungry. I wasn't hungry, so I stayed behind and as did Vic. "Can I ask you a question?" I asked, looking into his eyes seriously. "Yeah, go ahead," he said averting his eyes back to his journal. "Mike doesn’t seem to want me here, I can leave if you want me to, I don't want to be a... burden," I explained, choking out the last words. Vic's mood changed to a look of depression "Don't let Mike screw with you, he's suffering from a hangover from last night, so he's drinking more just wait until he’s completely, drunk he'll love you," he said nonchalantly. I took his word on that and settled back in the seat.

"You know you won’t be leaving any time soon, right?" Vic blurted, I knew what he meant by that, he thought I was a risk to myself, but as soon as he thought I was okay he'd let me go. Then when he did I could finish what I had started. I just nodded, it was around that time when the rest of the guys got back, "Who is you?" Mike stuttered. He'd removed the brown bag to show that most of the contents of the bottle were now missing. "Cherrie," I answered feeling accomplished in engaging him in conversation. He smiled drunkenly "That’s cute," he said giggling and falling onto Jaime, who shoved him off. Mike was one of those people that are antisocial sober and super social when drunk. "Damn, we never get hot ones like her into our van do we Vicky?" Mike said winking 'What a flirt?' I thought. I smiled, hiding the disgusted look I wanted to give him. "Don't call me Vicky," Vic said with a haunting tone to his voice, Mike just laughed once again falling onto Jaime who mumbled a "Fucking drunk', underneath his voice. Hell if I were Jaime I'd say the same thing "Ignore him," Vic said with an exhausted sigh.

"Where are we going?" I finally decided to ask. "The apartment until the concert, which you get free tickets to," Vic said sliding a ticket into my hand for the Houston concert. I sat back in the seat, "Are you a groupie?" Mike asked bluntly. I almost felt like I was talking to a sixth grader, "No Mike I'm.... just a girl," I said not wanting to explain how I'd really gotten here. He smiled "Mmm, just a girl you say," he growled I wasn't finding him attractive at all right now, he was actually quite revolting, but I figured I should be watching where I stepped, they'd saved me after all. Well Vic had saved me, I watched Vic write out of boredom, he was cute when he was concentrating. He furrowed his brow and attractively bit his lip as he scribbled and erased. Finally out of frustration he closed the journal. I was still staring, and then our eyes met causing me to quickly look away.

"May I ask you a question?" he finally said in the midst of the awkward silence, which I'd kind of caused. "Go ahead shoot," I mumbled picking at my holy jeans, "Do you like this band?" he said pulling his knees to his chest in a self conscious way. "I don’t like it, because like isn't a strong enough word, I tried my hardest not to squeal when I found out who you guys were,” I admitted. “I'm glad you didn’t squeal," he said chuckling lightly. His chuckles were sweet and quiet, he wasn't boisterous. It seemed as if he expressed himself through music but I could only assume at this point, "Why were you so reluctant to tell me the name of the band?" I spouted not even realizing what I'd said, "I didn’t want you to treat us differently?" he said. Honestly that was one thing that I could already tell that I could trust him, but I wasn't so sure about Mike.

"I don't care if your sick, I don’t care if you're contagious," Vic began to sing and Tony began to strum at his guitar as Vic began to sing full force, his voice bounced around in the car, I couldn’t help but smile, I was being serenaded by ‘Pierce The Veil’ how could I not be excited?