Growing Up Won't Bring Us Down

At eight in the morning Brian and Zacky forced themselves out of their comfortable bunks to head outside. They stopped outside the bus and tried to think through their sleepy haze. Brian sighed, eyes trailing the venue that reminded him of a ghost town. “Where the hell is Thor at this time anyways?”

“Out doing manager stuff?” Zacky shrugged. Brian sighed, wrapping his arms around himself. He should have brought a jacket but of course he didn’t think of this.

“This was a shitty idea Zee,” Brian muttered. Zacky sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Of course he was perfectly warm, Brian thought sourly, he grabbed a hoodie.

“Well it has to be done.” Zacky walked off into a random direction leaving Brian with two options. Either stick with his friend or go back to sleep. Tough choice. He sighed and called for Zacky to wait up. Together they walked in pace with each other.

“Are you sure he’ll even agree to this? It might put us all in the hole. And not just our band, every band with us,” Brian explained.

“I know, but Bullet and everyone will understand. The only people who might be pissed are Winter and Aaron. But you know what, this is mostly their fucking fault anyways,” Zacky snapped. Brian stayed silent, not wanting to set his friend off again. Soon they stumbled across Thor and a few other managers sitting backstage in a meeting room. The two stopped in the doorway, Zacky knocking on the frame. “Thor?”

“Guys, we’re busy,” Thor said calmly, looking from his colleagues to his employees.

“We’ve have something important to talk about,” Brian pressed. Thor looked from the other managers to Zacky and Brian again. After seeing their serious faces Thor sighed, turning to the others at the table.

“Can you please excuse me for a few minutes gentlemen?” Thor asked, already standing. They nodded without questions. As the three men left the room, the pair walked in and took up the seats across from their manager. “Now what’s this all about?”

“It’s Johnny,” Zacky began. He trailed off, not sure what to say. This is where Brian took over.

“He’s not mentally stable. Something happened in his past that’s fucking him up now with all that’s happened lately. We politely ask to take off this tour so we can get him help.”

Thor kept a pokerface that set the two men on edge. “We still have a month on this tour guys. All the next shows are already sold out. Do you know how much money it takes to pay them back?”

“Thor, when I say this I mean no disrespect, but who gives a fuck? Our friend is sick and we don’t want to just fill him in or something. We want to help him. The kids would understand if we told them. If anything, send the rest of the bands to go on without us, give a formal apology. Anything at this point is better than continuing,” Zacky said as calmly as possible.

Thor’s face finally broke to show a frown. “You’re the headlining band. If you were anything else I would easily agree, but you guys headline this tour.”

“And Johnny is our family. He needs help and we have to get him it,” Zacky shouted, slamming his fists on the table as he shot out of his seat. A loud clatter was heard as it fell backwards onto the ground. The air was filled with tension as the green eyed man stared down his manager.

Finally Thor sighed in defeat. “Fine. You guys owe me big time. Go get the Berries to drive you guys to the airport in the rental. I’ll call ahead to the airport for five tickets on the next flight to Long Beach.”

“Thank-you Thor.” Zacky walked out the door with Brian close on his heels. It was silent on the journey back to the tour bus. When they arrived they decided to wake up the twins, Matt, and Jimmy.

“What the hell guys?” Matt muttered as Brian shook his shoulder. Brian sighed and grabbed his upper arm, yanking him out of his bottom bunk. “What the fuck?!”

“Shhh,” Brian hushed, covering Matt’s mouth with his hand. “We need you to pack and just come on. We’re getting Johnny help.”

“How?” Jason demanded, rubbing his head.

“We’re leaving the tour and going back to Huntington. Thor already agreed but he owns our asses now,” Brian explained. Jimmy nodded, beginning to pack all of his stuff into his suitcases.

“Wait, you’re just going to go with this Jimmy?” Matt Berry asked, his mouth open in shock.

“Johnny needs help. Maybe while we’re at it we can help Marco. She’s not doing so hot. Maybe with them together they can help each other,” Jimmy explained. Everyone paused at that. Matt nodded and began to pack up his stuff too. Soon the band’s stuff was all packed, including Johnny’s.

“What are we going to do about Johnny though? He won’t want to leave,” Brian said as everyone was putting their suitcases in the trunk of the Escalade with Jimmy also in the trunk.

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Jimmy said sternly. Matt walked into the bus, tossing the unconscious man over his shoulder. Johnny didn’t even budge, letting Matt know he was dead to the world. They placed him in the backseat between Matt and Jimmy. In the front was Jason driving and Zacky in the passenger seat. Matt Berry decided to stay behind and take care of their instruments.

“Let’s get to Marco,” Zacky muttered as Jason pulled the vehicle into movement to the nearest airport.



At two in the afternoon Marco found herself back in Emily’s office. Today it was set up different. The two chairs she usually had in front of her desk was now on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Emily motioned for Marco to sit down on one, Emily herself sitting on the edge of her desk.

“What’s going on?” Marco asked slowly, unsurely sinking into the seat on the left side of Emily. Her eyes trailed to the other chair that was empty.

“Marco, we’re going to have a guest with us. It was in everyone’s interest our guest joins us,” Emily explained very vaguely.

“Who’s ‘everyone’?” Marco’s question wasn’t verbally answered because the door to the office swung open. In the doorway stood Brian, Zacky, and Jimmy. Her eyes grew wide and she shot out of her seat, wrapping her arms around Jimmy’s waist, the one closest to her. It was silent as she hugged all of her uncles that stood in the room. “Oh my God, aren’t you guys suppose to be on tour?”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re all here for you two.”

“Us two?” Marco asked, confused by Zacky's words. He walked her back to her seat before the door opened again. Matt walked in, his hands tightly on Johnny’s shoulders. Marco’s eyes grew wide, tears pooling her hazel eyes. “Wha – what is he doing here?”

“You both need help.” Matt forced Johnny into the opposite seat. Johnny fell into it, mostly limp, and stared at the ground. He barely raised his head to meet Emily’s eyes.

“Welcome Mr. Seward.” He scoffed, looking back down again. The other band mates shared a look before they all filed out wordlessly. As the door shut it reminded Marco of a mausoleum door shutting. Emily sat up fully on her desk, legs crossed in front of her. “I know it’s painful for both of you, but please tell me what has happened to make your friends and family to want you here. You don’t have to give me background information, just the symptoms.”

“I have been lapsing back into my childhood’s unbearable memories. I’m becoming an alcoholic again,” Johnny said without a second of hesitation. This concerned Emily a lot. Returning alcoholics knew their limit and would use it to their advantage. Marco was concerned, but hid it the most she could. It was his fault, after all, that she was stuck in this position.

“I’m having night terrors, inflicting pain on myself, and have been hearing voices.” This caused both adults to look at the teen shocked. Emily had not heard about her inflicting pain and Johnny hadn’t heard anything.

“Why wasn’t I told any of this?” Johnny demanded.

“Because you’ve been too drunk to listen!” Marco shouted. Emily stood and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. For the most part it worked. She relaxed back into her seat, pulling her knees to her chest.

“Now Marco, what have you been doing?” Marco sighed and raised the bottom on her tank a little. Burn marks from what looked like a hot lighter end was all over her lower stomach. She lowered it again and hung her head in shame. “Why have you done that Marco?”

“The voices tell me they’ll stop if I do. I try again and again, but they don’t stop. I can’t take it!” Marco cried, burying her face in her knees.

“Marco, Papa Gates said you aren’t taking your insomnia medicine. Is that correct?” Marco nodded. “Why?”

“If I take them I have to sleep. And if I sleep I have night terrors. And then I can’t wake up because of the medicine. I get stuck in my worst nightmares.”

“How long have you been awake Marco?”

“This is going to be the third day,” Marco replied as she lifted her head. Emily saw the deep purple bags under her eyes. She looked sickly, now that Emily thought about it. She was extremely pale and her eyes were bloodshot.

“Marco, you need to sleep.”

“No!” Marco shouted, shooting out her chair. She ran out the room and then out of the waiting room where the rest of the band and Papa Gates sat, calling for her. As she ran off down the stairs of the building, Jimmy ran after her. Back in Emily’s office both adults seemed numbed.

“Smooth doctor, that’s what you tell a girl that’s almost schizophrenic.” Emily’s cold glare turned onto the bassist. He swallowed a breath of air hard, scared of the woman’s gray eyes.

“Like I’m going to be belittled by the father who didn’t even know any of this before today,” Emily laughed mockingly. Johnny winced knowing he had hit a sore spot. This Emily girl was already like an older sister to Marco. Johnny doubted he would get out of this in one piece. She walked back to sit behind her desk with a heavy sigh. “Sir, we’re going to have to cut it short today since Marco has left. I cannot help someone, such as yourself, who doesn’t want help.”

“Who said I don’t want help?” Johnny demanded, his eyes narrowed at the brunette. She pulled her curly hair into a lazy ponytail as she usually did when she was thinking.

“No one had to. Your body language said it all the second you were forced to walk into this room,” Emily replied coolly. Johnny stayed silent, not able to argue with her. “If you’d please excuse yourself Mr. Seward, we have nothing else to talk about today.”

With that the bassist left the therapist's office. She sighed, leaning back in her seat as she stared down at Marco's, and now Johnny’s, case file. This family was going to need a lot of help. She could only hope she could give all they needed.