Help Me, Save Me

A FEW DAYS LATER

ANDY'S POV

I dragged my boots across the floor, dropping my phone on the tour bus floor, and just dropped myself on the couch. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. I tried holding back my tears. And I was actually doing pretty well.

"Hey Andy-boo," Scout said as she sat down next to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. That was it. The tears fell from my eyes and the make-up ran down my face. Scout leaned back, concerned but yet unsure of what to do. I shook my head slightly and continue to cry. It was the fifth fucking day I've been try to call Amber, trying to get her to forgive me. But she kept telling me to fuck off and then she would hang up.

I had a hard time believing it but...no...I couldn't say it...I wouldn't say it...

"I've fucking lost her!" I yelled and Scout jumped. Ashley and Jake ran from the bunk rooms and stopped right in front of me.

“Scout what the hell happened?” Ashley quickly asked. She shrugged, panicking. Jake was trying to calm me down, and the rest of my band was trying to figure out why I was crying. I felt arms wrapped around me, I realized it was Scout’s skinny arms. She wasn’t really helping the situation, she was one of the reasons I lost my dear Amber.

I finally calmed down and took a deep breath. Christian repeated what Ashley asked, and I finally answered.

“Me and Amber are getting a divorce since I slept with Scout.” Every single mouth in the room dropped, and yelled, “What?”

“Dude you were fucking drunk off your ass! You didn’t know what you were doing!” Jeremy exclaimed. Everybody nodded in agreement. I sighed, “I know, I told her that. But she didn’t want to hear any of it. I just have to accept that she’s gone.” The guys patted my back as I stared down at my boots, and Scout gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back, slowly burying my face into her shoulder.

I could easily smell her sweet perfume, but it wasn’t as sweet as Amber’s. Nothing with be as sweet as Amber. I finally understand what people say when they say ‘don’t know what ya got till it’s gone.’

I lost Amber and I lost a piece of my heart. And I have a feeling I will never get that piece back.

CASEY’S POV

“Ah, we finally get some brother-sister alone time!” Johnny happily sighed as he plopped down onto the couch. I giggled as I stretched out my legs and rested them on Johnny’s lap. He pushed my legs off of him and I laughed. Just like old times.

I flipped myself around on the couch and I rested my head on my brother’s lap. Thank God he didn’t try to push me off again. He just smiled in his cute way and push ‘play’ on the remote. The guys were going drinking tonight but Johnny wanted to stay home with me. I know, shocker. That was the first time I heard my brother refuse drinking. But then again, he said he didn’t want me sitting home alone. Amber was at a photo shoot for some punk rock magazine and Lacey and the girls were out baby shopping. I knew Lacey was a few months pregnant but shopping this early for the baby? Really? I didn’t understand it. But whatever, it’s her kid.

Anyway, instead of Johnny drinking tonight, he decided to stay home with me and watch lame ass movies. We both couldn’t find a movie we both liked in Johnny’s giant collection of movies, so we just settled for Paranormal Activity. Quite frankly I didn’t find the movie scary the first time I watched it. And this is about my tenth time watching it. It’s getting quite old. And Johnny feels the same way.

“So Johnny-boy…” I started as I turned my head up to look up at Johnny’s face. His hazel eyes looked down at me. He got his hazel eyes from my mom; I got my blue eyes from my dad. “So Case…” He mocked me and grinned. I smiled back at him and asked, “So what’s the kid’s name going to be?”

“Well we won’t know the baby’s gender for another month or two but me and Lace were thinking, and if it’s a boy we’re name him Hunter or Nate…” He trailed off and I smiled when he said Nate. Nate was our older brother that we don’t see anymore. But that was because he was deployed somewhere in the Middle East, fighting in the US army. He was both of our heroes.

“He would be proud,” I mumbled and Johnny nodded. My eyes wandered to the floor as Johnny watched the movie. A silence came over the room, except for the screams in the movie. I turned my head on Johnny’s lap again, and tried to tuck into a little ball. “I miss Nate…” I murmured and Johnny softly stroked my hair. “I do too kiddo….” He murmured. The silence returned to the room. Even the movie seemed to quiet down.

After about five minutes of silence, I finally lifted my head slightly off of Johnny’s lap and asked, “What if the kid’s a girl?” Johnny took a deep breath and looked down at me again. “If the kid is a girl, we were planning on naming her Rose or Zoey.”

“Oh.” It was all I could really say. I could tell Johnny was still too upset about Nate, and I couldn’t blame him. Our family was really tight when we were young. When Nate first left, my world seemed to crumble apart.

“Excuse me sis,” Johnny mumbled as he tried to stand up. I lifted my head from his lap and I watched him slowly walk away from me. On the way out of the living room, I saw him pick up a pack of cigarettes. I heard a glass door slam and I realized that he was going outside for a smoke. Perfect.

I stuck my hand down between the couch cushions and I pulled out an unopened bottle of beer. I snuck the bottle into the couch when Johnny was talking to the guys before they left. I twisted the cap off, cutting my hand in the process, and chugged the beer down as fast as I could. Johnny would be coming back at any moment.

Slam!

Shit!

Johnny was already done smoking! That’s the quickest he’s ever smoked! I could hear his footsteps coming closer. I had to get rid of this bottle! Without thinking, I shoved the beer bottle back in between the couch cushions. The beer was all gone, but my blood my now all over the couch.

Johnny stepped inside the living room. His eyes were red and puffy, but even though they were that way, he still noticed the blood running down my hand, to my wrist, and down my arm. Damn did that bottle cap get deep.

“Holy shit Case! What did you do?” Johnny exclaimed as he ran over and examined my hand. He tried to help me up but I lightly pushed him away and told him, “I’m fine bro. I’ll go clean up my hand, you clean up the couch.” I stood up and quickly walked to the bathroom. Oh man, I hope he doesn’t find the bottle.

I came back to the Johnny and the couch. My hand was now wrapped in gauze and the blood stop flowing out of my hand. In the middle of the couch laid a whole shitload of paper towels, all cover in my blood. Johnny was sitting on the far left side of the couch, just staring at the TV. He finally noticed me and blankly asked me, “Case, were you sticking your hand in between the couch cushions?” Oh shit, did he catch me?

I slowly nodded, and he sighed. “Dammit. I know what cut you. There was a broken beer bottle in between the cushions. It must have been there from the guys and mine drinking sessions.” That’s when I breathed a breath of relief. I got away with it! I got away with drinking in Johnny’s house!

“Oh well,” I simply said and I sat next to him again. The rest of the night was quiet and normal. I actually enjoyed being with Johnny for the whole night. It was just like when we were ten, laughing and picking on each other. But that sick, twisted lie sat in the back of my mind. Deep down, it hurt lying to my brother. But that pain was washed down by the sweet taste of alcohol and beer.

AMBER’S POV

I walked out of the hotel where the photo shoot was and headed for my car. Doing my job was the perfect way to get my ex off my mind. I loved doing what I do and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I sat down in my car and I turned on the engine. I moved my coat and purse to the passenger side, and I began to head out. I decided to turn on the radio. Bad idea Amber, bad idea.

“Well now we have a request for “The Mortician’s Daughter” by Black Veil Brides. Valentine’s Day was a few weeks back, and I remember getting a whole bunch of requests for this song. But then again, this is such a loving and heartfelt song, I wouldn’t blame all those people who requested for this song. Well anyway, here is “The Mortician’s Daughter” by BVB. You are listening to HQV 104.1 The Rock,” The radio announcer said as the song began to play. I could feel hot tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat as Andy’s voice filled my car. No matter how much I wanted to hate him, I couldn’t. I couldn’t hate the guy I married two years ago. I wish I did hate him, but that just wasn’t possible.

I looked down at my left ring finger. The beautiful wedding ring Andy gave those years ago was now gone. A small tear rolled down the cheek as I remember how I lost it a few days ago:

“Hey Ambs, can I see your ring quickly?” Jimmy asked cheerfully, coming out from the hallway. Oh no what does he want?
“Why?” I asked, a little scared. Jimmy grinned like crazy and just came over next to me. Grabbing my left wrist, he tried to pull off my ring. I tried to push him away, but he was too strong. He grabbed a hold of the ring and ripped it off my finger.
“Hey!” I screamed. Jimmy laughed and ran down the hallway again. I got up and chased him but he slammed and locked himself inside the bathroom.
“Jimmy! What are you doing with my ring?” I yelled. But it was all quiet in the bathroom. At first I just stood in the hallway, waiting for Jimmy to come out. But he was taking forever and I decided to go watch TV instead of waiting for Jimmy to quit shitting.
After about ten minutes of watching TV, I finally heard the door unlock. I jumped up and Jimmy came out of the bathroom with the biggest smirk on his face.
“Jimmy where the fuck is my wedding ring?” I screamed. He grinned and happily said, “Um by now it’s probably in Johnny’s septic tank.”
“Oh my God Jimmy, you flushed my ring down the fucking toilet!” I yelled and he burst out laughing. I was fucking pissed. That ring cost Andy a fortune! And even though we weren’t married anymore, I loved that ring.
I clenched my hand into a fist and hit him right in happy spot. He went down immediately and grabbed his groin.
“What did you do that for?” he winced. But he looked into my angry eyes and began laughing again. One of these days I’m going to kill that boy.

A ringing noise broke my trance and I recognize it was the built-in phone ringing. I gripped the steering wheel and checked the caller ID. Jimmy Sullivan. Go figure.
I cleared my voice, made sure I wasn’t crying anymore, and I pressed ‘answer’.

“Hey Jimbo,” I said aloud in the most cheerful voice I could pull off. But I could hear Jimmy’s deep breath through the phone, and I could tell something was wrong.

“Amber, please get down to Johnny’s bar. I need to tell you something now…” Jimmy breathed heavily into the phone.

“Jimmy what’s wrong?” I was fucking scared out of my mind. I remember Jimmy saying that he was going out drinking with the guys. Shit, anything can happen when those guys drink.

“Amber, just please get down here…” Those were Jimmy’s last words before the line went dead. I panicked and hit the accelerator. Who knows what kind of trouble Jimmy has gotten into? My heart was pounding in my chest. Worry and anxiety flooded my other emotions. Jimmy sounded like near death when he called and Johnny’s bar was twenty minutes away from where I was. I began forgetting everything else, including the speed limit, and drove as fast as I could to the bar.

Dear God, just please let Jimmy be alright.