We Can Make This Last

Taylor received hugs from each band member and hugged Max longer and tighter. He didn’t seem to mind, maybe because he had taken a quick liking to the fan. He had his reasons… she seemed familiar to her. He even rested his head on hers for a second or so, and that was when she let go. Andy kept looking at Taylor with those eyes, and she wondered wondered if she had something in her teeth or on her face. He hugged her tightly and it was warm to him. He bit his lip and smiled, letting her go.

“So,” Taylor said. “I’ll see you?”

“Absolutely,” Craig said, smiling. “We’ll call you.”

Max looked up. “We’re not kidding. WE will call you.”

Taylor softly laughed. “Thanks… I feel like… the luckiest girl in the whole world… I couldn’t be more grateful… nothing ever happens to me… and this time, it did, and I’m just happy. You don’t understand, ohmigosh, ok, bye.” She laughed, waving at them before leaving. Some of the men laughed and waved back, saying “Bye!” after her. Others said “TAKE CARE!” or “SEE YOU IN SUMMER!” or something nice.

Max smiled softly, sitting at a table and looking down at his hands.

“Max? The fuck you smiling about?” Craig asked.

“Nothin’, bro.” Max said, looking up, his boyish grin wider now.

“He likes her,” Robert said. “Duh, dude. I’m out. Crashing.”

Andy came over to Max and sat with him, his crooked smile fixed on his lips. Craig looked at both of them back and forth and rolled his eyes. “You two are the weirdest best friends ever. I think I’m leaving, too.”

“Where’s that paper? Oh, I have it.” Max said, pulling it out. Andy leaned next to him as Max laid the paper down on the table to read it.

You’re Going To Warped Tour With These Five Bands! Courtesy of Interscope Records, Here’s What You Gotta Fill Out:
Name: Taylor Ashley Wright
Date of Birth: May 2nd, 1991 (20 Years Old)

Max and Andy stopped reading and slowly looked up at each other.

“No…” Andy whispered.

“This is…” Max muttered, and looked out at where Taylor had walked out.

“Let’s pick her up.” Andy said.

“Dude—”

“Dude.”

Max sighed. Taylor did cross their minds sometimes, and they’ve talked about her when they could. He never got over her. He was completely into her, cared for her so much it hurt… it ended without them knowing, and it wasn’t official, but fame got to him and he never saw her again. He missed her like crazy… he’s been friends with her since he was in middle school and she was in elementary. Max didn’t want to get his hopes up or he’d explode… actually, he was on the verge of exploding regardless.

“It’s her.” Andy said.

“ANDREW!” Max yelled, pulling him up and making him walk behind him outside. Andy sighed. She was probably gone by now… Max suddenly stopped when they were outside by their busses. “Maybe we should wait. We’d scare her.”

“Max, it’s TAYLOR.”

“You’re so insisting on kidnapping the girl.”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t want to.”

“It is a brilliant plan. Genius, actually.”

“I may be a little more intelligent than you.”

“Is there more to this plan?”

Andy opened his mouth to speak and continue on his kidnapping plan, when the door opened and out walked Craig, Robert, Monte, Sandra Jinxx, Jake and Ashley. They stared at them with curious eyes, looking suspiciously at them. Max and Andy looked neutral, though, not as if they were planning or hiding anything. The two friends looked at each other and then at their band mates.

“Hello?” Max asked.

“What’re you doin’…” Monte asked.

“Thinking of ways to kidnap the girl.” Andy said.

“Why?” Sandra asked.

“Because I love her,” Max said. “I’m going to marry her.”

They stared at him and then at Andy, who couldn’t suppress a smile. Max shrugged, looking at them as if THEY were the crazy ones.

“You do know we’re going to Canada next…” Craig said. Max nodded. “Do you know her?” Max and Andy laughed.

“You… you know what, dude? I actually do.” Max said through laughter.

“Adventure time!” Sandra said. Andy gaped at her with a smile.

“I think we have cop hats laying around in our bus. We could use them to our advantage when we arrive at her house.” Craig said.

“And I could pull it off so good, dude cuz I have the fucking, like, glasses to pull the whole look off.” Robert said, smiling. “Let’s go—oh, someone tell the rest of the guys that we’re takin’ off.” Jinxx nodded and walked back inside, and came back out again. The two bands climbed up on their buses, knowing that their equipment were all on board while the concert hand ended. Craig and Max fought for the drive when Craig won and looked at the address on the paper. He entered it on the GPS and honked, signaling to the Black Veil Brides bus to follow them.

“We’re so breaking the law,” Andy and Max said in their own busses to Craig and Sandra, who were driving like crazy.

---

Black Veil Brides kept in their bus, looking out at the house they parked at. They snickered when they saw Robert, Max, Craig and Monte walking casually across the lawn with cop hats that maybe came from their adventures in Vegas or a music video. When they reached the door, Max grew more excited, because this was the house he’d gone to every weekend back then. He was shaking a little and looked at his band mates. Craig and Robert were fighting for his sunglasses, and eventually, Craig won them over. He slip them on and ran the doorbell.

They heard a yell from inside and Max stiffened. It was a girl’s voice. A crash following and yelling, and a very clear, “SHUT UP! SOMEONE’S AT THE DOOR!”

What happened…? Max wondered. Robert and Monte had the same curious looks on their faces, and Craig just look scared. Craig didn’t get a chance to know Taylor back when the band was starting out, so he really didn’t have a clue.

They heard a loud, hurt sounding grunt and the door opened. Taylor appeared at it and was hurt. She looked up at the four men standing with their mouths slightly open, and hers almost dropped to the floor. Taylor was embarrassed as fuck, confused, shocked and everything on her body was aching or bleeding. Tonight, they had used glass and sharp things on her.

“What the—” Max began but stopped when her dad grabbed her and threw her off to the side. Max almost stepped forward had Craig, Robert and Monte stopped him.

“We received a report from a neighbor that a girl was screaming. We’re here to take said girl back to the department in a safe environment. Please let her be seen.” Craig said in a strong and firm voice. The dad stood, gaping at them and he looked to his left, jerking his head towards the door.

“DAN! WHO’S AT THE DOOR?!” the mom said. Taylor stepped in front of the door and looked up at the four members, shy, scared and grimacing at pain.

“Young lady, you are in horrendous condition,” Max said. “How old are you?”

“T-twenty,” She whispered.

“You’re allowed to move out, you do know that?”

“T-they wouldn’t…”

“That’s enough. Get your things. Officer Money will assist you while Officer Green, Ortiz and myself go and question your parents, and when you’re brought back to headquarters, we’ll question you, too.” A smile almost threatened to break free from Taylor’s lips and her eyes screamed out a million God Blessings, and she and Monte went inside and upstairs.

“You guys aren’t officers. No uniform, no badge. You guys look like a bunch of misfit punks.” The dad said.

“We’re off duty,” Craig said.

“Bullshit,” the mother said.

“HEY!” Robert said, surprising Max and Craig. It wasn’t long that they could pretend, though. They were definitely caught. Max sighed, shaking his head exaggeratingly and turned to the open door, catching Ashley Purdy’s eye who was in their bus, and he nodded. Max turned back around and leaned against the door, Robert next to him and Craig filling any more viewable space of the door.

“You’re not taking our daughter away,” the dad said.

“Shut up,” Max growled. Robert kicked him in the shins.

Upstairs, Taylor and Monte were packing up.

“How can you guys just kidnap me?! Don’t I have a say?”

“No.” Monte said, smiling.

“Excuse me!” She yelled. “It’s kind of obvious you guys are about as good as dead with REAL police men when you guys take me away! You guys couldn’t pass for police anyway! The cap doesn’t really count. No uniform, no badge. The fuck?! No. I refuse.”

“Please, you were stoked downstairs when we said we’d take you.”

“After realizing what would really happen a few minutes after, I didn’t like the idea anymore.” She removed her last tshirt from her bag. Monte had basically stuffed everything important in a suitcase she had from college. He put the shirt back in, sighing.

“Taylor, everything’s already in the bag. Seriously, you’re not staying here with THESE people.”

“Why would you guys even come? Don’t you guys have another show to play tomorrow? AND as a matter of fact,” She said, bringing her watch up to her face. “Tomorrow is already here. Way to go. I bet M-I-W, Get Scared and Alesana are already out of the state!”

“You have no proof.” Monte said.

“You can’t take me.”

Monte smiled. “Want a bet?” He zipped the suitcase up and carried it downstairs with Taylor yelling threats at the guitarist. He smirked and carried it down, and once he was down, he handed the suitcase to Robert.

“The girl is… having post… leaving… family disorder.”

“Even if they treat her like shit,” Max muttered.

“I’m calling the police.” The mom said.

“HELLO?!” Craig yelled. “We’re right here!”

“Dude, they know.” Max said.

“Excuse me, pardon me,” Sandra had come inside in between Robert and Max, and walked over to Taylor, who was shaking with anger, worry and fear. “Hey,” Sandra said. “Sup?” Taylor said a soft hi. “One of your friends told me to find you and bring her to her house. Her car got towed.”

“The fuck!?!” Her dad yelled. Sandra took Taylor’s hand and walked her out of the house, gently. Monte threw the suitcase outside, and a pair of hands took the bag. He still hid at the side of the door and decided when to run. When he did, the mom saw.

“The punks are stealing her away!”

The dad ran for her. Sandra looked behind her and told Taylor to run across the lawn to one of the busses. Taylor sprinted and Jinxx appeared next to her. He said, “Hey!” to her and ran in front of her to open the “Under the bus” and stuff the suitcase in. The double doors of the bus opened as she got nearer, and the dad caught her hair. She yelped.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

“Take your hands off her,” Andy growled, climbing down the stairs and marching to him. Craig, Max, Monte and Robert came behind the dad, grabbing him and throwing him on the ground. They, along with Sandra, Jinxx and Andy, helped her get on the bus. Ashley Purdy and Jake Pitts looked down to make sure everything was ok….

“He’s getting up!” Ashley yelled.

“The mom’s coming!” Jake yelled.

“Get in the bus!” Andy ordered. Sandra and Jinxx went inside, and Sandra ran to the back of the bus. She could see Escape the Fate laughing and running, teasing the parents like it was the most fun and safest thing in the world, and eventually the got inside their bus with the dad and mom slamming against their bus and Black Veil Brides’ bus.

“Get away from there, Taylor,” Ashley said softly, bringing her away from the door and sittign her down on a couch.

“Ok, we’re good. Canada’s our next stop.”

“Excuse me?!” Taylor yelled, and Sandra ran to the driver’s seat, revving the engine up and driving off with Escape the Fate behind them. Andy leaned against a wall in the bus and stared at Taylor again. She glowered at him. “What? Is this some kind of joke?! You’re going to get into so much trouble for doing this!”

“Be rebellious for once. You’re of age and you’re with bands you like. We have nothing to worry about, and if we get in trouble, we honestly could care less.” Jake said. “Because we want you safe.”

“Why did you take me away?!” She asked.

Ashley looked at Andy and Andy shook his head at him gravely.

“We wanted you to come with.” Jinxx said. Taylor raised an eyebrow at him. “You weren’t this loud back stage…” He whispered.

“I’m just furious! You guys are crazy!”

“Let’s get you fixed up.” Ashley suggested. He moved to get closer and Taylor cringed away.

“No!” She growled, pointing a finger at him. “DO. NOT. TOUCH. ME. No one bother me. I’m taking a bed, and I don’t necessarily give a shit whose bed it is. I’m going to sleep and you will not talk to me for the rest of the tour. Obviously there’s nothing I can do right now since I’m outnumbered by a whole lot, so I’m going to have to fucking deal with this. Night.” She sighed in frustration and stood up, walking to the back of the bus and entering a small room with an unmade bed. She got on the bed, pressed her face to the pillow and screamed at the pain she was feeling and at how scared she was for these rebellious people and how annoyed she was.

Taylor ended up crying herself to sleep, and Andy went inside to cover her up with the blankets. When he came out he shrugged and declared he’d go to bed. “Lucky she took the guest bed.” Andy said.

“Night, Andy.” They said.

“Night,” He called back.

Andy stayed up in thought for a while before sleeping. He didn’t know she was so… broken… he had missed so much… he wanted to know more… but breaking it out that he was her best friend from long past was not a good thing to tell her right now. He’d tell Max that tomorrow…

He was worried about her right now… and he intended on making sure she was comfortable.