We Can Make This Last

I moaned softly and turned in the bed, sighing and opening my eyes up very slowly. It was difficult to do so. Did I sleep with makeup on? Fuck if I did. A yawn escaped my lips and my vision became clear to where I was, which confused me, because I had no fucking idea as to where I was. My head was pounding with a headache and I whimpered. My body was sore but comfortable in the bed, and I was warm, but I was definitely in a poor condition right now.

Forcing myself to sit up and look around, I noticed how small the room was. Very small… there was barely enough room for furniture. I groaned, getting up and opening the only door in the room. Where was I?

When I opened the door, I saw a comfortable looking hallway that was decently big, with couches and stuff everywhere on my right and beds on my left, and far off I could see a room. The windows showed that I was on a vehicle. The fuck? I shut the door behind me and walked to the beds, seeing if anyone was up… maybe someone could tell me—

“Holy—!” I yelled, and backed up when I noticed who was sleeping on the beds. One of them shot their eyes open and looked up at me. Another stirred and mumbled something in his sleep. The others groaned or kept sleeping. Andy, who was now fully awake, turned on his stomach and propped himself up on his arms, a little, and let his hair fall on his shoulders.

“You look awful…” He said softly and cautiously.

“WHAT AM I DOING HERE?!” I yelled. Andy jumped up from the bed, and took my hand. I opened my mouth to speak and he gave me a look. “W-Where are you taking me?!” I demanded from him. I could see a smile break from his lips as he took me to the back and shut the door.

“Sit,” He said. I scoffed and sat on the couch.

“What am I doing here?” I asked. He blinked at me and looked at me like I was nuts, and he looked confused.

“You seriously don’t know…?”

“No.” I told him honestly, and crossed my arms over my chest and crossed my legs. Fuck, I was covered in dry blood. What happened?! I looked around the room instead of what I could see of myself and took in its surroundings. It was huge for a bus. TV, huge couch, blankets, instruments, games, stereo. It was rad. My head was hurting so fucking much. I caught sight of a mirror on the left on a wall and I stood up slowly to see myself.

Oh my God… I may as well be a zombie.

“Wh—”

“How do you not remember anything?” Andy asked. I touched my forehead, feeling the gash on it tenderly. My makeup was smeared from sleeping with it on and I was hurt, just bruised and scratched and bloody. I noticed a few burns on my arms after moving the sleeves up, and cuts and bruises there, too, and blood. I didn’t look at my legs again, but I saw the little bandages and gauzes that were still on my right leg from the concert.

I turned around to face Andy and was literally about to fucking cry. He seemed to notice this and came over to me, hugging me tightly until I flinched and whimpered at the soreness, and he loosened his grip.

“My head hurts,” I whispered. “Why am I here?” I pleaded an answer, my lip quivering. I sniffled and felt myself being lowered to the couch again.

“Your head hurts…” Andy said, looking like he was thinking. “You don’t remember anything, obviously—at most from maybe before you were… slaughtered—” I squeaked and coughed as tears came. “Did you, by any chance, drink alcohol? As in a lot?” I nodded slowly. After the show, I went home and drank a few beers before mom and dad started yelling at me…

A few meaning nine…

I think I celebrated my winning.

“I think you’re hungover, darling.” Andy said softly, reaching to my face and wiping my tears with his thumb.

“I don’t know why I’m here…” I whispered, hugging myself enough so I wouldn’t hurt myself. “Will you tell me? I find it upsetting I’ve had to ask a few times…”

“Well… we…” Andy sighed. “We all liked you and decided to ‘kidnap’ you, I guess,” He did air quotes. “Um… we got there, at your house and your mom and dad were… kind of… and you were like… this. In pajamas, ok? See,” He gestured at her. “Pajamas. And… I dunno, um, Escape the Fate did all the work, and Jake, Sandra and Jinxx helped to getting you from the house to the bus, and that was a right mess… Escape kind of… made fun of your parents… uh, but, yeah. We basically kidnapped you.” My eyes narrowed at him and I could only imagine how pissed off I looked.

I sometimes call this my “I hate you and the world” look.

“You fucking moron, what’s your problem?! Kidnapping me? Why even kidnap me? I thought we agreed summer would be when I went off to tour with you and Escape the Fate and Get Scared and Alesana and Motionless In White and a whole bunch of other bands going there. I don’t understand. You could get in trouble. I know my parents. They’ll call the police, I swear—oh my god. Why are band members so fucking stupid?” I snapped at him and he looked more disappointed in himself each time I finished a sentence and raised my voice.

“…We… um… get bored… and we all liked you.”

“Fuck that. That’s no excuse to jeopardize anything, moron.” I told him. I looked down at myself and then back up at him, shaking my head. “I need to clean up…”

“There’s a bathroom… I’ll…” Andy sighed and looked at me with the saddest blue eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. I stared at his eyes, softly squinting, trying to figure out why I was so intrigued by them. They drew me in, sure, but… I sighed, giving up quickly and nodding.

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically and got up, running in quick steps out of the room and finding the bathroom quickly, but then stepping out when I realized I had no clothes. I looked back at the singer sitting on the couch in the back. “Andy, I have no clothes.”

“Oh, but you do,” He called back, standing and turning around, walking towards me. I hate that look guys give girls, like they’re teasing with their face. He was way too tall. As he walked by me, he softly smiled at me, crookedly and mischievously and his eyes said something I did not get. I was about ready to kick him. Ass. I’m not a joke AND it’s not like he knows me enough to treat me like a joke.

I didn’t know bands kidnapped fans. Fucktwits.

“Fucktwit,” I muttered to myself. Andy came back quickly with a suitcase and handed it to me.

“What was that?” He asked with a soft smile. Does it do that naturally? That crooked thing? He should stop.

“Fuck-twit.” I said, making the word sound like two. I stuck in a sarcastic smile and his eyes softly narrowed at me.

“Take a shower,” He muttered.

“Gladly,” I took the suitcase and shut the door in his face, lightly “Humph!”ing in satisfaction and unzipping the zipper of my suitcase to grab clothes and starting the water in the shower.

---

“I refuse to talk to you,” I said when Andy woke up again. Ashley and Sandra woke up a bit ago and were chilling out in the back with me. He furrowed his forehead confusedly at me. “Or, actually,” I sighed. “Anyone. I won’t talk to you this whole tour because of what you guys stupidly did. Like, ok, I deal with what I dealt with all the time. And is kidnapping fans some kind of trend? Now I can’t go back and I don’t know what to do with myself. I don’t have a job. I need stuff to live, and I agreed to go to Warped. I KNOW you don’t do this to every fan. Why the fuck me?” I asked. Around the middle of my rant, Jake and Jinxx hopped off their bunks and came over with us. They listened, too. Andy sighed and everyone looked at him for whatever reason I didn’t know. I didn’t even know. I was definitely freaking out unconsciously, but I wasn’t trying to think about it too much.

WHAT THE FUCK!?!

“Fine. We deserve it.” Andy said.

“Good,”

“You’re working as merch girl with Jessika.”

I nodded.

“I can’t believe you.” He sighed, walking to the front of the bus. I raised an eyebrow with a small smile and yawned.

:::

When we got to the Canada venue, in Montreal, Escape the Fate and Black Veil Brides were scolded and they and some managers or tech people talked to them about me. Since the other bands were at no fault of my kidnap whatsoever, I went over to talk to the guitarist/vocalist of Alesana, Shawn, because he dances like a stripper or a girl.

“Hi,” I said softly.

“Oh hey. What’s up?” He asked.

“Nothing… some bands are really dumb.” I said. Shawn softly laughed.

“Yeah they’re pretty crazy. Max and Andy put their heads together and it’s an explosion. You pissed?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. They could get in trouble, I have no job, my instruments are back home—”

“Whoa, you play?” He asked. I nodded, smiling. “What specificially? Guitar? Drums? Bass? Piano? Flute? Harmonica? Saxaphone… Kazoo…” I giggled and shook my head. What a silly guy.

“I play the guitar and bass guitar. I play piano, too.” I told him.

“That’s fucking rad.” He said. “Oh, hey, um… I can lend you an acoustic?” He pointed behind him where a lot of instruments were. My mouth slightly opened at the adorable and very kind thought. I really would love to have music back in my hands…

“Oh, um… well,” I shrugged. “I-if you don’t… specifically mind… I would love to borrow… um… you sure?”

“Oh yeah.” Shawn said, nodding, and walked to where the instruments were and grabbed a guitar with the case. He walked back and handed it to me. “No problem. You should play some now.” I shrugged and nodded, sitting in a nearby chair with Shawn sitting in front of me, and I had to think about what to play on a guitar before I tuned it and strummed the acoustic version of Boys Like Girls’ song Learning to Fall, or started to. I had actually met the band. My cousin was friends with the guitarist and it was a rad time. Too soon, Shawn stopped me.

“Sing it.” By this time, Escape the Fate was playing and a band or so was outside with fans. Jessika had said I could relax today considering what had happened the night before, so she sent me backstage with the bands again. Tomorrow I’d work at the merch stand for sure. I shook my head at Shawn. “Come on. You can’t be terrible.”

“Oh, but I am.”

“Hey, I’m not arguing with you.”

“I’ll sing if you give me a little dance after.” I promised. Shawn smiled.

“Deal. Continue.”

I took in a deep breath and blew it out before continuing my strumming, and I soon sang the first lines of the song. “Today is the day; the worst day of my life. You’re so content. It hurts me. I don’t know why. The cost of misery is at an all time high. I keep it hidden close to the surface in sight…” I kept singing, and like how I always get, I got lost and just minded myself and concentrated on the song itself. I had no notice of some band members of Alesana, Motionless In White and Get Scared come and hover around me. I moved on to other songs after that one—Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way, NeverShoutNever’s Heregoesnothin’, Making Aprils’ I Wrote This Song and Hurry Up and Wait, Simple Plan’s Perfect… I could never play Perfect without one or two tears spilling from my eyes.

Ricky “Horror” noticed this. “You ok…” He asked. I jumped, only now snapping back to right now and taking my surroundings in. The bands surrounded me—now Black Veil Brides, too, and Escape the Fate was running towards us from the stage.

“Whaaa—?” I asked, wiping the tears away.

“Rad show,” I heard Max say. I looked up at him and I rolled my eyes. “Kay, she hates us.” I shook my head at him and put the guitar in the case.

“Thanks for listening, I guess…” I said softly.

“It was amazing,” Nicholas said, of Get Scared.

“Thank you.”

“You have talent.”Ricky said. My stomach flipped and I dorkily smiled.

“THANKS!” I stood up and walked off, out of the backstage and outside where the busses were. I ran inside the Black Veil Brides bus and into my guest room I declared was mine, and put the guitar on the bed. I then ran to the bathroom and showered, took my makeup off and put some PJs on. My phone vibrated and I grabbed it on the kitchen sink to see who was texting me.

Bianca: Where you att your ‘rents were bitchin’. Let’s party.

I smiled. I love my cousin. She’s a year older than me and is still in college. I’ve only “partied” with her once and got wasted as fuck. It was a fun time. I put my toothbrush down and texted a reply back. I was stoked now.

Me: Canadaaa. Fucking nuts. I’m on tour.
Bianca: whaaat kid?
Me: bands legit kidnapped me. Not even kidding.
Bianca: No shiz? Dude hit me up when you’re in the states again—specifically cali.
Me: ok. Will do.
Bianca: and we can have an adventure.
Me: … what kind of “adventure”…?
Bianca: ;) You’ll see. You’ll like it. Brett says yo. He’ll be at there too.
Me: Ok<3 love ya.
Bianca: love yaa.

That could mean anything. I had no idea what I specifically agreed to. I know I agreed to a party and I know what that’ll bring… but Bianca’s adventure ideas are fucking nuts… when I was a senior and she was a freshman in college, she had invited me on an adventure. It sounded fun, but I declined because, well, I was a good girl, but she insisted I at least go to a party with her.

That was when I drank for the first time.

“Hey,” I heard. Sandra. I looked at her and smiled. “You sing and play the guitar really nice. I loved it. Do something magical with it.” I bit my lip and nodded. I felt bad. I do want to talk to Sandra. She’s the cutest drummer I’ve ever seen in my life and she meant absolutely no harm or joke. She was so nice to me.

“I plan on it. Oh, and I’ll be out soon… if you need to use the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” She said. “Thanks for talkin’ to me, also.” I smiled at her and hugged her. She’s a sweetheart. She hugged me back and I let go. Sandra walked off and I brushed my teeth and cleaned the sink before going back into my room. Jinxx and Jake said hi and barely smiled and waved. Ashley did that ‘sup’ nod and I returned it. He smirked. Andy looked at me with piercing blue eyes and I looked at him back, giving him a tired and annoyed look.

“Talk to me. I don’t… um, know you…” It was funny how he said the word ‘know’. I raised an eyebrow at him. “But I do like your company… can’t we kind of be friends instead of you giving me a silent treatment? It’s a bit juvenile, don’t you agree?” I shrugged and shook my head. “At least give my band a break of it. They had nothing to do with the idea of kidnapping. If anything, just shut Max and I out.” I sighed and walked off instead to a couch near the front of the bus and Andy sat next to me. “I know that what we did was very stupid, very immature and very dangerous, even, for many reasons, but trust me that you are correct.” I furrowed my eyebrows and forehead in confusion now, listening. “No, bands don’t make a habit of kidnapping their fans, but it was fate that we saw you, met you, and we have a strong and very important reasons for stealing you, Max and I.” I haven’t heard someone speak so calmly and intellectually, even if it was a little, and draw you into the conversation so strongly in a very long time. He was so believable. “Well, there’s only one reason… and it’s ginormous… and it…” He shrugged. “We have a reason for doing what we did, and I don’t expect you to understand or forgive or forget any time soon… but I would like you to please know that we are good people and all we want to do—and now I speak for all the bands on this tour, not just mine and Escape the Fate—all we want to do is get to know you and maybe become friends.”

I looked into those eyes and something… familiar and warm was in them. He really was truly being honest about this, and sure, maybe my behavior so far has been ridiculous, but he couldn’t specifically blame me. I did believe him though, and I, too, wouldn’t mind being friends and getting to know him. Whatever the reason, I could tell, truthfully, that they did not mean any harm to me. I nodded.

“Let’s start over, then, shall we?” Andy asked, a crooked smile playing on his lips. I nodded. “Hi, I’m Andy.”

“Hi, I’m Taylor.” I smiled. I pointed at my arm. “Which one’s your signature? Oh… and, um… I need to get all these tattooed before they rub off.” Andy laughed.

“Johnny can do that for you.” My smile widened. “And… ok…” He took my arm gently and pointed. “That one.” I looked at the scrawl he had made on my arm and made out what looked like an A and a… 6. I furrowed my eyebrows softly.

“A6?” I asked.

“Indeed.”

“I used to call a friend…” I bit my lip at the thought. It had to be a coincidence… It had to be… I looked at Andy from my arm and his eyes widened very softly and he very vaguely nodded. I gulped silently. “Andy Sixx.”

“He dropped one X. So it’s just S-I-X now.” Andy said, and tear escaped from one of his eyes. I stared at him. My mouth was slightly open as I looked at my old best friend. I’d grown up with him and he had left me. I was so fucking alone… wait… if he and Max…

Max, as in Max Green?

“Don’t talk to me. Make sure Max knows not to, either.” I got up and ran from the couch and into my room, slamming the door shut.

They left me.
Fuck them. I’m done.