Sequel: Asleep Or Dead ›
Awake and Unafraid
Chapter Twenty-Five
~Gerard's POV~
Yes!! Oh dearest God, Yes! We are finally taking to the highway! I thought to myself. I looked over at Kate who was twiddling her thumbs anxiously.
"What's wrong?" I asked her, concerned.
"Ah, nothin'."
"Yes, there is something!"
"Well erm.."
"TELL ME."
"Okay, okay, gosh. Well, I'm sorta, ya know, afraid of something."
"Okay, what?"
"This bridge we have to go over, the Francis Scott Key Bridge." She mumbled.
"Why?"
"Well, once, we were going to Jersey to visit my Nana, and we went over that bridge and there was a HUGE gaping hole in the middle of one lane. We had to go around it and it scared the living shit outta me. Then, the next day, we found out that one of the construction workers had fallen through, and had died. Along with a Pepsi truck with a drunk driver who drove through the hole."
Wow. Good reason to be afraid.
"That's rough. Well, we could, erm, find a detour." I suggested.
"I already looked at the updated maps. They're building an overpass on Interstate 95 and are lifting concrete pillars this week."
"Shit. We could.." I took out the map. I didn't want her to be afraid.
"It'll be okay Gee, I mean, I need to face my fear anyway. I mean, me. ME who got struck by lightning, and I'm afraid of a stupid bridge!" She was laughing nervously.
"Who's afraid of what?" Frank called out from where he was napping.
"No one's afraid of nothing." I defended her.
"Uh huh. Kate's afraid of a bridge!" Ray teased.
"Shut up! It's not funny!" I yelled.
"No it's not, guys, shut up!" Taylor chimed in.
"Dude, I thought you were sleeping." Frank pondered.
"Ha! I fooled you!" She replied.
"Oh COME ON!" Bob started to argue.
This conversation has just switched the subject and I thought it was pointless to have all of these people in a van arguing about sleeping. It reminds me of when we started touring.
"HEY GUYS!" I yelled, breaking up the argument.
"What, Gee?" Various people said at various times.
"Ya know, why don't we meet up with the bus?"
"The bus is in Jersey." Ray pointed out.
"Here, there's obviously too many people and too little space. So why don't we rent some cars and be more comfortable?"
"That sounds good to me. I'll take the stuff up in the van, and you guys can all rent cars." Frank agreed.
"I'll be with Frank." Said Taylor.
"Cool, Mikey, Bob and I will rent a Hummer!" Ray laughed, aggrivating his fro.
"Yeah! I'm drivin'!" Bob yelled.
"Fuck no you aren't! It was my idea to get a Hummer in the first place!" Ray argued.
The back seat went to arguing as I pulled into an Enterprise.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
~Kaitlyn's POV~
Gerard pulled into the Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I knew one thing was certain: I did not want to go over that bridge. What I saw happen was extremely horrible. I never even want to look at a sign for that bridge. But one thing is different. I have Gerard with me. The Gerard I care about more than anything in the world., the one that saved me when I got struck by lightning, the one that has held my hand when I got ridiculed. The one in my favorite band. The one.
We exited, and Bob, Ray, and Mikey all ran over excitedly to the yellow Hummer H3, which was waiting idly for them in all it's gas-guzzling glory. Frank and Taylor muffled around for a bit and then reluctantly went back to the van.
Gerard looked ever so carefully, and then announced his decision with a "Hells Yes!!" and waved me over. He gazed wide-eyed at a Black Mustang GT. Boys and thier cars. I rolled my eyes. Taylor walked over in her usual style.
"Dude, that car is pimpin'!" She joked. The fact that she used the word pimpin' was pretty funny. I played along.
"Word." I said, striking a fake gangsta pose.
"Oh God." Gerard smiled.
The clerk handed us our keys, and we each climed into our respective rides. We were off.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
~Gerard's POV~
"Hey, Kate?" I asked my compainion who was still nervously staring out the window.
"Hum?" She replied.
"When you got strucked by lightning,"
"What about it?"
"When I called to inform your parents, your mom said something about you being a storm chaser."
She laughed.
"Oh that!"
"That."
"Well, when I was in 6th Grade, I was really into weather, and storms and stuff, and I was a SKYWARN Spotter for the National Weather Service, and I still am. I always wanted to grow up and be a meteorologist in Oklahoma, and chase tornadoes. I still do, and I got a scholorship for full tuition to the University of Oklahoma, just before I met you. Since I'm 17, and a graduate, I am going to attend college there, and fulfill my dream. Well, I already met you guys."
This hit me like a slap in the face. College?! How come she didn't tell me this?! Yet, I loved her, and the fact that she's fullfilling her dreams matters so much to me.
"Don't worry. It'll be touring for a couple more months, then I'll come rent a house down there, and visit you for a whole summer. Whenever we're not touring I'll be down there. Probably until it's time to record the next record! Don't even THINK that I'll ever forget about you." I assured her.
"Really?"
"Really."
She popped in a CD, Green Day, and turned it up. A sign caught my eye:
Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge 2 Mi. Ahead.
Yes!! Oh dearest God, Yes! We are finally taking to the highway! I thought to myself. I looked over at Kate who was twiddling her thumbs anxiously.
"What's wrong?" I asked her, concerned.
"Ah, nothin'."
"Yes, there is something!"
"Well erm.."
"TELL ME."
"Okay, okay, gosh. Well, I'm sorta, ya know, afraid of something."
"Okay, what?"
"This bridge we have to go over, the Francis Scott Key Bridge." She mumbled.
"Why?"
"Well, once, we were going to Jersey to visit my Nana, and we went over that bridge and there was a HUGE gaping hole in the middle of one lane. We had to go around it and it scared the living shit outta me. Then, the next day, we found out that one of the construction workers had fallen through, and had died. Along with a Pepsi truck with a drunk driver who drove through the hole."
Wow. Good reason to be afraid.
"That's rough. Well, we could, erm, find a detour." I suggested.
"I already looked at the updated maps. They're building an overpass on Interstate 95 and are lifting concrete pillars this week."
"Shit. We could.." I took out the map. I didn't want her to be afraid.
"It'll be okay Gee, I mean, I need to face my fear anyway. I mean, me. ME who got struck by lightning, and I'm afraid of a stupid bridge!" She was laughing nervously.
"Who's afraid of what?" Frank called out from where he was napping.
"No one's afraid of nothing." I defended her.
"Uh huh. Kate's afraid of a bridge!" Ray teased.
"Shut up! It's not funny!" I yelled.
"No it's not, guys, shut up!" Taylor chimed in.
"Dude, I thought you were sleeping." Frank pondered.
"Ha! I fooled you!" She replied.
"Oh COME ON!" Bob started to argue.
This conversation has just switched the subject and I thought it was pointless to have all of these people in a van arguing about sleeping. It reminds me of when we started touring.
"HEY GUYS!" I yelled, breaking up the argument.
"What, Gee?" Various people said at various times.
"Ya know, why don't we meet up with the bus?"
"The bus is in Jersey." Ray pointed out.
"Here, there's obviously too many people and too little space. So why don't we rent some cars and be more comfortable?"
"That sounds good to me. I'll take the stuff up in the van, and you guys can all rent cars." Frank agreed.
"I'll be with Frank." Said Taylor.
"Cool, Mikey, Bob and I will rent a Hummer!" Ray laughed, aggrivating his fro.
"Yeah! I'm drivin'!" Bob yelled.
"Fuck no you aren't! It was my idea to get a Hummer in the first place!" Ray argued.
The back seat went to arguing as I pulled into an Enterprise.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
~Kaitlyn's POV~
Gerard pulled into the Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I knew one thing was certain: I did not want to go over that bridge. What I saw happen was extremely horrible. I never even want to look at a sign for that bridge. But one thing is different. I have Gerard with me. The Gerard I care about more than anything in the world., the one that saved me when I got struck by lightning, the one that has held my hand when I got ridiculed. The one in my favorite band. The one.
We exited, and Bob, Ray, and Mikey all ran over excitedly to the yellow Hummer H3, which was waiting idly for them in all it's gas-guzzling glory. Frank and Taylor muffled around for a bit and then reluctantly went back to the van.
Gerard looked ever so carefully, and then announced his decision with a "Hells Yes!!" and waved me over. He gazed wide-eyed at a Black Mustang GT. Boys and thier cars. I rolled my eyes. Taylor walked over in her usual style.
"Dude, that car is pimpin'!" She joked. The fact that she used the word pimpin' was pretty funny. I played along.
"Word." I said, striking a fake gangsta pose.
"Oh God." Gerard smiled.
The clerk handed us our keys, and we each climed into our respective rides. We were off.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
~Gerard's POV~
"Hey, Kate?" I asked my compainion who was still nervously staring out the window.
"Hum?" She replied.
"When you got strucked by lightning,"
"What about it?"
"When I called to inform your parents, your mom said something about you being a storm chaser."
She laughed.
"Oh that!"
"That."
"Well, when I was in 6th Grade, I was really into weather, and storms and stuff, and I was a SKYWARN Spotter for the National Weather Service, and I still am. I always wanted to grow up and be a meteorologist in Oklahoma, and chase tornadoes. I still do, and I got a scholorship for full tuition to the University of Oklahoma, just before I met you. Since I'm 17, and a graduate, I am going to attend college there, and fulfill my dream. Well, I already met you guys."
This hit me like a slap in the face. College?! How come she didn't tell me this?! Yet, I loved her, and the fact that she's fullfilling her dreams matters so much to me.
"Don't worry. It'll be touring for a couple more months, then I'll come rent a house down there, and visit you for a whole summer. Whenever we're not touring I'll be down there. Probably until it's time to record the next record! Don't even THINK that I'll ever forget about you." I assured her.
"Really?"
"Really."
She popped in a CD, Green Day, and turned it up. A sign caught my eye:
Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge 2 Mi. Ahead.