Something to Remember

JOHN:

I deserved an award. There was no way anyone had ever ruined so many chances with the same girl in all of history.

Just when I had thought things were turning around, and that I had finally fixed everything I had messed up, it all went to shit again.

I hadn’t talked to Anna in a year and all of a sudden she texted me out of the blue, right when Sarah happened to be there to read it. If that wasn’t the worst luck in the universe, then I don’t know what is. The graphic nature of Anna’s, shall we say affectionate (?), text didn’t quite help the matter either. To be honest, the whole thing made me want to just rip my hair out.

Through it all though, the worst part was when Sarah literally ran away from me; it was like she took all I had with her. I knew by the look on her face in that awful moment that there was no forgiving me anymore and it killed me. Yet I had decided to let her go because I had finally realized that regardless of my best efforts, I was the worst thing possible for her. She deserved a whole lot better than anything I could ever be.

Despite my trust that I had made the right choice, however, I still had trouble not drowning in the pain and guilt. For the past two months, I had been like a complete zombie. Jared, Garrett, and the rest of the guys had tried to pull me out of it, but I just ignored their attempts. My unhappiness made me feel like I was at least getting a part of the punishment my actions had warranted. The only trouble now was that we were going on tour in a couple weeks and I would be forced to come out of the house. That was, unless I decided to not go…

I heard the sound of a car in the drive way outside and crawled out of bed to peer through the window. Tim and Pat were making their way to the front door and I groaned. It was time to find out who we would be touring with.

“Hey John,” Pat smiled at me as I came down the steps and I nodded to him, but his brother was giving me a weird look.

“Are you wearing pajamas at four o’clock in the afternoon?” Tim asked me. I shrugged at him so he shrugged back, and we all headed to the living room.

“Well, it’s time for the big news. You ready to find out who you’ll be sharing the stage with this tour?” Tim plopped himself onto my sofa and made room for Pat and I next to him. I chose to sit in the chair across from them.

“Sure.” I rested my head back against the chair so I could see them while keeping my eyes half closed.

When Tim opened his mouth to talk, Pat hurriedly cut him off.

“Now before you g-get angry or shut down, you have to hear us out. This is in everyone’s best interest here,” Pat said, as though they had agreed to tour with Hannah Montana or something (which I was sure they hadn’t, so I wasn’t worried).

I just stayed quiet and looked at them, waiting for them to tell me already so I could retreat to my bedroom again.

“Do you promise to consider this with an open mind, or what?” Pat asked in an annoyed voice.

I raised my eyebrows at him. Since when did I complain about the bands we toured with?

“OK,” I muttered while shrugging again. Pat shook his head in aggravation and gave Tim a look, who waved him off.

“So, the band you will be touring with is, drum roll please…” Tim looked at me and I just sat there, not finding the humor in his antics.

“Whatever. You’re gonna be touring with Through the Dark,” he said and I could feel Pat staring me down.

“Sounds good, is that it?” I asked while leaning forward so I could make my escape as soon as possible.

“John, do you know who Through the Dark is?” Tim asked cautiously. What was going on here?

“No…” I was looking back and forth between the Kirch brothers as they exchanged a knowing look. I wasn’t sure what I was missing but I was pretty confident I wasn’t going to be happy about it.

“They’re the new ‘band on the rise’. Through the Dark released their first single a month ago, which is already on the charts, and their EP isn’t exactly lacking in great reviews and popularity either. I think you’re really gonna like their sound; they are kind of a mix between alternative and rock. I’m already hooked on their music and Garrett said that he thinks they’re pretty great too,” Pat was talking quickly, but I couldn’t tell where he was going with it.

“And? Why are you trying to impress me?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Well, it’s just… you know the singer. You see, the lead vocalist is Sarah. As in your Sarah,” he said while scrunching up his face.

For a second, everything seemed to stop. My thoughts came in short, simple sentences. Sarah. Sarah was now a musician. I was going to be on tour with Sarah for three months. I crushed Sarah. I was devastated that I had crushed Sarah. Sarah was everything I had always wanted. I lost Sarah. Now I was going to have to see Sarah every day.

I jumped up and hit the vase off the coffee table, sending it flying across the room, before pacing back and forth.

“No. I’m not doing this, Pat. No way,” I shook my head as I spoke and knotted my fingers into my hair.

He sighed and mumbled something I couldn’t quite hear.

“What?”

He shook his head and looked at me.

“It’s too late; they’re already on a flight coming here.”