You Have My Attention

It was safe to say that the situation I found myself in was unexpected. I was a nobody, just a rejected newly homeless kid. Then suddenly, I found myself a part of their whirlwind lives. I just so happened to stop running in the same parking lot that their tour bus was parked in. Coincidence or what? Either way, they saw everything that went down on the worst and best night of my life through the strong clear glass of their bus window.

When it was all over, and the verbal bullets ceased to fire, a man emerged from the bus, looking cautious and slightly worried. It didn't take long for the rest of the man's friends to join him outside. I was so thankful at the time that they didn't ask questions; I guess they didn't need to though, they'd just witnessed the main event and heard my dad shout details of the rest of the story. Either way, the men from the bus knew the key points about me, purely through being in the right place at the right time.

Through glass - that muffled but didn't silence yells - they'd heard my dad yell at me, telling me what a disgrace I was to him. They heard him regret me, reject me, berate me, neglect me, abuse me, disown me, abandon me. They heard him pull apart my weaknesses and exploit my flaws. They heard him mock me for my sexuality, the reason the argument erupted. Through glancing at said window, I knew that they'd all watched open mouthed as he stumbled off drunkenly, out of the parking lot and most probably towards another bar once he was done with his verbal onslaught.

Once he left, I broke down, unable to keep up the facade that I was strong. I was homeless, he'd told me never to step foot in his house again! Yeah, I could've gone to the police but what could they have done? In a few weeks I would be turning eighteen; the government would have no obligation to care for me. No home, no job, no real qualifications. I was screwed.

Then the men approached me, and through comforting words and gestured I became calm again. Explaining the situation to them? It was hard. It was stupidly hard to tell strangers about my life, all the problems I'd been through, all the events that led to the current situation.

Thankfully, they didn't feel like complete strangers even though we'd never met before in our lives. Before me sat five of the people that had kept me strong through it all. Through the torment, through the words, through the abuse, through the hate and depression. It felt all too surreal to be sitting inside their tour bus while they comforted me. It just didn't feel possible. Yet, it was happening.

I don't know what I would have done without the help of those five men that night. Well, I did, I would have spent my first night on the streets, one that would be the first of many hungry, cold, lonely nights. But how I would have handled it, I don't know. It certainly wouldn't have been well.

I pulled the black and yellow Batman comforter tighter around my shoulders, enjoying it's soft warmth against my skin. Despite the time, they were all still awake and sitting with me, even if we weren't talking. They seemed to be some of the few people that understood that sometimes good company is all you need to feel safer.

They definitely counted as good company.

I raised my head to look at the people around me, particularly the two guys sitting on either side of me.

Their music saved my sanity, and they just possibly saved my life by offering me a place on tour with them.

Andy Biersack, Ashley Purdy, Christian 'CC' Coma, Jake Pitts and Jeremy 'Jinxx' Ferguson.

Who would have thought they would become such a massive part of my life? Certainly not me, yet they did.

"Just try and get some sleep, okay?" Andy comforted, leading me towards a free bunk and patting the mattress. "We'll have to sort some stuff out with the managers tomorrow; we can't just bring anyone on tour. Don't worry about it though, we'll make it work..." I watched as his blue eyes widened. "I just realised I didn't ask you your name! I'm sorry!"

I just shock my head lightly at him, not needing the apology.

"I'm Lukass Kendrix" I supplied, smiling at the dark haired boy. He nodded at me from the entrance of the bunk alley, probably about to go rejoin the rest of his band mates.

"Nice to meet you, Lukass". He smiled at me as I shifted under the loose covers fully clothed. "Goodnight" he half whispered.

"Goodnight, Andy. And thanks" I whispered back, as he left the area. I barely caught his soft "anytime, Lukass".

The sheets were slightly cold but my heart felt strangely warm, like there was more hope in the world. I had to agree that this was true, because for the first time in a long while, I was actually looking forward to waking up.