Stand Up

Lizzie's PoV

When I was younger I liked being alone, I actually preferred it, but at this moment in my life, I hated it more than anything.

Leah has morning classes, a 2 hour break, then more classes all week, so I didn't see much of her. Alexis was, well being Alexis. She was doing her own thing. She was like that, one day you'd hear from her, almost like you couldn't get rid of her, and the next was like she disappeared off the face of the Earth. I spoke to Sammi and everyone in BVB, but they were on tour, so they could never talk very long. Which meant the only person to entertain me was myself.

I considered what Andy had said and looked into getting a job. But I hated the idea of working 9 to 5 on minimum wage.

It'd been a week since the band left and went back on tour, and it'd be two more until Leah and I joined them. In the past week all I've done is sit in Leah's living room on my phone, or my laptop doing nothing on the internet in my pajama's. I barely went outside. I was like a recluse.

I sighed and got up from the couch closing the laptop and unplugging my phone from it's charger and grabbing the shirt and jacket Ashley had given me and some skinny jeans from my wardrobe.

Once I was changed I searched the shoe box for the numbers to the music places Jinxx and Jake had left me, once I found them I dialed the number to the first one. It rang a few times until a woman's voice answered.

"Kelly's Music, Kelly speaking, how can I help you?"

"Um, I'm Lizzie Glenn, a friend of Jinxx and Jake, they left me your number and-" I started to explain but was cut off,

"Lizzie! I was wondering when you'd call, you wanna come and check the place out?" Kelly asked happily.

"Uh sure, let me get a piece of paper and I'll write down the address." I said running to the kitchen and grabbing a sticky note and pen. Kelly told me the address and we hung up. Her store wasn't too far from here, down the street, take a left, and right on the right side is her store.

I went into the bathroom and touched up my makeup before grabbing my keys and leaving.

The drive was quick. Only taking about 5 or 6 minutes.

I walked into the store and I have to admit it was pretty impressive. It was kind of like vintage meets retro. There were posters of different bands like KISS, Motley Crüe, Guns and Roses, Sex Pistols, Poison, Black Sabbath and a bunch of others.

There were a bunch of different guitars laying on shelves that came out and off the wall.
In the corner there was a set of drums.
There were a bunch of different records and CDs in boxes on tables towards the back of the store.
This place was amazing. It was like one of those music stores you see in old 80's movies.

And I loved it.

"You must be Lizzie." I heard a familiar voice say. A blonde girl who looks in her twenties walked out of a back room toward me.

"That's me. You must be Kelly." I said. The girl nodded. "This place is pretty cool you know." I told her.

"I try." She laughed. "So Jake told me that you play guitar?" She asked. I nodded.

"And piano."

"Well," Kelly said, walking over to the wall of guitars, "pick one."

"I couldn't." I said hesitating.

"When I get a call from the guitarists of Black Veil Brides telling me about this friend they have named Lizzie who plays but doesn't have a guitar, I listen. Now come on, I insist." When I hesitated again she sighed and walked over to sit in a chair behind the check out desk. "They also said you probably wouldn't just let me give you one." I laughed. "So whaddya say. How about you work it off. I let you pick out which guitar you want, and then you work here to pay off the money you owe me for it."

"Um." I was a little shocked at the proposition.

"What do you have to lose. Plus you'll fall in love with this place, not to mention you can mess around with music stuff all day. We even have a recording and editing place in the back. Not to mention I could use a hand around here, I run it myself, and we seem to get more and more business each day." She said trying to convince me. I sighed.

"I don't have anything better do." I agreed. She smiled and jumped up.

"Great. Now when can you start."

"Whenever. Like I said I don't have ANYTHING better to do. The past week all I've done is sit on my computer at my friends house." I explained. She laughed.

"I think we'll get along just fine Liz, wait can I call you Liz?" She asked. I nodded. "Cool. So how'd you meet BVB?" She asked.

I went on and told her the story of how I ran into Sammi when my friend and I were attending warped. And how we ended up backstage, how Andy burned the side I his head and I had to finish doing his hair, and how we all spent the weekend together.

"So you and Andy huh?" She smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"Why does everyone keep saying that. He has a girlfriend. I'm not going to ruin that. Plus I'm perfectly happy being friends"

"Sure you are." She said just as my phone went off with a call. It was Andy. I answered it and she was grinning at me.

"Hello?" I answered as she mouthed 'It'll happen' and walked over to where a customer.

"What's up? Leah was calling everyone since you weren't at home. She was frantic." He explained. A little worry in his voice.

"I'm at one of the places Jinxx and Jake left me a number to. And I took your advice and got a job." I explained. "I guess I probably should have left a note." He laughed.

"Yes you should have. She called Ashley frantic and when he didn't know she moved onto Sammi and the rest of us."

"Sorry about that." I said awkwardly.

"It's fine. Sammi is calling and explaining it to her now." He chuckled. "So you finally got off your ass and got a job?" He asked jokingly.

"Ha. Ha. And yeah. I figured I had nothing better to do. Plus this place is amazing." I told him.

"Which place did you call?" He asked.

"Kelly's." I said and he laughed.

"I know her. We recorded in the back there one time. You are right her store is pretty impressive." He said.

So that's how she knows them. I thought.

"Yeah. Plus it's like 5 minutes away."

"At least you aren't sitting on tumblr all the time anymore." He laughed. "I gotta go get ready for the show. Text me later." He told me and we said goodbye. Once I hung up I noticed Kelly staring at me with a creepy smile on her face before she walked over.

"You two are going to be so cute together!" She beamed. I rolled my eyes. "Now. Go clean up in the back. Some band is coming to record tomorrow, and it's kind of trashed." She told me, I nodded and went into the back room. The place was a mess, made me wonder how it got that way.

I was almost finished when my phone went off.

@AshleyPurdy glad to hear @_LizzieGlenn_ hasn't disappeared off the face of the earth.

I rolled my eyes and replied to his tweet.

@_LizzieGlenn_ @AshleyPurdy how could I? I'm wearing the shirt and jacket you gave me :p.

I tapped tweet and a few minutes later my phone buzzed with a reply.

@AshleyPurdy @_LizzieGlenn_ that's my Purdy Girl.

I chuckled and finished cleaning up the room. When I was finished I brought the trashbag out back to the dumpster.

"Finished already?" Kelly asked when I walked inside. I nodded. "Wanna go get something to eat? There's a nice sushi place down the street. And it's like 7 at night."

"Sure." I said. Kelly shut off the lights in the store and locked up. We decided to walk since it was still light out and it wasn't a far walk.

"So," she asked as we were walking, "shouldn't you be in college at your age?" I sighed. I had seen the question coming but I still answered.

"Probably. I was accepted to a bunch of big name schools with full annual scholarships, but I still turned them down." I explained. "I'm not the college type." Kelly laughed.

"You're a lot like me when I was your age. Not that I'm that much older than you, but you have the same attitude." She said to me.

"I just don't like the idea of college. I don't learn from sitting in classes and being lectured. I learn from experience, and boredom." I said and Kelly nodded.

"It's the same for me. I was an only child, never close to my parents. I was my dad, but he died when I was 8 and my mom never really gave a shit." She told me. I laughed.

"Sounds a lot like mine. I have two sisters. Ones not really going anywhere in life and the other, I don't really know. Story has it my mom gave her to the father in return for a red pick up truck and some drugs. I never saw my dad, but from what google tells me, he's not any better."

"Seems like we were destined to meet." Kelly laughed as we entered the sushi place.

"We'll have to thank a couple friends for that." I said, Kelly nodded and we ordered, talking some more about ourselves.

Kelly and I were a lot alike. We had the same attitude and have been messed with so much it was like we couldn't feel pain or be hurt any more.

When we were finished we walked back to the store, as I got into my car Kelly stopped me.

"Liz?" She asked. I looked over, "If you ever need anything, I'm like that big sister you always had but better." She said. I laughed.

"And I'm that little sister you always dreamt of. See you tomorrow." I said before waving and driving off.

Things were getting better by the day. I just hoped that it stayed that way.