We Only Come Out at Night

We sat there for what felt like an hour. There was a gentle knock at the door and Maddie and I helped Chris up off the floor and into the living room. I got up and looked out the window. I opened the door to reveal Ghost. I raised an eyebrow and he whispered in my ear, “I didn't want him to take it the wrong way. And Kylie didn't want to come, she thought it would be best if he wasn't crowded.”
I nodded and let him come in.
“The guys don't know?” I whispered.
“No.”
I nodded again and sighed. I had to break the news. Chris saw me first and then noticed Ghost.
“Does he...”
“Yeah, I texted him.”
“Do the others?”
“No, just Ghost, I thought he should know since you live together.”
He nodded.
“I'll tell them when you're ready.”
He sighed lightly. “Just do it.”
I smiled at him, not sympathetically because that just sucks when you're going through a tough time. I stepped out into the hallway and sent the guys a simple text. I got replies from Ryan and Balz saying they'd be over later. Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides by Pierce The Veil started to play and I noticed it was Ricky and answered it.
“Hello?”
“What happened?” he demanded.
“One sec.”
I poked my head around the door frame to the living room and said, “I'm going outside for a minute, I'll be back soon.”
Maddie nodded and Ghost smiled. I walked out the front door and shut it behind me.
“What do you wanna know?”
“The whole thing,” he demanded again.
I explained it to him and heard a heavy sigh.
“Should I come over?”
“I don't know. Ghost is here but...I guess he needs to be around you guys and Maddie and I can leave.”
“Yeah, that might help. I'll be over in five.”
“Kay, see you then.”
He hung up and I let myself in. I crouched down beside Maddie and whispered, “I think we should leave when the guys get here.”
She nodded and I texted Ryan and Balz to tell them to come. Chris was silent and Ghost was mumbling to him.
“I'm fine, really,” Chris sighed.
“The guys are coming over, Maddie and I will leave you alone.”
He nodded and smiled faintly but gratefully. “Alyssa, can you get my book when you both leave?”
I smiled. “Of course, anytime.”
There was a knock and I got up. Ricky was standing there, tense and there was worry written all over his face. He stepped into the living room and I shut the door. I walked in to see them 'man-hugging'. They pulled away and Ricky patted Chris on the back, typical guy stuff.
“You deserve better, man. Don't get upset over her.”
“I'm not upset,” he said angrily.
Chris' back was to Maddie and me and I saw Ricky's eyes widen. I didn't realise how important that was until three days later. Ghost stood in between them as though he was protecting Ricky. There was a knock on the door and Chris' head snapped to me. His eyes could have been red, the fury in them was immense. I backed away into the hall and sprinted to the door. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Ryan and Balz were there and I stepped aside for them. Balz took one look at me and walked quickly into the living room. I watched him survey the situation and he relaxed a little. Ryan grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.
“Are you and Maddie okay?”
“Ye-yeah, nothing happened, he just looked so angry and I got scared, that's all.”
He nodded and closed the door. He let go of me and led me into the living room. Balz was whispering furiously at Chris and Ghost was crouched beside Maddie. She looked terrified. It's not often that you see such a kind guy look like an angry demon. Ryan made me sit down and I saw Ricky glance at Maddie and me worriedly but he stayed beside Balz and Chris with his arms folded. Chris had noticeably calmed down and I sighed lightly when he looked at Maddie and me disheartened.
“I'm so-”
“Don't Chris, don't even think about finishing that sentence,” Maddie interrupted, “You're just confused, we understand.”
He smiled gratefully and I got up and hugged him. Maddie followed suit and said goodbye to the guys and I nodded to Chris. He smiled back. He knew I would still bring him his lyric book. Maddie and I left the house behind us and walked side-by-side.
“Thanks for interrupting him.”
“I couldn't let him beat himself up. We all snap sometimes.”
I agreed and she questioned me about what Chris was writing. I had told her most of it when we reached my street.
“I'll see ya tomorrow,” I said.
“See ya.”
She walked off and I walked to my house. I gathered the loose pages and Chris' book in my room and headed back towards Chris and Ghost's house. When I was outside I heard Ricky's voice. I frowned at how loud it was and listened.
“...back soon. He can't see you like this when he's been struggling the most. Get a grip, do whatever you have to do, just don't snap again or you'll have to leave to keep them safe!”
“Sorry man, I'm just really pissed at her.” Chris.
I heard a sigh. “Oh, Ghost, nice thinking, man.”
“Don't act suspicious, that's what you said. And you're the weak one.” I could hear a smirk in his voice.
There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh and laughter. I knocked on the door, deeply confused but amused at Ricky being 'the weak one'. He may be skinny but he's actually quite strong. Balz answered the door and smiled warmly.
“Hello again.”
“Hey dude,” I replied smiling back.
He stepped back and I walked straight to the living room where they were still chuckling.
“What's so funny?” I asked nonchalantly.
“Ghost called Rick weak and got slapped,” Ryan answered.
I joined in with their laughter and handed Chris the pile of lyrics in my arms.
“Use it,” I said sternly and he gave me a crooked smile.
“Already thinking of ideas.”
“Good. See y’all tomorrow.”
“Bye.” “See ya.” “Later dude.” “Thanks man, see ya later.” Ricky, Balz, Ryan and Chris replied.
“Bye love,” Ghost said, kissing my cheek.
“Save it for your girl, man. Bye guys,” I added walking out the door.
As I walked back I thought about what I'd heard. What did Ricky mean about 'back soon'? It had to be someone, but who? Who had to be kept safe? Who was struggling and why? These questions roamed my mind but one struck out the most. Why was it Ricky who was telling off Chris? He was the quiet one, not as quiet as Ghost, but surely it should have been Ryan or Balz. I was certain of one thing – one way or another I'd get the answers out of them, they can't hide it forever.

I was humming along to Wonderless by Pierce The Veil when Destroying Everything by Motionless In White started playing from my phone. I knew it was Chris and answered it.
“Yo?”
“Hey, can you go to Rick's place?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Trust me. You'll love it.”
I heard my mum shout, “ALYSSA!”
“One sec, man. YEAH?”
“MADDIE'S HERE!”
“COME ON UP!” I shouted to Maddie.
“FYI, Ryan told Maddie to go to yours, take her with you please.”
“Will do. I guess you're there now.”
“Yep.” “Hey Lyss.”
I chuckled, “Hey Balz.”
I heard Ryan grumble, “Are you still on the phone?”
Maddie appeared and I put them on loud speaker.
“You better hurry up, Ryan's getting impatient,” Chris informed us.
“Maddie's here,” “Hi.” “we'll be there soon. Hey, where's Rick?”
“Making chicken wings.”
“Save some for me!” I shouted.
I heard chuckling, “We'll wait for you,” Ricky said somewhere in the house.
“Thanks, see you soon.”
“Bye.” “Bye guys,” Chris said and hung up.
“C'mon,” I said dragging Maddie out of the room excitedly.
She laughed at me, “Calm down, woman.”
“There's chicken wings, how am I supposed to calm down?”
She laughed harder and we walked quickly down the street, turning the five minute walk into two minutes. I knocked on the door and was greeted by Ricky. He smiled happily at us and opened the door wider. I smelt chicken wings and looked at him expectantly.
He chuckled and said, “Before we get to the chicken wings, we've got a surprise for you.”
“More chicken wings?”
“No.”
I paused.
“Something healthy, like a salad?”
He laughed. “No! Why salad?”
“You can't have broccoli with chicken wings.”
Maddie shook her head. “You two are too healthy.”
We grinned at her and I moved to go into the living room where the smell of chicken wings was the strongest. Ricky stepped in front of me.
“Together.”
Maddie stood beside me and Ricky walked backwards into the living room. We walked in and saw the guys smiling widely at us and then turning their heads to the right. Maddie and I looked at each other and walked around the wall that was hiding what the guys were gleefully smiling at. I saw a familiar man with long black hair and blue-grey eyes. No way. I stared in shock at him and heard the guys chuckle, telling me that Maddie was in a similar state.
“A-Ange?” Maddie stuttered quietly.
He smiled lovingly and I broke out of my trance.
“ANGIE!” I yelled and ran at him.
He held his arms open and hugged me. After a while, I stepped aside and Maddie hugged him tightly. I heard the guys war cry as Maddie stepped back and Ange was tackled to the ground by them. Maddie and I joined in and we couldn't stop laughing.
Ange wheezed, “Can't...breathe,” and we got off him. He shook his head and said, “I wasn't expecting that kind of welcome but...still nice to know you guys care enough to tackle me.”
We laughed at his remark.
“Ange, I love you, really, but I'm gonna get some chicken wings now,” I said and sprinted to the coffee table where two huge plates of steaming hot chicken wings lay. I heard someone running behind me and grabbed a chicken wing just as Chris jumped on me.
“Get off! It's mine!”
“MY chicken wings.”
“MINE! MINE! MINE!”
We were wrestling for the chicken wing and I pushed him away. I scrambled to a corner and quickly ate the chicken wing.
“CHICKEN WING!” Chris screamed and I threw the bones at him. I crawled away towards the coffee table and ate four chicken wings before Chris realised he held just the bones.
“CHICKEN WINGS!”
I threw one at him and he sat there and ate it. He was calmer and crawled beside me. Angie had a pile of chicken wings and Ricky was eating from the plate like Chris and me. Ryan, Balz and Ghost were watching us amusedly and Maddie was looking back and forth trying to find the difference between the two. I took one from the second plate and another from the first and ate them. I pointed to the one in front of me and said, “That's the spicy one Mads.”
She smiled gratefully and took a handful from the second plate.
“You got them from 'Buffalo Wild Wings', didn't ya?” I asked.
“'Course, only the best for us,” Ricky replied.
Ange and Chris cheered in response. It felt so good to have Ange back. We happily ate the chicken wings, well...Ghost, Ryan and Balz picked at them but still ate a LOT, I don't understand why they don't love chicken wings. I felt we needed to talk about...the accident, to help get over it. The thought of what they did to Angie sickens me.
“Um, Ange...d-do they know what...what happened?” I stuttered.
An awkward silence fell and I felt ashamed for bringing it up. We sat there silently and Maddie piped up, trying to break the tension.
“It's great to have you back, Ange.”
“Thanks Mads.” Angelo sighed and looked at me. I smiled timidly and looked down. I saw him push back his hair from the corner of my eye.
“The, uh, doctors said that after they knocked me out. They gave me class A drugs, ya know...that shit. I had to leave to recover from the effects.”
I nodded. “People are twisted these days.”
“It's society's fault,” Maddie said around a chicken wing.
The guys cheered and there was a noticeable lift in the atmosphere. I was glad what happened was out in the open, now we could push it aside and forget that Ange was mugged, beaten up and given drugs. Things would go back to normal, the guys first full length CD would be released...but there was a nagging thought, when he was in hospital he did look like he was recovering from a drug overdose, but...there was something in my memory that I couldn't recall, something really important. I shoved it aside and focused on Ange being back. That was more important.
We sat and talked the way we did before Ange was mugged and Chris went over lyrics I knew about to everyone else and Ange and Ricky promised to go to his to go over drums, guitar, bass and keyboards. Maddie and I started clearing up bones and the plates and went into the kitchen with Chris yelling to ask for us to get his naked juice. It's ridiculous how much of it he drinks. I grabbed one out of the fridge, we all kept some for him, as Maddie was throwing bones in the bin and I heard voices as I reached the doorway.
“Yeah, they did,” Ricky said.
“I feel terrible lying to them.” Ange sounded anguished.
“Get used to it Ange, we'll all be lying 'til we tell 'em,” Ricky said. Why was it always him?
“We're telling them soon, right?” Balz asked.
“Kylie won't take it well,” Ghost replied hurriedly.
“Allie will, I know it,” Ryan said rather proudly.
“We can't tell a few of them. Someone's bound to snap,” Chris argued.
“We'll tell about this closer to the time. Also, we're definitely telling Maddie and Alyssa so we can't afford for them to find out before we explain, which means no talking about it while they're in the same house,” Ricky concluded.
I stepped inside after they started talking about music again and handed Chris his naked juice. I fell on the couch and Maddie walked in shortly after.
“You guys up for a movie?” Ricky asked.
“THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!” I shouted.
He chuckled and got up. They were all grinning at me and laughed at my excitement. The whole group knew that was one of my favourite movies. Ricky collapsed back on the couch beside me and slung an arm around the back of the sofa. I sat up gleefully as it started. We were all fully into the movie, though I could swear that one point (when Jack is talking to Sally in Oogie Boogie's lair to be specific) Ricky's arm moved to my shoulders...