Getting Surreal

Two and a half weeks later, and Frank was really getting nervous.

He still didn’t have a guitar tech and My Chemical Romance was leaving on tour in three days. Sure, he could just be his own guitar tech for the upcoming tour (though that would pose difficulties and could be potentially disastrous should something happen to one of his guitars mid-song or mid-show or something) because, really, when the band was first starting out, he never had a guitar tech. Heck, it wasn’t even until Andy that Frank had had a guitar tech, not even with his other bands.

No, it was his pride that was on the line here, as he had fired the tech that nobody liked and proudly told the band about his decision only to receive blank stares and “what about the next tour?!” questions to which he had hastily (and proudly) stated that “Don’t worry, I’ve got a new tech lined up already!” because, honestly, what else was he supposed to say?

Groaning, Frank rolled over in his bed. He hadn’t been able to think about anything other than finding a new tech for the last week which, if he were honest with himself, was a good thing, as he cared about his band and their musical career together, but really. This was getting a little old.

He hadn’t slept well in nights. He was even flaming out at bars trying to pick up women, which was something that he used to pride himself on. The fact that the tour was three days away and that he had yet, despite his cocky assurances to his band, find a new guitar tech.

Checking his clock, Frank groaned again and turned onto his back, staring at the ceiling. 7:26 was far too early for him to be waking up. Especially to wake up as stressed out as he felt.

“Fuck!” He said to himself, sitting up and rubbing his face with his hands. There was no way he was falling asleep again, so he decided that he may as well go and get himself some coffee.

---

Thirty minutes, a shower, and a fresh change of clothes later, and Frank found himself at the coffee shop a couple streets over from his apartment building. As he finished adding the cream and sugar to his coffee, he turned abruptly around, lost in his own thoughts and exhaustion, and ran straight into another body.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” The other person muttered and they held Frank checked themselves and Frank to make sure that nobody was hurt and that no drinks had been spilled. “Shit, Frank?” They questioned. Frank looked up from making sure his own coffee was secure to see an old buddy from high school he hadn’t seen in years.

“Jake?” He asked, blinking. “Jake Wells?”

“Yeah, bro! How are you? I hear your band is doing pretty well!” Jake responded with a smile which Frank returned. He had always like Jake, he was a chill dude that was just there for the good times.

“Yeah, I’m. pretty good. We’re pretty good! About to go on tour.” He said, feeling the anxiety creeping into the back of his mind again at the sudden thought of it all.

“Dude, that’s so awesome,” Jake said, seemingly not noticing how edgy Frank seemed to be about the subject. “Hey, so I know you’re probably mad busy or something, but there’s this show going on tonight that I feel like you would be in to.”

“Oh yeah?” Frank said with only half interest-he was mainly focused on sipping his coffee and trying to forget the stressful reason he had woken up this early in the first place.

“Yeah. It’s my friend’s band. I think it’s her last show with them-rumor has it that they don’t want to have a chick in the band unless she’s showing some major skin.” Frank frowned at this. “They think they’ll have a better shot without her in the band. Brutal, really, she’s an awesome guitar player, coulda hit it big like you, ya know?” Jake rambled on.

“Yeah…” Frank mumbled then all of a sudden, what Jake was saying clicked in his mind. A supposed good guitar player who was about to leave her band.

Frank’s mind was whirring. What if…

What if Jake was right and she was at least halfway decent.

And what if she was about to be free from her band at just the right time for Frank’s band’s tour.

Shit. This could be his chance.

“Yeah, she’s really good. A real sham-“

“When and where?” Frank interrupted.

“What?” Jake asked, shocked at Frank’s sudden liveliness to the conversation.

“When and where’s the show? I think I might hit it up.” Frank replied, trying to play it a little cooler.

“Uh, awesome! It’s at seven at Twelfth Ave. downtown tonight.”

“Sweet. I think I’ll check it out,” Frank said, making a mental note.

“Yeah? Dude, that’s so awesome. See ya there!” Jake said cheerily to Frank as he walked away. Frank just nodded, too busily caught up in his own whirlwind of thoughts to properly reply.