The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You

Holly.
I sat baggage drop off waiting for Helena’s plane to land. I came alone, hoping Frankie would get things in order at home. Ever since we got home, Frank was different. He was always in deep thought that I would have to call his name a few times to get him to respond. He would zone out like a zombie and just mutter to himself. I knew this transition was hard on him, it was hard on me. For two years, touring was all I know and it had become my life. Then coming here and start my life all over again, it was hard and I just needed him to help out.

“Flight 1629 From Florida to New Jersey Has Landed,” I heard a monotone woman announce over the loud speaker. I jumped in excitement knowing that she had made it safely. Ever since I met Frankie five years ago, I had been best friends with Helena.

“Alright Holly, you’re about to officially meet the band, are you ready?” Frankie asked me as he reached for my hand. I smiled at him and out new found relationship. It had been a few month since Frankie and I met at one of his shows. I was the producers at one of the shows and it was Frankie that caught my eye. The way he stroke his guitar and sang his heart out on that stage, it won me over. After the show we got to know more about each other, and it’s been up hill since then.

“I was born ready,” I smiled and he opened the tour bus doors. He pulled me up the narrow stairs and onto the tour bus that I one day would call home. I looked around and saw all the empty bottles along the counter and empty cans filling up the trash can. I saw men’s clothing along the booth and I could hear them all in the back. Frankie looked my way with his killer smile and nodded in that direction. He walked through the curtain first and I followed him.

“Finally! How was the date?” I heard Ray say loudly. I smiled as Frankie pulled on my arm causing me to be forced in front of him.

“I am guessing it went very well,” Mikey said. I wasn’t a dumb ass. I knew who everyone was in the band.

“Wow, young Frankie boy brings a woman home,” Bob sneered, “Should we leave the bus so you can…”

“No Bob, I brought her back for everyone to met. Jeeze I’m not that big of a horn dog,” he defended himself.

“Well you were last night,” I piped in and everyone in the bus started to laugh loudly. Frankie turned a few shades of red and I felt bad for him, but I couldn’t let the moment pass me by.

“I like her already,” Gerard said as he took another sip. I smiled at him and then saw this girl with long brown hair and green eyes. Gerard’s arm was wrapped around her shoulders and she was awfully close to him. She smiled towards my way butt I saw something in her eyes as she turned her direction back to Gerard, like he was hurting her. I ignored it and pushed it to the back of my mind as I stared up at Frankie.

“Well I guess you know everyone here, but Helena. Holly this is Helena,” he pointed to the girl that was next to Gerard, “And Helena along with everybody else, this is Holly.”

“Hi Holly, welcome to the family.”

Those were the days, when everything was new and exciting to us. Helena and I were two peas in a pod as we battled the life on the road. I stood up and stared at the many people who were coming to get their luggage. It was of course Helena’s flight that was coming towards me, but I still searched the crowd until I saw her long brown hair that made her stand out in the crowd.

“Helena!” I screamed as she looked up suddenly. Of course a lot more people was looking my way, and giving me deathly stares, but it didn’t bother me. She was practically running towards me and pushing past people. Soon enough our bodies collided and we both crashed to the floor. We both were laughing as everyone around us was looking at two crazy young people.

“Oh Holly, I missed you so much,” Helena expressed as we both sat up, but still on the floor in the crazed Newark Airport.

“I know. I am so used to having girl talk every day,” I replied as I sat Indian style.

“So, how is Frankie?” She asked me as she grabbed her hoodie from her carry on.

“Eh, he is acting so weird lately. I think it was just the stress of the band and having a relationship with me is taking a toll on him. I just wish he would talk to me about it and not go around acting like a zombie,” I explained to her as she listened to me. But I could tell her mind was elsewhere, it was easy to know what she is thinking through her eyes.

“But I can tell you two are still having fun,” she said and pointed to the bite mark on my arm. I blushed but she knew how crazy Frankie and I got.

“We had a little… fun,” we both laughed and I turned the conversation towards her, “So what is going on between you and Gerard?”

Helena.

She asked the questioned I wanted to avoid as long as possible. Our departure at the airport killed me, but to explain it was impossible. The hurt and the sadness that I held inside was about to implode, “Well… right now, it’s a bite of a touchy subject.”

“Aw you can tell me,” she pleaded to know what was going on with me.

“Well… Gerard and I broke up completely,” I stared at the ground and felt my eyes watering even more, “I just had enough with him. I went through all that hurt when he was drinking and we he stopped, but this was worse. He wasn’t even paying any attention to me. I hate to sound like a bitch, but there would be days when he wouldn’t even notice me. Then you want to know what he said to me at the airport?”

“What?” she asked concerned.

“He told me he was going to change and he wanted me to promise that I wouldn’t fall in love while I was here. Like seriously, after everything he put me through, he wanted me to continue to hurt and not be happy,” I cried as more tears fell from my eyes. I felt her arms reach out and hugged me tightly. I cried into her shoulder as I let all the stress and hurt left off of my shoulders. I was going to turn my life around and it was going to be a life without Gerard.

“You know what? Let’s get out of here and get some ice cream,” she said and I smiled thankfully. We grabbed my bags and headed out into the cold Jersey air.