The List
#24 Steal a Drummers Drumsticks
I looked over to Mike's drum kit and bit my lip. I saw Casey tightening one of the bolts and hurried over to him. "Hey, where's Mike's drum sticks?" I whispered.
"Erm . . ." he muttered and finished messing with the bolt. "With Mike,"
"Why?" I groaned.
"In case someone steals them," he said and looked at me pointedly.
"Tony tell you?"
"Yeah,"
"Did you warn him?"
"No," he laughed. "He normally has them on him. He gets protective,"
"That's weird," I stated.
"So, if you want to steal them you need to put your hands in his pocket," Casey smirked.
"You heard about that too,"
"Depends what we're taking about, Kay',"
"The kiss,"
"I know about that. My duty as drum tech," he shrugged. I got slowly up and hurried away off stage. I walked towards a corridor and passed doors. I got to Pierce the Veil's room and walked in.
"Where's Mike?" I whispered.
"In the shower," Vic whispered back.
"Where are his shorts?"
"Just in there," Tony whispered
"Why are we whispering?" Jaime whispered.
"Shh. . ." I told them. I went to the door and gently opened it. I saw Mike's silhouette behind the curtain and I looked for his shorts. I found them and rummaged through for his drumsticks. I found them and walked out to the main room. The boys saw me and I grinned innocently. They saw me holding his drum sticks and frowned. The door behind me opened and my eyes widened. Mike stood in just a towel and he tried to cover himself when he saw me. I looked at his bare tattooed chest and bit down on my lip.
"Kay'," Mike said, catching my attention.
"Hmm . . ."
"Give me my sticks," he ordered.
"No?" I tried.
"Why? Give me my sticks,"
"No,"
"I need them," he said, causing the boys to laugh.
"Sorry," I muttered and turned to run. I ran out of the room and through the corridor. I took a wrong turn and went through a door. It took me outside and I looked back. I ran into someone and landed on them. "I'm so sorry!" I gasped. I looked at the girl I ran into and my mouth hung open. She was crying hysterically. "Are you okay?" I asked cautiously.
"I'm fine," she muttered through tears.
"You're not. What's wrong?"
"I . . . Um,
"Do you want to go and talk about it?" I asked and she nodded. We walked over by some steps at the side door and sat down. The girl went forward and hugged me. I patted her on the back and she eventually pulled away. "I'm Kayleigh," I told her.
"I'm Sophie,"
"What's up, Sophie?"
"I was supposed to see Pierce the Veil,"
"They're a fantastic band. Why aren't you in the crowd?" I urged.
"My bag got taken from me in the queue. It had my ticket in it,"
"Oh no, you seemed to have calmed down though. How are you feeling?" I asked.
"I'm so angry at myself. This was supposed to be it. But I never got to go to the meet and greet. I wanted to give them a letter and hug Tony," she rushed.
"Shh . . ." I soothed. "This isn't your fault," She got out her letter to show me. I took it and heard something rattle inside.
"You self harm," I guessed.
"How did you. . .?"
"I'm not going to freak out. But you wanted to turn things around at the meet and greet, that's why you put your blades in the envelope,"
"I'm sorry," Sophie started to cry softly.
"Don't be sorry," I grasped her hand. "Be proud,"
"What?"
"You were ready to give them up. And you still are. What did you imagine when you handed them over?"
"Relief," she gasped.
"Like a heavy weight had been lifted from your shoulders? I'll give this to them for you. Hell, I'd let you meet them if it wasn't for bus call,"
"You know them?"
"I'm friends with them. We're traveling together. So if you tell me every little thing you need to get off your chest I'll pass this on and give you something to remember them by,"
"Okay," Sophie sighed heavily and nodded.
From asking the right questions and giving the right prompts I managed to hear Sophie's story. She's sixteen and been in a inpatient twice. Self harm and food restricting were her drugs of choice. When Vic says that their music saves people he really means it. This is why I trained to be counsellor, to help people like Sophie. She had her arms around me, this being the third time.
"Kay'!" I heard someone call and we pulled away. I saw Tony jogging over and he looked at Sophie and smiled awkwardly. I nodded and he turned back to me moodily. "Why haven't you been answering your phone? Bus call was half an hour ago. The only reason it's still here is because Jaime's refusing to get off the hood," Tony explained.
"God, sorry! I met Sophie and we've been talking,"
"We really need to go," he sighed.
"Sophie is a fan. She wanted to go to the show so bad. Her hero is Tony Perry, for some reason that's beyond me," I said.
"Really? Thank you, Sophie," Tony grinned.
"No, thanks. God, I can't believe it's you," she gasped. Tony put his hand out for her to take and she got quickly up. She shook his hand and I widened my eyes at Tony. He opened his arms to hug her and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. I smiled with satisfaction. They pulled away and I have Sophie her envelope. "This is for you," she blushed.
"Thank you. Kayleigh will make sure we all read this later," he told Sophie.
"My blades are in there. I'm stopping, I can do it," Sophie explained.
"You can," I grinned.
"I'm so fucking proud of you," Tony told her.
"Thank you," she nearly cried again.
"Hey, do you have a pen?" I asked. Sophie passed me a pen and I pushed Mike's drumsticks and the pen at Tony. He looked at them and started to laugh.
"Mike is so pissed at you. He had to borrow some, apparently they weren't up to his standards,"
"Sign it," I urged.
"What?"
"She wanted something to remember PTV by. Sign them,"
"Really?" Sophie gushed.
"Sure," Tony said and signed them.
"Mike has some more right?" I asked urgently.
"Yeah," Tony confirmed.
"Thanks," Sophie smiled as she got them.
"Will you be okay?" I asked.
"I will now," she nodded.
"You have my number?"
"Yes,"
"Good, call me whenever. I'll even get the boys to record you a message,"
"I will,"
"I was so nice meeting you, Sophie. And I love you," Tony said and hugged her again.
"I love you too," I told her and hugged her. We turned away and we started back to the bus.
"That was a nice thing you did," I told him.
"What you did was better. You missed our whole meet and greet and set talking to that girl,"
"Remember when I was drunk I told you I hated my job,"
"Yeah?"
"I think I know what I want to do now,"
"What does it involve?" Tony asked.
"Your fans," I replied simply.
"Erm . . ." he muttered and finished messing with the bolt. "With Mike,"
"Why?" I groaned.
"In case someone steals them," he said and looked at me pointedly.
"Tony tell you?"
"Yeah,"
"Did you warn him?"
"No," he laughed. "He normally has them on him. He gets protective,"
"That's weird," I stated.
"So, if you want to steal them you need to put your hands in his pocket," Casey smirked.
"You heard about that too,"
"Depends what we're taking about, Kay',"
"The kiss,"
"I know about that. My duty as drum tech," he shrugged. I got slowly up and hurried away off stage. I walked towards a corridor and passed doors. I got to Pierce the Veil's room and walked in.
"Where's Mike?" I whispered.
"In the shower," Vic whispered back.
"Where are his shorts?"
"Just in there," Tony whispered
"Why are we whispering?" Jaime whispered.
"Shh. . ." I told them. I went to the door and gently opened it. I saw Mike's silhouette behind the curtain and I looked for his shorts. I found them and rummaged through for his drumsticks. I found them and walked out to the main room. The boys saw me and I grinned innocently. They saw me holding his drum sticks and frowned. The door behind me opened and my eyes widened. Mike stood in just a towel and he tried to cover himself when he saw me. I looked at his bare tattooed chest and bit down on my lip.
"Kay'," Mike said, catching my attention.
"Hmm . . ."
"Give me my sticks," he ordered.
"No?" I tried.
"Why? Give me my sticks,"
"No,"
"I need them," he said, causing the boys to laugh.
"Sorry," I muttered and turned to run. I ran out of the room and through the corridor. I took a wrong turn and went through a door. It took me outside and I looked back. I ran into someone and landed on them. "I'm so sorry!" I gasped. I looked at the girl I ran into and my mouth hung open. She was crying hysterically. "Are you okay?" I asked cautiously.
"I'm fine," she muttered through tears.
"You're not. What's wrong?"
"I . . . Um,
"Do you want to go and talk about it?" I asked and she nodded. We walked over by some steps at the side door and sat down. The girl went forward and hugged me. I patted her on the back and she eventually pulled away. "I'm Kayleigh," I told her.
"I'm Sophie,"
"What's up, Sophie?"
"I was supposed to see Pierce the Veil,"
"They're a fantastic band. Why aren't you in the crowd?" I urged.
"My bag got taken from me in the queue. It had my ticket in it,"
"Oh no, you seemed to have calmed down though. How are you feeling?" I asked.
"I'm so angry at myself. This was supposed to be it. But I never got to go to the meet and greet. I wanted to give them a letter and hug Tony," she rushed.
"Shh . . ." I soothed. "This isn't your fault," She got out her letter to show me. I took it and heard something rattle inside.
"You self harm," I guessed.
"How did you. . .?"
"I'm not going to freak out. But you wanted to turn things around at the meet and greet, that's why you put your blades in the envelope,"
"I'm sorry," Sophie started to cry softly.
"Don't be sorry," I grasped her hand. "Be proud,"
"What?"
"You were ready to give them up. And you still are. What did you imagine when you handed them over?"
"Relief," she gasped.
"Like a heavy weight had been lifted from your shoulders? I'll give this to them for you. Hell, I'd let you meet them if it wasn't for bus call,"
"You know them?"
"I'm friends with them. We're traveling together. So if you tell me every little thing you need to get off your chest I'll pass this on and give you something to remember them by,"
"Okay," Sophie sighed heavily and nodded.
From asking the right questions and giving the right prompts I managed to hear Sophie's story. She's sixteen and been in a inpatient twice. Self harm and food restricting were her drugs of choice. When Vic says that their music saves people he really means it. This is why I trained to be counsellor, to help people like Sophie. She had her arms around me, this being the third time.
"Kay'!" I heard someone call and we pulled away. I saw Tony jogging over and he looked at Sophie and smiled awkwardly. I nodded and he turned back to me moodily. "Why haven't you been answering your phone? Bus call was half an hour ago. The only reason it's still here is because Jaime's refusing to get off the hood," Tony explained.
"God, sorry! I met Sophie and we've been talking,"
"We really need to go," he sighed.
"Sophie is a fan. She wanted to go to the show so bad. Her hero is Tony Perry, for some reason that's beyond me," I said.
"Really? Thank you, Sophie," Tony grinned.
"No, thanks. God, I can't believe it's you," she gasped. Tony put his hand out for her to take and she got quickly up. She shook his hand and I widened my eyes at Tony. He opened his arms to hug her and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. I smiled with satisfaction. They pulled away and I have Sophie her envelope. "This is for you," she blushed.
"Thank you. Kayleigh will make sure we all read this later," he told Sophie.
"My blades are in there. I'm stopping, I can do it," Sophie explained.
"You can," I grinned.
"I'm so fucking proud of you," Tony told her.
"Thank you," she nearly cried again.
"Hey, do you have a pen?" I asked. Sophie passed me a pen and I pushed Mike's drumsticks and the pen at Tony. He looked at them and started to laugh.
"Mike is so pissed at you. He had to borrow some, apparently they weren't up to his standards,"
"Sign it," I urged.
"What?"
"She wanted something to remember PTV by. Sign them,"
"Really?" Sophie gushed.
"Sure," Tony said and signed them.
"Mike has some more right?" I asked urgently.
"Yeah," Tony confirmed.
"Thanks," Sophie smiled as she got them.
"Will you be okay?" I asked.
"I will now," she nodded.
"You have my number?"
"Yes,"
"Good, call me whenever. I'll even get the boys to record you a message,"
"I will,"
"I was so nice meeting you, Sophie. And I love you," Tony said and hugged her again.
"I love you too," I told her and hugged her. We turned away and we started back to the bus.
"That was a nice thing you did," I told him.
"What you did was better. You missed our whole meet and greet and set talking to that girl,"
"Remember when I was drunk I told you I hated my job,"
"Yeah?"
"I think I know what I want to do now,"
"What does it involve?" Tony asked.
"Your fans," I replied simply.
@jessiewallflower
Thank you so much! :)
5/20/14