Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Tear My World Apart
CHAPTER TWO
Kate stood behind the giant light board, turning switches on and fading lights out. Music pulsated all around her and the screams of the crowd were deafening. She loved it. She glanced down at the "all access" pass that hung around her neck and she wondered if everything was all a dream. Deep down she knew it wasn't, but it still felt that way to her. The Used were up on the stage and she liked the way the red and blue lights cast the members of the band in a purple-ish haze. She stared at Bert, the lead singer, for a moment. He had a way of demanding attention when he was up on the stage. It was like the eyes just drifted to him no matter how hard anyone tried to look at other things. She thought about the earlier meeting she had with him. He had been with the Gerard when he called to her across the arena. She had just gotten down from placing the very last light.
---------------
Earlier that day...
"Kate! Kate!" Bert yelled. She was surprised he even knew her name. She looked at Tom who just smiled and shrugged his shoulders in a knowing way. She blushed as she walked to the other side of the arena. Once she was there, he began talking.
"I heard you ran into my friend here." he said, grinning. Again, she could feel herself blushing. He noticed and made another joke.
"Aww, don't feel bad, Gerard here is pretty infamous for his clumsiness. He would run into every wall if he wasn't paying attention."
"Hey!" Gerard protested as Kate let out a nervous giggle. They stood in silence before Bert began speaking again.
"Well, what I came here to ask you is: are you into partying?" He smiled at her as she looked from him to Gerard. Kate wasn't sure what he was getting at but she did want to make friends with people so she nodded her head.
"Yeah, I am." Bert clapped his hands together. Kate found this a bit weird but just ignored it.
"Good, because we wanted to tell you to stop by my, The Used, tour bus after the show. We're having a bit of a party and figured with you being new and all, you'd want to meet some people." Bert looked at her expectantly, a big grin on his face. Kate wasn't sure what to think of it. After all, here she was, a new crew member and it was true, she barely knew anyone. She felt like there was more that Bert and Gerard weren't letting on, but she pushed that thought to the corner of her mind.
"Well..." She began. Gerard stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. Kate stared at it at moment before looking at him. He was wearing a grin as well.
"Please? It'll be fun." he said, smiling. Kate returned the grin and nodded her head in agreement.
"Okay. I'll see you guys there."
---------------
Kate broke her gaze from him and focused them back on the light board. It was almost the end of the last song and she needed to get ready for the light cue. The ending riffs to the song were floating across the energized audience and Kate strained to make out the lyrics.
"Take my hand take my life. Take my life. Take my lifffeeee..." She heard her cue and quickly pressed the button that set the whole stage in a burst of white light, which then faded to red and finally black. Kate smiled as the crowd screamed and jumped. She felt proud of herself for completing her first show and she was excited about the party.
She sat in the tech area waiting for the crowd to leave so she could start taking down and packing all of the lights. She hoped by the time everyone was all cleared out that the lights would be cool enough to touch, she hated it when they burned her hands. She felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around.
"Good job." It was Tom. Kate smiled.
"Thanks." She told him.
"You know we don't take down the lights right? We just aim them and run the show, there are other crew members that take them down." Kate gave him a puzzled look.
"So that means?" She asked. Tom laughed at her naivety and Kate just shrugged her shoulders.
"It means that we're free to go. Go stuff your face, party, whatever...you're done until the next show." Tom laughed as he walked away. Kate smiled to herself and left the area as well. She wanted to change her clothes and then get to the party.
---------------
"Nice show." Bert heard Gerard tell him as he walked from the stage. He laughed as he leaned into Gerard, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"Aww, thanks. You too." They looked at each other for a moment then burst into laughter. Bert motioned for Gerard to follow him and he did so, leaving the rest of their bands in the small area between the stage and dressing room. The others had made plans to go out that night but Gerard and Bert had politely declined. Gerard faintly heard the voice of Mikey telling them to have fun. He laughed under his breath.
"Oh, Mikey, don't worry, we will." he said. Once they were both out of sight and earshot of the others, Bert began to speak.
"Okay, I went and got everything earlier, it's all in the tour bus." he started as they walked through the arena hallways.
"We're going to play the drinking game and then after, you know, we'll start with phase two." Bert grinned manically and Gerard shook his head and smiled.
"You know this is kinda mean." Bert put up his hand.
"No, it's just a good old fashioned prank...to a new crew member. I highly doubt anything substantial will happen." Gerard laughed at this.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Of course I'm right!" Bert retorted.They had exited the arena and were walking along the back of it. It was a cold, clear night and they could see their breath in the air. The busses could be seen in a neat row in the parking lot. They checked the immediate area for fans and when they saw that there weren't any, they made a mad dash for the bus. Bert dug into his pants pocket and removed the key, unlocked the door and they climbed into the safety of the bus shutting the door behind them.
---------------
Kate checked out what she was wearing in the bathroom mirror. It was simple; jeans, a fitted black v-neck shirt and converse sneakers. She had put on a silver chain necklace and had left her long hair loose, letting it fall on her shoulders and frame her face. She felt satisfied with the way she looked and left the bus, entering the cold night.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and tried to make out which bus was which. She walked in the night, hugging her arms around herself, trying to keep warm. Each bus had a white sign in the window stating which man inhabited it. She passed one for A Static Lullaby and Senses Fail and finally, she came across a sign that read "The Used" in big black letters. She paused in front of it, taking in deep breaths of the chilly air. She walked up to the door and poised her hand next to it, ready to knock. She hesitated before finally knocking.
Kate heard some scuffling inside the bus and then the door opened and she was face to face with Bert.
"Hey!" he said, brightly and loudly...almost too loud. Kate smiled, as she stepped up into the bus. She could hear the rhythmic beat of a song but no voices. It confused her, she thought for sure there would be people here by now. She was at the top of the stairs and could see into the dimly lit bus. She noticed there was no driver in the seat and she found that odd as well. There was always a driver in the seat. She focused her eyes back in on the bus and noticed Gerard sitting on a couch. She looked at him for a moment, taking in his features. He was leaning back into the cushions with both legs on the floor, resting one arm on one and he had the other tucked behind his head. He had a cigarette dangling from the hand on his leg and she watched the smoke trail upward to the ceiling.
"Want something to drink?" It was Bert again. Kate turned around and looked at the cup in his outstretched hand. It was one of those blue plastic party cups that was way oversized and she saw a dark liquid in it. He had another in his hand, which he took a big swig from, still keeping his other hand extended. Kate looked at Bert.
"What's in it?" Bert smiled, kind of shaking the cup in front of her. She could see the soda that was in it fizz and she wasn't sure if the alcohol she smelled was in Bert's drink or the one he was offering her.
"It's just a rum and coke. You drink, right?" Kate nodded her head, taking the drink from his hand. She wasn't really much of a drinker but she didn't want to offend the first person to ask her to hang out.
"Yeah, I love the stuff." She lied as she took a gulp of the concoction. The taste was bitter in her mouth and the carbonation along with the alcohol burned her throat.
"Cool...how old are you anyway? it doesn't really matter but I was just curious." Kate laughed, as she took another sip of her drink.
"Twenty-two, barely, my birthday was a few weeks ago." She took another sip, getting used to the taste. Bert was almost done with his drink and he was walking toward Gerard. Kate followed him and watched as he sat down on the couch next to him. She stood there a moment, not sure if she should sit or stay standing. Gerard looked up and saw her, then looked at Bert before patting the cushion next to him.
"I don't bite, you can sit down." Kate nodded and perched herself on the edge of the seat cushion. Whatever song that had been playing ended and they sat like this in the silence for a few moment, the only sounds being the ice clunking together in their glasses and the sound of Gerard inhaling the smoke from his cigarette. Kate had finished her drink and was staring at the bottom of the cup when she heard Gerard speak.
"Well, while we wait for everyone to get here, we should play a game." He stood up quickly, the cigarette dangling from his mouth. "What do you say, Bert, a game?" Bert laughed, getting up as well.
"A game sounds fantastic. Kate? You up for a game?" They were both standing in front of her now and she felt a little intimidated. She remained silent a moment, her eyes moving back and forth from Gerard and Bert, who were both grinning widely.
"Umm, okay. What kind of game?" Kate waited for an answer as she watched Bert go to the refrigerator. Kate watched as he pulled three pints of Jack Daniels from the small door and a twenty ounce bottle of coke as well.
"A drinking game. How about we play some music and we'll pick a word, a word that when every time they sing it, we take a swig of this." When he said 'this' he shook one of the pints in the air. Gerard laughed and looked at Kate.
"What do you say? It'll be fun." He kept smiling at her and she felt transfixed by is gaze. She didn't like drinking that much, especially with people she barely knew but there was something in his voice that convinced her it would be okay. She set her blue cup on the end table and stood up.
"All right...I'm game if you are." Bert laughed and tossed one of the pints to Kate.
"There's one for you." he threw one to Gerard. " And one for you, and one for me!" Kate stared at the pint and at the ones that Gerard and Bert both held. What she didn't know was that hers was the only one that contained any whiskey. Bert sat down on the couch again and motioned for Kate to do the same. She sat down and Bert motioned for Gerard to turn the radio on.
"What song?" He asked, fiddling with the stereo. Kate shrugged and looked at Bert. Bert let out a chuckle.
"How about "Roxanne" by The Police? Every time he says, 'Roxanne', we'll drink." Gerard laughed and Kate thought about how many times that word came up in that song. It seemed to her that Bert really wanted to get drunk. Gerard hit a switch and the first beats of the song came on. He rushed to take a seat on the couch and a moment later the first "Roxanne" was sung. She looked at Bert, who smiled and took a gulp of the liquid.
"Bottoms up!" he said and Kate looked at Gerard, who had already put the bottle to his lips. Kate looked down at her own bottle, shrugged and took a gulp. After about four minutes, the song was over and the bottles were empty.
Kate stood behind the giant light board, turning switches on and fading lights out. Music pulsated all around her and the screams of the crowd were deafening. She loved it. She glanced down at the "all access" pass that hung around her neck and she wondered if everything was all a dream. Deep down she knew it wasn't, but it still felt that way to her. The Used were up on the stage and she liked the way the red and blue lights cast the members of the band in a purple-ish haze. She stared at Bert, the lead singer, for a moment. He had a way of demanding attention when he was up on the stage. It was like the eyes just drifted to him no matter how hard anyone tried to look at other things. She thought about the earlier meeting she had with him. He had been with the Gerard when he called to her across the arena. She had just gotten down from placing the very last light.
---------------
Earlier that day...
"Kate! Kate!" Bert yelled. She was surprised he even knew her name. She looked at Tom who just smiled and shrugged his shoulders in a knowing way. She blushed as she walked to the other side of the arena. Once she was there, he began talking.
"I heard you ran into my friend here." he said, grinning. Again, she could feel herself blushing. He noticed and made another joke.
"Aww, don't feel bad, Gerard here is pretty infamous for his clumsiness. He would run into every wall if he wasn't paying attention."
"Hey!" Gerard protested as Kate let out a nervous giggle. They stood in silence before Bert began speaking again.
"Well, what I came here to ask you is: are you into partying?" He smiled at her as she looked from him to Gerard. Kate wasn't sure what he was getting at but she did want to make friends with people so she nodded her head.
"Yeah, I am." Bert clapped his hands together. Kate found this a bit weird but just ignored it.
"Good, because we wanted to tell you to stop by my, The Used, tour bus after the show. We're having a bit of a party and figured with you being new and all, you'd want to meet some people." Bert looked at her expectantly, a big grin on his face. Kate wasn't sure what to think of it. After all, here she was, a new crew member and it was true, she barely knew anyone. She felt like there was more that Bert and Gerard weren't letting on, but she pushed that thought to the corner of her mind.
"Well..." She began. Gerard stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. Kate stared at it at moment before looking at him. He was wearing a grin as well.
"Please? It'll be fun." he said, smiling. Kate returned the grin and nodded her head in agreement.
"Okay. I'll see you guys there."
---------------
Kate broke her gaze from him and focused them back on the light board. It was almost the end of the last song and she needed to get ready for the light cue. The ending riffs to the song were floating across the energized audience and Kate strained to make out the lyrics.
"Take my hand take my life. Take my life. Take my lifffeeee..." She heard her cue and quickly pressed the button that set the whole stage in a burst of white light, which then faded to red and finally black. Kate smiled as the crowd screamed and jumped. She felt proud of herself for completing her first show and she was excited about the party.
She sat in the tech area waiting for the crowd to leave so she could start taking down and packing all of the lights. She hoped by the time everyone was all cleared out that the lights would be cool enough to touch, she hated it when they burned her hands. She felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around.
"Good job." It was Tom. Kate smiled.
"Thanks." She told him.
"You know we don't take down the lights right? We just aim them and run the show, there are other crew members that take them down." Kate gave him a puzzled look.
"So that means?" She asked. Tom laughed at her naivety and Kate just shrugged her shoulders.
"It means that we're free to go. Go stuff your face, party, whatever...you're done until the next show." Tom laughed as he walked away. Kate smiled to herself and left the area as well. She wanted to change her clothes and then get to the party.
---------------
"Nice show." Bert heard Gerard tell him as he walked from the stage. He laughed as he leaned into Gerard, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"Aww, thanks. You too." They looked at each other for a moment then burst into laughter. Bert motioned for Gerard to follow him and he did so, leaving the rest of their bands in the small area between the stage and dressing room. The others had made plans to go out that night but Gerard and Bert had politely declined. Gerard faintly heard the voice of Mikey telling them to have fun. He laughed under his breath.
"Oh, Mikey, don't worry, we will." he said. Once they were both out of sight and earshot of the others, Bert began to speak.
"Okay, I went and got everything earlier, it's all in the tour bus." he started as they walked through the arena hallways.
"We're going to play the drinking game and then after, you know, we'll start with phase two." Bert grinned manically and Gerard shook his head and smiled.
"You know this is kinda mean." Bert put up his hand.
"No, it's just a good old fashioned prank...to a new crew member. I highly doubt anything substantial will happen." Gerard laughed at this.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Of course I'm right!" Bert retorted.They had exited the arena and were walking along the back of it. It was a cold, clear night and they could see their breath in the air. The busses could be seen in a neat row in the parking lot. They checked the immediate area for fans and when they saw that there weren't any, they made a mad dash for the bus. Bert dug into his pants pocket and removed the key, unlocked the door and they climbed into the safety of the bus shutting the door behind them.
---------------
Kate checked out what she was wearing in the bathroom mirror. It was simple; jeans, a fitted black v-neck shirt and converse sneakers. She had put on a silver chain necklace and had left her long hair loose, letting it fall on her shoulders and frame her face. She felt satisfied with the way she looked and left the bus, entering the cold night.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and tried to make out which bus was which. She walked in the night, hugging her arms around herself, trying to keep warm. Each bus had a white sign in the window stating which man inhabited it. She passed one for A Static Lullaby and Senses Fail and finally, she came across a sign that read "The Used" in big black letters. She paused in front of it, taking in deep breaths of the chilly air. She walked up to the door and poised her hand next to it, ready to knock. She hesitated before finally knocking.
Kate heard some scuffling inside the bus and then the door opened and she was face to face with Bert.
"Hey!" he said, brightly and loudly...almost too loud. Kate smiled, as she stepped up into the bus. She could hear the rhythmic beat of a song but no voices. It confused her, she thought for sure there would be people here by now. She was at the top of the stairs and could see into the dimly lit bus. She noticed there was no driver in the seat and she found that odd as well. There was always a driver in the seat. She focused her eyes back in on the bus and noticed Gerard sitting on a couch. She looked at him for a moment, taking in his features. He was leaning back into the cushions with both legs on the floor, resting one arm on one and he had the other tucked behind his head. He had a cigarette dangling from the hand on his leg and she watched the smoke trail upward to the ceiling.
"Want something to drink?" It was Bert again. Kate turned around and looked at the cup in his outstretched hand. It was one of those blue plastic party cups that was way oversized and she saw a dark liquid in it. He had another in his hand, which he took a big swig from, still keeping his other hand extended. Kate looked at Bert.
"What's in it?" Bert smiled, kind of shaking the cup in front of her. She could see the soda that was in it fizz and she wasn't sure if the alcohol she smelled was in Bert's drink or the one he was offering her.
"It's just a rum and coke. You drink, right?" Kate nodded her head, taking the drink from his hand. She wasn't really much of a drinker but she didn't want to offend the first person to ask her to hang out.
"Yeah, I love the stuff." She lied as she took a gulp of the concoction. The taste was bitter in her mouth and the carbonation along with the alcohol burned her throat.
"Cool...how old are you anyway? it doesn't really matter but I was just curious." Kate laughed, as she took another sip of her drink.
"Twenty-two, barely, my birthday was a few weeks ago." She took another sip, getting used to the taste. Bert was almost done with his drink and he was walking toward Gerard. Kate followed him and watched as he sat down on the couch next to him. She stood there a moment, not sure if she should sit or stay standing. Gerard looked up and saw her, then looked at Bert before patting the cushion next to him.
"I don't bite, you can sit down." Kate nodded and perched herself on the edge of the seat cushion. Whatever song that had been playing ended and they sat like this in the silence for a few moment, the only sounds being the ice clunking together in their glasses and the sound of Gerard inhaling the smoke from his cigarette. Kate had finished her drink and was staring at the bottom of the cup when she heard Gerard speak.
"Well, while we wait for everyone to get here, we should play a game." He stood up quickly, the cigarette dangling from his mouth. "What do you say, Bert, a game?" Bert laughed, getting up as well.
"A game sounds fantastic. Kate? You up for a game?" They were both standing in front of her now and she felt a little intimidated. She remained silent a moment, her eyes moving back and forth from Gerard and Bert, who were both grinning widely.
"Umm, okay. What kind of game?" Kate waited for an answer as she watched Bert go to the refrigerator. Kate watched as he pulled three pints of Jack Daniels from the small door and a twenty ounce bottle of coke as well.
"A drinking game. How about we play some music and we'll pick a word, a word that when every time they sing it, we take a swig of this." When he said 'this' he shook one of the pints in the air. Gerard laughed and looked at Kate.
"What do you say? It'll be fun." He kept smiling at her and she felt transfixed by is gaze. She didn't like drinking that much, especially with people she barely knew but there was something in his voice that convinced her it would be okay. She set her blue cup on the end table and stood up.
"All right...I'm game if you are." Bert laughed and tossed one of the pints to Kate.
"There's one for you." he threw one to Gerard. " And one for you, and one for me!" Kate stared at the pint and at the ones that Gerard and Bert both held. What she didn't know was that hers was the only one that contained any whiskey. Bert sat down on the couch again and motioned for Kate to do the same. She sat down and Bert motioned for Gerard to turn the radio on.
"What song?" He asked, fiddling with the stereo. Kate shrugged and looked at Bert. Bert let out a chuckle.
"How about "Roxanne" by The Police? Every time he says, 'Roxanne', we'll drink." Gerard laughed and Kate thought about how many times that word came up in that song. It seemed to her that Bert really wanted to get drunk. Gerard hit a switch and the first beats of the song came on. He rushed to take a seat on the couch and a moment later the first "Roxanne" was sung. She looked at Bert, who smiled and took a gulp of the liquid.
"Bottoms up!" he said and Kate looked at Gerard, who had already put the bottle to his lips. Kate looked down at her own bottle, shrugged and took a gulp. After about four minutes, the song was over and the bottles were empty.
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