FicWad

...it was the roar of the crowd that gave me heartache to sing...





We were high on energy and adrenaline. The screams, the sight of everyone in the room jumping and singing along to the songs - our songs - the camera flashes, the smell of sweat of a few thousand people... what could have been someone's nightmare, was our dream come true. They've all come to see us, I though as I looked over the crowd. In that moment, everything was perfect, everything was whole and in place... but then, why does it still feel like something is missing?



The room was vibrating with the last notes of music as I threw back my head opened my arms as wide as I could. The crowd went wild: screaming and yelling as loud as they could. Some yelled names, others just /yelled/.



Bob threw his drumsticks in the crowd, causing a little fight over them. Just as Frankie was leaving, a girl threw him a pink tie, which he stopped to pick up, throwing a huge smile and a thank you back at her. Mikey and Ray waved goodbye and left with the others, following Frankie and Bob.



"Thank you all so much for coming! You guys have no idea how much it means to us to have your support!," I yelled to the roaring crowd, my voice almost cracking at those last words, and ran off stage with the rest of the group, after blowing kisses to the overcrowded room.



People, mostly roadies, patted me on the back as I ran backstage to join the rest, saying things like "Great show, Gerard," "You've really got them going wild this time" or "Awesome, man."



I smiled and held up a hand to acknowledge what they were saying but didn't stop, wanting to be able to rest now that the concert was over. They were right about one thing, though, it was a hell of a show. Not bad at all considering we were just starting out.



When I finally reached the room - the "chill room" as Bob always called it - where we could all hang out for a bit and get ready before heading back to the tour bus and moving on to the next city, everyone was already there, relaxing in their own way, seeming like they had been there for hours, when they had only really just arrived 2 minutes ago.



Ray and Bob were talking excitedly about a girl that had flashed him during the show; "...I mean it, man, I was just playing and looking down, and suddenly I look up and see this girl right in front of me with her shirt up, man, and she had /no /bra on or anything! I was just like 'what the fuck?!' but she didn't even care and I..." continued Ray rapidly to a shocked and laughing Bob.



Mikey was curled up on a chair across the sofa where Ray and Bob were, but he was too busy checking his missed calls on his mobile phone to pay attention to Ray's story.



Frankie was standing next to the window, smoking as usual. He was trying to make most of the smoke go out so Ray wouldn't complain - he hated the smell of it.



I went over to join him. "Hey, got anymore cigs?"



He handed me his pack in response, taking a long, slow drag of his own. "How long until we have to be on the bus?" I asked him, this time needing a real response.



He slowly blew the smoke out the window and shrugged. "Kate says we're supposed to be out in 30 minutes, but I don't think it'll make much of adifference if we're here a bit longer since we don't have any thing to go tomorrow, anyways. Why?" he asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.



I shrugged back at him. "Naw, I was just wondering because I have amad craving for ice cream."



Frank looked back at me at laughed, "You and your cravings," he said, shaking his head and pressing his finished cigarette into an already filled ashtray that he had on the window sill. "We'd better go get some then," and started towards the door only to find it blocked.



"Just where do you think you're going?" asked Kate, our new manager and new pain in the ass.



"Out," answered Frank, not giving quite the answer she was looking for, and continued towards the door; but she held her ground.



"Frank, dear, you cannot go out now unless you want to be run over and ripped apart by a bunch of screaming crazed fans," talking to him as if he were a 5 year old and didn't know anything about the world.



Just as Frank was about to answer her - most likely with a smartass answer- I stepped in and said "We were just gonna go out and get some ice cream, but it'll probably be a better idea to wait until we get to the hotel tomorrow morning. We all have to take showers before going out anyways... right Frankie?"I asked, staring at Frank pleadingly.



Frank looked back at me, understood that I didn't want to start afight over such a little thing, and agreed, after shooting a look at Kate.



"That's a very good idea!" she cried, beaming now that she got her way. "You all have to be out on the bus in 20 minutes anyways. We'll be driving all night so when you all wake up tomorrow we'll be in a new city! All of your things are already on the bus; the only things missing are you guys, of course, the most important part!" She left giggling at what she though was a clever joke.



Frank rolled his eyes. "God, I hate her. Whose idea was it to get her as our new manager anyways?"



"She's supposed to be one of the best, Frankie. I know she can be abitch but just try and ignore her," replied Mikey, who had just gotten out of the shower and was drying his hair with a towel. Bob got up to take his turn, after him would go Ray. We were all pretty sweaty, as we usually are after aconcert.



"The best at being a completely annoying bitch," mumbled back Frank. I heard him and covered my mouth so I wouldn't laugh out loud; Frank saw me and tried to stifle a laugh of his own.



"Come on you guys, hurry up, unless to want to hear her bitch at us again," complained Ray.



"Did you realise that 'bitch' is the only word to describe her?She's a bitch and she bitches..." Frank told me in the most natural tone, as if we were talking about the weather, as we prepared our things to take a shower after Ray. I was always the last one to take a shower... I guess it's because I'm the slowest.



"It's just her word, babe," I said, smiling. That made Frank laugh. It was always good to hear him laugh...