Categories > Original > Drama > Escaping Reality
Chapter Two
I could tell Quinn was trying his best to keep positive, but occasionally his real feelings would slip through, showing me how he really felt. At least he was trying though, that was a start. The thought of them sending away another demo worried me however. I hoped they would wait awhile before finding somewhere else to send one. I knew that one more rejection letter would be too much for the band, too much for Quinn and therefore too much for me. Even with how much Quinn was trying I knew that he wouldn't be able to cope at all and I was worried that he might break down at any time. I knew I was contradicting myself here, because I was always trying to be positive and for all I knew the next demo could bring the start of their success. I could only help Quinn control his emotions so much. I wasn't even in the band and yet it had taken over so much of my life. I had so many other things going on like school, work and my home life, yet none of those things got a second thought anymore. Every thought I had somehow related back to Quinn and the band. I just had to remind myself to think about how things would be when they did get this big break and everything in the past three years had all been worth it. I couldn't wait to look back on all of this, just a distant memory, and enjoy the lifestyle that we accomplished out of it. It was only a matter of time, it had to be.
Quinn had reluctantly gone back home after a lot of persuasion from me. He hadn't apologized to his father, but I assumed it was all okay now, because Quinn was living there again. I reminded Quinn that he had to do his best to follow his father's rules, for now at least. He was being unfair to Quinn, but if he got kicked out of home now it would be just another huge thing for him to stress about, which would then become something more for me to stress about. As long as Quinn was still living with his father it was one less worry we had.
"We've got band practice tomorrow," Quinn told me, we were sitting on the couch watching a DVD. We often went out to small, local concerts on Friday nights, but tonight Quinn had wanted to stay in. I was tired from school and work so Iwas fine with that. I had been working at my job for almost a year already. I'd taken the initiative to get a job after feeling guilty for always asking my parents for money. I knew they couldn't keep giving me money for things like CD's and concert tickets, when they couldn't afford to buy things like that for themselves. It was unfair that I got everything I wanted. I had applied for acouple of clothes shops but they had required experience, which I didn't have. In the end I sent an application to a nearby supermarket. I didn't want to apply there, it certainly wasn't my dream job, but I knew they often employed teenagers which meant I had a high chance of getting a job. They hired me and I got acheckout position. It wasn't the most thrilling job I could have wished for but I was earning money, and that was the reason I had got the job. The first month or two were alright because everything was new to me, but it quickly became dull and repetitive. Everyday I just had to remind myself about the money. Without the job I wouldn't have been able to buy the things I wanted, not just needed. That kept me going as well as knowing I no longer had to hold my hand out and expect money from my parents all the time.
The movie Quinn and I were watching finished and Quinn had to go home.
"Are you going to come to tomorrow?" he asked grabbing his cell phone from the bench.
"Yeah, of course I will. I've got work at four though," I reminded him.
"We're meeting at Blake's at one thirty," he said and gave me a quick kiss before leaving.
Band practice was always at Blake's house. His parents were from England and they had Blake when they moved to America. From what I gathered Blake's parents were very rich. They owned three houses in Jersey City and they owned property in England too. They spent a lot of time over there, where they had family and they often left Blake home alone after he had refused to go with them for the past two years. Blake was an only child and I was surprised his parents let him live alone for months at a time. I doubted my parents would leave me home alone for a weekend. I knew I'd probably even have a hard time convincing them I should move out when the time came, they were so protective of keeping me close to them. I knew that wasn't a bad thing though.
Blake's house was a huge two-story house with a long driveway and a big double garage. That was another reason why the band practices were always held at his house. The band set up the double garage to practice after the expensive cars were, carefully, driven out of the space.
"I'm going out for a smoke," Quinn stated, walking out of the spacious living room and onto the deck. They hadn't been practicing today. They had spent an hour talking about the band and discussing their songs. They had five full songs written, but they were constantly changing them, improving them and coming up with ideas for new songs. From what I could see everybody seemed to be remaining positive about the situation. When Quinn and I arrived I noticed the way the guys were acting, I was always observant of people, and I could tell they were keeping something from us. Something they wouldn't say in front of Quinn, maybe they had noticed his mood as they talked about the band and were holding off telling him whatever it was just yet. I was curious to know what it was, so instead of following Quinn outside I stayed behind to see if they would tell me.
"Is there something you're not telling him?" I asked, watching Quinn through the windows of the French doors.
"Well, we've been thinking," Kyle, the drummer, said glancing at Blake, "that we should give up trying to get signed. Not forever, just take a break for awhile."
I nodded. It sounded like a good idea to me, and I understood why they were hesitant to tell Quinn.
"But that's not all. We're thinking of taking a break from the band for a little. It's sort of taking over our lives, and its causing a lot of stress that we don't need right now. I think we all need some space for a bit," Blake said.
Of course they thought I would agree with them, and I did. But I had no idea what Quinn would think, taking a break from the band would be hard for him.
"We're worried how Quinn will take it," Aaron, the rhythm guitarist said, almost reading my mind. They had put a lot of thought into this.
"Honestly, I don't know how you cope being his girlfriend. He stresses about everything,"Connor, the bassist, said with a laugh.
I smiled. It did take some effort to cope with Quinn but I loved him so much and I knew if I was going through the same situation he would try his best to be there for me. A lot of people thought our relationship wouldn't last, but we had been together for over two years and we were still in love, even with everything that was going on at the moment. I couldn't imagine my life without Quinn, and I knew he felt the same way about me. The first time I saw him Iknew that one day we would be more than just friends. It had taken us almost ayear to admit how we felt about each other, even though it had been clear to both of us from the very beginning. I was sure it was true love and people couldn't tell me otherwise.
"Would you like me to tell Quinn?" I asked with a small sigh, knowing that was what they'd been hoping for.
"Well, he might take it better coming from you," suggested Kyle.
I nodded and got up to walk through the doors, I noticed Blake was following me outside. I was pleased he was coming to tell Quinn with me, it would have been difficult enough on my own. I didn't know what to expect from him, but I knew he wouldn't take it easily.
It was January and the air was cold outside. I wrapped my coat tighter around me and sat down beside Quinn on the top step of the deck where the fence was blocking the wind. Blake sat down on the other side of him.
"I don't see what's wrong with our band. I thought we'd finally come up with some good material," Quinn said, he was so upset about it.
"You have. Imagine all of the other bands just in New Jersey that are trying to get signed. It's just not the time for you guys yet," I said sympathetically, though I knew he was probably getting sick of me saying stuff like that to him. I was just trying my best to help, but even I was over it.
Quinn didn't say anything, he just took a drag from his cigarette.
"How would you feel about taking a break from all of this?" Blake said, cautiously.
I looked over at Blake's backyard and stared at the water in the huge oval shaped pool, rippling in the wind. We were both worried about how Quinn was going to react to that. I forced myself to look at Quinn. He was looking down at his shoes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, because his expression was well hidden, as always.
"What? Just give up everything we have worked towards for almost three years?" he said after a moment, anger flared in his voice.
"We wouldn't be giving up, just having a break. I think it would be good for us. It'd let some of the stress go and we can come back better than ever in a few months or so," Blake was doing his best to convince him, but I wasn't sure if it was working. Quinn remained silent.
"I'll let you think about it," Blake said and walked back inside, mouthing 'good luck' to me.
Quinn turned to me and spoke softly, "You know, apart from you, this band is my life. It's all I have."
I felt sorry for him, but how could he not realize how much this had become my life too? I had to prove to him that taking a break was a good idea. This wasn't just for him it was for the whole band. Everyone else needed this break too.
"I know that. That's why it's a good idea to have a break for a while. Put your mind on other things, instead of obsessing about it constantly," I tried. Iwasn't sure if my point was coming across clear enough, but I was doing the best I could.
"Maybe you're right," he thought, "it's going to be really hard though."
I could see it pained him to admit that it was the right thing to do. I reassured him that I would help him and followed him back inside. I sat on the couch beside Quinn, watching him closely.
"Yeah let's take a break then. But not for long, okay?" He said, only half-smiling.
I could almost see the wave of relief that washed over everyone in the room.
"Of course not, we'll come back and get a record deal straight away. Just you wait and see!" Aaron laughed and the others cheered in agreement. Blake and I smiled at each other, it had gone well, a lot better than we'd expected.
"Well I've got work soon, so I better get going," I said standing up and saying good bye to everyone.
"I'll walk you to the door," Quinn said, following me through the house. We stepped outside and I could see that he was still unsure of his decision.
"It's for the best," I assured him with a smile. He kissed me and said he'd call later. It was obvious he didn't agree that it was the best thing for him.
It was hard for Quinn at the beginning. He was so used to the band being the only thing on his mind that he would automatically bring it up in our conversations.
"But I can't miss any opportunities for the band," he said after I reminded him he wasn't supposed to be thinking about the band.
"I know, so if something did come up, then that would be great. You still have to keep your eyes open for that sort of thing. It's just that right now, you're too close to the situation. If you step back from it, you're more likely to come across something," I explained. I wasn't sure if what I was saying made any sense but he seemed to be taking it in.
"I don't have a lot else to think about though," he said looking at me expectantly.
"Well, what about this?" I grinned and leaned in, gently putting my lips to his. I pulled away after a moment, before it went any further.
"I think that could work," he smirked and pulled me in for another kiss.
I could tell Quinn was trying his best to keep positive, but occasionally his real feelings would slip through, showing me how he really felt. At least he was trying though, that was a start. The thought of them sending away another demo worried me however. I hoped they would wait awhile before finding somewhere else to send one. I knew that one more rejection letter would be too much for the band, too much for Quinn and therefore too much for me. Even with how much Quinn was trying I knew that he wouldn't be able to cope at all and I was worried that he might break down at any time. I knew I was contradicting myself here, because I was always trying to be positive and for all I knew the next demo could bring the start of their success. I could only help Quinn control his emotions so much. I wasn't even in the band and yet it had taken over so much of my life. I had so many other things going on like school, work and my home life, yet none of those things got a second thought anymore. Every thought I had somehow related back to Quinn and the band. I just had to remind myself to think about how things would be when they did get this big break and everything in the past three years had all been worth it. I couldn't wait to look back on all of this, just a distant memory, and enjoy the lifestyle that we accomplished out of it. It was only a matter of time, it had to be.
Quinn had reluctantly gone back home after a lot of persuasion from me. He hadn't apologized to his father, but I assumed it was all okay now, because Quinn was living there again. I reminded Quinn that he had to do his best to follow his father's rules, for now at least. He was being unfair to Quinn, but if he got kicked out of home now it would be just another huge thing for him to stress about, which would then become something more for me to stress about. As long as Quinn was still living with his father it was one less worry we had.
"We've got band practice tomorrow," Quinn told me, we were sitting on the couch watching a DVD. We often went out to small, local concerts on Friday nights, but tonight Quinn had wanted to stay in. I was tired from school and work so Iwas fine with that. I had been working at my job for almost a year already. I'd taken the initiative to get a job after feeling guilty for always asking my parents for money. I knew they couldn't keep giving me money for things like CD's and concert tickets, when they couldn't afford to buy things like that for themselves. It was unfair that I got everything I wanted. I had applied for acouple of clothes shops but they had required experience, which I didn't have. In the end I sent an application to a nearby supermarket. I didn't want to apply there, it certainly wasn't my dream job, but I knew they often employed teenagers which meant I had a high chance of getting a job. They hired me and I got acheckout position. It wasn't the most thrilling job I could have wished for but I was earning money, and that was the reason I had got the job. The first month or two were alright because everything was new to me, but it quickly became dull and repetitive. Everyday I just had to remind myself about the money. Without the job I wouldn't have been able to buy the things I wanted, not just needed. That kept me going as well as knowing I no longer had to hold my hand out and expect money from my parents all the time.
The movie Quinn and I were watching finished and Quinn had to go home.
"Are you going to come to tomorrow?" he asked grabbing his cell phone from the bench.
"Yeah, of course I will. I've got work at four though," I reminded him.
"We're meeting at Blake's at one thirty," he said and gave me a quick kiss before leaving.
Band practice was always at Blake's house. His parents were from England and they had Blake when they moved to America. From what I gathered Blake's parents were very rich. They owned three houses in Jersey City and they owned property in England too. They spent a lot of time over there, where they had family and they often left Blake home alone after he had refused to go with them for the past two years. Blake was an only child and I was surprised his parents let him live alone for months at a time. I doubted my parents would leave me home alone for a weekend. I knew I'd probably even have a hard time convincing them I should move out when the time came, they were so protective of keeping me close to them. I knew that wasn't a bad thing though.
Blake's house was a huge two-story house with a long driveway and a big double garage. That was another reason why the band practices were always held at his house. The band set up the double garage to practice after the expensive cars were, carefully, driven out of the space.
"I'm going out for a smoke," Quinn stated, walking out of the spacious living room and onto the deck. They hadn't been practicing today. They had spent an hour talking about the band and discussing their songs. They had five full songs written, but they were constantly changing them, improving them and coming up with ideas for new songs. From what I could see everybody seemed to be remaining positive about the situation. When Quinn and I arrived I noticed the way the guys were acting, I was always observant of people, and I could tell they were keeping something from us. Something they wouldn't say in front of Quinn, maybe they had noticed his mood as they talked about the band and were holding off telling him whatever it was just yet. I was curious to know what it was, so instead of following Quinn outside I stayed behind to see if they would tell me.
"Is there something you're not telling him?" I asked, watching Quinn through the windows of the French doors.
"Well, we've been thinking," Kyle, the drummer, said glancing at Blake, "that we should give up trying to get signed. Not forever, just take a break for awhile."
I nodded. It sounded like a good idea to me, and I understood why they were hesitant to tell Quinn.
"But that's not all. We're thinking of taking a break from the band for a little. It's sort of taking over our lives, and its causing a lot of stress that we don't need right now. I think we all need some space for a bit," Blake said.
Of course they thought I would agree with them, and I did. But I had no idea what Quinn would think, taking a break from the band would be hard for him.
"We're worried how Quinn will take it," Aaron, the rhythm guitarist said, almost reading my mind. They had put a lot of thought into this.
"Honestly, I don't know how you cope being his girlfriend. He stresses about everything,"Connor, the bassist, said with a laugh.
I smiled. It did take some effort to cope with Quinn but I loved him so much and I knew if I was going through the same situation he would try his best to be there for me. A lot of people thought our relationship wouldn't last, but we had been together for over two years and we were still in love, even with everything that was going on at the moment. I couldn't imagine my life without Quinn, and I knew he felt the same way about me. The first time I saw him Iknew that one day we would be more than just friends. It had taken us almost ayear to admit how we felt about each other, even though it had been clear to both of us from the very beginning. I was sure it was true love and people couldn't tell me otherwise.
"Would you like me to tell Quinn?" I asked with a small sigh, knowing that was what they'd been hoping for.
"Well, he might take it better coming from you," suggested Kyle.
I nodded and got up to walk through the doors, I noticed Blake was following me outside. I was pleased he was coming to tell Quinn with me, it would have been difficult enough on my own. I didn't know what to expect from him, but I knew he wouldn't take it easily.
It was January and the air was cold outside. I wrapped my coat tighter around me and sat down beside Quinn on the top step of the deck where the fence was blocking the wind. Blake sat down on the other side of him.
"I don't see what's wrong with our band. I thought we'd finally come up with some good material," Quinn said, he was so upset about it.
"You have. Imagine all of the other bands just in New Jersey that are trying to get signed. It's just not the time for you guys yet," I said sympathetically, though I knew he was probably getting sick of me saying stuff like that to him. I was just trying my best to help, but even I was over it.
Quinn didn't say anything, he just took a drag from his cigarette.
"How would you feel about taking a break from all of this?" Blake said, cautiously.
I looked over at Blake's backyard and stared at the water in the huge oval shaped pool, rippling in the wind. We were both worried about how Quinn was going to react to that. I forced myself to look at Quinn. He was looking down at his shoes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, because his expression was well hidden, as always.
"What? Just give up everything we have worked towards for almost three years?" he said after a moment, anger flared in his voice.
"We wouldn't be giving up, just having a break. I think it would be good for us. It'd let some of the stress go and we can come back better than ever in a few months or so," Blake was doing his best to convince him, but I wasn't sure if it was working. Quinn remained silent.
"I'll let you think about it," Blake said and walked back inside, mouthing 'good luck' to me.
Quinn turned to me and spoke softly, "You know, apart from you, this band is my life. It's all I have."
I felt sorry for him, but how could he not realize how much this had become my life too? I had to prove to him that taking a break was a good idea. This wasn't just for him it was for the whole band. Everyone else needed this break too.
"I know that. That's why it's a good idea to have a break for a while. Put your mind on other things, instead of obsessing about it constantly," I tried. Iwasn't sure if my point was coming across clear enough, but I was doing the best I could.
"Maybe you're right," he thought, "it's going to be really hard though."
I could see it pained him to admit that it was the right thing to do. I reassured him that I would help him and followed him back inside. I sat on the couch beside Quinn, watching him closely.
"Yeah let's take a break then. But not for long, okay?" He said, only half-smiling.
I could almost see the wave of relief that washed over everyone in the room.
"Of course not, we'll come back and get a record deal straight away. Just you wait and see!" Aaron laughed and the others cheered in agreement. Blake and I smiled at each other, it had gone well, a lot better than we'd expected.
"Well I've got work soon, so I better get going," I said standing up and saying good bye to everyone.
"I'll walk you to the door," Quinn said, following me through the house. We stepped outside and I could see that he was still unsure of his decision.
"It's for the best," I assured him with a smile. He kissed me and said he'd call later. It was obvious he didn't agree that it was the best thing for him.
It was hard for Quinn at the beginning. He was so used to the band being the only thing on his mind that he would automatically bring it up in our conversations.
"But I can't miss any opportunities for the band," he said after I reminded him he wasn't supposed to be thinking about the band.
"I know, so if something did come up, then that would be great. You still have to keep your eyes open for that sort of thing. It's just that right now, you're too close to the situation. If you step back from it, you're more likely to come across something," I explained. I wasn't sure if what I was saying made any sense but he seemed to be taking it in.
"I don't have a lot else to think about though," he said looking at me expectantly.
"Well, what about this?" I grinned and leaned in, gently putting my lips to his. I pulled away after a moment, before it went any further.
"I think that could work," he smirked and pulled me in for another kiss.
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