Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Commit This to Memory
The Most Unusual Circumstances
And I saved the best for last
And I refuse to be part of your past
And I keep holding on as you lead me along
I guess I'll see you around.
The crowd cheered. The bar was packed, which was atypical even for a Saturday night. The Rover wasn’t exactly the most popular place in Frisco and live music wasn’t really that big of a deal around here. But it was her favorite and she owed a lot to the owners, Marissa and Tom, so she always played when they needed someone. She leaned forward on her stool and spoke into the mic. “Thanks everyone. I hope you’re enjoying your night. I’m gonna take a quick break and then I’ll be back. As always if you have a request, let Gemma at the bar know. Also order the cheese fries. They will change your life. Serious.”
She unstrapped and put her guitar on a stand on the side of the stage. She then traipsed to the break room where her usual plate of cheese fries would be waiting with a Dr. Pepper. Tom and Marissa knew how to take care of her.
“Braelyn, phenomenal as usual,” Marissa said on her way out to the house.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Braelyn replied, skipping down the hall. She noticed a strange amount of official looking people in the hall. She pulled Addi, a waitress, aside. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” she replied, checking something on her order pad, “Someone’s here though. Tom was freakin earlier. Your fries are on the table, by the way.”
“Thanks, Addi!” Braelyn kissed the side of her friend’s face. “Have a good night, make good tips.”
“Sing bitchin songs.”
“Yes ma’am.” Addi went down the hall and I pushed through the door to the breakroom.
A broad man stepped in front of her. “Sorry, miss,” he said gruffly, “No fans, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Fan?” Braelyn was confused. “I’m just trying to eat my cheese fries. They’re on the table. Right there.”
“I’m sorry, you have to go.” He began walking towards her in a way that forced her to back up and push through the door again. Back in the hall she looked around for help.
She saw it. “Tom! This guy won’t let me eat my cheese fries!”
“Oh, sorry, Braelyn.” A shorter balding man hurried over and addressed the man at the door. “This is Braelyn. She’s our normal stage act, she works here.”
The man looked down to the girl with the pissed look on her face and said, “Sorry, miss. I didn’t know.”
Braelyn was quick to forgive, it was probably one of her downfalls, but whatever. She broke into a smile. “That’s ok. Can I go eat my cheese fries now? I only have like five minutes until I go back on.”
“Absolutely.” The man stepped aside.
“I have to talk to you about that sweetheart,” Tom said following her into the room. “We’re gonna cut your last set a little short tonight.”
“Ohhh sadface,” Braelyn said, zeroing in on her cheese fries, she rushed to the table, hopped up on it and began eating. She turned to Tom. “Why? Are y’all closing early?”
“Not really. We’re fortunate enough to have gotten a second act tonight.”
“Oh sweet. Who? Anyone I know? Did Bret ever call you? He’s back from New York. I gave him your number-“
“I’m not sure if you know them.” Tom was looking to someone behind her.
Braelyn looked at him confused. Then she turned around. She nearly dropped the plate of fries she was devouring. “Oh my grapes.”
“I take it you know them.” Tom said, a smirk in his voice. Braelyn silently nodded. She couldn’t form words. “Well, Braelyn Porter, this is the band playing here tonight. My Chemical Romance. Gerard, Mikey, Ray, Bob, and Frank, this is Braelyn.
They all called out greetings. In a small voice Braelyn said, “Hi.” She turned back to Tom and simply asked “How?”
Frank jumped in. “When we were here a couple of years ago for EdgeFest, we came here after the show. Tom and Marissa were really cool to us.”
“They always visit when they’re in town,” Tom continued.
“Tonight we’re doing a secret show kind of thing,” Frank added. “I’m pumped.”
“We’re all pumped, Frankie,” Mikey said, ruffling the other boy’s hair.
Braelyn had finally found her voice. “That’s awesome.”
“Well I’ll let y’all get ready. Braelyn, if I don’t see you later, you’re still coming to brunch tomorrow, right?”
“As always. Tom.” She beamed at him. Sunday Brunch at the Rover was a tradition for most of the regulars.
He nodded, kissed her cheek and said, “You were great earlier by the way. Keep it up.”
“Yes sir,” she responded as he left the room.
The room was immediately quiet. After a few seconds, Frank’s voice cut the silence. “Awk-ward.”
Braelyn laughed nervously, “Only a little.”
“So how do you know Tom and Marissa?” Ray asked. “Besides working for them.”
Braelyn’s brown eyes turned somber, “They saved my life.” She said it matter-of-factly and she didn’t elaborate. They didn’t ask anymore questions. She returned to her cheese fries. After she finished she sipped on her drink and asked, “How many songs are y’all playing? I love your stuff, by the way.”
“Oh, thanks,” Gerard gave her a half smile. “We’re probably only going play a few songs. Five or six.”
“They’ll eat it up, I’m sure.” Braelyn set down her drink and hopped back off the table. “It was awesome to meet y’all, but I gotta get back out there and, you know, play and stuff.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Bob said.
“Have a good show!” Frank exclaimed, hugging her.
She hugged him back, giggling, “Thanks. Y’all too.”
She pushed back out the door, went down the hall, and jumped back up on stage. “Hey everyone,” she said as she sat back on her stool and retuned her guitar. She looked to the bar, “Any requests, Gemma?”
Gemma ran up on stage with a piece of paper.
“Oh they’re good tonight. Let’s get started then.” She looked at the first one. She smiled and said to the audience, “I see the Capt’n is here.”
“You know it, dollface,” came a drunken shout from the bar.
“Alright, we’ll start out with his favorite then.” She paused, made sure she had the right chord, and then began singing.
Two days past eighteen
He was waitin for the bus in his Army greens
Sat down in a booth in a café there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair.
She finished that song and then sang Piano Man, another bar favorite. Someone requested Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid. Then there was another slew of favorites: Sweet Caroline, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Hallelujah, and Sweetness. She saw My Chemical Romance and Tom in the doorway that led to the hall to the break room and kitchen. He was holding up one finger, telling her she had one song left. “So everyone, this is my last song tonight. Tom and Marissa have a special surprise for all of you. You have thirty seconds to make a request before I play P!nk.”
The crowd groaned, as she knew they would, as they scrambled for song titles. She had to turn a few of them down simply because she didn’t know them. Then someone shouted “DISENCHANTED!”
“Disenchanted,” Braelyn said, intrigued. “By My Chemical Romance?”
A shouted “YES!” made it’s way up to her. She discreetly looked to Tom, who looked to the band. After a few seconds of whispering, they nodded. Tom gave Braelyn the thumbs up. She gulped. She did covers all the time. She even did their stuff. It wasn’t bad, actually it was some of her favorite stuff to play. But to play it in front of them? That was a lot. Like a lot a lot. She had been sitting silent for a few moments. Tom was frantically waving at her trying to get her to play. She swallowed hard again. “Alright. Disenchanted. You’ve got it, good sir.”
Well I was there on the day
They sold the cars for the queen
And when the lights all went out
We watched our lives on the screen
I hate the ending myself
But it started with an all right scene.
It was the roar of the crowd
That gave me heartache to sing
It was a lie when they smiled
And said, “You won’t feel a thing”
And as we ran from the cops
We laughed so hard it would sting
Yeah yeah, oh
If I’m so wrong
She was surprised to hear a miced voice echo “So wrong, so wrong.”
How can you listen all night long?
This time she looked around the room for the other voice. She saw it. Gerard had a mic and was making his way toward the stage singing “Night long, night long”
It was causing a pretty raucous stir in the crowd. Starting from the back of the house. Braelyn kept singing.
How will it matter after I’m gone?
Because you never learned a goddamned thing
The other members of the band must have skirted around the perimeter unnoticed, because they began to play their respective instruments, much to Braelyn’s surprise, as she continued to sing, Gerard journeying through the crowd, singing echoes and harmony to Braelyn’s lead. Inside she was freaking out. This was spectacular. It was all she could do to keep playing and singing on key.
You’re just a sad song with nothing to say
About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay
And if you think that I’m wrong
This never meant nothing to you
I spent my high school career
Spit on and shoved to agree
So I could watch all my heroes
Sell a car on TV
We’ve got the obvious team
We’ll show ‘em what we all mean
Yeah yeah, oh
She continued the song as Gerard worked his way up to the stage. When he finally made it, Braelyn stood up from her stool and went to leave the stage. Gerard beckoned her to stay and sing. She set her guitar down and walked back to her mic still standing center stage and next to him.
So go, go away, just go, run away
But where did you run to?
And where did you hide?
Go find another way, but you pay
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa
You’re just a sad song with nothing to say
About a life long wait for a hospital stay
And if you thing that I’m wrong
This never meant nothing to you, come on
You’re just a sad song with nothing to say
About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay
And if you thing that I’m wrong
This never meant nothing to you
At all, at all, at all
The song ended to thunderous applause. Gerard gestured to Braelyn as if it were all her doing. Her confident stage persona took over again and she grabbed her mic from its stand. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Unfortunately, that’s the end of my set. Although I suspect more important things are on your mind at the moment. As I promised earlier, a little surprise from Tom and Marissa. Here they are. My Chemical Romance!”
She pranced off stage as they started another song. After a quick trip to the break room to finish her now cold cheese fries, Braelyn went back into the house to catch the end of the set. She edged along the outside of the room, making her way toward the bar where she knew her regular seat would be waiting. She slid into it, between the Capt’n and Serena, another regular.
“You were great tonight, as usual dollface,” the Capt’n slurred next to her. He raised two fingers to Gemma who promptly brought us drinks. “This round’s on me.”
“Thanks, Capt’n,” Braelyn said. She turned her attention to the stage where the band was playing their last song. Helena. When it was over, it was clear that they weren’t going make it off the stage without being mauled.
Gemma leaned over the bar to Braelyn and shouted, “Marissa says Code Crazy. She said Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Braelyn smiled, drained her drink, and nodded. She stood and pushed her way through the crowd back to the stage. The band was looking a little panicked now. “No worries,” she said to them, “We’ve got this.”
She took the mic from Gerard and nodded to Gemma at the bar. Into the mic she spoke, “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”
A/N: Hello all. I've never actually written for this category, but I've been reading for a while and I had this idea so I thought I'd give it a try. I know the premise is a little too perfect/coincidental/mary-sue/whatever, but I really really really like the direction it's going, so I figured I'd write it anyway. Ummmmm, so obviously, I don't own anything. The first song is "Saved the Best for Last" from my friend's band, Shorelines End, but since they don't exist anymore, I thought I could use it. There's "Traveling Solider" in there by the Dixie Chicks and of course "Disenchanted" by My Chem. K that's it. Hope you like it. Review and let me know what you think!
And I saved the best for last
And I refuse to be part of your past
And I keep holding on as you lead me along
I guess I'll see you around.
The crowd cheered. The bar was packed, which was atypical even for a Saturday night. The Rover wasn’t exactly the most popular place in Frisco and live music wasn’t really that big of a deal around here. But it was her favorite and she owed a lot to the owners, Marissa and Tom, so she always played when they needed someone. She leaned forward on her stool and spoke into the mic. “Thanks everyone. I hope you’re enjoying your night. I’m gonna take a quick break and then I’ll be back. As always if you have a request, let Gemma at the bar know. Also order the cheese fries. They will change your life. Serious.”
She unstrapped and put her guitar on a stand on the side of the stage. She then traipsed to the break room where her usual plate of cheese fries would be waiting with a Dr. Pepper. Tom and Marissa knew how to take care of her.
“Braelyn, phenomenal as usual,” Marissa said on her way out to the house.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Braelyn replied, skipping down the hall. She noticed a strange amount of official looking people in the hall. She pulled Addi, a waitress, aside. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” she replied, checking something on her order pad, “Someone’s here though. Tom was freakin earlier. Your fries are on the table, by the way.”
“Thanks, Addi!” Braelyn kissed the side of her friend’s face. “Have a good night, make good tips.”
“Sing bitchin songs.”
“Yes ma’am.” Addi went down the hall and I pushed through the door to the breakroom.
A broad man stepped in front of her. “Sorry, miss,” he said gruffly, “No fans, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Fan?” Braelyn was confused. “I’m just trying to eat my cheese fries. They’re on the table. Right there.”
“I’m sorry, you have to go.” He began walking towards her in a way that forced her to back up and push through the door again. Back in the hall she looked around for help.
She saw it. “Tom! This guy won’t let me eat my cheese fries!”
“Oh, sorry, Braelyn.” A shorter balding man hurried over and addressed the man at the door. “This is Braelyn. She’s our normal stage act, she works here.”
The man looked down to the girl with the pissed look on her face and said, “Sorry, miss. I didn’t know.”
Braelyn was quick to forgive, it was probably one of her downfalls, but whatever. She broke into a smile. “That’s ok. Can I go eat my cheese fries now? I only have like five minutes until I go back on.”
“Absolutely.” The man stepped aside.
“I have to talk to you about that sweetheart,” Tom said following her into the room. “We’re gonna cut your last set a little short tonight.”
“Ohhh sadface,” Braelyn said, zeroing in on her cheese fries, she rushed to the table, hopped up on it and began eating. She turned to Tom. “Why? Are y’all closing early?”
“Not really. We’re fortunate enough to have gotten a second act tonight.”
“Oh sweet. Who? Anyone I know? Did Bret ever call you? He’s back from New York. I gave him your number-“
“I’m not sure if you know them.” Tom was looking to someone behind her.
Braelyn looked at him confused. Then she turned around. She nearly dropped the plate of fries she was devouring. “Oh my grapes.”
“I take it you know them.” Tom said, a smirk in his voice. Braelyn silently nodded. She couldn’t form words. “Well, Braelyn Porter, this is the band playing here tonight. My Chemical Romance. Gerard, Mikey, Ray, Bob, and Frank, this is Braelyn.
They all called out greetings. In a small voice Braelyn said, “Hi.” She turned back to Tom and simply asked “How?”
Frank jumped in. “When we were here a couple of years ago for EdgeFest, we came here after the show. Tom and Marissa were really cool to us.”
“They always visit when they’re in town,” Tom continued.
“Tonight we’re doing a secret show kind of thing,” Frank added. “I’m pumped.”
“We’re all pumped, Frankie,” Mikey said, ruffling the other boy’s hair.
Braelyn had finally found her voice. “That’s awesome.”
“Well I’ll let y’all get ready. Braelyn, if I don’t see you later, you’re still coming to brunch tomorrow, right?”
“As always. Tom.” She beamed at him. Sunday Brunch at the Rover was a tradition for most of the regulars.
He nodded, kissed her cheek and said, “You were great earlier by the way. Keep it up.”
“Yes sir,” she responded as he left the room.
The room was immediately quiet. After a few seconds, Frank’s voice cut the silence. “Awk-ward.”
Braelyn laughed nervously, “Only a little.”
“So how do you know Tom and Marissa?” Ray asked. “Besides working for them.”
Braelyn’s brown eyes turned somber, “They saved my life.” She said it matter-of-factly and she didn’t elaborate. They didn’t ask anymore questions. She returned to her cheese fries. After she finished she sipped on her drink and asked, “How many songs are y’all playing? I love your stuff, by the way.”
“Oh, thanks,” Gerard gave her a half smile. “We’re probably only going play a few songs. Five or six.”
“They’ll eat it up, I’m sure.” Braelyn set down her drink and hopped back off the table. “It was awesome to meet y’all, but I gotta get back out there and, you know, play and stuff.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Bob said.
“Have a good show!” Frank exclaimed, hugging her.
She hugged him back, giggling, “Thanks. Y’all too.”
She pushed back out the door, went down the hall, and jumped back up on stage. “Hey everyone,” she said as she sat back on her stool and retuned her guitar. She looked to the bar, “Any requests, Gemma?”
Gemma ran up on stage with a piece of paper.
“Oh they’re good tonight. Let’s get started then.” She looked at the first one. She smiled and said to the audience, “I see the Capt’n is here.”
“You know it, dollface,” came a drunken shout from the bar.
“Alright, we’ll start out with his favorite then.” She paused, made sure she had the right chord, and then began singing.
Two days past eighteen
He was waitin for the bus in his Army greens
Sat down in a booth in a café there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair.
She finished that song and then sang Piano Man, another bar favorite. Someone requested Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid. Then there was another slew of favorites: Sweet Caroline, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Hallelujah, and Sweetness. She saw My Chemical Romance and Tom in the doorway that led to the hall to the break room and kitchen. He was holding up one finger, telling her she had one song left. “So everyone, this is my last song tonight. Tom and Marissa have a special surprise for all of you. You have thirty seconds to make a request before I play P!nk.”
The crowd groaned, as she knew they would, as they scrambled for song titles. She had to turn a few of them down simply because she didn’t know them. Then someone shouted “DISENCHANTED!”
“Disenchanted,” Braelyn said, intrigued. “By My Chemical Romance?”
A shouted “YES!” made it’s way up to her. She discreetly looked to Tom, who looked to the band. After a few seconds of whispering, they nodded. Tom gave Braelyn the thumbs up. She gulped. She did covers all the time. She even did their stuff. It wasn’t bad, actually it was some of her favorite stuff to play. But to play it in front of them? That was a lot. Like a lot a lot. She had been sitting silent for a few moments. Tom was frantically waving at her trying to get her to play. She swallowed hard again. “Alright. Disenchanted. You’ve got it, good sir.”
Well I was there on the day
They sold the cars for the queen
And when the lights all went out
We watched our lives on the screen
I hate the ending myself
But it started with an all right scene.
It was the roar of the crowd
That gave me heartache to sing
It was a lie when they smiled
And said, “You won’t feel a thing”
And as we ran from the cops
We laughed so hard it would sting
Yeah yeah, oh
If I’m so wrong
She was surprised to hear a miced voice echo “So wrong, so wrong.”
How can you listen all night long?
This time she looked around the room for the other voice. She saw it. Gerard had a mic and was making his way toward the stage singing “Night long, night long”
It was causing a pretty raucous stir in the crowd. Starting from the back of the house. Braelyn kept singing.
How will it matter after I’m gone?
Because you never learned a goddamned thing
The other members of the band must have skirted around the perimeter unnoticed, because they began to play their respective instruments, much to Braelyn’s surprise, as she continued to sing, Gerard journeying through the crowd, singing echoes and harmony to Braelyn’s lead. Inside she was freaking out. This was spectacular. It was all she could do to keep playing and singing on key.
You’re just a sad song with nothing to say
About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay
And if you think that I’m wrong
This never meant nothing to you
I spent my high school career
Spit on and shoved to agree
So I could watch all my heroes
Sell a car on TV
We’ve got the obvious team
We’ll show ‘em what we all mean
Yeah yeah, oh
She continued the song as Gerard worked his way up to the stage. When he finally made it, Braelyn stood up from her stool and went to leave the stage. Gerard beckoned her to stay and sing. She set her guitar down and walked back to her mic still standing center stage and next to him.
So go, go away, just go, run away
But where did you run to?
And where did you hide?
Go find another way, but you pay
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa
You’re just a sad song with nothing to say
About a life long wait for a hospital stay
And if you thing that I’m wrong
This never meant nothing to you, come on
You’re just a sad song with nothing to say
About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay
And if you thing that I’m wrong
This never meant nothing to you
At all, at all, at all
The song ended to thunderous applause. Gerard gestured to Braelyn as if it were all her doing. Her confident stage persona took over again and she grabbed her mic from its stand. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Unfortunately, that’s the end of my set. Although I suspect more important things are on your mind at the moment. As I promised earlier, a little surprise from Tom and Marissa. Here they are. My Chemical Romance!”
She pranced off stage as they started another song. After a quick trip to the break room to finish her now cold cheese fries, Braelyn went back into the house to catch the end of the set. She edged along the outside of the room, making her way toward the bar where she knew her regular seat would be waiting. She slid into it, between the Capt’n and Serena, another regular.
“You were great tonight, as usual dollface,” the Capt’n slurred next to her. He raised two fingers to Gemma who promptly brought us drinks. “This round’s on me.”
“Thanks, Capt’n,” Braelyn said. She turned her attention to the stage where the band was playing their last song. Helena. When it was over, it was clear that they weren’t going make it off the stage without being mauled.
Gemma leaned over the bar to Braelyn and shouted, “Marissa says Code Crazy. She said Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Braelyn smiled, drained her drink, and nodded. She stood and pushed her way through the crowd back to the stage. The band was looking a little panicked now. “No worries,” she said to them, “We’ve got this.”
She took the mic from Gerard and nodded to Gemma at the bar. Into the mic she spoke, “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”
A/N: Hello all. I've never actually written for this category, but I've been reading for a while and I had this idea so I thought I'd give it a try. I know the premise is a little too perfect/coincidental/mary-sue/whatever, but I really really really like the direction it's going, so I figured I'd write it anyway. Ummmmm, so obviously, I don't own anything. The first song is "Saved the Best for Last" from my friend's band, Shorelines End, but since they don't exist anymore, I thought I could use it. There's "Traveling Solider" in there by the Dixie Chicks and of course "Disenchanted" by My Chem. K that's it. Hope you like it. Review and let me know what you think!
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