FicWad

Hey people... sorry for a bit of a wait for this one. I would like to say thankies to lalollipop to the suggestions for this chapter.

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Running back on to the bus, with the rest of the band in tow, Brian was trying to think of all the places his niece would run to when Mikey piped up.

'We are still in driving distance of her old town... maybe she went to see her friend... that guy....Erm...'

'Joey' Brian knew what Mikey was talking about and went to see if Toni had by any chance left her phone behind. He searched through the small compartment at the end of her bunk and to his surprise it was sitting there on top of some random magazines.

'Okay she has got to one of the first females I have ever met to leave her cell phone behind.' Frank chirped to try and lighten the mood.

Brian scrolled down the contacts list to 'J' .

'I'm gonna phone him just to let him know.' He waited with baited breath until he heard a younger male voice at the other end of the line.

'Toni... is that you? Are you okay?'

'Erm no, this is her uncle... Brian.'

'Oh sorry sir.. Is everything okay?'

'Well not really... you see me and Toni were talking and she got real upset...'

'Did she tell you about her dad... I mean David?' Joey interrupted.

'No. it was about... hold on what about her dad?' Joey then knew he had made a bad mistake and tried to distract her uncle away from that topic.

'Oh nothing sir sorry... what were you going to say?'

'It was a misunderstanding over some motion sickness pills. She took our rental car and we think she is on her way over to your house. So if she shows up in the next half hour could you please phone us back on this number?.'

'Yeah, yeah of course I will.'

'Thanks. Bye.'
**

An hour later, Bob had phoned for another two rentals to be delivered to the bus. They decided that because they hadn't heard from Joey, they would rent two other cars so that it would be easier to look for Toni.

They had decided that Frank, Mikey and Ray would go in one car and Bob, Gerard and Brian would go in the other. And they could fight between themselves who was going to drive.
Just as they were on their way out of the small bus door, Toni's phone started to vibrate and flash in Brian's hands.

'Hello.'

'Hey, Mr Schechter... it's Joey.'

'Is she there? Is she okay?'

'No sir... she's not here.' Brian lost hope after the teenager on the other end said those three miserable words.

'...But I know where she is.' Brian scratched that last thought and frantically asked Joey where she was.

'A beach .... Down by the old South Harbour... do you know it?'

'Erm we passed some street signs today with that name. Do you know which part?'

'No sorry... when she called she sounded really torn up... and it's not, like her...but I really don't want her to do anything stupid. Just. Find her please.' Joey sounded as worried about her as Brian felt. He really was a good friend to his niece.

'We will. I call when we find her ok?'

'Ok. Bye.' And with that, the line went dead.

All the band looked up at their manager who still had Toni's cell in his hand.

'Do you know where she is?' Gerard asked as soon as Brian turned towards them.

'Kind of.' Were Brian's only words in response to the lead singer's question.

'You guys know where the South Harbour is?'

' Erm we've passed loads of signs for it.. It can't be that hard to find.' Bob was trying to figure out in his head where he had seen one of the signs.

'Ok... let's go.'

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Toni sat there under the white wooden framing of the harbour. Letting the sand slip into her shoes. She didn't really care all that much. She had called Joey from a payphone to tell him what happened, she just had to speak with someone she could trust. She thought that she could trust Mikey. But obviously she had been severely wrong about that. After all, he was the one that had told her uncle that he thought she was popping happy pills. She couldn't believe that she had been so stupid and let her guard down to someone she barely knew. And Frank! Well he had no right saying anything about her to Brian.
In that moment she had wished that she had been in the car with her parents the night they died. That way Brian would never of had to take her. He would still be happy and the band wouldn't have the time to worry about a stupid seventeen year old instead of their own lives. She hadn't noticed the first tears fall from her icy blue eyes, but was soon aware that she was crying. She didn't even really know why she was crying. She thought it would be better if she just disappeared in that moment. All the things that her father had said about her in the years before were true. She was just trouble and people would be better off without her.

She balled her hands into fists, punched the damp sand below her and screamed as loud as her lungs would allow.
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They exited the tour bus and headed over to the new cars. It was decided that Bob was going to drive one car while Frank was going to drive the other. Both cars followed the signs for 'South Harbour'. One car was going to go one way along the coast while the other car was going to go the other way.
About 15 minutes down the south side Mikey spotted the rental parked at the edge of the beach a couple of yards in from the main road. They pulled up, each band member frantically trying to get out of the small temporary vehicle as quickly as possible without tripping of crashing into one another . Mikey was the first one to reach the other car.

'She's not in there.' Mikey said out of breath and seriously close to an asthma attack.

'Let's check the beach.' Ray suggested while jogging past the panting bassist.

They continued down the sandy path in front of them. There was some white decking that finally lead onto a small jetty or something, and sitting under it was a lost looking seventeen year old. All three guys had spotted her at the same time and ran over to her as fast as they could. Frank being the first one to reach her.

'Hey... you had us worried.' He said approaching her. From where he was standing it was clear that she had been crying. He could see the shiny eyeliner trials on her pale cheeks in the equally pale moonlight. Toni said nothing, just kept on staring out at the ocean like she hadn't even noticed Frank, Ray or Mikey standing by her. Frank bent down on his knees so that he was at the same level as Toni. While Ray was on the phone to tell Brian and the others that they had found her. Frank reached over to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

'Oh my god you're freezing.' He said with concern in his voice while unzipping his hoodie and draping it over her shivering shoulders. The warmth was comforting to her in the cold night air. She turned her head to look at the three men for the first time.

'Why are you here?' She asked, her voice cracked and weak.

' We all came out looking for you.' Mikey piped up for the first time since regaining his breath.

'Why?' Was all she said with confusion written in her words and all over her face.

' We wanted to make sure you were okay, Brian and the others are on their way now.' Ray said now also kneeling at her side.

'Are you okay?' Frank asked unsure of himself. She said nothing once more. So he decided to fill in the silence.

'Look Toni... I'm really sorry... I was the one that thought you were taking something.... It's just I saw you taking the motion sickness pills... and I had no right to go and talk about it to someone else before talking to you about it. .... Can you forgive me for being a total asshole?' He asked this while sticking his lower lip out like a five year old and giving her the puppy dog eyes.
She caved at the sight an let a small giggle escape her chapped lips.

' I think I might be able to.' He gave her a warm smile and enveloped her in a hug. It was true she couldn't really hold a grudge towards people who were so nice to her. Even if it did creep her out a bit.

'Toni!' The shout came from behind where they were sitting. She looked up from Frank's shoulder and saw Brian and the other two frantically running towards her.
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Hey I hope you liked this bit it took me a wee while. But anywho..... Review please!!
xx