FicWad

Chapter 14

The show that night was amazing. Seeing her boyfriend playing his heart out on stage again made Elaine smile. She always loved that he has such a passion for the music and his band, yet he’s so down to earth, sweet and caring, unlike most other rockstars you hear about.

After the show, Fall Out Boy and Elaine got onto their tour bus. Their next stop was Munich, Germany. Elaine had never been on a tour bus before and was exited to find out what it was like. Inside, there were bunk beds, televisions with DVD players, an Xbox, a Wii, a refrigerator stocked with all their favorite foods, couches, a bathroom, and just about anything you could think of. She couldn’t believe that all these things could possibly fit on a bus and was amazed by the sight.

“Wow!” Elaine said out loud. “This is incredible!”
“Yeah, isn’t it great?” said Andy
“Yeah, I’ve never seen a bus with so much stuff in in before.”
“Well welcome aboard! Feel free to enjoy the accommodations.”
“Thanks Andy. I will.”

She turned to Joe.

“So where am I going to sleep tonight?”
“Um, you could sleep in one of the bunk beds if that’s ok with you.”
“Oh that’s fine.”
“Ok. See, the thing about this bus is we have room for all this stuff, yet there’s still not enough room to sleep,” Joe laughed.
“Yeah, well that’s ok with me. It kinda reminds me of my dorming days when I was in college.”
“Yeah.”

Elaine and Joe walked into a more private space.

“You know, we’re going to have to talk about baby stuff soon,” Elaine said in a low voice.
“Yeah, maybe we could start talking now. There’s a lot that has to get done tomorrow.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“Ok the first thing that’s been on my mind is how are we going to take care of the baby once it’s born? I mean, with you constantly being away and all.”
“Well I was thinking maybe we’ll get a nanny for when I’m away or maybe your parents or my parents could help out if they don’t mind. Then in between tours, I’ll come home. But even when I’m on tour I’ll try to keep in touch with you and the baby as much as possible. I really want to be there even when I’m not there.”
“Well that sounds good. But I’m just afraid that I’ll hardly ever see you. I know you’re going to be busy but you know it’s going to be difficult without you, even with a nanny and our parents.”
“I know. It’s going to be difficult for me, too. But, maybe a few months after he/she is born, he/she could come with me on tour and maybe you could stop by every now and then if you can. That way it could be even. In other words, you could have the baby a few months at a time and I’ll have the baby other months and we’ll both have him in between those months.”
“I think that could work. But don’t you think it would be hard on the baby going back and forth like that?”
“Yes. I think you are right but there’s really not much else we can do.”

Elaine looked at the time on her cell phone. It was getting late. They decided to sleep on it for now, but there would be much more talk in the days to come.

The next morning, Joe and the guys stopped in Munich. They got ready for a series of TV and radio interviews before the concert that night. Elaine came along on all of them. She got to sit front row in the studio audiences, which she enjoyed, but at the same time felt slightly embarrassed that she was getting special treatment. But most people thought she was just a publicist or something anyway. It was apparent that the people there did not see that picture of her with her roommates and Joe, otherwise someone would’ve said something, Elaine thought.

The last interview was on a German music channel, much like MTV in the states. The interviewer was an attractive young woman, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She asked many questions about Fall Out Boy- there music, as well as their personal lives.

“So guys, all the girls here are dying to know, are you single or taken?” the tall, slender reporter eagerly asked.

The excitement of their young, female fans grew as they anticipated each members’ answer.

When it was Joe’s turn to respond, he was slightly nervous, especially since Elaine was sitting right in front of him. He didn’t want to give too much away about their relationship and he certainly didn’t want to mention her pregnancy. He knew that if he lied and said he wasn’t seeing anyone, he would have the girls all over him and that would greatly anger Elaine, but at the same time, he wanted to protect her privacy.

“I have a girlfriend,” Joe responded, trying not to make Elaine’s presence obvious.

But somehow the nosy interviewer knew that she was right there in the audience and was not shy about letting everyone in the audience know about it.

“And she’s right here in the front row!” she exclaimed as they pointed the camera directly in her face. Elaine forced a smile, as to seem not as embarrassed as she really was.

Joe also felt embarrassed and wished that he had told the backstage people not to do that before hand, but it was too late. Now thousands of German viewers, as well as the hundred hormonal teenage girls in the audience, knew who she was. Some were clapping and cheering for her, while others were bit more jealous and started booing loudly.

“Ok, ok, calm down everybody!” directed the TV personality.

Most of the audience complied, however, one girl was so offended by Elaine’s presence that she crumbled up a piece of paper that she tore out of her autograph notebook and threw it at the back of Elaine’s head. She was quickly taken away by security, but Elaine was so startled by this that her pregnancy hormones got to her and she began to cry on national television.

“Ok, um, I think it’s time to take a commercial break,” the host said nervously.

Everyone’s face froze in shock and embarrassment. All of Fall Out Boy felt so sorry for Elaine, especially Joe, who tried to console her during the commercials.

“Baby, I’m so sorry about what happened. I should have told them not to put the camera on you.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said between sobs. “I should have never came to the show in the first place!”
“Don’t say that, Elaine. There’s no reason for you not to be here. You’re a great person. Those girls are just jealous because you got to sit in the front row and they didn’t.”
“It’s not really about the girls, Joe. It’s just that… Vicky and Janice were right. It’s going to be so hard for me to stay out of the public eye. I mean, I know this is part of your job and all, but honey, I just don’t know how much I could take of this.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying maybe coming to Europe with you was a mistake!”

Their conversation was interrupted when the show went back on the air. Joe and the boys tried to force smiles as the cameras were put in their faces.

When the show was over, the boys and Elaine went back on their tour bus. Joe and Elaine walked into a private area to continue their conversation.

“What do you mean coming to Europe was a mistake? I thought talking about our baby was more important to you.”
“It is, but how are we going to raise a child with the paparazzi constantly following us and our pictures being shown everywhere. I just don’t think it’s very healthy.”
“But lots of celebs do it that way.”
“Yes, and what usually happens to them, Joe? Break ups. Custody battles. Public scrutiny. Joe, the pressure of the media could possibly tear us apart!”
“I think you’re thinking to far into this, Elaine. We’re not like those people. We actually care for each other. And besides, it’s not like I’m that famous. I’m just the lead guitarist.”
“Well I guess you’re right, but I still wish there was a better way for us to lay low for a while.”
“Don’t worry about it Elaine, we’ll figure out a way.”

He kissed her on the forehead.

“I have to go rehearse for tonight now. I’ll see you tonight?”
“I would love to go Joe, but after what happened today, I don’t think I want to be seen in public tonight.”

Joe was disappointed yet understanding.

“Ok, I understand. Bye baby.”
“Bye baby.”

With that, Joe left with the boys to rehearse for the concert.