okay, so....this is my first draft of the story i just finished for creative writing. it hasn't been worshopped yet, so its FAR from perfect. my roommates helped me with so much of it, and we've been really amused by it for the past few days, so i thought that i'd share it with all of you lovely people. if you read it, please be nice and comment. i don't usually expect people to do that, but when it's something like this i like to know who's seen it so that i can get feedback if i need it. hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful wonderful day (since its 12:44am)
aurevoir mes cheris! =)
ps: i apologize for the stupid white space, i'm too lazy to go through and delete them all. it's too long, and it's just how it pasted on here. stupid.
Everything's Falling
A light wind blew, rustling the changing leaves of late August. There were more people than usual in Central Park today taking advantage of the cool summer day. A family of four played with their new puppy, tossing the ball for it to retrieve. It stumbled over it's legs as it ran, making the children giggle.. A boy in his early twenties sat under the shade of the weeping cherry tree on the East side, strumming on his guitar. A younger girl aimed a high-tech zoom lens camera at the foliage above a couple.
"Lex, I just love being home," Brent said to his girlfriend.
Alexa squeezed Brent's hand. "Well, we love having you home. But it's your life. There's nothing you can do about it."
"I know. And sometimes I wonder, is that really how I want to live my life?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. It's just that when I have the opportunity to come home, even for a day, it makes me realize how much I took it for granted. I miss it. I miss spending everyday with you. And being home for my mom's home cooked dinner. And actually seeing my family on holidays. It just, sucks."
"Brent, you love what you do. You live for music. It's a small price to pay for being in the place that you are. You guys worked so hard to get to the point you're at right now." She stopped walking, and turned to face her boyfriend. "People all over the country love you. It's your dream. You are living your dream. Do you know how many people never get to do that?"
Brent sighed. He knew she was right, but that didn't change how he felt. "I miss being normal. I'm surprised I've gotten through a walk in the park without someone taking my picture or asking for my autograph."
Alexa pulled her boyfriend close. "I know, but what are you saying? Is there something you can even do about it?"
"I've been thinking about it for awhile, Lex. I just never said anything because I feel guilty about it. I just don't think that I can be apart of the band anymore. It's sucking everything out of me. It's not the life I want to live."
"Really, Brent? Are you really sure about it? You're going to affect a whole lot of people with your decision."
He kissed her forehead. "I'm sure babe. I'm just not so sure on how to tell the guys."
"Well," Alexa said, looking at her watch. "You better figure it out, because we should start walking to the theater now. You gotta be there in half an hour."
---
Wes sat on the 7 subway from his home in Queens. Excitement surged inside of him. He was on route to what could be the best show he had ever been a part of. There was nothing like playing a home show. The energy of a crowd that has been there through everything gives off the best kind of high. And to top it off, it was the last show of their tour. They were ending it with a bang at the Nokia Theater, one of the best venues in Manhattan, and he couldn't wait.
As an instinct, he drummed on his knee and bobbed his head, playing through their set list. The three days off had been great, but he couldn't wait to get back to it. He hadn't seen any of the guys, and he was sure they had so much to catch up on.
When the subway pulled into Grand Central, he grabbed onto the bar above his head and pulled himself up. He bounded out of the train, up the stairs, and towards the busy streets of Manhattan. He turned the corner out of the door fast and in his excitement ran straight into a girl about 15, wearing a bright green shirt.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Wes said, grabbing her shoulder to steady her.
"It's okay," she said smiling at him. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
He waved, and slowed down to a walk towards the venue.
---
"Wes is never going to speak to us again," Zack said. He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed, waiting for his bandmate's response.
"I know," Nate said. "I feel like a sneaky bastard."
"Well, you are. So am I."
Nate nodded. "There's nothing we can do about it though, man. It's just, not us anymore. We're going somewhere else."
"I know we have to do it, but it sucks we have to betray our best friends because of it."
"It'll take them sometime, but I think they'll understand it."
All of the tables inside the Quiznos where the two sat having their lunch were full, but Zack was more concerned with the line of people across the street. At least fifty girls were already standing outside of the venue they were performing at tonight, and it was over six hours before the doors would open. "Look at them all," he said, gesturing out the window. "They're all there for us. We're betraying them, too. Do you think they'll understand?"
"Probaby not," Nate said. "But within a month another pop rock band will have taken over, and most of them'll forget all about us."
"And some of them will stay with us."
"Absolutely. Man, you know bands split all the time and start their own things. The diehards will never leave our sides."
Zack took another bite of his sandwich. "What do you think Brent's gonna say?" A little piece of lettuce shot out of his mouth and landed on the table. He grabbed a napkin, wiped it up, and shoved it behind the napkin holder.
"Nice," Nate said. "Honestly, I think Brent will be relieved. He's gonna be happy he gets to see the woman more often."
"You think he wants out, too?" Zack couldn't believe it.
"I don't know. I don't think he'd ever admit it to anyone, but I think he won't be upset."
"Hm, I don't know."
"He's gonna play drama queen like he always does. He'll pretend he's heartbroken, beg us to stay, and then go home and have sex with his girl without looking back."
Zack laughed. "I hope you're right. You sure you wanna tell them tonight?"
"Yeah." Nate took the last bite of his sandwich. "Tonight is going to be great man. Our last hurrah."
"Yeah," Zack said. He noticed two girls wandering around the seating area with their trays, searching for an empty spot. He stood up. "Hey," he said to them. "You guys can sit here. We're done."
"Thanks," the brunette said to them. "We appreciate it."
"No problem," Nate said, picking up his tray. "Have a nice day ladies."
The blonde giggled. "You too."
"That was fucking unbelievable," Wes said. He put his hands on the back of Brent's shoulders and pounded. "Amazing."
"Yeah," Brent said. He couldn't argue that it was the best show they'd ever played, but he also couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that swirled inside of him. He was not looking forwards to having the talk with the guys.
"Here she comes," Zack said, pointing to Alexa who was running up to them at full speed.
"Brace yourselves boys," Nate said.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Guys. That was amazing. I've never seen anything like it." Alexa jumped on Brent and wrapped her legs around him. She kissed him. "It was amazing."
"Thanks baby," Brent said. "It was pretty rad."
"Still feeling the same way?" She was so close, that when she spoke her breath tickled his earlobe. He nodded at her, but said nothing. She jumped off of him. "I'm gonna go mingle with some of the people I recognized in the crowd. You boys do your thing." She hugged each of the other guys, and blew Brent a kiss.
"She's a piece of work, man," Wes said, patting Brent on the back.
"Yeah she is," he said.
Zack noticed his tone. "What's up dude? Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah. I just," he hesitated for a moment. "I just really need to talk to you guys. I have something to get off my chest."
Zack and Nate exchanged glances. "I think we all have something to talk about," Nate said.
"I don't," Wes said, looking at the other guys. His words were quiet as his stomach turned over and the rush of the show disappeared. After traveling with these guys for almost three years, he could tell when something was wrong.
---
Brent grabbed a water bottle from the cooler that the venue provided for them, and looked around. Their dressing room was small, there was no where to run to after he dropped the news. He noticed a poster on the wall behind the cooler. It was for their show tonight. The picture that the publicist had chosen make them look so happy. At that time, they probably were. He ripped it off the wall and the room went silent. He turned around to see his 3 bandmates and best friends staring at him.
"What'd you do that for?" Wes said, breaking the silence.
Brent took a deep breath. "I want you guys to know that I love you. Really, I don't say it enough. You are my best friends. I never want to lose that."
"We love you too man," Nate said. He placed his hand on Zack's shoulder and squeezed. Maybe they wouldn't have to be the ones to break the news after all. "But what are you getting at?"
"I'm not happy anymore. This isn't how I want to live my life." No one said a word. Wes put his face in his hands and walked over to the couch. He plopped down and looked up at Brent, searching for a reason. Brent walked over and sat down next to him. He spoke directly to Wes. "I had so much fun while it lasted. We had some great times guys. Like, tonight was phenomenal. But, I can't do it anymore. It's draining the life out of me. I want to be something else."
Wes nodded in disbelief. "So, you're saying…no more band?"
Brent looked up at Nate and Zack, hoping for reassurance. They came and sat cross legged on the floor in front of the couch. "I'm saying, no more band for me. I don't know what you guys are doing. I don't expect you not to replace me. And don't think for a second that I won't be your number one fan."
Wes looked at Nate and Zack, who looked at each other. Someone had to say something.
"Actually," Zack said. "Nate and I have been talking…" he stopped, waiting for Nate to back him up.
"And we were thinking along the same lines. I mean, kinda."
"Oh my god," Wes said.
"Dude, we're not ganging up on you. It's not you," Nate said. He felt terrible. He knew how much the band meant to Wes. He had kept them together for this long.
"Oh my god." Wes looked back and fourth at his three friends and ex-bandmates, in disbelief. He had no other words.
"Wait, so, what do you guys mean by kinda?" Brent said. He was curious and surprised that the others were feeling the same way.
"We just, aren't feeling the music anymore," Zack said.
Nate nodded. "We've been working on some things kinda secretly. Gosh, it sounds awful to say out loud."
"Yeah, it really does, but it's not like that. We were just waiting for the right time to tell you."
"Which we just happened to decide was tonight."
"And then ol' Brenty boy here had to go and steal the spotlight as usual," Zack said, as he playfully slapped Brent on the chest.
"Oh, sorry man," Brent said. He was relieved. Zack and Nate had made this a lot easier on him than he thought it would. "You guys are sneaky bastards."
Zack pointed at Nate. "That's what he said!" The three laughed together, but Wes hadn't said a word.
"Can you say something dude?" Brent said, looking at Wes. "You're making me nervous."
"I just, don't…I don't get it," Wes said, shaking his head. "I thought we were all so happy doing this."
"We were while it lasted," Zack said, "but things change."
"Not for me. I'm not done. And neither are the hundreds of people that came to see us tonight. What about them? Did you even think about them for a second?" His voice was shaking as he spoke.
"We did," Nate said. "A lot. But it's not fair to the fans if we're all not truly into it, either. We won't be what they expect."
"That's true," Brent said. "Wes, think about all we've accomplished. We did so much, we saw so much. It's just time to let it go."
"Whatever," Wes said. He stood up, and grabbed his coat. "Can you guys pack up my stuff for me? I need to take a walk. That's the least you can do."
"Where are you going?" Nate said. "We need to figure out how we're going to break the news."
"I want nothing to do with breaking the news. It's not my decision. You guys deal with it." He walked out of the dressing room, and straight out of the back door to the venue.
About ten girls stood outside waiting for the band, and when Wes walked out they all came towards him. He put up his hand. "Girls, look. I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood right now. I don't mean to be a jerk, but I just need to be alone right now. I hope you enjoyed the show."
Some of the girls nodded. Some of their faces twisted in insult. But no one said anything. And for the first time, Wes didn't care.
---
Lora sat in front of her television, clenching the remote tightly between the palms of her hands. She channeled her energy forward, her eyes fixed on the screen, waiting impatiently for the commercial to be over.
She squealed in excitement along with the cheering fans in the studio when the TRL logo appeared. She would have given anything to be there right now.
"We're joined here today by one of the most quickly rising bands, Everything's Falling, as they retire their video for their most recent single "Shattered." We've also been told that they have a very important exclusive announcement for us. Please welcome Brent, Zack, Wes, and Nate, ladies and gentlemen, Everything's Falling!" The VJ, Damien's, voice poured out of the speakers.
The camera panned over the crowd before focusing on where the band was entering the studio. Everyone cheered. Lora didn't move a muscle except to breathe on her couch at home.
"Welcome boys," Damien said into the microphone. "It hasn't been too long since you were last here, has it?"
"No, I think we were here about 4 months ago, in May, right?" Zack said, looking at his bandmates to clarify.
"Yeah that sounds about right. Madonna was here, that's all I remember," Brent said. He laughed.
"Man, Madonna is hot," Zack said, agreeing with him.
"You guys would remember something like that," Damien said, joking back. "So guys, I hear you have some kind of exciting news for the public today."
"Yeah," Nate said. "We do. We figured, what better place to announce something than on TRL with like 50 million people watching."
"I don't know about 50 million, Nate." Damien laughed. Lora cracked a smile. He was so cute. "So, are you gonna give it to us now, or hold us in suspense."
The band looked at one another. Brent shrugged. "Now's fine."
"Okay," Damien said. "Let's have it."
"Go ahead, Wes," Zack said, putting his hand on his back. "You deserve it."
Lora shifted. She couldn't imagine what they had to say, and she was ready to hear it.
"Well," Wes said. He took a deep breath. "We've decided, with a lot of thought, that we're not going to continue together as a band any longer."
The TRL studio was silent. Lora stopped breathing for a moment, before a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Are you serious?" Damien said, surprised.
"Yeah," Brent said. "It's true. These two are going to most likely be going off and starting some other huge band that will be 10 times better than us." He pointed at Zack and Nate, who nodded.
"We hope to even come close to what we've accomplished together," Nate said. "And Brenty over here is going back to school. For journalism, no less."
"Funny," Brent said, "It'll be good to be on the other side of the tracks. A different perspective."
"Wow," Damien said. "I'm shocked. I, don't know what to say."
Lora had heard enough. She turned off the TV and threw the remote as hard as she could at the screen. She let out a huge scream of frustration and ran into her room.
She rummaged through her closet underneath a mess of dirty clothes and slip on sneakers for a shoebox covered in stickers and glitter glue. When she found it, she opened it. She stared into the box for a minute, her brown hair falling in front of her face. She walked over to her desk, grabbed a pair of scissors, and sat down in the middle of her room.
First, she took out a stack of pictures. She looked at them, reminiscing for a moment. Brent looked worried as he talked with his girlfriend. The trees above his head were casting such wonderful shadows across his face, and she wished that he had known she was taking pictures of him so that he could have smiled.
"Jerk," Lora said as she took the scissors to the picture and cut Brent out.
She moved on to a bright green shirt. She held it up to her face and breathed in deeply. She swore that she could still smell Wes on every inch of that t-shirt. Huge tears began to fall from her eyes. She couldn't control it. She stood up and opened her bedroom window. She tossed the shirt out of it, and watched as it fell 13 stories down to the sidewalk of Park Avenue. She turned her back on it with no remorse.
Lora was crying so hard that tears blurred her vision. Snot ran from her nose. She walked back to the box and took out a crumpled Quizno's napkin. She removed a dried piece of lettuce from the inside. Then, she blew her nose and threw it in the garbage along with her last memory of Everything's Falling.