Uproar

Chapter 36

Chester

Family Values was usually fun, with Korn being crazy as usual and the other bands being just as awesome, it was fun. But this tour, this tour was great.

I got to meet up with Static-X and Mike got Wayne to play guitar on a song he and Joe were working on. I talked more with Aaron and got to know Jonathan better. At one point, he sang on stage with us. I was becoming friends with Steph from Deftones too, we had hung out a lot at some point with Aaron.

Last week was amazing. I went in stage with my idol, with my favorite band. It was so dream-like.

After talking to Scott, we were becoming closer. He talked about his life, his family and how he was struggling with his heroine addiction. I told him everything too. From the time my parents split, Highshool, coming out to my family, meeting the band, dating Mike, Mike leaving me, leaving and then going back to Low Angeles, and even about Rob. I told him everything.

We sat together in a dressing room one night, talking.

"So you're saying your drummer pushed you away? And Mike found out?"

"Well he knows I slept with someone in the band, but he doesn't know it was Rob. He just calls me a slut all the time."

"I know you're not," Scott exhaled, the grey smoke billowing swiftly past his lips. "Its your way of escape."

He passed me the cigarette and I took a few puffs of it, handing it back to him. "They should understand that."

I nodded, my chest feeling heavy. "Yeah..."

I felt happy that Scott was able to understand this. I thought maybe he would be bothered that I dumped all this drama onto him, but he wasn't and he made the effort to talk to me.

"This Mike, has he said why he acts like this? I mean, he would know you tried stopping all the drug use just for him, and yourself, but how would he not see that?"

"I've given up on trying to explain what exactly happened. And it's something so stupid too. I guess he's stuck in his high school mind when it comes to this. It's ridiculous, he's held this grudge for nearly ten years."

Scott sighed and passed the cigarette to me again. I took it and took a drag. I gave it back and he spoke up. "Yeah, it is ridiculous. When it comes to this stuff, they don't wanna understand. They'll say it's your own fault for getting into drugs."

Scott looked away and exhaled smoke, tossing the butt into the ground and stomping it out, then pushed it away with his shoe. "Instead of helping you when you need it, they push you away."

I blinked. He totally understood everything. "Yeah...that's exactly it," I breathed.

Scott looked back at me and smiled, "I like this. How I got to know you. I mean, I never get this opportunity to get close to a fan, and this fan has an amazing band of his own!"

"Well not 'mine' exactly," I said quietly, "It's mostly Mike's, since he kinda runs things, in terms of recording and writing."

Scott nodded and then chuckled. "Well it may not be 'your' band, but you still have the chance to show the world your voice. And I'll tell you, you have a really beautiful, powerful voice."

I felt myself blush and he smiled again. "I'm glad that I met you."

***

"You have his number?" Joe shrieked, nearly dropping Rob's suit case. Rob glared at Joe and took the luggage from him, loading it into the bus himself.

"Yeah, we thought it be good to keep in touch," I sighed. I turned back to Dave. "Well anyways, he said it was nice meeting me and that he hopes to keep in touch. He's thinking of working on projects together."

"Dude," Dave grinned. 

"Oh, you weren't there, but Jonathan and one of his friends want to do a few design collaborations soon. I think the guy was in his previous band, like before Korn. Sexart I believe." I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. 

"I--What?" Dave giggled. "Dude everyone wants a piece of you!" 

I giggled back and then heard a slam. Everyone turned around to saw Mike closing and locking the luggage compartments of the bus. "I'll be inside," he grumbled. Everyone watched him quietly as he silently made his way into the bus.

"Chester pissed in Mike's cheerios again," I heard someone grumble. I sighed and leaned against the bus. Everyone was loading onto the vehicle, talking quietly.

"You coming?" Rob asked quietly. I nodded, trying to avoid looking up at he and Dave. 

"Yeah, give me a second."

I heard their shoes against the asphalt. I sighed. I thought everyone was gonna get along. But Mike always has to ruin it. I just want to get home and get away from everyone. There's only a few days we have off before we go back full-time in the studio.

***

Mike and Joe were in the back lounge working on more material. We had just a day before we're back in Los Angeles, so I knew they'd want to get as much done before we meet with Don.

Rob and I sat on the small built-in couch next to the table. I sat on his lap, my head resting against his shoulder. Dave and Brad eyes us, expecting one of us to say something.

"Well? What is this?" Brad asked, his arms crossing. I sighed, ignoring him and burying my face in his shirt. I felt Rob sigh too. I knew they wanted to know why we were in this position even though we avoided each other the best we could. I had stopped avoiding Rob, only for a while.

It was more of an act of comfort, like before; before everything went too far.  I needed some comfort again. Comfort that I couldn't exactly find in Dave. But I didn't feel like telling them that.

"Mike and Joe will flip of they see you like this," Dave spoke up. "They're onto you Ches. Onto me too."

"What I really wanna know here is why this all happened. Like Mike has a point, this is not what should be happening in the band. I mean, like look what happened between you and Mike! We don't need two people hating you." Brad shook his head, crossing his arms.

"It's not anything anymore Brad..." Rob muttered. I heard Dave's shoes shuffle and then warmth next to me. "I just do this to comfort him now."

"Okay, but isn't that what you did like before this escalated? I saw you two when we were recording the first album!"

I looked up at Brad, who hadn't let up his glare and his arms were still crossed. He opened his mouth to add something, but the door to the back lounge slid open and we could hear Mike and Joe arguing over something. Rob moved me off of him, making me sit next to him instead.

"Cumulus sounds too 'poppy' though," Mike insisted. "Program should stay in the stuff we show Don."

Joe groaned, "Mike come on. This next record doesn't need to sound exactly like Hybrid Theory."

Mike ignored him and grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard. "Whatever. We have a few hours before we get home and I want to get enough rest before we have the meeting."

Mike walked back into the lounge and Joe and Brad followed, leaving Rob and Dave alone with me.

Once the door slid shut, Dave sighed, "Knowing Brad, he's gonna want to talk about this more."