Hero

Chapter Four

To my surprise I didn't lose consciousness all together. I caught pieces of what happened like someone was flashing photographs in front of my eyes every few seconds. I saw Ronnie yell at everyone to back up. I saw him part the sea of people for security and a medical team to come through. I saw him stare blatantly at my legs in total shock.

I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed over and over to wake up in my bed to get ready to go to Warped Tour. I prayed this all be a dream. But it's not. The universe likes to personally come and kick me while I'm down, quiet literally.

I was whisked away be a crew of people and laid down on the grass just beside the stage. People asked me a plethora of questions and poked me all over until I sat up and pushed them all away ignoring my body's protest of stabbing pain everywhere. "Stop fucking touching me. I am fine." I glared at each individual person around me, including Josh, until they backed off and then my eyes landed on Ronnie who stood in front of me with an unreadable look plastered on his face.

I immediately clapped my hands over my face and fell back with a groan, "Hey." I heard him croak from in front of me.

I hesitated a moment but decided to respond, "hello". I peeked at him from in between my fingers and he flashed me a smile.

"You know how dangerous it is for a person with you disability to be in a crowd like that?"

"Dangerous? More like fucking awesome. I've never done that in my life."

His eyebrows crinkle together, "You could have died-"

"And I would have died happy. Look, thanks for the concern, but I'll live, trust me."

He shook his head at me, "can you stand."

He held his hand out to me and I took it without hesitation and he heaved me up which made me wobble and fall into his shoulder. "Sorry." I regained my balance.

"Don't be." He said with dark eyes, "look, I want you and your friend to go sit at my merch booth until the shows over. I can't have you walking around like this."

"Oh, that's not-"

"Yes, it is. Go, now. Ronnie's order." He winked at me, handed me off to Josh, and ran back to his set. As the security guards were leading us to the booth I heard Ronnie say to the crowd, "this next song is for that girl over there who came to this show, got trampled almost to death, and is walking away like nothing happened. You, ma'am, are one badass chick." I smiled a little but kept walking forward.

***

The merch booth wasn't too far away from the stage so we could still watch the rest show from under the tent. It was quite now, Josh probably felt too uncomfortable to say anything to me and I didn't want to talk anyways. What happened was something everyone could have guessed would. It wasn't much of a surprise, I mean look at me.

The show finally ended and I could see the crowd and boys hurrying to the booth for a signing. I turned to Josh now feeling to pure anxiety of meeting Ronnie, "What do I say to him?"

"You did fine before, you'll do fine now too." He said flatly. I turned away from him when he looked away from me.

It wasn't long until all the guys filed in under the tent and immediately started signing things for fans. I sat with Josh at the very end of the table and Ronnie sat just beside us. He pretended I wasn't there at first but I caught him peeping at me now and again until he finally spoke up.

"So, uh, what's your story?"

I sighed, "long that's what it is."

He laughed, "So you don't want to tell me about you? And your legs there?"

"I'm going to wait in the car." Josh pushed put of chair and stormed away

"And you don't want to tell me about that guy?" Ronnie said giving him a dirty look.

"Ah, yet another long story."

He signed someone's shirt and shook their hand, "I see. But what if I'm interested in listening to this long story that is, wait, what's you name?"

"Oh, it's Piper." I said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. So what is I'm interested in learning all about Piper. What would you say to that?"

I stared at him for a while although he's barely looked at me since he sat down in total awe that someone as amazing as Ronnie Radke wants to know my story. "Well, what if I'm reluctant to share?"

His head came up and he looked at me for the first time since I fell down, "Why would you be reluctant?"

"I don't even know you. I don't tell my own friends my whole story."

"Understood. But what if you get to know me and I you?"

"Well, in that circumstance I wouldn't mind filling you in. But you have to keep and open mind to my story. I don't want you to judge me."

"I wouldn't judge you."

I smiled but stood quite. I felt my phone vibrate in my bra, "oh excuse me." I answered it with an annoyed tone, "hello?"

"Piper we have to go. Tyler is too dehydrated to wait for you and that asshole to finish flirting." Josh spoke on the other line and hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

"Well then." I whispered to myself and turned back to Ronnie who was chatting with a fan, "I have to go my friend it sick. It was nice meeting you." I turned to leave and felt someone grab my arm. I looked up to see Ronnie and was genuinely surprised by how fast he got to me.

"Wait, at least let me sign something for you."

"Okay but hurry." He dragged me back to the table and pulled a photo and started to scribble on it. When he finished he capped the marker and shoved the photo into a an envelope and handed it too me.

He pulled me into an unexpected hug and whispered into my ear, "until next time, Piper" in a way that made the hair on the back of my neck prick up. The hug was over almost as soon as it started and Ronnie was back at the table talking to a fan. Alrighty then.

***

When I got back to the car Tyler was laid across the backseat with his feet on Josh's lap. Josh avoided my eyes at all cost. I walked around to the empty passenger seat beside Kate who gave me a look that said tell me everything. "Nothing happened. We just talked and he signed a picture for me. That's it."

"Right. Okay." I rolled my eyes, flipped on the music, and stared out the window until I drifted to sleep.

***

When I woke again I was on the couch in my apartment in the dark. Kate was either with Tyler or in her bed and judging by how sick he was. She was in her room. I looked over to the digital clock that hangs on out wall and it read barely one AM.

I sighed and stood up. All my things from Warped was sitting on the floor beside the couch. I smiled looking at the box. I decided I wanted to bring it to my room without any help.

After I got a good grip in it I lifted it and started to move slowly to my room. I lost my balance a couple times because I trip frequently over the stupid shoes I wear for show but I finally made it too my room and put the stuff on the floor.

I bent down and scooped up the envelope Ronnie gave me from the top of the box. I top ripped the top of it and pulled out the photo. In messy writing at the bottom out said, "call me when you get home. Piper :)" and he left his phone number below it.

My mouth feel open and I dropped the paper. My brain was flooded with thoughts but mostly why me? I looked up from the ground and into the mirror. Why would Ronnie want damaged goods? I took a step closer to the mirror and examined my strawberry blonde hair. My brown eyes full of shock traveled down my contoured face and full lips. Down my skinny body and to my metal prosthetic legs. Why would Ronnie want damaged goods.