Scratched

Thirty Five

THIRTY FIVE

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And we were back.

I couldn't tell you how good it felt to finally be getting back on tour for real. The little break had been nice. We had definitely needed it. We were worn down and tired, but with this break we were coming back into it hard. We were energized and ready to put on shows. I was sure that we would be tearing up the stage when we got there. I could hardly stand the drive, just waiting for the next time I could go out in front of all those people.

What made this show even bigger was that I had snagged a ticket for my father. He had insisted that he come to this one. He said that he had missed enough of my life, and that he didn't want to continue to miss it. So I got him a ticket and backstage passes. I couldn't wait to hear what he thought of it. When I had started playing and writing my own music he had always been far from my mind. I never considered him in what I wrote, but now that he was back I wondered what he would think of it all.

"So you're father is coming?"

I snapped out of my thoughts, glancing beside me to see Reed. I looked him over. It was probably the first time I had allowed myself to be in the same room as him for a while. I hadn't known what to say or do after everything. Things had just fallen where they did. He was just who he always way though. It was funny seeing everyone before show. We always sported our own look, but mine was always with much more effort. I always felt like I was in the dressing room for hours while they were in for about a minute.

I was wearing a Tom Petty cut off with fringes. It was very boho, and I found that I liked it. While my outfit wasn't overly complicated it was nice, showy. Reed's on the other hand wasn't. He was clad in a tie-dye shirt that formed an alien design, paired with torn blue jeans. It was one of the coolest shirt I had ever seen, but I wouldn't tell him that. Most the time his shirts either irritated me or confused me. I shook off the thought, focusing on what he had said to me. "Uh, yeah. It's going to be different," I said, having nothing better to say. I wasn't exactly sure what I thought either.

Reed nodded, taking a peek out of the curtain. I was waiting for my turn. They were sound testing and then I could go out there. "I thought everything was you know," he said vaguely, gesturing with his hands. I wasn't sure what he was implying, but luckily I didn't have to guess because he continued. "You said that he left, right? Doesn't it seem kind of odd that he shows up now of all times? He could have gotten hold of you at anytime. We live in a world where we can find anyone with a click of a button. It just seems strange."

I had been unsusre since the moment I had received the call from him, but I had wanted to be wrong. I knew everything Reed was saying made sense. I just hated to recognize it. I wanted him to be wrong. I wanted my father to actually want to be with me, and not because of who I am. "You don't really think that, do yu?" I asked him. He looked like he regretted bringing it up, but nodded slowly. My eyes dropped to the ground. "I guess I knew that. I just hoped... you know. It was stupid."

"There is nothing stupid about it."

"What is it then?" I demanded.