Saving Rose

Tacos, Tears, and Fame

I woke up to shouting. It sounded like boys, probably the guy living downstairs having another party. I hated having such a cheap, crappy apartment. My whole body was sore.

I opened my eyes, noticing the people talking in the tiny room in front of me. Suddenly, my memories rushed back. I had been attacked, and then Pierce The Veil had come. A man... in the alley... had attacked me.

Tony was playing guitar softly, while Vic sang. Mike, Jaime, and Kellin Quinn were all talking over each other. Jaime was jumping up and down on the couch... Whoa. This was... Strange.

I coughed, and 6 heads snapped in my direction. I gave a shy smile, which wasn't very stable. I wasn't about to get over the previous day's events. "Sorry I passed out on you guys..." I said, trying to get over the shock of being surrounded by some of my favorite musicians. What a dumb thing to say.

Vic rushed over, immediately, saying "No problem. How are you feeling?" I shrugged, which hurt, and tried to stand up unsuccessfully. I groaned in pain, falling back a little. Vic quickly leaned down and put his arm around my waist, picking me up gently, then carried me over to the couch, where he set me down between Jaime and Kellin. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed all of a sudden.

I took quick breaths, slightly excited that I was even this close to them all. "Hey, don't stop breathing or anything; we're only human," Kellin joked, obviously trying to make me feel better, and I smiled a little, leaning back. "So... I'm not, like, bothering or interrupting anyone, am I?" I asked nervously, not quite wanting to leave but not wanting to annoy the guys. They were probably really busy.

Jaime suddenly wrapped his arms around me. "Hey, we like having you here! Cheer up!" Jaime said, giggling. Someone was drunk.

"Tell us about yourself! What's your name? You probably know all of our names already... Right?" I nodded, then started telling them about myself. "Well, my name is Rose, Rose Ashton actually, and I'm 20. I, well, I'm actually freaking out just getting to talk to you guys... Because I wouldn't be here without all of you, honestly," I said, feeling insecure. Nobody had ever wanted to know about me before. I'm not really sure what to say...

"Awww, what made you so sad??" Vic said, genuinely concerned. Everyone here was really nice. They were really making me feel better already. No one ever actually realizes how nice these guys really are.

"Well, my parents died when I was 8, and nobody ever really... no one's even cared about me or been this nice to me before..." I said, trying not to cry and be all overly emotional. I just don't want to weird them out, although a few tears slip out, practically unnoticed.

"Oh. Well, we care about you, even though it sounds so cliche." Mike says, grinning. I nod, tired. Of a lot of things.

"You know, he was the one who found you, actually. He heard screaming, and took off. We were really worried about you; you didn't look too good," Vic said. Since they were so nice, I decided to trust them completely. After all they were my heroes, multiple times.

"I thought- I thought he was gonna... Gonna kill or kidnap or do something really...bad... To me..." I start, shuddering. "I was so scared! He-he tried to kiss me, then he started beating me..." I said, my voice weak and wobbly, and they all gave me sympathetic looks. I shivered, but not because of the temperature. I could've died.

"You'll be okay. I-We won't let anyone hurt you again." Jaime said softly, smiling at me.

I nodded, then suddenly started sobbing a little. Jaime pulled me close, into his warm body, and started rubbing my back slowly as my sobs turned to bawling. "I'm" hiccup "Probably" hiccup "Ruining" hiccup "Your" hiccup "Shirt!" I said, trying to slow my breaths. I shouldn't have worn any make up. I only wore it because I was excited for the concert, anyway.

"Shhhh, it's okay," Jaime said, stroking my hair gently, calming me down slightly.

"Hey, I gotta go talk to the tour instructor, and I think you" Kellin said, interrupting my crying, sounding a bit ashamed that he had to leave, pointing at Vic "need to go, too..."

Vic nodded, then stood up. He walked over to me as Jaime let go so Vic could hug me. "Our show's in a few hours, if you want to stay and watch. You can stay as long as you like, actually, if you talk it over with the guys. I'd even be okay with you touring with us, since we have an extra bunk. Jaime would like that!" Vic said, winking at Jaime, who blushed. I couldn't help but laugh quietly. That made Vic and Jaime smile. "Yeah, I hope you feel better. PTV told most of the other band people about you, so I bet some want to meet you, if you're up for it. We're all like a big, angry family. We're all here for you, Rose," Kellin said sweetly, and then waved goodbye, following Vic.

I slowly calmed down, pulling my knees up to my chest.

"You really could travel with us, if you want. We do need a merch girl..." Mike said suggestively, and Jaime's eyes lit up. I couldn't believe it. He has a total crush on me, and I have a total crush on him. Never thought this would happen... Or maybe I'm just imagining it. Yeah, probably my imagination.

"Yeah! As long as you like tacos, turtles, monkeys, and Harry Potter..." Tony said, trailing off. I smiled, knowing who liked what on his little list. These guys don't have to do much to make me feel instantly better, do they?

"Yep, I love Harry Potter, and the Lord of the Rings, and turtles and monkeys are cool. I like dinosaurs and turtles a lot. I love tacos, even though I'm, like, 0% Mexican!" I said, making the guys cheer. I was feeling a lot better already. "CAN WE KEEP HER???" Mike shouted, springing up, and I giggled. They were so immature.

"And... she laughs!" Tony cried out dramatically, making me laugh some more. These guys were awesome. Maybe I could stay with them... At least for a little while...