The Music Or The Misery (FOB FanFic)

Chapter 8

-Pete's POV-

A couple of weeks had passed since we first arrived here. The four of us even cracked out a few more songs, a couple without the help of Gabe and Alex and their stupid pieces of papers with the "titles that are meant to inspire us".

It felt good to be making music with my friends again, I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it. But it was terrible being away from my family. Sure, when I was playing music I didn't think about them, but at night they were all I could think about. Bronx was my everything and I would die if anything happened to him, especially because I wasn't there.

I was standing at the far side of the room, looking down at the city that was lively with people on their lunch breaks. I put my hand up to the window, longing to be down there with them. We hadn't left this building once since we came here.

Patrick joined my side and stood there for a little before asking in a child-like manner, "So...whatcha doin?"

I looked over at him and grinned, seeing a smile stretched across his face as he met my gaze. I shook my head and returned my attention outside. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" He slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Everything, I guess."

There was a moment of silence before Patrick disclosed, "Gabe talked to me this morning."

"Yeah? And what'd he say?"

"He said that Boss wants us to play tonight." I glanced over at him through the corner of my eye. "I guess we're playing at this place called The Hideout." The Hideout was this little bar I'd been to once or twice before, I used to go there all the time when I was younger.

"Are there going to be people there?"

"I don't know. But if we play loud enough, I'm sure someone will hear us."

"This is stupid," I muttered under my breath, "By the time we gather enough support from the other musicians and artists and whoever else is daring enough to join our side and break the law, the ban will already be set in stone and our efforts will be for nothing. We should just do it ourselves, it'll be much quicker and easier."

"Pete, that's not what we're here to do."

"Then what are we here to do?" I spun around and began walking away from him, towards the stage in the center of the room. "Sure, they told us it's because they need us to gain support to fight this ban. But whoever this Boss person is didn't need us to do that. I'm sure if they just said something, posted flyers or whatever, that they would get enough people for their little army on their own."

I jumped onto the stage, continuing my little speech, "Because we all want to play music again. We all want to draw pictures or watch movies again. It's not a matter of whether or not we want the ban gone. It's a matter of us - and I'm not talking about you and me, I'm talking about everyone - being too scared to do anything about it.

"Which brings me back to a question I had when we first came here: why us? Why'd they bring the four of us back together? To write a couple of shitty songs and rally the people, who for all we know won't even join our side?" I tipped over Patrick's microphone stand, attracting Joe and Andy's attention when it fell to the ground and a buzzing sounded over the speakers the mic was connected to.

"You know, this is fucking pointless!" I went on to say, grabbing one of Andy's cymbals and chucking it across the room. It crashed, a shrill sound reverberating as the golden disk spun in circles before settling on the ground. "We're not going to get anybody's support! We'd be better off doing it ourselves!" I took hold of my bass with both of my hands and raised it high in the air.

"PETE! NO!" My friends screamed, Andy and Joe getting up from the table they were sitting at and Patrick running over to me from the windows. But before any of them could reach me, I smashed the bass guitar on the stage, many many times. When the guitar was nothing but pieces, I discarded it to the side and wiped the sweat off of my forehead with the back of my wrist. My chest rose up and down rapidly as I caught my breath, Patrick, Joe, and Andy climbing onto the stage.

"What'd you do that for?" Joe inquired, looking up at me like I was crazy.

"Yeah? What were you thinking?" Patrick yelled at me.

I shook my head and pushed past everyone, escaping into my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and flopped down on my bed, grabbing one of the pillows and screaming into it.

*****

Knock knock knock

"Pete?"

I lowered the headphones I had covering my ears down to my neck and glanced over my shoulder, "Yeah?" The door clicked opened, and Alex peered inside.

"Are you ready to go?" He questioned, stepping into my room.

"Go where?" I retorted, setting the headphones aside and standing up from where I was sitting on the floor.

"Didn't Patrick tell you?" He walked over to me, "You guys are playing at The Hideout tonight. You'll be performing your new songs. Here are the clothes you're supposed to change into." He held out a neatly folded shirt and pair of pants, as well as a jacket.

I heaved a sigh and took the clothes into my possession, walking past him and across the room where I began to take off the clothes I was wearing and switch into the new ones.

"Patrick told me about what you did," Alex remarked, turning around to face me, "And what you said. About how you doubt you'll gain the support needed to take down the ban and that you'd be better off doing it yourself."

"We would," I mumbled, slipping the shirt over my head.

"I'd like to see you try," The singer tested me. I looked back at him. "Boss has put a lot of research into the mission and there's no way you'd succeed in taking the ban down on your own. Whether you plan on using violence or peaceful protest. It's not going to work. You need the people, Pete. It's the only way to get the president to realize his wrongdoing and repeal the act."

"Who is this Boss person anyways?" I turned around so I was facing him, "You and Gabe both keep saying 'Boss' this and 'Boss' that. Well who are they?"

"Pete, we already told you. They want to keep their identity a secret. For your safety and theirs."

"I don't care. Tell me who it is or I'm leaving," I threatened. His eyes widened. "Because I don't need this. I can live without the ban being lifted. I've got a family back at home and a bar that's been doing great ever since the ban was placed. So tell me who the fuck the person behind this is or I'm gone. And you'll never see me again."

Alex swallowed hard.