Now and Then- 𝓂𝒸𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓃

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃

"We were all very excited about the prospect of touring Scotland," says Paul. "We toured in May, but George and I's families, especially, were less than thrilled about us missing all that school."

"And how did the tour go over?" Michael asks.

Paul purses his lips. "It was quite the letdown. We toured in an old van, and because we had no percussion, I was our stand-in drummer. Besides that, Stuart, God rest 'is soul, was awful on bass." He sighs. "Our equipment was cheap, and we barely made a dime. And openin' for Johnny Gentle... we realized quickly that it wasn't the type of image we wanted to put out."

"I see," says Michael, glancing at his notes quickly, "What image did you want to put out, exactly?"

"Well, John and I spoke about it often," Paul remembers with a smile, "And we seemed to have the same opinion about that, as usual. We wanted a very distinct electric sound, combined with a bit of bluesy rock. And tourin' with Gentle like that did nothing for us."

"Hm, right. And after the tour?"

Paul's expression shifts to that of complete sincerity. "After the tour, I nearly gave it all up."

___________________________________________

Paul arrived home from the Scotland tour late at night.

John had offered to walk him home, as they'd all been dropped off at John and Stu's flat. Paul declined, as he and George were practically neighbors and would be fine walking the few blocks to their houses. Before Paul could leave, though, and after George was out the door and Stuart had gone to bed, John stopped him to speak with him.

John's hair had grown darker since Paul had first met him, fading into a dark ash-brown color that suit him very nicely. It was a mess, as they hadn't had access to proper amenities while touring, and his clothes were badly wrinkled. But he was smiling slightly, and seemed not to care about that too much.

"After all that, we're flat broke." John muttered, running a hand through his hair, leaning against the wall beside Paul.

"Are we?" Paul blinked at him, wondering how on earth they'd performed a whole tour without saving any money. "We can't be completely broke... can we?"

John grinned again, trying to make light of the situation. "We are." He nodded solemnly. "With the expenses of travellin' and all that, and the very measly sum of money that was allotted to us by Johnny Gentle, we're left with absolutely nothing."

Paul bit his lip. How on earth were they meant to proceed like this? It wasn't as if touring opportunities like this came about often. This had been their opportunity: and they'd blown it. "What could we 'ave done differently?"

"Well," John heaved a great sigh. "'Much as it pains me to say it, Stu's done nothin' for us." Paul's heart leapt when John spoke those words. He'd finally admitted it. "And as much as I love the man, I don' think we'll get anywhere so long as 'e's as bad as 'e is."

"Mhm," Paul mumbled, propping his fist beneath his chin, as if he hadn't been thinking that same thing since day one. "Well, I s'pose I can see where you're coming from."

"Oh, don't be daft with me, Paulie." John offered another little grin. "I know you've been thinkin' that ever since Stu joined the band." He shook his head. "Anyroad, I don't think we should fire 'im or anythin'. He's done far too much for the band to be kicked out."

"What should we do, then?" Paul asked, "I mean, we'll 'ave to do something, 'cause we can't keep goin' on like this when we've got no gigs and are flat broke."