The Road (Sequel to 'The Way We Were') [Denis Stoff, Denis Shaforostov, Asking Alexandria]

1

Denis-

I took a deep breath before letting out a loud scream, causing the crowd to go insane as I thrashed around on stage, feeling so alive.

The response from the crowd at the festival was insane, we were playing for about two thousand to ten thousand people per day. I was living the dream.

Minus one part.

Six years later, at the age of twenty four, I stood on stage, an emptiness in my chest.

That emptiness was caused by a girl names Vivian Night, a quarter of my life ago.

Vivian was my first love, and I still hadn't gotten over her. Pathetic, I know.

Truthfully, I hadn't even tried.

I was now a one night stand kind of man, taking girls to have fun with at night, then leaving them on the side of the road crying the next morning.

In the moments I spent with those women all I could think about was Vivian. I chose girls to sleep with based on how alike they looked to her.

It was a very unhealthy thing.

As I performed it gave me time to think about how it used to be.

She used to stand sidestage, and kiss me when I got off of it. That was the way it belonged. But that wouldn't happen.

After that phone call six years ago I heard nothing from Vivian. Neither did the boys or Maddie. Yes, Maddie and James were still together and are now happily married as she works managing us.

I could only imagine the things she was doing, she was brilliant in every way, and she knew it too. I bet she was just as beautiful as she was as a teenager, if not even more so.

I was the cause of her breakup. I knew it.

Me leaving so often and not visiting reminded her of me leaving as a child, and also her father leaving her mother.

She had so many men leave her in her life that she couldn't take the stress of waiting for me anymore. It was all too much.

Through the years I had changed as well. I had many more tattoos, all inspired by life experiences, and many more stories from traveling the world.

I was no longer the boy that didn't do his assignments. Everything I committed to I followed through one hundred percent. And so did Cam, Sam, James, and Ben.

That was the reason for our huge success as a band, we never quit working. We were currently recording our music in New Jersey, where Ben and his wife lived. Also where I lived when we weren't touring.

Everybody in the band had their own place there for recording purposes, and everybody's significant others were always there while we recorded, which made me kinda lonely.

Sam had his wife, Britt. Ben had his wife, Samantha. James had Maddie always with him. And Cameron was in a serious relationship with Hayley.

Meanwhile here I was still sleeping with random women, trying to get over a girl who probably has completely forgotten about me.

As I played the show I began to climb some scaffolding, performing my heart out for the crowd.

I suddenly felt a bar slip, causing me to fall backwards, landing head first.

The world began to spin a bit and I touched behind my ear to feel blood.

I finished the set though, coming off stage and feeling a bit woozy.

"You alright man? I saw you take a spill out there." Ben laughed, shaking my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I chuckled.

I wasn't really. I felt dizzy and tired.

"You need to take him to the hospital." Maddie suddenly told Ben.

"Why? He said he's fine."

"Does the back of his head look like he is fine?" She said, spinning me around, almost knocking me over.

I reached back to feel even more blood.

Shit. I needed stitches.

Needles were my least favorite things in the world.

"While he is there get a concussion test as well." She instructed.

Ben nodded, grabbing my arm and handing me a towel.

"Come on buddy." He chuckled at my current clumsiness.

"I'll be fine. I just need to sleep it off." I tried convincing him.

"You need stitches Denis."

"You know I hate needles."

"They will numb you nicely. I'll make sure of it."

"You know what they use to numb you?" I asked.

"No, enlighten me Den Den." He laughed.

"They use a needle to numb you." I glared.

"Well then you will just have to stop being a pussy and suck it up."

"Can we just not go?" I pleaded.

"No. Now get in the taxi." He shoved me into the yellow cab.

"Ouch! Stop manhandling a crippled man." I joked.

"Oh I can do whatever I want. Hospital please." Ben instructed the cab driver, who nodded and began speeding off.

"So Den Den-"

"Don't call me that." I groaned. For some reason Ben had taken a liking to that nickname.

"Are you gonna cry like a baby when I doctor sticks a needle through your skull?" He chuckled.

"It won't go through my skull!"

He was trying to scare me.

"Maybe, but if the doctor fucks up, or there's a sudden emergency they could just leave the needle in your head for a bit." He smirked.

"Ben!" I scolded him.

"We are here."

We could have walked to the hospital. It was one block away from the venue.

"We really took a cab this far?" I raised my eyebrow as I got out with Ben.

"Yes, I didn't want to walk your woozy ass here."

"I'm fine Ben. Just a bit dizzy."

"Whatever lets get your ass inside." We entered the emergency room entrance, Ben checked me in since I was stumbling over words a bit.

I must have shaken my brain up a bit.

Note to self: no more climbing stage scaffolding.

They took us back to a room, telling us the doctor would be in shortly.

We sat there for an hour before I began to get impatient.

"Five more minutes and we leave." I tried to convince Ben.

"We leave when you get stitched up." He said, giving me a look.

"Ugh fine. But this is a ridiculously long wait to see some stupid doc-" I was cut off when the door opened, a woman looking down into a laptop coming in.

"I'm so sorry I made you all wait so long, I was on my way home and then they called me in for an emergency surgery." She explained, her head snapping up.

Her eyes widened as we locked gazes.

Vivian.

"Oh my god."

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A/N: I had to publish this now. I couldn't wait. I hope you all are going to enjoy this book as much as TWWW. Let me know what you think so far! ;)
- <3 Anon