Break Free

Chapter Twenty Three

Chester hadn't been spending a ton of time in his cage. He was already being let out more than Mike ever was. He didn't understand why. Scott wanted to eat with him, hang out around him, and do stuff together. It puzzled Chester but he was beginning to think Scott wasn't so bad, at least not towards him.

"Why haven't you been locking me in that cage?" Chester gained the courage to ask at breakfast. Scott allowed him to sleep in the guest bedroom last night, although he was handcuffed to the post.

"I enjoy your company." Scott shrugged.

"Well... You didn't even lock me in there last night." He reminded his owner.

"No, I didn't." Scott agreed. "Would you like me to lock you in there?"

"No, I'm just confused. I don't understand why you're being nice to me." Chester confessed and Scott smiled and stood up, coming towards him and giving him a hug. "I also don't understand the hugs."

"Even the baddest of the bad would hug you." Scott told him and paused for a moment. "I told you before you were my favorite. I'm giving Mike a break, I heard he was in the hospital after I gave him that DVD and envelope."

"Hospital?" Chester echoed worryingly, concerned tears already showing through his eyes.

"I didn't want to concern you but Mike had a seizure that was caused by stress. It happened right after he looked at the photos I sent him of you." Scott informed the younger vocalist and Scott wrapped his arms around him again to comfort Chester, who had tears coming down his face. "I mean to hurt Mike, you know? Not you. I have to hurt you to get back at Mike. Do you understand? I just hurt him a ton. I can give you both a little break."

"Okay." Chester muttered and Scott went back to his seat at the other end of the table.

"You know, you could be the talent that changes me, that makes me like Slash." Scott said quietly and Chester had to smile a little. He'd always have a little place in his heart for his first idol, plus that meant there was still hope and drove Chester to the conclusion that Scott may have some demons of his own. "Speaking of Slash, he and Ryan will be here soon. How are you and Ryan getting along?"

"Good, I think." Chester replied. Honestly, he felt strange around Ryan. The other boy had started treating him differently ever since Chester sang for him. The other guys in Dead by Sunrise had come over once but they didn't treat Chester like Ryan did. He praised the younger boy endlessly and although the others were nice, Ryan beat them all. Chester couldn't understand Ryan's kindness.

"Good, I'm glad to hear. He seems to really like you." Scott noticed after the first meeting between the two, that Ryan had gotten closer to Chester. It was obvious to Scott that the older boy had developed an interest in the vocalist. Scott just had to find out whether it was a friendly or romantic interest. 

"I'm not the only one who noticed than." Chester said with a small laugh. He wanted to feel okay around Scott but now it was just too awkward. 

"Mike better look out, Ryan might try to steal you away from him." He laughed and Chester shook his head.

"God, I'm so stupid." Chester muttered to himself. Scott suddenly grew serious and went to sit closer to him.

"Why do you say that?" 

"I knew you were trouble, I knew I shouldn't have gone to talk with you but I went anyway." Chester sighed, scolding himself.

"Hey, you're not stupid. Steve Aoki told me you were a huge fan of me and STP and that I was your idol. You were easily baited because of that, it wasn't because you were acting stupid." Scott comforted him, which was strange to Chester. He was so used to seeing him as the bad guy.

"It was still dumb of me." Chester insisted, earning a soft nudge to the head.

"Come on now, don't keep that up. Go take a shower and sit in the music room after, okay?" He asked and Chester nodded, excusing himself from the table and going to the bathroom. He was surprised that Scott was letting him do things on his own.

~

Alice in Chains, Metallica, Jane's Addiction, Nirvana, Soundgarden... They were only some of the few bands Chester loved that hung on the wall. He loved admiring them and could spend all the time in the world looking at the posters and vinyls. He walked over to an area full of signed items and he was totally in love with the room. He went to the Stone Temple Pilots section and picked up his personal favorite album, Purple.

"What're you looking at?" Ryan asked, coming out of no where. Chester turned and gave him a quick smile, raising the album up a little.

"My all time favorite album." Chester admitted with a chuckle, turning around and putting it pack. He went to the couch in the room and sat on down, Ryan taking a seat next to him.

"So Slash gave me copies of the songs you were writing and I'm really interested in a specific one. In the Darkness." Ryan explained and Chester slowly nodded. It was the most depressing song he's written in his notebook, he didn't really want to talk about it but if it meant helping this new band, he would. "What's it about? It's intense."

"Well... It's about my past really. It's hard to describe." He tried to wave the subject away but Ryan wasn't going to let go that easily.

"What happened in your past, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Uh, it started when my mom died of cancer. Before, I was being bullied but it just intensified. After that, my dad started to hurt me and my uncle did some bad things..." Chester hated explaining his past, especially with the part about his uncle. It was uncomfortable. Ryan caught the hint though and stopped asking him questions.

"I'm sorry, Chester. You don't deserve that. My step-dad beat me to a pulp. I get how that feels. My real dad died from a heart attack." Ryan explained and Chester had to relate to him. He understood a lot of the pain Chester had to go through. Between him and Toby, he didn't feel so alone. It was incredibly comforting.

"That shouldn't have happened to you." Chester told him softly and Ryan smiled.

"It's over now though. It is for you too. We're free." 

~

"Mike, you just got home, can't you settle down for a second? Come on and eat something." Phoenix urged his friend who just cried into Chester's shirt, which was a usual. He hadn't been eating since he went to the hospital. He went into the living room and curled onto the couch. Phoenix was about to say more but Steve put a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to back off. The former teacher put a blanket on Mike.

"Get some rest." He said and Mike sniffled but nodded, burying his face in Chester's small shirt.

"I... Miss... Him..." He croaked to himself between sobs. He missed Chester so much, it was agonizing. He just wanted him back and to make sure that he was okay. It hurt not knowing what was being done to him. The doctors had even saw his pain and gave him a medication to help him calm down but it wasn't even helping.

Mr. Aoki walked into the kitchen and saw Brad at the table, watching something on his phone while having his headphones in. His eyes widened and he took his headphones out and set them on the table as he stood up. He looked Steve in the eyes and quickly handed him his cellphone.

"You have to watch this..." He said and Steve pressed play on a video. It was a promotion ad for a band. Fort Minor.