Runaway

Chapter 1 - You In?

Andy was angry, he just couldn't wrap his head around it. The release of their album was supposed to be a good time, it wasn't supposed to be filled with miscommunication, heartache and rumours from reporters who didn't know for one second how hard they worked on this. He didn't understand how it was possible for his week to go from good-to-bad in a matter of days. He couldn't figure it out. He had done nothing wrong. Now he's sitting on his bed with his head between the palms of his hands trying to regulate his breathing. It couldn't be real. This was too much.

Miscommunication was what started it. The managers and labels had fucked them around. Releasing the album was something so quick and messy they hoped once it dropped it'd be all over. Then Andy's heart broke. Their hard work was wasted and he couldn't explain to his fans, his family, nothing. Everything he worked for was ruined. Then the rumours, those were Andy's favourites. Rumours that Andy was going to be a dad, rumours he was dead, gay, an alcoholic/drug addict, homeless and rumours that he never actually played bass, as if it were all fake and some ugly guy was backstage playing. Then the rumours that the album wasn't their own work came along.

No one got it, over the past 10 years everyone besides the boys and fans always acted as if they were stupid, as if they were irrelevant, as if their look, their persona, their music, was nothing but an act for fame or money. That was never what Andy originally had in his mind. All there was when he was 15 was Short Stack and his below average grades from school. He would've actually dropped out if he knew this was the future he would have had. Nothing about them was manufactured. They worked for this and they loved their fans with all their hearts. He usually wouldn't give a shit, but it was so much more than this. They spent over a year trying to perfect something, after Andy spent almost a year and a half hiding from the world wondering where to go from here. But now fans were starting to believe the things they heard, and Andy couldn't do anything to stop it. He was having a panic attack.

The rumour was that Short Stack took all their songs from a popular UK bands album and now they were getting taken to court.

In reality, their label sold their album to this band to remake before the boys even knew it happened. But the label are telling the media exactly what they wanted to hear. That Short Stack were phony musicians.

It was too much of a mess, their reputation was at its brink.

It was all going to be over. Andy's panic attack got worse.

After two years of Andy's life finally piecing together.

Short Stack were going to lose every inch of potential. It was going to be over.

They couldn't even say anything, they were told not to, and they were told if they said anything they would be completely dropped. Everything they've built, gone. They'd be on their feet with Part Time jobs whilst playing pub shows because that's all they could afford.

Shaun tried his hardest to fight. He always did, but Andy told him not to after hearing the consequences. Bradie was strategically trying to find a way to show evidence to the court. Shaun was the most optimistic, saying things like "Hey, it'd be nice to be that small Aussie band again"

But then what was the point? They worked so hard they didn't deserve to be pushed down like this. They didn't deserve to be kicked around when they did nothing but what they loved.

For once, Bradie was the one who took control over the situation so calmly, but when it came to Bradie, Shaun and Andy working together, it broke into a fight. Shaun and Andy's opinions were too unrealistic and askew. Both too optimistic and pessimistic. Bradie told them to leave him to sort this shit out, that they would be no help.

Which is why Andy was sitting on his bed, head between his hands trying to control his breathing. He had never felt this way in his life. He had no control. He felt like he was dying. He wanted his fans to know he loved them, that it would be okay, that all this shit is all bullshit. Short Stack write music, they don't steal it.

But he couldn't, because one word on social media would be the end of their career, Andy would lose Shaun and Bradie forever.

Andy breathed deeply, hearing his phone buzz loudly against his bedside table. His shaky hand picked up the phone and answered quickly seeing Shaun's name pop up.

"H-Hello?" Andy breath shook

"Hey, you alright?" Shaun wondered, Andy huffed

"Just spent the past 15 minutes having a panic attack" He admitted

"Honestly, me too" he laughed, Andy smiled

"So now what?" he wondered

"...Let's runaway from this bullshit" he proposed

Andy stayed quiet, running over what he said over and over again in his mind

"What about Bradie?" he wondered

"Fuck Bradie. He wants to deal with this on his own. You in?" Shaun wondered.

Andy took yet another deep breath, nodding "Of course"