“Alright, so, Gem? Your crew, is it ready? Have you got the set ready?” Nigel was marching around backstage, giving instructions as the boys ran through a sound check outside. They were mid-verse with Heart Attack. The band wasn't ready yet so Micky was dealing with the band’s sound. “Where the fuck is Mandy!” Nigel roared. A few of the crew members flinched; he wasn't normally so rude.
“Jesus, our fucking back-up singers are gone.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Nigel, it’s alright, it’s just a rehearsals, one of many to-”
“IT’S A DRESS REHEARSEL, YOU CANT BOMB OUT ON A DRESS REHEARSEL!” Nigel shoved the girl aside and she stumbled into some spare mikes with a squeak. Joey sat out of everyone’s way, strumming on the borrowed guitar. Originally, it had been hers. Thanks to the fire, her guitar had been lost. Joey dropped her head lower and let her hand fall off of the strings. “’Ello?” Niall rounded the corner, looking a little bit flustered. Joey looked up at him and smiled. “Yes?”
“Oh, thank god it’s you. I thought I might have stumbled into Nigel by accident or something.” Niall ran to her side, settling on the drummers stool, frowning at his stubby fingers. “I hate it when people are in a bad mood.” Joey laughed humourlessly.
“I don’t know anyone that likes that.”
Niall shrugged, fiddling with his fingers. He had turned the headset away from his mouth so that what he was saying couldn’t be heard by anyone else. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing sound check?” Joey murmured, strumming on her guitar again. Niall snatched up another guitar and frowned at the pattern on the wood.
“Aren’t you supposed to be doing sound check?” He retorted. Joey shrugged and smiled at the profile of his face. He strummed on his guitar as well. “You know…I never was that fond of bass guitar.” Joey murmured. Niall looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Why’s that?” Joey smiled at her hands.
“Everyone tends to think. based on my appearance, that I like rock music, or heavy metal or something coarse. If I’m honest,” She leaned her head back to stare at the high ceiling. “,I think I’m more into alternative or…or pop.” Joey tilted her head to look at him. Niall parted his lips, the tune that he was playing stopped.
“But, bass still plays a role in all genres.” He raised an eyebrow and she closed her eyes with a soft smile before throwing the guitar from her shoulders and placing it gently on a speaker. She walked to Niall’s left, settling in front of the huge glittering black grand piano they were supposed to remove from the stage today. All they needed was a keyboard, not the gigantic classical instrument. She pressed a finger down on one of the glittering keys and the sound filled the cornered off portion of the stage.
“Regrets collect, like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments,
I can see no way, I can see no way…”
Someone was yelling backstage, but Niall nor was Joey paying attention. Niall was enraptured by this acoustic version of the popular song by the alternative group Florence + The Machine, and Joey was enraptured by the music, the sound, the feeling of the cool ebony and ivory beneath her fingers.
“And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself,
I like to keep my issues drawn.
It’s always darkest before the dawn-”
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Torment (One Direction Fan Fiction)
FanfictionJoey and her brother were doing okay. And then suddenly some goon named Hemp got involved and Joey's life was thrown out of balance. She had a modest life. Worked at a cute cafe, played the piano and sung in a small band. She even had relationships...
