This Pressure Is Overwhelming

Chapter 1

Dan's POV:

Someone was holding my wrist, GET OFF!

"Dan, wake up! Dan!"

I bolted up in my bed, hitting my head on the top bunk in the process. Oh yeah, we're in the bus.

I groaned and laid back down rubbing the spot that hit the bar on my forehead.

"Oh Dan," someone sighed beside me. To my left sat Kyle with his hands above me debating wither it was okay to touch me or if I was going to freak out again. I'll just play it cool.

"Oh hey Kyle, what's up?" Play it cool.

Kyle looked at me with a mix of shock and confusion. "What?" He shook his head. "Dan, are you okay?"

Once he said that I noticed the throbbing in my skull...and also my hands? I looked down, both my hands were bruised and I'm pretty sure my pointer isn't supposed to look that way. "I-I'm fine..." I trailed off.

"That's bull." Kyle stated. I looked at him with confusion and he seemed to catch on. "You were mumbling in your sleep and punching things, I know because I was in the bunk above you." Saying accusingly.

I gave him the best guilty look I could give, but with the pain added it looked more like a grimace. "Sorry." I said quietly, trying not to make eye contact with him.

He gave me a look between confusion and concern. "Come on," He said after a while. It wasn't a long time, just a couple seconds. "Let's clean you up."
He said pulling my by the sleeve. Like a lost puppy, I followed.

Five minutes later I was standing in the bathroom by myself, with new pajamas that weren't soaked with sweat, stairing at my reflection in the mirror.

It was kind of hard trying to get new clothes on with a deformed finger and a throbbing headache that seemed to be getting worst. The bruise on my forehead definitely wasn't getting better either. Instead of red, it was now turning a shade of blueish-purple that did not fit my skin tone.

A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts, also making me jump. "What are you doing in there? It's been ten minutes!"

Kyle asked from behind the door.
Ten minutes? That doesn't sound right, but surely enough thanks to the clock on the wall it read 2:18 A.M.

"Uhhh...nothing! I'll be out in a second!"

I splashed some water onto my face and gave one last look at my bruise ridden face then opened the door to a curious Kyle.

"What were you doing in there?"

"Nothing!" He gave me that look again. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Of course right when I said that I got really lightheaded.

"Whoa, you okay?" Kyle asked, steadying me with a hand on my shoulder.

I shoved his hand off, "I said I'm fine."

"Gosh, okay!" He scoffed and started walking away.

"Kyle wait!" I yelled/whispered frantically. No, don't leave.

He turned around with a confused look plastered on his face.

"I-I just, I just don't want to be alone right now." I stated quietly looking down at my bare feet.

He nodded. "Okay. Follow me then." And that I did.

We made it down stairs to the kitchen. I was sitting at the table. Kyle led me over to it, sat me down and said "Stay." like I was an animal, but nonetheless I did as he asked.

He was making tea and toast. I was going to tell him I wasn't hungry, but I felt like now wasn't the time.

Four minutes later he set what he made in front of me and more on the opposite side of the table, where he sat down.

We ate in silence, I hadn't realized how hungry I was. When was the last time I ate?

Kyle finished before me and was currently staring intently at me. I on the other hand was trying to avoid eye contact and was quietly sipping the last of my tea.

When I finished, Kyle got up and took the dishes to the sink, not bothering to do them.

He pulled up a chair next to me, "Let me see your forehead." I turned towards him.

He cautiously touched it with his figures and I flinched sharply, hissing at the contact.

"Sorry, I just need to see how bad it is. We might have to stop by a doctor just to be sure."

I shook my head, causing my head to pound even worse. "N-no, please no doctors. I'm fine!" I said unconvincing.

Kyle just sighed at my response and continued to look me over. When he got to my hands, specifically my figure, I started freaking out.

"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no."

"What?" He asked.

"My finger! How am I-" I ran the most uninjured hand through my hair. "I can't play the piano anymore! How are the fans going to react? How am I going to write new songs? What am I going to do?" I started hyperventilating. "What do I do Kyle?"

He sighed and pulled me close to him so I was resting my head on his collarbone. He ran one hand through my hair and the other rubbed my back. "It's fine. It will work itself out. It will be fine."

Continued saying words of comfort. "You need to breath, Dan. Come on, in and out." He started breathing with me. I hadn't even realized tears were leaking out of my eyes. This is embarrassing. But nonetheless I breathed with Kyle, one hand gripped his shirt tightly while the other hang limply by my side.

After a few more minutes my breathing started to calm down.

"Okay," He pushed me away from him, his hands gripping my shoulders forcing me to look at him. "Tomorrow we'll go to the doctors for your head and hand. We'll figure out how you can play the piano, I can probably pick up some cords, then we're going to do whatever the heck we want for the rest of the night, Will most likely already has something in mind. But right now, you are going to go upstairs and going to go back to sleep because I know for a fact, Dan, you need it."

I was pretty shocked, but crazily enough, I felt a lot better. "Thanks Kyle."

He smirked. "No problem."

I left him downstairs and went back to my bunk. Within moments of laying down, I was fast asleep, and my pain became oblivious to me.