Adolescent Foolishness (A Fearless Vampire Killers Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty

One Week Later...

[Shane's P.O.V.]

Fiddling with my camera, I refuse to meet anyone's worried gaze as we sit in the back garden, the sun hiding behind a thick blanket of grey clouds. I can hear Kier plucking away at his guitar, and Laurence singing softly as the pair practise All Hallows Evil, one of our songs for our new album, and Luke is hitting the ground with his drumsticks aimlessly...but I can still feel their troubled gazes burning holes in my head. Adjusting the lens, I lift the camera to my face, looking through it and seeing the three men that have been my friends for years staring back at me, all frowning.

"Did somebody die? Because you all look depressed." Surely they're not feeling as upset as I am about Drew staying in Bristol with Arys?

"We're not. We're worried." Laurence tells me softly. Kier's fingers stop moving across the fretboard, and Luke drops his drumsticks onto the grass, the pair nodding in agreement.

"Worried? About what? Why would you be worried?" I cock an eyebrow, feigning confusion, but a small part of me knows that I've been too obvious with my emotions.

"Since Drew decided he wanted to stay in Bristol for a while longer...well, you've gone all quiet and...upset, I guess. You're not the same." Laurence says.

"You're not the right Barrone." Kier sighs.

"Not the right Barrone?" I guess they're right though; Drew decided to stay in Bristol with Aryssandra little over a week ago, and since then nothing's been the same. Practise hasn't been the same without him, reading comics hasn't been the same without him, eating hasn't been the same without him, even sleeping hasn't been the same. I'm almost scared, realising how much I've relied on Drew to keep things normal and almost sane for me, I guess I've never noticed that until now, when he's not here.

"Think we should practise? I mean, it'll be hard without a bassist, but we can try." Luke suggests. Laurence and Kier nod, but I just shrug, setting my camera down on the sofa cushion beside me and taking my Stratocaster from its stand next to where I'm sat. Staring dead ahead of me at the red-painted wall, I quickly strum each steel string to check the guitar is in tune, fiddle with the D string's tuning key a little, and then dig a plectrum out of my pocket, looking towards the others. They've all readied themselves, Laurence sat ready to sing, Kier with his own guitar in hand, Luke sat in front of his drumkit in the corner, near the window. Nodding to signal that I'm ready, Kier and I begin the opening riff to All Hallows Evil, and Luke bashes down on his drums, breaking into our newest song quickly. Without a bassist, though...well, it doesn't sound right. It doesn't sound quite FVK at all.

Just as Kier takes his cue after Laurence to sing, my fingers slip, and I strum just a little too hard on the B string, and I hear an almighty twang, before pain shoots across the back of my right hand. I look down to see a thick scarlet line across the back of my pale, thin hand, but I don't feel much as I look down at it. Everyone else stops playing to see what's wrong, and then all of a sudden Laurence is dragging me by my wrist through to the kitchen, Luke and Kier in tow as the black-haired man quickly pulls out the first aid box from the cupboard under the sink and sits me down on the kitchen counter, attacking my bleeding hand with alcohol wipes and then fixing it up with bandages. I just stare down at my hand blankly, and Luke sighs.

"You're missing Drew, aren't you?" The bearded man asks. I nod.

"I think Barrone likes Wooly...that's why he's so upset about him staying in Bristol. Am I right?" Kier jokes, obviously trying to lighten the mood. I shrug, and Laurence shoots me a pointed look from behind his fringe as he wraps the bandage tight around my hand.

"I think you are, mate." Luke smiles, leaning back against the wall opposite me and crossing his arms over his chest, just as Kier has done.

"You're not. Neither of you are. I don't like him." I mumble. Laurence ties the bandage, smiling reassuringly at me, before stepping back and allowing me to drop down to the floor.