Shattered Dream (Raura)

Shard 2: Why Doesn't She Answer

Title: Shattered Dream
Shard 2: Why Doesn't She Answer
Original Post Date: 03/03/2014

March 6th, 2014 -- Glasgow, GB/UK

"Wakey . . . wakey. Come on now. Time to get up." Sleep slowly drained from his body as a light shaking radiated from his chest. Ross' eyelids slowly lifted, blinking away the last remnants of slumber. A bright and cheerful face filled his view.

"Hmmm, w h a t?" Confusion elongated his words.

"It's time to get up, sweetie." Stormie laughed at her son's aloofness. Ross rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.

"What time is it?" Ross lifted his head and looked around the room before plopping back down on the pillow with an "ugh". His body protested at the thought of getting up. Didn't he just go to sleep like an hour ago?

"It's noon. We let you sleep as long as we could. Come on. You've already missed breakfast. We need to have a bit of lunch then do a little sightseeing before heading to the theater for soundcheck." Stormie rose from the bed and walked over to the closet. She pulled out his suitcase and sat it upon the dresser. She walked over to the window and threw open the curtains, allowing the light of day to permeate the room.

The intrusive brightness brought a grimace to Ross' face. With a forced groan, he rolled his body to the edge and sat up to face the wall; his forgotten phone fell off his chest, landing beside his thigh with a faint thump. Ross quizzically looked at the object when memories of the night rushed forth. Picking it up quickly, he prayed that he would see something from her. But yet again, nothing greeted him. Fire rushed through his veins.

'Fine! If that's how she wants to play it.' Ross thought bitterly. His cell phone violently met the mattress once more. A hand washed over his face as he tried to pull away the disdain he felt.

Stormie peered at her son's back. His displeasure did not go unnoticed but she tried to disregard it. Ross wasn't always the happiest when first waking up. She goaded him into getting ready one last time before exiting the room to rejoin the others.

Once alone, Ross pushed away from the bed. One foot after another pulled his body towards the outside view. The hazy blue sky gave way to cobblestone buildings gleaming in the few sun rays that managed to tear through the clouds. Pedestrians went about their business on the streets below as life revolved around them. Cars whizzed by in a hurry to make their destination. Businesses greeted their patrons with open doors. The normalcy of this day mocked his mood. There was nothing normal about your best friend ignoring you. Ross reached up and grabbed handfuls of the material on either side of the window, pulling the heavy lined woolen fabric together with a grunt. The outside world would have to wait until he was ready to meet it.

The day clicked by slowly for Ross but after several hours of painstaking exploring, the band had finally arrived at the concert hall. Ross' mood had not improved during the day. He tried to ignore his phone but he just couldn't avoid its call to him. It wasn't as if he had no cell service. His phone was definitely lively all day yet it lacked the one item he desperately wanted to see. Something from Laura. Anything from Laura. But no. No missed calls, no missed texts, nothing. His fingers itched to reach out to her but his stubborn side soared. He had made the first and second move. Now it was her turn to make the next.

Ross glanced out among the sea of fans staring up at them on stage. Girls bounced up and down excitedly while raising their hands high in the air, hoping to be picked. Their faces so innocent and happy. Sounds that saturated the room died in a cloud of mist around him. Fear bubbled deep in his heart. The irritation he felt that morning was now replaced with worry. She would never be this mad. Their fight wasn't that bad. They had worse in the past and always made up promptly. Ross pulled his phone out of his pocket. He twirled and flipped the item, debating whether to check once again. He knew that only one side could win this argument.  Concern won out in the end.