Battle Of The Bands

Chapter Twelve

Chad couldn't sleep and there was no good fanfics on Wattpad to read, so he got up and left their room. He wandered around until he found himself downstairs. He walked to the kitchen, looking for food. He looked through the cabinets and found Nutella. He grinned to himself as he grabbed a spoon. 

He ate the Nutella right out of the jar. "Nummy," he whispered, eating the rest of the jar. He threw it away and grabbed some napkins to cover the evidence. He walked out of the kitchen and wandered around yet again until he found the choir room. He walked in and turned on the lights, shutting the door in the process. 

He looked around and saw a filing cabinet that he didn't see the first time he was in here. He walked over to it and opened it. There was pads of paper and pencils in there. He grabbed one, getting a sudden inspiration. He ran back to the kitchen, sitting down at the table. Chad sharpened the pencil and touched the tip down on the white paper. His hand started moving, writing down words, phrases, lyrics as he poured his heart out. He finished and he looked over his work, reading it. 

(Leave)
It was a dark
Night when I learned
That they didn't want me.
I was only five.
I don't know why they
Didn't want me.

(Leave)
Why me?
(Ooh ooh ah)
Why can't you just leave my mind?
You are stuck there
Stuck in my thoughts, everyday
All night
I can't sleep 'cause of you
Why can't you just leave?
(Ooh ooh ah)

I was put in
This terrible place,
Bouncing from home to home
Where no one wanted me.
Then one rainy day
A family came in,
Wanting a little boy.
And that little boy was me.

(Leave) 
Why me?
(Ooh ooh ah)
Why can't you just leave my mind?
You are stuck there
Stuck in my thoughts, everyday
All night
I can't sleep 'cause of you
Why can't you just leave?
(Ooh ooh ah)

Why are you always on my mind?
(Ooh)
Why don't you just leave my mind
Like you left me?
(Ooh)
I don't need you two.
I have a new family
That loves me!
(Ah)

I don't need
You two haunting my mind.
I have a great family
And great friends
(Ooh ooh ah)
You two just left
And it made me
Wonder if it was my fault
But then I thought,
"How can it be my fault
When I did nothing?"
(Ooh ooh ah)
And now I know that
You leaving
Was the best thing
For me.
(Ah)

Chad was shocked. He had written that? He read it again, but this time, he hummed some notes with the words. He wrote the notes on the staff lines, adding some rests here and there as well. "Wow," he whispered, staring at his song. "What should I title it?"

He thought for a bit. "Leave," he said, writing it at the top of the page. He ripped the page out of the pad of paper, placing it back in the filing cabinet and ran back to his room. He got back in bed, placing the paper in one of his shoes. He closed his eyes, sleep finally overtaking him.
<><><>
Chad opened his eyes to see the boys surrounding something that Aaron was holding. He checked his shoe and found the song missing. "What do you have?" he asked frantically. He got out of bed and marched up to his friends, taking the piece of paper out of Aaron's hand. "Why do you have this?" 

He crumbled it up as Aaron said, "What is it?"

"Answer me," Chad said.

"I found it," Aaron said. 

"Is it true?" Bert asked quietly. Chad nodded slightly. 

"Why didn't you tell us?" James and Alexander said. 

Chad closed his eyes. He opened them again before whispering, "I couldn't."

A tear escaped from his eye, rolling down his cheek onto his blanket. "Chad, you know you can talk to us anything. We wouldn't judge you and we would accept you for anything," James said gently. They all sat down beside him. 

"Are you ready to tell us what happened?" Aaron asked. 

"Yeah," Chad said, taking a shuddering breath. "My parents left me when I was five. I have no idea where they went or why they left. I was sent to the orphanage and went to many homes that wouldn't take me in. Finally, the family that I have now wanted me. They actually wanted me!"

Chad choked up a bit and stopped talking for a minute. "That family is the one that I've lived with for ten years. The one you guys know and love," Chad said. "But one day, I was walking through town when a couple confronted me. They said they were my parents. They said that they were too young for me and wanted me back. I said no because they weren't there for my life and that I had a new family. They left and I haven't seen them since." 

"Oh my," Aaron said. 

"Why haven't you told us before?" Bert asked. "We would still love you the same."

Chad closed his eyes again. "I . . . don't know. I've always put it behind me even though it's stuck in my head," he said. 

"You still could've told us," Alex said. "We're your best friends!"

"You guys don't understand!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "I was a naive little boy. I would spend days at a time wonder, dreaming when they would come back! You guys have had your family all your life! You never had to wonder if you would get a family! You never had to wonder if the new family would leave you!" 

Chad broke down sobbing. His best friends comforted their hurting friend. Finally, Chad calmed down a bit. "But now I know that it was for the best. Now I have the best family I could ever ask for." 

"Thanks for sharing with us," Aaron said and the others agreed. 

"Now, you guys wanna practice some songs?" Chad said, wiping his tears away. 

"Sure," James said. "First, let me shower. I smell!"

They all laughed and started to get ready.