Who Do You Love? Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench Fanfiction

Chapter 8: Bold

"Shh, she's waking up." I blink open my eyes, I'm not home. 

"Hello?" I sat up, my back aching. 

"Hey, just relax, you had an accident." My sister lightly pushed me back down. 

"Accident, did I pee my pants?" She laughed at me. 

"No, there was blood." I sat up quickly and tried to look and my back before two hands pushed me back down. "Relax, Arianna. Before I hurt you." She said with a little more sternness in her voice. I laid back down and looked around. I was in the dressing room? I think? 

"Am I... in the dressing room?" She nodded at me. 

"I knew if you woke up in a hospital that you would never talk to me again, so I made them come here." I rolled my eyes. My shoulder burned badly and my head was pounding. "The guys wanted to say thank you for not letting shit fall on them," she laughed. "Do you want to see them?"

I shrugged. "I guess so, I mean, I did kind of save not only them but all their equipment."

"And we're grateful." One of them said at the door. 

"Really gave me time to think, Sky." 

"You seriously kick ass." Another one said. I couldn't turn to look at them so I stared at the ceiling and pretended I could see them. 

"We'd be seriously lucky to have you on tour. That's a good idea, we should add you to our stagehands." I turned sharply at them, I couldn't even feel the pain because I was in so much shock. 

"Pardon me, what?" I started to sit up.

"Josh brought up that maybe we should add you to the tour. I mean, you've already done so much for us." I looked at Josh and he tilted his head down.

"Guys," I shifted towards them. 

"You don't have to answer right now." Josh said. "Just think about it." 

I stood up and crossed my arms, "I'm not too sure about this." 

"What else would you do?" Garrett said while entering the room. "This is exactly what you need."

"And don't you miss it?" Skyler followed up with.

"You would be paid fairly." One of the band members said.

"You would be taken care of." Another said. My head was spinning. They kept talking.

"And you could always-"

"Stop! Just everyone.. stop talking for a minute." I took a deep breath. "This is my decision, no one else's. I'm the one that's still in school. I'm the one that would be giving up my life here. Not any of you. So, please, just let me think." I walked out of the room. 

I've got to pick up better ways of coping with things besides walking away from them. I walked out on stage, something I don't get to do very often. I noticed my classmate sitting in the chairs in front of me. I walked back and forth just thinking about what they had said to me. Did I want to go back on tour? Did I want to risk all of this? Did I want to leave the few friends I had here? 

"Hey, Ari. Let's go home." Skyler said while putting her hand on my back. I nodded and her and walked back to the booth to grab my belongings. I gathered my bag and looked at the note I left on the table from Josh, a last second decision, but I grabbed it. I made eye contact with my sister and she walked towards me, together we walkout out the front doors. 

The quiet walk was enjoyable, cool breeze but still warm outside. I was admiring the day before Skyler started talking. "So, just hypothetically, if you took the job-"

"No, this isn't happening. We aren't discussing this. Just, I need to walk okay? Alone." I walked in the other direction. 

"Really? Ugh." I heard from behind me. 

Before I could think, I was back inside the auditorium. I walked down the long hallway towards the dressing rooms. Finally, I saw Josh.

"Hey, I was looking for you." I told him while tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. He looked a little puzzled at me.

"Looking for me? Am I in trouble?" I chuckled at him.

"No, I was more looking for someone to get dinner with. Tonight." 

"Oh, wait, you're? And me? Tonight?" He said while smiling.

"Yes," I laughed. "You and me, tonight. I mean, you and I, technically. Proper grammar.." I started rambling.

"Should I just pick you up?"

"Picking me up sounds great." I started walking away.

"Is 7 okay?" His voice echoing through the hallway. 

I yell back with my back turned, "7 is fine." I laughed.

The first days they were here, something happened between us. There's something there. It's my fault that nothing else has happened. It's also my abrasive attitude towards his kindness that probably made it seem like I wasn't interested. And, I'm not sure if I am. I do know that whenever it's just us, I don't feel stressed. I don't feel like every move that I make is being critiqued. I'm happy, or happier at least. I don't make bold moves, but I'm making them now.

This surge of motivation went through me, I wanted to do more bold things. I got home and pulled Skyler into the bathroom. 

"Let's cut my hair." I told her while holding a pair of scissors. 

"Let's?! What?! I'm not doing this. I'll gladly take you to the salon." I shook my head.

"No, I'm being bold." Her eyes widened at me as I held my long blonde hair for the last time. 

"I support you, but I don't trust you." She said pulling me out of the bathroom and dialing on her phone. "Hi, do you do walk-ins?.. Great, thank you!" She hung up and before I could ask, we were down the stairs. 

The sudden anxiety of sitting in a chair at the salon hit me. The adrenaline was wearing off, and my "boldness" was going down. I could see pieces of hair falling around me, and they weren't blonde anymore. Instead, it was a light brown color. When she turned me around, I didn't recognize myself, it was like looking at a more confident version of myself. My long blonde hair had transformed into brown, shoulder length hair in a matter of moments.  

"Holy shit, Ar. You look hot." My sister said from behind me. I couldn't stop looking and touching my hair. The anxiety was over, now I just didn't know if this wave of boldness would stop here. 

On the walk home, Skyler kept discussing my wardrobe for the evening. 

"I'm thinking lace, or silk."

"Lace or silk what?"

"Well,"

"No," I stopped her. "Absolutely, no. This is like our first, second, date. Besides, I think I know what I'm going to wear." 

She looked at me, "You know?" She asked while opening the door. I walked into my bedroom and took the black dress off the hanger and placed it on the bed. "Oh, I figured you would wear that to the show tomorrow."

"You clearly have never worked a show, Sky." She shrugged. 

"So, what are you waiting for?"  

The next hours were spent throwing around shoes, putting on makeup, and curling irons burning hands. After playing dress up, I was only minutes away from my first official date with Josh. 

"It's 7:02, he isn't coming." I said while unzipping my dress.

"Don't act so - stage manager-y, he's just-" There was a knock.

And I froze.