Here I Am Again || a Patty Walters Fic

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"No way out," I heard the lyrics to my favorite song playing in my ears as I woke up and rubbed my eyes. Having this song as my alarm every day is always nice. My favorite band, As It Is, always brings a smile to my face despite whatever clouds my head that day.

I woke up and did almost nothing before leaving for work; today was just one of those days. I turned on my playlist in my car after putting the key in the ignition and I was off to my job at the local music store.

The first part of my day is pretty much the same everyday. I teach guitar lessons and sell instruments. I love it, but I'm always excited for the middle of my work day. It's my lunch break where I can hang out in the break room and see my best friend who works here too. I'm super antisocial, but seeing her is always a good thing between lessons.

"Brandy!" I heard my best friend Regan call from across the break room.

"Oh my god," she says while sitting down at the table. "You will not believe what I just saw."

I took my earbuds out and looked at her in confusion.

"As It Is has a giveaway on their Instagram!" She exclaimed.

"Okay, I mean I'm pretty sure I own every piece of merch they've ever made, but what is it?" I questioned.

"No, miss super fan, you get to win a day with the band! All you have to is tweet them a picture of your presave of their album."

My jaw dropped. I looked down at my shirt and saw a graphic of their album, "Okay." I pulled out my phone and opened up Twitter. After tweeting them the preorder and an awkward selfie of myself in their shirt, I put my phone down and let out a deep breath.

"Holy shit," I thought of how cool it would be to meet my favorite band. "Who am I kidding? I would never win. So many people must be signing up for it," I turned towards the window, looking at the pouring rain outside.

"Oh, don't be that way," Regan said. "You never know."

"Thanks, you're right," I smiled. "I guess I'll find out eventually."

I finished up my break and went back to the lesson room. I taught the rest of my students for the day and left work.

When I got to my apartment and opened the door, my dog was at my feet in an instant.

"Hi baby, did you miss me?" I said sweetly.

She bumped my leg with her nose and whimpered. Right after, she turned her head towards my bedroom and walked that way, still crying. I decided to follow her, I just figured she knew my boyfriend was in there.

I got to the bedroom door and my dog's cry got worse as she looked at me then my closed bedroom door. I didn't remember closing it, but I didn't think much of it.

I opened the door and noticed my bedroom looked strangely empty. I walked out and through the rest of my apartment to find my boyfriend. I stopped in my tracks once I walked to the kitchen counter.

I found a note that read, "I can't do this anymore. Our fight last night was the last straw. I just can't believe that you really think you're ever gonna go anywhere in life if you keep playing music in this little city. I'm tired of pulling your weight and I want to be on my own again, go find someone else and don't try to stop me."

I suddenly felt every emotion possible in a matter of two seconds. I collapsed onto my couch and cried while my dog curled up on my lap. I passed out on the couch, hoping to never wake up.

The next week was dreadful. I could barely teach my lessons as I couldn't think straight, and my students kept asking what was wrong. Nothing was wrong; that was the answer every time, yet it wasn't true. That was the last thing I needed and it sent my brain spiraling down into an all new kind of sadness on top of the depression I already felt.

After about two weeks, I was doing a little better. I realized that living on my own couldn't be too bad, plus I still have my best friend and my job, so what could be that different?

I woke up for work and checked my phone.

"As It Is tweeted:
The giveaway winner will be announced today! Don't forget to sign up if you haven't, we can't wait to meet one of you guys!"

I got up and left for work after getting ready, and after my morning lessons, sat in the break room waiting for Regan. I felt my phone buzz a couple times but figured I'd ignore it since I heard her on her way in.

"Brandy, they announced the winner!" She said excitedly.

"Oh cool, I'm guessing it wasn't you?"

"No, they said they sent a dm to the person who won. I wasn't expecting for it to be me," she shrugged.

"Yeah, oh well," I sighed.

I picked up my phone my phone to play music and what I saw nearly paralyzed me. I was the winner. I started crying instantly when I saw the dm. Regan grabbed my phone and read the notification, hugging me right after.

"Oh my god, that's amazing Brandy!"

I've never been more short of breath in my life. I finally get to meet the band that made me who I am today.

I decided to open the notification; it said that a week from today they would fly me to LA for Warped Tour and I would get to hang out with them while they get ready for their show, watch their set from sidestage, and hang out with them for the rest of the day.

Regan read it too and smiled at me after.

"I'm so happy for you girl!" She said. "Have fun with that, I have to go to my next lesson."

I left for my lesson too, still in disbelief. I taught my student a scale as I smiled, still trying to catch my breath. I couldn't wait to get off of work to message them back.

Once I got home, I sat down immediately and typed to them how happy I was to see them and thanking them extensively. I knew it would be a long week of waiting.