21 Guns

Chapter 8

I decided to face my parents before mixing the song. I might as well get it over with. I had pretty much accepted the fact that my dreams weren't coming true anyway. The thought of missing out on the concert saddened me to say the least, but it honestly wasn't my decision anyway. I would most likely need to mix the song after I talked to them to contain my emotions. I walked upstairs and found them sitting on the couch.

"Hey." I said, accidentally letting my true emotions into my voice. I recovered quickly. "Look I'm sorry about how I overreacted-" I was cut off by my father.

"No, honey... I'm the one who overreacted. Look, I talked to your mother and we came to an agreement. You can go, even though I have a bad feeling about it... Just be careful, alright? And I want you to get ahold of us as much as possible." I felt my mouth drop open. I quickly shut it and gave him a hug. Pain seared through my body but I ignored it.

"THANK YOU!!! HOLY CRAP I'M GONNA SEE GREEN DAY AND MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!!!" I yelled, making sure that I was far enough away that I wouldn't bust his ear drum. He just shook his head and laughed at me. My mom got the next hug, and she was still laughing.

I was still full of energy an hour later, so I went back to my music room. I had a strong urge to mix my song that I had been working on earlier. I put on my headphones and started the process. I mixed it in record time, most likely because of the sudden burst of energy.

I called it "Inner Demons". Not only did I write it for myself, I also wrote it for anyone who had gone through (or was going through) tough times. No one really understood what it was like to go through something traumatic until they actually went through it. They would pretty much tell you to get over it because it had been a while since it happened. For anyone who has been told that, I have a word of advice for you. You need to do your best to ignore those comments. I know that everyone says that, but it is true. If they haven't been through it, they won't understand the pain that you feel, or how even the slightest sound could trigger a flashback. I've seen Katie and Dakota go through it first hand and I know that it is something that will never fully go away. Heck, I've been through it myself. Someone nearby set of some fireworks a couple of nights ago and for a minute I flashed back to the shooting, hearing gunshots instead of fireworks. Sure, you can try to move on- but the memory will always be there.

I shut the laptop, proud of the finished product, and realized how tired I was. I managed to make my way upstairs, and got myself ready for bed. I said goodnight to my parents and laid down on my bed. 30 seconds later I was asleep.

I woke up with a splitting headache. I must have slept too deeply. I got up and took the pain medication that I had been prescribed for my wounds and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a coffee and noticed that there was a package on the table with my name on it. I furrowed my eyebrows. I wasn't expecting anything in the mail... I opened it and saw a note on top. It was from the hospital. Oh God... What if something went wrong? What if I was dying after all? I read the note and breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing wrong with me, and I was living a long life as far as I knew... The note just said that there was something that they forgot to give me before I left. I didn't think that I had forgotten anything, so did they get the wrong person?

I understood when I saw what was in the box. It was the three bullets that had entered my body- only they were made into a necklace and earring set. I smiled and took them out. I looked closer and saw that the bullets had been engraved with a gorgeous calligraphy font. One of the earrings had "One, 21 guns, lay down your arms, give up the fight", the other said "One, 21 guns, throw up your arms, into the sky", and the necklace simply read "You and I". I loved them- I was definitely going to wear them to the concert! I put in the earrings and hooked the necklace around my neck before listening to my song once again. I always took a break from them and listened to them with a fresh mind. I made a few minor adjustments to it before heading upstairs.