Broken

Chapter Three

Chester's Point of View:

Imagine being soaked by the rain, cold and alone, from being ditched by your best friend at three in the morning. Not only that, but having to hitch-hike, knowing the next car that pulls over could be anyone. For all I knew, a serial killer or worse could be waiting for me, a little too willing to give me a ride. Thankfully, that wasn't the case when a kind woman stopped and asked if I needed a ride, who turned out to be a fan. She picked me up, knowing where I needed to go as she already had tickets, planning to attend the next show. As a thank you, I gifted her with two backstage passes, to which she wished me well and continued on.

Mike called me soon after I arrived, making me hesitant to answer, considering he didn't seem to have a care in the world about me until he probably woke up. I eventually decided to answer, as I still loved my best friend, no matter how he wronged me. He apologized profoundly, but I've had enough of people walking out on me and I'm not willing to allow it to happen again. It hurt so much more knowing it was my best friend.

After a brutal talk with Mike after the bus arrived at the venue, I retired to the bus, wanting to at least attempt to get some sleep. I was drained emotionally and felt somewhat numb to everything. I didn't even care that the others now knew Talinda and I aren't together anymore, but I had in mind that I couldn't keep up the charade forever.

I took a minute to change into something more comfortable, grabbing a blanket off my bunk. I crawled onto the couch, as it was far more cozier than my bed, and rested my head on the armrest. I was enjoying all the space I had all to myself, ready for my eyes to close and to drift off into a hopeful  and peaceful sleep, when the bus door opened and Mike entered. I groaned inwardly, knowing sleep will not be on it's way for a while longer and I'll have to talk to Mike.

"What do you want, Mike?" I asked softly, not wanting to be rude, but I truly wanted to rest my eyes for a while.

"I wanted to apologize," He sat down next to me after I sat up, giving up on the idea of resting.

"You've already done that," I reminded him, huffing. My eyes darted down to the ground as Mike scoots closer towards me and grasps my hand in his, filling me with confusion. I glanced back up at him, seeing he's already looking at me, causing our eyes connect.

"I know, but I didn't apologize the right way," He says gently, taking my other free hand into his. My eyes break contact and look to every corner in the bus to try to avoid his eyes. Remembering the scars on my wrist, I began attempting to break away from Mike, afraid that he'll notice them or feel the rough skin. His lets go, his hands meeting my face, forcing me to look at him.

"I already forgave you, Mike. Can you please let me go? I need to sleep before the show," I attempted to excuse myself from him. He sighed deeply, his eyes rolling to the ground for a moment, then looking back at me. His arms suddenly engulfed my body and pulled me closer to him. One hand was wrapped around my waist, the other was gently stroking my hair as his cheek was on top of my head.

"You're my best friend, Chester, and I love you. I love you more than you'll ever understand and I'm so sorry for leaving you behind back there. I promise I will never leave you like that again," His head lifted and kissed my forehead carefully, clearly uncertain about his actions. He got up and began leaving the bus. "Try to get some rest."

Mike smiled at me before taking his time to exit the bus, I could tell he was unsure about leaving. I sighed deeply, wishing he didn't apologize at all. I would have eventually forgotten about the situation all together anyway, his gesture just made me feel guilty. I felt I overreacted, but decided to let it go, as I needed to sleep. I rested back down on the couch and closed my eyes.

~

"Chester, your mother and I love you very much, but we don't love each other anymore, do you understand?"

"Yes, dad."

"Your mom is moving to a different city and we both decided you should stay with me most of the time."

"Okay."

"We still love you, son, this wasn't your fault."

~

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Don't worry, Chester, it's just a game. Trust me, it'll be fun."

"I don't like this game."

"You'll get used to it. You just need to relax a little, come here."

"I don't want to. Can I please go home?"

"No! Now get over here!"

"Ouch! Yo-you hit me!"

"Listen to what I say next time!"

~

"Look everyone! It's four eyes!"

"I bet he's anorexic, look at how small he is!"

"Look at the scars on his wrists!"

"Emo!"

"Oh my god, Chester Bennington is emo!"

"Freak!"

~

"Hey, kid. What do you want this time?"

"I need something harder."

"Cocaine isn't doing it for you anymore?"

"Not really."

"Alright, I hope you have enough money, kid. This habit gets pretty expensive."

"I know."

~

"Chester! Oh my god!"

"M-mom?"

"My poor baby! Oh my- 911? Please, I need help! My son overdosed!"

~

"Chester... Why did you do it?"

"I don't want to live anymore."

~

"Hey! Welcome to the band! I'm Mike!"

"Hi, um... I'm Chester."

"Don't worry, we don't bite."

"I-I'm not worried about anything."

~

"Chester, wake up," Mike's voice called through the bus, his footsteps getting closer. Tears were pouring down my cheeks and I was choking on my sobs. Mike saw me and his eyes widened. He quickly approached me and wrapped me in his arms. "Chester? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, shivering horribly.

"Was it a nightmare?" He asked softly, causing my eyes to widen. His tone makes me think that he's heard me having nightmares before.

"N-no," I lied, which wasn't actually a complete lie. They were all memories, but my memories are my worst nightmares.

"Don't lie to me, Chester. I know you have nightmares every night, I just didn't know when to confront you about it."

"I-I...." He shook his head before confusing me further by pressing his lips against mine for the very first time.