21 Guns

Chapter 12

We all laughed at our synchronization. Billie, Tré, and Mike came forward for hugs first, followed by Gerard, Mikey, Frank, and Ray. Bob was nowhere to be seen, however. He must have been too shy or something. Each one of them was extremely gentle with me, probably scared they would crush where I was shot. The wounds were healed over, but they still hurt a bit sometimes.

"It's so nice to finally meet you guys! It's been a long wait!" I exclaimed. Looking back, I had thought about what I wanted to say, because I was so scared that I would say something stupid or cringe-worthy... Or something that would make them think I was crazy. The second I walked through the doors and saw them, it's like all of that fear went away, and the conversation just flowed easily. They asked us about our favourite songs, whether we played other instruments (my list shocked them to say the least), whether we were comfortable when in front of a crowd, (yeah... I shall get to that later) and complimented us on our outfits and new hair. When they asked if we wanted any pictures, or had anything to sign, Dakota and Katie passed them our t-shirts and the first cd of both band they ever bought while I opened up my guitar cases. I kept them in their cases so that they wouldn't get damaged. I actually made Katie and Dakota carry them while I carried their bags on our way here... I figured I was less likely to be recognized and bombarded with questions!. I think the new hair helped too! I handed them the electric guitar first then brought out the acoustic.

"Is that.. You know... The one?" Tré asked, referencing the guitar I had during the shooting. I don't think any of them really wanted to bring it up, but by then, we were used to being asked about it.

"Yeah, it's the one I played during the shooting... I was shocked when I woke up after having surgery and discovered that it didn't even have a scratch on it!" I explained, basically letting them know that I was fine with talking about the shooting. At that point, Frank burst out.

"How were you not scared? How could you even play? And how the heck did you two record it without bawling your eyes out?"

"FRANK!" Gerard, Mikey and Ray shouted.

"I'm just curious!" We chuckled and I answered the first two questions.

"No, it's fine, really! To be completely honest with you, I was scared, but I'm just super good at hiding it I guess! I wasn't scared for myself because I'm not afraid of death, but I knew that my classmates were. So I was more scared for them, if that makes any sense at all..." They looked shocked but I could tell that they were trying to hide it.

"As for playing, I get lost in music very easily. So I just didn't think about there being a gun to my head or the chance of being killed until the song was over and I started to say my goodbyes... Which were actually me trying to stall the gunman in hopes he would be caught." I explained. I looked between Katie and Dakota and they answered Frank's final question.

"Well, we were definitely crying, for sure!" Katie started and Dakota quickly nodded.

"For me, I guess I thought it would be the last time I would see Isabelle, so I wanted to have those last few moments recorded... I stopped filming before she was shot because I wanted the last few moments on camera to be her while she was alive, not dead on the floor with blood pooled around her." Katie finished.

"Yeah, I definitely didn't think Isabelle was going to survive, so I definitely wanted the video to remember her bravery... I chose to keep recording not so that I could watch my friend die over and over obviously, but so that the police would have video proof of what the shooter did. That way, if he escaped, then he could be charged to the maximum when he was caught." Dakota answered confidently. Both of them had come a long way as far as talking about the shooting. I was very proud of them.

We talked to them for a while longer before it was time for us to go. I even remembered to ask Billie about his first guitar, and he said that he still played it for a mixture of sentimental reasons and attachment!

"You are three very incredible young women... It was an honour to meet you. You know what? Why don't you leave your guitars here so that they don't get damaged and we can meet up again after the show? If I were you I would be scared they would get broken!" Billie offered, while giving me another hug.

"That would be amazing! Thank you so much!" I replied with a smile. The day just kept getting better and better!

"Just don't tell anyone that we're meeting up afterwards... We wouldn't want to be accused of favouritism!" Tré exclaimed with a wink.

"Of course not! Our lips are sealed!" Dakota answered, winking back. Billie and Ray each took a guitar and hid them in the back of the room. We said goodbye and walked out the door. With that, we headed straight to the concert venue, careful to avoid the other girls. We would simply tell them that we had taken the guitars back to the hotel while they went to the meet and greet... It was only a couple of minutes away anyway. It was a believable story. We would then say that we were going to find a store to grab some Advil because we had headaches after all the loud music. I just hoped that it would work.

The others soon joined us at the very front. We chatted with the other fans as they entered the stadium. It was an amazing experience. I'd never been so happy in my life... My Chemical Romance came on first and absolutely killed it! They started out with some songs off of The Black Parade, such as 'The End', 'House of Wolves' and of course, 'Welcome To The Black Parade. They then played some songs off of their earlier albums such as 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)', 'Demolition Lovers', and 'Vampires Will Never Hurt You'. They finished with 'Helena' before leaving the stage. Or should I say leaving us stunned? A few minutes later, Green Day started teasing the fans. One of them would pop their head out from behind the curtains. The second they did, the stadium would erupt with screams, before chanting 'Green Day' until they would do it again. (most of this was Tré, but Billie and Mike joined in the fun after a while), They played song after song off American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, before moving on to their older albums as well. When they were ready to play '21 Guns', he looked for Katie, Dakota and myself. He pointed us out to a security guard who came to get us. He freaking wanted us to get onstage with him and help him sing the song. While we got ourselves mentally and physically ready, Billie introduced us to the crowd. The security guard helped us onto the stage while the crowd screamed and my heart pounded. They were chanting our names.

We were terrified but in the best possible way. Billie handed me his electric guitar and his pick, being carful as to where he put the strap. I swallowed my fear as microphones were put in front of us. I looked over to see that Katie was about to play bass and Dakota was behind the drums. I smiled at them and they smiled back. We were taking over the concert for one whole song. They didn't want us to help them perform it-they wanted us to perform it! I started to play. While the members of Green Day looked on at us proudly. I looked over at the side stage to see My Chemical Romance giving us the thumbs up. I smiled and began to sing. Katie and Dakota came in on harmonies. It was perfect. The crowd was singing with us, waving their lighters or phone lights along with the beat. Behind us, a screen showed a Canadian flag with the phrase 'Ottawa's Warriors' written on it. Just as soon as it started, it was over. I sang the last words, strummed the last chords, and heard the crowd erupt in cheers. We had done it. I felt like my legs were jelly, but we had freaking done it. Green Day came back on stage and I tried to give Billie his guitar but he shook his head.

"Keep it! Just hand it to the security guard and get it at the end of the show!" He yelled over the crowd as he gave me a hug. Holy crap. I officially owned a guitar owned by Billie Joe Armstrong. Katie got to keep the bass and Dakota kept the drumsticks she used. We were ecstatic as we handed the security guard our new instruments. We knew what they were doing- that would be another excuse as to why we took so long getting back to the hotel. The other girls would never know.