Young, Poor, and Crazy

chapter 1: why am i doing this im so sorry

It was a rainy day in London, as it usually is. The air was clean and cold, it was refreshing seeing the world go back to normal after the unusual warmth of 40 degrees. You enter your flat after a long day of shopping and exploring the city you are very much new to, and can finally relax after such an exhausting day. After living in the country all of your life, it was exciting to see a whole new part of England. You wouldn't have officially moved out here if it wasn't for your good friend, Freddie. You had studied at Ealing together before eventually leaving to go back home, as your father, who was already ill, was deteriorating at a much higher rate than anticipated. After his death, you just couldn't seem to recover and go back to London, at least for a while. Turning to music was the one way you could cope with the loss of your father. It was devastating, you felt hopeless. 

You learned how to play every instrument under the sun, well, almost every instrument under the sun, the tuba didn't seem like your speed. Writing songs was your way of escaping from the wretched hellhole that was mortality, and you realized that the country just wasn't going to cut it any longer. You were in your twenties, ready for your life to begin, so you packed your bags and set off for London. You arrive, and give Freddie a ring. He answers the phone sounding out of breath. "Freddie Mercury" he says enthusiastically, while trying to keep himself composed. "Mercury, eh? I love it," you quip in response, the same sarcastic tone he knows and loves. You can sense his face lighting up from the telephone, "Helena? Where have you been, darling? I thought you had fallen off the face of the Earth! What's going on?" Everything feels right again, the old memories burst through the flood gates and you can't help but get emotional. "Here's the thing Freddie," you say while holding back tears, "I'm back in the city. It's been way too damn long to be sad, and I needed to escape. Want to meet for coffee or something? It will be easier to explain in person." 

You meet Freddie at a local cafe, and you wrap your arms around each other in an embrace reserved for long lost family members. You feel home. The both of you hold back tears and you sit down and get to catching up.

"Where the fuck have you been, Helena? What's going on?"

"Freddie, I needed to come back to London. My dad has been gone for well over a year, and I'm still not over it. Home was the worst place for me to be-"

"Helena, this is home, darling. I know it's been hard for you, but you will get through this. I'm here. I actually have some exciting news for you."

"What is it, Fred? Please tell me that by 'exciting' you mean good."

"Well, I met these guys, weird chaps. They're in a band. Well, they were at least. But their lead singer quit, and now these guys are out a singer. So, being the genius that I am, asked to join them. So, I'm in another band, darling! I think you should meet the rest of the band."

"I don't know, what are they like?"

"Well, there's Brian, he studied astrophysics, he plays the guitar, super nice guy. Then, there's Roger, he was a dental student, he plays the drums, also a nice guy, but he gets kind of... angry, sometimes."

As soon as Freddie told you about Roger, you felt a surge of excitement run through your veins, almost like a lightning strike, and you suddenly want to know more and more about Roger. Suddenly you jump out of your seat, someone grabs your shoulders, like they're trying to scare you. You freak out, and as you turn around, you see him. Long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, Roger Taylor. You exchange smiles, but before you can say anything, Freddie laughs and coos like a child on the playground, "ooh! Look at the two little lovebirds!" You and Roger give a quick glare towards Freddie, who slowly retreats into his tea.

You reach your hand out towards Roger, "Helena, it's a pleasure to meet you." He looks down at the ground, then back up at you, before eventually giving you a proper handshake. "Roger, nice to meet you." 

You did not expect him to sound like that. But you loved it. "Is love at first sight even real?" You asked yourself in your head, because if it was, Cupid struck at the right time. After a few seconds of uncomfortable stares, Roger chimes in, "Freddie's told me a lot about you. Quite the storyteller, isn't he?" Your neck snaps over to Freddie, who is chuckling into his tea at this point, it almost looks as if he's drowning in his cup. He looks up at you, and does hand motions as if you were planning this interaction for weeks. "Take me out to dinner and you'll find out if they're really true." You cannot believe that just came out of your mouth. Roger raises his eyebrows as he looks over your shoulder to see Freddie silently cheering you on while playing with the string on the teabag, so Roger doesn't suspect he was the one playing matchmaker, even though it was definitely working at this point. "That was pretty bold, eh?" He chuckles. "How about tomorrow at 6:30?" Your face lights up. "Sounds like a date! See you then." Roger nods, then walks over to Freddie before walking away, "you fucking wanker," he mutters under his breath while holding back chuckles. As he walks away, you sit back down in your seat. "Well would you look at that! You two seemed to hit it off pretty well. I wonder who thought of that, huh?" Freddie says, finishing his tea. "You've been here for how long, and you already have a date! I'm very proud of you, darling." He gets ready to go, you exchange hugs, and before he leaves your sight, you yell in excitement, "looks like the bitch is back."