If You Run (An All Time Low Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twenty-One

Before I knew it I was stood side stage, watching the support band, The Summer Set, kill it before it was our turn to go on.

"We've been the Summer Set and you have been a fucking amazing start to this tour, Southampton!" Brian, the lead singer, shouted to the crowd who replied with excited screams and yells. "Are you ready for All...Time...Low?" he asked and they shouted back even louder than before. I felt the adrenaline kick in and my smile grow "This is our last song, sing along if you know the words. It's called Chelsea and it goes like this," he introduced my favourite of their songs before the beat kicked.

"You're starting with Time Bomb" Danny told me as he handed me my guitar. I flicked through the chords and riffs for Time Bomb in my head as everyone else got ready.

"Guys!" Matt shouted to get our attention. We all looked at him "First show of tour. Go out there and smash it! You're on in 3...2...1" 

We emerged from behind a large speaker onto a dark stage. People started to notice us and the noise level rose. I heard the count in, in my in-ear speaker and we were off. 

Lights were flashing, kids were jumping, my heart was racing. The song quickly came to an end and I took a moment to take it all in while Alex spoke.

God, I love what I do. 

"Hey" You all look like some sexy mother fuckers" I shouted into my mic "Look our first bra of this tour!" I said, picking up a purple bra from by my feet and wrapping it around my head.

Soon enough, we were at the end of Six Feet Under The Stars and it was time for Alex to whip out the acoustic. I took the opportunity to get a drink and I was grateful of the feeling that the cold liquid supplied.

I wiped the sweat from my face and watched the crowd react to Alex on stage. 

The mass of bodies seemed to heave as one like a pair of lungs steadily inhaling and exhaling. I scanned the faces of the kids in the first few rows and recognised a couple from the Hustler meet&greet earlier who'd managed to get to the barrier; their bones being crushed under the weight of the couple of thousand other people in the venue all pushing forwards to get as close to the front as possible but all the while with huge grins on their faces, loving every minute of it. Mouths moved in perfect timing with one another all singing the same words as loud as they could. I remembered the first time Alex showed us the song he'd written about the girl he'd lived next door to who'd moved away when he was 16 and I laughed at the thousands shouting those same words back at him.

The last chord of Remembering Sunday rang out, our signal to return on stage.

After running around and jumping for three more songs, it was time to close the show. 

"Thank you so much! You've been awesome!" Alex yelled

"I want to see as many of your beautiful faces outside after and I want to kiss as many of you as possible and give you all herpes" I added

"We're All Time Low. You're fucking awesome, stay crazy! Goodnight, Southampton" Alex said throwing both of his arms high above his head as the lights faded and the stage was dark once more. 

Tay's POV

I sat on the black piano stool and let my finger skim along the top of the glossy keys, not applying enough pressure to fully push them down and trigger a sound to be made but just enough for them to momentarily dip down beneath the height of the surrounding keys.

I smiled, I tried to picture the first time I sat at a piano. On my dad's knee, he took my hands in his and guided me through the right notes, making me think I was doing all of the work. Then I thought of the endless hours he had dedicated to teaching me how to play when I'd got old enough to understand and learn.

I closed my eyes and I could see him again, lost in a moment of magic. playing one of the songs he had written, my favourite one. Sometimes after he'd put me to bed and I couldn't get to sleep, I'd sneak out of my room and sit on the top of the stairs and just listen to him playing until I finally drifted off. 

That one song was the only one I could remember out of all that he used to play. Every now and then when I'm thinking about it I can faintly hear others but not enough to realise what they are or work out the melody.

My eyes snapped open and I started playing that one song from memory. I never could play it quite as well as my dad, but I never really wanted to. He was the best at it and that's how I wanted it to stay.

"I haven't heard that in a while," Cris said from behind me when the last note faded to a quiet hum. I turned around to see her leaning against the door frame looking at me and the piano that sat in the living room. It had moved in when I did and Cris and I had both decided that was the best place for it.

She smiled sadly

"I know you only play that when you're scared. You told me it was your way of asking your dad for help. What are you scared of?" she asked.

I opened my mouth to answer but was stopped by the sight of Cris dropping to the floor in front of me.

I darted over to her. Things seemed to slow down, I couldn't get there in time to stop her from hitting the floor. I dropped to my knees beside her and pulled my phone out from my pocket.

"999 what's your emergency?" A calm voice asked

"My friend's collapsed. She's got Coronary Heart Disease and she's only just got out of hospital over problems with her kidneys" I gushed

"Okay. Stay calm. Give me your details and I'll send an ambulance"

Cris still hadn't come round when I heard a knock at the door. Reluctantly, I left her and answered it to two paramedics dressed in green. I stepped aside and pointed to where she was with a shaky hand. I couldn't speak, I didn't know what to say.

They didn't need me to say anything, straight away, they started prodding her and turning her on her side. The got out different pumps and strange objects from the bag they brought. I just watched as they rushed about their work muttering to each other as they did so. 

After what seemed like hours but what the clock said was only ten minutes, Cris was on a stretcher with an oxygen mask around her face, being carried down to the ambulance. One of the men told me where I could sit. I still hadn't said anything to either of them. The drive was silent, I was hypnotised by the shallow rise and fall of Cris' chest, the only thing that indicated she was still alive and that there was still a chance. 

"This is what I'm scared of" I whispered, barely audible.