Waiting (David Schmitt Fan Fiction)

Chapter Four

"And with all the stress just building up on my shoulders, I felt ready to snap. I was just so fed up with everything in my life and was sure I would never amount to anything. I was sad all the time, hated the way I looked, started hurting myself as a punishment for eating too much," Melissa explained to David and Kyle backstage after I surprised her and they took a few pictures. I watched from their side as she tried to hold back tears and told them why Breathe Carolina meant so much to her. The two looked at her sympathetically, listening and nodding, "and then your music came into my life and it was like, like a candle almost, a light above everything I was going through that was so dark, ya know? You guys just cheered me up, and," a single tear glided down her cheek, "and, and, just thank you. Thank you, both of you, so, so much. And thank you for taking the time to listen to all that crap I just put you through." Melissa tried to laugh but I could see she was shaking.

David just hugged her and Kyle gave her a pat on the back.

"Awh, no, no," David said, "You're beautiful, ok? You'll be done with those kids at school soon enough. It won't be like that forever."

"This honestly means the world to me," Melissa said as David released her, "I can't say thank you enough."

"No, thank you for coming out to our shows and supporting us" Kyle said, "without you, we wouldn't be where we are right now!" Melissa chatted with Kyle a bit more and David briefly slipped over to me.

"After this I'm gonna head back to the bus and freshen up, meet me and Kyle at that resturant nearby the park, Sally's, I think, at say, eight? We're going to meet up with some friends and have a, well, super late dinner" he said quietly.

"Sounds great" I replied, and he nodded, heading back to Melissa and Kyle.

When they said their goodbyes Melissa hugged me and thanked me over and over for getting her backstage. It honestly made me so happy to see her meet her heroes. 

"I feel like a mess right now but oh my God, that was surreal," she raved to me as we sat on the concrete a while later, sharing a soft pretzel and drowning down our water bottles as a local pop punk band playing on a nearby stage soundtracked our conversation.

"I know how if feels," I said, pausing to take a bite of the pretzel, "It was the least I could do."

"I freaking love you, Valerie," Melissa said and we laughed, scarfing down the last of our food.

Before she went home I wished her good luck with her senior year of high school, assured her it would fly by, and bought her a new Breathe Carolina shirt with my own money. The girl deserved it.

Then I headed back to the bus to prepare for dinner, my heartbeat like a drum at the thought of being with David.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I made my way down the city's sidewalk, dressed in a nice denim blouse over a black tank top and white shorts. I had been able to take a shower, praise the Lord, and had my hair down and over one shoulder rather than pulled up in a messy bun the way it usually was at Warped. The sky was orange, the sun setting, and the air had a cool, light breeze entangled in it. My favorite weather.

I looked at the signs hanging above the passing buildings until I found it, Sally's Steakhouse and Bar. The bell on the door jingled as I walked in and I was immediatly greeted with "Valerie!".

"Hey, David!" I said. He was sitting on a couch at the entrence and around him sat Kyle, a girl and two guys I didn't recognize. I took a seat next to David and he introduced me to everyone.

Ana was the girl, she seemed really nice and I couldn't help but feel intimidated by her looks when she said hi to me, her curly black locks cascading down her neck, clothed in a casual red dress that matched the red of the rose tattoo inked on her right forearm. She was there with her boyfriend, Josh, who had apperentally been friends with Kyle since high school and had auburn hair and a scruffy face. He wore a brown leather jacket but I assumed his arms were heavily tattooed considering his hands and fingers were done. David told me he used to help them out with a merch a bit, and Josh made a joke about how we were "twins" since I worked in the same department. The final guy there was named Tony. I recognized him, he played guitar in Pierce the Veil, a post-hardcore band that was on Warped this year too. I had seen their set a few times and man, could he shred. He greeted me with a shy smile and even though I was around people like this every day of my life, it still seemed funny to me that a guy who looked so tough, with his head shaved on one side, his ears stretched, and his body painted with tattoos, could be so quiet and sweet.

The woman working there led us to a large table in the back of the resturant and we took our seats, David and I together on the far left. We ordered our food and I noticed that Tony, David, and I were more eager to eat that Josh and Ana. Warped really took it out of you, I guess.

"So, how long have you and David be dating?" Ana asked as she took a sip of her beer. I felt my face go red and David and I stammered in unison.

"Oh, no-"

"We're not-"

"Um yeah-"

"We're not together"

"Oh," Ana exclaimed, surprised, "I'm sorry! You two just seem-"

Kyle cut her off, "They just met a few days ago when David assulted her"

"I knocked her over" David corrected, "On accident, I mean." He was blushing now, and I had to bite my tounge to keep from laughing. I could feel my face growing red too.

"Woah, David, man, I've never seen you flustered like that" Josh joked, "I didn't even know you were capable of being embarassed.

"Can we just change the subject, or-" David suggested, embarassed, and the table erupted in laughter then led on to another conversation relevant to the tour and how it was going.

I got a bit lost in the topics being disscussed as the territory shifted towards people they knew and I didn't, and I began to just dissapear from the conversation all together. I noticed David's hand resting so close to mine on the seat and couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach. I thought back to when Ana mistook us for a couple and realised that while I had been embarassed, I hadn't at all felt insulted. Was I falling for him? 

When everyone was nearly done with dinner, David began to stand up. "I'll be right back, need to use the restroom". I scooted over on the seat to allow him to leave and watched out of the corner of my eye as he twisted through the tables to the door.

"So, Valerie, how long have you been working for All Time Low?" Ana asked me. Kyle, Josh, and her had been to most vocal at dinner, Tony seemed a bit more introverted.

"About a year, I've known them since I was a kid though. Their guitarist, Jack, and I were, still are, really good friends in school. They're great guys." I finsihed off the rest of my fish and chips just as David reappeared and took his seat beside me once again.

The group paid for dinner and left, scattering out onto the streets. Ana and Josh said goodbye and departed in a red convertible and Tony and Kyle headed back to their tour buses despite the fact that we were getting a break the next day, and that left David and I alone under the streetlights.

David pulled out a ciggarette and lit it, offering me one too. I declined.

"Suit yourself," David smiled and though he had the best intentions, I froze at the sound of those two words. It wasn't his fault, David couldn't have known, but I felt my whole body go cold as the memories resurfaced.

"Do you want a teddy bear to hold? I know you may feel childish but we have a lot of people your age who use them. Sometimes you just need something to hold on to. No? Okay then, suit yourself, but if you want one just ask. It'll be okay, hun."

"Are you okay?" David's concerned voice dripping into the night snapped me from the flashback. "I don't have to smoke right now if it bothers you"

"No, no, it's not that," I reassured him, "it's just, no, I'm fine. I just remembered something."

"You know, this is probably the first night I've spent out with friends where the left so early" he said, "I'm used to staying up all night and now I really don't know what to do with myself" he chuckled, "Want to walk a bit, maybe find a bar or something?"

"Oh, I don't drink" I said, "but yeah, I'm up for a walk."

 "You don't drink?" David asked, "Not even a little bit?"

"It's a long story," I said, pulling at the bottom of my shirt, "but, um, yeah, I don't really touch alcohol."

"Well good thing we have a hell of a long night ahead of us," David said with a smile as he took my hand and ran ahead of me down the sidewalk.