I'm Sorry- A Slipknot Story

Chapter 9

-night-

We're all in bed, teeth brushed, hair brushed except for Corey and Sid, all of them but me sleeping. I hear Corey faintly snore, Shawn snoring a little louder than Corey, Sid rustling in his bunk and Joey not making a sound and completely still. Almost like he's like he's dead. I try hard to sleep by closing my eyes and turning to my side.

"Hey Liz," I hear Joey whisper, leaning over the side of his bunk to see me.

"Yeah," I ask, looking at his silhouette.

"I can't sleep," he says, a little childishness coming out of him as he says it.

"Here," I say, handing him my pillow. I never liked pillows, they're uncomfortable.

"Why," he asks.

"Cuddle up to it. Believe me, it'll help," I whisper.

"Night," he whispers, reaching his hand down to me. I reach up and touch hands, him surprised by how cold my hands are. He lets go and turns over, making me turn to the wall and close my eyes.

-morning-

I wake up and feel the bus stop, making me sit up and bump my head on Joey's bunk. I step out and rub my forehead, walking to my bag. I get out a Limp Bizkit renovated t-shirt and black button down cardigan, hiding the shirt. I change pants into my jeans and put on my shoes, walking to the boys.

"Corey," I whisper, touching his hand. He jolts awake and grabs my neck, gripping it and sneering.

"What," he asks coldly, making me smile.

"It's tomorrow," I say, his eyes brightening when he gets what I say. He lets go of my neck and jumps out, getting dressed and waking up Sid by pulling him out of his bunk. He drops to the floor with a thud and groans, sitting up.

"Thanks," he says sarcastically. I put my feet on my bunk and see Joey cuddling with the pillow, sleeping soundly.

"Joey, wake up and get dressed. We have the signing," I say, him taking his hand and putting it on my head, patting it twice and going back to cuddling.

"Silly Liz," he mumbles, making me roll my eyes. 

I grab under his arms and drag him out of his bunk, setting him on his feet. He's still holding my pillow in his arms, making him look like a child who walked into his parents room when he couldn't sleep.

"You look like a child Joey," I say, patting his head. He glares at me but softens when I look at him and smile.

"None of us can stay mad at you," he says, Corey agreeing and pulling his dreads through his mask. He does and I buckle it, twirling his blonde hair poking from under his mask around my finger, making him chuckle.

"Come on, get your mask on," he says. 

I remember and pick up my mask, putting on the black paint around my eyes and under the swirls, taking red paint and putting it on my cheek under the heart and drawing a jagged line in the middle of it, making a broken heart when I put my mask on. I put the mask on and buckle it, putting my hair into high pigtails as I step off the bus, following the guys and walking next to Sid.

"Did you sleep good? I heard you tossing and turning last night," I say. 

He nods and his mask swings as he's walking, occasionally hitting his arm. I see the other guys run up to us and I almost get stabbed by Craig, who runs to me and walks next to me, keeping his distance but smiling under his mask.

"Morning Craig. Did you sleep well," I ask, him nodding. He speaks to me in morse blinking, saying he would like a hug sometime before the show.

"Okay. You're the second hardest to hug, the first being Corey when he's in his mask. You know how crazy he gets," I say. 

Craig holds in a laugh and we arrive at the convention center, tons of people lined up to see us. I even see gifts in people's hands, some wrapped up nicely with bows, some in bags, some just a tiny bow on them. We walk in the back way and take our seats, Corey telling me to sit by him since they call me #9.

"They call me number 9? Cool," I say, sitting beside him and waving to the security. He, being a 6 foot guy with muscles upon muscles, surprised me when he smiled and waved back. They open the doors and I get out my silver sharpie, waiting for the flood of maggots.

The first set of people line up and go down the line, asking to sign my cast as I sign the CD case. I say anyone who wants to can and I put a sharpie out, everyone who wanted to sign my cast signing it as I sign what they ask me to sign.

About 20 minutes in, a teenage girl with her boyfriend who look goth to another level walk to me, and only me. Corey notices and glances at them, going back to signing.

"Hi, I'm Addie and my boyfriend is Leo. We're really big fans of you and what you do. So, to appreciate what you do for Slipknot, we made these things for you," she says, setting a giant box under the table so it doesn't take up my signing spot.

"Thank you," I say, Leo pointing to my cardigan.

"What's this? Are you wearing a Limp Bizkit shirt," he asks, Addie gasping and turning to him.

"Why would you say that?! You know she knows better," she says, Corey laughing his ass off beside me.

"Well, it's more of a spinoff," I say, unbuttoning my cardigan and showing them my shirt. 

It's a Nookie shirt with Limp Bizkit on it, crossed off and replaced with 'Limp Dikz' with jagged letters under it. They burst out in laughter and Corey laughs harder, wheezing and almost falling over from how hard he was laughing.