Burning Embers

Chapter Twenty

I stumbled out of bed, my tight night shirt clinging to my sweaty skin, and looked for my ringing phone. I peered at the small screen in the dark and didn’t recognize the number. I mumbled a raspy, “Hello?”

“Holly,” a sigh of relief, “listen I know it’s late, but I didn’t know who else to call. I didn’t want anyone in the band finding out. At least not tonight-“

I cut the pleading voice off, “Andy? What are you rambling about?” I looked at the time before continuing, “Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Not really, listen, I don’t have much time to talk. Can you come and get me? I’m at the Pulaski County jail. I’ll explain later?”

I shuffled into clothes and called a cab. I was finally awake enough to order my thoughts. I hadn’t had a chance to ask as many questions as I wanted to. All I knew was Andy needed bailed out of jail. I found his stash of cash before getting into the cab and heading to pick up the stupid moron.

If I had been awake when he called I knew I wouldn’t have gone, but of course that must have been his plan all along. The cab driver dropped me off wishing me good luck and I went through the process of bailing out the stupid moron.

“So, start talking, Andy,” I said as soon as we walked out of the door.

He tugged me along the cracked sidewalk a ways before telling recounting his wild evening. I shook my head, but for some reason managed to feel pity for him. I would be rather upset if a couple creeps started calling me an ‘emo fag’ too.

We made it a few blocks before Andy sat down against building face. “God, Holly. I am such a f*** up.”

I took a seat beside him and wrapped my arms around his, leaning into him as means of comfort. “Why do you say that?”

“Because here I have spent all this time trying to impress you and all I have done is screw myself in the a** over and over again.”

“How?”

“That whole stripper mishap, if I hadn’t been so upset over you then I wouldn’t have had to be cover my a** with the press. And I would have never stepped foot into that bar if it weren’t for me being upset of the fact that you and Jake are f******.”

“Hey, now, I didn’t make you do those things,” I said in a soft, but firm defensive tone.

He face-palmed. “No, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean that it was your fault. They were my stupid a** decisions. I just made them because of how much of a screw up I am when I’m around you.”

I leaned into him again. “Andy, we all make stupid decisions, but hopefully tonight has taught you a lesson.”

“Some kind of a lesson,” he muttered.

I rubbed his arm with my palm. “Andy, I feel like there’s some reason you got into that fight. I don’t see you as the type of guy who lets that kind of stuff get to you.”

He sighed. “I shouldn’t tell you this. But, f*** it. I can’t really hurt this s*** relationship we have.

“I was bullied. A lot. Starting from junior high on up. Being the ‘emo’ in a state like Ohio does not make you a very popular person. Especially with my personality. I always knew I was going to do something great. That I was going to captivate thousands of people. And influence them in a positive way. That was another strike against me. Being the ‘emo’ with a dream resorted in me getting my a** handed to me by high schoolers at least once a week during my junior high career.

“High school I got a little scrappier, but that still didn’t help with those d***wads. They were relentless. It wasn’t so much physical beatings, but metal ones. The video for Knives and Pens was based on me.

“I was Andrew Beirsack the ‘emo’ with a dream back then, so I made those dreams a reality and I transformed myself into Andy Sixx. The cocky, arrogant, a**hole you know and hate today.

“So, I guess when those two a**hats started that s*** up again, I had a flashback of being Andrew. I couldn’t help myself.”

I felt tears build up during his story and they began spilling when he finished his story. I never knew Andy went through so much. I never imagined the cocky, arrogant, fool happened to have emotions. I thought everything was handed to him on a silver platter his whole life.

He reached out and wiped the tears away. “Hey, now, what’s the matter? I’m the one spilling my guts here.”

“I just feel awful. I have judged you and dehumanized you from the moment I met you. For some reason I just saw you as a selfish, party boy, rockstar who never went through a single tough time. I guess I just thought I was the only one who ever had a screwed up past.”

He snorted and smiled one of the first genuine smiles I’d seen from him. “It’s because you are uptight, Princess.”

I laughed, leaning into him again, and peeked up at him. “But it works on me, remember?”

“I think I remember hearing something like that.”

“For what it’s worth, I know what it’s like to have a dream in Ohio. I would have stuck with you during school.” I comforted, giving him a half hug.

Notes