Trip And Fall

Andy prepped backstage for that nights concert. He had warmed up and all that jazz, but he felt that something was different. The band had all but ignored him in makeup, and he hadn't seen Evie or even Sammi that day.

It had been five nights since the stormy night, and life had been vaguely the same, apart from the change from Glasgow to Aberdeen. That much had changed. There had been no seizures, no Jinxx and Sammi arguments, and no injuries.

As they waited in the wings, no one spoke to him. They all just kept stony-faced.

As soon as he was on stage, Andy shouted through the main mic, "HELLO ABERDEEN! Are you ready to ROCK?"
The crowd cheered.
"Well, I take that as a yes! This song is called I AM BULLETPROOF!"

.........

The crowd cheered as they disappeared from the stage. A stagehand took off their mics and ear-peices. Their stage manger lectured the others, telling them all, "It all seemed a little wooden tonight guys. What was wrong?"
Ashley glared at Andy. "Nothing is wrong. We're sorry, it won't happen again." He gritted his teeth.
"Well, it better not." He hurried off, busily.
Andy went to the bathroom, and ran the taps until the sink was full of warm, soapy water. He held his hair back and put his head in face-first. He heard the door open and decided it was Jinxx or CC or Ashley or Jake. He was just about to lift his head when he felt a strong hand grasp his hair and push his head under completely, the other hand gripping his wrists.

The person pulled him out, and shoved him against the wall, holding him by his hair. His other hand held his face, pressing against his mouth so he couldn't speak."His vision blurred with soap and water, he could make out a dark-haired figure, with warpaint. He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision, and came face-to-face with Ashley Purdy, threateningly close.
"Now, Biersack." His voice was low and rasping. "A little birdie told me about your...relationship...with my sister Evangeline." Andy's eyes widened. "Yes, Andrew. I did find out. And guess what?" He pressed against Andy's face harder, "I don't like it. Not. One. Bit. Now I could beat you up and make you bleed and bruise, but I know you won't learn anything from that. Or I could send little Evie, as you call her, back to her little home, but she would hate me for the rest of my life. So I'm just going to say this." He gave a twisted smile. "Leave her alone, or your little innocent face will be scarred."
He released him from his firm grip, and turned to leave.
"Wait." Andy stopped him.
"Why are you so protective of her?"
Ashley turned to him, and walked towards the sinks, where he leant against the paper-towel dispenser. "You know something, Andy?" He put his head to one side. "There once was a young girl, just fifteen. She was pretty, her hair had grown to her shoulders after chemotherapy." He paused to take a paper towel, "And she met a guy. His name was Jamie. He showed an interest in her, that was, until she told him about a condition that she had, called epilepsy." He ripped the towel in two. "He broke her heart." He tore the halves into quarters. "He broke it again, taking things from her. All the while tearing a piece of her heart in two, taking the fragments." He now held a handful of his paper-towel fragments. "Then he tried to take the final thing from her, and I think you know what that was."
Andy nodded.
"And after he had taken her virginity, he threw her heart back in her face. He had taken all he could take." He threw the paper all over Andy, a blue snow-storm.

"Now, Andy, the thing is, she had been warned. By her Mom, her Dad, by friends, family. And by me. Her brother. And as her brother, I've come to a decision." Ashley stood straight. "I don't trust you with my sister's heart, Biersack. So back. Off."
Andy squeezed his eyes shut. "But what if I can't?"
"Well," Said Ashley, opening the door to leave, "You'll have to. You break her heart, I'll break your face."