Love Me Till It Hurts

The last fifteen days have passed without me realizing it. I wish I could say with conviction that we are ready, but a doubt persists in my head. Maybe that's why I still don't feel much pressure or stress. Basically, I go to this audition without worrying too much about. Which isn't really Ellie's case who's dead scared.

My parents ended up accepting the fact that I'll do this audition whatever they said so they help me finalizing the paper for the school because with the rehearsal it was really hard to finish everything. My scholarship applications are sent, I got a student loan at the bank and the administrative procedures for registration at the main courses are closed. Thanks to my parents help, I even found the time to book an apartment off campus for Ellie and I, but still close from the school.

The competition takes place in Paris. So we leave early in the morning, guitars on the back. Carole will benefit from a drum left available on stage. Matt decided to accompany us. The latter finally confessed to Ellie that he had put money aside for several months to join us in the City of Angels as soon as he could. Maybe not right back to school, but he'll try to do it as soon as possible. He expects to have enough money to pay the plane ticket.

Two long train hours separate us from the capital. Nobody flinches, probably from the very early hour, but also the pit in our stomach that we support without saying anything. It's Carole finally who breaks the silence.

- Fuck I starving!
- You're lucky, I can't swallow anything before it's over.

Ellie won't be feeling quite herself. Matt looks at her with a little laugh.

- You have worked like maniac for deux weeks! You're gonna be perfect don't worry about that!

He puts his arm over her shoulders and brings her closer to him to kiss her on the forehead. It's at moment like that that I regret being single.

- My brother wish us good luck!

Avril then hands her cell phone to me so that I read the end of the message.

- And Hugo supports Amy thinking a lot about her ... Oh that's so cute ...!

The girls are making fun of me. Perhaps I should have learned to know him better. After all, he looks like a very nice guy. I'm chasing that idea out of your head. I think about that in a moment of vulnerability that's all.

We arrive in Paris late in the morning. After an express pass to our hotel to get rid of our luggage, we decide to go directly to the room where the auditions will take place. This is the small but very famous place call "La Boule Noire". Arriving nearby, we find that the metalheads are out. A crowd of people is amassed in front of the doors. The girls and I make with difficulty our way to access a vigil with our registration number carefully printed before departure. The big guy tells us that unfortunately we will have to come back tomorrow. The number of registrants was so large that they were forced to spread the auditions over two days. He advises us to come as soon as the doors open tomorrow morning at 10:00am and we are already on the list of participants, which calm us down a little. The audition almost slip through our fingers.

The pressure goes down a bit but we're disappointed to have to wait another day. We still ask the vigil if we can enter the room to see the other participants auditioning, but he tells us that it is not possible from a security point of view because the room is too small. So we leave in the neighborhood of our hotel, not without regret, but at least we can enjoy a good night's sleep to be at our best tomorrow morning. We go to a McDonald's to calm Carole's hunger who can't stand anymore since we got off the train.

- Too bad, we will not even be able to see them today!

Avril pouted.

- Your "God" will still be here tomorrow don't worry!

I'm poke fun to her to tease her.

- It's crazy this affluence anyway! I didn't think they had so many French fans!

We have trouble understanding Carole's sentence because she speaks full mouth.

- Don't you think you're going to be sick with two big-macs and twenty-four nuggets? Avril asks, watching her swallow her meal as if she hadn't eaten for days.
- I had discounts! We never waist Mickey D's discount!
- Uh yes ... That's what I see ...

A group of people are entering the fast food. All eyes are on them, so we do the same. They do not have very good looks. There are three men and two women, one of whom I think I recognize. I think this is Roxanne, the wife of BVB lead guitarist Jake, aka "April God". And judging from her head, she probably recognized her too. She holds a little boy by the hand and is accompanied by another young woman, with a flamboyant red hair color.

- Oh ! Do you think the guys will come too ?! Carole exclaims in-between bites of burger.
- That would surprise me, they seem to have a list of things to take.

The girl next to Roxanne seems indeed busy recapitulating what is written on a list. She looks up and crosses my eyes. She whispers something in Roxanne's ear so she looks at our little group too. They start laughing together. They had to take us for groupies. But from where we are, we don't hear what they say.

An urge to go to the bathroom obligates me to leave my friends. As I come out, I come across the young woman with red hair who is washing her hands. She's looking at me. I give her back her smile.

- Hi!

I remain frozen for a moment before heading to a sink. Fortunately, I'm doing very well in English.

- Hi!
- Are you auditioning for Black Veil brides?

I remain speechless.

- I just spotted your flight case at your feet in the restaurant.
- Oh ! Uh yes, we audition tomorrow. We arrived a little fuzzy to pass today.
- OK ! My name is Chloë ! With an "e" umlaut, it doesn't matter on the pronunciation but I like to specify it.

She holds out her hand once I finish drying mine.

- Nice to meet Chloë, I'm Amy!
- We are likely to meet again tomorrow! I'm the band designer and incidentally Jinxx's girlfriend.

I dream or she just warned me. I'm even more uncomfortable.

- Oh but don't worry ... I'm not that kind of girl ...

I stammer but it seems to reassure her some way. It looked like she was putting me to the test.

- I didn't want to embarrass you, sorry ... Well, see you tomorrow Amy!
- Uh, yes ... See you tomorrow ... Chloë!

She leaves the bathroom and I breathe a big blow. I was almost doing apnea during our short conversation. I look at myself in the mirror, I'm all red. I refresh my face before going out again. Chloë joined her friends to help them carry the many Mcdonald's bags they ordered.

I go back to my friends and tell them my meeting with the red hair girl.

- She had to feel your sex appeal that's why! Carole launches me to tease me.
- Whatever ! I don't even know why she felt obliged to clarify that ... As if I'm going to be all over her boyfriend!
- She must be used to this kind of behavior from the fans, I suppose. Add Ellie.
- No doubt, but I didn't expect that! If there is someone that should be warned here, it's rather April concerning Jake ...
- He's married, I remind you!
- As if a simple ring would prevent you from staring hungrily at him! Exclaims Carole.

We start laughing.

- Sorry, think out loud!

The afternoon passes relatively quickly. We take advantage of our presence in Paris to stroll in the shops that we don't have in the provinces. I buy a new black skinny leather jeans and a short white top with the image of Eddi, Iron Maiden's mascot. I intend to wear this outfit tomorrow with a pair of black high heels. Ellie and Matt decide to return to the hotel late afternoon. We entrust them with our shopping bags, but stay April, Carole and I to go around the shops. We then go to a bar and drink a few pints of beer. Alcohol gets to our head because we're all pretty tired, so at 10:00pm we decide to stop there so we won't have our head upside down tomorrow. We stumble a little while looking for our way through the pedestrian streets of the capital.

I suddenly see that people seem to follow us closely. I decide to turn around and crash into someone. The shock is so violent that I don't keep the balance for long and fall to the ground in a split second. I'm already preparing my speech, ready to send all sorts of crap to the face of the one who caused my fall, but the frowning expression of my face changes dramatically when my eyes cross the eyes of the person in question. How can it be? It's not possible ... The blueish eyes of my assailant paralyze me on the spot and I read in his expression that he seems quite sorry for bumping into each other. My heath skip a bit when I realize that's Andy ... Andy Biersack, the singer of Black Veil Brides, gives me his hand to help me get back on my feet.

Notes

The guys are finally appearing !