Chapter Text
Elizabeth sat on the balcony of the shitty hotel room she had rented for the night. The bars were old and rusted while the concrete below her was cracked and worn after decades of use. Luckily it wasn’t made out of wood or it would have rotted and fallen away with a single strong gust of wind. The June breeze was crisp and cooled down the humid air that surrounded Elizabeth. Her long dark blonde hair flowed in the wind as her legs dangled off the edge of the balcony. She let out a sigh and swung her arms over the railing with a bottle of booze in one of her hands. A little bit of late night drinking didn’t hurt anyone. It’s not like she was doing it to drown her thoughts, it was just to pass the time.
There wasn’t much to do between shows. She had been on tour for the past few weeks with her band. It was their first official tour, they had done a few small semi local shows around their hometown, but nothing as big as this. Twenty-six shows all across the US. A summer tour where they were one of three opening bands. The headlining band was at least ten times more popular than Elizabeth’s little all girl band. And they were all pretentious fucks who think they’re better than everyone else. It was sickening. Fame does horrible things to a person, especially a group of men. Loud music could be heard from a few buildings down. It was another hotel, a much nicer one than this shithole excuse for a hotel that Elizabeth had to stay at. A few people walked out onto the balcony, they were so far away that they looked like little polly pockets. Shouting filled the quiet night quickly. A drunken argument had broken out at whatever party was happening across the way. Finally, some entertainment. Elizabeth perks up as she sets down her drink. This is going to be fun. She thought to herself.
“Baby, come on, you know I wouldn’t do that.” Spencer pleaded as he fell to his knees. He crawled over and grabbed onto the girl's wrists. “Hannah, please, baby-” “I’m not your baby. And I never was since you’re fucking every other girl.” Hannah yanked her wrists free and crossed her arms, facing away from the sad blue eyes that always drew her in. “You know I would never cheat on you. I swear that I haven’t. I haven’t even had the time to.” She huffs and turns to look down at him. “Then explain all of the drugs and the endless bottles of alcohol. Explain the numbers of countless girls with lipstick kisses next to them.” She went through the tour bus. Who in their right mind tears up a tour bus to find something incriminating? Spencer stands up. He easily towers over Hannah. “Baby, you know that fangirls will do anything to get noticed. I swear I threw all of mine away as soon as I could. All of those were Ryan’s and Brendon’s, I swear.” He throws his arms in defense. “You’re lying!” Hannah shouts suddenly, her calm façade breaking. “All you fucking do is lie! Every boy is the same, all you do is cheat and lie. I knew I should have never trusted a wanna be rockstar. All you want to do is get fucked up and fuck any whore that comes your way.” Spencer couldn't help the tears that started to form in his eyes. She was accusing him of being this good for nothing wanna be rockstar who doesn’t think about anyone but himself, but that wasn’t him and she knew that better than anyone. “If you wanted to leave you should have just said so.” He said while holding in tears. “I hope you rot in fucking hell.” Hannah stormed back into the hotel room and slammed the door shut, leaving Spencer all alone. He let out a shaky sigh and sank to the ground. This night could not have been any worse.
Elizabeth couldn't look away. It was a mess, a beautiful, awful mess. This was so much better than sitting here and drinking her night away. The guy looked depressed. She could only imagine what started the fight or if this is the first time he’s gotten his heart broken. There were so many different stories that she could come up with. She glances at the clock inside of the room. 3:46 am. She had spent the whole night out here. Her bottle of wine was mostly empty and the sun was bound to rise soon.
The sun peeked through the currants and onto Elizabeth’s face, causing her to stir awake. She had slept like a log on the cheap, creaky mattress. It felt like she hadn't slept at all, maybe that’s karma for spending most of her night drinking by her lonesome. A soft knock filled the room. Elizabeth got up with a groan and threw on whatever shirt she could find from her scattered clothes on the floor and the bed. “It’s six am, what do you want?” She yawns as the door creaks open. To her surprise, it wasn’t one of her bandmates, rather it was one of the boys from one of the other bands they were touring with. He was on the taller side and skinner than most boys she has seen. He had a baby face, one that you swore can't grow any amount of farcical hair. It almost reminded her of a cherub. His brown hair was like a mop on the top of his head, his small waves flopped every which way. He had on large sunglasses that covered his eyes that he adjusted every few seconds so they didn’t fall off his face. It was very unlike him to knock at her door, especially at this hour. “Spencer went off running last night and I was wondering if you saw him at all or know where he ended up.” His voice sounded spent, that party must have been wild. “Spencer?” Elizabeth had only met them twice, she barely knew their names. “Taller than me, on the heavier side with longer hair and a beard. Have you seen him or not?” He was starting to lose his patience, or maybe his temper, she couldn’t tell. “I have no idea. All I saw last night was this guy getting absolutely destroyed by his girlfriend. It was TV worthy.” She leaned against the door as she finally started to wake up. “Great.” He said through gritted teeth. He sighs and rubs his temple, his sunglasses lift slightly to reveal the large eye bags under his sunken eyes. He was a sight for sore eyes, it looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Touring can really do a number on someone. “This is just fucking great.” He mumbles to himself. “Half of the fucking band is missing and we have a fucking show tonight. I’m going to kill them when I see them.” The boy on the other side of the door frame was starting to spiral. Elizabeth could only guess it’s due to lack of sleep. “If worse comes to worse, I could fill in?” Where was this coming from? She didn’t know their names, let alone their songs. This was only going to end in disaster. “Fill in? Fill in?” He takes a step closer. “Do you even know what you’re fucking saying? What the fuck is wrong with you? You really think I’m just going to let a nobody fill in for my lead singer? I fucking knew touring with a bunch of nobodys was a mistake, let alone a bunch of women. Stay in your lane and stay out of mine. You would do better as a housewife than replacing anyone in my band.” The energy that filled Elizabeth quickly fueled the anger that was building inside as he spoke. “Excuse me? A fucking housewife? You have some fucking balls saying that to a woman. Let alone one that was willing to help you out when you’re clearly in distress. Forget me ever offering to help you. You’re on your own, asshole.” She slams the door right in his face and stomps her way back to her bed. What a fucking morning.
The rest of the morning went by as Elizabeth tried to catch up on some much needed sleep. Though, that didn’t last long. She groaned as she rolled out of bed. “Sound check, great.” She complained to no one in particular. She quickly got dressed and grabbed her guitar before heading out the door. The weather was nicer than it was the night prior, the breeze was cool, the air wasn’t nearly as humid and clouds decorated the sky. The venue wasn’t very far from her hotel which made it very convenient for her to walk there. When she finally made it there, she was met with some sort of argument. “Both of you, cut it out, all that matters is that you’re both here.” A huff could be heard by the shorter of the two arguing as he turned away and headed off the stage. “I am too hungover for this shit.” The third man sighed as Elizabeth made her way towards the stage. “Those two are always at each other's throats, aren't they?” She asked. “More and more each day. Might have to keep them in their own separate boxes for the rest of the tour.” He was very monotone when he spoke. He was the eldest of the band, that much Elizabeth knew from conversations. He was on the shorter side, his hair was short and slightly wavy, and his beard was becoming more and more unkempt as the tour went along. He was wearing a loose shirt with a hoodie on top, cargo shorts and flip flops, like he always did. “You treat them like they’re cats.” Elizabeth said while chuckling. “If they keep having hissy fits, then I might just have to get a spray bottle. I’m sure Ryan would hiss at me if I sprayed him.” Elizabeth giggled again. “He seems like the type.” The man picked up his bass and started to mess around with it idly as he spoke. He shook his head and let out another sigh. “Those two, I swear they're going to be the death of me.” Elizabeth looked around before looking back at the man in front of her. “You guys are still missing someone, yeah? The guy that stormed off earlier knocked at my door a few hours ago asking if I knew where… What was his name… Oh! Spencer! He was wondering if I saw him. He also mentioned that the lead singer of yours was missing too? I’m guessing you haven't found him yet?” Elizabeth paused. "Oh shoot, I'm Z, by the way, I don’t think we formally met?” She perked her head up as she waited for him to reply. “The names Jon. Ryan found Spencer about an hour ago at some dive bar in the next town over. As for Brendon, I think he just gave up looking for him after a while. We all thought he was passed out in someone's hotel room, but it turns out he left at some point.” Jon stated with a shrug. “He couldn't have gone far, right? He’s bound to show up eventually. From what I know he doesn’t seem like the type to bail on a show.” The taller man from earlier, Spencer walked over to Jon and Z. “He isn’t. He’s performed while sick more times than I can count.” He said while pressing the wrinkles out of his white button up. “You're the one that your other bandmate was looking for. Spencer, right?” Z asked while tilting her head slightly. “Mm, yeah.” Spencer hummed in response. “Had too much to drink last night.” His tone was flat and uninterested. He didn't want to talk about his disappearance. “I think we all did.” Jon interjected with a small awkward chuckle to try and lighten the mood a little. “Mm. We have more important things to talk about, such as where the fuck did our lead singer go?” The asshole from that morning walked over from behind Spencer, rubbing his temples. “Let's just all split up and look around and cover as much ground as we can.” Spencer raised an eyebrow and turned to face the smaller male. “He's your boyfriend, you have to have some sort of idea as to where he went.” He replied with enough snark to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool. “Hey, that’s enough, you two have bickered enough already. Either both of you shut it, or help each other look for Brendon.” Jon barked while scolding his band mates. Spencer raised his arms in surrender while Ryan huffed and crossed his arms. It was a little funny seeing those two bicker back and forth. “Where was the last place everyone saw him last, and when.” Spencer demanded. Z looked back and forth at the three men in front of her, waiting to see who would answer first. “The party, right when people started to arrive.” Ryan spoke out. “Yeah, same here.” Jon followed suit. “What about you, Mr. Responsible?” Ryan snarked with a slight smirk. “Right before I left last night. He was on the arm of some guy blissed out of his mind.” Spencer's fist clenched for a few seconds. Something about that mental image angered him. “So we all are oblivious as we were when we started this man hunt, great!” Ryan threw his hands in the air for dramatics. He definitely has an attitude, something that made Z’s skin crawl. He was such an asshole. Those three are maniacs for keeping up with him. Or they just hated themselves. “Ryan, Jesus. Look-” Spencer sighed. “Splitting up in groups would be a good idea. You two can go check around the bus or check over the venue again or something, and me and Zack can go drive around until we find him or something. I don't fucking know. And… What's your name? I probably should have asked that a while ago, I'm sorry.” He gave a sympathetic smile. “Z. What do you need me to do? I want to help out in any way that I can.” Z sat up proudly while looking at the rest of the group. She really meant what she said. She didn't really know them, but they seemed nice enough, other than Ryan. And they weren't going to be able to do the show if Brendon wasn't around. “Right, Z. Thank you. You can stay here and be on the lookout and see if he comes back or not.” Z pouted slightly. “I want to go out and help look for him. I don't just want to sit here and wait. I know no one else wants to either. We'll cover more ground if we all go out. And someone in your crew is bound to run into him if he comes back, and I'm sure they'll call one of you if they do. Spencer, I'll go with you. And that Zack fella can wait here while we go search. How does that sound?” They were all starting to get antsy, their stress and anxieties building with each passing second. They had to figure out a plan quickly before someone started to lose their mind. Spencer nodded. “Sure, why not. It'll be easier that way, I guess. One of you needs to call me once you find him, I'll do the same, ‘kay? Or I swear to God I will chew you out the second I see you again.” Ryan rolled his eyes yet again and waved his hand dismissively before walking away without saying another word. Jon looked back after him and waved at the others. “We'll meet up back here in two hours if we can't find him. And it was nice to officially meet you Z.” He shortly grinned. He followed in suit of Ryan, hurrying his steps as he got closer as to not trail behind. “You ready to head out?” Spencer asked Z, who nodded in response. “Good, if I had to wait any longer I would have just left without you.”
Z and Spencer had been driving around for what felt like hours with no Brendon in sight. “Are you sure you have any idea of where he could be?” Z was skeptical that Spencer knew Brendon as much as he insinuated that he did. He had been driving aimlessly, frantically looking at anyone that fits Brendon's frame before sighing in defeat. “I have a few ideas. But it's Brendon, he does anything without thinking twice about it. He probably didn't even think he would end up wherever he ended up. The map said there should be a diner up ahead. Knowing Brendon, he thinks with his stomach before he thinks with his brain sometimes. If he was anywhere, he'd be here. I hope.” Spencer pulled into the parking lot of an old and decrepited diner. The sign had long rusted and eroded, all of the signs in the windows had faded, the pavement of the parking lot had cracks and holes larger than Z had ever seen before. “This place is an absolute shit hole. Didn't expect a rock star like one of you guys to be here. I would have guessed a shitty dive bar before an old diner that hasn't been touched up since the 60s.” A soft exhale left Spencer's nose, a small laugh. “You'd be surprised.” He quickly left the car and locked the doors as Z closed her own door. “You're not staying in the car?” He was surprised. “We came all this way, there's no way I'm going to sit and wait for you two. Besides I could be a good distraction while you grab him if we need to.” Z shrugged. Spencer laughed. “You're very determined even though you don't know the guy, that's admirable.” He headed towards the diner as he spoke. “If it comes down to that, I just need you to talk to him long enough that he doesn't run away before I can get a good grip on him. I doubt that we'll resort to that, but you never fucking know with him.” A small bell rang as they made their way inside. The place was mostly empty, except for a few patrons. There was a family stationed at the front of the diner, their kids chatting loudly with each other as they had their mouths full of their food. There were older folk spread all across the front bar. Some of them chatted with the others, while others kept to themselves and ate their food silently. A waitress walked up to Z and Spencer with some menus in hand. “Sit yourselves wherever.” Her tone was flat and unenthusiastic. She hates her job and it was written all over her face. Spencer politely smiled back at her and grabbed the menus from her hand. He walked towards the booths in the back with Z not too far behind. They find a table right next to a few of the booths, one that was thankfully not sticky or about to fall over. Z sat in her chair and picked up one of the menus, idly glancing at them. After a few moments, she looked up to say something to Spencer, but he wasn't there. She glanced around and found him sitting in one of the booths across from a young looking brunette who she figured to be Brendon. How and why did he end up in a place as broken down as this?
Spencer settled himself on the uncomfortable vinyl with a sigh. “I'm not mad at you. You know I never could be. I just want an explanation. You don't have to tell me every detail. I was just… I've been worried, we all have.” He tried his best to keep his voice steady and calm. He didn't want to scare Brendon more than he already had. Brendon avoided eye contact with Spencer, choosing to stare down at the table in front of them. He looked terrible. Large eye bags decorated the bottom of his eyes, one of his eyes was swollen, the top of his cheek had turned a bright shade of red, and his lip was busted. He rubbed his temples with a defeated sigh. “Of course you would be the one to find me. You always had a way with reading me in a way that even I don't understand.” He paused, trying to think of the right words. “I ran into someone and got into a bit of a fight. Then I ran to hide away from him here. Ran into your girlfriend, or ex girlfriend, on my way out. I saw the aftermath of your guy's fight.” Brendon hugged his knees to his chest. “I guess last night wasn't a good night for any of us, huh? Kinda funny that something seemed to happen to all of us. I know Ryan had some trouble with some girl, or he got too drunk or something. I don't know about Jon though, he was high out of his mind in the lounge when I saw him.” His voice was hoarse. There was more to his story than he let on. But Spencer wasn't going to push it, he respected Brendon’s silent wishes. “Brendon… You could have called one of us, you know. If not last night, then this morning. I would have came and picked you up, even if I was too busy sulking.” Brendon tightened his grip on his knees and pulled them even closer. He knew Spencer was right, he would do anything for him. They both would. “I just wanted to be alone for a while. That’s all. Sometimes I just need to be alone with my thoughts and take a breather.” Brendon has always been a terribly liar. He feels far too guilty to hide the waver in his voice. His lack of eye contact with Spencer didn’t help his case. “At least tell us you’re going somewhere Bren. Leave a note, talk to someone, something. God only knows what would have happened if something happened to you.” The easiness in Spencer’s voice slipped away for something more aggressive. He rubbed his temples with a sigh, again, before continuing. “You have no idea how scared I’ve been. I tried so hard to stay calm- but I couldn't, I can’t. Anything could have happened to you.” Brendon looked up at Spencer for the first time during the conversation. “Spencer…” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Don’t. I already feel bad enough for disappearing after Hannah left. But unlike you, I made sure at least one person knew that I was leaving.” Brendon looked back down at the table between them. “Can we just drop it? I really don’t want to keep talking about what happened. I’ve already spent all morning trying not to think about it.” He hugged his knees to his chest even tighter. Spencer opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it before any word left his mouth. Brendon wasn't kidding when he said that last night had been a trainwreck. Not only that, but this entire day had been its own wreck. The wheels of the train had slipped off the rails as it drifted along a bridge, just inches away from certain death. Spencer stood up “We’re leaving. We have shit to get ready for.” All emotion had left him. All that was left was a hollowness he had been trying to swallow down. That he had tried so hard to forget. Spencer grabbed Brendon by the wrist and began to tug when he didn’t move from his seat. “I’m not coming with you.” Brendon yanked his arm back to his side. “I’m not going up on stage, not while I look like this. Tell the guys that you couldn’t find me or something.” His voice was more unsteady than before, he was on the verge of tears. “You don’t have a choice.” Spencer grabbed his wrist again, tugging harder this time, causing Brendon to be lifted out of his seat. “Spencer, I’m not fighting over this.” Spencer didn’t stop, he kept dragging Brendon along as if he never said anything. Z trailed behind the two of them as they left the diner.
Z had tried her best not to listen in on their conversation, but it was hard to pretend that she wasn’t in earshot. Spencer glanced over at Z. “You know how to drive?” She replied with a nod. “Good.” He tossed the keys at Z. “Spencer, let me go-” Brendon was shoved into the backseat of the car with Spencer before he could continue.