Smile and Wave By: Zoe Lancaster
Hi, I'm Lilly (short for Lilith) but everybody calls me by my middle name Ryan. I live in L.A with my band Bloody Love. We just got signed onto Fearless Records and finished our first album. We were told last week that we're going on tour soon. We don't know who with though. Hang on I have a call. "Hey" "Hello Ryan, do you want to meet the band you're touring with tonight at dinner?" asked my manager Rick. "Sure, all of us or just me?" "All of you. I suppose I should tell you who yall will be touring with. Black Veil Brides." My heart raced. Is he serious? That's a really popular band. "Ok, usual place for dinner?" "Yes. Formal Attire." "Sounds good, I'll call everyone and tell them." Rick hung up and I called our guitarist Steven. He didn't pick so I left a message for him telling him about tonight. Then I called our bassist Demex (he's also my boyfriend) and he picked up. "Hola, what's up my sweet love" (that was him speaking) "Hey, we have to go to dinner with Rick. The entire band is going to meet the band we're touring with." " Cool. You know we have band practice today? We're getting worried."" Oh my god I forgot! I'll be there momentarily." I hung up without thinking. I grabbed my purse, keys, acoustic guitar, and lyrics sheet and hurried to the drummer's house. Once I was arrived, Demex met me outside, spinning me around and kissing me. We went through practice as usual and I looked at my watch. "OH MY GOD WE GOTTA GET READY FOR DINNER!" I exclaimed. "Calm down Ryan. I have your purple formal dinner dress in my car along with my suit. I picked up our dry cleaning before I came." said Demex "I think my good suit is still here from the last dinner we went to. I think I stayed with Jack that night and left it here" answered Steven. Jack our drummer said "Yep, it's in the spare closet in the living room. Mine's there too." Alright guys, we need to be at the restaurant at 7:15. Meet yall there? I'll be going a little early so I can get a table." I left, grabbing my purple dress from Demex's car. I raced home, looking at my clock, its 6:15, and an hour until I met BVB. I slipped into the dress. I sat at my dresser, poofed my hair, put eyeliner and mascara on, finishing off with both of my snakebites and my amethyst and obsidian necklace Demex gave me for my birthday. I looked at the clock, its 7:00. Just in time. I headed out to my car, which happens to be the best birthday present I ever got from my parents. It's a purple-black convertible. I've had it since I was 17, and I'm 19 now. I got in, putting my favorite CD in the player. It's Vampires Everywhere "Kiss the Sun Goodbye". I arrived at the restaurant, seeing Rick's car parked in front. I parked next to him and went inside. This place is really gothic, with black, red, and purple everywhere. I guess that's where every band on Fearless Records meets. But BVB isn't on FR. Rick called me over, and I noticed Black Veil Brides was already there. I caught sight of the singer Andy, and almost fainted. I knew he was attractive, but didn't think he was THAT attractive. I sat across from him, ordering a sweet tea and introducing myself. "Hi, I'm Lilly, but call me Ryan. It's my middle name." "Hey, I'm Andy; I'm guessing you're the singer in Bloody Love?" "Yep. Been like that since I was about 15." "Awesome. I was about 15 when BVB started. Demex arrived with Jack and Steven and I introduced them to Andy. "Andy, this is my bassist Demex, my guitarist Steven, and my drummer Jack." "Hola." The night went by fast, me not wanting to go home. We talked about so many things, including how we started out. I left, telling Andy that I would see him when tour started. "Dude, tour starts in 3 days. Rick didn't tell you?" Andy told me before I left. "Oh god, he didn't. RICK!" "What Ryan?" Rick answered. "Why didn't you tell me tour was in 3 days?" "I told you that a month ago. Did you not write down the date on your calendar?" "Oh….. I feel stupid now." I departed, resting peacefully that night. I woke up in the morning, jumping out of bed, showering and jumping onto my laptop. I take online college courses so I have an education. My parents didn't want me to be a singer, but I did anyways. I was adopted, and no one knows who my real parents are. I was a baby when they adopted me, so they got to name me. I finished some work for my English class and got onto facebook. I had a friend request from Andy and all the guys from BVB. I accepted them and checked out Andy's relationship status. I know I shouldn't have been disappointed when I saw he was in a relationship with Scout Taylor, but I was. I had an email from Demex, saying "I love you. Do you want to have dinner at my place tonight?" I replied "I love you too. Dinner at your house sounds wonderful. Vegan dinner?" I got an instant reply, "Vegan dinner sounds good. Sushi?" "Love it. See you at 7:00?"I replied. "You want to stay the night?" "Depends how late it gets. I have stuff there right?" "Definitely." I got off, checking my tweets.
. . .
The day rushed by, and before I knew it, it was time to go to Demex's apartment. I arrived right on time, him greeting me at the door, flashing his irresistible smile. We've been dating since we were 16. Yes, 3 years. But we've known each other since middle school. He was the emo kid in my 7th grade Latin class, and I was a scene kid. We instantly became best friends, and we realized we loved each other during sophomore year. After dinner he pulled out his acoustic guitar (he plays both guitar and bass) and sang me one of my favorite songs. It's called "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It was 10:30 when I thought about going home, but he told me to stay. It was dangerous to be out in L.A along after dark. So I went to his bedroom, and found my nightgown. Truth be told, my necklace wasn't the only thing I got for my birthday. I slipped it on, waiting for him to come to bed. He came in, in just his boxers. "Hehehe… I love you." He got into bed, wrapping his arms around me and whispering to me "I love you too. Say we have some fun tonight?" "Demex, I'm having fun just being in your arms tonight." BOOM, thunder roared, CRACK! Lightning cracked. I got closer to Demex."I'm scared. Protect me from the storm? Hold me all night." I said "You're safe here with me. I'll be holding you all night if it makes you feel better." Demex cooed. I fell asleep in his arms, feeling safer than I ever had in a long time.
. . .
I awoke in his arms, just like I had fallen asleep. His eyes were open, looking at me like I was an angel. He kissed me on the cheek and said "It's still raining, but the thunder is gone. It rained all through the night." "Thank you for holding me all night. I'm terrified of thunderstorms." "My pleasure. I was holding the girl I wanted to hold since 7th grade." "Awww, you're so sweet. Where are my clean clothes? Still in my drawer?" "Yes. I think it's a hello kitty shirt and pink skinny jeans." "Good. Can I use your shower?" "Certainly. You know we use the same shampoo?" "Yes I know that. We both love our hair." I took a shower, then slipping into my clothes. I looked at the clock, 10:30. It was 1 day till tour. I told Demex to meet me for lunch at 1:30, to talk about tour plans. I went home and grabbed my laptop and rushed over to the tattoo parlor. I was getting a new tattoo on my back. I wanted Black and purple angel wings in between my shoulder blades. I already had one on my arm of my full maiden name in gothic lettering. "Lilith Ryan Maddox". It was to remember my family back home in Virginia. I came in, and met my best friend Talia at her booth. I told her what I wanted and connected to the Wi-Fi there. It distracts me from the pain of the tattoo. Before I knew it the tattoo was done. It looked awesome. I went to go meet Demex. We chatted over lunch, discussing tour. We called Rick and put him on speaker phone. 'Hey rick, it's us. What time do we need to meet at FR to start tour" "6:30 A.M. We have to be in Seattle tomorrow night and it's a long drive on the tour bus. Oh we'll be picking you up at you houses so you don't have to worry about your cars." Sounds good. Will we be on the same bus as BVB?" "Yes. It's HUGE!" We said goodbye and hung up. "Wow, 6:30 A.M, that's early. Going to bed really early to wake up at 5:00 to get ready. Do you have a set list for the first few nights planned out?" Asked Demex. "Yes. I prepared them when I got my new tattoo this morning.' "You got another tat? Can I see it?" "Sure." I turned around and let Demex see the angel wings. "Fits you perfectly." We sat there, talking continually until I noticed that I had to go home and take care of my animals. We kissed goodbye, and I returned to my home. I live in a decent sized house right outside Beverly Hills. I have a cat named Obsidian, a basset hound named Sherlock, and a mouse named Starbucks. I call it that because she's the same color of a caramel frappe. I fed them, and changed the straw in Starbucks cage. Talia takes care of my pets when I'm away.
. . .
I woke up in the morning groggy, but I took a shower and put my stuff at the end of the front hallway. At exactly 6:30, my doorbell rang. I saw Rick and Demex outside my door when I looked through the window. I grabbed the largest suitcase of stuff and let Demex bring the smaller on out to the bus. I also carried my purse. I stepped onto the bus, being greeted by Steven, him handing me a caramel frappe. I saw the rest of the band, and BVB sitting on their bunks and then I realized the size of this bus. It was HUGE! It had a second level! I guessed Bloody Love was on the top level, because Jack was on a bunk up there. I walked up the stairs and found a top bunk labeled "Lilly Maddox." I guessed Andy had put the labels on the bunks. There was an internet cable plug on the side, with a cup holder next to it. Andy was grumbling to one of the guitarists Jinxx, probably about waking up so early. After we were all settled, Rick spoke to us all, "Alright, this is the start of the WAR TOUR! Bloody Love and Black Veil Brides will be touring all over North America. U.S.A, Canada, and Mexico! This is a 4 month tour, so get used to living with each other, doing laundry at laundry mats, and sharing 2 bathrooms. There will be break days, so we can take a break from each other. Get to know each other, write songs together, and be ready for every show! Bloody Love will start tonight in Seattle, with BVB following them. We will be alternating who plays first. It will be vice versa every other day. Now, get some rest!" We all slipped into our bunks, falling asleep fast. I dreamed about the show tonight, singing and screaming my heart out. We all knew the BVB song "Knives and Pens" so we played it together before we went and signed stuff. I woke up to Demex shaking me saying "Ryan it's time to wake up, its 3:00. We stopped for lunch." I climbed out of bed, stretching my arms wide. I walked around the narrow walkway we had and woke up Steven. We all emerged from the bus, and I saw Andy. He looked mad. I went up to him and said HI! He just said hello. We got lunch and continued driving. Demex and I wrote a song and some of the others were experimenting with the internet access. I had my laptop in my traveling bag, in the little cabinet in the bunk. We were in Seattle before I knew it. The show started at 8:00, ending at 10:00. An hour for each band. The crowd was huge, and I was suddenly nervous. Andy told me one thing before I went on stage "Smile and Wave." The whole night was amazing. When there was time for BVB to play one more song, they invited me out to sing "Knives and Pens" with them. It went great. I screamed the parts that were screamed, Andy's voice was giving out. We signed autographs and took pictures for an hour afterwards. We loaded onto the bus and Rick greeted us with a smile."Great job tonight, all of you. The next show is in Montana, and it's at the same time. Be prepared to be awakened at 9:30 in the morning. Now, get some rest! We have a long day tomorrow!" I tried talking to Andy, but he was a complete jerk. I ignored him, kissing Demex goodnight, I slept like a baby.
. . .
The next day, Andy wasn't acting any better. We played the show, just like the night before. I swear he was going to punch somebody in the face if he didn't get some decent sleep. In North Dakota the third day of tour, he was the same. But by the time of the 4th day, he had gotten some decent rest and was way better, no longer a jerk. The tour flew by, and we knew each other like brother and sister. Before we knew it, we were playing our last gig, back in Hollywood. Both bands played together ending the tour. We wrote a song called "The War is Over" and I think we all cried when we preformed it. We signed for 2 hours and went home. I went home with Demex, because we had special plans. I hugged all of BVB goodbyes, kissing Andy on the cheek as I said goodbye. We unlocked Demex's apartment, yelling "WE'RE HOME!" at the sight of the apartment. I undressed and slipped into my nightgown, and got into bed. Demex came and joined me, and we had the most amazing night. Let's just say my clothes came off. We awoke in the morning, and I went home. I got on facebook and set my first status coming from home. I said hello to my mother, and told her I was fine. But did I know the horrible day that would come a month later? No I didn't.
. . .
That horrible day was exactly a month from when I got home. I had been acting really weird and I missed a period so I took a pregnancy test. It came out positive. I went over to Demex's house and told him. He freaked out and said "OH MY GOD WHAT DID I DO? I'm not ready for this! I left in tears, because Demex broke up with me. I took all my stuff home, my mascara running. As I was pulling into Starbucks to get some coffee, my car broke down. I trying to get onto the Wi-Fi, but it crashed my laptop, erasing the unsaved song I was working one. I was crying my eyes out silently with my head on the table when a familiar voice said "Ryan, what's wrong?" I looked up, and I saw Andy. I was embarrassed to have him see me with my makeup ruined, but I told him everything that had happened. When I mentioned my unplanned pregnancy and Demex, he said "Cough cough… coward cough." He offered to call his mechanic and drive me home for my car. I thanked him so much when he drove me home, but felt sorry for him. He was fighting with Jinxx, and he broke up with Scout. He asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with him, and I accepted. We had a date.
. . .
1 month later, we were going strong. He and Jinxx were tight again, Demex was still a friend, and my car was fixed. He got my song back, making my ecstatic. I was 2 months pregnant, but happy about it. Andy was helping me build a nursery in my new house. I now lived IN Beverly Hills. A huge house.
. . .
6 months from then, I was huge. 1 month from the baby, and engaged. Andy proposed to me, on stage. I had braved going to a concert, staying backstage. He led my onto the stage, and the crowed all said "AWWW!" when he proposed. I hugged him a best as I could, with my stomach getting in the way. I was expecting a girl, and we were going to name her Sandra.
. . .
I gave birth to Sandra Dorinda Biersack (we gave her Andy's last name because the wedding was in 5 months) on March 14th. Demex was there, as supporting as ever. There were no bad feelings at all. He smiled huge when he held Sandra. Andy smiled just as big, knowing he was going to raise a child with me. We took her home 2 days later, placing her in her crib and finally resting on the couch. We had a wonderful life ahead of us. I still remembered the words Andy had spoken to me before the concert in Seattle, "Smile and Wave."
Epilouge
Andy and Ryan got married with all their friends and family in attendance. Andy sang for Ryan before they said "I do". He raised Sandra like his own, and Sandra often visited her father Demex. As Ryan got older, she started letting people calling her Lilly, but never Lilith. Sandra grew up to be like her mother, starting a band when she was 14. She was a drummer. They had told her why she was named Sandra, because of BVB's ex drummer Sandra and she wanted to learn to play drums. Christian "CC" Coma taught her how to play. Andy and Lilly never divorced, and continued going on tour together. Sandra went everywhere with them, being homeschooled. Lilly never forgot the words Andy told her Before Seattle, "Smile and Wave."