Author's Note: Heya kiddos, it's ya girl Ki. Some important notes off the bat here. I have edited this story so that the chapters are formatted differently. This chapter consists of what used to be chapters 1 and 2. I didn't like the way the story had been chopped up originally, so I took the plunge and changed it. The story itself has not been altered. The only change is the way the chapters are split up. I hope y'all don't mind, and continue to enjoy Crash as much as I do.
Next, I'd like to point out to those who may not know, that I post story info/status updates about hiatus's and such on my profile page. Also if you ever have any questions for my come shoot me an ask over on my blog (ectopuppy on tumblr) as I will be much more likely to see it and answer in a timely manner.
This story, for first time readers, is for my AU. You can find more info about it, as well as some incredible fanart and even fanfic from others on my blog. Visit ectopuppy on tumblr tagged "screamo au". A big shout out to Caffeinechick for being such a big inspiration to me for this au. (love u josi) Please enjoy and as always feedback is appreciated. Onto the Story!
Sam pulled around a corner in her beat up little hybrid as the last shrieks of a thrashy metal song faded out. "You're listening to one-o-eight-point-seven The Edge." came a gravely voice from the speakers. Sam turned the volume down a few clicks as an advertisement started playing. The summer heat beat down on her through the windows and she grimaced. As much as she hated the effect air conditioning had on the environment, even Sam had to admit having a busted AC all summer would suck.
"-Ghostly Wail front man Phantom," The DJ's voice cut through Sam's thoughts and she turned the volume back up. "In a recent interview, Paulina Barrera of pop group Huntress hinted at a relationship between the two." Sam rolled her eyes. These kind of rumours had been plaguing both bands for ages. First it was Valerie Gray and Phantom, then Tucker Foley and Star, now this. Sam wondered when they'd just give it up.
"When Phantom was asked about the rumours he replied, 'It's not important. My personal life is my own business, and I wish it would stay that way.', Neither party has made a comment since then. Think the fame is starting to get to him, Cheri?" The DJ continued.
"Who can say," Cheri, Sam's favourite DJ on the station, replied. Her voice had a softer edge to it than the previous DJ. "At any rate, stay tuned for your chance to win tickets to Ghostly Wail this Saturday at The Apparition Rock Club, in our On The Edge sweepstakes."
Sam smiled. She'd had her own backstage passes to their upcoming show, a birthday present from her parents, sitting on her dresser for weeks. She had applied for a summer internship working for their label, with secret hopes to end up hauling equipment or a spot as a PA for her favourite band. It was a silly hope, and she hadn't heard anything back from the label, but at least she'd get a chance to meet them anyway.
As she pulled into the final stretch of her journey, a sudden bang snapped Sam's attention elsewhere. The sudden shift in her car's control, and a clunky whirring sound caused her to stop and pull over. There didn't seem to be any smoke coming up from the hood, which Sam was thankful for. She got out of the car, and walked around to the passenger side. "Oh, son of a bitch."
Sam took in the blown tire, and groaned. At least she wasn't far from the auto shop. She pulled out her cell phone, ready to call the shop, but instead decided to just walk. It was only a block or so from here. She locked the car, checking to make sure she wasn't parked in an illegal spot. Heaven knows she'd never hear the end of it from her mother if she got a ticket. She started her trudge down the sidewalk.
Her heavy, black combat boots hammered the sidewalk as she moved, hands in her jean pockets and head turned down from the sun. She huffed, thinking about the cost that replacing the tires would add to her bill. She considered hitting up her parents for the money, but quickly shoved the thought from her mind. She'd saved up to buy her own car, she'd deal with the old, worn out tires herself too.
Sam rounded the corner and walked directly into something all too solid. She fell on her butt letting out a soft squeak of pain as she landed. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," Came a concerned voice from above her. "Are you alright?"
She took the hand offered to her, pulling herself up. "I'm fine," She grumbled. She looked down at the arm she was currently pulling herself up with, and felt a shock of familiarity. Once she was on her feet she dusted herself off, and looked up. "I wasn't really watching... where, uh,"
"Oh, settle down Cujo, she's not gonna hurt you, ya' big doof." The man said, looking down at a large tan and black mastiff. He shot Sam a forced smile, and her heart almost stopped. She'd just literally bumped into Phantom, her idol of all idols, on the street. That kind of thing didn't happen in real life. Sam's head was reeling. This is like some kind of bad fanfic. She thought. "Sorry, he's a bit jumpy with strangers. What were you saying?"
"I, um, I was just," She stumbled over her words, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. "I said I'm fine." She finally managed to choke out.
"Are you sure? You sound a little off," Danny said, pulling up his big sunglasses to get a better look at her. "You're kind of red, too. I hope you're not getting heatstroke or something! It's weirdly hot today." Danny fretted, patting Cujo's head with a worried expression. He looked her over again, and this time spotted the likely cause of her distress. She had a Ghostly Wail pin adorned to the strap of her bag. Right... Famous guy. He thought. Somehow after years he still seemed to forget that. "Well, try to stay out of the sun. If you're sure you're okay, I've got to get going."
"I'm sure," Sam said, anxiety clear in her voice. "Thank you for your concern."
"Okay," Danny smiled. "Oh, and nice pin." He waved and started to walk off. "C'mon buddy, we're gonna go see Jazz." At the name the mastiff pulled ahead and Danny laughed. Sam watched, dumbstruck as Phantom walked away. Sam felt another wave of anxiety crash down on her. She could hardly believe he acted so... cute. He always seemed so tough in public. She shook herself mentally and continued her trek.
"That was so weird." She mumbled to herself. She turned back for a moment to grab one last glance at him. His hands moved in animated motions, and he was talking to his dog with a huge grin. Sam smiled and turned back to her walk. She decided it was a good weird.
XXXXX
Five days after her encounter with Phantom, Sam was standing at the edge of a mosh pit. She could feel the rail pressing into her ribs, but she didn't care. She screamed along to the song, jumping in time as best she could with everyone else pressing into her. The band had already said their goodbyes, and this was the final song. Sam could hardly catch her breath in a whirl of excitement and physical exhaustion.
"Good night Amity Park!" Phantom yelled, and with a final symbol crash the lights went out. The screams of the fans around her were all that kept her ears form ringing in the sudden silence. The pressure against her back eased as one by one fans stepped back to cool off. A few lingered in hopes of an encore. They kept Sam penned where she'd wormed her way to the front of the crowd. After a minute the crowd thinned enough to let Sam through, and she made her way out.
She asked where she was supposed to go, flashing her backstage pass to several people along the way. A large man with wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, examined the badge thoroughly. He smiled at her and opened a door to let her through. The man followed her in. The walls of the room were lined with instruments and records. Low leather couches and chairs ringed the room. At the sound of the door closing, someone looked up from the couch.
"Hey," Tucker waved a hand, but made no effort to get up. "Enjoy the show?"
"Yes! I did," Sam replied, in an instant all too aware of how sweaty she was. On further inspection, she noticed that Tucker was tapping away on his phone. The door opened again behind her, and the other three members of the band filed in.
"Tuck, bro, I don't know how you always get backstage so fast," Danny said, pouring water in his hair. He spotted Sam and stopped, his face contorting with mock devastation. "Even the fan beat us."
"Don't be a baby, Phantom," Said Simon Lang, the bands lead guitarist. He walked up to Sam and stuck out a hand, which Sam shook. "Hey! I'm Simon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Sam," Sam said, letting go of his hand. "Likewise!"
"Wait," Danny breathed, finally getting a good look at Sam. "Woah! It's you. The girl with the pin! That's so wild."
"She's the pin girl?" Latch, the bassist, exclaimed. He skirted around Danny and Simon to get a good look at her, pushing aside his red, dip-dyed bangs. Chocolaty brown eyes bore into Sam's own, and her face flushed. She was starting to get overwhelmed by the bands interest in her. She hadn't expected Phantom to remember her, and she definitely didn't expect him to tell people about her. Her mind was racing with thoughts about what he had said about her to make them so intent.
Simon pulled Latch back a few inches. "Excuse him," Simon said, rolling his eyes at his band mate. "He's got no idea what personal space is." From the couch Tucker let out a faint snort of laughter. Finally getting up, he made his way over and stretched.
"Damn, she's cute," He said, cracking his neck. "You guys should have said so. I'd have come over sooner." He gave Sam an exaggerated wink, and she was wondering whether he'd meant the comment or not.
"Now now, boys, let's not overwhelm her," A female voice came from behind Sam and she turned around. A red haired girl who looked somewhat familiar to Sam, walked up to Danny. She handed him another bottle of water. She gave him a pointed look. "You better actually drink this one Danny, I'm not getting you another one."
"Whoa, name Jazz, geez. There's a lady present," Danny teased, throwing a wink in Sam's direction.
"Yeah yeah, Phantom," Jazz said, drawing out the name. Her identity finally clicked in Sam's mind. Phantom's older sister's name is Jazz. Sam was sure she'd seen a photo or two of her before on Phantom's twitter. She gave Sam a warm smile and excused herself to the couch Tucker had vacated and pulled out her phone.
"So, uh, did you want us to sign stuff, or..?" Tucker asked.
"Yeah," Latch added, pulling a sharpie out of his pocket. Sam wondered if he'd had it there during the whole show. He looked over at Jazz. "Did the old man give us any merch to give her?"
"I'm sorry, excuse me a second," Jazz said, pulling her phone away from her ear. "What was that Ethan?"
"Did Masters give us anything to give her," He repeated, pointing at Sam. Jazz shook her head and went back to her phone call. "Okay, whatever, do you have anything you want signed?"
"What about the pin," Simon suggested. "Do you have it on you?"
"Oh, uh, yeah actually," Sam said, finally finding a chance to speak in all the chaos. She pulled off her small purple backpack, and groped around the inside for the metal edges of the pin. She took it out and handed it to Simon. He held it out to Danny.
"You do the honours," He said, dropping it into Danny's outstretched palm. "I mean the pin memory is of you, right?"
"I have some other stuff in here too," Sam cut in, digging around for a small, rolled up poster and a metal water bottle.
"Awesome," Danny said, taking the sharpie from Latch, and scrawling the stylized "P" he used in place of initials on the pins surface. "You seem pretty cool, you know. A lot less flustered than the last time I saw you, at least."
"Well, I have had a while to prepare for this meeting," Sam replied, a coy smile on her lips. "You generally don't get a chance to get ready to bump into a celebrity on the street." Danny smiled at her, passing the pin back.
"S'pose that's true," He said with a laugh. They stared at each other for a moment, and Sam took in the features of his face. It was a face she'd seen countless times, but it felt like she was seeing it for the first time.
"Ugh, get a room, there are children present," Tucker joked, pointing at Latch. Simon stifled a laugh, and Danny gave a quiet snort. Latch jumped on Tucker's back, and Tucker yelled, his voice catching and rolling into a laugh.
"I'm two years older than you, drummer boy!" Latch exclaimed. Sam barely even registered what was going on. Her mind was still stuck at 'get a room'. Had she been flirting? Had Phantom been flirting? She felt her face heating up again. She pushed down the thoughts filling her mind and smiled at the group. Tucker was now bucking like a bull trying to launch Latch from his back. Simon and Danny were roaring with laughter. Even if they're famous, I guess they really are just rowdy boys, she thought.
"Okay boys, break it up," Jazz said, walking over from the couch. Tucker and Latch continued roughhousing, and Danny and Simon seemed to be too entertained to pay her much mind. "Tucker cut it out, I'm going to get in trouble if you get hurt." She tried again, distress mingled with annoyance in her voice. Sam took a step toward the boys.
"Hey," She yelled, hands on her hips. Danny and Simon jumped and Tucker stopped with enough force to jar Latch loose. Jazz caught him well enough to keep him from injuring himself. "She was trying to tell you to stop." Sam explained, pointing to Jazz with a forceful edge to her voice.
"Oh, sorry Jazz," Tucker started, rubbing the back of his neck. Jazz looked up at him with anger blazing in her eyes. "I didn't mean to-"
"What if one of you had gotten hurt?" Jazz retorted. She pointed to Sam. "What if you'd hurt her somehow? Do you have any idea how much trouble I'd be in? Thank God for her tenacity, otherwise this could have ended very badly." She turned to Sam, a genuine smile on her face. "Thank you so much. I'm their manager's assistant, but to be honest I'm pretty much just a glorified babysitter."
"It's fine," Sam replied. Jazz looked at her face, and a look of recognition passed over her features.
"I know you," Jazz exclaimed. "You were one of the intern applicants Mr. Masters had me look over!"
"Really?" Sam asked, bewildered that they had even considered her.
"Sam Manson, right," Jazz replied, beaming. Sam nodded. "You know I haven't actually chosen yet..." Jazz made a face, and looked between the boys and Sam. Simon and Tucker were nodding with enthusiasm, and Latch was giving her a bright smile. She took one final look at her brother, and he gave a single nod and a small smile. "How'd you like to be intern assistant to Mr. Masters? I'm sure you can tell I could use the help."
Sam froze for a second, the information processing about as well as film under sunlight. Then all at once the question sunk in. Her knees felt weak. This was her dream. There was no way she could turn her down.
"I'd love to," Sam said, fighting to keep her voice stable. A big, goofy grin spread across her face. Tucker grabbed Sam around the middle and hoisted her into the air, cheering.
"You're coming to the after party to celebrate with us," He exclaimed.
"Okay, but you're crushing my organs," Sam said, in a strained voice. Tucker laughed and put her down. Latch raised a credit card into the air.
"Drinks are on the label," He roared. Sam had a feeling it was going to be an interesting summer.