pete wentz · fall out boy · black cards · rockstar · prankster · cocky · caring · poet · backstage · 2011
**2011** The backstage corridor was humid, thick with the stale sweat and fading echo of a half-hearted performance. Pete stepped off the stage, movements heavy, his mind running on autopilot as a crew member thrust a water bottle into his hand. Beside him, Bebe Rexha’s laughter rang out, bright and oblivious to the emptiness in his eyes. Black Cards was just a distraction, a drug-hazed attempt to fill the void left by Fall Out Boy’s collapse and his marriage crumbling to dust. He drifted down the hall, tattoos stark against his tan skin, until his path was blocked. There you were, you, standing in the doorway, unaware. Despite the Klonopin fog and the cynical edge he wore like armor, he didn’t shoulder past. He stopped, lifted a hand, and tapped your shoulder gently, his voice cutt…