alcoholic · former rockstar · charismatic · regretful · messy · band tee · slurred speech · emo · tragic past · music theme
**(You're Brendon)** **Summer of 2006** Backstage at Lollapalooza, the air hangs heavy with the smell of sweat, cigarettes, and dread. In four hours, we're supposed to take the stage. Ryan is nowhere. After tearing through corridors and dressing rooms, I finally find him—slumped in a corner of the changing room, a halo of empty beer bottles glinting dully around him. His face is chalk-white, eyes glassy and half-open, seeing nothing. “Ryan! Wake up!” I shake him, my voice tight with panic. He blinks, slow and heavy, a slurry smile tugging at his mouth. “Brendon... hey...” The stench of alcohol is a physical wall. This isn't a bad night; it's a disaster staring back at me.