Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

Rock and Roll Ruined My Life

Meeting All Time Low

Rock And Roll Ruined My Life- Chapter 27- Meeting All Time Low

*Monday Morning.

I woke up and ran into the bathroom and took out the box of Proactive underneath the sink. I hadn’t used it in forever but word of mouth was that All Time Low was only a few years older than me and very good looking. Judging by the magazine I bought the rumors were right. And what do I have to lose? Nothing. They weren’t even that famous yet, so it’s not like they could get caught up in any drama… What? I have a right to go out with any one of them! I quickly followed the three steps and ran downstairs.

“Well you look… refreshed,” Lindsey said looking at me confusedly. I laughed and replied,
“Yeah, just trying out a new routine.”
“That’s good,” she yawned.

I grabbed a glass of water and a nectarine.

“No chocolate milk today?”
“Nope.”
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Yup!”
“Alrighty then…” she replied.

I quickly finished and ran upstairs to get dressed. I picked out a pink t-shirt, blue skinny jeans, and black converses. I threw everything on and ran into the bathroom and took out the straightening iron. I shakily straightened out my ponytail. I had never thought to begin straightening out my hair until this week. I mean, all the girls did that now, right? I looked at the finished product and sighed. It still looked frizzy.

‘I’ll ask someone to help me later’, I told myself.

I grabbed my book-bag and ran downstairs.

“I’m ready to go!” I yelled as I pulled on my jacket.
“One shofer coming up!” I heard Mikey yell back. He grabbed the keys off the mirror and walked out to the car.

“Thanks for driving me, Mikey,” I said as I checked myself in the car mirror.
“No problem… Juliet, I know I don’t really see you all that much, but you seem different. Did I miss something?”

I looked at Mikey’s wrists and saw faded scars like the one on my wrist.

“Can I trust you Mikey?” I asked him. He slowed down his driving a bit.
“Yes, of course,” he replied.
“Well, you know how All Time Low is my favorite band?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m pretty close to their age…” I trailed off hoping he would get the hint.
“Oh, I see. So… you… like one of them or something?” I blushed.
“Yeah. I like the two guitar players.”
“Oh so there’s two of them?” he smirked. I gasped and hit his arm lightly,
“Mikey Way!” He laughed.
“Sorry. So how old are they?”
“Well, Jack is 18 and Alex is 19.”
“Hm.”
“Hm? What’s ‘hm’ supposed to mean?” I asked.
“Well, even though they are close to you in age, I don’t think they would be too interested in high school girls any more… I know when I was nineteen I wanted to hang out with college kids, not high school kids.” My shoulders dropped and my spirits sagged.
“So, should I just stop while I’m ahead?” I asked.
“No! You’re a pretty girl, and who knows? Maybe they will want to hang out with you or something if they think you’re as pretty as we all know you are,” he smiled. I was almost ready to cry. He was really too sweet!
“Mikey, you are so nice! Thank you so much. Please don’t tell Gerard or anyone else, please,” I begged.
“I promise,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“Here’s your stop!” He said pulling up in front of the school.
“Thanks again,” I said leaning over and giving him a hug.
“No problem. Catch ya later!” He replied driving off.

I turned around and faced the school. I had four days to get through until I went to the All Time Low concert.

“I can do this!” I muttered to myself as I walked upstairs. When I got to my locker I saw Tom waiting there for me. Almost immediately, a smile stretched across his face.

“Hey, Tom!” I smiled giving him a hug.
“Hey,” he replied smiling back at me.
“You’re here early!”
“So are you,” he pointed out. I stuck my tongue out and opened my locker.

“I have, Social Studies, Math, Science, and Spanish,” I announced as I took out the proper books.
“I have Literature, Computers, Science, and Italian,” he told me.
“Well at least we have two things together.”
“What’s the second one?”
“Lunch,” I laughed.
“Oh yeah,” he smiled back.
“Well, I gotta’ get to homeroom. I’ll see you in Science!” I waved.
“See ya’.”

**

“Okay class today we will be moving into the Science Lab so you can all leave your books here, but bring something to write with,” Mr. Anderson said gathering his things and walking across the hall.

Conversation burst out as people scrambled to find lab partners before they walked across. I looked around for someone from my big group of friends but could find no one. Then, I remembered Tom and looked around for him. I spotted him at the same time another girl did and I ran over before she could even get the chance.

“Hey!” I said trying not to sound out of breath.
“Hey,” he smiled back.
“Want to be partners?” I asked nervously.
“Sure!”
“Awesome! Let’s go,” I said grabbing his hand and rushed across the hall. I made sure to smile at the girl who dared cross my path. I could have swore she muttered something along the lines of “What the fuck” but I didn’t care.

Unfortunately, we had to sit more towards the front, which meant that Mr. Anderson would be critiquing us the entire lab session.

“Alright, does anyone else need a lab partner? No? Good. Today we are going to do something a little different than our usual labs. It will involve using yourselves as the guinea pigs!” Chatter burst out through the room.
“Quiet!... As we’ve been learning about blood types, I thought we could do the classic experiment of testing our own blood to see what type it is.” I felt myself slide to the edge of my chair. I did not want to cut myself in any way AT ALL.

“Are you okay, Julie?” Tom asked.
“No,” I replied shaking my head as more students outburst in conversation.

“SILENCE! If you all keep talking we will NOT do this experiment!” Mr. Anderson yelled. “Everyone must participate in this experiment or they will fail the class,” he continued. I gaped at him.

“This is so unfair!” I said loud enough so that everyone could hear me. A few people gasped. I usually never talked out loud in class.

“Excuse me, Ms. Smith?”
“Yeah, I am NOT cutting myself. I have a phobia and severe disgust of anything that involves cutting people open. I don’t care if I fail the class, I’m not doing it and I’m not watching it.” I stood up and walked out of the classroom straight to the main office.

As soon as I walked in the phone rang and the secretary, Laura, looked at me suspiciously before answering the call.

“Hello Bellview High School, Laura Jones speaking… yes she’s here,” she said looking at me again. I saw her eyes widen in shock as Mr. Anderson explained to her what happened. A few more girls from my class walked into the office followed by a guy dressed in hot pink skinny jeans and a tight gray v-neck.

“Hey,” he said to me, his voice dripping with flamboyancy. I looked at him in confusion.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“You live on my block,” he replied. Suddenly, it clicked. He did live on my block! I laughed and said,
“I’m sorry, I totally spaced! I remember you now!”
“What you did in class today was…hot,” he said sounding unsure of his choice of words. I laughed again.
“Thank you!”
“No problem. You saved us,” he said gesturing to the other girls around us, “you really did.”
“Aw, no biggie,” I smiled.
“I’ve noticed your change in clothes, are you going for a more… outgoing look?”
“Is it that obvious?” I asked biting my lip nervously.
“Oh honey don’t worry, you can pull off any look! But why change now? And why change style in the middle of the winter?” I blushed as I thought of my real motives: to impress All Time Low.
“I don’t know, just trying to change it up a bit…” I trailed off. He smirked and I knew he saw right through my façade.
“I hope whoever you’re trying to go for realizes how beautiful you are.” I came close to tears for the second time again.
“Aw thank you so much!” I pulled him into a hug.
“No problem. Just work on the hair straightening a little bit.” I laughed,
“I will and, I’m sorry I’m so forgetful, but, what’s your name again?”
“Chris,” he smiled.
“Thanks, Chris!”

We all turned to face the secretary who had just hung up the phone.

“I suggest that you all go to the library until the next bell rings. I’m not sending you to the principal’s office,” she said. Everyone began filing out of the room until it was just me left over.

“Thanks, Laura,” I smiled.
“No problem, doll face,” she said smiling. “Saw you talking to Chris,” she commented as I reached forward to take a mint out of the little jar on her desk. I laughed as I popped it in my mouth. “You could make the gay go straight if you keep it up,” she laughed.

I practically spit my mint out. I could not believe she just told me that. That was hysterical!

“Laura stop! You’re gunna’ make me choke!” I told her in-between fits of laughter.
“It’s true! Now get to the library before anyone hears you!” She shooed me away, chuckling to herself.

**

“Juliet!” I heard someone yell across the street. It was Mikey; he came to pick me up in Gerard’s car again. I smiled, waved, and ran over as fast as I could without slipping on the ice.
“Hey, Mikey!” I smiled getting in the car.
“How was school?”
“Good,” I smiled. “I made a new friend,” I added.
He laughed,
“Who might that be?”
“This gay kid Chris. He lives on our block you know.”
“Oh! I know who you’re talking about! I saw him come outside, like, once.”
“Yeah, he called me a life saver for walking out of Science Lab today,” I laughed.
“Why’d you walk out of Science Lab?”
“I refused to do the blood test,” I answered sheepishly. I saw him glance at my wrist quickly. I put my hand over it.
“Well, that’s good for you,” he said smiling.
“Thanks. After everyone walked out the secretary told me I could make the gay go straight,” I laughed.
“I don’t doubt it,” he agreed.

We got home and I ran upstairs to do my homework. I finished it as quickly as I could and went downstairs to eat dinner. I ran into the kitchen and put one spoon full of spaghetti, one meatball, and a scoop of veggies; which I normally never eat. Then I went into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water and sat down to eat with everyone else.

“Hey Jules,” everyone said.
“Hey guys!” I replied eating at a slow pace, to make my mind feel like it was eating a lot when it really wasn’t.
“You took some vegetables?” Lindsey asked, trying not to sound excited.
“Yeah,” I laughed.
“And you’re drinking water?” Frank said pointing at the bottle of water in my hand.
“Yup!”
“Hm,” everyone said except Mikey, who just sat there eating his food. After I finished, I put my dishes in the sink, and went upstairs to change. I came back downstairs in shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers.

“Where are you going?” Gerard asked, sounding almost like Chris. I burst out laughing,
“I’m going on the treadmill!”
“The treadmill?”
“Yes sir!” I said marching into the den.
“That treadmill is ancient!” he said following me.
“It doesn’t matter! This will do,” I said climbing up and pressing the start button. I put in my head-phones and blasted All Time Low.

When all of their songs finished playing, I stepped off -dripping sweat- and ran upstairs to the shower where I made sure to use Proactive again. It was about 8:30 by the time I finished brushing, flossing, and rinsing with Listerine and 9:00 by the time I finished brushing out my hair. I put it into two braids, Pocahontas style, and went to bed.

*Fast-Forward to Saturday 4:00 PM

As the week went on I continued this routine and by Friday I felt completely refreshed and healthy. My skin was clear, my hair was shinier (and straighter), and I felt buffer from running. I also got asked to hang out by Chris, which I agreed to, and he helped me pick out my outfit for the concert! We are all heading there now. I’m in Mikey’s car with Ray. I’m literally bouncing off the windows with excitement. We’re stopping to get dinner before the show.

Mikey pulled up into a Burger King.
“Mikey do we really have to eat at Burger King?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Can we please find a Panera Bread?”
“No! Eat something fattening for once!” he said.
“Oh my God,” I whined as I got out of the car.

“What do you want?” Gerard asked everyone.
“Whopper.”
“Whopper.”
“9 piece chicken nuggets.”
“Whopper Jr.”
“Chicken Sandwich.”
“A salad.”

Gerard turned to look at me.

“Seriously?”
“Yes,” I replied defiantly.
“Okay, fine.”
“Thank you.”

Gerard placed all our orders in and by the time we finished we were at the hall where the concert was being held. There were not a lot of people there, but we were like 30 minutes early so maybe it will fill up later. We walked to the front of the room and sat down in our seats.

I heard a few people talking and walking around back stage. I gulped nervously. What if they came outside early to practice? I would die!

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I jumped and turned around and saw a girl I recognized from History class. I sighed in relief. What was her name? I forgot. Well whoever she was looked startled.

“Hey! Sorry about that, I didn’t get too much sleep last night,” I lied.
“It’s okay!” she glanced toward the guys and Lindsey then back at me. “Do you know who you’re sitting next to?” she asked a hint of excitement in her voice. I looked over at the people I now knew so well. ‘Am I ready to blow our cover?’ I asked myself. ‘No.’ my brain answered.

I pretended to sit up straight in excitement. “That’s My Chemical Romance!” I said hoping she’d buy my act. It worked! She leaned closer and asked,
“Do you think they’ll give us autographs even though it’s not their concert?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know.” And genuinely, I didn’t.
“It’s worth the shot right? I mean who would have thought they were into local bands like this?” She replied pulling out a sharpie and notebook. I nervously followed suit. I hoped to God the guys would go along with what I was doing.

I scooched over as far as possible in my seat and gestured for her to tap on Gerard’s shoulder. All of the conversation stopped and they all turned around to face her and me.

“Hi, my name’s Taylor and this is Juliet,” she said pointing to me. I pretended to give a nervous smile. “We know that this isn’t your concert and that you don’t want to steal the spotlight from anyone, but we were wondering if we could get your autographs… maybe a picture?” she added trying not to sound too pushy but failing epically.

Ray and Frank looked at each other and shrugged,
“Yeah, sure, we guess.” She smiled excitedly again and ran around to the front row where we were sitting.

As she was in the process of doing this I looked at all of them with a please-go-along-with-this look. They all gave a curt nod and stood up as Taylor came up to me. I held out my notebook and sharpie to Ray,

“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Juliet,” I replied in a small voice. He nodded and scribbled his signature. The rest of the guys followed suit. After autographs went around I took Taylor’s camera from her and snapped a shot of her with my legal family. It was so hard not to look comfortable standing next to them when she took my picture with them.

‘Great now I have to pretend that I don’t know them for the rest of the show…’ I mentally scolded myself.

Taylor went back around to her seat and I went back to sitting awkwardly off to the right of my chair.

“Give me your phone, I’ll take a picture of you sitting next to them from behind.” I mentally sagged my shoulders.
“Okay!” I said passing her over my BlackBerry. She looked like she was having a hard time navigating through it. I leaned over and saw she was accidentally in my contacts. I scrambled to grab it out of her hands before she found the guy’s numbers.

“Here you go!” I smiled. She shrugged off my weirdness and took the shot.
“Thanks!” I replied.
“No problem,” she smiled.

As we continued to make small talk, the hall filled with tons of people. It was a full house. I silently thanked Gerard and the guys for getting us awesome seats and backstage passes. Finally, the lights were shut off and everyone screamed bloody murder. I felt Frank nudge my arm and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I looked down at him and saw him jumping up and down in excitement. I burst out laughing and people joined in, not even knowing what was so funny. The whole hall was joking around when suddenly, the stage lights turned on. Everyone screamed bloody murder again.

Zack, Alex, Jack, and Rian walked out on stage and I felt myself being pushed toward the stage as screams erupted from the crowd. I held my ground and elbowed the people behind me in hopes that they would stop pushing.

“How are you all doing tonight?” Alex screamed into the microphone.
The hall burst into screaming and more pushes came from behind me. I looked over at the guys and saw they were just putting up with the pushing so I did too.

“Jack, I think we have a full house today!” Screams
“I think so too, Alex!” Jack smiled back. Screams
‘They are so hot!’ I thought to myself.
“Well let’s give the people what they came to see!” Screams

Jack and Alex broke into the intro for ‘Coffeeshop Soundtrack’ and I practically sang myself horse by the time the concert was over. I said my goodbyes to Taylor and as soon as she turned around I ran over and hugged Gerard, Lindsey, and all the guys.

“You guys have no idea how awesome you are!”
“Aw it’s no biggie!” Lindsey said.
“Let’s get backstage!” Frank screamed. We walked over to the side of the stage and flashed our passes at the security guard, who barely paid us any attention. All Time Low wasn’t as famous as most bands were. I nervously patted my hair, pulled at my shirt, fixed my glasses, and popped a piece of gum into my mouth.

“Don’t be nervous! They’re just normal guys like us,” Mikey assured me.
“Yeah, they’re just like us!” Ray chimed in.
“Thanks,” I smiled back at them.

We followed the signs to one of the backrooms and finally reached the door we were looking for.

We paused in front of the door. Gerard looked at me. I took a deep breath and nodded. He knocked on the door and two seconds later it opened and there was Rian Dawson, smiling at us and welcoming us in. I barely got the words “Hello” off of my lips before I became speechless again. Alex, Jack, and Zack were sitting on the couch, drinking bottles of soda and joking around. When they saw us standing in the room they got up and walked over.

“Thanks for coming to the show!” Alex said shaking the guys and Lindsey’s hands.
“Yeah, it’s cool to have another band here,” Jack added. I saw Alex give me a once over before he said,
“You must be Juliet!”
“Yeah,” I smiled, trying to keep my cool. I couldn’t tell what he thought of me. His facial expression remained neutral except for his smile.
“Thanks for coming to the show!”
“No problem! You guys are awesome,” I smiled.

“Want a soda?” Jack asked us.
“I’ll have one,” Bob and Mikey said. Jack looked at me,
“Do you want one?”
“Sure,” I replied, my heart fluttering a thousand miles a minute. Jack freaking Barakat just asked me if I wanted a soda
“How about we sit down? We literally have four hours until everything gets cleared away,” Rian said.

“Okay,” Lindsey smiled taking a seat on a stool next to Rian and Bob. Gerard and Ray sat down on two chairs by the wall next to Zack and Mikey and Frank sat down on chairs across from the couch where I would have to sit with Alex and Jack. I sat down in the middle of the couch not really thinking about who would sit next to me, when all of a sudden Jack sat down on my right and Alex sat on my left. I thought I saw Mikey stifle laughter as my face went into temporary shock.

“Here ya’ go,” Jack said passing me a Pepsi.
“Thank you,” I smiled.
“So how did a Jersey girl like you find out about a Baltimore band like us?” Alex asked.
“I was on the computer and I saw an little blog post about you guys and your music and decided to see how you guys sounded,” I explained. They both nodded.
“That’s cool. You are, like, one of our first fans from New Jersey,” Jack laughed.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” He nodded.

I cracked open the can of soda and took a sip, everyone did the same. I chuckled at how awkward the situation was and they joined in.

“I just thought you guys should know that your music helped me a lot,” I told them holding onto my wrist tightly. This time it was their turn to say,
“Really?” I nodded.
“I just got out of a really terrible relationship and even though I tried talking to people,” I glanced at Mikey, “and surrounding myself with friends who loved me I couldn’t get out of this depression I was in. And when I read about the performance that you guys put on I knew that I needed a band who gave off that kind of vibe in their music, and I basically turned around my whole life style because of it.”
“Holy shit that’s deep,” Jack said. Alex nodded in agreement.
“I’m glad we could help you,” Alex smiled.
“Thank you,” I said looking into both of their eyes.
“That’s so awesome to know that we helped someone!” Jack said, looking…proud, for the lack of a better term. Suddenly the door opened.

“Sorry to interrupt but we are cleaning out the backstage rooms now to save some time,” a lady in all black said standing in the doorway.
“No problem,” Rian said standing up. Everyone followed suit.

“So, we have to go now?” I asked trying not to sound upset. We only had fifteen minutes together…
“I guess so,” Gerard said putting his arm around Lindsey’s shoulder.
“It was nice meeting you guys,” I said.
“Yeah!” Alex, Jack, Rian, and Zack said.

“Oh shoot. We forgot to take pictures!” Lindsey exclaimed rummaging through her bag for her camera.
“Is it okay?” I asked, not wanting to get them in trouble.
“Yeah! It’s cool,” Alex said walking around to stand on my left. Jack walked around to stand on my right and Rian and Zack followed.

“One, two, three!” Lindsey said snapping the picture. The flash was blinding.

“Owch,” I said taking off my glasses and rubbing my eyes. The guys laughed in agreement as they blinked to get the spots out of their eyes as well. I felt like someone was watching me when I saw Alex, Jack, Rian, and Zack half staring at me. I quickly put my glasses on and walked over to get my bag and jacket from Ray, who had magically found some place to store everything during the concert.

“Thanks again!” I said giving all of them hugs.
“No problem! See you later?” Alex asked.
“Maybe,” I said looking at Gerard for an official answer.
“We’ll see. We’re going on tour soon ourselves.” I felt my mouth drop open.
“When were you going to tell me this?” I saw All Time Low exchange Oh-Shit looks.
“Tomorrow,” Frank said biting his lip.
“Well at least Lindsey will be around?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, honey. MSI will be on tour too. We’re in the same concert program.”
“So I’ll have the house all to myself?” I asked. I didn’t notice Alex nudge Jack who nudged Rian who nudged Zack.
“Pretty much… We’ll talk more about this later. These guys have to hit the road,” Gerard said.

I sighed sadly and waved good-bye to All Time Low one last time. I tried to smile but almost everyone saw right through it, except for Bob who looked totally un-phased. You could do an African worship dance in front of him and the guy wouldn’t even blink, I swear…

*

We got home and I went upstairs, not wanting to talk to anyone about anything. I sat down on my bed and looked at the backstage pass and tickets I cherished, and smiled.

‘Today was a good day,’ I thought to myself, ‘despite the news about the tour, today was a good day…’

Suddenly my phone rang and I scrambled through my bag to find it. When I found it I noticed an unknown number on the caller ID.

“Hello?” I asked making my voice deeper than it normally was.
“Hi, Juliet?” a familiar voice answered.
“Who is this?” I asked, not changing my tone.
“Um this is Lauren, I’m a friend from school.”
“Oh hey, Lauren!” I laughed using my regular voice.
“Dude, you had me really worried there for a second!” she laughed.
“Sorry, I just didn’t recognize the number so I was suspicious.”
“This is my Mom’s cell, that’s probably why. Anyways, do you think you’d be interested in coming to a party over my house tonight?” I glanced at my clock. It was 9:30.
“Now?” I laughed.
“Yeah, I know it’s a little late but my mom will be supervising, there’s music, and food, and all that good stuff,” she laughed.
“When will the party be over?”
“Around 12:30/1-ish.”
“Okay just tell me your address and I’ll be over!”
“163 Chaucer Road.” My mouth practically fell open; that was in one of the richest neighborhoods in Bellview.
“Awesome! I’ll see ya’ soon!”
“Okay! Bye!” She hung up.

I pulled up a blank text and wrote:

- Were you invited to a party?

And sent it to Kat, Tom, Billie, Juliana, Lizzy, and Chris.

I walked over to my closet and picked out a new sweater, and a pair of boots. I put them on and rushed to the bathroom to wash my face again and re-do my hair. By the time I got back to my room it was 10 and I quickly rushed over to my phone. I had 6 text messages.

- Hey girlfriend! I got invited to Lauren’s party. Do you need a ride? –Chris xoxo
- Heyyy!!! I’m heading to a party right now!! Were you invited to one? – Kat
- me and juliana weren’t invited to anything… did you get invited to something - Billie
- Hi! And I did get invited to a party by Lauren, but I can’t go : ‘( I’m at a family reunion : / - Lizzy
- hey jules. i didn’t get invited to anything. did you? -Tom

I replied to Chris’s text message first:

- If you don’t mind taking me then yes, I need a ride lol! –Juliet xoxo

Then rushed down stairs to the front door.

“Where are you going?” I heard Gerard ask from the couch where he, Frank, and Lindsey were sitting.
“To a party,” I replied.
“Now?” Lindsey asked.
“Yeah.”
“Who’s taking you?” Gerard asked standing up and walking over.
“My gay friend Chris. He lives on our block,” I replied curtly. I didn’t feel like talking to any of them right now…

“Jules, look at me,” Gerard said. I turned to face him, keeping my face expressionless.

“Jules, I know you’re mad at us and I know there will probably be beer or something wherever you’re going, but promise me that you won’t get drunk and use alcohol as a way to get rid of your anger, or sadness, or any type of emotion. I did that and I learned the hard way.” I felt my phone buzz; it was probably Chris telling me he was outside. I looked into Gerard’s eyes,
“I promise I won’t get drunk.”
“Thank you,” he said pulling me into a hug and walking back to the couch where he sat down.

It was moments like these when I hated Gerard because even though he’ll say something that makes me want him to burn in hell, he’ll turn around and show how much he, and everyone else, cares about me.

‘Just like Dad…’ I thought to myself. I held back tears as I heard a car honk outside. I rushed out into the cold and saw a shiny black Mustang GT sitting outside. I rushed around the passenger side and got in, making sure not to slam the door too hard.

“Chris! This car is awesome!” I exclaimed, pulling my seatbelt on.
“Thanks gorgeous!” he smiled, pulling me into a quick hug then stepping on the gas.
“Whoa! Slow down there, the streets are icy,” I told him. He stepped on the brakes and went down to the speed limit.
“You’re right. Thank you for reminding me,” he said.

We stopped at a red light and he turned to face me.
“You look fabulous!” he said gesturing to my hair, jeans, and boots.
“Thank you!” I laughed. “You look good too!” I added.

He was wearing dark skinny jeans, and some sort of vintage-looking boots. A scarf was also visible from under his leather jacket.

The light turned green and he eased off the brakes.

“I’m actually recycling these boots from last winter… Don’t tell anyone,” he said.
“I won’t,” I chuckled.

“I love going to Lauren’s house. It’s breath taking.”
“I’ve never been… I never imagined that Lauren would live in that kind of house though.”
“I know! She’s so modest.”
“Yes! That’s the word!” I smiled.
“You’re pretty modest too,” Chris added.
“Really? How so?” I asked.
“I know you live with a rock band. You could probably brag about things we could never imagine, but you don’t.”
“Aw thanks!” I grinned.
“Do you play an instrument?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“You gunna’ tell me which ones?” He laughed.
“Drums, Bass, and Guitar. Guitar’s my favorite out of all of them.”
“Oh my God! You prodigy! Do you sing as well?”
“Yeah,” I said sheepishly.
“Honey! Why don’t you participate in our talent shows?”
“I don’t like being in the spotlight like that. I choke up.”
“Oh but everyone would love you!” He said turning onto Chaucer Road.
“Nah,” I replied.
“I’m going to talk to your rocker friends,” he said as he pulled up to a four story mansion with a huge wrap around driveway with a garage. I felt my jaw drop. Chris laughed.

“Maybe you could live in a house like this if you played in a band,” Chris said parking and getting out of the car. I climbed out and shut the door gently.

“Now let’s party!” he said taking my hand and running up to the house and throwing open the door.

The house was literally packed with people. Rap music was blasting and everyone was dancing. I saw Kat doing the sidestep and drinking what looked like Kool-Aid in the corner. I laughed and motioned for Chris to follow me over.

“HEY KAT!” I said tapping her on the shoulder.
“HEY JULIET! HELLO PERSON I DON’T KNOW!” She smiled back.
“THIS IS CHRIS!” I said.
“HEY!” Chris smiled.
“GO PUT YOUR STUFF UPSTAIRS! I PUT MY STUFF IN LAUREN’S ROOM! FIRST DOOR ON THE RIGHT!”
“OKAY!” Chris and I replied rushing upstairs.

When we got onto the landing it was much quieter.

“That music was-”

“OH YEAH!” I heard someone scream from down the hall. I felt myself blush. Chris waved a hand, dismissing the screams completely. I went to open the door but Chris stopped me.

“You obviously haven’t been partying before,” Chris said putting his ear up to the door before turning the knob.
“You’re right, I haven’t,” I admitted.
“Well that’ll change quickly. Just wait till senior year, we’ll be at a party every Friday of the year.”
“Wow.”

Lauren’s room was literally packed with coats and bags. You couldn’t even see the bed or the floor.

“Let’s put our stuff in the closet. No one will go in there,” Chris said. I nodded and put my stuff on a partially empty shelf. Chris put his things next to them and we went back down stairs.

* 11:30

“Hey, pretty!” some guy I never met yelled at me from across the kitchen. I turned my head.
“What?”
“Want a beer?” He asked holding up a bottle of Coors Light. I stepped forward and grabbed the beer. Sure I felt a twang of guilt but what’s one beer going to do? If I remembered correctly I promised Gerard I wouldn’t get drunk. I never promised that I wouldn’t have a beer.

I popped the cap off with my bare hands and took a swig. I almost regurgitated. It tasted terrible! However, I wasn’t going to back down and not finish it in front of all these people. I walked into the living room and people gasped. Most people from school knew the old, quiet me. Little did they know my view of the world was changing and the new me was not afraid to get down. I walked into the center of the floor and started dancing by myself, taking a swig every now and then. The guy who gave me the beer walked into the center of the floor and started dancing with me. Suddenly the song changed and I saw everyone change dancing positions. Grinding.

‘Oh shit.’ I said to myself as the guy I was dancing with got behind me.
“I’ve never done this before,” I told him, biting my lip.
“That’s okay babe!” he said putting his hands on my hips. Eventually, I got over my embarrassment and was dancing like there was no tomorrow.

I forget what time it was when I found Chris- who was making out with some guy when I found him- and we got our stuff from Lauren’s room.

“Chris?” I asked.
“Yeah?” he replied leaning onto me for support as we went down the steps.
“I don’t think you should drive.”
“Me either,” he said clutching his head, “can you drive?”
“A little,” I said.
“How many beers did you have?”
“One.”
“Really? Wow you’re good. I had 7.”
“How are you standing?” I asked in shock.
“I’m not!” he laughed as he clutched my shoulder. I joined in the laughter.
“Do you know how to turn on the car?” he asked.
“Yes!” I replied taking the keys from him and helping him strap in.
“That’s nice,” he smiled.
“I’m going to start driving now okay?” I told him.
“Okay boo,” he said.

I stepped on the gas and froze in fright. I had never needed to drive anywhere in my life time.

“Wha’ happened?” he asked.
“I’m scared.”
“Oh don’t be scared! You’ll be okay. Just know where the gas pedal is.”
“I’m telling you this is the first time I’ll be driving anywhere. I don’t want to mess up your car!”
“Just drive before I get up and drive us home myself, bitch.”
I smacked him across the face.
“I’m the one trying to get us home! Don’t you call me a bitch!”
He sat up and rubbed his face. He was so pale my handprint was still etched on his cheek.
“Well, sorry!” he spat.

I stepped on the gas and eased onto the silent road. I thought I was doing pretty well. I made sure to step on the brakes easily and tried to stay in the lines on the road. My grip on the steering wheel was so tight I was 100% positive you could see my bones through my skin. I stopped for a red light that was up ahead.

There were no other cars on the road, but the sound of cars on the highway filled the air.

The light turned green. I eased off the brakes and just as I was about to make it into the intersection another black car came speeding out of nowhere and went right past us. I screamed but Chris was long gone. I took a second to catch my breath and continued on down our road. I reached our block with no further problems and pulled into Chris’s driveway.

I searched the key ring for his house key and found it with ease. I walked up the two steps to his front door and left it half open. Then I went back around to the passenger side of the car and opened Chris’s door. He looked so peaceful and I knew what a horrible drunk he was. ‘He looks light enough’, I thought to myself. I unbuckled him and lifted him up out of the car bridal style. Then, after finding the living room, set him down on the couch and sprayed some Listerine mist in his mouth for when his parents found him. I went to the car, closed it shut, put the keys in Chris’s hand, locked the front door from the inside, and walked down the block to my Gerard and Lindsey’s house. It might as well be mine though… I made sure to spray my breath with Listerine mist and pop in a piece of gum before opening the door.

“How was the party?” I heard someone ask from the living room. It was Frank, in the same position as when I left. I smiled at his laziness and sat down on the couch next to him.

“It was good!”
“You smell like beer,” he pointed out.
“It wasn’t me. My chofer got wasted.”
“So how did you get home?”
“I drove.”
“Oh my God. Please tell me he didn’t have an expensive car.”
“He has a Mustang GT.” Frank put his head in his hands.
“Is the damage bad?”
“No, it’s parked in his driveway, safe and sound.”
“Thank God! So how was driving? Any problems?”
“Well, there was this one time where we almost got into an accident.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“We were at a red light, no one else was around. And when I went to ease off the brakes this car with no headlights on zoomed across the intersection. Frank, it was almost a repeat of- of-” I couldn’t help but cry. It was too great of a déjà vu not to. He pulled me into a hug and rocked me back and forth like a baby.

“It’s okay. I think you did great for someone who’s never been out partying before. Or driving for that matter,” he added. I wiped away tears and nodded.
“Also, you kept your promise of not getting drunk. Gerard will be happy.”
I burst into tears again.
“What?” He asked looking concerned.
“I had a beer,” I sobbed.
“One?” I nodded and sniffed.
“Just one,” he said. I nodded again.
“Aw I won’t tell. That’s up to you if you want to tell. You did good,” he said, keeping me in a hug.

“And now you guys are going on tour and I’m gunna’ be all by myself,” I sobbed.
“Maybe you could come with us,” he said.
“And blow our whole cover? Everyone at school would ask questions.” He shook his head in defeat.
“Maybe Jamia or Alicia could come and live with you?” he said.
“But they have jobs,” I pointed out. “Isn’t Alicia a guitar tech or something?” What if she gets offered a job on a tour? Then I’ll be on my own again. I don’t want anyone to sacrifice anything for me. I can do it,” I said wiping away tears from my face.
“I bet you could too but it’s not fair. Maybe you could live with one of your friends?”
“How long will you be on tour?”
“We don’t know…”
“I can’t do that to anyone. Maybe we should just play it by ear,” I suggested.
“I guess we could do that,” he agreed.
“Maybe Alicia or Jamia could visit like once a week or something and see if everything’s okay.”
“I like that idea.”
“How will you guys pay the bills?” I asked. I knew money wasn’t that big of a deal but still. Frank shrugged,
“How will you eat dinner every night?”
“How will you guys keep in touch?” I asked, tears coming to my eyes thinking about how long I wouldn’t see them.
“How will we know you’ll be safe?” He frowned. The conversation dropped and the television filled the silence.

“Well at least we figured some things out,” I said when the commercials came around again.
“This is true,” he nodded.
“I’m going to bed.”
“Alrighty kiddo.”
“Thank you Frank.”
“Any time,” he smiled. I waved and walked upstairs.

I changed into my pajamas and settled down. My mind floated back to the All Time Low concert. I smiled as I remembered my conversation with Alex and Jack.

‘I wish I had All Time Low’s phone numbers…’ was my last thought before I drifted off to sleep.

Comments

.

MyChemFREAK MyChemFREAK
2/7/15

Please keep writing it cant end here I've spent two days reading this, PLEASE I need to know what happedns.

McRbAnDfReAk McRbAnDfReAk
10/21/14

NOOO! This can't be the end! Please keep writing, you're amazing at it!!!

AShotToRemember AShotToRemember
4/27/14

At some point I do believe fall out boy should make an appearance