Jersey's Voice
Chapter 23
"Fuck it's getting colder," I cursed and whined simultaneously as I hugged my layers closer to my body.
"That's Fall for you Jay Bird, it gets cold in Jersey come this time of year," Bob teased as he stood warmly in his giant coat and scarf.
I scoffed at him as I pulled my arms tighter around my upper body. I was standing in the skinniest pair of jeans I had ever even dreamed existed, curtsey of Waste of Breath, with black converse. But it wasn't my lower half that was so cold oddly enough, it was my upper half. But the clincher was I was wearing the most layers on top. I had on my very own My Chemical Romance shirt, a tight blue hoodie and my favorite tightly fitted black suit jacket. Plus a black and grey striped scarf twisted around my neck. I just didn't get it.
Bob and I were waiting for the car to be ready so we could all jump in and head over to the show. The guys were playing another one and I yet again was joining, camera in hand. They had been home from tour for a little over a month, closer to a month and a half. I still remembered their return fondly and all the events that had happened that night and since then. Frankie took me to get my very first tattoo when he went and got his gazillionth and twelfth one done. It was tiny and very insignificant, but it meant a lot to me. It was a tiny solid black bird, caught in flight, done on the inside of my wrist. It was me, Jay Bird, and to me it signified my new found freedom, the wings I had come to realize they guys and Sharon had given me. It hadn't really hurt as bad as I had expected, even when Frankie told me that insides of wrists hurt a lot.
Reta and everyone at work had oo-ed and ahh-ed over it for about a week till I finally threatened to wear a bracelet over it to stop it all. That stopped them, though the occasional stray non regular would mention it in passing as I served them their food.
There had been plenty of other excursions like the one we had when they had first come back, some held at Mikey, Gerard and Sharon's place, some even held at Bob and Ray's. We spent a lot of out free time in the park even though it started to get chillier, and Frankie started to ponder what happened to the poor pond fish when it froze over and became a mini ice skating rink. He was afraid they would suffocate under all the ice, or turn into fish flavored ice cubes. It was cute and it took forever for Bob calm him down, even though we all knew Frankie was just being, well Frankie.
We rented movies, went out to movies, I caught their shows and even their practices. I filled my repository of photos more and more as I spent my free time with them all. Only on the rarest occasion was I able to snag some alone time and steal away to the museum, sketch book in hand and camera in purse. And a few of those rare occasions I had even run across Gerard there, and we would share our secret hideaway together for the day, before returning to the world of chaos and loud city streets.
The guys experienced their first ever real groupies as some girls bombarded them when we were out eating one day, asking for their autographs as they babbled a mile a minute about seeing them play Warped Tour. And about how they were the best band ever in the whole entire world, and how they were the hottest guys, blah blah blah. I found it all highly amusing to watch the guys star struck faces after the girls had left in a loud gaggle of bodies. I guess they weren't really prepared for it. Bob came around first and helped me explain to the guys that it was only going to get worse if they continued on their road to fame, and to continue to enjoy their still in tack invisibility while it lasted. That soon it was would all be a figment of their imaginations and they wouldn't be able to go buy groceries without being mobbed. This made Frankie giggle some horrible. Badly enough that he shot milk out his nose all over the table.
I came back to my current self that was standing next to Bob in the cold Fall air when I felt arms encircle my waist from behind and soft warm breath tickle my neck. Mikey. He had kept to his word from that night, he wasn't looking for a relationship from me and I was grateful for that. He had understood my reasonings and didn't mind. He still enjoyed stealing my breath away every now and again with a random kiss or other such things. But it never really progressed passed lip lock and cuddling, we were still just friends and would never be more than that relationship wise.
"Hiya Mikey," I said softly as he started to rock me side to side a little.
"Hiya Jay Bird," he said excitedly as he continued to sway side to side.
I felt him place a quick kiss on my neck before going back to just standing behind me with his arms around me. I felt Bob looking over at us and turned my head his direction. The guys understood and didn't really care about how Mikey and I were, they knew nothing would come of it ever. But Bob was still looking at me with a slight confused look and a partially raised eyebrow. I stuck my tongue out at him, a sudden rash of childishness stealing over me, making me turn into Frankie quickly. Bob rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning to face where Gerard's car was pulling up.
"Get in. No more sex either," Gerard shouted from the driver's seat.
I scoffed at him and went to join him in the front seat. Bob went to take the wheel of Sharon's car, the one pulling the equipment trailer since Gerard's hitch had been broken off. Sharon scooted over to the passenger side of her car and Ray was already in the back. That left Gerard, me, Mikey and Frankie in Gerard's car. We had found that with our large numbers that two cars was more efficient that cramming us all into one. And more legal, even though Bob said that no cop would fault us if we tied Frankie to the roof when we went places, that they'd more than likely applaud us. I agreed but said that that still left one of us sitting on someone's lap in the five person car, or smooshed where they shouldn't be, and that would get us a ticket. Frankie had pouted the whole way to the venue that night.
I lit a cigarette as soon as Gerard continued to pull out down the street. Frankie and I always ended up driving with Gerard as we could smoke in his car and not in Sharon's. This left one of the remaining guys driving her car so she wouldn't be driving their equipment around, as that didn't seem fair. And it all worked out pretty well since Sharon said she never wanted Frankie driving her car. Ever. Again Frankie had pouted quite dramatically.
"That's Fall for you Jay Bird, it gets cold in Jersey come this time of year," Bob teased as he stood warmly in his giant coat and scarf.
I scoffed at him as I pulled my arms tighter around my upper body. I was standing in the skinniest pair of jeans I had ever even dreamed existed, curtsey of Waste of Breath, with black converse. But it wasn't my lower half that was so cold oddly enough, it was my upper half. But the clincher was I was wearing the most layers on top. I had on my very own My Chemical Romance shirt, a tight blue hoodie and my favorite tightly fitted black suit jacket. Plus a black and grey striped scarf twisted around my neck. I just didn't get it.
Bob and I were waiting for the car to be ready so we could all jump in and head over to the show. The guys were playing another one and I yet again was joining, camera in hand. They had been home from tour for a little over a month, closer to a month and a half. I still remembered their return fondly and all the events that had happened that night and since then. Frankie took me to get my very first tattoo when he went and got his gazillionth and twelfth one done. It was tiny and very insignificant, but it meant a lot to me. It was a tiny solid black bird, caught in flight, done on the inside of my wrist. It was me, Jay Bird, and to me it signified my new found freedom, the wings I had come to realize they guys and Sharon had given me. It hadn't really hurt as bad as I had expected, even when Frankie told me that insides of wrists hurt a lot.
Reta and everyone at work had oo-ed and ahh-ed over it for about a week till I finally threatened to wear a bracelet over it to stop it all. That stopped them, though the occasional stray non regular would mention it in passing as I served them their food.
There had been plenty of other excursions like the one we had when they had first come back, some held at Mikey, Gerard and Sharon's place, some even held at Bob and Ray's. We spent a lot of out free time in the park even though it started to get chillier, and Frankie started to ponder what happened to the poor pond fish when it froze over and became a mini ice skating rink. He was afraid they would suffocate under all the ice, or turn into fish flavored ice cubes. It was cute and it took forever for Bob calm him down, even though we all knew Frankie was just being, well Frankie.
We rented movies, went out to movies, I caught their shows and even their practices. I filled my repository of photos more and more as I spent my free time with them all. Only on the rarest occasion was I able to snag some alone time and steal away to the museum, sketch book in hand and camera in purse. And a few of those rare occasions I had even run across Gerard there, and we would share our secret hideaway together for the day, before returning to the world of chaos and loud city streets.
The guys experienced their first ever real groupies as some girls bombarded them when we were out eating one day, asking for their autographs as they babbled a mile a minute about seeing them play Warped Tour. And about how they were the best band ever in the whole entire world, and how they were the hottest guys, blah blah blah. I found it all highly amusing to watch the guys star struck faces after the girls had left in a loud gaggle of bodies. I guess they weren't really prepared for it. Bob came around first and helped me explain to the guys that it was only going to get worse if they continued on their road to fame, and to continue to enjoy their still in tack invisibility while it lasted. That soon it was would all be a figment of their imaginations and they wouldn't be able to go buy groceries without being mobbed. This made Frankie giggle some horrible. Badly enough that he shot milk out his nose all over the table.
I came back to my current self that was standing next to Bob in the cold Fall air when I felt arms encircle my waist from behind and soft warm breath tickle my neck. Mikey. He had kept to his word from that night, he wasn't looking for a relationship from me and I was grateful for that. He had understood my reasonings and didn't mind. He still enjoyed stealing my breath away every now and again with a random kiss or other such things. But it never really progressed passed lip lock and cuddling, we were still just friends and would never be more than that relationship wise.
"Hiya Mikey," I said softly as he started to rock me side to side a little.
"Hiya Jay Bird," he said excitedly as he continued to sway side to side.
I felt him place a quick kiss on my neck before going back to just standing behind me with his arms around me. I felt Bob looking over at us and turned my head his direction. The guys understood and didn't really care about how Mikey and I were, they knew nothing would come of it ever. But Bob was still looking at me with a slight confused look and a partially raised eyebrow. I stuck my tongue out at him, a sudden rash of childishness stealing over me, making me turn into Frankie quickly. Bob rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning to face where Gerard's car was pulling up.
"Get in. No more sex either," Gerard shouted from the driver's seat.
I scoffed at him and went to join him in the front seat. Bob went to take the wheel of Sharon's car, the one pulling the equipment trailer since Gerard's hitch had been broken off. Sharon scooted over to the passenger side of her car and Ray was already in the back. That left Gerard, me, Mikey and Frankie in Gerard's car. We had found that with our large numbers that two cars was more efficient that cramming us all into one. And more legal, even though Bob said that no cop would fault us if we tied Frankie to the roof when we went places, that they'd more than likely applaud us. I agreed but said that that still left one of us sitting on someone's lap in the five person car, or smooshed where they shouldn't be, and that would get us a ticket. Frankie had pouted the whole way to the venue that night.
I lit a cigarette as soon as Gerard continued to pull out down the street. Frankie and I always ended up driving with Gerard as we could smoke in his car and not in Sharon's. This left one of the remaining guys driving her car so she wouldn't be driving their equipment around, as that didn't seem fair. And it all worked out pretty well since Sharon said she never wanted Frankie driving her car. Ever. Again Frankie had pouted quite dramatically.
Aw, I see you’ve abandoned this. I wish you hadn’t… it’s really good!
10/28/22