This Is My Stop

The sound of a phone, my phone ringing, woke me up.
I was slightly hung over but in a good mood, I stood up and ran towards the floor where I saw my hoodie, took my phone and answered.
"Anthony, hey, sup?", I said in an evident hungover voice.
"Why is it that you always answer whispering when I call you?"
"I partied hard last night, what time is it?"
"It's 7, are you in New York?"
"No, I'm in Jersey with Frank. Last night was his birthday so I guess I'll stay here until Saturday or Sunday, probably.
"Oh, okay. Is everything alright?", Anthony inquired as I remembered the slight downside of last night.
"Yeah, things are... Well, I certainly can't get bored. I'm dating him now, I'll tell you everything about it as soon as I get back"
"Well I can't say I'm surprised, I was calling to ask if you... Uh... Never mind, we'll talk when you get here, okay?"
"Anthony, come on, what do you need?"
"It's nothing I'm just upset, I'm full of shit. Text me or something when you're back"
"Uh, sure. Tak-", Anthony had hung up before I could say goodbye.
I looked around the room, we were still in the studio. Apparently everyone had left but us. I could see 4 blankets around the place, people were curled up and sleeping. On one side of the room I saw Ray with a girl I haven't seen in my entire life, Lynz was near the door just hugging a blanket, Mikey and Alicia were next to us, and a guy with blonde shiny hair was alone on one side of the room. I put my shoes on, Frank was still asleep. I walked towards the door and made my way out, I needed to get some tea or a smoke.
As I opened the front door a cold breeze struck my entire body, I was shaking but decided to keep walking until I found a coffee shop or a shop were I could buy cigarettes. The entire city looked as if it had a rough night, toilet paper, carved pumpkins all over the place, candy wrappings, orange and black paper seemed to cover all of Jersey's streets. I found the coffee shop Frank had taken me a few days ago. I walked in and ordered a cup of green tea. I completely forgot about all the fake blood, eyeliner, messy hair I probably had from the night before; from the look of the barista's face I could tell I looked like a mess.
I took my tea cup and sat down in one of the tables on the back, the place was empty. I only saw an old man reading the newspaper on one end of the store and a woman eating a muffin while reading a Stephen King novel a few tables away from me. I sipped on my tea and tried to recall everything that had happened so far.
Okay so... Last night was really weird. I guess I have an... Enemy? Great, I just got to the States four months ago and I'm already in trouble just like I did back home...
What was up with Anthony? Maybe Frank was right, maybe he did have a crush on me and is just reacting that way because the guy I met on my way here a few days ago had me before him, whom I have met 3 months ago. Well, I'll deal with that later.
My thoughts where interrupted by a familiar black silhouette.
"Not a morning person, are you? May I?", he said as he pointed the chair in front of me.
"Sure, Mr-Gerard. Sorry, it's still new for me"
"It's okay, how are you feeling, Aubrey?" He said while he sipped on what seemed to be a cup of coffee.
"I'm feeling really good, I was just trying to recap... I mean, things have been happening so fast it's hard to handle"
"I know, I'm sure Lynz told you the same happened when we met. I was leaving one of my late classes, I was in art school at that time. I was about to ride the subway back home, buying tickets when I saw her wet from head to toes with a bass guitar on her shoulder, I guess she was looking through her pockets for change. I handed the extra ticket I bought and from that moment on we've been inseparable."
Gerard had a huge smile on his face, he really loved Lynz and you could almost feel it. He looked at me and smiled sweetly, "Is anything wrong?"
I looked at him with teary eyes and looked down, "I just... I can't do this"
He pulled his chair closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, Lacey was right. You see, you guys will be rock stars. I know it, I saw you yesterday while you were jamming and you're awesome. You guys will be on tour, known all over the globe. I won't be able to deal with it, I've had low self esteem since I was a little child, you know. It's just hard for me, I look and in the mirror and don't like what I see. He's like... He's really attractive, I'm not good enough for him...", I gathered my stuff and attempted to stand up, "Maybe I should go back home and forget about this..."
Gerard grabbed my hand and hugged me, "Aubrey, look at me", he said as we sat down and proceeded to grab my shoulders, "He really likes you, I would even dare to say he loves you. I've never seen him like this, he had relationships but he never seemed happy he was always... reckless. Look, you're a very beautiful girl and whatever Lacey said it wasn't true. I know you for about two months and I can tell you're amazing. Remember that day I had to leave class early because I had an emergency meeting?"
"Yeah, I offered to fill in for you in your next class"
"If I'm not wrong it was a painting class with kids from the hospital, right?"
"Yeah, it was such a great day", I said as I recreated that day in my head.
"Class went well but at the end, this little girl, Sophie stayed behind. She was crying and feeling down about herself because she had lost all her hair, remember?"
"How did yo-"
"I came back quicker than expected and saw you talking to her, I didn't want to interrupt so I stood near the door. She reminds me of you right now, you picked her up and made her sit on your lap, she grabbed a strip of your hair and told you that you were very pretty because you were able to keep it. You grabbed a beanie from your bag, put it on and shoved all your hair inside it. Sophie looked at you and touched your face, you started to tear up. I remember very clearly, you told her -Neither hair, clothes nor makeup will ever make you as pretty as you are on the inside. You're a fighter, I admire you, you're my hero. You're fighting a disease most grown ups can't even handle. You're beautiful just because you're here, breathing beside me. You're special to me and always will be with hair or without it-
She looked at you and kissed your cheek. You guys left, apparently you took her for ice cream. That little girl was Frank's niece, she passed away a few weeks after that but talked non stop about you to him. She made a drawing of you, Frank still has it. They were very close, it was his idea for me to give her art classes. The night I left you guys in the art gallery, he called me. He said he felt weird, he felt different. I told her it was you Sophie was talking about, ever since he talked to Mikey about you all the time."
I was crying, I had no idea that little girl was even related to Frank and the though of her passing away was just too overwhelming, "We should go take her some flowers or something, I... I can't believe she's gone"
"You see, you're so nice. You didn't know her but made her feel so special and still do. That's what makes you valuable, that's what Frank loves about you. We might get to tour around the world, hopefully, and meet tons of girls and people but he will always feel connected to you for your kind heart"
"Thank you", I said while I smiled at him withe tears running down my cheeks.
Gerard wiped my tears with his jacket and smiled, "They'll get worried, wanna go back?"
"Sure, should we take coffee for them?" I asked
"Nah, there's coffee at the studio. I came here because I saw you leaving by yourself. I don't think it'd be safe for you to be all alone after last night"
I laughed as we walked out the coffee shop and into the studio. The only ones who got up where Alicia, Lynz and the girl that was with Ray, Rachel. They were drinking coffee and smoking outside the studio, I ran inside to look for Frank and the rest of the guys.
He was laying on the couch, asleep. I walked towards him kneeled down and whispered, "Frankie? Are you feeling okay?"
He mumbled something and turned around, "Are you here to turn me into a vampire?"
He stood up and kissed me gently, "Wanna go home?"
"Shit, Frankie I have a paper due today at 11, do you think we can go to NY?"
"Sure, it's just 9, we'll make it. Is it done?"
"Yeah, it's on my apartment. I did it the night you dropped me off."
"Okay then, let's get going. We can meet them for lunch and rehearse for tonight's show"
We walked towards the door when Mikey, Ray and the guy with blonde hair woke up. They waved at us and returned to their regular sleeping positions.
He held my hand as we walked towards the exit where the girls and Gerard were hanging out.
"Guys, I'm taking Aubrey to NY for a while. She has to turn in an essay and we'll be back for lunch. Where are we meeting?"
Gerard was hugging Lynz as he walked to us, "My place, my mom is making lunch for us. We'll go help her out in a while, they're leaving town so... It'll be fine if you guys want to crash or something"
"Sounds great", Frank said, "Well see you later"
I let his hand go and addressed myself to Gerard, "Since were not going to be here to help out, would you like us to bring something? I don't know, wine, dessert, anything?"
He let Lynz go, they were both smiling at me, "aren't you sweet, wine would be fine. If you feel like sharing something from your country with us, that'd be awesome."
"Well then, I have a surprise for you. We'll be back in a couple of hours" I said as I winked at Lynz and walked into Frank's car.
We got to NY in about 45 minutes, I don't know how Frank managed to make it that fast. We went to my apartment and grabbed stuff quickly.
"Aubrey, what are we going to take to Gerard's?"
"Oh, I almost forgot", I said as I looked for an empty folder for my essay, "Go to the kitchen, there's a wine cabinet right beside the fridge. Grab three bottles from the bottom, please"
He silently obeyed and walked out with the bottles in his arms, "Aubrey, is this from Chile?"
I looked at him while I put my essay inside my backpack and got ready to go, "Two of them are from Chile, the white one is from a trip I did to Barcelona before moving here. I'll tell you more about it at lunch. Ready to go?"
"Aubrey, babe, as much as I love seeing you walking around with heavy eyeliner, blood and a tight dress I don't think it's appropriate for you to go to college like that", he said as he left the bottles on top of the kitchen counter.
"Shit, I forgot I'm still in my Halloween costume. Okay so... I'll take a quick shower."
"While you do that, I'll run back home and get clean clothes or shower there"
"Do you think we'll make it?" I asked him as I walked towards him so that he could undo my dress.
"Sure, I'll be here faster than you"
He kissed my lips and left the building quickly, he apparently just walked there because he left his car keys on the counter.
Once I got out of the shower I remembered I left most of my stuff at Frank's house, I grabbed a black short dress I had hanging on the closet. It had long sleeves but a cleavage at the back. I put it on pushed my hair into a messy pony tail, put short boots on. I looked around the house for the spare eyeliner I had left on my bag, sprayed some perfume on and got ready to go. As soon as I opened the door I saw Frank stepping out of the elevator, he was wearing a Morrissey shirt with a dark blue hoodie, grey jeans and converse. He looked really handsome.
"Are you taking the bottles?" He said as he walked passed me into the apartment, leaving the smell of his perfume behind. My knees were shaking, it was amazing how weak I felt around him.
"Ah, damn, forgot about them."
He walked towards me with them in his hands, gave me a peck on the lips and went to the elevator, "You look really beautiful in that dress. I always loved the tattoo on your thigh"
As we made our way to NYU, a cold breeze started to blow.
Frank handed me a Jacket he had on the back and dropped me off at the front gate, "Go, I'll wait here for you."
"I won't take long", I said as I kissed his lips and slid my hand through his thigh.
He smirked at me and nibbled on his lip ring, "Go, you're making this harder on me. If you keep going I'll take you in this car right now"
I smiled and ran inside the building. As I made my way to the seventh floor.
I went into the classroom and saw it was empty.
"Mr. Simmons, good morning, what happened?"
"Hi, Aubrey. I see you haven't been in town these days, there's been a shooting on the Art Faculty. Classes has been suspended until Monday 17. You know, security reasons. I came here to get your papers and pick up some of my stuff"
"That's two weeks from now, did anyone die?"
"Luckily no, but they found a bomb on our building later that evening so... I guess we have to be cautious, are you planning to go back to Chile?"
"Oh, I don't think so. These past few days I've been in Jersey with some friends of mine"
"Well, it's good you're starting to make friends here, when I first moved to New York I spend the first six months all by myself.", he said while he studied Frank's hoodie.
"That's some peculiar hoodie you're wearing, fan of horror movies?"
I didn't notice but the hoodie had a huge stamp of the killer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on it. I laughed and blushed, "Actually yes but this is my... Uh... My boyfriend's hoodie"
Mr. Simmons laughed and extended his hand to reach the folder I had taken out of my bag, "I knew it, you had the glow people get when they fall in love. I'm glad, Aubrey."
We talked about the essay and school for a few more minutes and I made my way down, from one of the windows I could see Frank leaning on his car while smoking. I still couldn't believe how much my life had changed since I met him. Also, I couldn't help remember Sophie every time I saw him...
"Weren't you in Jersey?", said someone behind me
"Anthony, hey, I'm in a sort of hurry right now. I have to get back to Jersey."
"He's waiting for you, right?", he said while he looked at his shoes with his hands inside his pockets
"Yes and I don't think it's very polite that I should have him waiting for so long"
"Why are you here? We got two weeks off."
"I came to turn in a paper, luckily I found my teacher. I'm still shocked about the shooting..."
Anthony's face changed, he had a an angry look on his face, "you don't now anything I did it because I was upset!"
"Wh-YOU DID WHAT?", I screamed at him.
I heard police cars surrounding the area.
"I started the shooting with some guys I met on a bar the other night"
"WHY ON FUCKING EARTH WOULD YOU DO THAT? WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU"
I felt someone grab my hand, it was Frank.
"Aubrey, let's go. The police told me he still has a gun, it's dangerous that you're-"
The SWAT team went into the building and tackled Anthony.
One of them ordered us to go down and talk to the officers.
As Frank and I ran downstairs I saw Mr. Simmons talking to another officer, he approached us with him.
"Well, I came here to get some paper work and pick up essays. She's one of my students, she came here to leave her essay", said Mr. Simmons as he looked at me worried.
The officer started asking me if I knew Anthony, "Well I just moved here a few moths ago but met him in the library Or a comic book shop, can't remember that well. I haven't been in town these past few days."
The officer looked at Frank and me, "Young man, do you study here too?"
"No", Frank said as he grabbed my hand tightly he was very nervous, "I came here to pick her up. Like she said, we were in Newark. Last night was my birthday so we left to spend time with some friends, I brought here in this morning so that she could turn her essay in"
The officer looked at the three of us, we had scared faces and didn't really understand what was going on.
"You can go now, I'm glad you guys left the building before anything happened. He still has a gun with him, you could've gotten really hurt. I'll only need your full names and phone numbers so we can reach you in case anything comes up."
He handed us pieces of paper, we filled them out and left. Mr Simmons was walking behind us, talking to whom appeared to be his wife, "Yeah, sweetheart I'll be home early. I'll tell you about it as soon as a I get there, I have two weeks off. I love you".
He hung up and walked towards Frank and me, "Son, take good care of her, she's one of my best students. I've learned to care for her. I trust she'll be in good hands with you"
Frank smiled at him and shook hands, "I will, sir. Take good care of yourself, I'll see you in couple of weeks."
"Take care, Mr. Simmons" I said as we left. He was parked a few cars away from us, we saw him leave.
Frank and I got in the car silently, we looked at each other and kissed as if looking for comfort on each other's lips.
"I got really scared, they started to show up around the building, an officer approached me and asked me what was I doing here, I told him I was waiting for you, then he said there was a shooter inside from the other day. He told me he still had a gun with him. I ran inside, I know it was wrong but I was really afraid he did something to you", he said as he hugged me.
"I... I can't believe it was Anthony. I didn't think he would be able to hurt people like that. We're okay now, let's go to Jersey. Let's go home." I said as I let him go and grabbed his hand.
He started the car and we made our way back to Jersey.
After a 45 minute drive we finally pulled up to Gerard's house, I could see everything was decorated.
"What's the occasion", I asked Frank.
He grabbed the bottles on the back and kissed my hand, "You'll see".

Notes

Hey guys, I've been having a long day but finally uploaded this!
Hope you like it, any comments or suggestions are welcome.
thank you all for your support!