jessie
The morning was crisp and chilly, as most spring mornings were in New Jersey, but this day had a different ring to it. It was probably just me, but the air was a bit unsettled. The normal calm ambiance was shattered by my nerves. My stomach was in knots and my brain leaped from thought to thought, and for a good reason. My cousin was taking me to record with his band.

There's no doubt that I'm a good drummer, and as vain as it sounds, it's true. I've played for a little over ten years. I had no reason to be nervous. Yet, my endocrine system thought it best to send me into a state of hyper-awareness and put me on edge.

"Come on, Jessie," my cousin, Frank, prodded. "We don't want to be late."

"Alright," I responded, quickening my step and repositioning my grip on my sticks. I had inadvertently turned my knuckles white. We still had a good five minutes of walking before we reached Nada Studios.

"You nervous?" Frank joked. He smoothed the front end of his hair down.

"Nah, not really," I lied. I was normally a confident person, so he naturally took the statement as truth. The silence was a bit too much, as I felt like something should be happening. I tried to reignite our conversation. "So what are the band members like?"

He smiled just thinking of them. "Let's see. There's Ray, he's a good guy. Very sweet. Very talented. And Matt--he's our drummer. He's quiet. Doesn't say much, but he swears like a sailor when he does. Drinks like one too. You'll be filling in for him. There's also Mikey, who plays bass. Don't be fooled by his poker face; he's probably the funniest and most compassionate guys you'll meet. And lastly, Gerard." He laughed.

I gave an uncomfortable chuckle. "What's so funny?"

A moment passed. "Ah nothing," Frank said at last. "Gerard--he's one of a kind. He can be a diva, but we love him. You will, too."

I tried to picture the band in my head again. I saw Frank clearly in my head, of course, but the others were kind of fuzzy. I knew Matt had brown hair and Mikey had glasses. I was pretty sure Ray had a kind face and long curly hair, like an Afro. All I could remember about Gerard was that he had dyed black hair.

We chatted a bit longer about the band before coming across an office building. My cousin informed me that this was Nada, and that we should proceed. A front desk rendezvous and cramped elevator ride later, I was walking in the door of a large practice room. The soundboard rested in front of a glass-walled area. The studio was carpeted and padded in a midnight blue colour.

"Hey guys, this is Jessie," Frank said as we walked in. I had to duck to get under his arm holding the door open.

I expected to see the guys tuning their guitars or warming up, but they were on the couch drinking coffee. I immediately recognized the two of them that were there. Ray sat on one side of the sofa, while Mikey was on the other, his leaned back with his feet on the coffee table.
I did my best to smile bright, but not too much, because I didn't want my anxiety to show. "Hi," I said lamely. God, I was a dork.

"Hey, Jessie. We've heard a lot about you," Mikey said. I glared at Frank. "All good things," he added with a laugh.

My cousin took a spot on a recliner, leaving me the seat between Mikey and Ray.

"Sit, sit," Ray said softly yet warmly. I did as I was told. He settled himself closer to the arm so I had more room.

"Thanks," I replied, my mind beginning to feel more comfortable now that my butt was. "So when do we start recording?"

"Not for a while," Mikey said. "First we have to get you used to the song, you know, once you've learned it. But that all happens after Gerard gets here."

I smiled. This Mikey guy--I like him.

I didn't say anything, so he continued to speak. "How old did you say you were?"

Not this question. "Seventeen," I responded.

"Really?"

"She's still a teenager," Frank chuckled. "Don't get any ideas."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Mikey laughed.

"You can dream anything you want," Ray chimed in, "but you can't possibly dream of a way that this will end well with Gerard."

I must have looked confused, as Mikey elaborated. "He doesn't exactly... get along... with most teenagers. He finds them rude and violent. You shouldn't worry, though. You seem pretty chill."

I tugged on the sleeve of my shirt. The thought that someone I didn't even know may not like me was a bit frightening. I tried to shake it off, though, as the four of us continued our conversation.

Another half hour passed, and I was beginning to ease up and joke around with the guys. Our talking was interrupted, though, by the door opening. I assumed this was Gerard.

Who else could it be? Raven black hair fell in the man's eyes as he stood in the doorway. His hands were full, leading me to assume that he opened the door with his foot. Gerard set down a black messenger bag and a Starbuck's coffee before shutting the door.

He flopped down on the couch which had barely enough room to fit four of us. His leg was touching mine, and I tried to scoot away. He looked over at me.

This man was beautiful. Time must have either frozen, or the room did. I tried to take in all of his features: messy hair, sparkling hazel eyes, pale skin, thin lips. I wanted to look at him forever. I had a sudden influx of romantic thoughts, ranging from cute couple scenes to ideas that would make a prostitute cringe. Crap, not again. Attractive people do this to me. Really, really attractive ones.

I looked down, realizing that I probably was staring. The scar on the side of my face was exposed, so I brought a lock of hair down to shade it from sight.

"So you're Jessie Iero?" Gerard asked flatly, as more of a statement.

"Yeah," I said, trying not to let the limerence alter my speech. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, sure," he sighed. "How old are you, again?"

"Seventeen." I was determined to make a good impression.

He rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to work."

No, please don't ruin your hotness by being a jerk. Please don't.

gerard
I checked my watch. I was running late already, which wouldn't exactly make a good impression on Frank's cousin, who was filling in for Matt.

I pressed the gas a little harder, a strain for my bucket of bolts. The coffee in my hand was a tell-tale sign of why I wasn't on time.

I had gone to Starbuck's, which was a huge mistake on a Monday morning. There must have been twenty high school girls there. I had to wait forever to get my coffee. I took another sip.
Worth it.

I pulled into the lot at Nada Studios. Before I knew it, I was opening the door to 8D with my foot. I sat down my coffee and bag of papers and settled in on the couch.

A young girl was next to me, Jessie. I looked at her in the eye. She was a very normal looking girl: brown hair, brown eyes, olive skin. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, just a black Mayday Parade shirt over a turtleneck and jeans. She didn't look anything special, but there was something about her.

She put her head down, which gave my eyes access to the side of her face. Still plain looking, but pretty. Exceptionally pretty.

I noticed a streak of pinkish red on the side of her face. Was that a scar? Before I could examine it, though, her hair had fallen over it.

"So you're Jessie Iero?" I asked, trying not to sound to interested. I wasn't.

"Yeah," she said, her voice high and light. "Nice to meet you."

Lies. It was never nice to meet me. "Yeah, sure," I almost retorted. "So how old are you?"
Maybe a change of the subject would keep her mind off me.

"Seventeen," she said faintly. Holy shit, she's still a teenager?

I rolled my eyes, not out of spite but more in thought. I hope it came across that way. Not wanting to say anymore, I simply requested, "Let's get to work."

I tried not to look at her while we got set up. That was nearly impossible.

Notes

The first chapter. Hope you like it :)

I may edit it, so watch out...

xoxo
gerweird