Over an hour passed and eventually I had almost forgotten about the days planned events and was bopping and dancing around crazy like to The Sex Pistols. I was singing along like my life counted on it, a record in each hand, oh yeah I was definitely doing the Breakfast Club dance across the floor.
"Al!" a loud voice shouted from behind me.
I let out a screech and stopped my dancing to spin around to see Sean staring at me, an amused look on his face to match his grin.
"I called you like five times," Sean said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Uh. My bad?" I said lamely.
"I need you downstairs," Sean said and then turned to head back down the stairs.
"Got it, let me put these away and I'll be down," I said cheerfully.
I watched him wave quickly over his head, signaling he had heard me and then I turned back around and went back to bopping around, humming along as I put away the remaining five records I had left. Work done I let myself dance slash rock out down the stairs since the music had changed to that of the actual Breakfast Club soundtrack, guess he had caught my smooth dance moves. I smiled as I breeched the middle landing where the stairs turned to come straight down into the store, still doing the BC dance moves and then my stomach dropped and I nearly slipped and fell on my ass. They were here! That's what Sean had needed me for, the BASTARD!
And Sean and Gerard were standing and talking a few feet from the base of the stairs when I put out my fancy foot work, so they turned to look at me and smile. I was ready for blood. And would have gone for Sean's if the sight of Gerard didn't jostle me back into reality. Because if he was here that meant that the rest of the band was somewhere out in the store. That meant Frankie was somewhere out there. I tried to turn and scramble back up the stairs, to find a magical window I could climb out of, plummet to the ground and run away and never return. Wow, who was acting like some teenager? Yeah, that would be me. But I had no such luck as Sean had seen me after all, no matter how I wished myself invisible.
"Al, finally," Sean said and held his arm out for me to come down to.
Wow, acting older much? Not like I was twenty fucking SIX or anything and he was twenty seven! Though I sure as hell wasn't acting like a twenty six year old who had been living on her own out in the WORLD and TRAVELING it since she was nineteen. Nope. I was acting like I was back in high school or something. But I was scared down to the tips of my toes from the tips of my hair, I was scared to the bone. Here I had been haunted by a pair of eyes for seven years from a one night hang out and they were about to appear in front of me AGAIN after I had run from them three days ago. I had reason to be shaking in my neon green converse. But instead I put on a small thin smile and made my way downstairs, to stand next to Sean, who I was hoping was feeling the lightening bolts I was mentally sending into his being.
"Hi," I said shortly.
Gerard smiled at me and I remembered his smile from that night. It seemed like something that didn't come out very often, even back then. Seven years hadn't seemed to change that. Though he had lost weight and cut his hair. We were joined shortly there after by the guy I had seen come up and sit behind the drums the night of the show. He hadn't been around seven years ago.
"I guess I'll start since I'm the odd man out in this here little part. My name's Bob, I play the drums in My Chem now," Bob said, hand stuck out for me to shake and a genuine smile on his face.
I found myself smiling back as I took it and shook it firmly.
"I'm Al," I said politely.
"So I've heard. Repeatedly actually since Saturday night," Bob said as he let go of my hand, smile still on his face.
I felt my nose crinkle at the statement. I didn't know if that was meant in a good way or a bad way.
"Oh, totally in a good way," Bob said, answering my silent question as if reading my mind.
I smiled at him.
"Hey Al, long time no see. Though really didn't get to see much of you, you sure know how to run fast," Ray said as he came up and stood in front of me, next to Bob.
I gave him a look and he grinned at me. I remembered his name only because I had dared to look the guys up on Google, to re-situate myself with their names. Seemed they remembered mine just fine. Stupid distinctive nickname.
"Hey Ray," I replied.
"You remembered my name?" Ray asked sounding shocked.
I coughed a bit.
"Uh, in all actuality, ah no. I googled you guys to re-acquaint myself with your names," I answered truthfully.
Why lie right? At least for right now.
"Well then you'll remember my name's Draven," a gangly hand said from beside me.
"And here I thought yours was Mikey," I said as I shook his hand as he stood beside me, squeezing between me and Bob.
"Damn. Draven would be a cool name though wouldn't it?" Mikey asked, a smile on his face.
These guys sure seemed to smile a lot.
"I think so. Very rock star," I answered, keeping my replies short.
Shock and all.
"It's good to see you again though Al, really is," Mikey said in what I could tell was his 'in all sincerity' voice.
"Really?" I asked, sounding slightly doubtful.
But I mean come on. I figured they had long since forgotten who I was, it HAD been SEVEN years ago mind you. One night out in the middle of Jersey. I didn't really remember it.
"Of course. Even if we had been able to forget who you were, we wouldn't have been allowed to," Gerard said, a serious look in his eyes.
I felt my throat close and my mouth go dry.
"Huh?" I asked.
I was slightly confused, but not confused enough. I was fearing this part.
Fearing what part? Oh yeah, the part coming right NOW
"Hey Al," a soft voice said from directly behind me.
I couldn't help myself, I felt my eyes widen and my face pale slightly. And I knew the rest of the guys saw it for Gerard motioned to them all.
"Ah, lets, lets ah go look at the records upstairs for a minute," Gerard said randomly, pointing to where I had come dancing down from a few minutes ago.
All the guys nodded and left me standing where I was, back still turned on the voice I had never thought to hear again. I felt rooted to the ground, like my feet had become cement, but I knew I had to turn around, it would be rude not to. I just didn't want to have to see his eyes again. But the better person inside of me won momentarily and I felt myself turning. Though I kept my eyes on the floor when I turned and spoke to him.
"Hey Frank," I said just as softly as he had.
There was a moment of silence and I felt my feet start to twitch, and my fingers itch. I was fidgety from nerves. I knew at some point I was going to have to look at him, that at some point we were going to have to talk and that at some point that night was going to come up for discussion. That everything was going to come up for discussion. And at the current point in time I really wasn't in the mood to be an adult, I would very gratefully turn in my twenty six years for that of fifteen. So I kept my eyes looking down. But soon that didn't matter. I heard him move, heard the air move around him as he bent his knees and drop to below my height, right to my line of sight.
"Look at me please?" Frank asked from squatting on the floor.
I had only glanced at him for a split second when he first dropped down, but his eyes had been closed mid blink, so I had had enough time to avert my gaze to the side. I was being so foolish. But I really was scared. But I had to.
"Ok," I breathed softly.
I watched him stand straight up, coming only to my height. I had forgotten how he was my height. And then slowly I turned my head facing straight forward and looked him in the face. I started at his chin and moved up to his half smile that was gracing his features and then up to his nose, where I paused. I took a deep breath and brought my eyes up, level with his. And there they were, in all their glory. Eyes as young as laughter, the color of green clover and golden honey all in one. Eyes that seemed to dance to their own music, and smile at you even when he wasn't smiling visibly. Eyes that had haunted me and followed me all around the world for seven years. Frank Iero's eyes.
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" Frank asked, his tone light.
I scoffed a little and rolled my eyes at him.
"You haven't changed a bit Al," Frank said as I came back to looking at him.
"Really now?" I asked, wanting to hear this story, for it was bound to be good.
Hadn't changed at all. Pshyeah. Whatever.
"No really. So your hair looks like it's from outer space, whatever," Frank said teasingly as he flicked one of my colored locks.
"Moscow thank you very much," I said as I quickly grabbed a hold of the lock he had flicked.
"Huh?" Frank asked confused.
Oh yeah he had no idea about my life these past years.
"My hair, it's straight from the Moscow club scene," I explained.
"Oh, well fancy you," Frank teased.
I smiled a little.
"But odd hair or not, ink portraits or no, your attitude still screams you. And you still look the same. It's what gave you away really, even from stage," Frank said as he went to flick the sleeve of my t-shirt, but doing it slower than normal, his finger tips brushing my skin softly.
"Huh?" I asked, severely confused at this point.
"From on stage. When the lights dimmed down and we could see out in the crowd. I saw you, and it was like a blast from the past. I almost screwed the song I was so confused. I saw you, standing there, smiling, clad in ripped jeans and a Romero zombie film shirt. And it was like I was back in Jersey seven years ago, playing some dingy dive and not an arena full of thousands of kids. And then we locked eyes and knew with out a doubt that it had to be you. Even when your smile fell and you ran like a bat out of hell I knew it was you," Frank explained, laughter on the edge of his voice.
I looked down at my outfit now, thought back to what I wore the night of the show on Saturday and then back to the night in Jersey. Ripped jeans, Converse, and zombie film shirts. No wonder Shelly suggested I wear what I did, she really was planning my outfit.
"The bitch," I swore softly, my eyes shooting around the room for a second.
As if Shelly would pop up and moment and shout 'Ha ha ha, fooled you!'.
"Uh, what?" Frank asked, sounding highly confused.
Oops.
"Uh no, not you. Shelly. My friend Shelly, she planned my outfit Saturday night without me even knowing it. She planned it all along, having me dress like I did that night. She knew who you guys were, knew that I didn't, and made sure I would be recognizable. She fucking planned it, the fucking conniving little wench," I swore, scrunching my face up as it all came back to me.
"Aren't you happy?" Frank asked, seeming a little hurt that I was so bummed about being recognizable.
"Truth?" I asked, looking at him quickly.
He nodded his head yes.
"No. Not at first really. I've changed, I made sure of it, went out into life with the sole mission to do just that. To lose my old self and old life. But things and people's point of views change," I said, trying to soften the blow.
"Well that's, ah, good I guess," Frank said, placing a hand on the back of his neck and rubbing it nervously.
Great I had made him nervous.
"Sorry," I said as I placed a hand on his arm to stop him from his nervous habit.
He looked up at me at the contact. Our eyes locked, and for a moment the world fell away from around me. There was nothing but his eyes and I felt something inside me start to weep. If I had ever wanted to forget his eyes, to be able to shake their ghost, that chance was LONG gone.
"Frankie!" a voice shouted from behind me.
I quickly snapped back to reality and tore my hand away from where it had been resting softly on his arm, my fingers almost burning at the memory of the contact. Frank seemed to be shaking himself out of similar daze.
"What?" Frank asked, looking over my shoulder at Gerard.
"We have to jet, an impromptu interview. But good news being we don't start recording till Thursday, we can come back tomorrow," Gerard offered as he came over to me, his arms open wide.
I was confused.
"Hug me damn it," Gerard said in a mock stern voice.
And hug him I did. An order's an order.
"It really was nice to see you sugah. And with or without Frank we would have remembered you," Gerard said into my hair as he and I hugged.
I was kinda speechless.
"We'll back to terrorize you soon," Mikey said as he came up to me with his arms open as well when I finished hugging Gerard.
"Hmm, I'll have to decide whether or not that's a good thing later," I said as he squeezed the life out of me.
"Oh it's good. Any visit by us is always good," Ray said as he approached with HIS arms open.
"What is with the hugging?" I asked as I hugged Ray back.
"We're touchy-feely?" Bob replied as he came up in an over the top dramatic way, arms open for his own hug.
"Should I be worried?" I asked as he let go.
"Just don't let the white coats know we escaped the asylum and all will be good. See ya kiddo," Bob said as he tweaked my nose and followed the rest of the guys out of the store, but not before waving to Sean.
All the guys that is except for Frank. As he made his way towards the door I could tell he was feeling the awkwardness as well. I don't know why it was so easy to hug the others and not him. Oh yeah, maybe it had something to do with seeing his eyes every night before I went to sleep for the past seven years, not really knowing who he was. That MIGHT be part of the reason. At least on my end. But as he smiled and waved at me, his hand on the push bar of the door, Gerard's words came back to me from the other day.
"Frank wait," I kinda shouted, not realizing how loud my voice was as he was only like three feet away from me.
He stopped and looked at me.
"Seven years. Gerard said that you said it wasn't long enough to forget. But how'd you remember?" I asked, for some reason wanting to know.
I didn't want to feel like the only freak who could remember a person for that long because of eyes alone.
"A half strip of photos of a crazy boy and a girl with a smile that out shown the sun, a name written on the back. It would take me forever to forget that smile," Frank said, a half smile on his face, before opening the door and walking out without a word more.
I just stood there.
"Ooo ooo, someone's got a cru-ush!' Sean sing song-ed behind me.
I rolled my eyes at him and went back to work. But for the rest of the day I had a pesky case of blush that wouldn't seem to leave my face.
AWWWWWWWWW!!!
SO told you this chapter was so worth it!! Like massively! I love this chapter. Yes, it was hella long. BUT it was filled with her first time meeting Frank after those 7 long years. And their first interaction really that we get to see. So it was worth it right? I think so. I love reading it, over and over again. I love how she came down the stairs doing the Breakfast Club dance to the actual song. I love how she wouldn't look at him. I love how he said her hair looked like it was from outer space. I loved how all along Shelly really did plan the outfit all along.
And wow, that was an odd results part. Meh, whatevs. Time to go try and fix the button/bubble problem on my Gerard stories. Since the ones here apparently work just fine. Grrr, I hate life.
Google hugs and Ask Jeeves kisses,
<3
xJesse
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Again so froofy stuff, but you know why already.
