Status: hiatus-ish
Days Like Masquerades
Fitzwilliam
Kendall sits me down on the piano bench and puts an arm around my shoulders. "Gen, let me go talk to Gustavo and get this all sorted out. Don't worry."
I nod.
When Kendall shuts the door, I can't think of anything else but their conversation outside the door. Why would Gustavo even want me here? Managing four teenage boys is already a big problem; why would he want to add a problematic girl to his list?
I reach for the latest issue of Pop Tiger and find my scandal on the cover. “THE JENNIFERS BACK TO THREE!” They marked a huge “x” over my face. I flip through the pages.
“...It's unfortunate that we lost a member. Gen was really a great girl and had lots of talent; we wish her luck on her other pursuits.”
It sounds almost like a eulogy, like leaving the Jennifers is social suicide.
I throw the magazine onto the floor.
The door swings open, and Gustavo bursts in with Kendall by his elbow. He has a worried look on his face. “You!” Gustavo shouts. “Come here!”
I raise my eyebrows. “Me?”
“Yes, you! There's no one else in this room!”
I stand up, embarrassed, and shuffle towards him as he looks me up and down. He takes in a deep breath. “Kendall, I didn't need for you to talk to me. After I saw the cover of Pop Tiger, I thought it would be a great idea to create a new band. All my idea, of course.”
Kendall makes a face. “Liar,” he mouths, pointing fingers at him. Gustavo looks over his shoulder, and Kendall grins, hands to his side.
“Let's go meet your new band.”
We step into a spacious recording booth and find three people. Kandi, the female rapper from the Palm Woods, sits in front of the drum set, Guitar Dude strums his guitar absent-mindedly, and a guy with a crew-cut and bright blue eyes plucks at a bass. “Kandi, I thought you came here to rap?” I ask, shocked.
She shrugs her shoulders. “America's ready for Ke$ha and her faux ghetto language, but they're just not ready for Kandi.”
We laugh, and Gustavo clears his throat. “I'll leave you all to get acquainted.”
We talk and learn about each other's expectations, ideas, and aspirations. Will, the bassist, smiles and turns to me. “Are you just a singer, or are you going to play an instrument too?”
“I'll play guitar if need be, but I'm horrible at it.” Will pats my back as we all walk out of the recording booth. “I guess I was just too much of a wimp to deal with the pain of guitar strings.”
“There's no shame in that.”
I shrug. “So are you staying at the Palm Woods too?”
“Yeah. Do you want to walk back together?”
Kendall's leaning against the wall and immediately stands up right when we enter the hallway. “Ready to go? My mom's waiting in the rental.”
I look at Will. “Maybe I'll just see you at the pool sometime.”
“...Maybe.”
We exchange goodbyes, and Kendall and I climb into the red Ford. “Getting close to your bandmates?” he asks, pursing his lips.
“Yeah.”
“Getting close to Will, huh.”
“What's wrong with that?” I narrow my eyes.
“Nothing. Just...nevermind.”
We're quiet the rest of the way to the hotel, even though Mrs. Knight attempts to spark a conversation between us. We instead answer with grunts or nods and look out the window, watching Hollywood pass us by.
We stare at our feet as we say goodnight, and I head immediately to the pool. I see Will staring into the pool, waving his feet around. The ripples undulate towards me as I look at his aquamarine face. “Hey,” I say, trying to smile.
“Hey.” He pats the concrete next to him. “Take a seat.”
I sit next to him, slip off my flip-flops, and dip my feet into the pool.
“So...Gen, huh?” he starts.
“Yeah. Short for Genevieve.”
“Very pretty.” He grins. “It suits you.”
I laugh. “Thanks. So...Will.”
“Short of Fitzwilliam. Mom was in love with Pride and Prejudice.” He looks up at the light-bleached sky. “Not really the coolest name to hear during role call.”
“You were named after one of the most memorable male characters of all time,” I reply.
“What's so great about him? I never understood it. He was a complete douchebag in the beginning, and then he seemed to get better by the end of the book. So what? Anyone can pretend.”
“But he cared so much about Elizabeth that he defied all the rules of his society in order to be with this woman. He also continued to pursue her after she rejected his marriage proposal.”
“He was a selfish jerk throughout the whole book. How does everyone not see that?”
“They're blinded by Mr. Darcy's love for Elizabeth.”
He smirks. “You're in love with Darcy too, aren't you?”
I blush. “He's not real.”
“Tomb Raider isn't real, but lots of guys have gigantic crushes on Laura Croft.” He sighs. “Fine. I'll admit I had a crush on Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.”
“Fine, I had a crush on Darcy. But that doesn't mean I have a crush on you.” Fitzwilliam and his perfect teeth, square jaw, dark hair...
I furrow my brow.
“Let's just enjoy the clear sky and comfortable company we have.” We create invisible patterns in the pool with our legs and watch the water drift away from us and crash gently.
This new connection makes me feel light-headed and confused; too many things are happening at once. Jealousy, friendship, happiness, aggression...Los Angeles seems like more trouble than it's worth. I miss the simplicity of having friends who care and support me instead of having friends who fight to win something more than just a friendship.
This is not what I need right now.
I nod.
When Kendall shuts the door, I can't think of anything else but their conversation outside the door. Why would Gustavo even want me here? Managing four teenage boys is already a big problem; why would he want to add a problematic girl to his list?
I reach for the latest issue of Pop Tiger and find my scandal on the cover. “THE JENNIFERS BACK TO THREE!” They marked a huge “x” over my face. I flip through the pages.
“...It's unfortunate that we lost a member. Gen was really a great girl and had lots of talent; we wish her luck on her other pursuits.”
It sounds almost like a eulogy, like leaving the Jennifers is social suicide.
I throw the magazine onto the floor.
The door swings open, and Gustavo bursts in with Kendall by his elbow. He has a worried look on his face. “You!” Gustavo shouts. “Come here!”
I raise my eyebrows. “Me?”
“Yes, you! There's no one else in this room!”
I stand up, embarrassed, and shuffle towards him as he looks me up and down. He takes in a deep breath. “Kendall, I didn't need for you to talk to me. After I saw the cover of Pop Tiger, I thought it would be a great idea to create a new band. All my idea, of course.”
Kendall makes a face. “Liar,” he mouths, pointing fingers at him. Gustavo looks over his shoulder, and Kendall grins, hands to his side.
“Let's go meet your new band.”
We step into a spacious recording booth and find three people. Kandi, the female rapper from the Palm Woods, sits in front of the drum set, Guitar Dude strums his guitar absent-mindedly, and a guy with a crew-cut and bright blue eyes plucks at a bass. “Kandi, I thought you came here to rap?” I ask, shocked.
She shrugs her shoulders. “America's ready for Ke$ha and her faux ghetto language, but they're just not ready for Kandi.”
We laugh, and Gustavo clears his throat. “I'll leave you all to get acquainted.”
We talk and learn about each other's expectations, ideas, and aspirations. Will, the bassist, smiles and turns to me. “Are you just a singer, or are you going to play an instrument too?”
“I'll play guitar if need be, but I'm horrible at it.” Will pats my back as we all walk out of the recording booth. “I guess I was just too much of a wimp to deal with the pain of guitar strings.”
“There's no shame in that.”
I shrug. “So are you staying at the Palm Woods too?”
“Yeah. Do you want to walk back together?”
Kendall's leaning against the wall and immediately stands up right when we enter the hallway. “Ready to go? My mom's waiting in the rental.”
I look at Will. “Maybe I'll just see you at the pool sometime.”
“...Maybe.”
We exchange goodbyes, and Kendall and I climb into the red Ford. “Getting close to your bandmates?” he asks, pursing his lips.
“Yeah.”
“Getting close to Will, huh.”
“What's wrong with that?” I narrow my eyes.
“Nothing. Just...nevermind.”
We're quiet the rest of the way to the hotel, even though Mrs. Knight attempts to spark a conversation between us. We instead answer with grunts or nods and look out the window, watching Hollywood pass us by.
We stare at our feet as we say goodnight, and I head immediately to the pool. I see Will staring into the pool, waving his feet around. The ripples undulate towards me as I look at his aquamarine face. “Hey,” I say, trying to smile.
“Hey.” He pats the concrete next to him. “Take a seat.”
I sit next to him, slip off my flip-flops, and dip my feet into the pool.
“So...Gen, huh?” he starts.
“Yeah. Short for Genevieve.”
“Very pretty.” He grins. “It suits you.”
I laugh. “Thanks. So...Will.”
“Short of Fitzwilliam. Mom was in love with Pride and Prejudice.” He looks up at the light-bleached sky. “Not really the coolest name to hear during role call.”
“You were named after one of the most memorable male characters of all time,” I reply.
“What's so great about him? I never understood it. He was a complete douchebag in the beginning, and then he seemed to get better by the end of the book. So what? Anyone can pretend.”
“But he cared so much about Elizabeth that he defied all the rules of his society in order to be with this woman. He also continued to pursue her after she rejected his marriage proposal.”
“He was a selfish jerk throughout the whole book. How does everyone not see that?”
“They're blinded by Mr. Darcy's love for Elizabeth.”
He smirks. “You're in love with Darcy too, aren't you?”
I blush. “He's not real.”
“Tomb Raider isn't real, but lots of guys have gigantic crushes on Laura Croft.” He sighs. “Fine. I'll admit I had a crush on Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.”
“Fine, I had a crush on Darcy. But that doesn't mean I have a crush on you.” Fitzwilliam and his perfect teeth, square jaw, dark hair...
I furrow my brow.
“Let's just enjoy the clear sky and comfortable company we have.” We create invisible patterns in the pool with our legs and watch the water drift away from us and crash gently.
This new connection makes me feel light-headed and confused; too many things are happening at once. Jealousy, friendship, happiness, aggression...Los Angeles seems like more trouble than it's worth. I miss the simplicity of having friends who care and support me instead of having friends who fight to win something more than just a friendship.
This is not what I need right now.