Everyone Learns Faster On Fire
Chapter 15: 28th October 2004
“Ok guys, you’ve got half an hour to use the restrooms, buy snacks, whatever. I want you all back at the bus at one-fifteen. Do NOT be late!”
The tour manager spoke these words with the command of a strict army sergeant. Frank supposed this was a good thing, as they needed someone to give them a kick up the ass when they were on a tight schedule to stick by.
The band dismounted the tour bus and looked around in awe at what could quite possibly be the most amazing service station known to man. Along with the usual public toilets, fast food restaurants and convenience store, there was an amusement arcade, an internet café, and a toy store, probably to shut kids up on long journeys with their parents. In other words, pure heaven for five bored young men.
“Oh man, who’s up for a game of table football?” asked Ray, who was already heading towards the arcade. Gerard and Mikey followed with smiles plastered over their faces, looking like excited children on Christmas day.
“I think I might go and check my email.” said Bob, pointing towards the internet café. “Are you coming, Frank?”
A light bulb suddenly went off in Frank’s head. He remembered the website where he had confessed his feelings for Gerard, and thought of the many replies that could have been piling up since he last checked. He nodded and followed Bob into the snack bar next to the arcade.
The café smelt strongly of greasy, fried food mixed with cleaning chemicals. They wrinkled their noses as they entered and headed straight to the coin-operated computers situated in separate booths at the back of the premises.
“Well, this is certainly the place to be.” Bob muttered sarcastically as he looked around the almost empty diner. Frank snorted. There was an overweight middle-aged guy sitting in the far corner by the window, eating food served in a plateful of grease, and another guy, probably a trucker, playing on the videogame next to the bathroom. The waitress stared at them suspiciously, as if to say ‘are you going to buy something?’
They sat down at two of the three ancient computers, each separated by a brittle-looking plastic wall to prevent people spying on what you were doing. Frank was sort of glad that Bob couldn’t read what was on his screen, as he didn’t want him to find out about the whole Gerard thing just yet. He inserted 50 cents into the coin slot attached to the computer, and thus started up the excruciatingly slow internet connection.
Frank loaded up the page that he had memorised since he had last visited, and his eyes almost popped out of his skull when he saw how many people had written back. There must have been about fifteen new replies, which was fifteen more than he had expected.
He began scanning through the posts, which were mostly immature homophobic replies. There were a few that offered opinions and what they thought he should do, but nothing really seemed to work for him. Some said things lie ‘dump her, she’s not worth it’, or ‘it’s probably just a little crush, you’ll get over it’, which were things that suggested that these people obviously hadn’t read what he had written properly.
And suddenly, the hallelujah harmony seemed to be filling the greasy diner as he found the perfect reply. He had found a saviour at the service station. Frank read it a few times over in amazement, smiling to himself;
If I was you, I would think very seriously about who you are happiest with. Who makes you want to get up in the morning? Who’s smile brightens up your day? Who do you see yourself growing old with? I’d think very carefully, it may not be the obvious choice. Don’t worry about what other people are going to think of you. You may think to sick with your girlfriend because you are scared of what others might think, but let me assure you, you may regret it in the future if she‘s not who you believe is ‘the one’.
Good luck!
Sarah182 was right. Frank had been thinking about the way other people may react way too much. It was his life, and he shouldn’t worry about things like that. Frank hit the print button and the printer to the side of him began to buzz into life. He folded up the piece of paper and shoved it safely in his back pocket before Bob could catch a glimpse.
Bob was sitting on one of the cheap and nasty chairs against the counter, sipping on a cup of coffee. He drained what was left in the mug as Frank walked up to him. “Are you ready to go?”
Frank nodded. “Yep. How long have we got left before we get our asses kicked for being late?”
Bob glanced at his watch and smiled. “Oh well, I think about thirty seconds! But I bet we beat everyone else to the bus.”
Bob got up from his seat and they wandered out of the café together, Frank feeling like there was going to be a new beginning for him. He smiled to himself when he thought of his plan.
He was going to tell Gerard tonight.
The tour manager spoke these words with the command of a strict army sergeant. Frank supposed this was a good thing, as they needed someone to give them a kick up the ass when they were on a tight schedule to stick by.
The band dismounted the tour bus and looked around in awe at what could quite possibly be the most amazing service station known to man. Along with the usual public toilets, fast food restaurants and convenience store, there was an amusement arcade, an internet café, and a toy store, probably to shut kids up on long journeys with their parents. In other words, pure heaven for five bored young men.
“Oh man, who’s up for a game of table football?” asked Ray, who was already heading towards the arcade. Gerard and Mikey followed with smiles plastered over their faces, looking like excited children on Christmas day.
“I think I might go and check my email.” said Bob, pointing towards the internet café. “Are you coming, Frank?”
A light bulb suddenly went off in Frank’s head. He remembered the website where he had confessed his feelings for Gerard, and thought of the many replies that could have been piling up since he last checked. He nodded and followed Bob into the snack bar next to the arcade.
The café smelt strongly of greasy, fried food mixed with cleaning chemicals. They wrinkled their noses as they entered and headed straight to the coin-operated computers situated in separate booths at the back of the premises.
“Well, this is certainly the place to be.” Bob muttered sarcastically as he looked around the almost empty diner. Frank snorted. There was an overweight middle-aged guy sitting in the far corner by the window, eating food served in a plateful of grease, and another guy, probably a trucker, playing on the videogame next to the bathroom. The waitress stared at them suspiciously, as if to say ‘are you going to buy something?’
They sat down at two of the three ancient computers, each separated by a brittle-looking plastic wall to prevent people spying on what you were doing. Frank was sort of glad that Bob couldn’t read what was on his screen, as he didn’t want him to find out about the whole Gerard thing just yet. He inserted 50 cents into the coin slot attached to the computer, and thus started up the excruciatingly slow internet connection.
Frank loaded up the page that he had memorised since he had last visited, and his eyes almost popped out of his skull when he saw how many people had written back. There must have been about fifteen new replies, which was fifteen more than he had expected.
He began scanning through the posts, which were mostly immature homophobic replies. There were a few that offered opinions and what they thought he should do, but nothing really seemed to work for him. Some said things lie ‘dump her, she’s not worth it’, or ‘it’s probably just a little crush, you’ll get over it’, which were things that suggested that these people obviously hadn’t read what he had written properly.
And suddenly, the hallelujah harmony seemed to be filling the greasy diner as he found the perfect reply. He had found a saviour at the service station. Frank read it a few times over in amazement, smiling to himself;
If I was you, I would think very seriously about who you are happiest with. Who makes you want to get up in the morning? Who’s smile brightens up your day? Who do you see yourself growing old with? I’d think very carefully, it may not be the obvious choice. Don’t worry about what other people are going to think of you. You may think to sick with your girlfriend because you are scared of what others might think, but let me assure you, you may regret it in the future if she‘s not who you believe is ‘the one’.
Good luck!
Sarah182 was right. Frank had been thinking about the way other people may react way too much. It was his life, and he shouldn’t worry about things like that. Frank hit the print button and the printer to the side of him began to buzz into life. He folded up the piece of paper and shoved it safely in his back pocket before Bob could catch a glimpse.
Bob was sitting on one of the cheap and nasty chairs against the counter, sipping on a cup of coffee. He drained what was left in the mug as Frank walked up to him. “Are you ready to go?”
Frank nodded. “Yep. How long have we got left before we get our asses kicked for being late?”
Bob glanced at his watch and smiled. “Oh well, I think about thirty seconds! But I bet we beat everyone else to the bus.”
Bob got up from his seat and they wandered out of the café together, Frank feeling like there was going to be a new beginning for him. He smiled to himself when he thought of his plan.
He was going to tell Gerard tonight.