Growing Up Won't Bring Us Down

She couldn’t help but smirk at the unsuspecting back of the man smoking a cigarette. She knelt in the same position she took up in track. She then sprinted off, running down the slide. As soon as she got to the bottom she literally launched off the metal. Suddenly she landed on his back, arms wrapped around his neck while her legs were wrapped around his waist. He let out a curse, cancer stick falling from his mouth.

“Got you Jimmy!” She laughed loudly. Jimmy let out a sigh when he realized it was just Marco laughing like a maniac on his back.

“Geeze Marco, trying to give me a heart attack?” Jimmy joked.

“Of course not Uncle Jimmy,” Marco cooed, kissing his cheek. “If I was going to give anyone a heart attack it would totally have to be Uncle Brian.”

“Still on about him making fun of your height?” Marco glared at nothing in particular, nodding. Brian had called her mini gnome two days ago and she was not letting it go anything soon. Suddenly the chorus of Paramore’s Decoy began to play out. Humming along Marco tried to pull out her green Razor from her hoodie pocket.

“Can you let me down Jimmy?” Marco asked as she realized she couldn’t grab her phone. Jimmy unhooked the hands that had been grasping Marco’s thighs to keep her from falling. She pulled out her phone and read the words ‘1 New Text Message’ on the small, square screen. She flipped it open to see the ID Phoenix (: looking back at her. She quickly pressed ‘read’.

‘Hey, can you hangout?’ Marco took her bottom lip into her mouth to chew on it in thought.

“Jimmy?” The tall man turned around from where he was relighting the cigarette he had dropped. “Do you mind if I go hangout with Phoenix?”

“I don’t mind. You might wanna ask your dad first though.” Marco nodded in agreement, temporarily exiting out of the text message. She scrolled down her list to the name Dad <3. After she pressed the green button she held the phone to her ear. She waited impatiently as the phone rang. He picked up just before it went to voicemail, as he usually did.

“Hey Marco, what’s up?” It was more like she was calling Phoenix himself than her father. He was never very proper when he answered the phone.

“Hey Daddy. Is it okay if I go hangout with Phoenix?” It was silent for a moment, the sound of Stewie Griffin heard faintly in the background.

“Sure, go ahead. Just call me when you plan on coming home. Maybe we can do lunch.”

“Okay, thank-you. Love you.”

“Love you too.” With that they hung up. Marco quickly sent a text to Phoenix to let him know she could and where to meet. Suddenly she produced her white iPod Nano from almost nowhere, placing the ear buds into her ears.

“Singing randomly time?” Jimmy asked knowingly as she turned the circle to get to her chosen song.

“Hell yeah,” Marco replied, pressing the center button when she reached the song she was looking for. The sound of guitars and vocals automatically started. Marco began to scream along with the song Situations by Escape the Fate, holding an invisible microphone to her face. Jimmy joined right in, both of them dancing around the abandoned playground. The faint sound of her text message ring tone made Marco flip it open. She still sang to her iPod as she read the reply.

‘Cool. When you at right now?’

Marco texted her location just as the song changed. She began to dance in circles as Motley Crue took the place of Escape the Fate. Jimmy laughed as Marco deepened her voice to sound more like Vince Neil. “If only Vince could hear you.”

“He’d probably die laughing,” Marco added. Jimmy laughed in agreement. When her phone went off with another text she was lightning fast to open the phone and read it.

‘I’ll be there in five. Probably less than that.’

Marco snapped her phone shut and ran up to Jimmy, jumping on his back again. He ran towards the swings, knowing it was exactly where she wanted to go. Jimmy placed her on one swing before sitting on the one next to her. Marco pulled out one of her earphones before she began to kick her feet to make the swing go into motion.

“So Marco.” The teenager turned her head to face her uncle who was sitting still, staring in the distance. “Any boys I should know about?”

“Psh, please. How do you know it isn’t a girl?” I mocked. Jimmy adapted a blank face and nodded to himself.

“I think you could pull it off.” Marco laughed, rolling her eyes at her uncle’s silliness. “But seriously.”

“No, there isn’t.” Jimmy let out a fake gasp, staring wide eyed at the younger girl.

“No way! How can you not have a crush on someone?!” Marco shrugged, her palms facing up. “I think you are just weird then.”

“Well then I get it from you.” Jimmy stuck out his tongue childishly. Just then Marco spotted a black haired boy approaching. He wore blue jeans, black Converse, and a black Metallica shirt. Marco grinned, launching herself off the swing. She ran forward, running into the expecting arms of her best friend. “Fifi!”

“Would you stop calling me that?” Phoenix whined. Marco just simply grinned up at him. He had hit a growth spurt too and was now two inches taller than her. Jimmy walked up to the pair smiling like he had a secret they didn’t know. That caused Marco to frown slightly.

“What?”

“Nothing. You two have fun.” Jimmy gave Marco a hug before waving to Phoenix and walking off towards the general area of his house. As soon as Jimmy was out of earshot Phoenix smiled at Marco.

“I want to show this place.”

“Where?”

“You’ll just have to wait.” As Phoenix walked off towards town Marco frowned at his back. She sighed before jogging to catch up. She wound the earphones around her iPod as the two walked in step. As they walked down Main Street Phoenix turned off to go towards the old, closed warehouses at the edge of town near the beach. Marco’s frown deepened as Phoenix led them to a rusting building next to the highway.

“Where are we Phoenix?” Marco demanded as he walked over to a side door of the medium sized warehouse. He ignored her as he reached his arm into the broken glass of the small window on the door. A faint ‘click’ was heard to signal the door was now open. He pulled it open to reveal a staircase. “Phoenix!”

“Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?” Marco bit her lip, shaking her head no. “Well then c’mon!”

“Fine,” Marco huffed, following her friend up the stairs. After about four flights of stairs he stopped in front of a door. He pulled it open to reveal the sun brightly above them. They walked across the roof, watching out for the air conditioning boxes that hadn’t been used in years. At the other end was a taller tower with stairs going up the side. When they reached the top there was a platform which Phoenix sat down on. Marco sat next to him, staring at the wide view of the ocean. “How did you find this place?”

“When my mom was working I hung around town. I found this place randomly. It used to be a pillow making factory. My buddy’s uncle told me how to get in. They had moved to Utah and he owns the place so he knows I come in once in a while,” Phoenix explained with a shrug. I smiled, staring back at the ocean.

“This is amazing.”

“Well I figured I’d show you something cool before you left for tour.” Marco turned to stare at him, her eyes wide.

“I thought you were coming with.” Phoenix shook his head sadly.

“My parents said no. They said it’s bad parenting to let a kid go on tour in the middle of a school year. They said some other things, but they were a bit more colorful.” Marco’s eyes narrowed in confusion. As they grew up Phoenix’s parents and Johnny had become really close. For his parents to be saying bad things about Johnny just seemed absurd.

“Well they are fucking assholes. Talk shit about him to my face,” Marco muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She hated adults who pulled that stuff behind her back.

“You know you don’t mean that.” Marco sighed, nodding her head. She loved Phoenix’s parents. They were like her other parents.

“I know. But I’m going to miss you while I’m gone.”

“It’s only two months.”

“I know but still.” It fell silent for a while, the sounds from the beach reaching their ears. “Hey Phoenix?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. You’re like my long lost brother,” Marco informed, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled, resting his head on her head.

“Love you too Marco.”