The Plague of Popularity
They All Know Your F---ing Name.
“Frank are you in the same grade as Gee?”
“Mikey just shut up. Frank’s not going to talk to you in school tomorrow so I don’t even know why you bother talking to him in the first place.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror at Mikey’s fallen face. I know one person I will not try to be nicer to.
“If your brother’s a senior, then yeah, we’re in the same grade. What grade are you in?”
“Tenth. What kind of music do you like?”
We had been at this and we haven’t left the parking lot yet. The one thing I hated about driving to school, the long wait to get out of the parking lot. So far he’s gotten my favorite color, my pet’s names, my father’s name, my mother’s name, her maiden name, my grandparent’s names, my elementary school, my middle school, my favorite movie and I could go on.
I turned on my stereo, Misfits blasting the silence that would make cement jealous. I noticed Mikey grin in the back as he bobbed his head along—good taste in music kid.
“Where am I going exactly?”
“Your house to get clothes, then just two streets over.”
If it weren’t for Mikey I think I’d really lay it on Gerard. He doesn’t know me and he’s already judged me—well I’ve done the same thing. You’re an idiot sometimes Iero. My onlysaving-grace is that I’ve never thrown an insult at him; I haven’t really ever talked to him.
I answered more of random questions, so far my favorite being—‘if you could make any colored jello, what color would you make?’—'black'. Pulling up to the front of my house I relived my most embarrassing moment; I think I will talk to Mikey at school tomorrow. I want to and just to spite the words his brother said earlier.
He stayed in the car while Mikey helped me gather my things from my room. As far as I knew it was just a night so I only took enough for one night.
“You play guitar? That’s awesome, I have a bass at home. Mom’s glad we moved, we had a small band at our other place and we practiced at our place. Maybe we could play together sometime?”
“I’m not that good, but sure. How come I don’t see you around school?”
“I make myself invisible at school. I wear what everyone else wears so I don’t stand out. The only thing to peg me is my glasses and unfortunately my height. I see the way people treat my brother and I really don’t want to be treated the same way.”
Somehow I had a feeling he was directing that last part towards me.
“Mikey just shut up. Frank’s not going to talk to you in school tomorrow so I don’t even know why you bother talking to him in the first place.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror at Mikey’s fallen face. I know one person I will not try to be nicer to.
“If your brother’s a senior, then yeah, we’re in the same grade. What grade are you in?”
“Tenth. What kind of music do you like?”
We had been at this and we haven’t left the parking lot yet. The one thing I hated about driving to school, the long wait to get out of the parking lot. So far he’s gotten my favorite color, my pet’s names, my father’s name, my mother’s name, her maiden name, my grandparent’s names, my elementary school, my middle school, my favorite movie and I could go on.
I turned on my stereo, Misfits blasting the silence that would make cement jealous. I noticed Mikey grin in the back as he bobbed his head along—good taste in music kid.
“Where am I going exactly?”
“Your house to get clothes, then just two streets over.”
If it weren’t for Mikey I think I’d really lay it on Gerard. He doesn’t know me and he’s already judged me—well I’ve done the same thing. You’re an idiot sometimes Iero. My onlysaving-grace is that I’ve never thrown an insult at him; I haven’t really ever talked to him.
I answered more of random questions, so far my favorite being—‘if you could make any colored jello, what color would you make?’—'black'. Pulling up to the front of my house I relived my most embarrassing moment; I think I will talk to Mikey at school tomorrow. I want to and just to spite the words his brother said earlier.
He stayed in the car while Mikey helped me gather my things from my room. As far as I knew it was just a night so I only took enough for one night.
“You play guitar? That’s awesome, I have a bass at home. Mom’s glad we moved, we had a small band at our other place and we practiced at our place. Maybe we could play together sometime?”
“I’m not that good, but sure. How come I don’t see you around school?”
“I make myself invisible at school. I wear what everyone else wears so I don’t stand out. The only thing to peg me is my glasses and unfortunately my height. I see the way people treat my brother and I really don’t want to be treated the same way.”
Somehow I had a feeling he was directing that last part towards me.