Happy Birthday to Me

MARISSA

Moving in only took about two hours, but once everything was in the apartment I realized none of the pieces of furniture matched one another and it looked really ugly sitting together in the same room.

There was a pea green soup colored sofa that folded out to make a bed.

Thanks to Bob, I now owned a 30-inch plasma tv screen. He didn't have to buy it for me, but he told me I would go stir crazy if I didn't have something to watch things on.

I had a small black futon with an almost rock-hard mattress as a bed. No, I think rocks were softer than this futon. It was bad.

A dish chair with an ugly cream colored cushion in a wooden frame sat in the living room near a giant window. Sure, it was comfy, but not pleasing to the eye.

A clear bubble chair with black cushions and a rope chain entered the apartment thanks to Mikey. He said it looked cool and if he had a Vegas apartment the piece of furniture would surely be inside.

I had one set of pots and pans, but just the basics. I wasn't a five star chef nor did I have the room to keep the wares a five star chef owned.

I was given a set of four when it came to silverware, the real cheap stuff you could get at Walmart or something. I also had sets of four in cups, bowls, plates, ect and they were all a maroon plastic color. They were things that wouldn't last long, maybe a year or two tops if they didn't crack or break before then.

Covering that rock hard futon were piss yellow colored sheets that were hidden underneath a chocolate brown...or some other kind of unmentionable brown comforter with mint colored pillow cases.

A towel and washcloth set that were in a pale orange color hung in my bathrooms.

I had three rock hard pillows. Two of which were on the bed and one was on the pea soup colored couch.

It looked like a sense of style, or lack there of, had thrown up in the apartment.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but who picked out everything?" I asked quietly.

"That would be Gerard." Mikey replied.

"That figures." I muttered. But I smiled brightly to hide my distaste and said, "But all the same, thank you for everything you've done."

The guys quietly chorused a series of "No problem."

Gerard, who was currently lying down on the ugly couch 'resting' sat up and asked, "Are we done yet?" He had been asking that for the past hour.

"Surprisingly yes." Mikey replied.

Gerard stood up, "So we can leave her here now?" he asked again.

"Surprisingly no." Mikey answered.

Gee sank back down onto the couch and asked, "Why not?"

"Because we're going to go out to dinner with Marissa one last time before we leave." Ray said.

"Whaaaat?" Gerard questioned before he groaned and muttered, "Fine."

"Speaking of dinner, should we get going?" Frank asked.

"Sure. But there is just one thing I need first." I said.

Gerard threw his hands up in the air and said, "Great! The crazed fan wants something else! Let's just willingly give it to her!"

"Gerard, shush." Mikey whispered. He turned to ma and asked, "What do you need?" in a kind tone.

"I'd like my tent and everything that was in my duffel bag the day my parents kicked me out." I replied.

Gerard raised an eyebrow, "Why do you want that crap?" he asked.

"Because I want to remember where I came from and that I'm better than that." I answered.

X-----X-----X-----X-----X-----X-----X

We ended up going to a restaurant at Ceaser's Palace. Everything was going smoothly and Mikey decided to give a sort of toast. He stood up with his beer in hand and said, "We met by chance and we became friends by chance, but looking back on it all now I know it was destiny."

I smiled, "Thanks Mikey." I said quietly.

The other guys stood up, clinked their glasses with Mikey and me and sat back down into their chairs.

All except for you-know-who. Voldermort! No, just kidding. It was Gerard...

Gerard stood up quickly, his chair loudly scraping on the ground, and said, "I'd like to say something too... I knew you were a crazed fan from the start, but I'll admit you hid it well. Who knew you had a hidden agenda when you decided to tag along? Oh yeah, I did! So now, my friends may be toasting to your future and they may be offering you well wishes, but I'm not. Oh no, I'm not. Instead, I'm toasting to get rid of you once and for all!"

When no one stood up to agree with Gerard and clash their glasses together, Gerard shrugged his shoulders and made the motions of thrusting his beer into the center of the table and shouted, "Clink!" imagining their glasses had crashed together. He sat down and looked at me smugly.

I couldn't help it. I didn't ever want him to see me cry, but a single tear escaped me and dripped down my cheek. I wiped it away with the heel of my hand.

Frank's eyes blazed as he glared at Gerard, "Dude, you really need a filter." he muttered.

Gerard shrugged and said, "I don't think so... Are we ready to go yet?"

"NO!" Frank and Ray shouted.

Mikey sighed, "Actually, if we don't leave like right now, we're gonna be late for our next venue."

Frank's shoulders slumped and he muttered, "Fine."

X-----X-----X-----X-----X-----X-----X

The tour bus pulled up to my new apartment complex and the door swung open.

I stepped off the bus and sighed. As Frank, Ray, and Bob climbed off the bus behind me I said, "I think I'm actually going to miss walking off the bus and being in a whole knew city to explore."

"You could always come visit us while we're on tour." Ray said.

"No she can't!" Gerard's voice echoed from somewhere in the bus.

I smiled at the trio before me, "I'm going to miss you guys so much."

I gave Bob a hug first. He hugged back so tight, I felt my back crack. "Missing you already." he said quietly.

I gave a nod, "Same here."

Ray was next. He scooped me up in a hug that made me laugh.

"Don't ever change. I mean that." he said as he smiled.

"I won't change as long as you don't cut that fro." I replied.

Mikey stood at the top of the stairs on the bus and groaned, "Gerard, get off the damn bus!" he shouted.

"I don't wanna!" Gerard called back.

Mikey rolled his eyes and muttered, "Baby." before he stepped off the bus as well.

My eyes searched all over. I was missing somebody who mattered. "Where'd Frank go?" I asked.

"Be there in a minute!" Frank's voice called out, but I couldn't locate his body.

Mikey walked up to me and threw his arms around me in a hug before he said, "Gonna miss ya, kid."

I smiled, "Glad ya warmed up to me."

Mikey sighed, "I wish I would have done it sooner."

"Me too." I said with a nod.

"Oh boo hoo hoo!" Gerard called from the bus, "Hurry up and get back on the bus so we can leave the crazed fan behind just like her supposed parents did!"

Ray, Mikey, and Bob all shouted, "GERARD!"

Frank walked around the bus with my duffel bag on his shoulder and said, "That was low, even for you."

Gerard didn't say anything else.

Frank walked up to me and said, "I'm sorry about him. He's obviously dealing with some inner demons. H-Hey! Don't cry!"

"I'm not crying because of what he said." I said as I wiped my tears and smiled up at him, "I just realized how much I'm going to miss you."

Frank hugged me tight and said, "Call me as often as you'd like. It'll be like we never left."

"I hate to rush this," Mikey interrupted, "But uhhh we've really got to get going now."

Frank handed my duffel bag to me and I shouldered it.

Mikey, Bob, and Ray all chorused a "Bye." before they climbed back onto the bus.

"As soon as the tour ends we'll come back and visit." Frank said quietly.

I smiled, "I can't wait."