Just Think Happy Thoughts
Ch. 3: Or Bust
Flicking through her messages, Rosie quickly found the one she was looking for. “Read for yourself…” She handed the phone off to Tony.
“Dearest Friend, you are cordially invited to the Sweet Sixteen celebration for Ms. LilaAnne Wentz on June 28th, 2028, at…wait, you want us to road trip to this?” Tony shot her a disgusted look.
“Fuck that,” Danny sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t you guys remember what happened the last time we went to one of her birthday parties? I was traumatized for life by that roadie her dad dressed up like a clown.”
Elena hugged her knees and whimpered. “Oh God, don’t mention the clown, please…”
“And remember when she turned ten?” Melody grumbled. “The little bitch threw cake at me because I sat in her chair.”
Rosie rolled her eyes. “She’s mellowed out since then. Apparently she spends all her time at some animal shelter in L.A. feeding kittens and shit. Besides, word on the street is that her dad’s getting his band back together for the event.”
Manny choked on the juice box he was drinking. “Fall Out Boy’s reuniting?! But they haven’t played together in a decade! Dude, we have to go now!”
“…why?” Danny raised an eyebrow at him. “This is a band from our parents’ era, what’s the excitement in it?”
“Because, dipshit, it’s a reunion. This is the stuff of music history. This single event will be the biggest band reunion since that singer from Escape the Fate got off probation!” Manny grinned from ear to ear as though it had been his idea in the first place.
“Well, that’s two for Lila’s party,” Tony counted. “Who else is on board?”
“I’m up for it,” Elena smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling with anticipation.
“That’s three. And I would just love to see this train wreck, so we’re up to four. Now, Melody, angel…” Tony fixed her with a pair of puppy dog eyes. “You’re not gonna disappoint us and say that you don’t wanna come, are you?”
“Well, yeah, that was pretty much my plan.” Melody picked at her cuticles, cleaving skin from nail. “I just bought the full Divine Comedy from Barnes & Noble, and I’ve got a few sculptures that I need to finish. …Oh, Christ, STOP GIVING ME THAT LOOK!” Elena had joined Tony by his side and they were staring her down with twin pouts.
“They’re not gonna stop until you say you’ll go,” Rosie grumbled, going back to filing her nails. “Blame Uncle Gee and Uncle Frankie for teaching them how to do the Jersey Cuteness Torture.”
Melody narrowed her eyes in frustration. “It’s too much to ask to just have a quiet summer at home, isn’t it?” Tony and Elena nodded in unison, causing her to groan and punch the treehouse wall. “Very well, I’ll accompany you on this stupid little trek. …I won’t like it, though…”
“You won’t regret it, Mellie,” Elena giggled, giving her curmudgeonly cousin a hug. “We’ll shop on Rodeo, and walk around on the Strip, and visit the art museums!”
“…the Strip?” Danny perked up a bit as he went for a second can of Coke.
“Yesiree, Dan, the Sunset Strip. The birthplace of all things hair metal, and Mecca of debauchery. You interested in anything like that?” Tony smirked, knowing what the answer was going to be.
Danny threw his hands up in mock defeat. “Who would I be to argue? To the Strip or bust!”
“YES! We have a destination, people! OK, this party is in two weeks; that gives us a week tops to dick around with planning this. Rosie, you’re on transportation; call up Uncle Brian and see if he still has that old tour van rusting in his front yard. Manny, you’re going to be navigation; we need you on MapQuest by the end of the day. Bryar, you’re on mechanic duty once we get the van; give it a good once over and make sure nothing needs work. Mel, you’re on cigarette detail; two cartons Marlboro Reds should do us.”
“Tony…Tony, what am I gonna do?”
“You and me have the single most important job of all, sugarpop.” Tony put his arm around Elena's shoulder and grinned down at her. “We have to convince the parentals to let us do this…”
“Dearest Friend, you are cordially invited to the Sweet Sixteen celebration for Ms. LilaAnne Wentz on June 28th, 2028, at…wait, you want us to road trip to this?” Tony shot her a disgusted look.
“Fuck that,” Danny sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t you guys remember what happened the last time we went to one of her birthday parties? I was traumatized for life by that roadie her dad dressed up like a clown.”
Elena hugged her knees and whimpered. “Oh God, don’t mention the clown, please…”
“And remember when she turned ten?” Melody grumbled. “The little bitch threw cake at me because I sat in her chair.”
Rosie rolled her eyes. “She’s mellowed out since then. Apparently she spends all her time at some animal shelter in L.A. feeding kittens and shit. Besides, word on the street is that her dad’s getting his band back together for the event.”
Manny choked on the juice box he was drinking. “Fall Out Boy’s reuniting?! But they haven’t played together in a decade! Dude, we have to go now!”
“…why?” Danny raised an eyebrow at him. “This is a band from our parents’ era, what’s the excitement in it?”
“Because, dipshit, it’s a reunion. This is the stuff of music history. This single event will be the biggest band reunion since that singer from Escape the Fate got off probation!” Manny grinned from ear to ear as though it had been his idea in the first place.
“Well, that’s two for Lila’s party,” Tony counted. “Who else is on board?”
“I’m up for it,” Elena smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling with anticipation.
“That’s three. And I would just love to see this train wreck, so we’re up to four. Now, Melody, angel…” Tony fixed her with a pair of puppy dog eyes. “You’re not gonna disappoint us and say that you don’t wanna come, are you?”
“Well, yeah, that was pretty much my plan.” Melody picked at her cuticles, cleaving skin from nail. “I just bought the full Divine Comedy from Barnes & Noble, and I’ve got a few sculptures that I need to finish. …Oh, Christ, STOP GIVING ME THAT LOOK!” Elena had joined Tony by his side and they were staring her down with twin pouts.
“They’re not gonna stop until you say you’ll go,” Rosie grumbled, going back to filing her nails. “Blame Uncle Gee and Uncle Frankie for teaching them how to do the Jersey Cuteness Torture.”
Melody narrowed her eyes in frustration. “It’s too much to ask to just have a quiet summer at home, isn’t it?” Tony and Elena nodded in unison, causing her to groan and punch the treehouse wall. “Very well, I’ll accompany you on this stupid little trek. …I won’t like it, though…”
“You won’t regret it, Mellie,” Elena giggled, giving her curmudgeonly cousin a hug. “We’ll shop on Rodeo, and walk around on the Strip, and visit the art museums!”
“…the Strip?” Danny perked up a bit as he went for a second can of Coke.
“Yesiree, Dan, the Sunset Strip. The birthplace of all things hair metal, and Mecca of debauchery. You interested in anything like that?” Tony smirked, knowing what the answer was going to be.
Danny threw his hands up in mock defeat. “Who would I be to argue? To the Strip or bust!”
“YES! We have a destination, people! OK, this party is in two weeks; that gives us a week tops to dick around with planning this. Rosie, you’re on transportation; call up Uncle Brian and see if he still has that old tour van rusting in his front yard. Manny, you’re going to be navigation; we need you on MapQuest by the end of the day. Bryar, you’re on mechanic duty once we get the van; give it a good once over and make sure nothing needs work. Mel, you’re on cigarette detail; two cartons Marlboro Reds should do us.”
“Tony…Tony, what am I gonna do?”
“You and me have the single most important job of all, sugarpop.” Tony put his arm around Elena's shoulder and grinned down at her. “We have to convince the parentals to let us do this…”