Just Think Happy Thoughts
Ch. 8: Denial
Melody Way was quickly coming to the end of her patience. There she was, an hour out of Jersey, driving a van full of younger and much less mature teens, at a time of day when she'd usually still be burrowed comfortably beneath black Egyptian cotton sheets. And the kicker was, it hadn't been her decision to come along for the trip in the first place. Slowly reaching for her third cigarette of the morning, Mel sighed and gripped the wheel a little tighter with her other hand.
"Are you fucking stoned?! There's no way that Rubella Infectious would beat Dazi Li in a steel cage match!" Manny growled as he shoved Tony gently upside his head.
"And why the fuck not?!"
"Because, dipshit, Dazi's a street girl from Lodi, and Rubella's just a drag queen from Yonkers!"
"So? Who's to say that a Long Island drag queen couldn't throw down?"
Rosie rolled her eyes behind her fashion magazine. "Why the fuck are you guys arguing about rock stars wrestling in the first place? If you're gonna fight about something, at least make it which of them has the coolest accessories."
"Dazi Li, no contest," Elena piped in from the back seat. "She's got the coolest leather wristbands. They make me think of Wonder Woman."
"Dude, how do Dazi's wristbands compare to Rubella's custom-made metallic purple Mario Caprice platforms?"
Five pairs of eyebrows cocked themselves in Danny's direction in the front passenger seat as he took another sip of his Squishie. "Bryar...how do you know which designer made Rubella's boots?" Tony asked curiously.
"I read it in the last interview she did for Alternative Press. What, I'm not allowed to know fashion?"
"OK, no more arguing about pointless shit!" Melody snapped as she fumbled with her lighter. "We've got a whole assload of driving ahead of us, and if I have to listen to your bullshit the whole way, I will most likely kill you all before we get to L.A."
"Mel...chillax." Danny gently took the lighter from her and lit her cancer stick. "Maybe we should pull off for some coffee, I don't think any of us are properly awake yet."
"That's not a half-bad idea," Manny yawned, resting his head against his window. "When the hell was the last time any of us woke up before dawn?"
"That would be never. Y'know...why don't we just sleep during the day and drive at night?" Elena mumbled as she leaned against Tony's shoulder.
Tony smiled down at her gently. "That's a pretty good suggestion, sugarpop. You feel up for it, Mel?"
Sucking down a deep drag, Melody nodded. "Sleep sounds like heaven...but I'm getting a single..."
~.
"I'm on the left," Rosie deadpanned as she dropped her overnight bag at the foot of the twin mattress and headed for the rest room.
"Cool with me," Elena giggled, jumping ont the bed on the right. "I'm gonna set my cell alarm for 3:00, is that OK with you?"
"Whatever, Pollyanna. Just don't bug me until then. And while you're at it, yell over at the boys next door and tell your boyfriend and the Dy-nerd-ic Duo to stay on that side of the wall."
The phrasing Rosie had chosen stopped Elena dead in her tracks. "Wait...boyfriend?"
"Tony, you oblivious ditz."
"But...Tony's not my boyfriend."
Rosie chuckled dryly as she came back out. "You're so in denial. Iero is in love with you. He's called you 'sugarpop' since we were twelve." She slipped off her heels and climbed onto her bed.
"You mean me and...no, dude," Elena giggled, hiding her face in her pillow. "Tony's practically like a brother! That would just be creepy!"
"As long as you're sure, kid. But I'm warning you now...He doesn't smile at you like a brother. Boy's deep into some serious puppy love. And while we're on the subject, so are you."
"Are you fucking stoned?! There's no way that Rubella Infectious would beat Dazi Li in a steel cage match!" Manny growled as he shoved Tony gently upside his head.
"And why the fuck not?!"
"Because, dipshit, Dazi's a street girl from Lodi, and Rubella's just a drag queen from Yonkers!"
"So? Who's to say that a Long Island drag queen couldn't throw down?"
Rosie rolled her eyes behind her fashion magazine. "Why the fuck are you guys arguing about rock stars wrestling in the first place? If you're gonna fight about something, at least make it which of them has the coolest accessories."
"Dazi Li, no contest," Elena piped in from the back seat. "She's got the coolest leather wristbands. They make me think of Wonder Woman."
"Dude, how do Dazi's wristbands compare to Rubella's custom-made metallic purple Mario Caprice platforms?"
Five pairs of eyebrows cocked themselves in Danny's direction in the front passenger seat as he took another sip of his Squishie. "Bryar...how do you know which designer made Rubella's boots?" Tony asked curiously.
"I read it in the last interview she did for Alternative Press. What, I'm not allowed to know fashion?"
"OK, no more arguing about pointless shit!" Melody snapped as she fumbled with her lighter. "We've got a whole assload of driving ahead of us, and if I have to listen to your bullshit the whole way, I will most likely kill you all before we get to L.A."
"Mel...chillax." Danny gently took the lighter from her and lit her cancer stick. "Maybe we should pull off for some coffee, I don't think any of us are properly awake yet."
"That's not a half-bad idea," Manny yawned, resting his head against his window. "When the hell was the last time any of us woke up before dawn?"
"That would be never. Y'know...why don't we just sleep during the day and drive at night?" Elena mumbled as she leaned against Tony's shoulder.
Tony smiled down at her gently. "That's a pretty good suggestion, sugarpop. You feel up for it, Mel?"
Sucking down a deep drag, Melody nodded. "Sleep sounds like heaven...but I'm getting a single..."
~.
"I'm on the left," Rosie deadpanned as she dropped her overnight bag at the foot of the twin mattress and headed for the rest room.
"Cool with me," Elena giggled, jumping ont the bed on the right. "I'm gonna set my cell alarm for 3:00, is that OK with you?"
"Whatever, Pollyanna. Just don't bug me until then. And while you're at it, yell over at the boys next door and tell your boyfriend and the Dy-nerd-ic Duo to stay on that side of the wall."
The phrasing Rosie had chosen stopped Elena dead in her tracks. "Wait...boyfriend?"
"Tony, you oblivious ditz."
"But...Tony's not my boyfriend."
Rosie chuckled dryly as she came back out. "You're so in denial. Iero is in love with you. He's called you 'sugarpop' since we were twelve." She slipped off her heels and climbed onto her bed.
"You mean me and...no, dude," Elena giggled, hiding her face in her pillow. "Tony's practically like a brother! That would just be creepy!"
"As long as you're sure, kid. But I'm warning you now...He doesn't smile at you like a brother. Boy's deep into some serious puppy love. And while we're on the subject, so are you."