Garage Heroes
Chapter Ten
I woke up to my dad standing over me and laughing.
“You’ve got a little, uh, black on your face,” he said with a smirk. I rubbed my eyes to look at him but remembered my makeup. Shit. I ran into my bathroom and saw that I had a streak of eyeliner running down my face from where my eyes were watering before I fell asleep. I wiped it off and quickly made my eyeliner even again. My dad was still laughing as I walked back into the living room.
“Are you ready to go?” I said rather loudly. I could tell how annoyed I sounded, and I hoped he heard it.
“Yeah, go ahead and get in the car. I’ll be out in a minute. Take the keys.” I turned around just in time to catch the keys that he had thrown. I was always the one to start the car that way the air conditioning would start throwing out cold air before my dad got out there. I made my way to the door. Before opening it, I stopped and took a deep breath. I knew that Gerard would be outside. I needed to ignore his existence. I wanted so badly to go talk to him, but I knew I would have to wait. I opened the door and hurried to the car. I glanced up to see Gerard hop off the steps of his house and go inside. He was followed by Ray. I assumed that Mikey and Frank were already inside. I unlocked the car and started it up. It ran smoothly, which was nice for such an old car. I went to the passenger side and got in. I put my seatbelt on and checked my makeup in the little mirror before my dad got in.
We drove to the restaurant, making little conversation as we listened to Metallica in the car. I liked it better this way. Small talk. Not talking about anything that really mattered. He would make jokes and we would laugh together. It was nice, being able to talk to him. He cared, unlike my mother. It was nice to have someone who gave a shit about you.
We pulled into the restaurant, and my dad hurried to my side of the car and opened my door for me before I could even get my seatbelt off.
“After you, little miss!” He chuckled as he helped me out of the car as if I was a movie star. This is why I loved going places with my dad, he made simple things fun. But then I remembered what we were doing. I stopped laughing and stood up straight. We were going to a fancy restaurant. I was going to be expected to act a certain way. To eat a certain way. To speak a certain way. I hated going to restaurants. I felt that people were watching me eat every single bite and secretly judging me. I couldn’t handle it. And my dad knew it. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. He turned me around to face him.
“You’ll be fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about anything.” He gave a soft smile, but I could see the doubt in my eyes. The last time we went to a restaurant was two years ago. My eighth grade year. I was nervous. It was a dinner for my dad and his boss. They were going to discuss his new working situations and I was brought because I had nothing else to do. I was too old for a babysitter, and my dad was going to trust me to behave at this dinner. I behaved. I didn’t talk, I barely ate. I was scared that I would mess up. And mess up I did. My waiter came to take my order, and I got nervous. I knocked my water onto the floor, but that wasn’t the worst part. I opened my mouth to apologize, and I threw up. Right on the guy’s shoes. I started crying and ran out of the restaurant. I was laughed at by others that were eating. To make it worse, kids I knew from school were there and saw the whole thing. I was made fun of for that all of my eighth grade year.
Let’s just hope that I wouldn’t fuck this up.
“You’ve got a little, uh, black on your face,” he said with a smirk. I rubbed my eyes to look at him but remembered my makeup. Shit. I ran into my bathroom and saw that I had a streak of eyeliner running down my face from where my eyes were watering before I fell asleep. I wiped it off and quickly made my eyeliner even again. My dad was still laughing as I walked back into the living room.
“Are you ready to go?” I said rather loudly. I could tell how annoyed I sounded, and I hoped he heard it.
“Yeah, go ahead and get in the car. I’ll be out in a minute. Take the keys.” I turned around just in time to catch the keys that he had thrown. I was always the one to start the car that way the air conditioning would start throwing out cold air before my dad got out there. I made my way to the door. Before opening it, I stopped and took a deep breath. I knew that Gerard would be outside. I needed to ignore his existence. I wanted so badly to go talk to him, but I knew I would have to wait. I opened the door and hurried to the car. I glanced up to see Gerard hop off the steps of his house and go inside. He was followed by Ray. I assumed that Mikey and Frank were already inside. I unlocked the car and started it up. It ran smoothly, which was nice for such an old car. I went to the passenger side and got in. I put my seatbelt on and checked my makeup in the little mirror before my dad got in.
We drove to the restaurant, making little conversation as we listened to Metallica in the car. I liked it better this way. Small talk. Not talking about anything that really mattered. He would make jokes and we would laugh together. It was nice, being able to talk to him. He cared, unlike my mother. It was nice to have someone who gave a shit about you.
We pulled into the restaurant, and my dad hurried to my side of the car and opened my door for me before I could even get my seatbelt off.
“After you, little miss!” He chuckled as he helped me out of the car as if I was a movie star. This is why I loved going places with my dad, he made simple things fun. But then I remembered what we were doing. I stopped laughing and stood up straight. We were going to a fancy restaurant. I was going to be expected to act a certain way. To eat a certain way. To speak a certain way. I hated going to restaurants. I felt that people were watching me eat every single bite and secretly judging me. I couldn’t handle it. And my dad knew it. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. He turned me around to face him.
“You’ll be fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about anything.” He gave a soft smile, but I could see the doubt in my eyes. The last time we went to a restaurant was two years ago. My eighth grade year. I was nervous. It was a dinner for my dad and his boss. They were going to discuss his new working situations and I was brought because I had nothing else to do. I was too old for a babysitter, and my dad was going to trust me to behave at this dinner. I behaved. I didn’t talk, I barely ate. I was scared that I would mess up. And mess up I did. My waiter came to take my order, and I got nervous. I knocked my water onto the floor, but that wasn’t the worst part. I opened my mouth to apologize, and I threw up. Right on the guy’s shoes. I started crying and ran out of the restaurant. I was laughed at by others that were eating. To make it worse, kids I knew from school were there and saw the whole thing. I was made fun of for that all of my eighth grade year.
Let’s just hope that I wouldn’t fuck this up.