The Kids From Yesterday

12:30 pm
Some arena in San Diego
San Diego, California
Christmas, 2004

“Come on boys, we got sound check, then meet and greet and then you’re on at 7:30 tonight, we need to get you situated in your dressing room and goddamn Elliot, stop giving me that fucking look, you paternal little shit.”

Elliot was looking at Brian Schechter the Tour Manager contemptuously; she had taken on a bit of motherly role so far while being with the guys, and every time Brian the Tour Manager was being well… The Tour Manager, she got a little huffy. She was going to be the best mother in the world, or her kids were going to hate her, either way, her maternal instincts were something to be reckoned with.

“Ellie are coming to the arena?” Mikey asked as everyone was packing up their stuff.

“Yup!” she says slipping on one of Frank’s hoodies.

It was the day of Christmas and MCR was playing the annual Christmas show that the biggest rock station in San Diego threw every year. They were pretty stoked seeing as San Diego knew how to party.

Ellie had finished Gerard’s drawing yesterday morning (Christmas Eve) at 3 am and then spent all of Christmas Eve day resting and icing her left hand that had become swollen from drawing for hours on end. But the drawing came out fucking awesome.

She followed the guys out of the bus and immediately Frank was at her side holding her hand like she was a little kid or something. After her near tell-all a few nights prior, he had become even more protective—if that was even possible—and it sort of was putting Ellie off. She was feeling smothered. But she went along with it anyway; she didn’t want to start anything.

Within the next fifteen minutes the guys were standing behind a table where they would be signing and taking pictures. Ellie usually spent the meet and greets taking pictures of the fans with the band. It was always humbling to Ellie when she saw these kids meet their heroes. Both boys and girls had these emotional attachments to five assholes from New Jersey and Chicago. And to Ellie, it was a really beautiful thing.

What really caught her eye today were the last two kids in line. They were an older brother and a younger sister. The girl must’ve been around nine, while the boy had to be at least sixteen. The girl was tiny, being as she was probably in the 4th grade; she had long dark hair that had been fastened into an indestructible ponytail. The boy towered over her standing at least six feet tall. The young girl was wearing black converses, black jeans, and an unzipped MCR hoodie, with another MCR shirt underneath. Her brother was wearing the same thing, and they looked absolutely adorable together.

Ellie had to stop herself from running up to the tiny girl and giving her a huge hug when she burst into to tears after Frank told her that he liked her outfit.

The poor thing!

“Hey, don’t cry.” Frank cooed and grabbed the young girl’s hand that was resting on the poster she wanted signed, “What’s your name, beautiful?”

“I’m Lucy and this is my brother Jude,” she stuttered out, wiping tears from her face, “Our parents like The Beatles.”

“I love The Beatles, and I love your guys’ names, what’s your favorite song by us, Lucy?” Frank asked keeping conversation to calm the girl down. It was cute. He’s going to be such a good dad.

“That’s hard!” she giggled, “Um… I really like Early Sunsets over Monroeville, and Drowning Lessons, because at the end that part is just so cool, and It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s A Fucking Death Wish and—” Ellie gaped like a fish when she heard ‘fucking’ come out of the something so small.

Oh my God, you are so cute, I want to put you in my pocket you tiny infant child. Ugh.

“Lucy…” Jude said.

“Sorry, it’s hard to pick just one…” she said sheepishly.

The other guys were watching the girl with same face as Ellie. Did this sweet little girl just gush over Bullets and say ‘fucking’ all in the same sentence? Ellie knew what they were thinking; this kid is going to do great things.

“Well Lucy, would and your brother like a picture with us?” Ray asked this time.
The both of them nodded enthusiastically. Lucy ran up to Ellie with a small digital camera, Lucy looked up at Ellie and smiled.

“You’re really pretty, are you dating Frank?” Lucy asked innocently.

Ellie’s eyes widened and she nearly started choking on her spit. The second time in five minutes this girl had her shocked.

Yes, you are going to do such great things little one.

“Ha-ha, no sweetheart, I’m not,” Ellie told the young girl.

“Lucy,” her brother called.

“You should be.” Lucy grinned and ran up to the guys who had situated themselves behind the table.
Jude was in between Mikey and Frank, while Lucy was being held by Gerard in between him and Frank. Bob and Ray were on the other side of Gerard, leaving Lucy right smack dab in the middle of the picture smiling big and wide. It was a really cute picture.

“Merry Christmas, mother fuckers!” Ellie yelled as she took the picture. She looked at the picture,

“Now that is Christmas card material.” She grinned and handed the camera back to Lucy whom was at her side once again.

“Thank you!” Lucy said cheerily and took the camera, and then wrapped her arms around Ellie’s waist in a hug. Ellie had to keep herself from cringing; her side was still pretty bruised, but hugged the girl back anyway.

“You are really pretty too, Lucy,” Ellie said, “I want you to pinky promise me that you will break lots of hearts when you’re your brother’s age, yes?”
Lucy let go of Ellie and clasped pinkies with her.

“I promise.” She grinned.

“Okay, go have fun, and don’t get hurt, don’t let your brother out of your sight, hold his hand all night if you must, I know that’s weird, but he’s your big brother and ‘holding hands with my younger sister at My Chemical Romance concerts’ is in his fucking job description, okay?” Ellie told her still holding pinky.

“Yes sir!” Lucy squealed saluting Ellie.

So many great things young one, so many.

“Okay, go on,” Ellie patted Lucy’s head and sent her off with her brother.

“We want a copy!” Gerard yelled after the kids as they left, “And don’t let her out of your sight Jude!”
=-=-
“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON SAN DIEGO?” Gerard yelled to the screaming crowd that screamed even louder as they were acknowledged.
Ellie was watching from the wings. She was on the left hand side watching Frank go absolutely insane, as he does every show. Ellie was always in awe when she watched him perform. He played with so much passion and intensity; she didn’t know where it all came from. He was an energizer bunny all show long, and then he passes out as soon as he gets into his bunk.

The band dove right into another song, the crowd feeding off their energy and vice versa.

The crowd jumped, sang, screamed, and hung onto every word that was being pumped through the speakers throughout the venue. Ellie always loved it when the crowd would sing—scream the lyrics back at the guys louder than the actual speakers; it was just like a group of misfits singing. It was awesome.

“This next song, we weren’t going to play it, but we heard that a fan really loved this song… this one is for you Lucy, this one’s called Early Sunsets over Monroeville,” the crowd erupted in deafening cries of utter joy. And Ellie was almost positive she saw a girl whom looked a lot like Lucy sitting on a pair of shoulders. The girl was screaming the lyrics, even though the song was almost a ballad.

Forty five minutes and three encore songs later, the band was running off stage, with grins the size of half their faces.

“That was fucking, what the fuck, Jesus, fucking – only in Sand Diego I swear to fucking god…” was what all of them were saying as they crowded into a dark walkway and followed Ellie to their dressing room so they could shower and then head back to the bus for—wee!—presents!
Ellie was just as jittery as them.
-=---
Ellie’s secret Santa was Frank. But they were waiting till everyone had their presents from their Secret Santa’s so they could open them.

Gerard got Mikey, Mikey got Ray, Ray got Bob, Bob got Brain and Brain got Frank, Frank got Ellie and Ellie got Gerard. It was great.

“Okay, ready go!”

Ellie set her present down by her feet; they were all sitting at the couches that faced each other in the bus. She wanted to watch Gerard open his drawing.

Gerard’s eyes lit up when he pulled the poster sized drawing out of the envelope that Ellie had wrapped it in.

“Oh my God, Ellie, this is amazing,” Gerard said as his eyes skirted over the art piece, “I didn’t know you could draw.” He mumbled.
“Let us see it,” Ray said.

Gerard turned it around and revealed what Ellie had drawn. The band was dressed up in weird marching band uniforms, Gerard had a mace in his hands as if he was the drum major, and he was leading the band and a parade of a bunch of nameless faces towards toward a better place, at the edge of the paper, where the group of people were headed, were yellows and greens and reds of the brighter and better place. Behind them and in the background were buildings on fire and just a dark place. Ellie was really proud of the metaphor that she had engraved in the piece.

“Holy shit, I’m getting this framed, this is so good, holy shit Ellie, thank you I love it,” Gerard set the drawing down and tackled Ellie into a hug.

“You’re welcome, I’m glad you like it,” She said when she was hugging him back.

Gerard released her and grinned broadly at her, then further examined the drawing, mumbling to about the shading and the lines and other art words.

“Ellie, open yours,” Mikey said when he noticed her box on the ground still wrapped.

“Oh right,” she blushed and picked her present off the ground. It was actually two boxes. One small box tapped to another bigger one.

She pulled the small box off the big one and tore the paper off. Inside was the box of a SideKick.
Her eyes turned to saucers like the night when Frank and Gerard found her and before she could say anything, Frank was explaining himself, “Before you say you can’t accept it, you kind of need one now that you’re going to be touring with us and especially when we’ll be in Europe next month, now open the other one before you tackle me…” Frank pointed out.

“Frank. Jesus. I really don’t know what to say but, Jesus, thank you. I don’t know how to use it, but I guess I’ll have to learn.” she trailed off and took the phone out of its box, it was black. She turned it on, it lit up and she grinned.

I have no idea how to use you little phone, but I’ll learn.

She turned her attention to the other box that if it were to sit on her lap, she could rest her head on it comfortably without having to bend her back. Inside was a fuck-ton clothing: Jeans, shirts, a hoodie, a jacket, some pajama pants and shirts and a new pair of classic high top Converse, and the same type of socks that Frank had. And then a gift card to Victoria’s Secret…

Um, okay?

“So you’ll stop stealing my clothes, and I didn’t want to make it awkward and actually buy you undergarments because I don’t know those sizes…” Frank laughed nervously when she pulled everything out of the box.

Ellie brushed off the awkwardness that Frank brought into the whole bus because a stupid pink
certificate.

“Frank, thank you!” She leapt up and tackled Frank in on the opposite couch, “Seriously, you didn't need to get me all of that, but thank you, and I’m forever in debt.” Ellie gushed sitting on his lap hugging his neck.

Frank cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around Ellie, “You’re welcome Ellie.” He murmured into her neck.

“Well, I think it’s time for some shut eye,” Brain began and then gave them exasperated looks when they all started to protest, “What are you, ten?”

“Yes.” Ellie and Frank said at the same time.

“Lord, give me patience,” Brain deadpanned, “You have a plane to catch at seven fucking am, and you have to be in the airport by three am.” Brain crossed his arms.

“What’s the point of going to bed if we’re going to be up in three hours anyway?” Ellie asked.

“Because Brian is more of a tight ass than—” Frank trailed off, and then recovered when Brain sent him The Dirty Look to end all dirty looks, “And you’re going to be really cranky and fussy at 4 am in the airport while waiting to board if you haven’t slept all night.”

“Yeah those fucking chairs suck,” Gerard added.

Brain nodded with a look approval.

“I’m headed back to my bus, go to sleep.” Brain said before walking out of the bus.

“You’re not going to stay and make us?” Ellie yelled out after him.

“Good night Elliot!” He yelled back.

“He loves me,” She grinned.

Frank snorted at her comment. She was still sitting on his lap. She was comfortable and he wasn’t complaining, so Ellie thought why the hell not.

Ellie wasn’t feeling tired, at all. She thought maybe it was because she was sitting on Sir Energizer Bunny himself, but she didn’t want to test her theory by moving. His lap was comfy and he wasn’t protesting either; he had his arms around her waist tapping his fingers softly now and again.
Eventually everyone started trickling back to their bunks, all of them grinning because of their new toys. Ellie was almost sure that Gerard was going to sleep with her drawing. She was flattered though, but she didn’t want him to ruin it…

Then a thought dawned on her.

“Um Frank?” She said after Bob turned in and they were alone in the front.

“Hmm?”

“Where am I going to stay when we get to New Jersey tomorrow?” She turned her head slightly towards his face. It was right there.

“With me,” He said immediately, “And my mom, don’t worry, she’ll love you.” He rubbed her back as he spoke, his hands moving down the vertebrae that stuck out more than Ellie was even comfortable with.

“Um…” she really couldn’t form a sentence. He was too fucking nice. Way too nice for Ellie. She had never met someone so giving to a complete stranger, he had taken her in, taken her to the hospital, became almost dad like overnight, he made her take a multivitamin every morning, he made sure she ate, bathed, and that her side wasn’t bugging her before she started her ‘chores’ every day.

She had only known one person who cared as much.

But he still never gave off that vibe that screamed danger. That’s what scared Ellie the most.

You’re just being paranoid.

Maybe she was. Her instincts weren’t firing off when she was around the boys, they did when she was around the security guards, but most of them were convicted felons… none of the guys gave her the feeling of ‘they’re going to kill me’.

“Okay,” she mumbled and rested her head on his shoulder.

She felt tired.

“Okay.”

She thought of Lucy’s words from earlier that night. Ellie will be the first to admit that Frank was not ugly, he wasn’t even average. He was gorgeous; they all were really good looking. However, Ellie didn’t have that tug in her gut when she was around Gerard or Mikey or Ray or Bob, but when she was around Frankie, not only did she feel safe, she felt something she couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t butterflies, how cliché is that? But something and it bugged the fuck out of her because it was just unavoidably there.

“You okay?” Frank asked a few minutes later.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ellie mumbled.

She shivered when she felt his fingers pass over a sliver of skin that was showing from her shirt ridding up. She moved her head from Frank’s shoulder and looked at him. He had been staring.

His eyes are still pretty, even when they have a cloud of tired behind them.

Before Ellie could even register what was going on, Frank’s lips were on hers, and the ever present pull in Ellie’s stomach exploded into something even more intense, and she found herself kissing back.

That is what scared her the most.