The Correlation Between Peppermint and Eyeliner
Pologue
Prologue
The radio of a beat up, cherry red 1968 Volkswagen blared loudly as the car drove down the highway from the Huston mall parking lot. The radio station buzzed in and out to the off beats of American Idiot pounding in the speakers. The last strikes of the drums ended and immediately the DJ spoke. “Ol’right. That was Green Day with American Idiot on 108.6 The Punk Station. Up next we’ve got more of our favorite guys in eyeliner, Green Day and My Chemical Romance… Now we’ve got our Friday Five Trivia. One lucky caller to get 5 of the 5 questions right gets free tickets the Green Day concert tonight!”
Alex and Jen squealed at each other. Alex reached down for her cell phone while still managing to get out of traffic and steering into the parking lot of McDonalds. She dialed the number the DJ had just announced. The ring in her ears stopped and she heard the DJ’s voice on the radio and in her ear. “108.6.” The DJ answered. “Who’s this?”
“Alex!” she tried to hold back her scream, but she was still loud and excited.
“Alright, Alex. We’ve got 5 questions, get ‘em right, and you’ve got a awesome Friday night ahead of ya’ll.”
“Sweet.”
“Okay. Ready?”
Alex looked at Jen, who was smiling and bouncing up and down out her seat. “Yeah, I’m ready!”
“Okay… First, what’s Tre Cool’s real name?”
“Frank Edwin Wright the third.”
“Awesome. 1 down, 4 more to go! What was the name of Billie Joe’s first guitar?”
“Blue.” Alex answered and smiled at Jen. Jen gave her 2 thumbs up.
“What was Green Day called before they changed their name?”
“Um…” Alex thought for a second. “Sweet Children?”
“Yeah! What happened to Mike Dirnt’s front teeth?”
“Oh… they got knocked out by a bouncer who thought he was a person who wasn’t supposed to be on stage.”
“Yep. What was the name of Green Day’s record that sold over 10 million copies?”
“Dookie.”
The DJ laughed. “Awesome, Alex, you’ve got plans tonight?”
“Nope,”
“Good, because you’ve got tickets to the GREEN DAY SHOW!”
Alex and Jen finally let out their screams.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome… Pick ‘em up at seven!”
“Okay! I’ll be there!”
Alex hung up and the DJ began to play Minority by Green Day.
“Oh, shit, Alex!” Jen frowned.
“What?”
“I can’t go tonight…”
”Why the hell not?”
“Because I’ve got to go to my great aunt’s funeral or something.” Jen rolled her eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah…”
“Can’t you get out of it?”
“No, my mom’s having me watched like a hawk so I can’t sneak out.”
Alex frowned. “Then I’m not going either.”
“What? Alex! Yes, you are!”
“Not without you, I’m not.”
“Quit trying to be the good guy. Be the bad guy for once. It’s fun!”
Alex laughed. “I’m not going to leave you-“
“Alexandra! Yes you are! That’s an order!”
They both gave each other a serious look. But it failed when they began laughing hysterically. Alex stopped laughing and looked at Jen. She reached over and gave her a hug. “Oh my god… what am I going to wear?” Jen let go and gave her a light bonk on the head.
XXXXXXX
Alex Chambers was always the girl who no one liked, who was placed in the victimized world.
She was always the high school misfit, never feeling where she belonged. Between the heavy eyeliner and multiple colored hair, her classmates disliked her, and put her into the pile of people labeled “gothic”, or more often known as “devil worshipper.” She hated the jocks; she hated school. All she wanted to do was go home from school, and be there to write. Writing was the only thing that kept her going. It was the only place where she was welcome because she controlled it; it was the only world she’d have. Alex would come home and write songs. Write them for herself, but more important, she’d write them for the people that knew her, the kingdom under the bridge where she had all of her friends and the people who’d been victimized with her. She’d go to poetry slams and open mics, but the “perfects” would just gaze at her with looks of discretion and looks of hatred.
Now she’d been to 3 jobs in the past month, covered all of the local fast foods, but no steady managing job of a low income waitress, making a living in her apartment with her best friend Jen, off of tips from open mics and drunk men at tables. She hated this life, but she would keep on writing, and she would have to keep on going, until this world of hers would begin a new non-victimized, non-labeled, world.
Her and Jen had been friends for a long time, Jen always being more successful. It was hard sometimes, because Jen would pay for the apartment and important things, and Alex would be left to use her low wages for food and things that was also needed to live on.
Yes, 25 year old Alex had had her times of question, like “Why on earth do I keep living?” because she sometimes would still feel like an outsider and a high school misfit, long after her graduation, and she would also be left with a feeling of dread, a feeling of depression for such a thought of low-life.
But she would keep on going, because she would always overcome the depression and dread and look at herself in the mirror and see the person she knew she was and always will be… outgoing, passionate, creative, and maybe a little crazy.
And Alex Chambers would have keep on searching, and she was determined, to find a place, a place where she belonged in the world… forever.
The radio of a beat up, cherry red 1968 Volkswagen blared loudly as the car drove down the highway from the Huston mall parking lot. The radio station buzzed in and out to the off beats of American Idiot pounding in the speakers. The last strikes of the drums ended and immediately the DJ spoke. “Ol’right. That was Green Day with American Idiot on 108.6 The Punk Station. Up next we’ve got more of our favorite guys in eyeliner, Green Day and My Chemical Romance… Now we’ve got our Friday Five Trivia. One lucky caller to get 5 of the 5 questions right gets free tickets the Green Day concert tonight!”
Alex and Jen squealed at each other. Alex reached down for her cell phone while still managing to get out of traffic and steering into the parking lot of McDonalds. She dialed the number the DJ had just announced. The ring in her ears stopped and she heard the DJ’s voice on the radio and in her ear. “108.6.” The DJ answered. “Who’s this?”
“Alex!” she tried to hold back her scream, but she was still loud and excited.
“Alright, Alex. We’ve got 5 questions, get ‘em right, and you’ve got a awesome Friday night ahead of ya’ll.”
“Sweet.”
“Okay. Ready?”
Alex looked at Jen, who was smiling and bouncing up and down out her seat. “Yeah, I’m ready!”
“Okay… First, what’s Tre Cool’s real name?”
“Frank Edwin Wright the third.”
“Awesome. 1 down, 4 more to go! What was the name of Billie Joe’s first guitar?”
“Blue.” Alex answered and smiled at Jen. Jen gave her 2 thumbs up.
“What was Green Day called before they changed their name?”
“Um…” Alex thought for a second. “Sweet Children?”
“Yeah! What happened to Mike Dirnt’s front teeth?”
“Oh… they got knocked out by a bouncer who thought he was a person who wasn’t supposed to be on stage.”
“Yep. What was the name of Green Day’s record that sold over 10 million copies?”
“Dookie.”
The DJ laughed. “Awesome, Alex, you’ve got plans tonight?”
“Nope,”
“Good, because you’ve got tickets to the GREEN DAY SHOW!”
Alex and Jen finally let out their screams.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome… Pick ‘em up at seven!”
“Okay! I’ll be there!”
Alex hung up and the DJ began to play Minority by Green Day.
“Oh, shit, Alex!” Jen frowned.
“What?”
“I can’t go tonight…”
”Why the hell not?”
“Because I’ve got to go to my great aunt’s funeral or something.” Jen rolled her eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah…”
“Can’t you get out of it?”
“No, my mom’s having me watched like a hawk so I can’t sneak out.”
Alex frowned. “Then I’m not going either.”
“What? Alex! Yes, you are!”
“Not without you, I’m not.”
“Quit trying to be the good guy. Be the bad guy for once. It’s fun!”
Alex laughed. “I’m not going to leave you-“
“Alexandra! Yes you are! That’s an order!”
They both gave each other a serious look. But it failed when they began laughing hysterically. Alex stopped laughing and looked at Jen. She reached over and gave her a hug. “Oh my god… what am I going to wear?” Jen let go and gave her a light bonk on the head.
XXXXXXX
Alex Chambers was always the girl who no one liked, who was placed in the victimized world.
She was always the high school misfit, never feeling where she belonged. Between the heavy eyeliner and multiple colored hair, her classmates disliked her, and put her into the pile of people labeled “gothic”, or more often known as “devil worshipper.” She hated the jocks; she hated school. All she wanted to do was go home from school, and be there to write. Writing was the only thing that kept her going. It was the only place where she was welcome because she controlled it; it was the only world she’d have. Alex would come home and write songs. Write them for herself, but more important, she’d write them for the people that knew her, the kingdom under the bridge where she had all of her friends and the people who’d been victimized with her. She’d go to poetry slams and open mics, but the “perfects” would just gaze at her with looks of discretion and looks of hatred.
Now she’d been to 3 jobs in the past month, covered all of the local fast foods, but no steady managing job of a low income waitress, making a living in her apartment with her best friend Jen, off of tips from open mics and drunk men at tables. She hated this life, but she would keep on writing, and she would have to keep on going, until this world of hers would begin a new non-victimized, non-labeled, world.
Her and Jen had been friends for a long time, Jen always being more successful. It was hard sometimes, because Jen would pay for the apartment and important things, and Alex would be left to use her low wages for food and things that was also needed to live on.
Yes, 25 year old Alex had had her times of question, like “Why on earth do I keep living?” because she sometimes would still feel like an outsider and a high school misfit, long after her graduation, and she would also be left with a feeling of dread, a feeling of depression for such a thought of low-life.
But she would keep on going, because she would always overcome the depression and dread and look at herself in the mirror and see the person she knew she was and always will be… outgoing, passionate, creative, and maybe a little crazy.
And Alex Chambers would have keep on searching, and she was determined, to find a place, a place where she belonged in the world… forever.