I Guess I'll Never Get To Call You Mine
CHUCK
I had to call another meeting. David didn’t show up yesterday and I got a little worried. Pierre shook off my concern and said David probably found some brand-new mascara and got so excited he suffered from temporary short-term memory loss. Seb said he’s probably abducted by aliens and is now teaching them the samba. Jeff gave the more realistic approach and said he’s probably up all night banging some girls and that he’ll call to apologize soon.
“Come on Chuck, you know Dave. He had the mindset of a six-year-old,” Seb chuckled. “Where’d we find that guy again?” “I’m pretty sure it’s in a modeling agency,” Jeff said. “I remember he was wearing glitter.” “I thought we picked him off the streets,” Pierre complained. “I was the one who found him.” “What’d you do afterward?” Seb asked. “Bring him home?” “Yeah, and I gave him food and water and begged my mom to keep him,” Pierre laughed. “You probably should keep him on a leash too,” I said dryly as everyone guffawed.
I smiled a little and turned toward the window. To be honest, I felt a little sorry for Dave. He was never taken very seriously and although he’d outgrown his blond spiky head and piercings, everyone still treated him as the crazy bass player who’s always late and always screwing things up. I know what it’s like to be stuck in a stereotype. When Simple Plan started out, all the music journals naturally propelled the lead singer into the limelight. Overnight, my immature reckless best friend had become a sex symbol. The rest of us aren’t as lucky.
Seb was known as ‘the blue-eyed boy’, which was a bit stupid in my opinion. Why not name the rest of us after our eye colors then? Besides, what says that blue a better color over the rest? Puhh-leasse. He was labeled as ‘the cute one’ later on, an image that Seb later promoted by carrying around a stuffed pig he said he sleeps with every night. Oh, and for your information, he does sleep with Piggy every night. I should know, because once in a hotel in which we were staying ran out of rooms and Seb and I have to share a bed (don’t ask).
He also does play with Legos and watch Star Wars. I can’t remember how many times I’d step into our studio only to get my foot stabbed with one of his Legos or robot action figure. Also, I’m getting sick of his Darth Vader or Yoda references. I think if it weren’t for Simple Plan Seb would sign up to be a Jedi and go save the universe or something.
Jeff was ‘the bald guitar player’. I think he still is, and I don’t think he minds. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion that he shaved his head so he’d actually get a stereotype label. At that time they’d pinned ‘hot and sexy’ for Pierre (most of the journalists were girls not much older than us) and ‘crazy’ for David and they were still figuring out what to do with Jeff and me. Suddenly the next day Jeff showed up for a photo shoot completely bald and explained he’d always wanted to look like Bruce Willis. I’d frowned at him and they snapped the picture of me looking like that. Hence I am ‘the mature one’.
I think over the years we gradually grew into our labels. We didn’t really mind I guess. I’m always the guy who’s making sure everything is organized and perfect and carted my bandmates home whenever they decided to go clubbing. Being the “mom” of the band kind of fits my personality.
Pierre, of course, never resented anything that would give him female attention. As for Seb, he really does have blue eyes so what can we do about it? It does make him look kind of cute. Jeff’s the one who wanted to look like Bruce Willis. He earned his title himself. I guess we sort of took it for granted that David is satisfied being…well, completely bonkers. He never complained, but here listening to the others making jokes at his expense just because of an old stereotype that the media gave him…I know they don’t mean it, but still…it can sound hurtful when taken the wrong way.
I turned around to hear the sound of the door opening around me as a Pierre exclaimed, “Look who’s back from the dead!” “Seb thought the aliens killed you,” Jeff said as-a-matter-of-factly. “I did not! I said he could’ve been eaten. Being digested doesn’t mean you’re dead.” I smiled despite myself and went over to give David a telling-off. The least the guy could’ve done is give us a heads-up if he was going to be eaten by aliens.
“Dave, I told you—” I blinked. There is a large gash on his forehead that and it looked like his lip had been swollen. Also, I am very aware of the fact that Randy and Aline were standing on either side of him looking very much not unlike bodyguards.
“Hey Chuck,” Randy smiled uneasily. “Sorry about him. Sis found him in the lobby looking like a drowning victim so she decided to adopt him.” Aline gave me a warning look, and I realized she wanted me not to ask what happened. For some reason her indirect protectiveness irritated me. The rest of the guys seemed not to see David’s injuries either.
“It’s all good,” Pierre said cheerfully. “Thanks for agreeing to the collab. I know the others won’t be here until this weekend, but how about giving songwriting a shot today? You two are free, aren’t you?” “Well, we’re supposed to meet the Prime Minister so he can award me the title of Best Male Model of the Year, but we can work around that,” Randy grinned. Pierre laughed and the two quickly exchanged conversations as they headed to the instruments room to grab some guitars. Aline offered me a quick grin as she followed. I saw her give David a concerned look on the way and frowned. Something is definitely going on that I don’t know about.
“Hey baby.” I turned around to see Ashley at the front door. “What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised. The guys and I made a pledge not to bring our girlfriends to the studio if we can help it. Bes, Ashley rarely visited me at work, except if she something from me, usually my credit card. I keep telling her to switch banks because for some reason her cards never process properly.
Ashley pouted. “What, I can’t miss my boyfriend? You were out all day yesterday arranging for The Youngbloods to come over and we didn’t get to spend time together.” “Oh,” I said, feeling guilty. “Well, I guess you can come in for awhile if you like—”
I was interrupted by the sound of laughter as the others emerged from the music room. They all stopped abruptly when they saw Ashley. She smiled and they all exchanged awkward, brief hellos before her eyes immediately spied Randy and Aline. I ignored Pierre’s glare as she made their acquaintances. “I think I saw you with Chuck several times, but I don’t think we’ve really met,” Aline said politely.
“Hey it’s OK,” Aline said, putting her arms around my waist. She is holding me loosely, as if unsure if she should touch me at all. I’d somehow found myself at her doorstep at around two in the morning after she kicked me out. “Just let it all out, everything will be fine, I promise,” she whispered as the tears started to come. “I’m here for you. Don’t be sad.” I shook my head and sniffled. “I don’t know what happened, Al,” I choked. “I loved her. I really do. Ashley is the one.”
“So you’re the girl Chuck’s been talking about,” Ashley gushed. “Seems like you two had a blast from the past.” She beamed at me and said, “Chuck, we need to have her over for dinner sometime. In fact, I have four gift cards for dinner at Le Local for tomorrow! I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it’s this cute little restaurant in Old Montréal with excellent taste! Why don’t you join us?” “I…um…” She caught my eye and sighed. “Sure.” “Excellent!” Ashley smiled. “Anyone else?” “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t do well with fine dining,” Randy said casually. Ashley turned to the rest of the guys. I wasn’t too surprised when they all made excuses.
“I can’t, because I’m, um, going surfing,” Pierre said hastily. I raised an eyebrow. “You know perfectly well that there are no beaches in Montréal, or the whole of Quebec for that matter.” “Well, I’m going to Florida then. Miami Beach.” “I’ll go with you,” Jeff quickly offered. “Sounds like fun.” Seb looked at him blankly. “But you never surf! You’re afraid of getting eaten by a s—OW!” He winced as Jeff stomped on his foot. “That hurt.” I sighed. “What about you Sébastien?” I asked. “Seb’s going with us,” Jeff announced before he can answer. “He’s got a brand new Audi and we’d like to try it out.” Oh boy, this is going to get messy. Seb never lets anyone drive his car.
“Well, then David should go!” Ashley quickly butted in, before David gets the chance to proclaim his newfound love of Florida beaches and surfing. I can’t say I blame him if he did, though, nor did I blame any of other guys for wanting to go. “I’ll text you guys the time. See you two tomorrow!”
“Come on Chuck, you know Dave. He had the mindset of a six-year-old,” Seb chuckled. “Where’d we find that guy again?” “I’m pretty sure it’s in a modeling agency,” Jeff said. “I remember he was wearing glitter.” “I thought we picked him off the streets,” Pierre complained. “I was the one who found him.” “What’d you do afterward?” Seb asked. “Bring him home?” “Yeah, and I gave him food and water and begged my mom to keep him,” Pierre laughed. “You probably should keep him on a leash too,” I said dryly as everyone guffawed.
I smiled a little and turned toward the window. To be honest, I felt a little sorry for Dave. He was never taken very seriously and although he’d outgrown his blond spiky head and piercings, everyone still treated him as the crazy bass player who’s always late and always screwing things up. I know what it’s like to be stuck in a stereotype. When Simple Plan started out, all the music journals naturally propelled the lead singer into the limelight. Overnight, my immature reckless best friend had become a sex symbol. The rest of us aren’t as lucky.
Seb was known as ‘the blue-eyed boy’, which was a bit stupid in my opinion. Why not name the rest of us after our eye colors then? Besides, what says that blue a better color over the rest? Puhh-leasse. He was labeled as ‘the cute one’ later on, an image that Seb later promoted by carrying around a stuffed pig he said he sleeps with every night. Oh, and for your information, he does sleep with Piggy every night. I should know, because once in a hotel in which we were staying ran out of rooms and Seb and I have to share a bed (don’t ask).
He also does play with Legos and watch Star Wars. I can’t remember how many times I’d step into our studio only to get my foot stabbed with one of his Legos or robot action figure. Also, I’m getting sick of his Darth Vader or Yoda references. I think if it weren’t for Simple Plan Seb would sign up to be a Jedi and go save the universe or something.
Jeff was ‘the bald guitar player’. I think he still is, and I don’t think he minds. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion that he shaved his head so he’d actually get a stereotype label. At that time they’d pinned ‘hot and sexy’ for Pierre (most of the journalists were girls not much older than us) and ‘crazy’ for David and they were still figuring out what to do with Jeff and me. Suddenly the next day Jeff showed up for a photo shoot completely bald and explained he’d always wanted to look like Bruce Willis. I’d frowned at him and they snapped the picture of me looking like that. Hence I am ‘the mature one’.
I think over the years we gradually grew into our labels. We didn’t really mind I guess. I’m always the guy who’s making sure everything is organized and perfect and carted my bandmates home whenever they decided to go clubbing. Being the “mom” of the band kind of fits my personality.
Pierre, of course, never resented anything that would give him female attention. As for Seb, he really does have blue eyes so what can we do about it? It does make him look kind of cute. Jeff’s the one who wanted to look like Bruce Willis. He earned his title himself. I guess we sort of took it for granted that David is satisfied being…well, completely bonkers. He never complained, but here listening to the others making jokes at his expense just because of an old stereotype that the media gave him…I know they don’t mean it, but still…it can sound hurtful when taken the wrong way.
I turned around to hear the sound of the door opening around me as a Pierre exclaimed, “Look who’s back from the dead!” “Seb thought the aliens killed you,” Jeff said as-a-matter-of-factly. “I did not! I said he could’ve been eaten. Being digested doesn’t mean you’re dead.” I smiled despite myself and went over to give David a telling-off. The least the guy could’ve done is give us a heads-up if he was going to be eaten by aliens.
“Dave, I told you—” I blinked. There is a large gash on his forehead that and it looked like his lip had been swollen. Also, I am very aware of the fact that Randy and Aline were standing on either side of him looking very much not unlike bodyguards.
“Hey Chuck,” Randy smiled uneasily. “Sorry about him. Sis found him in the lobby looking like a drowning victim so she decided to adopt him.” Aline gave me a warning look, and I realized she wanted me not to ask what happened. For some reason her indirect protectiveness irritated me. The rest of the guys seemed not to see David’s injuries either.
“It’s all good,” Pierre said cheerfully. “Thanks for agreeing to the collab. I know the others won’t be here until this weekend, but how about giving songwriting a shot today? You two are free, aren’t you?” “Well, we’re supposed to meet the Prime Minister so he can award me the title of Best Male Model of the Year, but we can work around that,” Randy grinned. Pierre laughed and the two quickly exchanged conversations as they headed to the instruments room to grab some guitars. Aline offered me a quick grin as she followed. I saw her give David a concerned look on the way and frowned. Something is definitely going on that I don’t know about.
“Hey baby.” I turned around to see Ashley at the front door. “What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised. The guys and I made a pledge not to bring our girlfriends to the studio if we can help it. Bes, Ashley rarely visited me at work, except if she something from me, usually my credit card. I keep telling her to switch banks because for some reason her cards never process properly.
Ashley pouted. “What, I can’t miss my boyfriend? You were out all day yesterday arranging for The Youngbloods to come over and we didn’t get to spend time together.” “Oh,” I said, feeling guilty. “Well, I guess you can come in for awhile if you like—”
I was interrupted by the sound of laughter as the others emerged from the music room. They all stopped abruptly when they saw Ashley. She smiled and they all exchanged awkward, brief hellos before her eyes immediately spied Randy and Aline. I ignored Pierre’s glare as she made their acquaintances. “I think I saw you with Chuck several times, but I don’t think we’ve really met,” Aline said politely.
“Hey it’s OK,” Aline said, putting her arms around my waist. She is holding me loosely, as if unsure if she should touch me at all. I’d somehow found myself at her doorstep at around two in the morning after she kicked me out. “Just let it all out, everything will be fine, I promise,” she whispered as the tears started to come. “I’m here for you. Don’t be sad.” I shook my head and sniffled. “I don’t know what happened, Al,” I choked. “I loved her. I really do. Ashley is the one.”
“So you’re the girl Chuck’s been talking about,” Ashley gushed. “Seems like you two had a blast from the past.” She beamed at me and said, “Chuck, we need to have her over for dinner sometime. In fact, I have four gift cards for dinner at Le Local for tomorrow! I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it’s this cute little restaurant in Old Montréal with excellent taste! Why don’t you join us?” “I…um…” She caught my eye and sighed. “Sure.” “Excellent!” Ashley smiled. “Anyone else?” “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t do well with fine dining,” Randy said casually. Ashley turned to the rest of the guys. I wasn’t too surprised when they all made excuses.
“I can’t, because I’m, um, going surfing,” Pierre said hastily. I raised an eyebrow. “You know perfectly well that there are no beaches in Montréal, or the whole of Quebec for that matter.” “Well, I’m going to Florida then. Miami Beach.” “I’ll go with you,” Jeff quickly offered. “Sounds like fun.” Seb looked at him blankly. “But you never surf! You’re afraid of getting eaten by a s—OW!” He winced as Jeff stomped on his foot. “That hurt.” I sighed. “What about you Sébastien?” I asked. “Seb’s going with us,” Jeff announced before he can answer. “He’s got a brand new Audi and we’d like to try it out.” Oh boy, this is going to get messy. Seb never lets anyone drive his car.
“Well, then David should go!” Ashley quickly butted in, before David gets the chance to proclaim his newfound love of Florida beaches and surfing. I can’t say I blame him if he did, though, nor did I blame any of other guys for wanting to go. “I’ll text you guys the time. See you two tomorrow!”