‹ Prequel: I Need a Gangster
Monster in Hiding
What Are You Thankful For?
November 25th, 1999
It had been three months since I moved into my dorm on campus. Three months since the boys started recording their first album. Johnny had been calling me almost every day asking how the guys were doing. As a none official member of the band, and still being underage, he had been left behind in Huntington Beach because of school.
I had also had constant contact with everyone else as well. Matt kept his promise to me, and was coming to see me every chance he could. The girls had been calling nonstop, trying to check in on me in-between my classes.
Life in the dorms weren't that simple. My roommate definitely wasn't the nicest of girls, nor the most sober. Most nights she was so messed up she would sleep in front of our door. I, in turn, would have to drag her into the room, strip her of her puke covered clothes, and get her into bed. She kept her stash under the mattress- not the most thoughtful hiding place in the world. The worst part was how many people would come to the room at all hours looking for her wanting their fix.
"Elle? Elle are you listening to me?" I was snapped out of my thoughts by Anna standing next to me. "I, uh, no sorry I was just thinking." I shook my head ever so slightly. On the counter in front of me was a knife, a cutting board, and celery. Reaching up, Anna put her hand on my forehead for a few moments before looking into my eyes. "Are you sure you're alright? You can't just be zoning out like that while you're cooking, you could hurt yourself!" Always the worrier that one.
"Anna, I'm fine, I promise." I reassured her, turning back to the ingredients in front of me. From the living room, I could hear all the boys laughing as they talked together. This was our first time back in Huntington Beach since we left. It was a bit odd, to me at least. To me it felt like everything and nothing was changing.
Sighing, Anna turned back to the stove where three different pots were cooking three different things. One had eggs in the boiling water. Another was homemade gravy. In the third, potatoes were cooking until they were soft enough to mash. The turkey still had two hours, at least, left in the oven. I could get everything else done in that time. I always do. Thanksgiving dinner had always been mine to do. Once I was old enough, I took over all the cooking especially on the holidays. Anna never really had been one for cooking, it just wasn't her forte. I remember when I was little, most of our dinners were just microwave meals or something super simple.
Finishing chopping the celery in front of me, I dumped it all into a bowl that already contained a small amount of diced onion. "Anna will you get me a stick of butter out of the fridge?" I hummed, pulling out a pan and setting it on the stove.
From somewhere over my shoulder, I heard a door open and close before another voice joined the ones that were taking over the living room. A brief glance over my shoulder, I saw a person who I'd never seen before. Confused, my brows furrowed together as I watched the guy sit down on the couch next to Brian and Michelle before making himself comfortable. "Here you go, sweetie." Anna smiled, placing the butter down in front of me. I turned myself back to the task in front of me.
Using a bit of the butter, I placed it in the pan and allowed it to melt before pouring in the celery and onion mix I had created. I sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper over the vegetables and mixed it up before allowing it to sit on the heat for a few moments. My eyes flashed back to the living room as I was waiting. Matt was looking my way this time, a large smile on his face. I couldn't stop myself from smiling back at him briefly before turning back to the food. Leaving the veggies to saute, I grabbed the pot containing the eggs before taking it to the sink and gently dumping it out into a strainer.
Putting the pot down in the other side of the sink, I grabbed the extending faucet and began running ice cold water over the now hard boiled eggs. This way it would cool them down faster, and I'd be able to finish cooking on time.
Feeling something touching my waist, I jumped, spinning around with the faucet still in my hand- effectively spraying whoever was standing behind me. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Elle, what the hell are you doing?" Matt tensed at the feel of the ice water before reaching around me and shutting off the water. Once I realized what had happened, I quickly began moving.
Grabbing a towel, I began trying to wipe the water off of his skin. "I am so sorry, I just, I wasn't thinking and you scared me." I apologized, looking up at the boy standing in front of me. Matt simply threw his head back and started laughing. Reaching up, he put his hands on my cheeks before leaning down and kissing me. "Elle, relax. It was just a little water. I'm the one who snuck up on you, I'm lucky you didn't hit me with the pot for sneaking up on you."
Looking him over, I saw that the front of his black button down shirt was completely soaked. I couldn't help but giggle just a little bit. "I'm still sorry. I might have one of your shirts up in my room if you want to go look. I have to finish cooking." I smiled, pushing him away ever so slightly. The look on his face was of mock hurt as he once more stepped closer to me.
"What you don't want any of this beautifully wet loving?" He laughed. Lunging towards me, he wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulling me into him. "No!" I squealed, feeling the water that was soaking his shirt slowly begin soaking into the cloth of my own shirt. "It's cold!" I giggled, trying to push myself away from him once more. When he finally released his hold on me, he kissed my cheek before stepping back. "I'm gonna go change." He smiled down at me. Reaching out, I grabbed his hand and quickly stopped him from walking away from him.
"Hey, who's that in the living room with everyone else? I've never seen him before." I questioned him, my eyes flashing over to the large group of people sitting in the living room, still watching TV together. Turning his head, Matt's eyes followed my own to the person sitting on Anna's couch. "Oh shit, that's Justin. I completely forgot that you two have never met. I'm sorry." It was his turn to apologize to me.
"Oh. I thought you said he was spending together with his girlfriend?" I questioned, curious as to what had happened. I had heard a good deal about Justin, their bassist, though I had never opted to meet him. Looking at him now, something about him just felt off.
"They had a fight this morning, so I invited him to tag along. Is that okay?" He asked, looking down at me with a hint of worry in his eye. I couldn't help but want to chuckle ever so slightly at how worried he seemed. "Of course it is! I told you to invite him originally, it's perfectly fine. Now go change so I can finish our dinner." Smirking, I grabbed the front of his dripping shirt. Pulling him down to my level, I gave him a quick kiss before pushing him away from me.
He stumbled backwards slightly, with a stupid smirk on his face as he walked backwards towards the stairs. Our eye contact didn't break until he disappeared up those stairs and headed towards my bedroom. Turning around, I finally went back to cooking. Hearing someone clear their throat, my head snapped to the left to see Anna standing in front of the stove. Apparently during my little interaction with Matt, she had taken over cooking at the stove. Ensuring that my celery and onion mixture didn't burn.
"You two." She smiled, shaking her head ever so slightly. Turning the water back on, I began peeling the eggs of their shells. I could feel the smile playing on my lips. I said nothing, continuing my work.
Dinner was done about two and a half ours later. The turkey was sitting in the center of the table, with all the sides squeezed onto the table around it. There was stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, gravy, green bean casserole,sweet potatoes, and corn casserole. I had also made a small spiral ham for anyone who wanted it. There were also three different kinds of pie for dessert.
Maybe I had gone a bit overboard, but it was worth it. We had to have enough to feed twelve people, so of course I went all out. Besides they were my friends, my family, they deserve the best so I was going to do everything I could to give it to them. "Holy shit, Anna, you and Elle did all of this yourselves?" Michelle gasped, seeing the spread of food sitting on the table. She was sitting down next to Brian, across the table from where I sat. Anna was at the head of the table, with me sitting to her right.
"Oh no, this was all Elle. I simply did as she told me to." Anna confessed, waving off Michelle compliment. Everyone was busy piling food onto their plates, I waited. Watching everyone sitting around me. It was truly incredible how far we'd all come, and we'd all done it together. If I had to answer the question, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? They would be my answer. They are what got me through.
"Oh my god, this is fucking amazing!" Jimmy groaned with a mouthful of food. I couldn't help but feel my face turn red as they all turned to look at me. "Why the hell haven't you done this before? Why are we eating anyone else's food when you can do this!" Johnny obvious agreed with his lanky friend.
"Because Elle is not your personal chef." Matt chuckled, reaching over and grabbing my hand. I smiled as I looked back at him.
Matt was the only one who had ever eaten my food at holidays or whenever I felt like cooking. Since everyone else was always with their families for holidays, they never got to. But since Matt would come here after spending a majority of the day with his family, this was not the first time he had ever had my cooking.
With that, everyone continued eating. Small conversations formed between everyone as they all ate, except I took no part in any of them. Instead, as I ate, I looked at all the people sitting around me. I had spent my life with these people. My wonderful friends, an amazing boyfriend, and the woman who has taken care of me my entire life. That took me in after all the horrible things that happened with my family, even when she didn't have to.
I couldn't believe how lucky I am.
It had been three months since I moved into my dorm on campus. Three months since the boys started recording their first album. Johnny had been calling me almost every day asking how the guys were doing. As a none official member of the band, and still being underage, he had been left behind in Huntington Beach because of school.
I had also had constant contact with everyone else as well. Matt kept his promise to me, and was coming to see me every chance he could. The girls had been calling nonstop, trying to check in on me in-between my classes.
Life in the dorms weren't that simple. My roommate definitely wasn't the nicest of girls, nor the most sober. Most nights she was so messed up she would sleep in front of our door. I, in turn, would have to drag her into the room, strip her of her puke covered clothes, and get her into bed. She kept her stash under the mattress- not the most thoughtful hiding place in the world. The worst part was how many people would come to the room at all hours looking for her wanting their fix.
"Elle? Elle are you listening to me?" I was snapped out of my thoughts by Anna standing next to me. "I, uh, no sorry I was just thinking." I shook my head ever so slightly. On the counter in front of me was a knife, a cutting board, and celery. Reaching up, Anna put her hand on my forehead for a few moments before looking into my eyes. "Are you sure you're alright? You can't just be zoning out like that while you're cooking, you could hurt yourself!" Always the worrier that one.
"Anna, I'm fine, I promise." I reassured her, turning back to the ingredients in front of me. From the living room, I could hear all the boys laughing as they talked together. This was our first time back in Huntington Beach since we left. It was a bit odd, to me at least. To me it felt like everything and nothing was changing.
Sighing, Anna turned back to the stove where three different pots were cooking three different things. One had eggs in the boiling water. Another was homemade gravy. In the third, potatoes were cooking until they were soft enough to mash. The turkey still had two hours, at least, left in the oven. I could get everything else done in that time. I always do. Thanksgiving dinner had always been mine to do. Once I was old enough, I took over all the cooking especially on the holidays. Anna never really had been one for cooking, it just wasn't her forte. I remember when I was little, most of our dinners were just microwave meals or something super simple.
Finishing chopping the celery in front of me, I dumped it all into a bowl that already contained a small amount of diced onion. "Anna will you get me a stick of butter out of the fridge?" I hummed, pulling out a pan and setting it on the stove.
From somewhere over my shoulder, I heard a door open and close before another voice joined the ones that were taking over the living room. A brief glance over my shoulder, I saw a person who I'd never seen before. Confused, my brows furrowed together as I watched the guy sit down on the couch next to Brian and Michelle before making himself comfortable. "Here you go, sweetie." Anna smiled, placing the butter down in front of me. I turned myself back to the task in front of me.
Using a bit of the butter, I placed it in the pan and allowed it to melt before pouring in the celery and onion mix I had created. I sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper over the vegetables and mixed it up before allowing it to sit on the heat for a few moments. My eyes flashed back to the living room as I was waiting. Matt was looking my way this time, a large smile on his face. I couldn't stop myself from smiling back at him briefly before turning back to the food. Leaving the veggies to saute, I grabbed the pot containing the eggs before taking it to the sink and gently dumping it out into a strainer.
Putting the pot down in the other side of the sink, I grabbed the extending faucet and began running ice cold water over the now hard boiled eggs. This way it would cool them down faster, and I'd be able to finish cooking on time.
Feeling something touching my waist, I jumped, spinning around with the faucet still in my hand- effectively spraying whoever was standing behind me. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Elle, what the hell are you doing?" Matt tensed at the feel of the ice water before reaching around me and shutting off the water. Once I realized what had happened, I quickly began moving.
Grabbing a towel, I began trying to wipe the water off of his skin. "I am so sorry, I just, I wasn't thinking and you scared me." I apologized, looking up at the boy standing in front of me. Matt simply threw his head back and started laughing. Reaching up, he put his hands on my cheeks before leaning down and kissing me. "Elle, relax. It was just a little water. I'm the one who snuck up on you, I'm lucky you didn't hit me with the pot for sneaking up on you."
Looking him over, I saw that the front of his black button down shirt was completely soaked. I couldn't help but giggle just a little bit. "I'm still sorry. I might have one of your shirts up in my room if you want to go look. I have to finish cooking." I smiled, pushing him away ever so slightly. The look on his face was of mock hurt as he once more stepped closer to me.
"What you don't want any of this beautifully wet loving?" He laughed. Lunging towards me, he wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulling me into him. "No!" I squealed, feeling the water that was soaking his shirt slowly begin soaking into the cloth of my own shirt. "It's cold!" I giggled, trying to push myself away from him once more. When he finally released his hold on me, he kissed my cheek before stepping back. "I'm gonna go change." He smiled down at me. Reaching out, I grabbed his hand and quickly stopped him from walking away from him.
"Hey, who's that in the living room with everyone else? I've never seen him before." I questioned him, my eyes flashing over to the large group of people sitting in the living room, still watching TV together. Turning his head, Matt's eyes followed my own to the person sitting on Anna's couch. "Oh shit, that's Justin. I completely forgot that you two have never met. I'm sorry." It was his turn to apologize to me.
"Oh. I thought you said he was spending together with his girlfriend?" I questioned, curious as to what had happened. I had heard a good deal about Justin, their bassist, though I had never opted to meet him. Looking at him now, something about him just felt off.
"They had a fight this morning, so I invited him to tag along. Is that okay?" He asked, looking down at me with a hint of worry in his eye. I couldn't help but want to chuckle ever so slightly at how worried he seemed. "Of course it is! I told you to invite him originally, it's perfectly fine. Now go change so I can finish our dinner." Smirking, I grabbed the front of his dripping shirt. Pulling him down to my level, I gave him a quick kiss before pushing him away from me.
He stumbled backwards slightly, with a stupid smirk on his face as he walked backwards towards the stairs. Our eye contact didn't break until he disappeared up those stairs and headed towards my bedroom. Turning around, I finally went back to cooking. Hearing someone clear their throat, my head snapped to the left to see Anna standing in front of the stove. Apparently during my little interaction with Matt, she had taken over cooking at the stove. Ensuring that my celery and onion mixture didn't burn.
"You two." She smiled, shaking her head ever so slightly. Turning the water back on, I began peeling the eggs of their shells. I could feel the smile playing on my lips. I said nothing, continuing my work.
Dinner was done about two and a half ours later. The turkey was sitting in the center of the table, with all the sides squeezed onto the table around it. There was stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, gravy, green bean casserole,sweet potatoes, and corn casserole. I had also made a small spiral ham for anyone who wanted it. There were also three different kinds of pie for dessert.
Maybe I had gone a bit overboard, but it was worth it. We had to have enough to feed twelve people, so of course I went all out. Besides they were my friends, my family, they deserve the best so I was going to do everything I could to give it to them. "Holy shit, Anna, you and Elle did all of this yourselves?" Michelle gasped, seeing the spread of food sitting on the table. She was sitting down next to Brian, across the table from where I sat. Anna was at the head of the table, with me sitting to her right.
"Oh no, this was all Elle. I simply did as she told me to." Anna confessed, waving off Michelle compliment. Everyone was busy piling food onto their plates, I waited. Watching everyone sitting around me. It was truly incredible how far we'd all come, and we'd all done it together. If I had to answer the question, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? They would be my answer. They are what got me through.
"Oh my god, this is fucking amazing!" Jimmy groaned with a mouthful of food. I couldn't help but feel my face turn red as they all turned to look at me. "Why the hell haven't you done this before? Why are we eating anyone else's food when you can do this!" Johnny obvious agreed with his lanky friend.
"Because Elle is not your personal chef." Matt chuckled, reaching over and grabbing my hand. I smiled as I looked back at him.
Matt was the only one who had ever eaten my food at holidays or whenever I felt like cooking. Since everyone else was always with their families for holidays, they never got to. But since Matt would come here after spending a majority of the day with his family, this was not the first time he had ever had my cooking.
With that, everyone continued eating. Small conversations formed between everyone as they all ate, except I took no part in any of them. Instead, as I ate, I looked at all the people sitting around me. I had spent my life with these people. My wonderful friends, an amazing boyfriend, and the woman who has taken care of me my entire life. That took me in after all the horrible things that happened with my family, even when she didn't have to.
I couldn't believe how lucky I am.