Roof-Top Romance

Back on the bus, Gerard and Elena ended up sitting at the front. Gerard was going to drive and she was going to sit up there with him. They pulled away and everyone was pretty much quiet. Elena turned the radio on and Green Day came on.
“What are they like? As people I mean. You guys used to tour with them back in the day,” Elena said to Gerard.
“Yeah,” He began, “They are pretty cool. They are funny as hell too. They will make you laugh on your worst day. I had a great time with them.”
“I have a friend back home that is absolutely in love with Billie Joe. She’s really cool,” Elena told him. “I saw her at homecoming. She was up by the request table. She was requesting American idiot and I was requesting Helena, so we switched. But they said that they can’t play either because people can’t dance to them. I was so pissed. I was going to dance to Helena. I practiced for homecoming; bastards.”
Both of them laughed.
“That’s funny, but at the same time very stupid. They wouldn’t play us because you can’t dance to it?” He asked her.
“Yeah, how queer is that?” She responded.
“That’s retarded; those fucktards don’t know what good music is!”
“Exactly, thank you.”
“Well you’ll get plenty of Helena with us. Don’t you worry,” He told her.
She just smiled.
“I never would have guessed,” She said sarcastically to him. “So what kinds of crazy stories do you have?”
“That depends, what kind of crazy and where from?” He asked her.
“I don’t know... anything. I just want to listen.”
“Well, there was this one show we were doing. It was Warped Tour 2004. We were ready to play, but I was really messed up that day. I was so messed up that everyone was on stage one and I was on stage two. Not only was that crazy, but it was embarrassing.”
“Wow. That sucks.”
“But it all got sorted out and everything was okay.”
“What exactly is Warped Tour? I swear I saw the Vans Warped Tour ’05 thing on fuse a million times.”
“Well, it’s exactly what it looks like. It’s hot, a lot of people, chaos, and dirty. But it’s still a really good time.” He told her.
“Well that’s cool. I went to X-Fest which is sort of like Warped, but different bands. It was kinda dirty, a lot of people, and loud; very loud. But it was so fun. I moshed for like two minutes until people walked away. Then a crowd surfer was thrown on me. I tried to keep him from falling, but he kicked me in the face. So yeah, I was done.” She told him.
“Ouch, that couldn’t have felt good.”
“Oh, but it did. I loved it so much that I went back for more.”
“That’s funny.”
“That was the worst headache I have ever had. It was right by my eye,” She told him as she pointed just left of her left eye.
“I’m surprised that didn’t knock you out.”
“I thought it would have. But that pain, oh my God that was so bad!”
“Well I’m sure. That hasn’t happened to me and hopefully it never does,” Gerard said.
“It probably won’t.”
“Yeah, probably not.”
“Well, its almost nine now and it takes about eight or so hours to drive home. Are you sure you don’t mind driving?” Elena asked him.
“Trust me, its okay,” He replied.
“Thank you so much,” Elena said as she hugged him. “I’ll be right back.”
Elena went to the other part of the bus where the guys were getting ready to go to bed.
“Hey Bob, since I have like no clothes can I borrow a shirt and shorts to sleep in?” She asked him.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” He said to her and he threw a shirt and shorts up to her.
“Thanks!” She called back as she walked towards the bathroom. She went in and took a five minute shower. She threw her other clothes on the couch. Then she went back up and sat by Gerard. “I felt the need to shower,” She said to him.
He laughed and said, “Good, you’re clean.”
“That’s nice,” She said to him.
“I was just joking, gosh,” He said.
“I know you were and it’s cool. But I still appreciate you doing this for me. It’s very nice of you.”
“I know it’s important and I know you have to be home by morning. It’s really not that big of a deal Elena. It’s just a small drive. Besides, I like chillin’ with you. We can talk more now,” He said to her.
“You know, I freaked out when you shut down your xanga,” She told him.
“Well, I really didn’t care about it. Well I sort of did, but I was so sick of people not believing it was me and leaving me nasty comments. I don’t need that from people. So I just shut it down.”
“Well I’m glad I got your email address before you shut it down or today never would have happened.”
“I am glad you did too. Yeah we commented on each other’s sites once or twice, but we never talked like this.”
“We probably never would have either. I was just one of many fans that you said something to. I didn’t stand out in any special way. But I got all excited when you chose a layout from the same place as me. And I was going to use that one too!”
“Really? It was the first that I saw and I liked it. I liked yours too.”
“Thanks. I changed the thing at the top. I don’t remember what it said before, but I changed it to “I’ve made a commitment. I’m willing to bleed for you. I needed fulfillment. I’ve found what I need in you.” I got that from another song.”
“Yeah I liked what yours said and I wanted something similar.”
“Do you know that there are like four sites that claim to be you? And I’m dumb so I comment on all of them like they are you. Cause I really didn’t know for sure. But I was like crushed when you closed down. And you kept getting hacked. What’s up with that?”
“I have no idea! That really made me mad. You have no idea.”
“Oh no, I have an idea. The way you went off, yeah you seemed a bit bothered.”
He laughed at this.
“Well why was it always hacked?” She asked him. “Was it because your password was too easy or something?”
“I don’t know. I thought it was something only I would know. But people know so many things that it’s hard to keep anything private. You’ll learn that.”
“Well, I’m not going to lie to you. Danny and I had thoughts of hacking your site just to do it. Like we would update for your or something. But then it kept happening and it made us want to do it more. Me especially, because I wanted to go off on some people. But you got super pissed so we decided not to.”
“Well, did you ever do it?”
“No, we never even tried.”
“Okay.”
“I would have you make a new one, but I will talk to you all the time so I don’t care now.”
He smiled. “I guess I could make a new one. But then I’ll have the same problem that I had before.”
“Nah, just tell me when stuff gets bad. I’ll handle all of those people. That’s pretty sad if they have nothing better to do than hack a site.”
“Yeah, I’ll send the punks to you. You kick their ass.”
They both laughed at this.
“Holy crap, it’s already 11:30! Time flies when you’re having fun,” she said.
“It sure does. Oh hey look, it’s the welcome to Kentucky sign.”
“Well I’d say about six hours now. So what do you want to talk about now?”
“Well, this may sound a bit off, but did you like our older music?
“Well you’re going to think I’m horrible now. I have never heard any of your old stuff. I was hooked on you at the end of July. Helena is the first thing that I ever heard. But I did see part of the video for vampires will never hurt you.”
“Oh, well okay then.”
“I’m sorry. I sound stupid. I know I do because I feel stupid.”
“I just figured as obsessed as you are that you’ve heard just about everything we’ve ever done.”
“Well you got the obsessed part right. I really am. But I only listened to stuff from this album. I would like to hear the older stuff though. Someday I’ll buy the CD or something.”
“Okay. Then tell me if you like it. I’m going to need to know your opinion especially since you have a say in what we do.”
“Well, I LOVE three cheers for sweet revenge. I absolutely love it. I can’t even describe it. I can listen to it for hours on end and never get sick of it. It’s just good! It puts me in a good mood.”
“Well good. So we should do more stuff like that?”
“If you want to. I really like it. The screaming, the hyper-ness and the jumping, it’s just cool. Emo punk rock is the stuff. Hey I’ll be back in a sec okay?”
“Okay.”
Elena left Gerard and went to go see what the other guys were doing. She saw that all the guys were playing Donkey Konga and eating popcorn. She stole the controller and played with Bob for a song or two. Then she went back up with Gerard.
“Okay, I’m back,” Elena told Gerard.
“Cool ness.”
“Heck yes, now back talking about music,” She said.
“Well you’re right about punk rock being the stuff. It is pretty sweet,” he said.
“How long have you liked Nine inch nails?” She asked him.
“For a while now. Why, do you like them too?” He asked in response.
“I like a song or two, but I’ve never really heard much by them,” She replied. “I like Theory of a Dead man. I saw them at X-fest. That was so awesome!”
“Yeah, they are pretty good. I’ve heard some stuff by them.”
“Do you like Hawthorne Heights?” She asked him.
“They’re alright.”
“I really like The Silence in Black and White. It just sounds really good,” she told him. “And I like the fact that they started out right in my area.”
“Yeah, it is pretty cool that a band is from your hometown,” He said back.
“I guess. I’m sure being in a band is fun, but it’s probably really stressful.”
“It can be if you let it get to you. We’re good about that. As long as we have each other, everything is good.”
“I don’t mean to bring this up to upset you; it’s more because I’m curious. But… what was your Grandmother Elena like?” She asked him.
“Well she was the best thing in the world to me. I was so close to her. She was a wonderful person. She was so loving and kind. Everyone loved her to death. She taught me a lot of things about singing and writing. She always listened to me when I had an idea. It was really hard when she passed away. I miss her so much…”
She could hear sadness in his voice. “Is that the reason that you got into drugs and stuff?”
“She wasn’t the real reason. I got into that stuff because I felt like I needed it. I felt that in order to be the Gerard that everyone wants, I had to have that high.” He told her.
She went over to him and hugged him. “I’m really sorry. I lost my grandma too. She didn’t inspire me as much as yours did for you, but it’s still hard. I’ll always be here for you if you need someone.”
“And I’ll always be here for you,” He said to her.
They looked at each other for a moment and she sat back down.
“Is it okay if I get a pop?” She asked him.
“You don’t have to ask. Just go get one. But I don’t care, no,” He replied.
“Well do you want one while I’m up?”
“No, I’ll wait until you sit back down.” He turned around and smiled at her.
“No really, do you want one?”
“No, its okay, I’m good for now.”
She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a coke zero off of the shelf. As she was walking back near him she asked, “Do you like coke zero or Pepsi one better?”
“Coke zero definitely. I’m a coke person.” He told her.
“So am I, but I love my mountain dew.”
“That stuff will make you hyper,” He told her.
“It doesn’t work on me. I have no idea why. Maybe my body is just used to caffeine. I have no clue.”
“Well I don’t know either.”
Out of no where, Elena burps really loud. Gerard just starts laughing.
“Oh my God!” She said in embarrassment. She could feel her face getting hot.
As he was laughing, Gerard said, “Don’t worry about it. It was funny okay?”
“I don’t even know what to say. I am so embarrassed.” She said.
“Well don’t be. You’ll hear some crazy stuff with us trust me.” He said trying to make her feel better.
“But still, that’s bad,” She said timidly.
“Why is that bad? Who cares! It’s just us,” He said reassuringly.
“I don’t know, I’m just paranoid like that,” She told him.
“Well its okay. There’s no need for paranoid around us. Just have fun. We’ll all do stupid shit from time to time. Your burp will be nothing. Besides, I’m the only one who heard it.” He told her.
“Um, not really,” Mikey said as he walked up to them. “We all heard it. Who was that?”
“Me,” Elena said shyly.
“That is damn good for a girl. But Bob would beat you,” Mikey told her.
“Bull crap! When I’ve got pop, there is no competition!” She told him with confidence.
“Wow, you’re talking about a contest now. Two minutes ago you were embarrassed,” Gerard said to her.
“Well, you said don’t worry. So I’m not and I’m having fun,” She told him and she made a big cheesy smile. He just laughed lightly.
“Who has the baby burps up here?” Bob asked as he walked up to Mikey, Gerard and Elena.
“Baby burp?” She asked with shock. “I thought that was decent myself.”
“Just wait till you hear one of my good ones. The windows will rattle,” Bob told her.
“No joke,” Mikey added.
Elena laughed at this. So did Gerard.
“I don’t know Bob, the girl has some power,” Gerard said trying to back Elena up.
“Okay, well how about we test you out tomorrow. Does that sound good?” Bob asked Elena, hoping to start a competition.
“Okay, go to sleep and I’ll wake you up when we get to my house. We can try it out there,” She said to him.
“That sounds good.”
“Well goodnight,” Mikey said to them.
“Night,” Elena said back. She got up and hugged them. Then she went to the end of the bus and gave Frank and Ray hugs.
“Nice burp there,” Frank told her.
Elena laughed and said, “Why thank you.”
“It made me jump,” Ray said.
“Tomorrow Bob and I have are having a showdown,” Elena told them.
“My money goes on the chick,” Ray said.
“Whatever man, Bob’s the master!” Frank told him.
“We’ll see,” Elena said to them. “Goodnight guys.”
“Goodnight,” They said back.
Elena went back up to where Gerard, Mikey and Bob were. When she was walking up there, Mikey and Bob were going toward her. They walked past each other and said goodnight again. Elena sat in the seat next to Gerard.
“Hey you know it’s after midnight. That means it’s your birthday now,” Gerard pointed out.
“Why, you’re right! I’m fifteen for real now,” She told him.
“Congratulations,” He said sarcastically.
“¡Gracias! Tengo quince anos. Wahoo!” She said excitedly. He laughed and she smiled. “I love my Spanish class. It is so fun.”
“Well that’s cool. I know some Spanish. Not that much though,” He told her.
“In my class, we got to choose nicknames for the teacher to call us by. I chose Stephanie. I like that name,” She told him.
“That’s cool. I’m sure there’s a Stephanie out there somewhere who chose Elena,” Gerard said to her.
“That would make more sense since Stephanie isn’t really Spanish.”
“Yeah, funny how stuff like that works out you know?”
“Yeah, it’s crazy.”
“So your Spanish name is Stephanie Lynn Rushing?” He asked her. “That doesn’t really sound Spanish.”
“Yeah I know, but oh well. There’s nothing I can do,” She said.
“Which do you like better, the Spanish name or your real name?” He asked her.
“Probably my real name because it is pretty and it sounds like Helena,” She said and she smiled.
“Yeah, it’s really close,” He said.
“I think that one is my favorite out of the videos.”
“I like our theme. The whole funeral thing, it was great. But something that some people may not know, that was a real casket that we had to carry out. I freaked out for a good five minutes until Bob started bitching at me saying dude, you’re embarrassing us. It was freaky as hell. But it was heavy too! And Frank was no help. He was so short, that he wasn’t helping at all. He was pretty much just holding his hands on it. He couldn’t carry it.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that. But you know my dress for homecoming was inspired by Tracey’s dress in the video.”
“Was it really? I would really like to see it,” He told her.
“When we get back to my house, I will go in my room and put it on. And I’ll even throw on some makeup. Then you can tell me if I could pull it off.”
“Will do,” He replied.