Roof-Top Romance

Elena was woken up at 11:30. Shows what time she went to sleep. Everyone was already up. Everyone was still really tired. She could smell coffee. Everyone but Lauren had some. “None for me, I have something better,” Elena said as she reached in the fridge. She pulled out a vanilla frappuccino. She loved those. Everyone else was happy with hot coffee.
Then the shower game began. It was a combination of Elena’s house and the shower on the bus. They had to take breaks in between because of hot water. Caitlin and Lauren showered at Caitlin’s house. That was a bit helpful.
After everyone was done, Elena asked Gerard to help her find something to wear. He chose a pink shirt and a black skirt. It was a good outfit. Gerard chose well. Elena grabbed jeans and gym shoes because she knew they were going to play football. She had Gerard do her makeup because he said he would. Caitlin did her hair. It was half up and curly. It was cool. It looked really good with the makeup. Gerard didn’t wear his makeup. Only the girls did today.
They left the apartment at 3:20. They were really running late. Diane was a little mad, but it was okay. Her party was red and black theme. She had red and black streamers and balloons everywhere. Her cake was red velvet with white icing. Then Caitlin and Elena decorated it with a black icing can. It was so cool. They were having tacos for lunch. That was cool as well.
By the time they had everything decorated, people were showing up. Bennie, Cameron, and Adam showed up in a van. Then later Nick and Chris showed up. They brought their skateboards with them. Elena brought her aunt’s radio outside and played my chemical romance. Everyone was singing along. Her uncle set up the volleyball net for them to play as well. One team was Elena, Diane, Jeni, Chris, Gerard, Frank, and Caitlin. The other was Bennie, Adam, Cameron, Nick, Mikey, Ray, and Bob.
The plan was boys vs. girls, but there were some extra guys. It was still fun. Bennie got mad and quit about half way through the game. Elena quit with him to be even. They went and sat on the swings. They just talked about random things. Then everyone else came over and joined them. They were getting bored. So they passed the football for a little bit. Adam and Caitlin kept playing volleyball.
“I think she likes him,” Bennie said.
“Yeah, I could see that,” Elena told him.
After people got bored, Elena talked her uncle in to a ghetto hay ride. It was a trailer hooked up to the lawnmower. Talk about old school right there. Elena and Chris sat at the end. Every once in a while she would turn around and look at Gerard and just smile. He always smiled back. Then everyone started to look at Elena.
“What!” She exclaimed.
“Oh nothing…” Caitlin told her.
Elena knew what she was thinking, but she didn’t care.
“This is kind of random, but did you guys sleep okay?” She asked them.
“I slept really well. I love that couch,” Ray said.
“I love your bed,” Gerard said.
“I slept perfectly well,” Bennie said.
“Well I’m happy for you, but it was more directed toward the people who stayed at my house. But I hope everyone else slept well too.”
Later on, Nick and Chris started acting crazy and started jumping off the back of the trailer and chasing it and jumping back on. Adam got the idea to pass the football during this. Elena got hit on the side of her head. It was the same place she was hit at X-Fest.
“Oh God are you okay?” Gerard asked very concerned.
“I think so. I feel like I faded for a second.”
“Well yeah, that could have knocked you out. I’m surprised it didn’t,” He said and he gave her a small one arm hug.
“Holy hell, this is the same headache that I had at X-Fest,” She said in annoyance.
“Well you got hit in the same place as X-Fest,” He told her.
“I could fucking cry this hurts so bad.”
She had a huge knot on the side of her head. “Who the fuck threw that?” She asked loudly.
“That was me. I’m really sorry,” Nick said. He gave her a hug and said, “There, be happy.”
She only half smiled. She got off the ride and walked back to her aunt’s house. They weren’t far from it. Gerard went too, but she didn’t know that he did. She started singing as she was walking. It wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for him to hear her. He went up to her and said, “Oh yeah, we are going to have a good time singing together.”
She stopped and turned around. “I didn’t even know you were behind me.”
“I was being quiet and listening to you. You have such a good voice,” He told her.
“Do you really think so?”
“Well yeah.”
“Thanks,” She said and she put her arm around him. “Caitlin doesn’t really like the fact that I’m all over you today.”
“Well why not? And really you’re not all over me,” He said.
“Hell if I know. Nick’s here, she should be happy.”
“The guy that looks like me?”
“Yeah, that guy.”
“Well you’d think that. But I have no idea,” He said.
“I don’t either. She knows I like you. She should be happy because I’m hanging out with you. But whatever, I have no clue.”
“It’s really not that big of a deal. Just have fun. You have plenty of time with me. Spend time with them,” He told her.
“Good point,” She said. “I have many months with you and only 3 hours with them.”
“Exactly.”
Elena took two Tylenol for her headache and grabbed a pop. Then her and Gerard went back up the hill. Elena looked over and saw that everyone was by the buckeye tree. They were throwing them at each other. It was funny. There were some hits that you could barely feel and others that hurt instantly. There were also a couple of them that made you stop and wonder if it was going to hurt; and it does.
Elena and Gerard sat on the trailer and everyone followed behind.
“I’m not exactly sure when the right time is to say something like this, but
here it goes. I probably won’t see any of you guys after today or anyone else at school for that matter. I am going on tour with these guys and I am part of the band now. My life is really gonna change. We leave to kick off the tour Monday,” Elena said.
Everyone was pretty shocked. Even those who knew about the whole thing were still kind of surprised.
“Obviously there is no right way to say this or any way to make it less intense. So there you go. That’s what is going on and what is to happen. They are who I was with when I missed school,” She said.
“Well this is something that doesn’t happen every day,” Cameron said.
“Yeah I know. This is going to be a great thing for me and you guys are pretty much who I wanted to see before I go. I’m very happy you showed up,” She said.
“Now I’m glad I came. Yeah I saw you last night, but still,” Nick said.
“I’m not going to tell you that I don’t want to go. I really do want to go and I can’t wait to leave. Yeah I’m gonna miss you, but I’ll be back in less than a year. And our lives will change so much. But when I get back, it will hardly feel like I was ever gone. I have that effect on people,” She said.
“Just like Nick and I,” Caitlin said.
“Exactly, that’s why I said it,” Elena said. “Some of you I’ve known for years. Others, I just met this year. But I love you guys so much. I swear… I don’t feel like I’m going away. I feel like I’m going to die and these are my last good byes.” Some laughed at this and others, not so much. “I have an idea. Let’s ditch the ride and go to the cemetery.”
Everyone was stoked. Everyone jumped off and they walked toward the cemetery. “It’s so cool how my aunt lives so close to one,” She said.
“Hell yeah it is,” Bennie said.
When they got to the street, Chris yelled, “Hey look, I found a snake!”
Bennie started to freak. “Dude, I fucking hate snakes!” He yelled.
Elena went and grabbed it. She chased him with it out to the middle of the street. Then she threw it at him. Everyone was laughing. It was really funny. Every car that passed ran over it. That was kind of sick.
When they got to the cemetery, the gates were shut. “So this means we can’t go in?” Cameron asked.
“I guess not,” Elena replied. “But it’s not too horrible. Cemeteries freak me out. Dead people terrify me.”
“But why? They can’t do anything to you. They’re dead,” Gerard told her.
“I know they are. But it’s the ghosts that scare me,” She told him.
“Well, I’m here and so is everyone else. If you get freaked out, there are all of us here for you. There’s nothing to worry about,” He told her.
Elena smiled. “Well that’s good to know.”
“We could come back after dark and just hop the gates,” Frank told them.
“Yeah, we’ll crash the cemetery and get caught drinking by the mausoleum doors,” Elena said.
“That was good, clever as hell,” Gerard said.
“You like that? It came from within,” She said.
“Hey, that came from a song!” Bennie declared.
“No way dude, that was so original,” Nick told him.
“Yeah, that came from my heart and now you’re gonna go break a sister down. Thanks,” She said.
“That’s so funny,” Ray said.
“Okay, I’m hungry. Adam has to eat,” Adam told them.
They headed back to Elena’s Aunt’s house.
“Tacos, wahoo!” Elena called.
Chris, Adam, Nick and Bennie walked ahead of them. “Let’s tackle them,” Elena whispered to Caitlin. So her and Caitlin ran up behind them and jumped on their backs. Strangely, Caitlin went for Adam and not Nick. But then after Adam, she jumped on Nick. Elena went back and took Gerard down. They looked like they were having a good time.
Chris seemed a little spacey. He wasn’t exactly with it. Elena started to notice that.
“Hey Caitlin, let me see that lipstick,” Elena said to her.
Caitlin tossed the pink/purple lipstick to Elena and she put it on. She ran over to Chris and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. It left pinkish purple lip prints. He laughed about it for a second. Then he tried to rub it off. But it was good stuff and it stayed on. He felt very embarrassed. He had to walk around with a big kiss on his cheek. But it did seem to liven him up a little bit. He eventually started messing around more and he started having a better time.