Roof-Top Romance
INSULTS AND MALL VISITS
She walked off the bus and went back inside. She grabbed her purse. She put pressed powder, body spray, lip gloss, and her zipper wallet inside it. She ran upstairs and told her mom that they were leaving and they would be back tonight. Her mom was fine with it. Elena grabbed the truck keys and started to walk outside. Frank was turning the handle the same time she was.
“It’s all good. Who’s driving?” She asked.
“I will, if you don’t mind,” Gerard said.
“Front or back Frank?” She asked him.
“I’m typically a front person. I just like it better that way.”
“That is so wrong on SO many levels…”
“I’m just joking! I’ll sit in the back. You sit up in the front. It’s man law you know.”
“Man law?” She asked in a curious tone.
“Man law,” Gerard said as he glared over at Frank, “is basically an unwritten code that guys follow. Girlfriends always sit next to their boyfriends whenever they’re in a car together with other people.”
“Oh. Frank!” She punched his arm. “You’re such a dork. We aren’t dating! I’m a kid!”
“Uh-huh. Sure you are.”
“You are such a goober! Get in the truck so we can go.”
“Right-o miss lady pants!” He yelled to her.
“Hey! Only Basile can call me that!”
“Loserface?”
“No. Only Nick can call me that.”
“Douche?”
“Only mom and Bob.”
“Re-re??”
“Bennie only.”
“Gosh! I’m coming up with my own insults! All the good ones are taken!” Frank cried in frustration.
Elena just laughed in his misery.
They all got situated and left the area. Elena directed Gerard to the highway and told him how to get there. Basically all you had to do was follow the signs. It wasn’t hard to find.
“So what kinds of stuff should I buy?” She asked them.
“I would go with stuff that’s red and black,” Frank said.
“Get like one pair of jeans, 2 or 3 pairs of black pants and a few t-shirts,” Gerard told her.
“Or that,” Frank said.
She laughed. “Well this should be fun.”
“Hell yeah it will be fun. You’re going to the mall with 2 of the coolest people ever,” Frank said.
“Right on there mister modest,” Gerard said to him sarcastically.
“Oh shut up up there,” Frank said. “So Elena, what kind of music does your mom like?”
“She likes the same stuff as me basically.”
“And that is…”
“Rock stuff. Sometimes heavy stuff. Sometimes punk. Whatever the mood is pretty much.”
“Well that’s cool. So that means she must have some good CD’s n’ stuff right?”
“Yeah I guess.”
She lifted up the consul lid and looked at the CD’s inside it. She started naming off some of the bands that she had. Gerard heard her say 9 Inch Nails and he asked if they could listen to that album. She popped it in and Gerard picked the song. He chose ‘The Hand That Feeds’. They were basically there so they didn’t really have time to listen to the entire song. They had the volume up kinda loud and they were all singing along with it.
Gerard parked in the center of the parking lot. Not too close and not too far. They got out and walked to the entrance. It was a good thing that Frank and Gerard were dressed somewhat casual. People would probably jump on them if they knew who they were.
There were a lot of people at the mall that day. The three of them walked over to the big sign that said “YOU ARE HERE” and looked at the different stores.
“So do you want to go to Hot Topic first? They have really cool stuff in there,” She asked.
“Alright, where is it?” Gerard asked.
“Right over there,” she pointed to a small point on the map. “It’s just to the left of EB Games.”
They walked to the store and went straight back to the back where the black pants and t-shirts were.
“Which ones should I get? They’re all so awesome. Should I go with the tighter ones or the big baggy ones… I don’t know!”
“Go for the tight ones. Show off the booty,” Gerard said to her.
“Uhh, okay. That was weird coming from you.”
She grabbed a couple different styles of tighter fit pants and tried them on. She came out and modeled a pair that she was fond of.
“Turn around slowly,” Frank told her.
She walked slowly in a circle.
“Okay, now do it again.”
“Frank shut up you are so retarded.”
“I’m just messing with you! Calm down whipper snapper!”
She went back in and tried on the other ones. She found 3 pairs that she really liked. But she decided not to model them for the guys.
When she finished getting dressed, she left the changing room and went to the place where the shirts were.
“Well what bands shall I get?” She asked them.
“Well there’s The Used if you want it,” Frank showed her.
“Yeah that’s cool!” She said and she grabbed it.
“Here’s a Fall Out Boy one,” Gerard showed her.
“Yep. Again, cool.”
She grabbed it too. She looked along the wall for more bands she liked. She saw a couple of Green Day shirts that were way cool. She grabbed a black one that had ‘American Idiot’ across it. It was way cool. She grabbed a Hawthorne Heights shirt and a Taking Back Sunday shirt as well. She wanted some diversity in the music.
After Hot Topic, they made their way to Flamingo’s for shoes. She found a pair of red and black vans that she was quite fond of.
“Well I like these a lot. I think I’m going to get them.”
She grabbed a size 8 and tried them on. They fit perfectly. She took them up to the counter and paid for them. They were $60.
“I have $50 left. Do we need gas? Or are you guys hungry or anything?” She asked them.
“We’re good on gas. I’ll put some in before we get to your house. But food wise, I’m good,” Gerard said.
“I’m not hungry either,” Frank said.
“Okay. Well if you don’t mind, there’s one more store I want to go to. It’s a girly store so I’m not really expecting you guys to come in. It will only take like 5 minutes. Do you care?” She asked them.
“We’ll go, it’s cool,” Frank said.
“Well it’s Claire’s. I’m getting my second holes done.”
Claire’s was just around the corner, so they got there relatively fast. Elena did exactly what she said. She went in, got her second holes done, and then they left the mall.
“Here. This is for gas on the way home,” Elena said to Gerard. She gave him $20.
“Okay,” He replied. So they got back on the highway and headed back to her house.
“Thanks for going with me guys. Today was a really good day.”
“No prob!” Frank replied.
“Do you want me to color your hair when we get back?” Gerard asked her.
“Yeah that’s fine, if you don’t mind.”
“It’s cool,” He told her.
Elena reached in her pocket and felt something else.
“Oh! The money Bob gave me. I completely forgot about that!”
“So you have even more now,” Frank said.
“Well I need to buy more makeup with it. I’m going to need a lot of foundation and a lot of eyeliner, from what it looks like,” She said as she glanced at Gerard.
“Hey… you don’t have to look just like me…” He told her.
“I’m just saying. Well I’ll run up there when we get home. It’s fine.”
“Again, cool,” Gerard said.
Gerard took Elena’s exit and headed toward her house. They were about 5 minutes away.
“Hey Frank, did you see the dark haired kid yesterday?” Elena asked him.
“Yeah. His name was Chris right?”
“No, Chris has curly hair. I’m talking about Nick.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah I know who you’re talking about.
“Do you think he looks like Gerard?”
“Not like twins or anything, but yeah they’re similar.”
“Okay I was just wondering. I really liked that guy at first because of who he looks like. But I got to know him and we became friends so now I like him for other reasons.”
“Well I’m glad you took the chance to get to know him instead of just getting a crush on him for looks. Things like that usually end up bad anyway,” Gerard told her.
“I’m more of a judge of personality anyway. I mean yeah everyone gets attracted at first by looks. But I couldn’t actually have real feelings if I didn’t know him, you know?”
“That is a great way to be. If everyone was that way, the world would be so much better,” He told her.
“Hey whoa, Bob’s still gone,” Elena said.
“Bob? Our Bob?” Frank asked.
“No, my mom’s Bob,” She replied.
Gerard pulled in the parking space. It was almost perfect.
“It’s so much easier to park a truck than a bus,” He told them.
Everyone gave a light laugh to his statement. Elena jumped out of the truck.
“I’m so sorry I made you sit back there twice,” She said to Frank.
“It’s fine, I don’t really care,” He told her.
She grabbed her bags and walked into the house. They walked in right behind her.
“Honey, I’m home!” Elena yelled in the house. She took her shoes off and walked in the kitchen.
“Hey,” A voice said to her.
She turned around and was shocked to see who she was seeing.
“It’s all good. Who’s driving?” She asked.
“I will, if you don’t mind,” Gerard said.
“Front or back Frank?” She asked him.
“I’m typically a front person. I just like it better that way.”
“That is so wrong on SO many levels…”
“I’m just joking! I’ll sit in the back. You sit up in the front. It’s man law you know.”
“Man law?” She asked in a curious tone.
“Man law,” Gerard said as he glared over at Frank, “is basically an unwritten code that guys follow. Girlfriends always sit next to their boyfriends whenever they’re in a car together with other people.”
“Oh. Frank!” She punched his arm. “You’re such a dork. We aren’t dating! I’m a kid!”
“Uh-huh. Sure you are.”
“You are such a goober! Get in the truck so we can go.”
“Right-o miss lady pants!” He yelled to her.
“Hey! Only Basile can call me that!”
“Loserface?”
“No. Only Nick can call me that.”
“Douche?”
“Only mom and Bob.”
“Re-re??”
“Bennie only.”
“Gosh! I’m coming up with my own insults! All the good ones are taken!” Frank cried in frustration.
Elena just laughed in his misery.
They all got situated and left the area. Elena directed Gerard to the highway and told him how to get there. Basically all you had to do was follow the signs. It wasn’t hard to find.
“So what kinds of stuff should I buy?” She asked them.
“I would go with stuff that’s red and black,” Frank said.
“Get like one pair of jeans, 2 or 3 pairs of black pants and a few t-shirts,” Gerard told her.
“Or that,” Frank said.
She laughed. “Well this should be fun.”
“Hell yeah it will be fun. You’re going to the mall with 2 of the coolest people ever,” Frank said.
“Right on there mister modest,” Gerard said to him sarcastically.
“Oh shut up up there,” Frank said. “So Elena, what kind of music does your mom like?”
“She likes the same stuff as me basically.”
“And that is…”
“Rock stuff. Sometimes heavy stuff. Sometimes punk. Whatever the mood is pretty much.”
“Well that’s cool. So that means she must have some good CD’s n’ stuff right?”
“Yeah I guess.”
She lifted up the consul lid and looked at the CD’s inside it. She started naming off some of the bands that she had. Gerard heard her say 9 Inch Nails and he asked if they could listen to that album. She popped it in and Gerard picked the song. He chose ‘The Hand That Feeds’. They were basically there so they didn’t really have time to listen to the entire song. They had the volume up kinda loud and they were all singing along with it.
Gerard parked in the center of the parking lot. Not too close and not too far. They got out and walked to the entrance. It was a good thing that Frank and Gerard were dressed somewhat casual. People would probably jump on them if they knew who they were.
There were a lot of people at the mall that day. The three of them walked over to the big sign that said “YOU ARE HERE” and looked at the different stores.
“So do you want to go to Hot Topic first? They have really cool stuff in there,” She asked.
“Alright, where is it?” Gerard asked.
“Right over there,” she pointed to a small point on the map. “It’s just to the left of EB Games.”
They walked to the store and went straight back to the back where the black pants and t-shirts were.
“Which ones should I get? They’re all so awesome. Should I go with the tighter ones or the big baggy ones… I don’t know!”
“Go for the tight ones. Show off the booty,” Gerard said to her.
“Uhh, okay. That was weird coming from you.”
She grabbed a couple different styles of tighter fit pants and tried them on. She came out and modeled a pair that she was fond of.
“Turn around slowly,” Frank told her.
She walked slowly in a circle.
“Okay, now do it again.”
“Frank shut up you are so retarded.”
“I’m just messing with you! Calm down whipper snapper!”
She went back in and tried on the other ones. She found 3 pairs that she really liked. But she decided not to model them for the guys.
When she finished getting dressed, she left the changing room and went to the place where the shirts were.
“Well what bands shall I get?” She asked them.
“Well there’s The Used if you want it,” Frank showed her.
“Yeah that’s cool!” She said and she grabbed it.
“Here’s a Fall Out Boy one,” Gerard showed her.
“Yep. Again, cool.”
She grabbed it too. She looked along the wall for more bands she liked. She saw a couple of Green Day shirts that were way cool. She grabbed a black one that had ‘American Idiot’ across it. It was way cool. She grabbed a Hawthorne Heights shirt and a Taking Back Sunday shirt as well. She wanted some diversity in the music.
After Hot Topic, they made their way to Flamingo’s for shoes. She found a pair of red and black vans that she was quite fond of.
“Well I like these a lot. I think I’m going to get them.”
She grabbed a size 8 and tried them on. They fit perfectly. She took them up to the counter and paid for them. They were $60.
“I have $50 left. Do we need gas? Or are you guys hungry or anything?” She asked them.
“We’re good on gas. I’ll put some in before we get to your house. But food wise, I’m good,” Gerard said.
“I’m not hungry either,” Frank said.
“Okay. Well if you don’t mind, there’s one more store I want to go to. It’s a girly store so I’m not really expecting you guys to come in. It will only take like 5 minutes. Do you care?” She asked them.
“We’ll go, it’s cool,” Frank said.
“Well it’s Claire’s. I’m getting my second holes done.”
Claire’s was just around the corner, so they got there relatively fast. Elena did exactly what she said. She went in, got her second holes done, and then they left the mall.
“Here. This is for gas on the way home,” Elena said to Gerard. She gave him $20.
“Okay,” He replied. So they got back on the highway and headed back to her house.
“Thanks for going with me guys. Today was a really good day.”
“No prob!” Frank replied.
“Do you want me to color your hair when we get back?” Gerard asked her.
“Yeah that’s fine, if you don’t mind.”
“It’s cool,” He told her.
Elena reached in her pocket and felt something else.
“Oh! The money Bob gave me. I completely forgot about that!”
“So you have even more now,” Frank said.
“Well I need to buy more makeup with it. I’m going to need a lot of foundation and a lot of eyeliner, from what it looks like,” She said as she glanced at Gerard.
“Hey… you don’t have to look just like me…” He told her.
“I’m just saying. Well I’ll run up there when we get home. It’s fine.”
“Again, cool,” Gerard said.
Gerard took Elena’s exit and headed toward her house. They were about 5 minutes away.
“Hey Frank, did you see the dark haired kid yesterday?” Elena asked him.
“Yeah. His name was Chris right?”
“No, Chris has curly hair. I’m talking about Nick.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah I know who you’re talking about.
“Do you think he looks like Gerard?”
“Not like twins or anything, but yeah they’re similar.”
“Okay I was just wondering. I really liked that guy at first because of who he looks like. But I got to know him and we became friends so now I like him for other reasons.”
“Well I’m glad you took the chance to get to know him instead of just getting a crush on him for looks. Things like that usually end up bad anyway,” Gerard told her.
“I’m more of a judge of personality anyway. I mean yeah everyone gets attracted at first by looks. But I couldn’t actually have real feelings if I didn’t know him, you know?”
“That is a great way to be. If everyone was that way, the world would be so much better,” He told her.
“Hey whoa, Bob’s still gone,” Elena said.
“Bob? Our Bob?” Frank asked.
“No, my mom’s Bob,” She replied.
Gerard pulled in the parking space. It was almost perfect.
“It’s so much easier to park a truck than a bus,” He told them.
Everyone gave a light laugh to his statement. Elena jumped out of the truck.
“I’m so sorry I made you sit back there twice,” She said to Frank.
“It’s fine, I don’t really care,” He told her.
She grabbed her bags and walked into the house. They walked in right behind her.
“Honey, I’m home!” Elena yelled in the house. She took her shoes off and walked in the kitchen.
“Hey,” A voice said to her.
She turned around and was shocked to see who she was seeing.