It's Not a Fashion Statement...It's a ***ing Death Wish!

I ran to my room and closed the door behind me, tearing off my shirt and pants at the same time while kicking off my Gir slippers. I pulled on a pair of black jeans, a black and red stripped long-sleeved shirt under a black shirt with the words, "Punk Princess" across the chest in big red letters. I hurriedly put on my gothic cross necklace and matching earrings while pulling on a black fishnet fingerless glove on my left hand and a skele-glove on my right. I put back on my bracelets and slipped on my black and purple and green Gir converse. Pulling on a red and black MCR belt with a silver bat on it, I picked my black Smashing Pumpkins hoodie up out of the floor and hurried into the bathroom to apply ivory colored color up, to make me paler, more black eyeliner, black mascara, and I colored the skin around my eyes a dark hue, spreading cover up on my lips to give them a dead look. I still had in my tongue and nose ring, but I had forgotten my eyebrow ring. Shit. All well. I took out my tongue ring and was brushing my teeth when my cell phone rang.

I flipped open the black razor and said, "Hello," around my toothbrush.

"Hey. It's Frank."

"Howdy Frank."

"It sounds like you have your mouth full."

"I do," I said, wiping some toothpaste off my chin.

"Full of what?"

I heard the suggestiveness in his voice and decided to play with him a little.

“A shaft. The more I move it in and out of my mouth, the more white stuff builds up. Hold on. Gotta spit," I said, holding the phone away from my ear and spitting before rinsing out my toothbrush and rinsing my mouth with mouth wash. I spit that into the sink, rinsed with water, and put the phone back up to my ear. Frank was laughing.

"You're the first person to admit that freely."

"I was brushing my teeth, you crack whore."

"I am not a crack whore!"

"Guitar slut."

"Oh. Like you're any different?" I just laughed.

"Don't worry. I'm a hoodie slut. I have, like, 50 of them. I'm also a glove and ring and bracelet and necklace and earring and everything else I can think of slut." I put my tongue stud back in. It was a small stud with a picture of a bat on the inside.

"Again, you're the first person to admit that freely." I laughed again.

"Bobbi," Hazi yelled, "Come on!"

"Ooh. Banshee much?" I laughed again.

"You have no idea. I gotta go, okay? Next time you wanna talk to me, just text me. Kay?"

"Sure. Where're you going?"

"Hot Topic. See if I can get a job there."

"Right. Okay. See you."

"See ya later Frank." I hung up and shoved the phone into my pocket before grabbing my black ipod out of my room and sticking one of the ear buds in.

"Finally," Hazi groaned.

"Shut up, you crack whore." I turned on the ipod and pressed play. Digging Up Her Bones. I smiled, thinking of Frank. I skipped to the door and opened it, heading for my baby, the car I'd had since I was 16, a black convertible Oldsmobile with red cloth interior. I got into the drivers seat and put down the top before I turned off my ipod and grabbed my cd holder, searching for the cd. I found it and popped it in. Digging Up Her Bones. I smiled, knowing that the whole neighborhood could hear it, let alone the house next to ours.

Hazi locked the door and ran up to the car, yelling over the music, "Why're you in such a good mood?" I shrugged and everyone got into the car. Hazi in back with Dan and Sammy in the passenger seat.

"Here," I yelled, opening the glove compartment, "Beanies for everyone!" I passed Hazi an MCR beanie, Dan a System of a Down beanie, and Sammy a The Used beanie. I, of course, kept my Misfits beanie for myself.

Smiling, I started the ignition and peeled out of the parking space. We got to the mall around 6:02. I put the top up and turned the car off before locking it and pocketing the keys. I skipped to catch up the Hazi, Sammy and Dan. Hazi laughed at me.

"We should send you next door for coffee more often." I shrugged and watched as Dan brought Hazi's hand, within his, up to his mouth, kissing her fingers, and a little twinge of jealousy ran through me. What would I give to be happy like them? I was yanked from my thoughts by Sammy, and my mind focused on right now, and right now, I had met an amazing, funny, kind, charming guy and Sammy was asking me something.

"Huh?"

"I said, can I have a piggy-back ride. Please?" Sam poked out her bottom lip like a little kid.

"Of course you can, smexi," I said, kneeling down a little. Sam jumped on my back and I ran to the mall, laughing and almost falling a few times. Hazi and Dan were right behind us.

We walked through the front doors and I shouted, "Hot Topic's on the second level. YAY! Escalator time!" Sammy laughed as I ran over to the escalators, thanking God that Sam was a little bit short, but a lot light. A security guard stopped us and said I couldn't carry Sam up the escalator cuz it was dangerous. I sighed and put Sam down. After his back was turned, I stuck out my tongue as far as it would go and gave him the double bird. We rode up on the escalators, laughing and carrying on. When we got to Hot Topic, they were just opening. I was pleased to see the "Help Wanted" sign was still there. We all walked in and Hazi and I walked up to the counter while Dan and Sammy looked around.

Finally, someone cam up and after telling them that we wanted a job, ushered Hazi and I to the back of the store. The managers door was open and we walked inside. After checking out our resumes and stuff, he told us that we were definitely his first choice, but the workers had to decide. I gave him my cell phone number and told him we'd stay at the mall for a few hours and wait for his call. An hour later, I regretted it.

"I'm bored," Hazi said as we rounded the second level corner for the third time. By now it was around seven thirty.

"We're in the mall! How can you be bored?"

"We don't have any money!"

"So? There's plenty of ways to have fun at the mall with no money! Watch this," I said, walking into a department store. I climbed into a rack of pants and huddled down so no one would see me. A woman came up and started looking through the pants and I moved them a little and squealed, "Pick me! Pick me!"

The woman backed away from the rack of clothes and moved away. Another woman came up and started going through them, and I prepared to make my move. "RAWR," I screamed, bursting out of the rack. The woman screamed and jumped back. I fell to the floor, but made no move to get up because I was laughing so hard. So were Hazi, Sam and Dan outside the door. I got up and ran out of the store and then dared Hazi to go into American Eagle and jump at all the preps. She did so, and came back out laughing at the skinny little girls who simply jumped out of her way. Then it was Sam’s turn. Then it was Dan’s. We all took turns creeping other customers out.

I was laughing so hard, I didn’t notice when my phone beeped. I noticed when it vibrated against my side, though. I flipped it open.

It said simply, “Whatcha doin, girlie?”

I smiled and typed back, “NM. Scaring the shit outta a bunch of preps and old ladies. U?” I waited a few seconds.

My screen flashed and it said, “Walking around the house, thinking about you.” I smiled wider.

“Thinking of me, huh? Bullshitter.”

“No! The truth! Y else would I’ve texted you?”

“I don’t know. Are all ur friends up?”

“Almost. Mikey sleeps like no one’s business.”

“Mikey? Next you’re gonna tell me that you’re other friends’ names are Gerard and Ray.”

“They are.”

“That is, like, so awesome! You guys have the same names as MCR!”

“LOL.”

“I gotta go Frank. The manager is supposed to call.”

“All right. L8er, girlie.”

“L8er, Frank.” I flipped the phone closed just in time. An excerpt from “Drowning Lessons” poured through the tiny speakers.

I flipped it open and said, “Hello?”

“Hello, Bobbi?”

“Yeah. Who’s this?”

“This is the manager, Mark Wyatt, from Hot Topic. We’ve voted and decided to hire you and Hazel. You can start Monday. Is that okay with you two?”

“Monday sounds great. Good-bye, Mr. Wyatt.”

“Mark, please.”

“All right. Good-bye, Mark.”

“Good-bye. Bobbi.” I flipped the phone closed and jumped into the air.

“We got it,” I screamed.

“When do we start?”

“Monday.”

“Monday? But that’s like, in two whole days.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh well.” Just then, my cell rang again.

I flipped it open and said, “Hello?”

“Hey. Bobbers. It’s Alex. Where’re you guys? I’m at your house.”

“Okay. We’ll be right there. Like, two minutes, kay?”

“Sure. I’ll wait then. Bye.”

“Laters!” I hung up and made my way towards the escalators.

“Hey! Where’re you going?”

“To the house. Alex is there. We should be practicing if you want to do Battle of the Bands in two months.”

“Yay,” Hazi said, skipping ahead with me. We were all surprised and a little (ok. Al lot) creeped out when Dan did a cartwheel.

“What,” he asked after landing back on his feet.

I pulled up in front of our house and turned off the ignition, climbing out. Alex was sitting on the front porch. “Hey guys.”

“Hey Alex. So, did you have fun with you’re hot date last night,” I asked as I walked past her and unlocked the door, lifting my eyebrows questioningly.

Alex laughed and said, “No. He was a complete prep. The minute he saw me, he turned and ran out of the restaurant.”

“He didn’t!”

“He did!”

“Oh meh Gah.”

“Hey,” Hazi said, hitting me on the arm, “That’s my phrase!”

“Sorry, O Disturbed One.” Hazi laughed and said,

“Go grab your gear and meet us in the garage.”

“Okay.” I turned and walked to my room, shutting the door behind me and taking off my gloves and bracelets and all the jewelry that wasn’t my nose and tongue rings. I also put in my lip ring and eyebrow piercing. No I definitely looked like a freak. I chuckled, sliding off my shirts and putting on the black Misfits tank top I had been wearing. It was a warm day, but I didn’t change my jeans or converse. I just put my hair up in a bun and reached under the bed for a cigarette and the matches. I carried them to the window and lit up, blowing the smoke outside. I had to finish quickly, for Hazi would com looking for me. I flicked the cig out the window and blew the remaining smoke into the sky.

Grabbing my guitar and amp, I raced to the garage where people wee setting up their instruments. We warmed up for a second or two and then I started the intro to “Drowning Lessons.” The others soon followed in my suit and I was once again mesmerized by how much my little sis had grown up and how much she sounded like one of my hero’s. Hazi and I didn’t talk about it much, but when I was around 14, I was really suicidal. I talked about it all the time, and one day, I planned it out.

I was going to do it the following day. I even had notes written to my family and closest friends. That night, my mom and dad brought House of Wax home and I watched it. At the end, Helena came on and I was completely mesmerized by the lyrics and the poetry and the sound of the music. I delayed my suicide until I found out who they were, and when I had found MCR, I had realized that I wasn’t alone. I finally wasn’t alone. There were others like me. MCR saved my life. Before I knew they existed, they saved my life. I was eternally grateful for that.

We finished the song and I started the intro to Famous Last Words. Hazi sung again. We played Demolition Lovers, I’m Not Okay, House of Wolves, and The Sharpest Lives before Hazi turned to me and said, “Let’s do your song, Bobbers.” I nodded and started the intro to the song I had written, Murder. Hazi sang the lyrics exactly as I had wanted them to sound. When we were finished the song, I stretched my fingers and cracked my neck. We all praised each other at how well we sounded.

Just then, a voice said, “Told you they were good.”

“You were right, Frank.” I was excited and terrified at the same time. It was Frank, they guy from next door. How would Hazi react? How would Sam or Alex or Dan react? How would I react? I wasn’t ready for what happened next. Before I had time to think another thing, five men came walking from around the side of the garage. I gasped and barely heard Sam mumble an ‘Oh My God’ and Hazi mutter a ‘Holy Shit’. I was too busy staring at the five men at the entrance to our garage.

“They rock,” said Gerard Way, smiling at us and the rest of MCR, who were all nodding their heads and smiling. Oh. My. Fucking. God.