My Chemical Romance

Chapter 3

Sorry the last one was kinda short :/ but i hope you like this one and that its not too short. Comment! :)

As we walked down the streets of the city the car horns blared around us and the cool air nipped at our exposed skin.  Jay and I made small talk about our favorite bands and I found out that our band name was My Chemical Romance.  Apparently, Jay came up with the name from a book that he read which i thought was pretty cool.

When Jay and I reached the little unfamiliar tea shop he held the door open for me letting  me walk in fisrt.  Inside it was a small cozy little place, similar to Starbucks with a more homie feel to it.  Jay must have been a regular because the clerk greeted him as if they were old friends.  I grabbed a table next to one of the windows as Jay got the tea.  As I waited I check my phone, 0 messages. Frank probably lost his phone again.

Jay set the mugs on the table and sat down in the chair across from me.  I wrapped my hands around the warm mug that thawed my fingers from the approaching winter air.  Jay took a sip of it and asked me “How long have you been playing guitar?” I added the years together in my head and said

“About 5 years. How long have you been playing…..what do you play?” he smirked a bit and said

“I’m the base player.  I’ve been playing for about 5 years or so.  I started playing because I wanted to be in Kurt’s high school band and it was the only open spot.” I still have so much to learn about these guys.

“So what do Kurt and Link play?”

“Kurt is the singer and other guitar player and Link is the drummer.”

“How long have you guys been together?” He made a face like he was counting all the years.

“Probably 5 years.  We didn’t start getting gigs until our second year together.  Then we slowly got noticed and then before we knew it we were signed.”

“So why would Pete leave for another band.”

“He said we were just a dead end high school band.  He thought if he went to a band that was already taking off he would make it big.”  I shook my head, ashamed at Pete even though I didn’t know him.  His actions reminded me of someone I knew.  In it for the fame and money, not the friends and music.

Jay tapped his finger on the mug and asked “So did you tell your family yet?” he looked up at me, “About making a band?” He obviously didn’t want to talk about Pete anymore.  I didn’t either cause the kid made my blood boil with frustration.  We’ll it’s his loss cause I’ll be getting the money he’s missing out on. “Uh, I tried getting a hold of my brother, but he hasn’t answered yet.” He looked at me as if he expected me to continue on down the list of people I called.  He didn’t know Frank was the only one on that list though.

“What about your dad?” I looked down at my tea and said

“He’s not around.” It was silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was too.”I looked up at him and debated whether I should tell him my dad wasn't dead or not.  There was something about him, something that made me feel like I could really trust him.

“He’s not dead Jay. He’s just…not around.” He looked surprised, “You know, you don’t have to apologize every time you bring up something like that.  It’s all in the past.” I smiled at him reassuringly. “So what about you? How’s your family back in Jersey?” He smiled and said

“They’re good. They miss Kurt and me but that’s expected.  We’ll be going home for Thanksgiving soon to visit.  Are you gonna go visit your brother?” I nodded.  Thanksgiving was coming soon. Frank loves Thanksgiving because there’s a ridiculous amount of food.  “But before that we have a gig near Buffalo.  It’s going to be pretty big.  We’re trying to gather fans and maybe a few more ideas for songs.”  I took a sip of my tea.  My taste buds danced around on my tongue as the tea washed over them. “How old are you?” I almost choked on my tea at the random change of subject.

“Um… 17,”I said cautiously.

“Shouldn’t you be in high school then?” He looked at me confused.  I shook my head

“I started school early so I just graduated young. How old are you?”

“18. I graduated last year.” It was a random question and I’m not really sure why he asked it.  I guess he’s just trying to make conversation.  “Oh, tomorrow we have practice.”

“Where?”

“Just at the studio.  Go to the 3rd floor and ask the lady at the big desk where we’re practicing.  The room changes sometimes so I don’t want to tell you to go to the wrong one.”

“When should I be there?” he took another sip as I asked the question.

“Around 12:30.” I finished the remainder of my tea and set the cup down on the table. The heat still radiated from it, so my hands remained enclosed around it. A sad attempt to hold the heat to my hands.

Jay and I continued to talk about simple things like college and talked about how much we hated high school. Come to find out, he got tormented as much as I did. But he had Kurt there to kick the crap out of anyone who ever came near him.  Frank had already graduated and was in military school by the time I was a freshman.  So basically, I took my beatings on my own, and tried my best to hide my pain from Frank.  He had enough on his plate.

Before we knew it, the shop was closing and we were being kicked out.  As we stepped outside, we were attacked by the harsh air.  I turned to Jay and said, “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”  I gave him a smile and he smiled back and said

“Let me walk ya’ home.  Its dark out and there are a lot of creeps in New York.” Once he said that he threw his hands up and said “I didn’t mean that.  Its just the city and…” I laughed and replied

“I know what you mean.  Thanks but I can fend for myself.” He smiled and me,

“I’d feel better making sure you got home.” I didn’t bother arguing because I was freezing and it was getting late.  So we strolled down the street and made our way to my apartment.

“Do you want to come in?  You have to be freezing.” I asked as we approuched the stoop to the front door of my building.  He shook his head and said

“I live a couple blocks down.  Don’t worry it’s not so bad.  I’ll see you tomorrow Yankee.” And with a smile he started to walk away.

“Be careful Jersey!  The streets of New York can be scary sometimes!” I shouted back.  He turned around and laughed.

“Thanks for the tip!” he waved one more time and turned back around.  I rummaged through my bag for the keys with my numb fingers. Once I found the keys, I searched the chain for the right one. Once I let myself in, I ran up the stairs to my apartment door and unlocked the door.  I quietly shut the door behind me and walked into my homey apartment.  I threw my bag to the floor and tried calling Frank once more. He answered.