Waiting For You

Untitled Part 1

I love record stores. It's like a second home to me. I walked in to this one that I'd never been to, and was instantly in love.

There was everything from cds to records, shirts, posters, you name it, they had it. I have no idea how long we wandered around looking, but I had found a ton of stuff. "Hey Sid, you ready?" Corey asked me.

We headed up to the counter. The girl behind the counter looked so familiar to me. She had blonde hair, with dark brown streaks in it. I saw her bottom lip was pierced. She had dark eye shadow, and a shirt that read, No One Gives A Shit. She had on a ton of bracelets on each wrist, and had ripped jeans, with black combat boots. I liked her already. "That it for ya?" She asked, not looking up. That voice. Oh god, I know that voice.

"Gemma?" I asked. She snapped her head up, as her bright blue eyes met mine. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed at me.

"Sidney." She said flatly. I watched Corey smirk and laugh.

"How are you?" I asked, leaning on the counter.

"Didn't you read the sign? Don't lean on the counter." She pointed at the sign. I laughed.

"Really?" Corey laughed. She smirked and nodded.

"Want to see what happens when you do?" She grinned at us. Before we could move, I heard her say, "Bones! Counter!" The next thing I know, there is a giant ass dog in our faces, barking, making both Corey and I jump back. "What the fuck!" Corey yelled.

"Down Bones." She told the German Shepherd. Gemma tossed us some treats. "Give him one, and tell him he's a good boy." She smirked at us, letting the dog out from behind the counter. I tossed it to him, watching him catch it. I gave him a pet, "Good boy." I told him. He wagged his tail.

"Your turn blue eyes." She said to Corey.

"Fuck that!" Corey yelled. She grinned at him.

"Do you want a repeat?" She asked. Corey tossed him the treat and gave him a pet. Bones was happy and went back behind the counter.

"Treat all your customers this way?" Corey smirked at her.

"No. Just the assholes." She grinned looking right at me. "Right Sidney?" She glared at me as Corey laughed.

"Gemma, look-" She stopped me.

"Don't care Sidney." She said, as she rang us up.

"Gemma, those fucking kids are back again." Some guy yelled from the back.

"Motherfucker." She snarled, walking out from behind the counter, grabbing a bag of....water bottles?

She opened the door and the kids started to take off, as she chucked plastic water bottles, that were half full, at them. She must of got one of them, as we could hear her laugh, and saw her hold both of her fists above her head. "Stay the fuck away from my shop, you little shits!" She yelled, coming back inside. She set the bag by the door.

Corey was about on the floor at this point, laughing his ass off. "This chick is hilarious." He said to me. I rolled my eyes at him.

Gemma came around the counter, acting like nothing had happened. "What?" She asked, as we laughed at her.

"Problems?" Corey asked, laughing.

"Not anymore. Those little fuckers keep tagging my building. I can't let Bones out to get them, so I throw shit at them." She smirked. "That it?" She asked as she finished ringing me up. I nodded, handing her cash. She took it giving me the change.

She started ringing up Corey, and she felt me staring at her. "What, Sidney?" She glared.

"I was hoping we could talk." I said, watching her laugh.

She handed Corey his change. "About what?" She asked. She is so pissed at me. Ten years later even. "Are you even allowed to talk to me?"

"I sense some hostility." Corey grinned at her. "By the way, I'm Corey." He held his hand out to her.

"I'm well aware." She said unimpressed, shaking his hand anyway.

"So you're a fan?" He smirked at her.

"Nope." She grinned. "Not anymore. Am I Sidney?" She glared at me. Corey was laughing his ass off.

"Yes, Gemma, I'm allowed to talk to you. Look, I need to explain a lot of shit to you." I said.

"Why can't you talk to her?" Corey asked me.

"Don't know. Why don't you ask his cunt of a girlfriend Amanda? She might know." She glared at me. Both Corey and I looked shocked, hearing her call another female that.

"Goddamn man! She has like zero fucks to give about anything!" Corey laughed. Gemma rolled her eyes at us. "Amanda? You broke up with her years ago." Corey said to me.

"I know, asshole. I was there." I told him.

"You should come to one of our shows sometime, Gemma." Corey smiled at her.

"Is he going to be there?" She asked Corey, as she pointed at me.

Corey laughed harder. "Uh, yep. He's in the band."

"Yeah. I'll pass. This reunion has been fun and all, but I gotta go." She said, grabbing her bag. She walked out from behind the counter. I grabbed her arm slightly.

"Gemma, I really need to talk to you. I need to explain a lot." I said, as she turned to look at me.

"It'll have to wait. I have my other job to go to. See ya around." She said. "JoJo! I'm out! Bones is gaurding the counter."

"Later Gem!" We heard the guy yell back.

"Where else do you work?" I asked. She smirked.

"At Smoke." She said. I know my eyes, as well as Corey's eyes about fell out of our heads. Smoke is a bar that has cage dancers, and a very rough crowd. Like biker gang crowd.

"Are you fucking kidding me? What, are you a cage dancer?" I can't believe this. The chicks there don't get naked, but they wear damn near next to nothing. It's not like a strip club, where there are private dances or taking any clothing off. Still, it doesn't sit well with me.

"Yeah. I am. I gotta go." She said, walking out the door. I bolted out behind her.

"Can we please talk?" I asked, begging really.

"Sure. Come down to Smoke at eleven. My shift is over then. You have five minutes." She said flatly.

"Ok. I'll be there." I promised.

"We'll see, huh?" She said, getting in her car. I watched her drive away, and heard Corey walk up behind me.

"I like her. She hates you. But I fucking like this girl. Why does she hate you?" He asked.

"Amanda. Amanda fucked up everything." I said.

"Fucking a chick on the side when you already have a girl will do that." He smirked at me. I sighed and shook my head at him.

"It wasn't like that. She was my best friend, and roommate, until Amanda moved in. It's a fucked up story." I said.

"They always are. She's really a cage dancer huh? I may have to check that out." I glared at him.

"Corey, don't fuck with her. Don't take her out and fuck her and never talk to her again. I mean it." I growled at him.

"Whoa, man. Calm down. Geez. You like her or something?" He asked.

"No. But she meant alot to me, and still does. Don't fuck with her." I said.

"I won't. I doubt she even likes me. Did you see how unimpressed she was with us being there?" He laughed.

"Yeah. She hates my guts." I said. We got in my car, driving back to Corey's house, while I remembered how much I missed my best friend. I just hope she will actually talk to me. I have to tell her it wasn't my fault or my idea.

I went to Smoke later that night. I hate this place. It's a sleazy bar, and shady people. It's like the next stop before you enter hell. I walked in, and it's loud. Huge biker dudes with rough looking women. I don't want to touch anything in this fucking place for fear of catching some new, unheard of disease.

I looked around and spotted her. Holy sweet fucking hell. She is wearing these shorts, if you can call them that, that are so short, they look like underwear. She has on what looks like a leather bra, and knee high boots with heals. I had no idea she could dance the way she does.

She dances how strippers dance. She knows how to work people and her body each time she moved. Fuck, I never really thought of her this way until now. Or, maybe I have, and never wanted to admit it to myself, that I think I have always wanted to be with her. Fuck! I have. Why did it take me so many years to realize it?

I saw her get out of the cage, and walked up to me. "Give me 10 minutes to change. You might want to wait out back for me. Not your type of crowd." She said. I nodded, as she walked off. I headed out back, into the alley and waited for her.

Ten minutes later, she came out, dressed like she had earlier today. She was smoking a cigarette, and looked exhausted. "So. What is it you need from me?" She asked bitterly.

"I didn't know Gemma. I had no idea Amanda threw you out. I was on tour, you know that. I would never of done that." I was pleading to her at this point. "Every time I called and asked to talk to you, she said you were gone. When I got back, she said you moved out. I didn't know about her throwing you out until we broke up two years later, Gem."

She took another and looked at me, then stomped out her cigarette. "Alright. See ya." She said, walking down the alley. I walked after her.

"Gemma, please. I didn't know." I said. She whirled around to look at me.

"You never tried to find me Sid. I haven't heard from you in ten fucking years! You never called. You had my number to my cell phone and never called me!" She yelled. I saw the tears starting in her eyes. She was right. I never called her. Her number is still in my phone, even after all these years later.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. I have fucked up a lifelong friendship. "Besides Sid, you have a new life now. I don't fit into it now, just like I didn't ten years ago. Or ever for that matter. I gotta go." She said, and she walked away, leaving me behind in the dark alley.

"Fuck!!!" I yelled. I sighed, walking back in the bar. I went to the counter, instantly greeted by a huge burly man. I smirked at him, and watched him laugh.

"Siddy! How the fuck are ya?!" He yelled to me.

"Good, man. I need a favor Mikey." I grinned.

"I already know." Mikey smiled at me.