I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy ...

Chapter 18 - XO XO Gossip Girl

I flipped through the latest gossip magazine skimming the pages for any fruits of Pete's master plan to put Fall Out Boy in the mainstream. There was nothing. I felt the bus wobble beneath my body as it hit yet another bump in the never ending interstate. I sighed and laid the magazine to my left as I caught eye of Joe yelling victory at the TV. He had been battling Andy in Halo for what seemed like hours, and I guess he had actually gained ground. To my right sat Maddie. Her eyes transfixed on the Halo game, but I could tell by her far off glance that she wasn't putting much thought into it. To her right sat Pete. His sidekick clutched in front of him and his thumbs getting their daily work out.

I abandoned the magazine concluding that Pete was a complete idiot and this grand scheme would result in nothing. As soon as the publication was discarded Bob appeared from the front of the bus with a stack of papers and a goofy grin on his face.

"Alright guys," his voice rang out. "We have some business to talk about."

A less then subtle groan came from Joe who whipped his controller in frustration as the Halo game finally came to an end.

"You're kidding me! You're fucking kidding me! I had you," he screamed with a look of pure distraught on his face. "Rematch, I demand a rematch!"

"Anyway...," Bob said raising his voice above the whining Joe. "Let's talk about your guy's next video. I have it scheduled to shoot those two days we have off in New York..."

"Wait, when's that?" Andy interrupted.

"June 26th through the 28th," Bob answered not missing a beat. "But Pete," he said moving the meeting along. "Have you been talking to Fergenson about treatments?"

Pete emerged from his sidekick and jumped into the conversation as though he had been listening the whole time. "Yeah, think Pretty In Pink meets Freaks and Geeks."

"Or Smells Like Teen Spirit meets Thriller meets Sixteen Candles," Joe put in with a smile.

"meets Revenge of the Nerds," Andy voiced.

"meets Terminator two..."

"meets Zombie two..."

The images that were being painted could've scared Picasso.

"Okay very good," Bob said cutting off the fun Joe was having as he voiced one last 'meets What's Eating Gilbert Grape?'. "Now," Bob continued looking at the few papers he was holding. "We were contacted again by Payless about possibly having an endorsement..."

"No way!" Pete exclaimed quickly. "We're not prancing around in shoes for Payless."

"That's what I told them," Bob responded. "But I said I'd talk to you guys anyway."

"Vote," Pete shot signaling the start of a well known routine. "No."

"No," Joe's vote followed.

"No," Andy echoed.

I finally ended with a lazy "No" and the issue was dead.

"Good," Bob said as he checked a task off his list. "Well I think we'll be in North Carolina somewhere around six A.M so I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, he made his exit still looking at his papers.

Another successful Fall Out Boy business meeting.

....

Making a video is kinda like dining at a fine restaurant. There's a lot of waiting for anything satisfying.

We arrived at the high school where our video would be shooting around 7 a.m. I hadn't been up this early for a while and the morning sun was just mocking me with its brightness. Pete felt the same way as he trudged around hollowing incoherent instructions about 'wardrobe' and 'coffee'. He wasn't pleasant in the morning. Andy and Joe were along the same degree of loveliness. None of us really cared to be up this early, or spending it in a hot gym. That is, none of us except Maddie. Maddie strolled around with a smile that couldn't be taught in clown school. It totally baffled me how someone could be so happy in the morning and pregnant. That's when I concluded I had a lot to learn about Maddie, for she was a different kind of female.

I sat in my nerdy wardrobe wondering just when I would have to actually do a shot when Maddie walked in clutching a magazine in her hand. She gave me a small smile and a 'looking good' before plopping down in a chair and disappearing behind a picture of Scarlett Johansson

She was sporting green capris and a low cut black shirt today, and I suddenly found myself mesmerized. It was amazing how her skin called out to me to be touched. I followed her hand as she grabbed a piece of her hair and swiped it out of her eyes revealing those sapphires that had hypnotized me before. I hated those eyes for I was sure they were the reason there was a small being growing inside her belly right now, yet I couldn't stop looking at them. I felt my body tense as she licked her lips with her tongue. All I wanted to do was jump her at that moment, to feel her lips on mine again, but I couldn't. I wouldn't.

I cursed my throbbing needs as I looked away. I couldn't keep staring at her and last much longer. I cleared my throat and loosened my body with a shake.

"So what you reading?" I asked hoping to get a conversation going, so my brain had other thoughts to latch on to.

"Oh, a gossip magazine," she replied slowly not letting her eyes leave the page.

"Hm," I answered shuffling in my seat again. "I didn't know you were into that stuff."

"I'm not really, but this was on the bus and I was bored."

I nodded knowing just how long the day must be for her when I was dying of boredom already. Wait, on the bus? Magazine? My eyes darted to the cover. Scarlett Johansson? I was out of my seat before Maddie turned to the famous page fourteen. "Can I see that?" I said snatching the magazine from her grip.

"Patrick!" She yelled giving a surprised face in my direction. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, but I , uh, need to read this article about...about...," My eyes darted for a story. "about...my crossword," I babbled finding an escape in the last pages. "I just remembered I started this crossword, and I need to finish."

Maddie looked at me with a look that just screamed 'you're kidding me', but I stood strong with my crossword story.

"You're acting strange," she said getting up from her seat. "I don't know what about now, but I'll find out." Then she gave me one last look and left the room.

Once the door had shut I sighed and threw the magazine in the nearest trash can. I don't know why my heart had sped up a million beats when I realized just what Maddie was reading. I guess I didn't want her knowing that the world was starting to gossip about Fall Out Boy and her. Well, I didn't want her to know just yet.