Thelma and Louise, chapter 2
Frankie didn't turn around to see if I was following her at all. I just...did. I mean, she HAD said she knew how to get backstage. So many questions ran through my head. Why did she tell me this, when she could have told anyone what she had decided to share with me? I didn't question her out loud as I followed her through the now-thinning crowd, but in my head I was skeptical. What happened if she led me into an alley and got her big-ass boyfriend to rape me or something? I started to panic, and I froze.
As if reading my thoughts, Frankie turned around, stopped walking and stood there with an amused smirk, her hands on her hips. "Aren't you coming? I dunno how long Reggie's gonna be there, and he's the only one who really likes me, out of the roadies, maybe Seth or Tori, but Reggie's a sweet guy. He'll let me backstage to Uncle Billie--"
Wait a minute.
She said 'Uncle Billie,' right?!
'Billie,' as in Billie Joe, right?
Oh my God!
Somehow I gained control over my legs again, and walked a bit faster, and stopped where she was standing. She broke out into a grin, and started her long strode walk again, once more leaving me in the dust. Damn, I had to power walk to catch up with her, and Lord knows I looked like a retard doing it.
When we finally got down to the floor level, the roadies were out and about, disassembling the stage, barking orders...you name it. They were on the ball about things.
Frankie just walked through the throng of workers, stopping to yell out names and waving spastically at some men, who returned the wave and grinned.
"Hey, Frankie!"
"'Sup, Frankie?"
"Like your uncle's set, Frankie?"
When I heard the last comment, I knew that she was telling the truth. I started grinning. I couldn't help myself! I must have looked psychotic, but if anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.
When we reached a set of doors, we were blocked by a big man with brown matted hair. His arms were like canvasses for multiple ornate tattoos, and he had a small hoop through one ear. "You can't pass, girl," he barked at me, and I was suddenly intimidated. But Frankie just shook her head. "Reginald, she's with ME, darling! I found her in the bathroom and decided to bring her with me to see Uncle Billie and Tre and Mike, and Gerard and Frank and--" The man laughed, cutting Frankie off. He ruffled her hair, then stepped out of the way, winking at me. "Sorry for the mix-up, ma'am. Any friend of Frankie's is a friend of mine. Name's Reggie." He held out his hand, which I followed suit, and he ended up dislocating my shoulder. Or at least it felt like it. I managed a grin, and then followed Frankie once more, who had stepped through the double doors.
So much was backstage! People were rolling lights away, cloths, even guitar cases! I was trying to take everything in, while Frankie obviously seemed used to the bustle and hustle of the backstage life. We passed many doors, empty rehearsal rooms and dressing rooms until we reached a lavish door, for a dressing room. The paper sign on it said, "BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG", and two more doors were next to it, the middle one reading, "MIKE DIRNT" and the end one, "TRE COOL". A couple of doors down, a door not as nice as the former three read, "JASON WHITE."
Frankie knocked the door once, then twice, then attacked it with her fists. A voice came from the room, with the tones of annoyance and amusement detectable in the voice. "Alright, alright...I can only guess who this is..." the voice said, coming closer with the accompanying footsteps I heard through the door. It opened slightly, and a pair of bright green eyes peered out from the crack. When the eyes fell on me, my heart seemed to beat faster. They seemed to analyze me for a moment, and then an eyebrow arched, but then the figure turned his attention to Frankie and opened the door wider, a face and body visible now.
"Frankie!" he said with mock worry in his voice. He poised his hands on his hips, exactly like Frankie had done to me. "I was so worried!" Frankie giggled and hugged him, and he did the same. "I brought a friend," Frankie announced, gesturing to me. I found myself managing a smile. Odd, I thought, I though I had lost all feeling in my body when I saw Billie Joe peer out from the door.
He was more or less the same as in a magazine, clad in a brown sweater with some holes in it and the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms, a pair of jeans and his trusty black Converse. Black scruffy hair was disrupted when he ran a hand through it a second later after hugging Frankie, and bright green eyes framed with newly applied black eyeliner smiled at me as he shook my hand, smiling. "Nice to meet you," he said, cocking his head slightly and gesturing for us to come inside.
I'm sure I made a good impression on Billie Joe when I first met him, but when we entered the dressing room, he probably wasn't impressed when my mouth dropped big time. But if he was or not, he didn't say. "Oh my God..." I said, examining the large accommodations, including the leather seats, the mahogany coffee table (littered with beer cans, cigarette boxes and ashtrays) and beautiful lamps, mirrors, stools, closets, everything. I turned to Billie Joe, who was watching me curiously as if he didn't trust me. "You're a pretty lucky guy," I told him, smiling a bit. He returned the smile, and looked down at his feet. "It has its ups and downs," he told me, and I believed him.
Just then we heard a knock on the door. Billie Joe looked at Frankie as if expecting her to answer the door, but she looked so happy bouncing on her knees on the couch that he sighed, grinned and made to open the door.
Boy, was I in for another surprise! Instead of Mike's now-black hair or Tre's mischievous blue eyes in the doorway, I saw the unmistakable forms of horn-rimmed glasses, blonde and black straight hair and a black/blonde mohawk.
Gerard, Frank and Mikey from My Chemical Romance were staring at me in the doorway.
I seriously hoped I didn't have a heart attack. I could barely hear Billie Joe greet his trio of guests, then introduce them to me. Surprisingly I managed to look each MCR member in the eye and shake their hand, saying "Nice to meet you," to each and every one. Gerard grinned, shaking his head slightly to get the hair out of his face, Frank winked at me and Mikey adjusted his glasses before saying, "Nice to meet you too. You a friend of Frankie's?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but Frankie did so for me, stopping her bouncing routine long enough to reply. "Yeah, she's cool. Silent, but cool. What, Mikey, think she's hot?" She grinned mischievously at Gerard's little brother, who blushed promptly and muttered something about having to go meet up with Ray, then excused himself, walking out the door quickly, leaving a bewildered look on Billie Joe's face that actually looked somewhat cute.
Gerard sighed, plopping down on the seat next to Frankie. "You need to stop doing that. He gets flustered around women. Not that you are one, yet...You're only 17," he added, playfully pushing her over in her chair. "Yeah, but my birthday's in a couple of months. It's not that long away," she added, pushing him back. He laughed.
All the while, Frank was standing up a bit awkwardly, his hands in his hoodie pocket. I made to make conversation with him. "So..." I said, and he turned to face me, waiting for a conversation. "...Ah, fuck it. I'm so damn excited, I can't form proper sentences," I told him, blushing a bit. He looked at me for a minute, then laughed softly. "You must be, you're blushing like crazy. Wanna sit down?" he said, gesturing to a pair of chairs facing each other. I happily nodded, and we sat down.
Before Frank had the chance to say anything, Billie Joe announced, "I am leaving to go find Mike, Jason and that drummer asshole perv friend of mine. Be back soon, don't do anything I wouldn't do. They're just minors..." He winked, and made to leave. "Oh yeah, Billie, I saw them down at the refreshment room thing. They were talking about going out tonight. I, of course, didn't join them," Gerard said, folding his hands delicately in his lap. Billie Joe nodded gratefully. "Thanks," he said, and closed the door behind him, his footsteps receding him down the hall, the dull echoes reaching my ears even through the door.
Frank turned to me, a stunning grin on his face. I felt my heart flutter just a bit.
"So...where were we in our conversation?" he asked me, and I returned his grin. Things were getting somewhere.
As if reading my thoughts, Frankie turned around, stopped walking and stood there with an amused smirk, her hands on her hips. "Aren't you coming? I dunno how long Reggie's gonna be there, and he's the only one who really likes me, out of the roadies, maybe Seth or Tori, but Reggie's a sweet guy. He'll let me backstage to Uncle Billie--"
Wait a minute.
She said 'Uncle Billie,' right?!
'Billie,' as in Billie Joe, right?
Oh my God!
Somehow I gained control over my legs again, and walked a bit faster, and stopped where she was standing. She broke out into a grin, and started her long strode walk again, once more leaving me in the dust. Damn, I had to power walk to catch up with her, and Lord knows I looked like a retard doing it.
When we finally got down to the floor level, the roadies were out and about, disassembling the stage, barking orders...you name it. They were on the ball about things.
Frankie just walked through the throng of workers, stopping to yell out names and waving spastically at some men, who returned the wave and grinned.
"Hey, Frankie!"
"'Sup, Frankie?"
"Like your uncle's set, Frankie?"
When I heard the last comment, I knew that she was telling the truth. I started grinning. I couldn't help myself! I must have looked psychotic, but if anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.
When we reached a set of doors, we were blocked by a big man with brown matted hair. His arms were like canvasses for multiple ornate tattoos, and he had a small hoop through one ear. "You can't pass, girl," he barked at me, and I was suddenly intimidated. But Frankie just shook her head. "Reginald, she's with ME, darling! I found her in the bathroom and decided to bring her with me to see Uncle Billie and Tre and Mike, and Gerard and Frank and--" The man laughed, cutting Frankie off. He ruffled her hair, then stepped out of the way, winking at me. "Sorry for the mix-up, ma'am. Any friend of Frankie's is a friend of mine. Name's Reggie." He held out his hand, which I followed suit, and he ended up dislocating my shoulder. Or at least it felt like it. I managed a grin, and then followed Frankie once more, who had stepped through the double doors.
So much was backstage! People were rolling lights away, cloths, even guitar cases! I was trying to take everything in, while Frankie obviously seemed used to the bustle and hustle of the backstage life. We passed many doors, empty rehearsal rooms and dressing rooms until we reached a lavish door, for a dressing room. The paper sign on it said, "BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG", and two more doors were next to it, the middle one reading, "MIKE DIRNT" and the end one, "TRE COOL". A couple of doors down, a door not as nice as the former three read, "JASON WHITE."
Frankie knocked the door once, then twice, then attacked it with her fists. A voice came from the room, with the tones of annoyance and amusement detectable in the voice. "Alright, alright...I can only guess who this is..." the voice said, coming closer with the accompanying footsteps I heard through the door. It opened slightly, and a pair of bright green eyes peered out from the crack. When the eyes fell on me, my heart seemed to beat faster. They seemed to analyze me for a moment, and then an eyebrow arched, but then the figure turned his attention to Frankie and opened the door wider, a face and body visible now.
"Frankie!" he said with mock worry in his voice. He poised his hands on his hips, exactly like Frankie had done to me. "I was so worried!" Frankie giggled and hugged him, and he did the same. "I brought a friend," Frankie announced, gesturing to me. I found myself managing a smile. Odd, I thought, I though I had lost all feeling in my body when I saw Billie Joe peer out from the door.
He was more or less the same as in a magazine, clad in a brown sweater with some holes in it and the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms, a pair of jeans and his trusty black Converse. Black scruffy hair was disrupted when he ran a hand through it a second later after hugging Frankie, and bright green eyes framed with newly applied black eyeliner smiled at me as he shook my hand, smiling. "Nice to meet you," he said, cocking his head slightly and gesturing for us to come inside.
I'm sure I made a good impression on Billie Joe when I first met him, but when we entered the dressing room, he probably wasn't impressed when my mouth dropped big time. But if he was or not, he didn't say. "Oh my God..." I said, examining the large accommodations, including the leather seats, the mahogany coffee table (littered with beer cans, cigarette boxes and ashtrays) and beautiful lamps, mirrors, stools, closets, everything. I turned to Billie Joe, who was watching me curiously as if he didn't trust me. "You're a pretty lucky guy," I told him, smiling a bit. He returned the smile, and looked down at his feet. "It has its ups and downs," he told me, and I believed him.
Just then we heard a knock on the door. Billie Joe looked at Frankie as if expecting her to answer the door, but she looked so happy bouncing on her knees on the couch that he sighed, grinned and made to open the door.
Boy, was I in for another surprise! Instead of Mike's now-black hair or Tre's mischievous blue eyes in the doorway, I saw the unmistakable forms of horn-rimmed glasses, blonde and black straight hair and a black/blonde mohawk.
Gerard, Frank and Mikey from My Chemical Romance were staring at me in the doorway.
I seriously hoped I didn't have a heart attack. I could barely hear Billie Joe greet his trio of guests, then introduce them to me. Surprisingly I managed to look each MCR member in the eye and shake their hand, saying "Nice to meet you," to each and every one. Gerard grinned, shaking his head slightly to get the hair out of his face, Frank winked at me and Mikey adjusted his glasses before saying, "Nice to meet you too. You a friend of Frankie's?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but Frankie did so for me, stopping her bouncing routine long enough to reply. "Yeah, she's cool. Silent, but cool. What, Mikey, think she's hot?" She grinned mischievously at Gerard's little brother, who blushed promptly and muttered something about having to go meet up with Ray, then excused himself, walking out the door quickly, leaving a bewildered look on Billie Joe's face that actually looked somewhat cute.
Gerard sighed, plopping down on the seat next to Frankie. "You need to stop doing that. He gets flustered around women. Not that you are one, yet...You're only 17," he added, playfully pushing her over in her chair. "Yeah, but my birthday's in a couple of months. It's not that long away," she added, pushing him back. He laughed.
All the while, Frank was standing up a bit awkwardly, his hands in his hoodie pocket. I made to make conversation with him. "So..." I said, and he turned to face me, waiting for a conversation. "...Ah, fuck it. I'm so damn excited, I can't form proper sentences," I told him, blushing a bit. He looked at me for a minute, then laughed softly. "You must be, you're blushing like crazy. Wanna sit down?" he said, gesturing to a pair of chairs facing each other. I happily nodded, and we sat down.
Before Frank had the chance to say anything, Billie Joe announced, "I am leaving to go find Mike, Jason and that drummer asshole perv friend of mine. Be back soon, don't do anything I wouldn't do. They're just minors..." He winked, and made to leave. "Oh yeah, Billie, I saw them down at the refreshment room thing. They were talking about going out tonight. I, of course, didn't join them," Gerard said, folding his hands delicately in his lap. Billie Joe nodded gratefully. "Thanks," he said, and closed the door behind him, his footsteps receding him down the hall, the dull echoes reaching my ears even through the door.
Frank turned to me, a stunning grin on his face. I felt my heart flutter just a bit.
"So...where were we in our conversation?" he asked me, and I returned his grin. Things were getting somewhere.
