Green Day Is A Boy With A Peculiar Name, chapter 4
Erica had spent the past week picking out her outfit for the dance, and had finally decided on a long black skirt and a black long-sleeved shirt. Nothing too fancy, but not the black pants and T-shirts she always wore. She brushed her hair until it fell perfectly onto her shoulders, curling slightly at the ends. She rimmed her blue eyes with eyeliner and applied just a smudge of pink lip gloss. Perfect, she thought, admiring herself in the mirror. There's no way Mike Joe won't be impressed. As if on cue, the door bell rang. Erica sucked in a breath excitedly, and pressed her ear to her bedroom door. She heard her mom open the front door and ask Mike Joe the regular questions. When they were going to be back, and some boring questions about school.
Erica did one last mirror check and stepped into the hall and walked down the stairs slowly, trying to make an entrance. Mike Joe stood awkwardly at the bottom, looking around until he saw her.
"Hey." Erica smiled slightly.
"Hey." Mike Joe smiled back, a lopsided, half-crooked teeth smile. Erica's stomach turned over, admiring how adorable he looked in black jeans and a black button-down shirt. Before either of them could say anything else, they were blinded by a huge flash.
"Smile!" grinned Erica's mom.
"Moooooooom," Erica whined. "Do you have to do that now?"
"But you two look so cute!" her mom insisted. "Stand closer now, and smile!"
Erica rolled her eyes and dragged Mike Joe towards the door. "Come on," she mumbled.
"Sorry about her," she said once they were outside.
Mike Joe shrugged. "It's okay. You ready?"
She smiled. "Yeah."
"Okay. My dad's driving us, if that's okay."
"Yeah, sure."
They both climbed into the back of Mike Joe's dad's old beige van.
"Hey kids!" Mike Joe's dad grinned as they got in. He gasped dramatically, seeing Erica. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing."
"Uh... thanks," she muttered awkwardly.
"Just drive, Dad," said Mike Joe.
His dad shrugged. "Okey-dokey."
They arrived at the dance within minutes. Mike Joe's dad promised to pick them up around ten later. Mike Joe and Erica walked slowly toward the school gym in silence, searching for things to talk about.
"So... your dad seems nice," said Erica.
"Yeah."
"Uh... are Green and Tre gonna be here?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know anybody else that's going to be here?"
"Not really."
"Oh." Erica scowled. It was obvious Mike Joe didn't want to have a conversation, and she had run out of things to talk about anyway. But she couldn't help smiling at him as they walked into the gym. She was here with Mike Joe, the guy she had had a crush on for as long as she could remember.
******
"Where's Mike Joe?" Green Day asked as he and Tre got out of Eddie's car.
"You'd better find a ride home!" Eddie yelled as he drove away.
"Whatever," Green Day muttered.
"I don't know," Tre replied to Green Day's question, adjusting his bright blue bow tie. He had insisted on wearing it, even though Green Day had told him repeatedly he looked like an idiot. The red top hat he had added didn't help.
"You look stupid," Green Day told him.
"Really?" Tre gasped, acting like this was the biggest compliment he had ever received. "Thanks, Green!" He gave him a huge hug.
"Get the fuck off me." He pushed Tre off.
"Well, fine. Let's go find Mike Joe, maybe he'll tell me I look nice."
Mike Joe. That was the last person Green Day wanted to see, especially now, because he knew who he'd be with. Green Day had been angry at himself for the past week for daring Mike Joe to ask Erica to this stupid thing. Erica had completely the wrong idea about him, and what was she going to think when she found out this had all been a set up? Because she was going to find out, Green Day was sure about that.
Erica did one last mirror check and stepped into the hall and walked down the stairs slowly, trying to make an entrance. Mike Joe stood awkwardly at the bottom, looking around until he saw her.
"Hey." Erica smiled slightly.
"Hey." Mike Joe smiled back, a lopsided, half-crooked teeth smile. Erica's stomach turned over, admiring how adorable he looked in black jeans and a black button-down shirt. Before either of them could say anything else, they were blinded by a huge flash.
"Smile!" grinned Erica's mom.
"Moooooooom," Erica whined. "Do you have to do that now?"
"But you two look so cute!" her mom insisted. "Stand closer now, and smile!"
Erica rolled her eyes and dragged Mike Joe towards the door. "Come on," she mumbled.
"Sorry about her," she said once they were outside.
Mike Joe shrugged. "It's okay. You ready?"
She smiled. "Yeah."
"Okay. My dad's driving us, if that's okay."
"Yeah, sure."
They both climbed into the back of Mike Joe's dad's old beige van.
"Hey kids!" Mike Joe's dad grinned as they got in. He gasped dramatically, seeing Erica. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing."
"Uh... thanks," she muttered awkwardly.
"Just drive, Dad," said Mike Joe.
His dad shrugged. "Okey-dokey."
They arrived at the dance within minutes. Mike Joe's dad promised to pick them up around ten later. Mike Joe and Erica walked slowly toward the school gym in silence, searching for things to talk about.
"So... your dad seems nice," said Erica.
"Yeah."
"Uh... are Green and Tre gonna be here?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know anybody else that's going to be here?"
"Not really."
"Oh." Erica scowled. It was obvious Mike Joe didn't want to have a conversation, and she had run out of things to talk about anyway. But she couldn't help smiling at him as they walked into the gym. She was here with Mike Joe, the guy she had had a crush on for as long as she could remember.
******
"Where's Mike Joe?" Green Day asked as he and Tre got out of Eddie's car.
"You'd better find a ride home!" Eddie yelled as he drove away.
"Whatever," Green Day muttered.
"I don't know," Tre replied to Green Day's question, adjusting his bright blue bow tie. He had insisted on wearing it, even though Green Day had told him repeatedly he looked like an idiot. The red top hat he had added didn't help.
"You look stupid," Green Day told him.
"Really?" Tre gasped, acting like this was the biggest compliment he had ever received. "Thanks, Green!" He gave him a huge hug.
"Get the fuck off me." He pushed Tre off.
"Well, fine. Let's go find Mike Joe, maybe he'll tell me I look nice."
Mike Joe. That was the last person Green Day wanted to see, especially now, because he knew who he'd be with. Green Day had been angry at himself for the past week for daring Mike Joe to ask Erica to this stupid thing. Erica had completely the wrong idea about him, and what was she going to think when she found out this had all been a set up? Because she was going to find out, Green Day was sure about that.
