I Will Always Be There For You, chapter 5
"So...what's your first class?" I asked Joey. We were walking to the bus stop for our first day of school. I was trying to make some small talk. It's rather awkward walking to school with one of your dad's best friend's sons. Not to mention our dads were famous.
"Er...I think it's homeroom. Doesn't the whole school have homeroom first?"
"Oh...uh...yeah. Heh heh. I guess so," I sighed, "I'm just trying to make small talk but you're like talking to a baboon. All grunts and groans."
"Hey! I am not a baboon!"
"Sure...but you're getting hairy enough and moody enough to be one."
"Speaking of moody..." he rolled his eyes trying to speed up to get away from me.
"I am not moody!" I cried running after him.
We had gotten to the bus stop and people were looking at us weird. "Hey, look. Famous Joey Armstrong! How's your daddy doing? Got any arrests lately?" one rather mean looking kid said. He was actually pretty fat and smaller than Joey but Joey looked embarrassed and mumbled something, looking away.
I looked at Joey confused. I mean, this kid was evil and needed to be put in his place! What was with Joey's sudden cowardness? I looked back at the kid, "And you would be...?" I asked in a bitchy voice.
"Harold Becker. And you?"
"Ramona Coo-...er...Wright." How dare I? I almost revealed my dad's name! And besides, I had vowed not to call myself Cool. Too much teasing...wait...who am I kidding anyways? I just got upset at Joey not standing up for him or his dad! Joey seemed to feel the same as well...at least that's what his face looked like under his shaggy hair.
"Well, Ramona, seems you're new around town so I'll let you off easy for now. But I'm suggesting you not hang out with Armstrong here. I don't know if he's told you but his dad's that lead singer in that band."
Joey mumbled something that sounded like, "And guitarist, you ass." and clenched his fist but Harold didn't seem to notice.
"And he's just like him. Always getting into trouble-"
We were spared Harold's rant by the bus pulling up very loudly and people pushing their way past him to get a good seat. I gave him a mean look as I passed and I followed Joey to were he usually sat. A rather lonely spot I might say.
I looked at Harold...wait...Becker? "Didn't you used to be friends with him?" I asked Joey still staring at Harold beat up a little third grader for a piece of gum.
"Yeah," Joey mumbled staring out the window.
"What made him become such a asshole?"
Joey sighed and looked to the front of the bus. "I don't know really. I thought I actually had a real friend for once that didn't care about my dad...and he didn't for a bit. Then he started hanging out with those guys and started changing. He was all mean to me. Then he goes and blabs to the whole school who my dad is and- "
"Why didn't you guys just move?"
"We just had...a different house in the same area so I'd still be going to school with Harold so mom and dad didn't want to get up and move again. I've grown to just live with it."
"Well how long has it been then?"
"About a year, I guess."
"Wow. Sorry you've had to deal with him."
Later when we were getting off the bus I caught up to Harold. "Oh, by the way, the name's Cool. That's right Ramona Cool." The expression on his face was priceless as the bell rang for us to get to our classes.
"Ramona...Wright?" the teacher said reluctantly. He was doing role call. My homeroom was Mr. Gripes apparently. Pretty hilarious I might say. I hear he taught Social Studies.
I was sitting near the back of the room behind some jock guy and beside some girl that looked like she was a Barbie doll and another girl that looked...normal. She was wearing some ripped jeans, a normal t-shirt and...wait a second...that wasn't some normal t-shirt. Oh, great...she was wearing a green Green Day shirt.
"Miss Wright?" Mr. Gripes looked up.
"Here." I raised my hand. The girl with the Green Day shirt was gaping at me. I smiled as she let out a little squeak.
"Yes. You're one of the new students, correct?" Mr. Gripes said, raising his glasses to get a better look at me.
"Um...yeah I suppose."
"Good. Right then. Since it's the first day of school you may all talk quietly and get to know how each other's summers were."
The class didn't need to be told twice. Everyone scrambled over to old friends to talk. Mr. Gripes didn't seem to mind we were pretty loud. He was pretty cool actually. Uh-oh. That girl sitting next to me was whispering excitedly with her friends...they were looking at me...uhhh. What were their names again? I think her's was Sarah...Stephany...Susie?
She walked up to me, "Um..." she coughed, "Hi. I'm Gwen." Close enough, "This is Jane and Ashley."
"Please, don't call me that. Call me Ash," Ashley moaned. Gwen had brown hair and thick rim glasses. Jane had straight blonde hair, bright blue Converse to match her bright blue shirt and bright blue eyes. Ash was nearly all black. Black shirt, black pants, studded belt, heavy eyeliner. They looked the odd sort of group of friends but I suppose I might be able to fit in nicely.
"Yeah...I'm Ramona."
"We know." said Gwen.
"You're Tre Cool's daughter!" Jane nearly screeched. She seemed to be very hyper and happy. I'd like to shoot her. Some people nearby turned to look.
"Yeah...uh...."
"This is sooo awesome." Gwen said almost as excitedly as Jane.
Ash just had that same look of not caring, "Yeah. How was your summer?"
Jane and Gwen stopped their little dance and singing to gape at Ash, "How's your summer? You meet Tre Cool's daughter and you ask how her summer was?!" Jane asked, outraged. I was finding them a bit entertaining now.
"Um...yeah. What else do you ask people? What's your shoe size?"
"Oh yeah! What is<i/> your shoe size?!" Gwen asked all excited.
Ash just put her hand on her forehead. "Oi."
I paused a bit before answering her question. "And my summer was pretty grand. We moved out back here from New York and my mom's getting engaged to this guy I never really liked and now it looks like me and Joey have to deal with fans of our dad's band-"
"Oh yeah. I guess you know Joey."
"Well duh," we both laughed.
Gwen and Jane stared at us. "You're talking to her? Like a normal person?"
"Well of course I am. She is a human being now, isn't she?"
"She's not just any human, she's Tre Cool's daughter!" Jane said in awe.
"Yeah. I get it. My dad's the best drummer in the history of rock and roll. Can we move on please? Jeez. How does Joey handle you guys? You're annoying."
Gwen blushed a bit. "Sorry. They're not [i]that annoying. Otherwise I wouldn't still be friends with them. They'll calm down eventually," Ash said.
Jane just looked like she had been told the best news in the world. "I got told I was annoying by Tre Cool's fucking daughter!" she was screaming so loud now that the whole class stopped and stared at us.
"Ladies? If you can't keep quiet I'll have to send you to the principal's office," Mr. Gripes said.
"Sorry, Mr. Gripes. Jane and Gwen are just being retards as usual. Don't be scared, Ramona," Ash said wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
The class laughed and went back to talking.
"Er...I think it's homeroom. Doesn't the whole school have homeroom first?"
"Oh...uh...yeah. Heh heh. I guess so," I sighed, "I'm just trying to make small talk but you're like talking to a baboon. All grunts and groans."
"Hey! I am not a baboon!"
"Sure...but you're getting hairy enough and moody enough to be one."
"Speaking of moody..." he rolled his eyes trying to speed up to get away from me.
"I am not moody!" I cried running after him.
We had gotten to the bus stop and people were looking at us weird. "Hey, look. Famous Joey Armstrong! How's your daddy doing? Got any arrests lately?" one rather mean looking kid said. He was actually pretty fat and smaller than Joey but Joey looked embarrassed and mumbled something, looking away.
I looked at Joey confused. I mean, this kid was evil and needed to be put in his place! What was with Joey's sudden cowardness? I looked back at the kid, "And you would be...?" I asked in a bitchy voice.
"Harold Becker. And you?"
"Ramona Coo-...er...Wright." How dare I? I almost revealed my dad's name! And besides, I had vowed not to call myself Cool. Too much teasing...wait...who am I kidding anyways? I just got upset at Joey not standing up for him or his dad! Joey seemed to feel the same as well...at least that's what his face looked like under his shaggy hair.
"Well, Ramona, seems you're new around town so I'll let you off easy for now. But I'm suggesting you not hang out with Armstrong here. I don't know if he's told you but his dad's that lead singer in that band."
Joey mumbled something that sounded like, "And guitarist, you ass." and clenched his fist but Harold didn't seem to notice.
"And he's just like him. Always getting into trouble-"
We were spared Harold's rant by the bus pulling up very loudly and people pushing their way past him to get a good seat. I gave him a mean look as I passed and I followed Joey to were he usually sat. A rather lonely spot I might say.
I looked at Harold...wait...Becker? "Didn't you used to be friends with him?" I asked Joey still staring at Harold beat up a little third grader for a piece of gum.
"Yeah," Joey mumbled staring out the window.
"What made him become such a asshole?"
Joey sighed and looked to the front of the bus. "I don't know really. I thought I actually had a real friend for once that didn't care about my dad...and he didn't for a bit. Then he started hanging out with those guys and started changing. He was all mean to me. Then he goes and blabs to the whole school who my dad is and- "
"Why didn't you guys just move?"
"We just had...a different house in the same area so I'd still be going to school with Harold so mom and dad didn't want to get up and move again. I've grown to just live with it."
"Well how long has it been then?"
"About a year, I guess."
"Wow. Sorry you've had to deal with him."
Later when we were getting off the bus I caught up to Harold. "Oh, by the way, the name's Cool. That's right Ramona Cool." The expression on his face was priceless as the bell rang for us to get to our classes.
"Ramona...Wright?" the teacher said reluctantly. He was doing role call. My homeroom was Mr. Gripes apparently. Pretty hilarious I might say. I hear he taught Social Studies.
I was sitting near the back of the room behind some jock guy and beside some girl that looked like she was a Barbie doll and another girl that looked...normal. She was wearing some ripped jeans, a normal t-shirt and...wait a second...that wasn't some normal t-shirt. Oh, great...she was wearing a green Green Day shirt.
"Miss Wright?" Mr. Gripes looked up.
"Here." I raised my hand. The girl with the Green Day shirt was gaping at me. I smiled as she let out a little squeak.
"Yes. You're one of the new students, correct?" Mr. Gripes said, raising his glasses to get a better look at me.
"Um...yeah I suppose."
"Good. Right then. Since it's the first day of school you may all talk quietly and get to know how each other's summers were."
The class didn't need to be told twice. Everyone scrambled over to old friends to talk. Mr. Gripes didn't seem to mind we were pretty loud. He was pretty cool actually. Uh-oh. That girl sitting next to me was whispering excitedly with her friends...they were looking at me...uhhh. What were their names again? I think her's was Sarah...Stephany...Susie?
She walked up to me, "Um..." she coughed, "Hi. I'm Gwen." Close enough, "This is Jane and Ashley."
"Please, don't call me that. Call me Ash," Ashley moaned. Gwen had brown hair and thick rim glasses. Jane had straight blonde hair, bright blue Converse to match her bright blue shirt and bright blue eyes. Ash was nearly all black. Black shirt, black pants, studded belt, heavy eyeliner. They looked the odd sort of group of friends but I suppose I might be able to fit in nicely.
"Yeah...I'm Ramona."
"We know." said Gwen.
"You're Tre Cool's daughter!" Jane nearly screeched. She seemed to be very hyper and happy. I'd like to shoot her. Some people nearby turned to look.
"Yeah...uh...."
"This is sooo awesome." Gwen said almost as excitedly as Jane.
Ash just had that same look of not caring, "Yeah. How was your summer?"
Jane and Gwen stopped their little dance and singing to gape at Ash, "How's your summer? You meet Tre Cool's daughter and you ask how her summer was?!" Jane asked, outraged. I was finding them a bit entertaining now.
"Um...yeah. What else do you ask people? What's your shoe size?"
"Oh yeah! What is<i/> your shoe size?!" Gwen asked all excited.
Ash just put her hand on her forehead. "Oi."
I paused a bit before answering her question. "And my summer was pretty grand. We moved out back here from New York and my mom's getting engaged to this guy I never really liked and now it looks like me and Joey have to deal with fans of our dad's band-"
"Oh yeah. I guess you know Joey."
"Well duh," we both laughed.
Gwen and Jane stared at us. "You're talking to her? Like a normal person?"
"Well of course I am. She is a human being now, isn't she?"
"She's not just any human, she's Tre Cool's daughter!" Jane said in awe.
"Yeah. I get it. My dad's the best drummer in the history of rock and roll. Can we move on please? Jeez. How does Joey handle you guys? You're annoying."
Gwen blushed a bit. "Sorry. They're not [i]that annoying. Otherwise I wouldn't still be friends with them. They'll calm down eventually," Ash said.
Jane just looked like she had been told the best news in the world. "I got told I was annoying by Tre Cool's fucking daughter!" she was screaming so loud now that the whole class stopped and stared at us.
"Ladies? If you can't keep quiet I'll have to send you to the principal's office," Mr. Gripes said.
"Sorry, Mr. Gripes. Jane and Gwen are just being retards as usual. Don't be scared, Ramona," Ash said wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
The class laughed and went back to talking.
