Zoe, Her Father, and The Guys, chapter 3
"Tre, just a word of caution, when you go out with Mike and Billie, please don't over drink. 'Cause dad used to always get drunk, then come home and beat Mom and me. Drunk people scare me a lot." I warned and explained while looking up at him.
"Zoe, I promise, I'll do my best. So when Mike and Bill come over at seven, you tell them because Mike is the one that drinks the least." He replied, then kissing the top of my head. We reached the mall and Tre gave me a credit card.
"Zoe, don't go overboard. Just buy some pants and shirts. You can get a CD or two and some accessories but don't buy two thousand dollars worth of shit, okay." He advised.
"Yes Tre. I will got to Hot Topic and buy two thousand dollars worth of stuff." I joked.
"And Zoe, watch out for Joey, he is usually here with his friends. You will know it's him when you see him. You can either hang with them or you can stay by yourself. Now get going." Tre replied before he turned and headed into the CD shop.
I turned to opposite direction and started for Hot Topic and then to Flamingos. I came out of Hot Topic with three pairs of pants and eight shirts. Flamingos was right around the corner as I headed there next.
"Hey girl. What's your name?" I heard. I turned around, only to see a guy dressed in black and had black hair.
"Maybe you should try a different approach on a different girl." I returned, then turned around to go into the skate shop.
"Come on. Don't leave me hanging. Would you tell me your name if I told you mine?" He whined.
"We'll see. How old are you anyway?" I asked, looking him over as I did.
"I am 15 and my name is Aaron. What is your name and age all-pretty one?" he answered and asked.
"My name is Zoe and I'm 14." I returned with as much attitude as I could.
"I can live with that. You want to meet my friends?" he asked.
"Can I go in here first?" I returned with a question.
"Sure, I'll go in with you. I can get prices lowered." he insisted and informed. We looked around. I bought a new pair of skate shoes. They were black and yellow. Then I bought a Flamingos board with the trucks and wheels separate.
"Now, we can meet your friends." I said, sticking my receipt in my Fox wallet. We walked around the corner, only to see four other guys in a group. They all had black hair but one. He had green hair. All of them were dressed in black. They all had Cons or Vans on their feet. I was the only one who was a girl and had skate shoes on.
"Hey guys, this is Zoe. She is 14." Aaron introduced me.
"Zoe, this is Zac, Joey, Andy, and Pete. And as you know, I'm Aaron." He continued.
"Joey. Joey Armstrong?" I asked, looking at the kid called Joey.
"Yeah, how did you know that?" he asked, surprised I knew his last name.
"You're Billie's son. I'm Tre's daughter." I answered.
"Tre only has two kids: Ramona and Frankito;" he replied, confused.
"Well, now he has three, because he always had three. He met my Mom before he ever even married or met Lisea or Claudia. Ask him. He's here with me. He gave me a credit card and let me do my own shopping." I wittily replied.
"Fine, so you are fourteen?" He asked, trying to start a new conversation.
"Well, I see you have already been to Hot Topic and Flamingos. Anyone hungry?" Aaron said as he looked at my bags I was holding. They were both kind of heavy.
"Zoe, you want me to hold those? You look like you are having a hard time holding them off the ground." he proposed.
"Only if you want to." I said. Without saying anything, he took the Hot Topic bag and carried that one. The Flamingo bag I could handle.
"Dang Zo, what did you buy?" he asked about a minute later.
"Three pairs of pants and eight shirts. What do you expect from a punk girl with a credit card and only two pairs of pants and two shirts?" I joked.
"I guess that solves it." he said as we stopped at a table in the food court. "Now, who wants what?" Aaron asked.
"Burgers." Andy and Zac replied in unison.
"Pizza." Aaron and I replied at once.
"Chinese." Pete and Joey reported together.
"Okay then, I will go get pizza for us. Joey can get the Chinese and Zac can get the burgers. Okay?" Aaron organized.
"Fine," the guys said and I sat down after I had taken my bag back from Aaron.
So Zoe, how old are you again? 14?" Pete asked.
"Yeah," I simply said.
"Why do you only have a dad?" Andy asked.
"Because when I was a baby, he left to tour with his band. Then my Mom remarried and he was very abusive but she had to stay with him. Then one night, he came home drunk and with a .50 caliber hand gun. My Mom decided she would save me so she pulled a hand gun and pulled the trigger. She was taken to jail and I was sent to an orphanage for three weeks. Then, Tre came and got me. He's my real dad." I explained.
By that time, Aaron had come back with our pizza. Joey had returned with his and Pete's chicken and Zac had arrived with his burgers for him and Andy.
I started a new conversation. "Zac, what made you want green hair?" I asked.
"Your dad, I saw him in that 'When I Come Around' video and I loved the style and color. So there you go. Green hair." he replied, then taking a bite of his burger.
We finished eating and we headed for Spencer's. I loved that store. When we reached the doorway, Dad was coming out. He didn't even see me. But he had bumped into Zac and Zac had said, "Watch it." Dad just stuck out his arm. He was holding a thing that had a hand and the middle finger. He pressed a button and all I heard was, "Fuck You." From the toy.
Well, we came out of the store. Zac had bought a sex trivia game. Joey had bought black hair die. Aaron bought me and him belts. Pete bought a pin that was criticizing Bush, and Andy had bought a lip ring thing. I didn't know what to call it.
"Thanks Aaron. I really needed this belt." I thanked as I put the belt on. I had lost so much weight from being in the orphanage that my pants were two sizes too big.
"Hey Zoe, why don't you give me your number and I will call you tonight or tomorrow?" Aaron asked without hesitation.
"Aaron, to be honest, I don't know the house phone number. Or Tre's cell for that matter." I confessed.
"Okay, then let's find him and get the house phone." Aaron suggested.
"Okay. Let's go to Starbucks." I decided.
"Why?" Andy asked.
"Joey." I said, looking at him.
"Orange Mocha Frappacino." he said, just like Tre, I just laughed.
"Zoe, I promise, I'll do my best. So when Mike and Bill come over at seven, you tell them because Mike is the one that drinks the least." He replied, then kissing the top of my head. We reached the mall and Tre gave me a credit card.
"Zoe, don't go overboard. Just buy some pants and shirts. You can get a CD or two and some accessories but don't buy two thousand dollars worth of shit, okay." He advised.
"Yes Tre. I will got to Hot Topic and buy two thousand dollars worth of stuff." I joked.
"And Zoe, watch out for Joey, he is usually here with his friends. You will know it's him when you see him. You can either hang with them or you can stay by yourself. Now get going." Tre replied before he turned and headed into the CD shop.
I turned to opposite direction and started for Hot Topic and then to Flamingos. I came out of Hot Topic with three pairs of pants and eight shirts. Flamingos was right around the corner as I headed there next.
"Hey girl. What's your name?" I heard. I turned around, only to see a guy dressed in black and had black hair.
"Maybe you should try a different approach on a different girl." I returned, then turned around to go into the skate shop.
"Come on. Don't leave me hanging. Would you tell me your name if I told you mine?" He whined.
"We'll see. How old are you anyway?" I asked, looking him over as I did.
"I am 15 and my name is Aaron. What is your name and age all-pretty one?" he answered and asked.
"My name is Zoe and I'm 14." I returned with as much attitude as I could.
"I can live with that. You want to meet my friends?" he asked.
"Can I go in here first?" I returned with a question.
"Sure, I'll go in with you. I can get prices lowered." he insisted and informed. We looked around. I bought a new pair of skate shoes. They were black and yellow. Then I bought a Flamingos board with the trucks and wheels separate.
"Now, we can meet your friends." I said, sticking my receipt in my Fox wallet. We walked around the corner, only to see four other guys in a group. They all had black hair but one. He had green hair. All of them were dressed in black. They all had Cons or Vans on their feet. I was the only one who was a girl and had skate shoes on.
"Hey guys, this is Zoe. She is 14." Aaron introduced me.
"Zoe, this is Zac, Joey, Andy, and Pete. And as you know, I'm Aaron." He continued.
"Joey. Joey Armstrong?" I asked, looking at the kid called Joey.
"Yeah, how did you know that?" he asked, surprised I knew his last name.
"You're Billie's son. I'm Tre's daughter." I answered.
"Tre only has two kids: Ramona and Frankito;" he replied, confused.
"Well, now he has three, because he always had three. He met my Mom before he ever even married or met Lisea or Claudia. Ask him. He's here with me. He gave me a credit card and let me do my own shopping." I wittily replied.
"Fine, so you are fourteen?" He asked, trying to start a new conversation.
"Well, I see you have already been to Hot Topic and Flamingos. Anyone hungry?" Aaron said as he looked at my bags I was holding. They were both kind of heavy.
"Zoe, you want me to hold those? You look like you are having a hard time holding them off the ground." he proposed.
"Only if you want to." I said. Without saying anything, he took the Hot Topic bag and carried that one. The Flamingo bag I could handle.
"Dang Zo, what did you buy?" he asked about a minute later.
"Three pairs of pants and eight shirts. What do you expect from a punk girl with a credit card and only two pairs of pants and two shirts?" I joked.
"I guess that solves it." he said as we stopped at a table in the food court. "Now, who wants what?" Aaron asked.
"Burgers." Andy and Zac replied in unison.
"Pizza." Aaron and I replied at once.
"Chinese." Pete and Joey reported together.
"Okay then, I will go get pizza for us. Joey can get the Chinese and Zac can get the burgers. Okay?" Aaron organized.
"Fine," the guys said and I sat down after I had taken my bag back from Aaron.
So Zoe, how old are you again? 14?" Pete asked.
"Yeah," I simply said.
"Why do you only have a dad?" Andy asked.
"Because when I was a baby, he left to tour with his band. Then my Mom remarried and he was very abusive but she had to stay with him. Then one night, he came home drunk and with a .50 caliber hand gun. My Mom decided she would save me so she pulled a hand gun and pulled the trigger. She was taken to jail and I was sent to an orphanage for three weeks. Then, Tre came and got me. He's my real dad." I explained.
By that time, Aaron had come back with our pizza. Joey had returned with his and Pete's chicken and Zac had arrived with his burgers for him and Andy.
I started a new conversation. "Zac, what made you want green hair?" I asked.
"Your dad, I saw him in that 'When I Come Around' video and I loved the style and color. So there you go. Green hair." he replied, then taking a bite of his burger.
We finished eating and we headed for Spencer's. I loved that store. When we reached the doorway, Dad was coming out. He didn't even see me. But he had bumped into Zac and Zac had said, "Watch it." Dad just stuck out his arm. He was holding a thing that had a hand and the middle finger. He pressed a button and all I heard was, "Fuck You." From the toy.
Well, we came out of the store. Zac had bought a sex trivia game. Joey had bought black hair die. Aaron bought me and him belts. Pete bought a pin that was criticizing Bush, and Andy had bought a lip ring thing. I didn't know what to call it.
"Thanks Aaron. I really needed this belt." I thanked as I put the belt on. I had lost so much weight from being in the orphanage that my pants were two sizes too big.
"Hey Zoe, why don't you give me your number and I will call you tonight or tomorrow?" Aaron asked without hesitation.
"Aaron, to be honest, I don't know the house phone number. Or Tre's cell for that matter." I confessed.
"Okay, then let's find him and get the house phone." Aaron suggested.
"Okay. Let's go to Starbucks." I decided.
"Why?" Andy asked.
"Joey." I said, looking at him.
"Orange Mocha Frappacino." he said, just like Tre, I just laughed.
