Monday, Mid-Afternoon.
Ŧ Ella.
This cannot be happening, I seriously must be dreaming. Going on tour for a year with a world famous group and doing what I love to do, this has to be a really good dream. I hope I don't wake up . . .
I stopped writing and looked at my watch and then glanced up at the changing room door. "Come on guys! How long does it actually take to try on a dress?" I put my hand on the side of the chair and started to beat my nails across it. "Hel-lo? I'm still out here you know!" I am not a patient woman.
I heard a few giggles from the changing room and then I heard the lock click and open. Two girls emerged from the room in hugely designed prom gowns. The red head, Kasterina Leorano, was wearing a blue onsomble with a large amount of sparkles on the bottom and top. The blonde, Sarah Vahnn, wore a fire truck red gown with slinky spaghetti straps holding up a tight-fitting dress. I clapped sarcastically and I smiled with laughter. They both did twirls, showing off their dresses and I smiled.
"You two look so good! They are just perfect for you, really good choices." I said as I gathered their bags as they went back into the changing room.
"I want to see what you would pick out Ells, I mean; you would be in here with us right now if it weren't for Sarah and her dad." I looked up as I heard Kasterina's muffled voice from inside the changing room. I just smiled and then closed my journal on my lap, putting it back into my black messenger bag that I set back onto the floor. Sarah's dad was a record label producer and he was looking for a decent engineer to help out a band for a year, setting up the graphics for the show, the stage and video productions, etc. I was in an advanced engineering technical school that most eighteen year olds have a hard time to get into. I got in when I was in ninth grade.
Sarah, being the close friend that she is, told her dad about me and my 'technically charged mind' and how I can design practically anything. He met with me and asked what I was doing this year. When I replied school he shook his head and told me that I was hired. I graduated from my tech school last year, and I already have enough credits to graduate my high school. He decided to give me a job. I am now the lead engineer for a band that apparently needs one. Mr. Vahnn said that their previous engineer had a little "accident" if you want to call it. Quite funny actually, he burned himself. Not that bad, but he also said that the band was driving him crazy. So now I am assigned to them. Yippee!
"Aren't you going to get an outfit for when you meet them?" Sarah asked as she put the red dress she was just wearing on a hanger as Kasterina was handing her hers on another hanger to pay for them. I stood up and grabbed their bags as she followed them to the counter to pay for their dresses. They both had daddy's credit cards on them, so I knew that if I needed anything I was safe with money.
"No, not really, I was just thinking of wearing something that I already have. I mean, it's not like I'm going to a party or anything." I said as she waved her hand in relief as she watched Sarah put the dresses on the counter and pull out a gold credit card to hand the woman. I thought she bought the platinum one with her today, huh. I watched closely as the woman handed her card back to her.
"Ells, you are going to be seeing these people every day, you are going to be talking with them and working with them the whole year. I thought that you would want to make a good first impression on them." Sarah watched the girl bag up the two dresses, looking as if she were going to pounce if she saw that her dress was torn or wrinkled. I had never really thought about it actually. I mean, I was going to be riding in a separate bus, doing separate things, and staying in a separate hotel room. All by myself. No family. WHOO!!!
But seriously, I had some problems in the beginning because the company thought that an eighteen year old was a little too young to be in charge of the while engineering department, but that's what made it cooler. No one would even think that a dull person like me could have such an awesome job. I was in charge of other people and could order them around with my power!
"Yeah, but I'll be staying in a separate hotel room, separate bus, and separate everything! Do I really need to worry about what they think of me the first time they see me?"
"First impressions are important," Kasterina added with a nod as she picked up her dress off the counter.
"And you don't want them to think of you in the wrong way," Sarah replied as she bent down to pick up the rest of her bags. "Let's go get some coffee, I need caffeine. Bad." Coffee addiction, it's a terrible disease, and it's truly hard to kick, luckily I did last year. We walked through the bustling mall to Starbucks so that Sarah could get her coffee fix.
"Why would they think of me in the wrong way? I am their technical producer; I am in charge of basically everything that occurs on that stage." I pointed at myself to signal that I am the boss of them. Well, not really the boss but the one who does everything.
"You don't want them to think that you are stuck up or anything if you don't talk to them enough," Sarah mumbled as we slowly approached Starbucks. I opened the door before them and ran in to grab a table, letting them get in line and get their iced coffee and sit down next to me.
"Why would they think that?" I asked as I flopped into a chair and dropped my bags next to me on the floor. I've known Sarah Vahnn for about five years now, give or take. Very strong willed and always gets what she wants from everyone. She is a little snotty and rude, and she sticks her nose in the air to other people who think they are right or better than she is. I met her at our local pool when she moved to our neighborhood. Who would not notice a girl with a hot pink bathing suit and Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses prancing around like she owns the place. First time I looked at her all I saw was a big sign on her forehead that said 'High Maintenance'. The you know, "daddy's girl" thing, where she thinks the world revolves around her.
My mom thought it was a good idea to get to know her, and befriend her for the sake of her being new to the neighborhood. Me thinking she is just going to be an 'acquaintance' of mine. Wrong. Turns out she is a little harder to manage than most girls I know. She began controlling me, telling me what to do, who to hang out with, who to ignore. I am sucked in the vortex that is Sarah.
Recently she has started making comments about me or Kasterina, my oldest friend. I just want to snap and tell her what I really think of her. But that would get me fired from my job, and my friendship with her terminated. I honestly don't care about the friendship thing, being her friend wasn't really my idea from the beginning. But it's the part where the, I'm fired from my job thing that is something I really don't want to happen. I'm stuck with the raging vortex for a while.
"Because you think that they'll accept you for who you are, the famous don't really do that. You have to be exactly like them in order to be and feel accepted. That's why we are going to pick out a new outfit for you right after this frappichino." I got up and grabbed my messenger bag off the floor and left the rest of my bags there. That band would have to accept me in my own shoes, not while I was trying to fit into somebody else's. I saw Kasterina look up from her coffee and glance at Sarah, telling me with her eyes to just shake the snobby comment off and continue to be happy.
"Where are you going, you're iced coffee is going to get warm." Kasterina was always a joker, thinking she could lighten the mood whenever it needed some laughter and happiness. I met Kasterina when I was six years old, she moved here from Texas because her dad's company got moved and relocated. She was bright, and she didn't really have a Southern accent, and she always is smiling. We both met Sarah at the pool that day, and her mom thought of the same idea my mom did. To befriend her because she was new. What a mistake that was. Whatever spell Sarah has on me, she has her claws in Kasterina too. Kasterina always did make everything brighter when she smiled and acted like herself. Not when she was trying to follow the pack and acted like Sarah.
"I need to grab some books on pyrotechnics; apparently your dad said that they wanted some on stage." I said as I opened my messenger bag and looked for my wallet, making sure it was still in there. Grabbing it and shoving it into my back pocket, I put the bag in another shopping bag that I got earlier that day. I did need that book, I mean, pyrotechnics with a giant computer screen too? How was me and my team supposed to pull this off without any help? Kasterina swallowed her coffee hard and then she looked up to speak to me, her green eyes wide.
"Make sure you meet us back at the fountain, we're getting picked up at four because I have practice 'kay?" Piano lessons. I took them once or twice before, but I haven't played in the longest time. That was back when I took choir and used to sing. I haven't used my vocal chords in almost two years. I haven't even sung in the shower or the car, I always hummed or did something else. Even if I do know the lyrics. Kasterina is very passionate about her playing. It's kind of her calling card, the way books, engineering and designing is mine.
I remember when we were little and she started to play, I would actually sing along with her and it got better when I started learning guitar. We were quite good, we entered every talent show and family night and played and sang for everyone. But in high school, I just couldn't keep up anymore. My grades, other hobbies and my engineering classes became my life. Once in a while I go to one of Kasterina's practices, just because I like hearing her play and I learn to pick up a few things.
As I walked out of Starbucks, I felt Sarah's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. I put my hands in my pockets and I turned my headed every which way to try and remember the way to Borders Books. There were so many damn connectors in the mall I couldn't remember which one led where. I was bad with direction, but I could always find my way to a book store. Finally I found it when I checked the fourth and final connector of the mall. It was a good thing that I found it too, people were starting to look at me like I was crazy or some kind of forignener.
The lady greeted me cheerfully and she looked up from her trashy romance novel that she was reading to ask me if I needed anything.
"No, I'm alright. Thanks though." I said as I headed to the little shelf that was labeled, 'Engineering and Careers'. Thank God that they had the signs because I wouldn't have been able to find it. I squatted down in my jeans to look for the book that I would need, since I would have to take it with me on tour to use. They are probably going to think that I'm such an amateur when I use this, I thought as I quickly picked up a book to read the back. It was all about the history of pyrotechnics, not how to actually build a machine to make one. Frustrated and extremely irritated, I slammed the book back on the shelf with a huff. How was I supposed to get anything done on this tour if I can't even find a damn book!
Quickly getting up, I walked to the next bookcase to try my luck again. I shifted quickly through the books and quickly found one that was fairly simple and that had a fair knowledge of the subject. Pyrotechnics for Dummies was not an option here; instead, I went with How to build Pyrotechnicals. The authors seemed to have an idea on what they are talking about.
I got up again and walked back to the counter and met the girl reading her trashy novel. She put her book mark in her book while she set it down to ring me up. "Is this all, hun?" She asked happily as I pulled out my wallet from my pocket.
"Yes, it is." I said as I waited for the amount of the book. She bagged the book up and then punched some things into the cash register.
"$10.32" she answered back at me as I looked down at my wads of tens and twenties. I had baby-sat the week before for some cousins who live not too far from me, and I had gotten paid on Friday from my job at the Country Fair down the street from where I live. Overall, I have about 146 dollars to spend when I go on tour, hopefully it will last me a year. I highly doubt it though.
I handed her eleven dollars as she handed me my bag, and I stood and waited for my change. "Here you are, have a nice day." She said handing me my money and my receipt. That lady was way too perky; I think that they give all of the bookstore employee's happy pills, because the atmosphere is so relaxing that they could fall asleep any second. I know I would if I worked here, thank God that I don't! I thought happily as I walked out of the store and back into the busy mall connector.
My mom is a kindergarten teacher, and my dad works at a grocery store so it's not like there isn't money to go around, I just help out a little bit because of Justin and Addam; my brothers. Addam is nine and Justin is four months old, so I do have a lot of responsibilities compared to Sarah or Kasterina do. I got the job at the Country Fair as soon as I was old enough to work, because I was raised to know that money doesn't grow on trees.
Last year when I got my driver's license I had to pay for ownership of my dad's old car, so it was either get a job or lose the car. Besides, I felt like I did owe them something since they were paying for my extra tech schooling that I was getting. I thought we lived in a fairly large size house, and I thought we have a good life and this job of being head engineer on the tour, was going to make my life even sweeter.
The mall was winding down, you could so tell as you walked though the food court. Not as many people were sitting at the tables and not many people were even ordering food. I took the book out of the bag to glance through it a little, since no one was really walking through the mall anymore I thought that I wouldn't really be in danger of getting run over by some avid shopper.
I started flipping through it, slightly skimming the pages of complex theories and blue print scales. I looked up to see if I was heading towards the fountain, thank heavens it was nearly twenty or thirty feet away from me. I stopped, seeing Sarah talking to Kasterina while she was looking in the little groups of people while trying to find me. I could see from their bags that they stopped by a couple stores on their way here, so there wasn't really a need for moving about.
I looked down again, about to have my final skim and wait to start the book on the plane on Wednesday morning. I shut it and stuffed it quickly in the plastic bag, shoving my brown hair out of my eyes as I went. It was so annoying, It was layered, which made it even harder to keep out of my face when I bent down, but I love my shoulder length hair just the same. Picking my head up I started towards them, waiting to hear what line Sarah had planned for me this time.
I didn't even take one step before a hard mass hit me and I toppled backwards onto my back. My head hit the shiny mall floor and my eyes went up to the ceiling, seeing the skylight above me. My bag dropped beside me as I fell and my messenger bag lay limp at my side. At first I couldn't breathe and it took me a minute, but I finally sat up slowly and started feeling my head for any bumps and or bruises that I might have received from the fall. I looked in front of me to see what I ran into and I felt a small gasp in the pit of my throat.
A boy, also on the ground in front of me feeling his head in almost the exact same way I was. He was cute, he looked about eighteen or nineteen and he wore a bright red t-shirt and a bright red hat that matched, totally weird. Not that weird in the bad way, weird in the good way, like I couldn't take my eyes off him. He had dark brown chocolate eyes and he squinted a little as he fixed and adjusted his hats that covered some of his brownish dreads that went to his shoulders. His pants were fairly baggy and his red shirt looked a little too big, kind of that California-style. He also had a bag that was dropped at his side, he must have dropped it too when we smashed together, it was from Hat-World, a store that I hardly went into.
I shook my head in embarrassment, I could just feel my face getting redder and redder as I continued to sit there and look at him. He smiled and chuckled a little, then picked up his bag as he stood up. He brushed off the back of his jeans and his shirt, making sure there was no dirt on them when he fell. I just sat there and held my breath. He looked down at me and extended his hand down to me. He smiled with his eyes, as if they were telling me to just take the hand already. I reached up and put my hand in his and with very little force; he pulled me off of the ground. I stood there for a minute, and then realized my bag was still on the ground and I bent slowly down to reach it, wondering that if I turned my back he would just disappear.
"I'm so sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going." I stated as I came back up from getting my bag. He smiled and laughed a little like it was some big joke that he totally knocked me over and almost gave me a concussion.
"Nein, nein, I wasn't watching where I was going either." My mind just sparked. German accent. Dreads. Lip ring. Ho-ly shit. Tom Kaulitz! I just almost knocked the living hell out of Tom Kaulitz! "So that technically makes it both of our faults." He stated in his adorable accent, trying to be smooth.
"Ugh!" I groaned as I rubbed my now sore back as I looked up at him.
What?
"Was?" Tom asked me and I looked up again.
"Nothing." I lied, answering his thick German with my English.
"Okay." I knew he sensed something is wrong. To be honest I was ecstatic but at the same time I wasn't looking forward to this at all. I knew Tom's type. Very flirty, always used to getting what he wants from girls, and I could tell that he also seems very persistent. How I am going to get through this I have no idea, and I can see over his shoulder that Sarah is getting antsy.
"So . . ." I said as I shrugged my shoulders and fixed my messenger bag on my shoulder.
I didn't know what to say. I mean, I don't almost give a concussion to rock stars everyday so sue me if I don't know what to say.
"Ah, you have a bruise on your head, right here." He chuckled and I laughed a little along with him. Oh my God why am I laughing when a cute boy just pointed out an injury on my head? I raised my eyes up as if I was trying to look at my forehead, and he smiled as I reached up to touch the side of my head.
"Nein, nein, its right-" he picked up my hand in his and he moved it to the other side of my head and pressed down lightly. "-here."
"Ow." I said as he pressed down on my fragile head. He laughed and then took his hand off mine, like my hand was on fire and it was really hot or something.
"Maybe we should have someone check that bump out." He asked as I rubbed the side of my head.
"No, no, I'm fine. I'm used to running into things." I said sincerely. I was. High school hasn't exactly made me the most coordinated person since I started at Clearwater Academy. I was knocked into lockers by other kids in the hall and I ran into a door almost everyday. I was suprised that I wasn't in a coma already.
"I'm guessing you run into things a lot?" He asked as he reached up and touched my bump again. I flinched in pain slightly, the bump hurt like hell I'll give him that. His fingers were rough as he touched it ever so gently, trying not to make me flinch again. I opened one squinted eye and saw his face and swallowed hard.
He looked . . . concerned, which made my face hot and my arms itch like hell. Everytime I ran into something or someone in school, they never actually asked or showed any concern for me, they just apologized, asked if I was alright and went on their merry way. No one had ever been this concerned with my well-being before.
"I'm kind of a klutz, so I'm not really suprised that I fell or ran into someone today. It's just this is the first time that a bump like this has ever hurt so bad." I smiled half heartedly at him to try and let him know that I was okay, which I really was.
"Heh, I still think we should have someone check it." He smiled slyly and I smiled back, not knowing what else to do.
"I'm fine." I lied so bad, I should go to hell for lying to the hottest guy on earth. But now I was getting a little frustrated.
"Okay . . ." He started trailing off and I sighed.
"Ella." I felt my bump again and I flinched in pain once more. I looked up and saw a confused expression on his face. It seemed like everyone in my family named their kid a name that started with an 'E'. My cousin's name is Ellie, my other cousin's name is Emma, and my other cousin's name is Elise. Ella is just another 'E' name in my family. I used to get called by the wrong name all the time when I was little. It wasn't like I was bearing my soul, but it felt good telling him my name. I felt important and I felt like someone finally wanted to listen. I shot my hand out and he quickly took it, shaking it gently.
"Ich bin Tom."
I could tell that he took pride in being who he was. He smiled at me and touched the rim of his hat a little, like he was trying to fix it again because he was nervous or something. Heh, little did he know that I was just burning up standing next to him.
"What's the famous Tom Kaulitz doing in a little town like Clearwater? I don't recall a concert being listed or anything at the clubs."
I was wondering why you hadn't recognized me, though I was glad you didn't.
"Ich frage mich, warum Sie hatte mich nicht erkannt, obwohl ich war froh, dass du nicht," He smiled at me and I nodded, signaling him to continue. "At first. But now, I'm glad I met you . . ." he said the rest in English, obviously realizing that I can speak/understand both German and English. My language at Academy is German, and I used to take French when I was in elementary.
"So . . . what are you doing here in Clearwater?" I asked, wanting him to answer my question.
"Ja, band stuff. I figured while I was here, I might see somethings and go shopping. Bill and I have been here for two hours and we've been walking around and stuff." He chuckled again and I could tell that he had never actually got a chance to just stand and actually talk to someone in a while. A piece of hair found it's way into my eyes and I brushed it behind my ear and as I did I glanced at my silver watch on my wrist. 3:15. I think it's funny how he starts out talking in German and then continues on in English.
"Okay, so I wasn't intentionally targeted and ran over purposely, good to know. So your in Clearwater on business, that's kind of a drag. I mean, this is such a small town, I would think that you would be here trying to get away from business." I said as I shrugged my shoulders as the hair that I just tucked back behind my ear slid into my face again. He laughed and I did too, thinking that this was just a short conversation.
"I guess, we don't really get a chance to actually sit down and just chill like most people get to do, so just being here is a real change for us. Doing band business isn't that bad, and we love doing what we're doing so that makes it better." He shrugged as well and I saw him grip his bag tighter, his hands were getting sweaty. I've always thought of myself as a very observant person, noticing when a person feels uncomfortable or out of place. Tom looked a little stressed, and I probably looked like a fricken wreck just standing there talking to one of my dream crushes.
"Heh, I know the feeling." I sighed and put the stray hair back behind my ear again. He then picked up his arm and started adjusting his hat again.
"Do you want to sit down? Maybe that will make your head feel better." He motioned to a bench and I nodded and walked slowly towards it to sit. He plopped down next to me and I could tell he had something to ask.
"So, how do you know the feeling?" he asked as he sat back onto the bench and set his bag down on the floor next to the bench, and I did as well, crossing my arms over my chest. I was confused, what feeling was he talking about?
"What are you talking about?" He smiled and then blinked a couple times.
"You said that you know the feeling that you never get to just sit and chill for a while, shouldn't you be out doing other stuff? Like partying?" His lip ring moved as he talked and I couldn't help but stare at it a little. Oh, that feeling. With all my extra classes and my practices for my tennis and other sports, I haven't had any real time to just sit and hang with everybody besides Sarah or Kasterina. This is actually the first time I've been out in a while.
"Oh yeah, I've been working a lot lately too. I guess you could say that I'm really . . . dedicated to my job. Plus all the other stuff I have to do, there just aren't enough hours in a day for me. I have no time." I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, I tried to put it as lightly as I could for him. He seems really interested in everything, and he also seems interested in rubbing his free time in my face. Jerk.
"Same here, one minute we're in one country the next minute we're some place else. We never just get a break, you know?" I smiled, I knew exactly what he was trying to explain.
"Do you want to take a break from music?" I asked anxiously, I listened to Tokio Hotel and was an avid fan, so for my sake and the fans' sake I had to ask.
"From music? Hell no, I would never do that. It's a huge part of our lives and I wouldn't give it up. I just meant from like all the traveling, going from place to place. It sometimes gets annoying." He laughed and I did too. I was starting to think that I was smiling way too much, so I covered my mouth with my hand to try and hide my smile and laughter.
"Just checking, your fans would be really disappointed if you did that, I would be too. Your music is . . ." It was hard finding the right word to sum it all up. I didn't want to really tell him how I thought it sounded, cause I thought my explanation was cheesy.
"Our music is . . . " He moved his hands like he was trying to think of a word as well, but he was also anxious to hear me finish my sentence.
"There are just no words to describe it, actually. And I don't think that you want to hear my opinion, I'm not a famous critic or anything so it doesn't really matter." I made sure that the stray strand of hair was safely secure behind my ear, so that I didn't have to worry about it falling in my face again.
"Come on, why can't you tell me your opinion? Is it bad?" His face turned from a happy expression to a worried, intense look in about six seconds. I started to laugh and he smiled again, not knowing why I was so giggly.
"No, no, it's not bad. My opinions good actually, I just can't tell you."
"And why the hell not?'' He asked as he picked up the corner of his mouth into a sly grin.
"Cause, if I told you, I would have to kill you." I felt my face slowly get redder as I said those words. I was being a little too flirty, and I knew it. Tom Kaulitz is one of the biggest man-hunks on the face of this planet in my book. I read in tabloids and online that he is a player and he likes a lot of girls all over. He has slept with many and he just dumps them for none, but those girls are happy, because they were used by Tom Kaulitz. I also heard he has a one night stand every city they travel to. Womanizer.
"Bitte?" He picked up one of his eye brows and I started to laugh a little. I paused, would he just walk away and forget about me? Forget about what I said? Probably, so, why do I want to spill to him so badly?
"Fein, when I listen to your guy's music, it makes me feel . . . like I'm not alone. You know? Like there's someone in the world that feels the exact same way that I do, but they just have the guts to get up and tell people how they feel. It's like there's a song for every feeling. Sad, happy, excited, depressed, it just . . . it all clicks together and makes up Tokio Hotel. The combinations and the guitar riffs used with it, it just makes up the sound that is you. Everything is the way it should be, I haven't heard a song from you that isn't my favorite, and just to say, I probably never will." I smiled as I spoke, it felt good to tell my opinion to someone who actually listened to me.
"See? That wasn't bad, it felt . . . nice to hear. Nobody has ever put it like that before, I mean, fans come up to us and tell us our music is awesome and that's great. But, you're the first person who ever said anything deep about it. It feels very good." He smiled and I blushed, making my cheeks even redder than they were before. I went through the sentence and checked all of his English, he was getting a little better at speaking but he sometimes skips a few words and makes some grammatical errors. But that's one reason why he's so cute, he doesn't know what to say, literally.
"Can I ask you something?" I needed to know, my curiousity was getting the better of me.
"Ja, go ahead."
"Why are you still sitting here and talking to me? I mean, you're you. Why are you talking to me?"
I was confused, he wouldn't be here just because of my head and I wasn't really pretty so why was he here?
"I can not really descibe it. You're . . . interesting to talk to. I feel like I've known you forever." I blushed and I ran a hand through my hair. This is starting to get interesting.
"Can I admit something too? If you don't mind . . ." I asked again, I felt bad that I was asking a lot of questions but I just had to know.
"Ja. Ist okay." He smiled cutely and I blushed and felt all the blood rush to my cheeks.
"I'm really . . .embarrassed right now. I almost gave you a concussion back there and now I'm sitting here spilling my guts to you about what I think about your music and other things and your just acting like its a casual converstation. I could've killed you!" I was trying to explain it to him as best as I could.
"You didn't almost kill me, it was both our faults. We ran into one another. It feels good to just sit and talk to someone, especially someone as interesting and klutzy as you." I laughed, I knew what he meant. It did feel good to just talk, Kasterina always does and sometimes says what Sarah always tells her to, so its not like I can really talk to her anymore. Sarah, just forget it. It felt nice to just sit here and talk to someone new. Even if that person just happens to be the biggest womanizer on the planet.
"I know, my friends don't really talk all that much. One does what the other tells them to, so I can't really have converstations with them. Then the other is a total drama queen, a real piece of work. I just . . . need a change." I sighed and leaned back against the bench, feeling a little bit more relaxed around him now.
"That must suck, I travel so much I hardly get to stay in one place, but I meet people of all over." He leaned back as well, looking at the ground as he did. Wow, touchy subject.
"You make an aweful lot of girlfriends on those trips too. Try one for every city?" I said sarcastically as I crossed my arms across my chest. It was funny to see the way he smiled and started laughing.
"The tabloids are shit, I haven't slept with over 25 different women. Those people have problems. But they are right, I am not a virgin." I opened my mouth in awe and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh and like you don't have any problems? You might have an STD from all those fucking groupies you like to screw and you have a hat obsession. They're the ones with the problems?" I said huffing. But the part about the STD thing I seriously mean, he could be in real trouble in that catagory. That or an unplanned pregnancy, and I feel a lump in my throat when I just think about it.
"Ha, Ha. But Bill would never have gotten Reden if I didn't . . . you know. Ja. " He lingered and then he stopped.
"Wasn't planning on it were you? Probably was masturbating before it happened anyways right?!" I laughed as I finished the sentence for him and made fun a little too. He smiled and then laughed along with me a little bit more.
"What about you, I could make fun of how many men you slept with."
"Just one . . . . It was really nice while it lasted, but I kicked him to the curb a week later. He was messing around with some other chick." I failed to mention the series of one night stands I had after.
He looked down at the ground and then touched my arm a little. "Oh, sorry. I didn't-"
"It's okay, I'm over it now, he was a major ass anyways. But me and a new guy are trying to go out, so I'm interested to see how this is going to work out." I glanced down at my hands in my lap and I intertwined them with each other. It was a little wierd talking about this with him, but I felt comfortable all the same. Thinking about my boyfriend was a little embarrassing, considering who I was telling.
"Name?"
"James."
I met James this past year, he was new and he just transferred to our school. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, the typical dream guy for any high school girl. I met him and we started talking, and then he asked me out on a date. We have already had over four dates this past year, and I really like him. Not that crush like, I mean I don't necessarily love him either. It's difficult to describe. Sarah had her eyes on him for a long time before he even asked me out, but I get the feeling sometimes that he looks at Sarah a lot more than he does me in the halls.
"We've spent over an twenty minutes talking about opinions, music and sex." He stated the obvious.
" . . . ehum . . .so?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to bother him. I feel like I'm bothering him with my words, even some of my questions or my statements. I just don't want to upset him, I really don't want him to go away or leave.
"I . . . uhm . . . dunno, I'm thinking of something . . ." He said and then he smiled brightly, like an amazing idea had just crossed his mind.
"What's your favorite color?" I laughed as soon as he said it. He just smiled and looked away and then turned towards me again. "Why are you laughing? It's a good question, your favorite color?" I looked and saw that he wanted to laugh too, but he kept it inside.
"I'm laughing at the question. Why is it important?" I stopped laughing and looked at him grinning.
"Because, I think you like blue. You're a blue person." he stated happily.
"A blue person?"
"Ja, a person who likes the color blue."
"Yeah, I do and you look like a . . . red kind of guy to me." I guessed as I looked at his red shirt and hat that matched. Good job Captian Obvious! I really want to internally smack my self in the head.
"Eh, it's a nice color on me. But white looks a little bit better than red does."
"But your wearing red now." Captian Obvious again. God, just stop looking at him.
"Ja, but my white T-shirt was in the wash so that's why I'm stuck with red." Makes perfect sense.
"Oh. That makes sense."
"Okay, now . . . favorite food?" I smiled and thought a little bit. He smiled and waited as I thought and then perked up when I spoke.
"Hmmm . . . toughy . . . I'd have to say . . . A chicken snadwich, from Wendys. Yours?" I quickly thought about the ones I get at Wendy's when we go and it made my mouth water a little.
"Huh, I don't really have one actually. I like all food, Italian mostly. Pizza, spagetti, you know, that kind. But my absolute favorite is pasta." He said as he smiled at me. I never guessed that I would be sitting on a bench and talking to Tom Kaulitz about food, it was actually really funny when you thought about it.
"Huh, that's different. I guess if it came down to it, I would probably have to say that too, but I like all different types of food and I'll try anything." I smiled.
"Okay now, how old are you?" he asked as he turned towards me again. I giggled and he started to laugh at his own question.
''Eighteen going on nineteen in May. Do you need my license and registration, officer?" I laughed and he smiled. He waved his arms in front of him signaling that he didn't have to.
"Nein, nein I believe you. You look like you're eighteen and May, that's only five months away you know." He must have counted this month. January, February, March, April, May. Yep, five months until I hit the big 19.
"Really?"
"Yeah . . . Euhm . . . I actually thought that you were a little older than that." He smiled slyly and I glared at him sarcastically.
"How old do I look exactly?" Stupid boys.
"You look your age, it's just you're a little . . . mature." He said as he adjusted the rim of his hat, he probably noticed my size c's though my shirt. Nice. I was one of the biggest girls in my ninth grade class. Not big like fat, I was only 115 pounds. It was just my chest was a lot more mature than some girls. I was always embarrassed about it but then I started to grow into my body. It's not really a big deal though now, it's just a problem cause some guys talk to my chest instead of my face. Like Tom's doing now. The ass.
"Nice save. Any other questions that I have to answer, or is our little game over?"
"I didn't know we were playing a game, but nein, it's not over." I smiled and nodded my head. He was actually starting to grow on me a little, but I glanced down at my watch and it was getting closer and closer to four and Kasterina and Sarah were still waiting for me.
"Okay, I ran into you, what did you think when you regognized that it was me. " He spoke sincerely and I blushed slightly at the thought of him knowing what I thought.
"I felt . . . Roller Coasters. Like have you ever ridden a really fast dragster, and your heart just jumps into your throat. Then you get angry at yourself because you went on the ride and forced yourself to go through that horrible feeling? Yeah, roller coasters." I like roller coasters, and what I just said exactly desribed what I felt and am still feeling. He is just so full of himself, asking me what I think of him like that. I'm starting to feel irritated and annoyed now. Most guys that I do happen to run into try to pull moves like him. Just they aren't as persistant.
"But I'm suprised, you're a lot more persistant than some of the guys who try and flirt with me." I said skeptically.
"Like a roller coaster, eh?" He put his arm on the bench and he leaned on his knuckle as he spoke, completely ignoring the annoyed and irritated comment that I just made. He won't give up will he?
"Now I have a question for you, is it hard for you speaking English right now?" I had to ask, I mean, English wasn't his native tongue but he was quite good at speaking it. You could still hear the German accent as he spoke, but you could still under stand what he was saying.
"Nein, it's different. I'm so used to my mother tongue I haven't spoken English in a while, but it's nice to do something different." He cocked his head to the side in question and I nodded as I grinned. He was just so interesting I couldn't stop listening to every word he said. How can a person do that? I mean, I just met him no shit like, twenty minutes ago? Already he has me hanging on his every word.
"Yeah, what's your last question because I think someone's looking for you." I said as I pointed behind him to a big bald guy in black with another guy with black hair who was wearing a hat and sunglasses. Bill. He smiled and then got out a piece of paper from his very baggy pant pocket.
"That's Bill and Suki. Ehum . . . do you have a pen?" I smiled and nodded as I reached over onto the floor to get my messenger bag. I searched around inside for a sec and then found a red pen and handed it to him. He wrote down somethings for a minute, then handed me the paper. I glanced down then had a sudden spark of idea, I grabbed the pen back from him and wrote down on the bottom half of the paper, then tore it off and handed it to him.
"My cell phone number. It would be great to hear from you again, call me sometime Ella. If that boyfriend of yours will let you."
"Same here. If those horny groupies don't take up too much of your time." I said as I smiled uncontrolably. With that he smiled and then turned and walked away to Bill who was smiling and waving to him. He said something in German to him, probably about the time or where he was and then I saw Tom turn and wave as they walked around the corner with the piece of paper still in his hand.
I held the piece of paper in my hand for a long time, just trying to recall what had happened in the last two hours. I was talking to Tom Kaulitz and he gave me his phone number. I breathed in and out as I slowly felt the butterflies in my stomach go wild. Wait, wild? I got up to walk to the fountain.
With each step my stomach fluttered and my heart pounded, and I didn't even look at the number yet. Glancing down I looked at the paper for the number. There it was, written in red 504-6620. I couldn't breathe so I looked down and read it again in my mind. 504-6620. I walked slowly to the fountain and sat next to Kasterina in a trance, just act like it doesn't bother you at all. You just got his number, so what? Shake it off girl!
Kasterina waved her hand in front of my face, trying to break me from the trance that I was in. "Ella? Ella, what happened to you?" I couldn't speak, my tongue was swelling inside my mouth and my heart was going way too fast. I saw Sarah come over and stand in front of me, and I stared at her as I stopped smiling immidiately.
"Ella what happened? Did you get the book?" I snapped back to reality.
"The book . . . yeah, I did." I reached down at my side, grabbed the Borders plastic bag and reached in and grabbed the book. I opened the front over and placed the piece of paper in quickly and shut it tight, then put it away in my messenger bag. I heard Kasterina giggle and I looked up and saw Sarah rolling her eyes at me.
"She looks sick, oh, Ella you have a bump on your head!" Kasterina put her head to my face and I smiled.
"Why are you so late?" Sarah snapped at me as I stood up. I saw Kasterina's mom waving at us from the other end of the mall where the exit was. Kasterina's mom looked like an older Kasterina. She had natural bright red hair just like her daughter and she had freckles around and across her nose. She was really nice, like my second mom. She was almost like my mom's best friend, they go way back together and they hang out all the time. She is the one who teaches Kasterina to play the piano, and she taught me when I took lessons. I tapped Kasterina on the shoulder and she looked up and me, watching me point to her mom waving at us.
She stood up and we walked right past Sarah, me not answering her question.
"Ella Vexx you answer me this minute, why were you late?" She was getting impatient and she huffed after us as we walked over to Mrs. Leorano, who was picking her car keys out of her pocket.
"I ran into someone and we talked for a while." I didn't want to tell her who it was, she didn't even like Tokio Hotel so why bother. The first time I heard them I fell in love with them. When I tried to expose her and Kasterina to them, she flipped. She trashed their music and their image. Saying she only likes pop singers like Britiny Spears and Vanessa Hudgens, two people I hate. Kasterina didn't really like them but she approved of them, like when you don't like something but your happy when someone else does. Besides, if she knew that Tom gave me his number, she'd flip even more. Just don't think about him. You have no interest in womanizers who act like they're all that and talk big.
"For a while? You were talking for about an hour! Me and Kasterina were looking all over the mall for you." I couldn't take how dumb she was at the moment so I pointed while we were walking to the bench we were sitting on. It only seemed like twenty minutes to me, really an hour?
"Well you didn't have to look far, cause I was sitting right there!" I raised my voice a little, not really trying to. I hated to admit it, but she was really starting to piss me off. All these loud voices were starting to make my head hurt again . . . damn it.
It seemed like I was getting more and more frustrated as we walked with Mrs. Leorano out of the mall exit and into the parking lot. Sarah kept on badgering me about who I met and why I took to damn long. I just wanted to turn around and scream at the top of my lungs directly at her. Thank God we made it to 's mini van right then, because I was actually considering it. Sarah naturally climbed in first, and then Kasterina followed, leaving me to enter last and close the door on the way in.
"So tell us who you met." Sarah started as she buckled herself in the third seat in the back. I reached back for my buckle and strapped myself in with a huff.
"Just drop it, okay?" I said as started the engine and I slowly felt the van purr beneath me as we pulled out of the mall parking lot. We started to make some idle turns, and then we found ourselves on the highway driving.
"Ells, we tell each other everything," Kasterina started as she flipped her red hair behind her ear. I wasn't ready for this, and I didn't want to put up with it. I didn't even want to talk about it with them, they would never understand the unimaginable connection that I felt, and would most likely never feel again. I have to just forget about him.
"Come on, you can't hold out on us forever." Sarah finished as she pushed Kasterina back against the seat so she could look at me. I sat back in the seat and leaned against the window, utterly tired of them both.
"Oh yes, I can, and that's what I plan on doing." I said wishing they would just drop the subject. I mean, what's the point anyways? It's not like I'm going to get another chance to see him again, so why should I bother? Tom is my dream guy, a guy that someone like me could only imagine up in a dream. Like I've been saying to myself, I just seriously need to forget about him.
I glanced over to them in the seats next to me and I saw that they were still trying to think of who I met. Sarah was running of the names of some of our classmates that we hardly knew. Since Kasterina, Sarah and I were such a tight group, we hardly socialized with our other classmates. Only on rare occasions, like if one person is sick or can't make it to school. I have a few other friends that I hang out with, but none are as close to me as Kasterina and Sarah are. We are, unfortunately, joined at the hip.
Sarah just kept on naming people, some I didn't even know existed. Kasterina was coming up with names too, but she was naming some adults like parents, teachers, and celebrites, but she didn't say Tom's name. Sarah glared at me from time to time, like in between one name and another or when I sighed or looked out the window, I felt her eyes on my back.
"You know you can just tell us. It's not like we're going to laugh if you met some loser and got stuck talking to them or anything, we don't judge." Sarah spat at me as Kasterina rubbed her chin trying to think of some more names to throw out at me.
"I don't care, why does it matter to you so much if I tell you? Besides, he's leaving the day I leave so it's not like I'm going to magically run into him again." I did little spirit fingers to accent the word "magically" so I could make my point a little clearer to them.
"Cause, I just want to know . . . I am your best friend, so basically, I have a right to know." She smiled as she sopke, thinking that if she played the best friend card she'd get her way. No chance. I wasn't going to let her walk all over me. I saw Kasterina look down at the floor of the car when Sarah said that she was my best friend. I've known Kasterina longer than her and she knows it. I don't know why she does that, she knows that it makes Kasterina upset. Sarah was always the one who has to do the talking. Kasterina was the type of person who was easily manipulated by others, so whatever Sarah said or told her to do, she did it more often than me. In this agruement, Kasterina was the one who was going to stay quiet and listen.
"I told you to just drop it!" I raised my voice to a level I knew I could have never reached before because my voice cracked a little. I waited for Sarah's reaction to my little outburst and I glared at her waiting for whatever she was going to throw at me next.
"Will you just tell me already?!?" Sarah shouted back at me and I saw Kasterina flinch at the closeness of her mouth to her ear. She just basically shouted into her ear and almost deafened her. I couldn't do this anymore, I couldn't argue with her. She just makes me so frustrated and she is just so damn annoying!
"Fine! Tom Kaulitz! There? Are you happy now?" I shouted at her right back and I turned towards the window and and looked out at the busy traffic passing us by on the highway.
"Who? I've never heard of him before. Is he cute?" Sarah just laughed and smiled, knowing that if she pushed me hard enough, she'd get her way. Again.
"No. You would'n't have heard of him. Just forget him, he's not worth it. Besides, I have James I don't need another guy." I said as I grogily looked out the back window and saw a mini cooper speed pass us on the highway. I'm leaving with the band tomorrow after I meet them. So why should I really bother, and James can call me.
"Come on, there's got to be a way. Lots of people have long-term relationships and it all works out." I looked over to Kasterina, who had finally spoken up in our little quarrel/converstation. I smiled, I had to. Kasterina is always the positive reinforcement between the three of us. It's usually Sarah, throwing orders around to everyone, and me, who rejects those same orders and fights with her. Kasterina is the one who sits on the sidelines and steps in when we are at each other's throats. With her, there could always be a way. Even is there was no hope in the first place, she could always find a little light that would make everything brighter and better.
"Kasterina, there's just no way on this one. I have a job to do and so does he. We won't be able to call or see each other, but thanks for the input." The smile on her face faded and she then looked down at the floor of the car. I patted her on the back and she looked up and gave me a little half-hearted smile, and a look that said, I probably shouldn't have said anything.
Sarah huffed and sat back into the seat crossing her arms and half-glaring out the window at the cars passing us.
"If you can't see or call him, it probably means it's fate. It's obviously not meant to be, that's all." Just right there in the back car seat, my heart vigorously snapped in two. He couldn't have been that interested in me anyways, he's only into pretty girls, not high schoolers who work for a living. I have to forget about it. About everything that we said, what we talked about, about even meeting him. He doesn't matter anyways, I have a job to do.
I put my hand on my chest and turned to look out the window, I looked down at my hand and set it down on my lap. Sarah started laughing and telling us a pointless story about her many boy-toys and how they got into a stupid long-term phone arguement. I looked at her and just wanted to pounce on her and just scream at her until she wrapped her mind around how much of a bitch she was.
I didn't feel like talking to anyone the rest of the way home, I just didn't want to. finally pulled into a ritzy looking neighborhood and pulled into Sarah's driveway. Sarah stopped talking and grabbed her shopping bags and climbed out happily.
"Bye ladies, Ells, call me after you meet the band! Chaio!" With that she got out and slammed the van door and skipped happily up to her giant house, shopping bags in hand. I loved how she could just tear someone's heart out and tear up their feelings, and then just walk away like nothing happened, or like she did nothing wrong.
"Uh, ? Can you just take me home, I still have some last-minute packing to do." I could tell Kasterina was okay with me needing my space after that little talk. Mrs. Leorano looked in the front mirror back at me and I could see her green eyes blink.
"So are you excited? You get to leave for a whole school year huh?" Her southern accent was really refreshing after Sarah's screaming and spatting.
I blinked and I smiled a fake little smile for her. "I'm estatic, it's going to be great."