"I'm sorry."
"No, we'll work this out. Trust me, we-"
"It's no use, Gabe. We're broken."
"Don't say that, Bill. Just, please-"
"No," he said, turning around sharply and walking out the door.
Gabe stood leaning against the granite pillar with his arms folded across his chest, waiting. A group of teenage girls were a few feet away from him. He listened quietly to their screams.
"I almost fainted-"
"He was so...cute..."
"Sex on two legs I tell you-"
Gabe wished they would just shut up. A cold wind blew by him and he hugged his jacket closer to conserve body heat. The girls moved away from the spot.
"Into the mall, probably. Fucking hipsters," Gabe thought to himself. An old fellow in a pair of dark blue overalls and a white turtleneck underneath walked past, cleaning the ground with a mop that still had the decaying remains of someone's vomit on it. Gabe stepped aside to make way for him and got a yellow-toothed grin in return.
"Waitin' for the band?" the Janitor asked.
"Yeah."
"Fuckin' Europeans pigs."
"What?"
"I fuckin' spent two hours cleanin' up the shit they left behind backstage last night."
"Oh, yeah. I guess."
"They're music's nuthin' special either," the janitor said, reaching into the front pocket of his overalls and pulling out a copy of Humanoid, "Found this piece of crap in one of the recyclin' bins. I was plannin' on sellin' it on Ebay. You can have it for five bucks." Gabe checked his pockets. He had a ten dollar bill, all the money that he had left for the month. He gave it to the janitor and took the CD.
"Have a nice day, sir," the old man mumbled, taking the note and walking away. The mop he had with him trailed behind him, leaving a wet path on the floor. Gabe stared down at the CD he'd just spent his next three dinners on. It was a waste. He already owned at least five copies of that. But seeing it had made a certain memory return to him in high definition.
"Guess what?"
"What?" Bill asked, his voice muffled as he covered Gabe's neck and chest with kisses.
"I bought the Humanoid Special Edition CD," Gabe managed say breathlessly. Bill stopped.
"What?" he asked, straightening up.
"I bought-" Gabe tried to repeat his sentence but Bill cut across him.
"No."
"Why?"
"I told you to come to me whenever you wanted a CD or anything. You don't have to spend the money."
"I know I don't, but I want to," Gabe replied. Bill stared at him for a while before his lips curved into a smile. He licked his already wet lips and leaned over Gabe again to continue where he left off.
The memory faded into nothingness in Gabe's mind, replaced with the sound of an engine. He looked up as a white Mercedes exited the parking lot. In one of the windows, the unmistakable silhouette of Bill Kaulitz stared out of the car; out of the car and right at Gabe, who watched the silhouette turn away and wipe its eyes on the back of its hand.