Jonathan stood in the center of the stage, waiting for the song to start. His brother, Luke, was managing the songs, but Jonathan managed to get his friend Evan to pull him away long enough to play the song he wanted. He wore a knee-length baby blue dress, long white gloves, and a powdery blue wig. No shoes were present on his feet and a matching baby blue purse hung from his shoulder. Jonathan had arranged this little show to provide an inside to his life with his mother, father and brother. His face was ironically painted into a clown who sported a big smile.
Evan ran by and gave him a quick hug to encourage him through the show. Once he was out of sight, Jonathan took a deep breath before he heard the music start. He laid down on the ground and the curtains raised up. He let out a giant smile when he noticed his parents in the front row, holding hands, making an appearance for the public like a "perfect family" would. The first verse came by and he started singing,
Hey girl, open the walls, play with your dolls
We'll be a perfect family.
When you walk away, it's when we really play
You don't hear me when I say,
Mom, please wake up.
Dad's with a slut, and your son is smoking cannabis
Photographs start falling from the ceiling with the help of two more of Jonathan's friends, Arlan and Lui, who were walking around the catwalk silently. The photos show different scenes ranging from the different women that Ryan, more well known by his nickname Ohm, had been sleeping with to different times Luke had been caught smoking cannabis. Jonathan is up and walking around the stage in the dress and wig by now. The look of shock that quickly replaced Ryan's face as the photos came down. Bryce let go of his hand and turned away in shame and sadness at the sight.
No one ever listens, this wallpaper glistens
Don't let them see what goes down in the kitchen.
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces.
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
David and Brian, two more of Jonathan's well known friends, hand out magazine cut outs of the family's achievements and hand them around. The rest of the audience begins to murmur and compare the two pictures handed out so far. This brings out a big smile on Jonathan's face as he walks down the stairs on the side of the stage. He slowly moves towards his parents and grabs their hands trying to pull them on stage, but he feels resistance. A wild smile flashes on Jonathan's face before he forcefully pulls both of them up from their seat.
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees.
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
Luke walks in to find his parents being seated in the middle of the stage by his...brother? Confusion runs through the older sibling's mind as he sees the panicked looks that his parents give him. The confusion only grows even more when he is dragged up the stage and placed next to his father who gives him a grim grimace. Bryce tries to hold in tears when the camera's flash lights up the stage even further than the spotlight can. Jonathan sways his hips to the haunting melody and he signals Brock and Marcel to stop the cameras. The flashes die down just in time for the next verse to come up.
Hey girl, look at my mom, she's got it going on
Ha, you're blinded by her jewelry.
When you turn your back she pulls out a flask
And forgets his infidelity.
Uh-oh, she's coming to the attic, plastic
Go back to being plastic.
A pale finger points to the audience and shows the ring and necklace that Bryce wears on his body. Jonathan let's his hands run down Bryce's sides before he pulls a silver, tin flask from Bryce's pocket. He walks up to the edge of the stage and pulls out pictures from his small purse, throwing them at the audience showing the last of the family shame. Jonathan turns to his family and throws them a plastic mask, silently ordering them to put them on. Their eyes widened and they put on the masks to hide their faces from the embarrassment that they were receiving. He turns again to throw the flask and aims at Ryan's head, but lands on his lap instead.
No one ever listens, this wallpaper glistens
One day they'll see what goes down in the kitchen.
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces.
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
Jonathan motions to the actions by hiding his face behind his hands and opening his fingers slightly. He plays with the edges of his dress and gloves, swaying his head along to the beat. His hips stopped moving and he bit his lip, feeling the makeup on his face start to run. He looked anything but perfect and that was perfect.
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees.
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
Hey girl (hey girl, hey girl, hey girl, hey girl)
Hey girl, open your walls, play with your dolls
We'll be a perfect family.
Eventually, Jonathan ran out of what to show to the audience, but he guessed that the embarrassment was enough to put them in place again. He went to stand by his brother as the flashes came back on. He wrapped his arms around her older brother's neck and brought him down for a kiss on the cheek. He managed to smear part of his makeup on Luke's mask. Jonathan managed to capture the attention of the audience the moment he started and knew that at least one journalist was in the crowd.
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces.
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees.
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
The song faded into silence and so did Jonathan's confidence. He fell to his knees, the impact only shattering it more. His makeup was completely ruined and camera flashes came from everywhere. Jonathan walked out to the front of the stage and bowed for his performance. He then walked to his family and took their masks, one by one, until their faces showed. The crowd went wild as the questions increased, so he lied, it was an entire audience made up by journalists. Jonathan couldn't stop the insane laughter bubbling up in his throat as he saw the embarrassment imprinted on his family's faces.
Jonathan had accomplished what he had set out to do years ago. The image of his perfect family had been abolished into nothing in a matter of time. Tired with the feat, he sat at the edge of the stage, legs dangling off the edge. Journalists and the press were sure going to get a kick out of the newly released information on the Patterson family. He let out his insane laugh once more before it dissolved into a faint fit of giggles.
A tired sigh escaped from Jonathan's lips and he felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Evan. The rest of the guys were behind him and he let out a small smile. The guys had given him a group hug to which he returned. Near the back of the small performance place, near the doors, were Craig and Tyler. He waved them hello and they replied with a thumbs up on his work. His job was complete and all he wanted to do was nap, sleep away the heavy feeling he wore at the moment before he noticed the consequences of his actions.
Jonathan got out of the group and headed for the small dressing room that was hidden from view. Once inside, he removed the blue wig and grabbed a towel to wipe off the paint. He took off the paint with ease and looked at his face from side to side before nodding in approval of his appearance. Walking out of the dressing room, he was met with his friends who took him by the arm and walked him out into the sunlight that he hadn't seen in awhile. All the rehearsal that his parents made him do for shows started before the sun came out and he didn't stop until the sun had gone down.
Tyler and Craig met up with them after a few blocks and they confirmed that Jonathan had everything he needed moved into the Fong's house. Tyler handed the now useless key back over to Jonathan and the latter pocketed it. The ten of them walk around aimlessly until most of them were hungry. They decided to go to McDonalds to treat Jonathan with a very unhealthy meal which ended up in the bathroom as Jonathan threw everything up again. They got him a double cheeseburger instead, seeing as it was smaller and it would go easier on his stomach.
They finished the day off by watching movies at Evan's house until all of them fell asleep on the floor. Jonathan, of course, was the last one to fall asleep due to the fact that he was in the middle. For once, dark thoughts left his mind as he didn't have to hear his family's dysfunctionality through thin walls. He was...happy.