Disclaimer: I do not own MTR, Disney, Subaru, or the name "Framagucci" (I keep forgetting to mention that… it's a long story :3)
Thanks again to the reviewers!
It was the night of the party. Gaston tugged at his T-shirt, trying to pull the wrinkles out. He tightened his belt a notch and looked at himself in the mirror. Not bad. Gaston had never really had any problems with his appearance. He wasn't crazy about his nose; it was too long and thin, like his Dad's. He had good hair, nice eyes, tall, a little on the skinny side. Sure he didn't have Art's brawn, but who cares. At least he had the brains to make up for it. Not that Art was a dummy though. That guy had it made. Suddenly, Franny interrupted his thoughts.
"You're wearing that?" Franny sneered. Gaston glanced at her reflection. She was lying across his bed, flicking through a magazine.
Gaston frowned. "What's wrong with it? I always dress like this!"
Franny rolled her eyes. "Exactly. You want to impress her! This is your first date after all."
Gaston sighed. "It's not a date, Franny. It's my brother's birthday party. That hardly counts as a date."
Franny sat up and tossed the magazine in a corner. "Whatever. At least change your shirt. That one had deodorant stains on it."
Gaston pulled his the hem of his shirt around. "Darn it!" he cried.
Franny went to his closet and pulled out a black collared T-shirt. "Here," she said tossing it to him. He pulled his shirt off. "Oh, and you don't have to drive me to the party. Cornelius and I are going to walk."
Gaston laughed and pulled the clean T-shirt over his head, careful to avoid his underarms. "Yeah, right. At night and through a bad part of town? What if you got mugged?"
Franny crossed her arms over her chest. "Cornelius would protect me! You don't give him enough credit, Gaston."
Gaston snorted. "Whatever. Call Corny and tell him I'll pick him up."
Franny huffed and stormed out of the room. "MOM!" she screeched.
Gaston chuckled. He would definitely win this one. He glanced at himself once more before leaving the room. He clicked off the light and shut his door, whistling as he trotted down the stairs.
He walked in the kitchen to hear the last of Franny's rebuttal. "-so unfair, Mom! I'm 15 years old!"
His mother, Judith, was packing a cooler of soda in front of the fridge. "Not until September, you're not. You're not walking, end of story."
Franny stomped her foot. "Everyone in this family treats me like I'm two years old!" she cried.
"One more word, young lady, and you're not going anywhere tonight. I'll call a sitter and that will be it."
Franny looked horrified. "Fine," she pouted.
Judith smiled. Her daughter was so headstrong. "If you don't want to ride with Gaston, you could always go with me and Daddy," she said.
Franny rolled her eyes. "And have my parents pick my boyfriend up? I'd rather choke," she snapped, before going up the stairs.
Gaston looked at his mother. "I guess we'll meet you guys out there," he said.
Judith nodded and kissed his cheek. "Drive safely, although I know you will," she said. "Franny said you were taking a girl; is that true?"
Gaston felt his ears burn. Thanks Fran… he thought bitterly. "Uh, yeah. Her name is Billie; she's just a girl from my class."
Judith grinned. "Well, introduce us when we get to the party. It's always Art bringing home the girls; I'm curious to know what Billie looks like," she said.
Gaston thought he would die of embarrassment before he made it to the door. "Well, better be off! FRANNY! Let's go!" he bellowed.
Franny came down the stairs tying her hair up in a ponytail. "Jeez, I'm coming! You don't have to shout!" she muttered.
>> > > > > > > > > > > > >
Gaston and Franny piled into his white Subaru. They waved to their father, who was packing up the family van.
"Later Dad!" Gaston called. He pulled out of the driveway and headed for the Robinson residence. Franny was leaning into the front seat, applying lipstick in the rear view mirror.
Gaston glanced at her. "You could have sat up here," he said.
She smacked her lips and sat back, buckling her seatbelt. "I want to sit with Cornelius, and this way you can sit with Billie," she said, her voice dripping saccharine.
Gaston rolled his eyes. After making a few turns, he pulled up the Robinson house… er, mansion. There was no denying it. Bud and Lucille were loaded. Cornelius came trotting down the front steps. He looked spiffy in a blue button down oxford shirt and khaki shorts.
"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" he called. Lucille waved from the doorway. Cornelius climbed in the back and kissed Franny's cheek. She smiled.
Gaston glared at him through the rear view mirror. "I saw that," he said with a smile.
Cornelius sighed. "When are you going to leave me and Franny alone?" he asked.
Gaston smirked as he drove through the circle drive. "When she's 30," he said. Franny and Cornelius made small talk in the back seat as Gaston made his way to Billie's house. He had been there once before to do a history project with her. It was a brick two-story, not too far from the Robinson's. Billie was already waiting on the front porch when he pulled up. She stood up from the porch swing and waved. Gaston gaped. She was breathtaking.
Franny gasped. "Oh, look at her dress! It's beautiful!" she cooed.
Gaston managed to pick his jaw up from the floorboard. Billie was wearing a green and white striped, seersucker halter dress. Her curly hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. She blushed at Gaston's expression as she climbed in the front seat.
"Hi," she said timidly.
"H-hey…" he faltered.
Franny leaned forward and hugged her. "Billie! I love your dress!"
The two girls giggled over something as Gaston drove to the lake. He kept looking over at her from the corner of his eye. I can't do this… I can't tell her how I feel… he thought. Gaston caught Cornelius' eye in the mirror. The blond gave him an encouraging smile. Gaston turned his attention back to the road. He felt like something was lodged in his throat.
Art wasn't kidding about how many people were coming. The place was packed. Some of the parents were setting up tablecloths, drink stations, grills, balloons, banners… Gaston recognized a few kids from his grade. Most of them were Art's age. Franny grabbed Cornelius' hand and dragged him away immediately.
Billie looked at him awkwardly. "I'm going to say hi to Lizzie," she said.
He nodded. He spied a few of his cousins over by the lakeshore. Anybody could pick a Framagucci out of a line up. They all had cowlicks and brown eyes. Just then, a strong arm hooked around his neck. Choking, he gripped the arm and looked up; it was Art.
"Hey there, little brother," he said.
Gaston smirked. "Hey old man; happy birthday," he said.
Art frowned and released him. "Eighteen isn't old!" he cried. Gaston laughed at his brother's paranoia. "Have you seen Mom and Dad?" Art asked.
Gaston shook his head. "They should be here though. Check over by the grill." Art nodded.
Gaston started walking along the shore, kicking at rocks. It was a beautiful night; warm, but not muggy, and there was a nice breeze. Someone had started up some music. He looked over to see Franny attempting to teach a blushing Cornelius how to dance. Gaston laughed.
Billie appeared behind him, smiling. "Hey," she said, "you weren't kidding about the guest list."
He grinned. "Yeah, everybody loves Art." There was an awkward silence between the two.
"You look nice," he said finally.
Billie blushed. "Thank you," she murmured. Gaston swallowed hard. This was it. The perfect opportunity. Just tell her Gaston… tell her you like her… he thought.
"Billie, I-"
Suddenly, Franny came running up. "Gaston! We're cutting the cake!" she cried, before racing back to the crowd.
Gaston sighed. "Come on," he said, "Let's go."
As they walked up, they could see Art standing over his massive cake. Eighteen candles glittered in the dark.
Gaston and Billie joined the rest of the family and friends in song. "-happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Arthur… Happy birthday to you!"
There was an explosion of cheering and shouts of "Make a wish!" as Art blew out his candles. Everyone clapped and Gaston's mother began passing out paper plates of cake and ice cream.
Billie smiled and turned to Gaston. "What were you going to tell me?"
The moonlight made her eyes look black against her soft skin. The wind blew a stray curl across her face. She tucked it behind her ear. I'm just going to go for it… he thought. Gaston worked up his nerve and cupped her face. Her brown eyes grew wide.
"Gaston?" she squeaked. His gaze softened has he lowered his mouth onto hers.
Just before their lips touched, someone cried out, "Hey Billie!"
She turned her head quickly. Gaston's lips smashed into her cheek. Okay, not exactly what I was aiming for… he thought darkly. He looked up to see whom exactly he was going to kill. It was a pale, husky boy with light brown hair. He had a cowlick, but he was too fair-haired to be a Framagucci.
"Joe!" Billie said, her face was glowing. She never looks at me like that… who is this kid? Gaston clenched his fists.
"How's it going Billie?" he was holding a red plastic party cup.
She smiled and turned to Gaston. "This is my friend from first period, Joe," she said.
Gaston held out his hand. "Gaston Framagucci," he said.
Joe shook his hand, "Joe Robinson," he replied, "Nice to meet you; Billie talks about you non-stop."
Gaston frowned. "Robinson? Any relation to Cornelius Robinson?"
Joe grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah, he's my cousin! Well, nephew technically… His dad is my brother. I was a 'late in life' baby," he laughed.
Billie gasped. "No way! You're related to Cornelius? I didn't know your last name, or I would have wondered! Isn't that weird, Gaston?"
Gaston gritted his teeth. "Yeah, weird," he muttered.
"Hey Billie, do you want to dance?" Joe asked.
Billie grinned. "Sure! I'll catch up with you, Gaston!" she said and took Joe's hand. As Joe led her to the makeshift dance floor, Billie looked back at Gaston. She was smiling, but her eyes were apologetic.
Gaston felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. His mind was racing. Does she not remember I was just two centimeters from kissing her? Do I have that little of an effect on her? And she hates dancing! This is not happening! He watched as the two moved to some techno beat.
Gaston kicked at a clump of grass and went to his car. Opening the back door, he flopped across the backseat. He slid a hand over his face and tried to calm his breathing. Of course it would have to be Cornelius Robinson's boy-uncle who would win her heart; only a tragedy that random would happen to me… he thought. He gave himself a mental shake. "It's only a dance… it's not like she's marrying him… it's only a dance…" He whispered the mantra over and over, until he felt himself slip into unconsciousness.
>> > > > > > > > > > > > >
A knock at the window startled him from his dreams. It was Franny. "Everyone's been looking for you, are you okay?" she asked. Her face was worried.
Gaston ran a hand through his hair. "What time is it?" he grumbled.
Franny peered at her light-up digital watch. "It's almost eleven," she said. She turned to someone in the distance. "He's okay, Mom! He was in his car!" she called.
Gaston rubbed at his eyes. "I must have fallen asleep…" he looked behind her. Cornelius and Billie were standing there. There was no Joe in sight; good.
"Are you guys ready?" he stood, only to stumble into the side of the car. He gripped the open door for leverage.
"How about I drive, Gaston? You're still not awake…" Cornelius said.
Gaston looked at him. "Do you even have a license?" he asked.
"I just got it two days ago," Cornelius said proudly.
Gaston sighed. "That's comforting. Here," he handed Cornelius the keys. "Let's go to your house first. I'll drive everybody home from there," Gaston said, climbing in the passenger seat.
The ride to the Robinson's was quiet. The girls were in the backseat. Franny was snoring softly, her head resting against the window. Gaston could see Billie in his side view mirror. Her window was down, her hand resting against the car's metal body. Their eyes met briefly. Cornelius pulled into his driveway.
"Good job," Gaston said quietly. He got out of the car to trade seats with Cornelius.
Cornelius peered in the backseat at Franny and smiled. "Don't wake her," he said quietly.
Gaston laughed. "I couldn't if I tried. She sleeps like the dead," Cornelius said goodbye to Billie and trudged up his front steps. Gaston slid into the driver's seat.
"Hang on," Billie said. She climbed out of the backseat and got in beside him. Gaston raised an eyebrow. She blushed. "I like shot gun," she said. He smiled and drove to her house. They said nothing on the way there. When he pulled up at her house she turned and looked at him. "I had a really nice-"
Impulsively, Gaston cut her off and leaned across the seat, pressing a kiss to her mouth. To his surprise she responded almost immediately. Gaston was the first to pull away. He touched her hair softly.
"Goodnight, Billie…" he whispered.
She blinked at him. "Uh… yeah… Goodnight…" She stumbled out of the car. "I'll, um, see you Monday," she said. Billie shut the door and waved before walking up her driveway and into the house.
Gaston sighed as she closed the front door. "How 'bout them apples, Joe Robinson," he murmured, a silly grin plastered on his face. He pulled the gear shifter into "drive."
