Hi readers! Sorry this took so long, but I was trying to figure out how to put this next chapter. Anyway...keep reviewing! I love hearing from you guys! You are the best!
Gerard
Frank's an ass. But two can play at that game. I'll get him back, and soon. And the worst part was, they all laughed at me. For about 10 minutes. And in front of Ember, too. Jesus, that was so embarrassing.
But whatever. I don't care. I'm not even mad.
The pizza guy showing up helped me save face, though. There was so much food that Frank had to get off the couch and come and help me, and everyone was so hungry that they forgot to laugh at me when I came back into the room. We stuffed ourselves with pizza and chicken wings – except for Frank. The little vegetarian ate his veggie pizza, while trying to convert everyone else to vegetarianism, or whatever it's called. After we had eaten most of the food, Ember turned to me.
"Dad, can I hear some of your music? Like a CD or something?" She asked. Oh yeah. She had never heard our band. I turned to the guys.
"I think we can do better than that, don't you, guys?" They all nodded, and we headed up to the music room.
"Oh, shit – Pedicone's not here. We don't have a drummer." Ray exclaimed. Frank face-palmed.
"Shit, you're right. Wait – doesn't Billie's son drum? It's not too late – we could call him and ask him to come over." Frank said.
Ember
"Yeah, alright. I'll go and call him." Gerard left the room.
"Who's Billie?" I asked Mikey.
"Ohh, you don't know? He's the frontman for Green Day – you ever heard of them?" Mikey looked shocked about my lack of expertise.
"Well, um, mom didn't like music. She said it wasn't dependable enough, and that it wasn't a priority."
"WHAT?" Frank shouted "Mandy said that? Mandy?" He cussed under his breath.
"Yeah. Why?" I asked, getting defensive.
"She was the one who helped us get the band together. She's the inspiration Gerard had for some of our best songs. She was an amazing pianist, and she went to so many concerts that I don't think even she could keep track of them all." Frank said seriously.
"Wait- no, not my mom. She didn't like music, not at all. She told me." I was struggling to keep it together. Just then Gerard walked in, and, after looking at Frank, and then at me, noticed something was wrong.
"Ember? Are you okay?" He put his arm around my shoulder
"No! I'm not okay! I'm learning that my mom, who told me my entire life, lied to me! She never told me anything! I'm just a little pissed off!" I threw myself onto a chair. Just then, a voice outside the door spoke.
"Pissed off enough to write a song about it?" Came the boy's voice from the hall. And then he walked in. I stared at him for a moment. He smiled.
"I'm Joey Armstrong, I live down the street." He said. And then I realized who he was. He was the boy in the concert t-shirt and ripped jeans that I had seen going to school.
"I-I'm Ember." I stuttered, and blushed. He smiled, and his brown eyes grew soft.
"So, anyway, I heard you wanted to hear your dad and the guys play. Do you still want to, or should I go…?" He looked around the room. Everyone looked at me.
"N-no, go ahead. I don't want to bother anyone…" I trailed off. Everyone grabbed an instrument. Except Gerard. He grabbed the microphone from the small glass room and walked back. Ray and Frank were tuning guitars, Mikey was plucking random notes on a bass, and Joey had settled behind the drum set.
"How about we do 'Na Na Na', you guys?" Ray suggested. Everyone nodded. Gerard turned to Joey.
"You know the beat for this?" He asked
"Yup. Let's do this." Joey counted them in, and they started playing.
It was incredible.
They all put so much into it, you'd think that they were playing for a thousand people, and not just me. It was so great, and when they finished I applauded.
"Wow. Holy shit you guys, that was amazing." I said.
"Thanks, hon. Anyway, d'you wanna play?" Ray asked me. I shook my head.
"Sorry, I don't play." Gerard turned to them.
"Yeah right. I put her on the piano earlier, and she was great." He turned to me "Do you think you know the notes enough to try a song?"
"Umm, I think so." I sat at the piano, and Gerard brought a small book of sheet music over.
"This song's called 'Cancer'. Here, I'll show you a bit, and then you can try it." He played a bit, and I was surprised to realize that I could follow him through the notes. When he finished, he stood up. "All right, your turn."
I slid into the piano bench, and subconsciously noticed everyone looking at me. Calm down, Ember. You can do this. And I did. It was almost natural, and I know I messed up occasionally, but I made it through the whole song. Ray, Frank, Gerard, Mikey, and Joey all looked at me.
"How long have you been playing for?" Mikey asked
"Umm, since this morning. But I'm not that good."
"Yes, yes you are." Joey said, and I looked at him. I blushed, and he smiled. "Don't be so shy, we're neighbors now. Anyway, you guys, I had a great time, but I have a big ass test tomorrow and I need to pass. Nice meeting you, Em." He stood up and left.
Frank looked at me when we heard Lynz close the door after him.
"You like him, don't you? Awww! Ember likes Joey! That is so cute!" He smiled,and began singing the tune of 'Ember and Joey, sitting in a tree…'"
Ray cut him off. "Shut up, midget."
Frank's smile disappeared immediately. I'm not that short!" He protested. "I'm 5'4!"
Mikey smiled. "You keep telling yourself that, shorty."
"I'M NOT SHORT!" Frank looked pissed. "Ember's shorter than me!"
"Ember is also a 14 year old girl. You're turning 30 next month." Gerard looked smug. I guess he was getting even with Frank for the pants thing earlier. Ray decided to diffuse the situation.
"Guys, you wanna go play video games or something?" He asked worriedly, probably because he didn't want a fight in front of me. Frank calmed down.
"Yeah, sure." And that was it. We played Donkey Conga and Call Of Duty – or at least they played, and I lost - until 11 pm, when Jamia dragged Frank, Cherry, and Lily home.
"It's not that late, Jamia!" Frank protested.
"Maybe not for you, but you have 2 small girls who need sleep. We're going. Oh, and it was nice meeting you, Ember, dear." She smiled, and Frank hugged me before they left. Ray and Christa left next.
"We're gonna head out now too, alright? We have a small shopping trip tomorrow, and we need to get out early. Bye Ember!" Ray said, and he and Christa headed out. Mikey and Alicia were standing in the hall and getting ready to leave, too.
"You leaving now too, bro?" Gerard asked Mikey
"Yeah. We're going to Alicia's parents for lunch tomorrow, and I need some sleep. They're always saying how the cicrcles around my eyes make me look like a vampire." Mikey said, and he followed it with a yawn. Alicia waved and said goodbye, and they headed out, Mikey's arm around his wife's waist.
"Well, Ember? Whattaya think of your family?" Gerard asked
"I like them." I yawned. "I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted from getting my ass kicked at games." Gerard smiled and hugged me.
"Sleep tight."
I headed upstairs, cleaned up, and crawled into bed. Lynz stuck her head in the door.
"Sorry to bug you, just wanted to make sure you're okay." She asked
"I'm fine, thanks, Lynz." I answered. She smiled.
"Well, alright then. See you in the morning." She left and closed the door.
As tired as I was, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to the boy I had met today. Joey.
C'mon, Ember. Stop thinking about people who aren't thinking about you. I told myself, and I drifted off to sleep with Joey's face in my mind.
