Happy Holidays!
"Keith!" I whispered to him, walking around in circles, looking confused. When he didn't hear me, I tried again, but louder. "Keith!" still to no affect. "Dumbass!" I shouted. Keith instantly turned around and faced me. His expression was unmoved and annoyed. "Oh, hilarious, Bones." He said, walking towards me. "What are you doing hiding out in an alley? Did you get hired for a hit or something?" He joked, reaching me. I punched his shoulder playfully. "Did you find your stuff?" I asked, my gaze turned on the black and red duffle bag slung over his shoulder. "No, I'm just dumping a body." He said, his face not changing much from the annoyed expression from before. I raised my eyebrows. "Whatever." I said. "The taxi is gonna be here any minute now. Be a look out for Gerard or the band. They'll tattle if they catch me." I told him. He nodded, his eyes on the road.
A little more than five minutes later, the taxi pulled up to the curb outside the venue. "'Kay, Keith. Go!" I tell him, pushing him towards the taxi. "What the-. Bones?" He said, stumbling. "Just go, before someone sees you!" I whisper angrily. Keith takes the message, and trots off towards the yellow sedan.
As soon as Keith shuts the door behind him. I cautiously make my way towards the taxi. I jog half the way, before stopping dead in my tracks at the sound of a familiar voice. The sound of someone I've known for only a couple weeks. Who shares a tour bus with me. Mikey. Crap.
"Bones? What are you doing?" He asks. I can't see his face; my back is to him. "Is anyone else with you?" I ask stupidly. "What? No. It's just me. What are you doing?" He asks once more, his footsteps approach me. I cringe. This isn't good. "Uncle Mikey?" I ask, turning towards him with the most innocent look I can muster. Mikey, sighs and rolls his eyes. "I'll bite." He says, not buying my innocent look. I drop the act. If I'm gonna get past him, I need to be real. "Please, please, please. I need a favor. I swear to you, if you don't tell Gerard where I'm going, I will never ask you for anything ever again." I say, glancing up at his face. He still doesn't look convinced. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the denial.
"Where are you going?" He sighs. "If I'm gonna risk not letting Gee know, I need to at least know where you are." He says. My eyes shoot open. Mikey's face was hard, but he was smiling. "I'm going with Keith to the leisure center a few blocks over. 6 or 7 I believe. I promise, I'll be back before the show starts so Gerard can lock me up with some beefy bodyguards backstage. Since you guys never come in the tour bus while rehearsal, just tell him I'm there if he asks. Please, Mikey. This is all I've wanted to do for a very long time." I tell him my well thought out plan.
He stood, staring off into space, contemplating. After a few minutes, he nods. "Okay." He says. "On one condition." I cock my head to one side, waiting for him to speak. "Once, if you never have to do it again, at least say it once. Call Gee 'Dad' once. Can you do that? He's been dying for you to call him that. Even though he doesn't seem like the fatherly type, he's really happy about this arrangement. He's looking forward to being a dad. And if it kills you, call him 'dad' at least once. Just, humor him, okay?" He told me, my smile evaporating. I nod, whisper a brief "thank you," and bound off to the taxi and climb in, watching Mikey's figure disappear in the rearview mirror.
"I can't believe you got past him." Keith said, walking through the courts of the leisure center. I roll my eyes. "Its gonna cost me." I say. Before he can ask what Mikey's condition is, I interrupt. "Don't ask. Its kinda sentimental." I said, watching Keith cringe. He's not the sentimental-parental-child-moments type of person. Finally, we reach the first empty court at the very end of the room. "No pads?" He asks, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I nod. "Toss it over here!" I call from the other side of the net.
It had been forever since me and Keith had played volleyball. Just one-on-one. By the time it was half past six, our forearms were sore and red and I had won by two points. While we packed up Keith's things, we began a half-conversation through our pants. (As in panting, like when you're tired. Not those useless things you wear on your legs :P)
"So, what was it-" pant "that Mikey wanted-" pant "you to do?" He asked me. I look up from his duffle bag and wipe some of the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve. "I thought you-" pant "didn't want to know." I smirk. Keith shakes his head. "I really don't." pant "But I'm just curious." He says. I sigh, and sit down on the wood floors of the volleyball courts. I wait until I catch my breath to answer. "He wants me to call Gerard 'Dad.'" I tell him. He nods, but I'm sure he doesn't understand. Keith never had a close relationship with his father. He was closer to his mother. So I'm sure he doesn' t understand the value of the situation. I'm sure I didn't either. But a promise is a promise. And wether or not I like it, I have to do it. Even if it shall kill me inside.
We make it back ten minutes before the show started, and Gerard never questioned anything. He just assumed I was chilling in the tour bus for hours while they rehearsed. Keith and I stayed backstage and talked about nothing. We followed the tour schedule and were all back on the bus by 2 AM, heading towards the next stop on our tour: Madison, Wisconsin.
Hey everyone! Before anything I would just like to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and anything else you crazy people just might celebrate! Thanks for the support, everyone. I love you guys, keep commenting, please? Check this guy out, this is the most amazing song ever, and this is the most amazing cover I've heard of it. .com/watch?v=L5xgaFbNxDQ and what I love about this guy, is he's from right around where I'm from. I love you Jarrod!
~Tess (MyChemMouse)
