Author's Note: *does rather disturbing victory dance* I broke a hundred! I broke a hundred! WOO HOO! Oh my, how loved I feel! Muffins for all reviewers, I have never gotten more than a hundred reviews before in my life! OH HAPPY DAY!
Ah yes, and just for the record, I just got my braces on and MAN my jaw hurts like a bitch ... Please have mercy on me if this chapter isn't exactly a work of art. ;-)
Disclaimer: I own Race's family, Spot's family, and Adrienne ... basically every female character mentioned, I guess. Don't own anything else, please don't sue!
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Chapter Seven – Midlife Crisis
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RedSuspendahs99: Arrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh...
EmusRockMySocks: Hello, sunshine.
RedSuspendahs99: I'm groooooooouuuuunded...
EmusRockMySocks: Are you kidding me?
RedSuspendahs99: NO! Man, I am extremely pissed off.
EmusRockMySocks: Whadjya do?
RedSuspendahs99: I didn't tell my mom where I was going.
EmusRockMySocks:?
EmusRockMySocks: Seriously? That's it?
RedSuspendahs99: YES! And it sucks on crap!
EmusRockMySocks: lol
RedSuspendahs99: Augh, I gotta go. See you later.
EmusRockMySocks: Bye.
He signed off and I sat there for a minute, staring at the screen and thinking hard. I needed to talk to someone. Badly. Not Mama, she would spill pasta sauce all over me ... Papa didn't seem like a safe bet either ... Angelo was out of the question...
Gino. Where was Gino?
Dammit, he was at basketball practice.
Aw crap. Lia was the only person left. The last person I wanted to talk to, but the only one I could talk to.
Man, I hate life.
"LIA!" I yelled, standing up and heading out of my room.
"WHAT?" she yelled back from her and Gino's room over the noise of her music. Green Day, I think, but you never can tell...
"CAN I COME IN?" I yelled.
"NO!" she yelled.
"PLEASE? I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" I yelled.
There was a moment of silence. I think she was stunned that I was actually asking to talk to her. Creepy. Suddenly, the music went off. "Yeah, come in," she said. I opened the door.
She was lying upside-down on her bed with her long black hair hanging over the edge. She had her sketchbook on her lap and she was drawing Harrison Ford. Heh heh, I really don't get the credit I deserve. If it weren't for me, she'd still be drawing Nick Carter. Horrifying, ain't it?
"Whaddaya want?" she asked fondly as she perfected his oddly crooked smile. "Little heart-to-heart between siblings, eh, brace-face?"
Now this is when I worry. I got my braces off over a month ago.
"Um..." I suddenly found myself wondering whether or not I really wanted to talk to her about this. A rather touchy subject, if you ask me, and certainly not something one would want to talk about with one's older sister.
She tore her large brown eyes away from her picture and fixed them piercingly upon me. "Spill, man, I don't got all day."
Holy shit, my older sister talks like a guy.
"Well..." I began slowly, sitting down next to her. "Um ... What would you say if I told you I was ... y'know, gay?"
She looked me over. "I'd say congratulations, guys are much more fun than girls anyway."
"What?!" I was astonished that she wasn't fazed in the slightest by the idea. "Wouldn't you be kind of creeped out or something?"
"Nah." She turned back to her picture. "You know Tom, right? My friend I had over a couple times, bright blue hair? He's gay and that doesn't bother me."
"But I'm your brother," I insisted.
"How does that make it any different? This is better, in a way. Now I won't be all disappointed that we can't go out."
That was an odd thing to say.
I never knew my sister was such an open-minded person.
"What ... do you think Mama's gonna say?" I asked slowly.
Lia looked back up at me, concern in her eyes. "Y'know, Tony," she said thoughtfully, "I really don't know."
Not exactly the answer I was looking for. "So I shouldn't tell her?"
"I dunno. Honestly, I don't think you should tell anybody until you are completely sure that you are gay. I mean, imagine if you figured out later on that you were just a confused sixteen-year-old with serious issues." She smiled. "I read in some book a while back that it's normal for teens to 'experiment' with each other a little. Hell, even Gino's messed with his friends once or twice."
My jaw dropped. "Are you friggin' kidding me??" Gino the babe-magnet making out with guys. For the life of me I couldn't picture it.
"Aw sure," Lia laughed. "I walked in on him and his friend Zach shirtless and all over each other one night, then the next thing I knew he was goin' steady with some other girl. It's just natural, I guess."
My older sister. The shrink.
"Have you ever ... 'experimented'?" I asked, unsure of whether I wanted to know the answer.
She thought for a minute. "Actually, I haven't," she said finally. "Never occurred to me that that was an option. Doesn't interest me in the slightest, to tell you the truth. Must be a guy thing."
"Yeah." Whoa. I hadn't talked to my sister like this for a long time. It was kinda nice and cozy, in a weird way.
"Alright. Now that you are feeling more in touch with yourself, I am going to finish this picture if it's the last thing I do." She sat up and turned Green Day back on. "Please make yourself scarce, Tony dear."
Way to ruin the nice and cozy moment, Lia. Sheesh.
*
The next day after school I managed to shake Itey and Skittery off and head over to the Public Library.
Hey, shut up! I had a special errand that I wanted to get done and nothing was standing in my way today. (Otherwise, believe me, I wouldn't be caught dead in that place.)
"Hi," I said to the young woman at the counter.
She turned in a sort of slow-mo, thick blonde hair swinging gracefully over her shoulder. "Hey," she said, flashing me a knockout smile. She winked at me.
I blinked. "Um..."
Dammit, I needed that little piece of paper ... I groped in my pockets, finally grabbing hold of it, and trying to decipher my cramped handwriting. "Could you get me ... The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden?"
"Sure thing, hon," she said, winking again and heading over to her computer.
Aaah.
All right, this girl was seriously freaking me out. Why was she looking at me like that? AAAH! SHE WINKED AT ME AGAIN! This was very scary, I felt like shrinking into my sweatshirt.
Ah yes, the little voice in my mind reminded me, this is how people who are attracted to each other behave.
"Well then why am I so creeped out?" I asked it. Several people looked at me oddly, but I ignored them.
Because you're not attracted back.
"Ah. I see."
"Here you go," said the girl. "The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden. Enjoy!" She winked yet again. All right, she MUST have something in her eye... "It's a classic. Is this your first time reading it? I do like a man who's not afraid to show his interests in unusual things."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "I ... gotta go."
Yeah, she was definitely flirting.
Ew.
I hurried out of the library and sat myself down next to one of those big lion statues. They're kind of my friends. I've even named them: the one on the left is Calvin, and the one on the right is Georgia. Right now I was sitting next to Calvin, but I'd soon move over next to Georgia so that she wouldn't get jealous.
"So maybe I wasn't attracted to that random girl behind the counter, even though she was stunningly gorgeous and extremely flirtatious," I said to him. "That doesn't mean I'm gay. Does it?"
Calvin stared stonily back at me.
"Aw thanks for the support," I snapped. "Y'know, I think I'm gonna go and sit next to Georgia. She's more sympathetic."
He decided to ignore this comment. He's very good at that. I resisted the urge to throw the new book at him and instead stuck out my tongue and walked across the steps over to Georgia.
Needless to say, I was certainly getting quite a few funny looks from other people by now. I didn't care. I was going though a midlife crisis at age sixteen.
I sat down next to Georgia and opened the book. "A mouse was looking at Mario," I read. Wow. What kind of a name is Mario? Heh, no wonder Spot liked this book. He's always been a bit deranged. "The mouse's name was Tucker, and he was sitting in the opening of an abandoned drain pipe in the subway station at Times Square. The drain pipe was his home. Back a few feet into the wall, it opened out into a pocket that Tucker had filled with the bits of paper and shreds of cloth he collected. And when he wasn't collecting, "scrounging" as he called it, or sleeping, he liked to sit at the opening of the drain pipe and watch the world go by."
I shut the book and turned to Georgia. "Spot Conlon is the weirdest person I have ever met," I told her.
"Said the boy talking to a stone statue," said the old homeless man sitting next to me. "I think you'd better figure out your own life before you go making judgments about other people, son."
Well I'll be. Why are homeless dudes always so friggin' wise??
I turned to him. "You know, maybe you're right."
"Of course I am," said the man, smiling. He was a friendly looking guy, African-American, with a dark brown hat and lots of freckles over his nose and cheekbones. He had an old battered guitar case at his side and he was clinging to it as though it was the only thing he cared about in the world.
"You ever been in love?" I asked him suddenly. Don't ask me why; he just seemed like the right person to ask.
"Sure I have," he answered and patted his guitar case. "This is my baby right here."
I grinned. "You ever been in love with another person?" I clarified.
"Ain't you a bit young to be in love?" he asked, looking me over.
"Maybe." I shrugged. "Is there really an age for love?"
"Aha!" he exclaimed, starting to laugh. He patted me on the back, shaking his head back and fourth. "Exactly the answer I was lookin' for, son. I like you." He breathed deeply and folded his hands across his stomach. "Can't say that I've ever really been in love, though. Heard it's amazing."
"Well it's not," I said.
He raised his eyebrows.
"Whaddaya do..." I ran my fingers across the spine of the book, trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to say. "What do you do if you love someone but you know they don't love you back?"
The old man's thick eyebrows went up even higher at this. "Ah..." he said thoughtfully. "You ask tricky questions, m'boy, real tricky questions."
We sat and watched a pigeon try and poop into a woman's coffee cup. She would move it every few seconds, and the stupid bird would waddle over to it and try to place it's feathery bottom on it again. The process continued for almost a minute until the woman finally got up and moved to a different bench.
"Well honestly," the man said slowly, "I think you should tell this person even if you don't think they could ever love you back."
"Wha—"
"'Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so.' –David Grayson," he interrupted me.
I looked at the man again. Whoa.
I smiled. "Hey, I should get going," I said, standing up and reaching into my pocket. "Here—" I handed him a ten dollar bill. "—I've got some business to attend to."
"Hey, no problem," he answered, accepting the money graciously. He grinned at me, and his face wrinkled pleasantly around the edges of his smile and the corners of his eyes. "Good luck, kid."
I decided not to wave goodbye to Calvin and Georgia (some help THEY had been) and headed down the steps and around the corner.
"Man," I said to myself. "So far today I've had discussions with my older sister, two stone lions, a homeless black man I have never seen before in my life, and the little voice inside my head."
Dude. When they said love messes with your mind, I never realized exactly how serious they were...
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Shoutouts!!
PsYcHoJo: lol!! I love it when people sing along with my stories, it makes me so proud! My mom would never ground me, either; I actually break into song quite as frequently as my characters do, and it drives my family out of my mind. Thanks for the review, lol!
Repeats: Yeah, Scout told me about your Perronne friend ... There's this really hot kid in our school with the last name Perron, though, so I was trying to think of a last name and that one came to mind. He doesn't look like a grasshopper though, and I think that's how I described the teacher ... Nevermind. Anyway, you are an Anastasia FANATIC! Ahh you had a hysterical review, THANK YOU! Lova ya! ;-)
Scout73: Aw I'm too lazy to explain the whole Perron thing. Read Reps' shoutout, it's the one before yours. ;-) AHAA! RACEY-POO! MAN I seriously cracked up when I read that, absolutely hysterical! My lovey dovey Racey-pooooooo! I'm boo hoo hoo for yoooooooou! You rock, Scout, thanks for the review!
Alexandra Paige: Aw thanks!! :D :D By the way, what exactly do you mean by "this section of FFN"? Just wondering. Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for the review!
Coin: AHA! The fist person to actually ANSWER one of Adrienne's questions! You get a cookie for that, tres bien! Thanks so much for the review, I love ya!
Deanie: Aww thanks! I actually break into song just like my characters, so don't feel alone (lol). And never fear, Jacky-boy will have a part in this fic, albeit a rather small one. Well I mean it'll be a crucial role but he won't actually BE IN THE FIC that much. Ya get what I'm saying? Nevermind, I have a tendency to mess with people's minds and it upsets them. Thanks for the review, I love Mulan too!!
Shadowlands: Aww I'm sorry! Well you can get as many awards from me as you want, I'd be happy to give them to you. I find Dutchy oddly sexy too, in a very dorky kind of way. I like his glasses and his geeky smile. Thank you so much for the review, I love ya!!
arwenewstar88: Never fear, there's gonna be some good kissing at the end but I'm not so sure about the sex thing. Not that I don't absolutely ADORE the idea of Race and Spot in bed together ... it's just that I've never written a story including sex. Ever. In my life. I'm not a particularly confident person so I probably won't go there, but you never know ... Anyway thanks so much for the review! (And update your new story for Christ's sake, man, I like it!)
rumor: Ah, clever strategy, if you ask me. Your reviews are always real interesting because you react to EVERYTHING just as it happens. AAH! What have you heard about Harry dearest? (Ok so I'm not THAT big of a fan but I am uninformed and curious.) Thanks for the review, I love ya!
Studentnumber24601: Yeah, I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't exactly "up to stellar", if you will. (Dear god, I'm staring to sound like my French teacher...) Ya gotta take into account that I am just thirteen years old and I think that kind of shows in my writing style. Anyway, I am very glad that you managed to survive Boston with your Yankees hat on. ;-) I was in New York for a couple days this week and I can't even begin to tell you how many times I was tempted to start yelling about how much the Yankees suck ... My dad and I actually ended up in an elevator, bashing the Yankees with some guy from Chicago. Very fun. Anyway thanks for the review, I love ya!
uninvisible: Dude, I'm special! WOO HOO! You have no idea how many people tell me that every day, it's insane. I live on Indy and Disney musicals too, and I think it's messed with my brain a little bit ... *smiles vacantly for a second* Anyway, thanks so much for the review!
Splashey: I would assume that Spot hasn't told his friends about his teddy bear. I think Adrienne would wet herself from laughing so hard, personally ... WOO HOO MULAN! Yeah, Shan Yu is awesome. LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS TO DEFEAT THE HUNS! Mushu's the best, though, ya gotta admit ... I must admit, by the way, that I have actually asked myself many of Adrienne's questions seriously. I'm such a nutcase, it's not even funny. Thanks for the review!!
SpotLover421: Yeah, I have a tendency to get songs stuck in people's heads ... lol, I'm sorry your mom was giving you funny looks. I cracked up when I read that you were seriously singing along, it sounds like something I would have done. Sorry about the lack of song lyrics in this chapter, I kinda got off-track, I guess. Oh and by the way, when I was typing the conversation between Spot and Race at the beginning I almost wrote Spot's screenname as "SpotLover421" instead of "RedSuspendahs99". I think I'm losing my mind, lol. Thanks for the review, I love ya!
kattabean: WOO HOO, I'M A FISH! *does happy dance* YAY! Thanks for the review, I love ya!
nani at 12 o'clock: Yeah I actually haven't seen Mulan in a while either, but I listen to the soundtrack constantly. I'm such a loser ... I don't like white sneakers, they scare me. I like mine to be all worn out and broken in, but that's just me. Anyway thanks for the review!
Sapphy: *gasps melodramatically* YES! YES! OUR ANSWER IS YES! *grabs Dutchy around the waist and bounces away singing* lol, thanks for reviewing, I love ya!
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Author's Note: Wow, this chapter was different from the other ones. A real lack of song lyrics, I noticed. The only mention of music was when Lia was listening to Green Day! AAH! IT'S AGAINST MY MORAL ETHICS! MUST— NOT— PUBLISH— Aw hell, I published it. Leave a review!
-Saturday