Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > I Find It Hard To Stay
The restaurant the guys had picked wasn't too far from the hotel, so it was easy to avoid getting lost. It was a nice-looking place; not too fancy, but not crappy either. They went in and got seated relatively quickly.
"Thanks again, you guys," Pen said for the millionth time.
"Pen, really, it's fine," Mikey assured her, not getting annoyed because he thought it was sweet that she was so appreciative.
The gang ordered their food and chatted while they waited for their orders to arrive. Despite the fact that Pen had only just met them all yesterday, it was as though she were old friends with the band. Their conversations ranged from school, to family, to movies and music. Pen, in fact, felt much closer with these strangers than she did with her "friends" back home. For the first time in a long time, Pen felt happy and at ease with these people.
Then, of course, just as dinner was dwindling down, Gerard drunkenly knocked over his beer, the liquid seeping through the tablecloth and spreading out across the tabletop.
"Oh, honestly Gerard!" Mikey said, exasperated. He shook his head and turned to Pen. "Would you mind finding the waiter and telling him that we need some napkins?" he gave her a puppy-dog look, and she couldn't help but sigh, defeated, and get up from the table. "Thanks, Pen," he said, smiling as though he were hiding something. Pen didn't notice and thought nothing of it as she went off in search of their server.
"Excuse me, sir," she said a bit timidly once she had found him. "Could we have some extra napkins at our table? Somebody spilled..."
"Hmm...Oh! Yes, yes, right. Hold on," He grabbed something off the podium beside him and stuck it in his pocket quickly, before following Pen through the restaurant to the table.
But when she got there, the mess was clean, the dishes were all gone, and in the center of the table was a big, chocolate cake with the words 'Happy Birthday Pen!" written in black frosting on the top. Below the words stood two big candles: a number one and a number eight. Pen's hand flew up to her mouth in shock, and she held her breath. The waiter came from behind her and lit the candles as the guys began to sing:
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Pen--"
"--Penelope--"
"--Little Red--"
"--Happy birthday to you!"
She didn't even care about the nicknames, or that they had tricked her, all Pen cared about was keeping the tears that she felt pinching behind her eyes from breaking free. "How--how...?"
"We planned it, of course," Gerard answered. "While you were in the bathroom. I'm a good actor, huh? I mean, you can't honestly think I'd be drunk after just two drinks," he smirked.
Easily, this was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. She bit her lip hard, and smiled, trying desperately to keep from crying. Despite her efforts, a single tear slid down her face, which she wiped roughly away.
"Aww!" said Frank. "She's crying, how touching," he grinned, and, for once, Pen was not annoyed by his cynicism. She laughed.
"Shutup," she giggled, sniffling slightly.
"Well, c'mon, Penelope. Make a wish and blow out the candles!" Bob told her.
Pen smiled and thought. What did she want? She had all the friends and family she needed right here, she realized. What had she left home wanting? Adventure? A journey? She took a deep breath and exhaled, extinguishing the candles easily. Everyone who had heard the band sing to her clapped and cheered for her, making Pen laugh once more.
"How did you know I love chocolate?" She said to Mikey as she dug into her cake. It was delicious, and chocolate was her favourite.
"Wild guess," he grinned, wiping some frosting off of Pen's nose, making her giggle.
"You guys--I could never thank you enough. This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten," she gushed, biting her lip once more because she could feel the tears prickling behind her eyes.
"Don't cry, Little Red, you might smudge all your pretty makeup," Frank patronized.
"Shutup," she sniffed. "I'm not crying. My eye is just...itchy..."
"Yeah, and that's just a footlong sub I carry in my pocket," he grinned.
"You are so crude!" she snapped.
"Aw, Little Red, what happened? You were being so nice to me a second ago," he remained unfazed.
Pen decided to just roll her eyes and ignore him, not letting him ruin her birthday.
They finished up and paid, refusing to let Pen pay for her food or the cake.
"Pen, no. We can't let you pay for your own birthday dinner."
"I didn't come here expecting you guys to pay for me! You've been so nice to me already."
"Penelope, stop. It's your birthday," said Bob. "You probably don't have that much money with you anyway, and you shouldn't use it for a birthday dinner that we are happy to pay for," he smiled at Pen, making her blush. He was right; she had just over $400, and that wouldn't last very long. With a small smile of gratitude, she relented.
"Great, let's go to the club!" Gerard clapped his hands together, standing with the rest of the group.
"Yes, yes, club!" Frank was just as enthusiastic.
"Where are we going?" Pen turned to Mikey.
"Uhh...I'm not sure. Frank and Gerard picked it."
"It's called the Blue Glass," Gerard offered. "Very hot place."
The band and the girl set out for the Blue Glass, having to wait only a short time to get in. It would have gone off without a hitch, except the bouncer didn't believe that Pen's ID was real, and held them up. After much convincing, the six were let in and dispersed.
Pen was too busy looking around to notice that she had wandered through the crowd of people, losing everyone in her group. She glanced around for Mikey, Bob, Ray, Gerard, even Frank would have been welcome to her. Her heart was beating a bit faster than usual, and she became worried that she couldn't find anyone. After a few minutes of picking through the people, she found Gerard standing at the bar and sighed in relief.
"Hi," she said. "Where is everyone?"
"Mmm...Pro'lly dancin'," he slurred slightly, and it was obvious that he'd been able to knock a few drinks back already in the half hour they'd been there.
"Oh..." she murmured, wondering what to do. Go dance? Hang at the bar?
"You want?" Gerard offered Pen a glass of...something. Alcohol, of course.
"Oh, umm..."
"What'sa matter? Never drank b'fore?"
Pen hesitated. She had drunk before, sure, but...not really. A sip of champagne at a cousin's wedding, a sip of her mom's wine once...but she'd never got drunk. "Well, I--"
"Awh, is'a poor baby scared? Never had a wittle drinky-drink?" he shook the glass in her face, mocking her. Pen set her jaw and grabbed the drink, downing it in a few seconds and wincing at the bitter bite.
"Ugh! What is that?" she gagged, gesturing at the empty glass.
"Vodka soda. Here, try this," Gerard handed her another glass filled with colorful liquid, which she also emptied. She shuddered once more, this drink even stronger than the last.
They went on like that for a while; Gerard shoving drink after drink under Pen's nose, and Pen drinking shot after glass after electric, glowing, colorful, alcoholic drink.
Somewhere between the tequila and the vodka spritzer was where her memory stopped working.
A/N: Okay, so this chapter and the last I uploaded in conjunction with each other, so if you didn’t notice and didn’t read Chapter 6, go read it. I guess it’s a little late to be saying that, but better late than never, right? Yeah. So, what do you think so far? Good? Bad? More action? Fear not, readers, more action will be coming your way in the next chapter. How do I know this? Because it’s already written! And all you need to do to get me to upload it is go submit some reviews. Okay. OverAndOutxx
"Thanks again, you guys," Pen said for the millionth time.
"Pen, really, it's fine," Mikey assured her, not getting annoyed because he thought it was sweet that she was so appreciative.
The gang ordered their food and chatted while they waited for their orders to arrive. Despite the fact that Pen had only just met them all yesterday, it was as though she were old friends with the band. Their conversations ranged from school, to family, to movies and music. Pen, in fact, felt much closer with these strangers than she did with her "friends" back home. For the first time in a long time, Pen felt happy and at ease with these people.
Then, of course, just as dinner was dwindling down, Gerard drunkenly knocked over his beer, the liquid seeping through the tablecloth and spreading out across the tabletop.
"Oh, honestly Gerard!" Mikey said, exasperated. He shook his head and turned to Pen. "Would you mind finding the waiter and telling him that we need some napkins?" he gave her a puppy-dog look, and she couldn't help but sigh, defeated, and get up from the table. "Thanks, Pen," he said, smiling as though he were hiding something. Pen didn't notice and thought nothing of it as she went off in search of their server.
"Excuse me, sir," she said a bit timidly once she had found him. "Could we have some extra napkins at our table? Somebody spilled..."
"Hmm...Oh! Yes, yes, right. Hold on," He grabbed something off the podium beside him and stuck it in his pocket quickly, before following Pen through the restaurant to the table.
But when she got there, the mess was clean, the dishes were all gone, and in the center of the table was a big, chocolate cake with the words 'Happy Birthday Pen!" written in black frosting on the top. Below the words stood two big candles: a number one and a number eight. Pen's hand flew up to her mouth in shock, and she held her breath. The waiter came from behind her and lit the candles as the guys began to sing:
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Pen--"
"--Penelope--"
"--Little Red--"
"--Happy birthday to you!"
She didn't even care about the nicknames, or that they had tricked her, all Pen cared about was keeping the tears that she felt pinching behind her eyes from breaking free. "How--how...?"
"We planned it, of course," Gerard answered. "While you were in the bathroom. I'm a good actor, huh? I mean, you can't honestly think I'd be drunk after just two drinks," he smirked.
Easily, this was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. She bit her lip hard, and smiled, trying desperately to keep from crying. Despite her efforts, a single tear slid down her face, which she wiped roughly away.
"Aww!" said Frank. "She's crying, how touching," he grinned, and, for once, Pen was not annoyed by his cynicism. She laughed.
"Shutup," she giggled, sniffling slightly.
"Well, c'mon, Penelope. Make a wish and blow out the candles!" Bob told her.
Pen smiled and thought. What did she want? She had all the friends and family she needed right here, she realized. What had she left home wanting? Adventure? A journey? She took a deep breath and exhaled, extinguishing the candles easily. Everyone who had heard the band sing to her clapped and cheered for her, making Pen laugh once more.
"How did you know I love chocolate?" She said to Mikey as she dug into her cake. It was delicious, and chocolate was her favourite.
"Wild guess," he grinned, wiping some frosting off of Pen's nose, making her giggle.
"You guys--I could never thank you enough. This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten," she gushed, biting her lip once more because she could feel the tears prickling behind her eyes.
"Don't cry, Little Red, you might smudge all your pretty makeup," Frank patronized.
"Shutup," she sniffed. "I'm not crying. My eye is just...itchy..."
"Yeah, and that's just a footlong sub I carry in my pocket," he grinned.
"You are so crude!" she snapped.
"Aw, Little Red, what happened? You were being so nice to me a second ago," he remained unfazed.
Pen decided to just roll her eyes and ignore him, not letting him ruin her birthday.
They finished up and paid, refusing to let Pen pay for her food or the cake.
"Pen, no. We can't let you pay for your own birthday dinner."
"I didn't come here expecting you guys to pay for me! You've been so nice to me already."
"Penelope, stop. It's your birthday," said Bob. "You probably don't have that much money with you anyway, and you shouldn't use it for a birthday dinner that we are happy to pay for," he smiled at Pen, making her blush. He was right; she had just over $400, and that wouldn't last very long. With a small smile of gratitude, she relented.
"Great, let's go to the club!" Gerard clapped his hands together, standing with the rest of the group.
"Yes, yes, club!" Frank was just as enthusiastic.
"Where are we going?" Pen turned to Mikey.
"Uhh...I'm not sure. Frank and Gerard picked it."
"It's called the Blue Glass," Gerard offered. "Very hot place."
The band and the girl set out for the Blue Glass, having to wait only a short time to get in. It would have gone off without a hitch, except the bouncer didn't believe that Pen's ID was real, and held them up. After much convincing, the six were let in and dispersed.
Pen was too busy looking around to notice that she had wandered through the crowd of people, losing everyone in her group. She glanced around for Mikey, Bob, Ray, Gerard, even Frank would have been welcome to her. Her heart was beating a bit faster than usual, and she became worried that she couldn't find anyone. After a few minutes of picking through the people, she found Gerard standing at the bar and sighed in relief.
"Hi," she said. "Where is everyone?"
"Mmm...Pro'lly dancin'," he slurred slightly, and it was obvious that he'd been able to knock a few drinks back already in the half hour they'd been there.
"Oh..." she murmured, wondering what to do. Go dance? Hang at the bar?
"You want?" Gerard offered Pen a glass of...something. Alcohol, of course.
"Oh, umm..."
"What'sa matter? Never drank b'fore?"
Pen hesitated. She had drunk before, sure, but...not really. A sip of champagne at a cousin's wedding, a sip of her mom's wine once...but she'd never got drunk. "Well, I--"
"Awh, is'a poor baby scared? Never had a wittle drinky-drink?" he shook the glass in her face, mocking her. Pen set her jaw and grabbed the drink, downing it in a few seconds and wincing at the bitter bite.
"Ugh! What is that?" she gagged, gesturing at the empty glass.
"Vodka soda. Here, try this," Gerard handed her another glass filled with colorful liquid, which she also emptied. She shuddered once more, this drink even stronger than the last.
They went on like that for a while; Gerard shoving drink after drink under Pen's nose, and Pen drinking shot after glass after electric, glowing, colorful, alcoholic drink.
Somewhere between the tequila and the vodka spritzer was where her memory stopped working.
A/N: Okay, so this chapter and the last I uploaded in conjunction with each other, so if you didn’t notice and didn’t read Chapter 6, go read it. I guess it’s a little late to be saying that, but better late than never, right? Yeah. So, what do you think so far? Good? Bad? More action? Fear not, readers, more action will be coming your way in the next chapter. How do I know this? Because it’s already written! And all you need to do to get me to upload it is go submit some reviews. Okay. OverAndOutxx
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