Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Fly Away, Dance on the Milky Way
Chapter 47: You’re one hell of a girl
Being on tour wasn’t as much fun as Gia thought it would be. Mostly they just sat in the bus that took them around the country, played video games, read and occasionally tied Frank to a chair when he got a bit too overexcited about Guitar Hero.
Pretty soon Gia got tired of the hotels as well. Turns out, after you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
When they weren’t playing on a big, fancy stage, Gerard and the others were rehearsing, doing interviews, or giving out autographs. That left Gia to hang out with Lindsey who still insisted on them being ‘buddies’.
The news about Gerard and Lindsey getting married had only just started to sink in to Gia’s brain, when they announced that it would happen very soon.
Well, it happened a bit too soon for Gia’s liking. In fact, when she got the news that it will happen in a bit over a week, she felt a bit overwhelmed, and she was certain that her father was rushing into things.
____________________
To get her mind off of things, Frank took her to a small, but very expensive shopping spree around the city they happened to be in at the moment. But the purpose of the trip wasn’t just to get her mind off of things, but also because he felt bad for her. Frank wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew there was something bothering her.
And he was right. But what he didn’t know was that the thing on Gia’s mind was still Lucas. Mostly. Of course she was worried about her father getting married and starting a new family, forgetting about Gia in the process, but mostly it was Lucas who she missed.
Thousands of fitting rooms later Gia was ready to go back to the bus and sleep for a couple of years. Frank on the other hand wasn’t fazed at all, and kept eating candy like it was… well, candy. But candy seemed to work like ecstasy pills on him.
It was starting to get late and Gerard had already called a thousand times. To be honest, it was getting on Gia’s nerves.
“Why does he keep doing that?” Gia groaned when Frank’s cell phone rang – again.
“He’s worried,” Frank simply answered with a shrug when he took the call, and assured Gerard once again that they were on their way.
But Gia didn’t buy the answer. Hadn’t she proved that she could act responsible and that she wasn’t stupid? And yet, her dad keeps treating her like a kid. And anyway, he was the one who was moving on, not her.
Gia was pondering possible ways to get revenge (such as leaving the fridge door open for the night to increase the electric bill), when she figured out what would be the best way.
“Frank, could I get a piercing?” Gia suddenly asked.
“You should ask your dad.”
“I did.”
“And what did he say?”
Gia shrugged. “He said it was fine.” She was getting considerably better at lying.
For a moment Frank stared at her with an empty look, and Gia thought he was going to say no. Then he smiled brightly. “Okay! Let’s go get you a piercing! Where do you want it?”
“On my bellybutton!”
“Ooh, sexy!”
Frank might sometimes be irritating and difficult to handle, but at times he was really useful. He was the ‘cool’ uncle, and even though his daily bone-crushing hugs gave her bruises, she was glad to have him as an uncle. Not like she was getting rid of him, anyway, so might as well get used to it.
Frank took her to a small tattoo and piercing parlor, and according to his words, he had been there before to take a tattoo and that he knew the owner, Leo. The second she entered the place, her stomach turned upside down. She got very nervous.
Gia wanted the piercing, but on the other hand, she was worried it would get infected and she’d die. Frank realized that she was nervous when her hand gripped on his arm tightly.
A man in his thirties appeared from behind the corner. Gia figured he was the owner. Leo was the type that Gia thought was scary. Lots of tattoos, black messy hair that was shaven on the sides and clothes that made him look like he was part of a gang or something. At first she felt like running away, but then she glanced at her uncle Frank and realized that he was dressed nearly the same and had tattoos as well. She was just so used to Frank that she’d never realized what he looked like.
“Well well, Frank Iero”, the guy said with a grin and the two shook hands. Gia just stared at the man, and quickly regretted it when he looked at her. “And you are?”
When Gia couldn’t answer and just blushed lightly, Frank answered for her. “This is my niece, Gia.”
“Oh right, Gerard’s kid! Should’ve known, you look a lot like him.”
“Yep, and she wants to get her bellybutton pierced.”
“How old are you?” Leo asked Gia, but once again she couldn’t answer. The man made her nervous.
“She’s fifteen.”
“Well we don’t usually make piercings for minors unless a parent is present, but I guess it’s fine since you’re here,” Leo told Frank, and then spoke to both of them again. “Okay, well I’ve got free time right now so I can do it myself. Come here.”
Frank and Gia followed him to a smaller room where he had come from earlier, and Gia was told to lie down on a chair that reminded her of a dentist’s chair, which was a bad thing because she hated going to the dentist. However, she sat down on the edge of the chair and looked around the room while Leo prepared the equipment.
The room had black walls, but they were barely visible from the various photos and pictures covering them. She didn’t really like that, and got even more nervous. But when she glanced at Frank who was standing next to her with a very calm expression, she calmed down a bit too. But then she saw Leo coming closer with a needle and her eyes widened. In order not to panic, she turned her head away.
“Okay, you’re familiar with the risks?”
When Gia simply nodded, he clearly wasn’t convinced. So, they quickly went over the risks of having a navel piercing, and Gia became hesitant.
Was it worth it?
Gia thought about her father, who would disapprove of this.
Her father, who was getting married…
Hell yeah it’s worth it.
Gia hadn’t even had her ears pierced, so she had no experience of this kind of thing. Gerard was deathly afraid of needles, so he had no piercings or tattoos. She could only imagine how he’d react when he finds out about this.
Suddenly she felt a sharp pain that made her yelp, but before she realized it, it was over. It didn’t hurt anymore, but it still felt tingly. Leo did something else, and then he announced that it was over and that she could open her eyes.
Gia did so, and looked at her stomach. There it was, the piercing. And it was weird to see it there, but she knew she’d get used to it soon.
Leo babbled on and on about how to take care of it properly and how long it will take to heal, but Gia just nodded happily without really listening. She had a piercing, and that was all that could fit into her head. Lucas will kill her for getting one without and before him.
Frank paid for the whole thing, and then they left to go back to the hotel.
They only had about two hours until MCR had to be at the concert venue to get ready. They had done a sound check earlier that day.
Perhaps the new piercing had made Gia a bit too happy with Frank, because apparently she didn’t know how to consider her words anymore. When they got to the hotel they were staying at for the moment, Frank started asking some very hard-hitting questions.
“Why did you want to get a navel piercing anyway? No offense or anything but you’re not really the type.”
“Well, when I was in California and Lucas and I were at the beach, there were all these girls with their bellybuttons pierced and I thought it was really cool,” Gia answered cheerfully.
“Oh, I didn’t know you hung out with Lucas in California. You said he moved to… Wait a second,” Frank said. He got a thoughtful look on his face, and that’s when Gia cursed herself.
She had said too much. Think before you speak, she reminded to herself. But the damage was done. Gia watched in horror as Frank slowly put two and two together.
“You never said where Lucas moved to. So he was in California. With you. And that’s why you wanted to go there instead of coming on tour with us, not because you wanted to be with your grandparents, but because of Lucas! How did we not see that?!”
“Oh god,” Gia sighed. She’d blurted it out accidentally, and she had never regretted anything more. Now Frank will tell Gerard, who will slaughter her. Or worse, ground her forever.
“Is it true?” Frank asked, even though he knew it was. It all made sense now. “Wait… Ludmila is a code name for Lucas! Wow, you’re sneakier then I thought! No one would ever suspect Ludmila, no one can make that up!”
“It was all Lucas’ idea…” she said quietly, in an attempt to roll the blame on Lucas. But she knew that it was useless. Suddenly she felt very depressed. It was all ruined now, just because she was off of her guard and got comfortable for once second. Now she knew not to do that.
The next few hours were spent in silence. No doubt Frank was trying to figure out a way to best break the news down to Gerard, and Gia was dreading for the moment when her dad finds out everything.
When it was time to leave, Frank got ready while Gia just sat on her bed, looking miserable.
“If you don’t start getting ready, we’ll be late,” Frank said when he realized that she hadn’t done anything in order to go.
“I think I’d rather stay here.”
“You know, I’m not going to tell him,” he sighed, sitting down next to her.
“You’re not?”
Frank shook his head. “It’s not my secret to tell. But trust me, he’s going to find out somehow. And if he hears about it from someone else than you, he’s going to be even angrier at you for not telling him.”
“So basically you’re saying that I should just confess everything to him?” Gia asked, looking at him like he’d gone mad. If she told about California to Gerard, he’d flip and quite possibly kill her.
“It’s just a suggestion,” Frank shrugged and stood up again. “So you coming or not? Please do! I want you to hear hundreds of young girls scream my name!”
Gia smiled. How could she say no to that? And besides, she’d never seen them perform before, not even on TV. During these few weeks that she had been on tour with them, she had stayed with Lindsey or in the bus, reading, while the guys were off doing their job.
“Okay, I’ll come,” she finally said, giving in.
It was amazing how a few seconds can change the way you feel. Gia had felt very proud about the fact that she had successfully hidden the true meaning of California, and for a few hours, she loved her new piercing.
But now that Frank knew about California…
The guilt started to eat her up inside, like some terrible illness, that made her want to crawl up and wither away. She wasn’t sure how she could act normal around her father.
Frank was right. Gerard will find out somehow. She’ll have to tell him. But not yet.
________________________________
A/N: Quite a boring chapter, sorry.
Due to the embarassing fact that I know absolutely nothing about piercings and getting them, I kept that scene as vague as possible. So if there are some terrible unforgivable mistakes in there... Just know that I am only as good as the TV that taught me about the world.
Being on tour wasn’t as much fun as Gia thought it would be. Mostly they just sat in the bus that took them around the country, played video games, read and occasionally tied Frank to a chair when he got a bit too overexcited about Guitar Hero.
Pretty soon Gia got tired of the hotels as well. Turns out, after you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
When they weren’t playing on a big, fancy stage, Gerard and the others were rehearsing, doing interviews, or giving out autographs. That left Gia to hang out with Lindsey who still insisted on them being ‘buddies’.
The news about Gerard and Lindsey getting married had only just started to sink in to Gia’s brain, when they announced that it would happen very soon.
Well, it happened a bit too soon for Gia’s liking. In fact, when she got the news that it will happen in a bit over a week, she felt a bit overwhelmed, and she was certain that her father was rushing into things.
____________________
To get her mind off of things, Frank took her to a small, but very expensive shopping spree around the city they happened to be in at the moment. But the purpose of the trip wasn’t just to get her mind off of things, but also because he felt bad for her. Frank wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew there was something bothering her.
And he was right. But what he didn’t know was that the thing on Gia’s mind was still Lucas. Mostly. Of course she was worried about her father getting married and starting a new family, forgetting about Gia in the process, but mostly it was Lucas who she missed.
Thousands of fitting rooms later Gia was ready to go back to the bus and sleep for a couple of years. Frank on the other hand wasn’t fazed at all, and kept eating candy like it was… well, candy. But candy seemed to work like ecstasy pills on him.
It was starting to get late and Gerard had already called a thousand times. To be honest, it was getting on Gia’s nerves.
“Why does he keep doing that?” Gia groaned when Frank’s cell phone rang – again.
“He’s worried,” Frank simply answered with a shrug when he took the call, and assured Gerard once again that they were on their way.
But Gia didn’t buy the answer. Hadn’t she proved that she could act responsible and that she wasn’t stupid? And yet, her dad keeps treating her like a kid. And anyway, he was the one who was moving on, not her.
Gia was pondering possible ways to get revenge (such as leaving the fridge door open for the night to increase the electric bill), when she figured out what would be the best way.
“Frank, could I get a piercing?” Gia suddenly asked.
“You should ask your dad.”
“I did.”
“And what did he say?”
Gia shrugged. “He said it was fine.” She was getting considerably better at lying.
For a moment Frank stared at her with an empty look, and Gia thought he was going to say no. Then he smiled brightly. “Okay! Let’s go get you a piercing! Where do you want it?”
“On my bellybutton!”
“Ooh, sexy!”
Frank might sometimes be irritating and difficult to handle, but at times he was really useful. He was the ‘cool’ uncle, and even though his daily bone-crushing hugs gave her bruises, she was glad to have him as an uncle. Not like she was getting rid of him, anyway, so might as well get used to it.
Frank took her to a small tattoo and piercing parlor, and according to his words, he had been there before to take a tattoo and that he knew the owner, Leo. The second she entered the place, her stomach turned upside down. She got very nervous.
Gia wanted the piercing, but on the other hand, she was worried it would get infected and she’d die. Frank realized that she was nervous when her hand gripped on his arm tightly.
A man in his thirties appeared from behind the corner. Gia figured he was the owner. Leo was the type that Gia thought was scary. Lots of tattoos, black messy hair that was shaven on the sides and clothes that made him look like he was part of a gang or something. At first she felt like running away, but then she glanced at her uncle Frank and realized that he was dressed nearly the same and had tattoos as well. She was just so used to Frank that she’d never realized what he looked like.
“Well well, Frank Iero”, the guy said with a grin and the two shook hands. Gia just stared at the man, and quickly regretted it when he looked at her. “And you are?”
When Gia couldn’t answer and just blushed lightly, Frank answered for her. “This is my niece, Gia.”
“Oh right, Gerard’s kid! Should’ve known, you look a lot like him.”
“Yep, and she wants to get her bellybutton pierced.”
“How old are you?” Leo asked Gia, but once again she couldn’t answer. The man made her nervous.
“She’s fifteen.”
“Well we don’t usually make piercings for minors unless a parent is present, but I guess it’s fine since you’re here,” Leo told Frank, and then spoke to both of them again. “Okay, well I’ve got free time right now so I can do it myself. Come here.”
Frank and Gia followed him to a smaller room where he had come from earlier, and Gia was told to lie down on a chair that reminded her of a dentist’s chair, which was a bad thing because she hated going to the dentist. However, she sat down on the edge of the chair and looked around the room while Leo prepared the equipment.
The room had black walls, but they were barely visible from the various photos and pictures covering them. She didn’t really like that, and got even more nervous. But when she glanced at Frank who was standing next to her with a very calm expression, she calmed down a bit too. But then she saw Leo coming closer with a needle and her eyes widened. In order not to panic, she turned her head away.
“Okay, you’re familiar with the risks?”
When Gia simply nodded, he clearly wasn’t convinced. So, they quickly went over the risks of having a navel piercing, and Gia became hesitant.
Was it worth it?
Gia thought about her father, who would disapprove of this.
Her father, who was getting married…
Hell yeah it’s worth it.
Gia hadn’t even had her ears pierced, so she had no experience of this kind of thing. Gerard was deathly afraid of needles, so he had no piercings or tattoos. She could only imagine how he’d react when he finds out about this.
Suddenly she felt a sharp pain that made her yelp, but before she realized it, it was over. It didn’t hurt anymore, but it still felt tingly. Leo did something else, and then he announced that it was over and that she could open her eyes.
Gia did so, and looked at her stomach. There it was, the piercing. And it was weird to see it there, but she knew she’d get used to it soon.
Leo babbled on and on about how to take care of it properly and how long it will take to heal, but Gia just nodded happily without really listening. She had a piercing, and that was all that could fit into her head. Lucas will kill her for getting one without and before him.
Frank paid for the whole thing, and then they left to go back to the hotel.
They only had about two hours until MCR had to be at the concert venue to get ready. They had done a sound check earlier that day.
Perhaps the new piercing had made Gia a bit too happy with Frank, because apparently she didn’t know how to consider her words anymore. When they got to the hotel they were staying at for the moment, Frank started asking some very hard-hitting questions.
“Why did you want to get a navel piercing anyway? No offense or anything but you’re not really the type.”
“Well, when I was in California and Lucas and I were at the beach, there were all these girls with their bellybuttons pierced and I thought it was really cool,” Gia answered cheerfully.
“Oh, I didn’t know you hung out with Lucas in California. You said he moved to… Wait a second,” Frank said. He got a thoughtful look on his face, and that’s when Gia cursed herself.
She had said too much. Think before you speak, she reminded to herself. But the damage was done. Gia watched in horror as Frank slowly put two and two together.
“You never said where Lucas moved to. So he was in California. With you. And that’s why you wanted to go there instead of coming on tour with us, not because you wanted to be with your grandparents, but because of Lucas! How did we not see that?!”
“Oh god,” Gia sighed. She’d blurted it out accidentally, and she had never regretted anything more. Now Frank will tell Gerard, who will slaughter her. Or worse, ground her forever.
“Is it true?” Frank asked, even though he knew it was. It all made sense now. “Wait… Ludmila is a code name for Lucas! Wow, you’re sneakier then I thought! No one would ever suspect Ludmila, no one can make that up!”
“It was all Lucas’ idea…” she said quietly, in an attempt to roll the blame on Lucas. But she knew that it was useless. Suddenly she felt very depressed. It was all ruined now, just because she was off of her guard and got comfortable for once second. Now she knew not to do that.
The next few hours were spent in silence. No doubt Frank was trying to figure out a way to best break the news down to Gerard, and Gia was dreading for the moment when her dad finds out everything.
When it was time to leave, Frank got ready while Gia just sat on her bed, looking miserable.
“If you don’t start getting ready, we’ll be late,” Frank said when he realized that she hadn’t done anything in order to go.
“I think I’d rather stay here.”
“You know, I’m not going to tell him,” he sighed, sitting down next to her.
“You’re not?”
Frank shook his head. “It’s not my secret to tell. But trust me, he’s going to find out somehow. And if he hears about it from someone else than you, he’s going to be even angrier at you for not telling him.”
“So basically you’re saying that I should just confess everything to him?” Gia asked, looking at him like he’d gone mad. If she told about California to Gerard, he’d flip and quite possibly kill her.
“It’s just a suggestion,” Frank shrugged and stood up again. “So you coming or not? Please do! I want you to hear hundreds of young girls scream my name!”
Gia smiled. How could she say no to that? And besides, she’d never seen them perform before, not even on TV. During these few weeks that she had been on tour with them, she had stayed with Lindsey or in the bus, reading, while the guys were off doing their job.
“Okay, I’ll come,” she finally said, giving in.
It was amazing how a few seconds can change the way you feel. Gia had felt very proud about the fact that she had successfully hidden the true meaning of California, and for a few hours, she loved her new piercing.
But now that Frank knew about California…
The guilt started to eat her up inside, like some terrible illness, that made her want to crawl up and wither away. She wasn’t sure how she could act normal around her father.
Frank was right. Gerard will find out somehow. She’ll have to tell him. But not yet.
________________________________
A/N: Quite a boring chapter, sorry.
Due to the embarassing fact that I know absolutely nothing about piercings and getting them, I kept that scene as vague as possible. So if there are some terrible unforgivable mistakes in there... Just know that I am only as good as the TV that taught me about the world.
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