Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Canine Cupid
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8 reviewsA light is cast on Brenda to explain the motivation behind her past and future actions. Also, Dax foils Joe's plans for the weekend.
5Ambiance
C h a r a c t e r s c l o s e u p
When Brenda had arrived in the suburb almost two years ago she had literally nothing to call her own. Her parents had told her she better leave unless she changed her lifestyle. Luckily, she was the kind of person who always landed on her feet.
It had all started when she had found out that her supposedly loyal ex-boyfriend had had a couple of other girlfriends on the side. Being only 16 back then, she first did what an insecure and perplexed young woman tends to do: She blamed herself.
She was convinced it was all her fault, that she didn't have enough to offer to him and that's why he had ventured into other girls' bedrooms. And when she took a look in the mirror she could detect so many flaws. She didn't exactly find herself fat, but unshaped of sorts. She didn't stand out in a crowd, she was too plain. Her self-analysis took a few days but at the end she knew that the reason for her pain was not so much the fact that obviously she and what's-his-name weren't meant to be, but that he dared to lead her on like that. That he pretended to be the caring boyfriend who would do anything for her, when in fact, all he was doing was other women. It was hurt pride, not a broken heart.
As rumor has it, the first is easier to mend than the latter, so things seemed to look up soon for Brenda. She swore to herself to never run the risk of being replaced by somebody else again. There were two pillars who held up this vow of hers: First, she would work on herself until she looked the best she could be. She wanted others to turn around and gaze after her when she passed. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted to be wanted. Secondly, and slightly more important, Brenda would never ever get seriously involved with another guy. The young woman knew she wouldn't be able to be abstitent for long. It was only a matter of time until that human craving after another body's warmth and comfort would start tugging at her insides, dying to be fulfilled. (We're talking oversexed teenagers here, people.) So the plan was to enjoy the occasional fling or even longer-lasting acquaintance, but not risking emotional involvement.
After a year of regular exercising, careful dieting and having tried out various looks, Brenda was were she wanted to be. She was aware of the fact that overdoing sports and not eating enough to provide her body with the strength it needed to perform would have the contrary effect of what she wanted. After a few weeks she had become friends with a fitness instructor at the local gym who later told her that her brother was opening a gym of his own, just a few miles outside of the city. To Brenda, this was a sign.
In a cloak-and-dagger operation* she packed whatever she could fit into the two duffel bags she owned and left her parents' place for good. They had told her if she hadn't changed back to the old Brenda, the one who did not stay out until the early morning, the one who did not hang out with 'dubious characters', the one who did not use more make-up in a week than her mother did in a month, by the time she was supposed to start college she would have to leave. She decided she would rather go on her on will than be thrown out, so as soon as she had the high school diploma in her hand, she did.
A couple of weeks of training and Brenda was hired as fitness instructor at said gym. She had worked as a waitress and clerk to pay for the training as well as the somewhat shabby two- room apartment. Soon she found a good soul who not only supported her financially (Brenda insisted she pay her back as soon as she got the fitness trainer job) but also gave her Wesley as a loyal companion. Brenda was in love with him from day one.
Maybe all it took to find a trustworthy male was a transition to another species.
-
Joe's plans for the weekend looked as follows: Sleep in, spend some time with Dax, nap, take a walk with Dax, another nap, refrain from calling Brenda again because that would make him seem like a desperate creep. Or, more precisely, like the desperate creep he was. So maybe instead he would sleep some more.
He wasn't necessarily a slothy guy but this last week had drained all his energy from him. First there was the record that had to be finished as soon as possible, the had a deadline to meet or else... well, it wasn't called 'DEADline' for nothing. Then there was his new animal mate who seemed to starve for attention and Joe hardly had the time to take him out in the mornings and in the evenings. And finally there was this super hot chick who wasn't into him because of his fame and but because...
"Heck, what does she even see in me?" Joe wondered out loud as he was shaving. It was 8 a.m. So much for sleeping in.
Dax had woken him up half an hour ago, apparently because he really needed to pee. While Joe had been dreaming about floating on a white fluffy cloud over a landscape that consisted of cheering and screaming girls, most of which resembled a certain spiky blonde haired fitness instructor/ possible future girlfriend. All of a sudden the cloud had started shaking and the man had toppled over into the crowd of Joe-lusty women. Once he had landed in the raised arms of a couple of them, and they had started to smother his face with kisses, he had opened his eyes to find Dax standing on his chest, liking all over his face.
As the man got up quickly the beagle barked excitedly and ran downstairs, wagging his tail like mad. Joe found him propped up against the glass door to the yard and let him outside.
So while his dog was relieving himself outside, followed by trying to catch butterflies, which looked about as clumsy as Joe trying to balance his toothbrush on the tip of his nose, the man got ready for the day. He usually found it extremely hard to lie back down again immediately after having gotten up.
After his morning routine he trudged towards the kitchen to get breakfast. Dax spotted him through the window as he crossed the living room and succeeded in getting the man's attention by emitting several short barking sounds.
"Yeah, yeah, buddy," the man answered him. "Just lemme get some coffee first, I'll be right with you."
In reply the beagle barked some more, but it sounded more like disagreeing barking than a permission to get coffee first. Joe hurried into the kitchen and turned on his coffeemaker. Then he grabbed Dax's gummy ball toy and headed outside.
He was greeted affectionately by his pet at the glass door. First Joe stroked and patted the little dog copiously, trying to make up for not being around much the last week. After that they started a game of go fetch, which was more like Joe throwing the gummy ball, Dax catching the gummy ball, Joe yelling for Dax to retrieve the toy and Dax running around with the thing in the yard, darting sideways whenever Joe had managed to get close to him.
Finally the puppy was so out of breath that he lied down and dropped the ball. Joe wasn't exhausted yet, thanks to his ample workouts on stage, but when he finally managed to grab the toy Dax wasn't interested in it anymore.
"Must be fun to have me run after you like some lunatic and then just fake disinterest once I gained the upper hand," the man teased his dog. "I think we gotta get you some more toys and stuff. This does look kind of boring," he said as he eyed the gummy ball.
Later that day Joe and Dax made their way to the pet store Carl had recommended.
When they entered, a small bell above the door jingled and a young woman with dark straight hair looked up from the magazine she was flicking through on the counter.
"Hi... Joe," she said friendly. Then she rolled her eyes and turned the knob on the radio which was currently playing the first few notes of "What is love" by Haddaway.
"Hi," Joe said back and grinned. Finally an attractive girl who actually recognized him, Joe Trohman, in public without his guitar.
"How may I help you?"
"Well," the man pointed at Dax who had sat down and let his eyes dart from one person to the other. "My little friend here could use a couple of toys and maybe treats... Anything you can recommend?"
Of course, there were lots of things she could recommend. You don't get by running a pet store if you don't sell stuff, duh. So she had piled up various bags of food and toys in the little basket Joe was carrying. The beagle obediently followed them around the middle-sized shop, interested in his surroundings but not in a rascal mood.
When the girl pointed out Dax's good behavior Joe explained that they had just gone for an extra long walk and that he was probably just tired.
While the man was paying he asked her if she was a fan because she had identified him so quickly.
"Actually... my friend Caroline told me that one of these days a lost-looking guy would enter my store and ask for help," she smiled at him.
Bummer.
"I see," Joe replied in defeat. No one ever recognized him. Maybe he should start walking around town with a guitar strapped to his front. Or with dollar bills strapped to his front.
"I'm just pulling your leg, dude," she extended her hand. "I'm CeCe and I love your band... I just didn't wanna give you the screaming fan-girl entrance. But I am stoked on Fall Out Boy."
Indesputably, CeCe was just being nice, trying to boost Joe's ego. Because, frankly, hats had always born a slightly higher attraction to her than hard-to-tame locks.
-
When Caroline had spied the girl watching her train two of her clients' dogs in at the park (pre-crazy Wittgenstein lady time) with fascination, she didn't hesiate to call out to her if she cared to help.
The more Carl heard this girl talk, the more she reminded her of her younger sister Leslie who she had lost touch with long ago. In their younger years they would play and giggle together, Caroline had loved being the older protective sister. The change didn't come from one day to the next, but gradually Leslie became more and more of a stranger to her. This is how life goes and you're supposed to deal with it, but nobody can tell you how.
Yet, chance had brought her a new younger sister. Brenda.
____________________________
* This is pure coincidence, Nice Spice. But I like the fact that it happened in this chapter.
When Brenda had arrived in the suburb almost two years ago she had literally nothing to call her own. Her parents had told her she better leave unless she changed her lifestyle. Luckily, she was the kind of person who always landed on her feet.
It had all started when she had found out that her supposedly loyal ex-boyfriend had had a couple of other girlfriends on the side. Being only 16 back then, she first did what an insecure and perplexed young woman tends to do: She blamed herself.
She was convinced it was all her fault, that she didn't have enough to offer to him and that's why he had ventured into other girls' bedrooms. And when she took a look in the mirror she could detect so many flaws. She didn't exactly find herself fat, but unshaped of sorts. She didn't stand out in a crowd, she was too plain. Her self-analysis took a few days but at the end she knew that the reason for her pain was not so much the fact that obviously she and what's-his-name weren't meant to be, but that he dared to lead her on like that. That he pretended to be the caring boyfriend who would do anything for her, when in fact, all he was doing was other women. It was hurt pride, not a broken heart.
As rumor has it, the first is easier to mend than the latter, so things seemed to look up soon for Brenda. She swore to herself to never run the risk of being replaced by somebody else again. There were two pillars who held up this vow of hers: First, she would work on herself until she looked the best she could be. She wanted others to turn around and gaze after her when she passed. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted to be wanted. Secondly, and slightly more important, Brenda would never ever get seriously involved with another guy. The young woman knew she wouldn't be able to be abstitent for long. It was only a matter of time until that human craving after another body's warmth and comfort would start tugging at her insides, dying to be fulfilled. (We're talking oversexed teenagers here, people.) So the plan was to enjoy the occasional fling or even longer-lasting acquaintance, but not risking emotional involvement.
After a year of regular exercising, careful dieting and having tried out various looks, Brenda was were she wanted to be. She was aware of the fact that overdoing sports and not eating enough to provide her body with the strength it needed to perform would have the contrary effect of what she wanted. After a few weeks she had become friends with a fitness instructor at the local gym who later told her that her brother was opening a gym of his own, just a few miles outside of the city. To Brenda, this was a sign.
In a cloak-and-dagger operation* she packed whatever she could fit into the two duffel bags she owned and left her parents' place for good. They had told her if she hadn't changed back to the old Brenda, the one who did not stay out until the early morning, the one who did not hang out with 'dubious characters', the one who did not use more make-up in a week than her mother did in a month, by the time she was supposed to start college she would have to leave. She decided she would rather go on her on will than be thrown out, so as soon as she had the high school diploma in her hand, she did.
A couple of weeks of training and Brenda was hired as fitness instructor at said gym. She had worked as a waitress and clerk to pay for the training as well as the somewhat shabby two- room apartment. Soon she found a good soul who not only supported her financially (Brenda insisted she pay her back as soon as she got the fitness trainer job) but also gave her Wesley as a loyal companion. Brenda was in love with him from day one.
Maybe all it took to find a trustworthy male was a transition to another species.
-
Joe's plans for the weekend looked as follows: Sleep in, spend some time with Dax, nap, take a walk with Dax, another nap, refrain from calling Brenda again because that would make him seem like a desperate creep. Or, more precisely, like the desperate creep he was. So maybe instead he would sleep some more.
He wasn't necessarily a slothy guy but this last week had drained all his energy from him. First there was the record that had to be finished as soon as possible, the had a deadline to meet or else... well, it wasn't called 'DEADline' for nothing. Then there was his new animal mate who seemed to starve for attention and Joe hardly had the time to take him out in the mornings and in the evenings. And finally there was this super hot chick who wasn't into him because of his fame and but because...
"Heck, what does she even see in me?" Joe wondered out loud as he was shaving. It was 8 a.m. So much for sleeping in.
Dax had woken him up half an hour ago, apparently because he really needed to pee. While Joe had been dreaming about floating on a white fluffy cloud over a landscape that consisted of cheering and screaming girls, most of which resembled a certain spiky blonde haired fitness instructor/ possible future girlfriend. All of a sudden the cloud had started shaking and the man had toppled over into the crowd of Joe-lusty women. Once he had landed in the raised arms of a couple of them, and they had started to smother his face with kisses, he had opened his eyes to find Dax standing on his chest, liking all over his face.
As the man got up quickly the beagle barked excitedly and ran downstairs, wagging his tail like mad. Joe found him propped up against the glass door to the yard and let him outside.
So while his dog was relieving himself outside, followed by trying to catch butterflies, which looked about as clumsy as Joe trying to balance his toothbrush on the tip of his nose, the man got ready for the day. He usually found it extremely hard to lie back down again immediately after having gotten up.
After his morning routine he trudged towards the kitchen to get breakfast. Dax spotted him through the window as he crossed the living room and succeeded in getting the man's attention by emitting several short barking sounds.
"Yeah, yeah, buddy," the man answered him. "Just lemme get some coffee first, I'll be right with you."
In reply the beagle barked some more, but it sounded more like disagreeing barking than a permission to get coffee first. Joe hurried into the kitchen and turned on his coffeemaker. Then he grabbed Dax's gummy ball toy and headed outside.
He was greeted affectionately by his pet at the glass door. First Joe stroked and patted the little dog copiously, trying to make up for not being around much the last week. After that they started a game of go fetch, which was more like Joe throwing the gummy ball, Dax catching the gummy ball, Joe yelling for Dax to retrieve the toy and Dax running around with the thing in the yard, darting sideways whenever Joe had managed to get close to him.
Finally the puppy was so out of breath that he lied down and dropped the ball. Joe wasn't exhausted yet, thanks to his ample workouts on stage, but when he finally managed to grab the toy Dax wasn't interested in it anymore.
"Must be fun to have me run after you like some lunatic and then just fake disinterest once I gained the upper hand," the man teased his dog. "I think we gotta get you some more toys and stuff. This does look kind of boring," he said as he eyed the gummy ball.
Later that day Joe and Dax made their way to the pet store Carl had recommended.
When they entered, a small bell above the door jingled and a young woman with dark straight hair looked up from the magazine she was flicking through on the counter.
"Hi... Joe," she said friendly. Then she rolled her eyes and turned the knob on the radio which was currently playing the first few notes of "What is love" by Haddaway.
"Hi," Joe said back and grinned. Finally an attractive girl who actually recognized him, Joe Trohman, in public without his guitar.
"How may I help you?"
"Well," the man pointed at Dax who had sat down and let his eyes dart from one person to the other. "My little friend here could use a couple of toys and maybe treats... Anything you can recommend?"
Of course, there were lots of things she could recommend. You don't get by running a pet store if you don't sell stuff, duh. So she had piled up various bags of food and toys in the little basket Joe was carrying. The beagle obediently followed them around the middle-sized shop, interested in his surroundings but not in a rascal mood.
When the girl pointed out Dax's good behavior Joe explained that they had just gone for an extra long walk and that he was probably just tired.
While the man was paying he asked her if she was a fan because she had identified him so quickly.
"Actually... my friend Caroline told me that one of these days a lost-looking guy would enter my store and ask for help," she smiled at him.
Bummer.
"I see," Joe replied in defeat. No one ever recognized him. Maybe he should start walking around town with a guitar strapped to his front. Or with dollar bills strapped to his front.
"I'm just pulling your leg, dude," she extended her hand. "I'm CeCe and I love your band... I just didn't wanna give you the screaming fan-girl entrance. But I am stoked on Fall Out Boy."
Indesputably, CeCe was just being nice, trying to boost Joe's ego. Because, frankly, hats had always born a slightly higher attraction to her than hard-to-tame locks.
-
When Caroline had spied the girl watching her train two of her clients' dogs in at the park (pre-crazy Wittgenstein lady time) with fascination, she didn't hesiate to call out to her if she cared to help.
The more Carl heard this girl talk, the more she reminded her of her younger sister Leslie who she had lost touch with long ago. In their younger years they would play and giggle together, Caroline had loved being the older protective sister. The change didn't come from one day to the next, but gradually Leslie became more and more of a stranger to her. This is how life goes and you're supposed to deal with it, but nobody can tell you how.
Yet, chance had brought her a new younger sister. Brenda.
____________________________
* This is pure coincidence, Nice Spice. But I like the fact that it happened in this chapter.
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