Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Here Is Your Verse
Author's Note: Today was the best day of my life: I won tickets to Fall Out Boy's Infinity Flight 206 Tour from Overcast Kids!
Inspired by this momentous occasion, I present you capitulo cuatro. Before you start reading it, I'd like to thank PiecesInMe and duckapple for reviewing. Much coffee to the both of you!
Now, onto the story...
Chapter Four: Risqué
I've got birds in my ears and a devil on my shoulder and a phone to the other and I can't get a hold of her. What's a crush to do when he can't get through?
-Cute Is What We Aim For
Emi's POV
The next day, I woke up to 'Hey There Delilah' ringing in my ear. I groaned, then blindly reached for my cell phone. "Ughhh..." After knocking over my alarm clock, a book and my jar of pencils, I managed to find the source of Tom Higgenson's voice.
"Hello?" I said, groggily. I am definitely not a morning person.
"Emi?"
"This is she," I said, stifling a yawn.
"It's Pete."
"Umm, hey." How did this guy get my number? Wait, Jasper is his cousin. If you haven't already noticed, I'm kind of slow in the morning. "Why are you calling so early?"
"It's 2 in the afternoon."
"Shit," I whispered, looking down at the clock I knocked over. It's bright red display flashed 2:02. I was going to be late for work. "Uhh, what's up?" I asked, sitting up.
"Well, I wanted to apologize for being such an asshole yesterday...and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today."
"I'm actually busy today. I'm working at Borders," I said, grateful that I had a genuine excuse. I really wasn't interested in another date.
"See you around, I guess."
"Yeah...Bye."
"Bye."
I got out of bed and took a quick shower. My hair was still damp, but that was the least of my concerns. Like me, the winter brought out the bitter side of my boss. Fresh from a break up with her long-term boyfriend, she was taking it out on us. Being late wouldn't help me get back onto her good side.
I pulled on a hoodie, which was the only form of outerwear in my vicinity. I quickly grabbed Ben's coat and got him ready to go next door.
"Emi, you're forgetting something," he said as I zipped him up. I looked in the direction he was pointing. My nametag/lanyard was hanging off on the side of a mirror.
"Thanks, Ben. You're a lifesaver." I grabbed it and hurried out the door.
I rang Jasper's doorbell, tapping my foot impatiently.
"Hey Em. Hey Ben."
"I'll pick you up after work, alright?" I said, squatting down to his level.
"Okay." I kissed the top of his head and quickly thanked Jasper for babysitting him.
Practically sprinting to my car, I jumped into the driver's seat. Please don't fire me. Please don't fire me.
**
"Sorry, I woke up late and..." I trailed off as I approached my station. Pete was sitting on the counter, laughing it up with my supervisor. Am I seeing things?
"Oh, hey Emi," Charlotte said, in an unusually cheerful tone.
"I'm really sorry that I'm late. My alarm didn't go off and-"
"Don't worry about it," she said. "In the meantime I got to meet your boyfriend. Charming guy you have here." He smiled. "Pete, you're welcome to keep Emi company during her shift."
"Thanks," he said still smiling. Charlotte walked away, leaving me alone with him.
"What are you doing here, Pete?" I asked, putting my bag down.
"Well I'm visiting you at work."
"I see..."
"Listen, I know that you don't like me much, but I'll grow on you eventually."
"Like mold on bread?"
"I was thinking moss on a log, but that works too."
"Great," I said, somewhat irritated. My head was pounding because I left the house without drying my hair. Not wearing my coat didn't help matters either.
So there I was, looking like I crawled out of a washing machine, head feeling like an elephant sat on it. To top it off, there was a boy sitting on the counter who was trying to get into my pants. Not a good way to start my day.
For the next 3 hours he followed me around like a lost puppy. I asked him numerous times to leave, but he laughed it off and helped me organize books. If he wasn't so damn helpful, I would have pushed a bookcase onto him.
I took my break at 6:00 and headed to the café for something to eat. Pete, of course, followed me and insisted on paying. Too tired and hungry to put up a fight, I gave in. I took a seat at a table and ate. Pete sat across from me, flipping though an issue of Cosmo that someone had left behind. After finishing up my sandwich I watched him for a few minutes. Why is he still here?
"Pete, when are you going to give this up?"
"When you start liking me."
"You'll be here forever, just to let you know."
"We'll just see about that."
I got up to throw my garbage out and sure enough, he was right behind me. Charlotte approached me with a stack of boxes and a price labeler in hand.
"I see that Pete is still here. He must really like you."
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, trying to hide how frustrated I was.
"Well he can help you sort through the new shipment of CDs." Oh, joy.
Pete took the boxes and we headed toward the music aisles. I took a box cutter from my pocket and sliced through the tape.
"Do you always carry one of those in your pocket?"
"Yeah. Now would you help me sort through these? Or will I have to cut up your pretty little face?" He smirked and sat down next to me. "What?"
"You called me pretty." I rolled my eyes and cursed myself for giving him a partial compliment.
"Just help me sort these out."
3 boxes, 200 price labels, and 5 sticker jams later, I was finished. I tossed the price labeler into one of the boxes and rested my head against the CD display next to me.
"If I ever see another sticker again, it'll be one too many..." Pete laughed, then got up and stacked the boxes.
"Well, I have to get going," he said. "See you same time tomorrow." I watched him as he walked out the door, leaving me in a state of confusion.
What just happened?
*
Jasper's POV
We were in the middle of watching the Italian Job when the doorbell rang. Liv lifted her head from my lap and I got up to answer the door.
"Hey, Pete. How'd it go?"
"It was harder than I thought," he said, walking through the door.
"I take it that your visit to Borders didn't go so well," Liv said. "Emi's not one to change her mind very easily. That stunt at Starbucks didn't do anything for your approval rating."
"I know, but I'm not one to give up very easily."
"You really like her, don't you?"
"Yeah, but the feeling isn't mutual...At least not yet." Jasper laughed.
"Both of you are stubborn as hell...I think Emi's met her match."
*
Emi's POV
About an hour later, my shift ended and I headed over to Jasper's.
"EMI!" Ben yelled, running into my arms.
"Hey!" I leaned down and gave him a hug. However, I quickly got up to cough.
"Hey Em, you don't look so hot," Jasper said, walking into the living room. "Long day at work?"
"That in combination with a pounding headache. Definitely the last time I leave the house without drying my hair..." I plopped onto the couch snuggled against a pillow. Jasper the room and returned with aspirin and a glass of water in hand.
"I heard that Pete stopped by Borders," he said, handing me salvation.
"That cousin of yours is insane." Jasper laughed.
"Well, he is a little persistent."
"A little?"
"Well he likes you."
"Ugh."
"Just give him a chance, Em."
"But Jasp-"
"When he falls for a girl, he falls hard."
"But I only met him yesterday!"
"I don't get why you're fighting him on this. Liv said that you thought he was cute."
"First of all, that information was for Liv's ears only. Second, he spilled hot coffee onto me!"
"Come on, if we all went on first impressions, you and I wouldn't be friends."
It was true. Jasper and I didn't meet under the best circumstances. He moved next door to me when I was 5. When my mom and I went to welcome his family to the neighborhood, he made fun of my hair. In return, I punched him in the stomach.
"Yeah, but that's different."
"Just know that he's not going to give up anytime soon."
*
Just as Jasper had warned me, Pete hadn't given up. I walked into work the next day and there he was, sitting on the counter, looking through an issue of Rolling Stone.
"Hey, Emi!" he said cheerfully. Gah, I really did not need this.
"Hey, Pete," I said, unenthusiastically. Luckily, Charlotte had me behind the registers that day, meaning that there would be no labeling involved. But Charlotte also developed a liking for Pete and told him that he could hang around whenever he wanted.
Glancing at the café, I saw the regulars--three kids who read manga but never buy it, the old man who always gets a black coffee and looks for the newest issue of American Photo, and the woman who sighs as she flips through bridal magazines.
It was a slow day, so for most of my shift I was left to talk with him.
"Let's play the question game," he said.
"How about no."
"Come on. You and I both know that I'm not going anywhere." He made a good point.
"Fine, I'll start it off. Why are you here again?"
"Because I want to get to know you better. What's your favorite color?"
"Yellow. What's your full name?"
"Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III. Why are you asking?"
"So I know what name the police should put on the restraining order. Why do you like me?"
"Because you're not like any girl that I've met. Why don't you like me?"
"Because you're annoyingly persistent. What can I do to make you give up?"
"Nothing, because I'm not going to. What's a bigger threat: kids playing with guns and violent videogames or kids listening to songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain and loss?"
"I don't know. Did you paraphrase that from High Fidelity?" He let out a laugh.
"Yeah." He smiled. "Why are you so stubborn?"
"I could ask you the same question, but I guess it's because I don't like change. What's your favorite movie?"
"The Nightmare Before Christmas. What's yours?"
"Pretty in Pink. Favorite food?"
"I don't know. Probably anything that my mom makes. Favorite actor?"
"John Cusack. Worst date?"
"It was with this girl Brooke. We went out to eat and her boyfriend, that I didn't know she had, was at the restaurant and gave me a black eye. Worst book?"
"Lord of the Flies...Wait scratch that, it would have to be Romeo and Juliet. After only 3 days of knowing each other, two teenagers were willing to commit suicide to be together. Not the greatest plot. Ever go cow tipping?"
"Yes, and it was really fun...But I did feel sorry for the cows later. What's your favorite song?"
"Changes from time to time. Right now it's 'Hate Every Beautiful Day' by Sugarcult."
"That's...negative."
"I know."
At that moment, three guys walked in. "Customers, finally." But instead of walking around and looking at books, they walked over toward us. Pete's friends maybe?
"So this is where you've been for the past 2 days," one of them said. Yep. Definitely his friends.
"Mhmm," Pete said, playing with book lights. "Guys, this is Emi. Emi, these are the guys-Patrick, Andy and Joe."
"Hi," I gave them a smile and a small wave. They may have been Pete's friends, but they weren't the ones stalking me at work...at least not yet.
at least not yet.
*
Please review. It'll only take a minute.
Inspired by this momentous occasion, I present you capitulo cuatro. Before you start reading it, I'd like to thank PiecesInMe and duckapple for reviewing. Much coffee to the both of you!
Now, onto the story...
Chapter Four: Risqué
I've got birds in my ears and a devil on my shoulder and a phone to the other and I can't get a hold of her. What's a crush to do when he can't get through?
-Cute Is What We Aim For
Emi's POV
The next day, I woke up to 'Hey There Delilah' ringing in my ear. I groaned, then blindly reached for my cell phone. "Ughhh..." After knocking over my alarm clock, a book and my jar of pencils, I managed to find the source of Tom Higgenson's voice.
"Hello?" I said, groggily. I am definitely not a morning person.
"Emi?"
"This is she," I said, stifling a yawn.
"It's Pete."
"Umm, hey." How did this guy get my number? Wait, Jasper is his cousin. If you haven't already noticed, I'm kind of slow in the morning. "Why are you calling so early?"
"It's 2 in the afternoon."
"Shit," I whispered, looking down at the clock I knocked over. It's bright red display flashed 2:02. I was going to be late for work. "Uhh, what's up?" I asked, sitting up.
"Well, I wanted to apologize for being such an asshole yesterday...and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today."
"I'm actually busy today. I'm working at Borders," I said, grateful that I had a genuine excuse. I really wasn't interested in another date.
"See you around, I guess."
"Yeah...Bye."
"Bye."
I got out of bed and took a quick shower. My hair was still damp, but that was the least of my concerns. Like me, the winter brought out the bitter side of my boss. Fresh from a break up with her long-term boyfriend, she was taking it out on us. Being late wouldn't help me get back onto her good side.
I pulled on a hoodie, which was the only form of outerwear in my vicinity. I quickly grabbed Ben's coat and got him ready to go next door.
"Emi, you're forgetting something," he said as I zipped him up. I looked in the direction he was pointing. My nametag/lanyard was hanging off on the side of a mirror.
"Thanks, Ben. You're a lifesaver." I grabbed it and hurried out the door.
I rang Jasper's doorbell, tapping my foot impatiently.
"Hey Em. Hey Ben."
"I'll pick you up after work, alright?" I said, squatting down to his level.
"Okay." I kissed the top of his head and quickly thanked Jasper for babysitting him.
Practically sprinting to my car, I jumped into the driver's seat. Please don't fire me. Please don't fire me.
**
"Sorry, I woke up late and..." I trailed off as I approached my station. Pete was sitting on the counter, laughing it up with my supervisor. Am I seeing things?
"Oh, hey Emi," Charlotte said, in an unusually cheerful tone.
"I'm really sorry that I'm late. My alarm didn't go off and-"
"Don't worry about it," she said. "In the meantime I got to meet your boyfriend. Charming guy you have here." He smiled. "Pete, you're welcome to keep Emi company during her shift."
"Thanks," he said still smiling. Charlotte walked away, leaving me alone with him.
"What are you doing here, Pete?" I asked, putting my bag down.
"Well I'm visiting you at work."
"I see..."
"Listen, I know that you don't like me much, but I'll grow on you eventually."
"Like mold on bread?"
"I was thinking moss on a log, but that works too."
"Great," I said, somewhat irritated. My head was pounding because I left the house without drying my hair. Not wearing my coat didn't help matters either.
So there I was, looking like I crawled out of a washing machine, head feeling like an elephant sat on it. To top it off, there was a boy sitting on the counter who was trying to get into my pants. Not a good way to start my day.
For the next 3 hours he followed me around like a lost puppy. I asked him numerous times to leave, but he laughed it off and helped me organize books. If he wasn't so damn helpful, I would have pushed a bookcase onto him.
I took my break at 6:00 and headed to the café for something to eat. Pete, of course, followed me and insisted on paying. Too tired and hungry to put up a fight, I gave in. I took a seat at a table and ate. Pete sat across from me, flipping though an issue of Cosmo that someone had left behind. After finishing up my sandwich I watched him for a few minutes. Why is he still here?
"Pete, when are you going to give this up?"
"When you start liking me."
"You'll be here forever, just to let you know."
"We'll just see about that."
I got up to throw my garbage out and sure enough, he was right behind me. Charlotte approached me with a stack of boxes and a price labeler in hand.
"I see that Pete is still here. He must really like you."
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, trying to hide how frustrated I was.
"Well he can help you sort through the new shipment of CDs." Oh, joy.
Pete took the boxes and we headed toward the music aisles. I took a box cutter from my pocket and sliced through the tape.
"Do you always carry one of those in your pocket?"
"Yeah. Now would you help me sort through these? Or will I have to cut up your pretty little face?" He smirked and sat down next to me. "What?"
"You called me pretty." I rolled my eyes and cursed myself for giving him a partial compliment.
"Just help me sort these out."
3 boxes, 200 price labels, and 5 sticker jams later, I was finished. I tossed the price labeler into one of the boxes and rested my head against the CD display next to me.
"If I ever see another sticker again, it'll be one too many..." Pete laughed, then got up and stacked the boxes.
"Well, I have to get going," he said. "See you same time tomorrow." I watched him as he walked out the door, leaving me in a state of confusion.
What just happened?
*
Jasper's POV
We were in the middle of watching the Italian Job when the doorbell rang. Liv lifted her head from my lap and I got up to answer the door.
"Hey, Pete. How'd it go?"
"It was harder than I thought," he said, walking through the door.
"I take it that your visit to Borders didn't go so well," Liv said. "Emi's not one to change her mind very easily. That stunt at Starbucks didn't do anything for your approval rating."
"I know, but I'm not one to give up very easily."
"You really like her, don't you?"
"Yeah, but the feeling isn't mutual...At least not yet." Jasper laughed.
"Both of you are stubborn as hell...I think Emi's met her match."
*
Emi's POV
About an hour later, my shift ended and I headed over to Jasper's.
"EMI!" Ben yelled, running into my arms.
"Hey!" I leaned down and gave him a hug. However, I quickly got up to cough.
"Hey Em, you don't look so hot," Jasper said, walking into the living room. "Long day at work?"
"That in combination with a pounding headache. Definitely the last time I leave the house without drying my hair..." I plopped onto the couch snuggled against a pillow. Jasper the room and returned with aspirin and a glass of water in hand.
"I heard that Pete stopped by Borders," he said, handing me salvation.
"That cousin of yours is insane." Jasper laughed.
"Well, he is a little persistent."
"A little?"
"Well he likes you."
"Ugh."
"Just give him a chance, Em."
"But Jasp-"
"When he falls for a girl, he falls hard."
"But I only met him yesterday!"
"I don't get why you're fighting him on this. Liv said that you thought he was cute."
"First of all, that information was for Liv's ears only. Second, he spilled hot coffee onto me!"
"Come on, if we all went on first impressions, you and I wouldn't be friends."
It was true. Jasper and I didn't meet under the best circumstances. He moved next door to me when I was 5. When my mom and I went to welcome his family to the neighborhood, he made fun of my hair. In return, I punched him in the stomach.
"Yeah, but that's different."
"Just know that he's not going to give up anytime soon."
*
Just as Jasper had warned me, Pete hadn't given up. I walked into work the next day and there he was, sitting on the counter, looking through an issue of Rolling Stone.
"Hey, Emi!" he said cheerfully. Gah, I really did not need this.
"Hey, Pete," I said, unenthusiastically. Luckily, Charlotte had me behind the registers that day, meaning that there would be no labeling involved. But Charlotte also developed a liking for Pete and told him that he could hang around whenever he wanted.
Glancing at the café, I saw the regulars--three kids who read manga but never buy it, the old man who always gets a black coffee and looks for the newest issue of American Photo, and the woman who sighs as she flips through bridal magazines.
It was a slow day, so for most of my shift I was left to talk with him.
"Let's play the question game," he said.
"How about no."
"Come on. You and I both know that I'm not going anywhere." He made a good point.
"Fine, I'll start it off. Why are you here again?"
"Because I want to get to know you better. What's your favorite color?"
"Yellow. What's your full name?"
"Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III. Why are you asking?"
"So I know what name the police should put on the restraining order. Why do you like me?"
"Because you're not like any girl that I've met. Why don't you like me?"
"Because you're annoyingly persistent. What can I do to make you give up?"
"Nothing, because I'm not going to. What's a bigger threat: kids playing with guns and violent videogames or kids listening to songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain and loss?"
"I don't know. Did you paraphrase that from High Fidelity?" He let out a laugh.
"Yeah." He smiled. "Why are you so stubborn?"
"I could ask you the same question, but I guess it's because I don't like change. What's your favorite movie?"
"The Nightmare Before Christmas. What's yours?"
"Pretty in Pink. Favorite food?"
"I don't know. Probably anything that my mom makes. Favorite actor?"
"John Cusack. Worst date?"
"It was with this girl Brooke. We went out to eat and her boyfriend, that I didn't know she had, was at the restaurant and gave me a black eye. Worst book?"
"Lord of the Flies...Wait scratch that, it would have to be Romeo and Juliet. After only 3 days of knowing each other, two teenagers were willing to commit suicide to be together. Not the greatest plot. Ever go cow tipping?"
"Yes, and it was really fun...But I did feel sorry for the cows later. What's your favorite song?"
"Changes from time to time. Right now it's 'Hate Every Beautiful Day' by Sugarcult."
"That's...negative."
"I know."
At that moment, three guys walked in. "Customers, finally." But instead of walking around and looking at books, they walked over toward us. Pete's friends maybe?
"So this is where you've been for the past 2 days," one of them said. Yep. Definitely his friends.
"Mhmm," Pete said, playing with book lights. "Guys, this is Emi. Emi, these are the guys-Patrick, Andy and Joe."
"Hi," I gave them a smile and a small wave. They may have been Pete's friends, but they weren't the ones stalking me at work...at least not yet.
at least not yet.
*
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