FicWad

Felicita pulled her sweater closer to her body for warmth and absent-mindedly tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. The shop windows offered her glimpses of things she mostly could not afford - designer shoes, antique furniture - but somehow this did not bring her spirits down. Her family had never been particularly wealthy, to say the least, and she had grown accustomed to limited funds, much like an old companion. Class had been cancelled that morning due to instructor illness (there was a rumor that Professor Franks was pregnant again) and Felicita felt oddly out of place on the city streets at that time of day, as if she were a museum visitor sneaking in after-hours. She had been granted permission to steal a glimpse into the lives of the people who were bustling about the streets, their adventures and tales manifested in the form of mundane tasks.
Out of habit, Felicita checked her reflection in one of the shop windows with a critical eye. Dark jeans hugged her hips, black heels always present to add a couple of inches to her 5'4'' frame, and a black, wooly sweater enveloped her upper body. She was wearing minimal makeup to complement her green eyes, pouty lips, and unblemished skin. Thanks to her brand new professional flat iron, her thick, shimmering brown hair lay straight across her shoulders like a silky curtain. Her hair had a mind of its own, sometimes falling in waves and creating massive volume. When straightened to her liking, her hair became one of her best features. Her friends always claimed how fortunate she was to have a petite figure with plenty of curves. According to them, this is what men wanted. Funny this should not be Felicita's experience. All her life she had been labeled 'cute' (a kinder synonym for 'bland', really) and sometimes she felt more like a doll than a grown woman. Was it shallow that she wanted to feel sexy, wanted instead of merely glanced over in a semi-appreciative manner? Her wavering confidence completely faded in the shadows of beautiful, tall and lean blondes and the gorgeous men surrounding them at all times...
Enough! Felicita thought, irritated with her nagging mind. Pushing open the heavy wooden doors of the comic book store on Central Ave, she slowly made her way down one of the aisles, hoping she did not look as lost as she felt. She had not been in a comic book store in nearly a decade! Her eyes scanned the colorful covers, images of heroes and heroines, beasts and monsters meeting her wandering gaze. The next step led her headfirst into a collision and she turned in time to see a number of books falling from someone's hands onto the tiled floor.
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." she started automatically, her cheeks radiating heat. On instinct, she swiftly collected the fallen items and handed them to the person facing her.
"Felicita," announced a male voice, surprise mixed in his tone, before their eyes met. It was none other than the mysterious stranger from last week, his eyes predominantly green this time, decided foolishly Felicita. He was clad in black jeans, All Star sneakers, and a black hooded sweatshirt underneath a denim jacket. His short jet-black hair was standing in some places, giving him a 'rough around the edges' look that suited him well.
"Fancy bumping into you here," he went on when she did not voice any sort of response. She smiled with a slight nod, not trusting her ability to say something sensible. They both moved aside to let someone pass through the aisle, the movement bringing them closer together.
"Are you a comic book fan?"
Felicita toyed with the strap of her purse to keep her fingers occupied and regained her voice. "Actually, I'm here for a school assignment. I'm supposed to continue the storyline of a comic I am interested in."
"That sounds like a project I'd be really into," he smiled for the first time, off-centered and incredibly endearing at the same time.
"Maybe you could help me find something, then? I'm feeling a bit like a fish out of water at the moment."
"Yeah, sure," he consented, motioning for her to follow him. They arrived at a section marked off 'science fiction / horror' and he began to thumb through the selection. "I'll show you a couple of my favorites."
"You sound like quite the expert," smiled Felicita, irrationally glad she had opted for makeup that morning. A part of herself, the one bathed in wisdom and self-preservation, called control back to her side. It would not do being so careless. He was a stranger. He could be a mass murderer. Or worse, he could be married. A calculated, quick glimpse at his left hand told her otherwise.
"I guess it's a passion of mine. I used to work as a graphic artist."
The scrunched up look on his face told her he was deep in concentration and she wondered if she should be speaking at all at such a moment. Curiosity, however, got the best of her. "Oh? You've chosen to go down a different career path?"
He shrugged, handing her a few items for her perusal.
"I'm in a band," he offered after a pause.
"Wow. What type of music?'
"It's kind of hard to box in our sound within a particular genre, but it's mostly rock and punk influenced."
Felicita leafed through the comics he had chosen, genuinely intrigued by the lively drawings and unfolding storylines. The assignment suddenly seemed less daunting than it had hours ago.
"This is one of my favorite series of all time," he suddenly voiced, holding up the object of his interest. A closer look revealed the title 'Captain Revenge', red stains coloring the hollow letters above the scene of a man and a woman facing each other, eyes closed, each covered in stains of blood. "It's about two lovers who are torn apart by death and the main character's failed attempts to bring his lady back to life and the struggles with his own mortality. It's simply captivating."
Felicita was so taken by his chattiness that she did not realize they had passed through the check-out counter until he was handing her a handful of comics and graphic novels.
"This way you'll have a few to choose from," he explained with a sincere smile.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that..."
He silenced her protest with a wave of his hand. "I had to pick up a few things for myself, anyway."
"Thank you...oh my, I didn't even ask for your name, I'm sorry," fretted Felicita in one breath, raising her eyes to his.
"Gerard Way," he offered, taking her hand and shaking it with a lopsided grin.
"It's a pleasure, Gerard," smiled in turn Felicita, his hand warm and strong in her own. "There's a Starbucks next door, let me at least buy you a coffee in return for your kindness."
He smiled before stealing a quick glance at his wristwatch. The straps were wide and made of black leather. "Well..."
"Come on. No cream or sugar, promise."
Elated with her sudden wittiness and charm, attributes she could not always rely on, Felicita led the way out of the comic book store.

My Chemical Romance. This was the name of Gerard's band. Felicita had powered up her laptop as soon as they had parted ways to do some research. Since the band was still underground, fairly new, she did not find as much information as she would have liked. However, she did learn that the band had an impressive number of fans already. A wave of electricity invaded her body upon discovering two pictures of the band, Gerard looking somber and dangerous in his role as the lead singer, and just as gorgeous as she remembered. Felicita blushed at the sudden realization. Before her stood an intricate a maze of impressions and hopes, truths and fictions, rationality and impossible desires. She was not quite sure how to navigate through it all at the moment. The task seemed daunting to say the least.
Gerard had mentioned that his younger brother played bass in the band. What had he said his name was? Mark? Mikey? Mikey, yes. The brothers did not share many physical characteristics. Mikey was tall and lean, almost gangly, with glasses adorning his angular, chiseled features. Her attention moving to Gerard next, like the unexplainable pull of a magnet, Felicita sighed. She really should be focusing on her homework instead of looking up local bands on the Internet. Especially bands with intriguing front men. As a compromise, she minimized the webpage and checked her school email. No new emails. Logging into the chat feature on the page, she saw that a couple of her classmates were online. Impulsively, she double-clicked on the name 'Raven' and offered a greeting. Felicita would never know what in the world had prompted her last move. She had not exactly befriended Raven at school. A quiet girl who often sported large headphones, dark eyeliner, and bright striped leggings underneath black clothes, Raven was a bit of a goth, assessed Felicita, and not much of a social butterfly. Perhaps, though, she would have some valuable information on Gerard's band.
Raven had restated her greeting and Felicita continued the conversation.

F: How's the comic book assignment coming along for you?
R: Oh, it's all right
F: Have you picked a comic yet?
R: Yeah, I think I'll stick with 'Hellboy', I found a number with a really interesting storyline
F: That's great, it's so much easier once you've narrowed it down
R: How about you?
F: 'Captain Revenge', have you heard of it?
R: Of course, it's one of the classics. Good choice
F: Thanks, a friend helped me pick it out
R: Thumbs up!

Felicita waited, not knowing what else to add. Raven surprised her by initiating another conversational piece.

R: I wish this assignment focused on examining music instead. So many more options that way
F: That would be a wicked assignment, I agree.
F: What type of music do you like?
R: Anything I can rock out to, basically. I listen to everything from punk to emo and hardcore
F: Do you know of any good local bands within those genres? I really need to get into the music scene out here
R: Where are you originally from?
F: California
R: Wow, you're a long way from home
R: I'm from Brooklyn
F: Cool
R: Let's see...there are so many...Counting Heartbeats, Armchair Cynics, Disconnected Rage, Made of Honor, Smith's Rally, Overdrive, My Chemical Romance, Newfound Pact...
F: Any of them playing a show in town anytime soon?
R: Overdrive is at the Corral on Saturday night, great band, very hardcore
F: Ok
R: Oh, and Alkaline Trio is playing tomorrow night at the Velvet Lounge, alongside My Chemical Romance.
R: I'm going
F: Really? Awesome! I might see you there, then. I've heard some rumors that My Chemical Romance are worth seeing
R: Definitely, they're in a league of their own
F: Ok, I gotta let you go, but thanks for filling me in
F: Good luck on the assignment
R: Ok, you too
R: See you around
F: Bye

Felicita logged off, a smile drawn on her face. It looked like she would have to ask for a night off work. Tomorrow, she wanted to see Gerard and his band mates in action.