Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Twenty-One Letters Ending in T
Chapter 3.
2 reviews“Well, well, Frank Iero. Twenty-one letters ending in T” She breathed. Frank cocked his eyebrow. “Who,” She began, as she took the beer offered by the redhead, “would have guessed it?...
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Escher had, earlier that day, organized a business lunch at a local restaurant for she and the guys to get to know each other. She smiled to herself as she drove towards the restaurant, remembering the look on poor Frankie’s face. She knew she was only so delighted because of the way he had treated her yesterday. Despite what people might think, she hadn’t planned it this way. Of course she’d known that she would be taking over the legal and media management for the band, and she had been excited about seeing Frank again after so long, but she hadn’t expected to see him at Canary. That was the name of the bar, The Canary Murder Case, named after a silent movie starring Louise Brooks; the poor, tragic Lulu.
It had bothered her all evening, the way Frankie had behaved. It had almost ruined her dinner with Mr. X, and had definitely put the kaibosh on her getting any sleep.
They hadn’t exactly grown up together, but she remembered him always being there, in all the school photos, in the play ground, sitting nearby in the cafeteria, being at the same parties. And they had been friends, no matter if he denied it, they had.
- Flashback -
Escher walked through the halls blindly. Don’t cry, she kept telling herself, don’t cry, suck it up Esch. Gripped tightly to her chest, tucked away inside her binder, was the cause of her despair. A B+ in History? She had slaved for hours over her essay about correlation between the ideology behind the French and American Revolutions. A B-fucking-plus?
Finally arriving at her locker she swung the dial to her combination and opened the door. She threw her books in carelessly and leaned her head against the cool metal of the locker. She jumped when she felt a body slam into the locker next to hers. Looking to her left she came face-to-face with Frankie Iero.
“You okay Green? You looked a bit out of it”
Escher smiled and he grinned back.
“I’m fine Frank”
“Sweet”
He clapped her shoulder gently,
“I’m gonna go grab some lunch, see you in Health later?”
“Yeah” Escher breathed gently and he walked off.
Okay, so they’d never been best friends, rarely shared stories or secrets, but she never expected the animosity she’d seen in his pretty eyes the day before. What had happened in the intervening years? Or was it as simple as him never feeling the same way, that he meant what he’d said to Sarah, that they’d never been friends?
Gerard and Mikey were already at the table when she arrived.
“Hi guys,” She greeted them brightly.
“Hi…Escher, is it?” Mikey asked, shifting a little.
Escher smiled warmly.
“Yes, you can call me whatever you like though, Esch, E, whatever is easiest for you”
“Gee and E,” Gerard muttered, smiling a little, “Sounds like a formidable team”
Escher smiled knowingly as she waved to Ray, Bob and Frank who had just entered.
They got to work straight away, discussing the new album, the scope and form it was taking.
“I’ll be honest,” Escher began, as she took a sip of her Pinot, “It sounds heavy, heavy on the theatrics, on the music, on the whole concept. But if you guys can pull it off, it’ll be an amazing album. Do you think you can pull it off?”
Frank snorted,
“Please, don’t patronize us Escher”
Escher looked affronted.
“I’m not patronizing you Frank, I’m asking a simple question”
“Yes,” He snapped, “Of course we can pull it off”
“Ok then” Escher replied calmly, “Well it seems like I’m coming on board at a really exciting time. Now you guys head into the studio to start recording in a couple of weeks, right?”
“April 10” Mikey replied quickly.
“Awesome, so we need to start getting some marketing ideas down on paper. Gerard, you mentioned in the meeting this morning that you guys have really got a conceptual idea happening for uniforms, artwork and concerts, right?”
Gerard nodded and began to explain The Black Parade to Escher’s captive audience.
Escher arrived at the bar a bit later that night. Laz grinned at her as he poured a glass of champagne for a customer.
“How did it go today?” He asked as he followed her into the staff room, inspecting his nails as she changed her shirt.
“It was…interesting”
“What’s the new album going to be like?”
She swatted him with her blazer.
“You know I cannot divulge anything except to say that it’s going to blow your fucking mind”
He laughed.
“And our dear Mr. Iero?”
“Was an ass…I don’t get it Laz”
“Mmm?”
“Well, I sort of expected him to be excited to see me after all this time, it’s not like we hated each other”
“He came in”
“What?” Escher asked quickly, straightening up from where she was rooting around in a locker for her Doc’s.
“I didn’t see him, but the new girl went fucking nuts apparently”
Escher groaned.
“What happened?”
“He wanted to see the manager, she told him to come back tonight”
“Great, now I get to see him again today”
“So how dirty do you like your martini?” Escher asked the businessmen with a wink.
They loved it, man she could work a room. At the office she was all business and professionalism, but on the bar’s floor she could let it all out.
The stock broker leaned over the counter with a wink,
“As dirty as you like to make it”
Escher grinned, enjoying this drinking foreplay as she measured the grey goose and cinzano. Out of the corner of her expertly trained eye, she saw Frank wandering towards the bar. Damn it, it was her busy time too.
He hadn’t noticed her yet and she saw him talking to Laz.
“The manager will be with you in a moment,” She heard Laz saying as he tried to catch Escher’s eye.
She saw Frank sitting alone in a booth, his head in his hands and a beer in front of him.
“Hello stranger,” She said, sliding into the bench opposite him.
He had the decency to look shamefaced, they both knew why he was here, he was checking up on her.
“Hi I’m uh…”
“Checking up on me”
“I was going to say waiting for the
manager but…”
“But I got it in one”
“Whatever” He looked around, hoping that her boss would materialize soon.
“You can be so oblivious Frank”
“Excuse me?” He snapped, turning back to her.
“I’m the bar supervisor Frank”
His eyes widened.
Escher smiled and took a sip from the drink she’d brought with her.
“What are you so worried about Frank?”
He stared at the table, shuffling his bottle around a bit.
“I just need to be sure that you’re devoting everything you can to the band”
“I find it offensive that you’d think I wouldn’t” She said calmly. She rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. “What’s your problem with me Frankie?” She asked quietly, defeatedly.
“I don’t have a problem with you”
His voice was heavy, monotonous, he was lying. She knew that, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“Can you have me doing this job?”
“Can you do the job?” He replied.
“Yes”
“Then I guess we’ll be fine. But let me remind you of something Escher, we’re not friends, we don’t need to be friends and we were never friends. So all of those shared memories of fun and games that you seem to think we have, don’t exist to me. I have spent five years trying to forget about Queen of Peace and as far as I’m concerned, you and I were introduced today”
Escher felt her face grow hot, and thanked god that that sensation rarely manifested itself in an unsightly blush. She splayed her palms on the table in an act of confidence which was really only meant to stop her hands from trembling.
“If that’s the way you need it Frank, that’s fine. Now if there’s no more business you need to discuss, I have a bar to run”
It had bothered her all evening, the way Frankie had behaved. It had almost ruined her dinner with Mr. X, and had definitely put the kaibosh on her getting any sleep.
They hadn’t exactly grown up together, but she remembered him always being there, in all the school photos, in the play ground, sitting nearby in the cafeteria, being at the same parties. And they had been friends, no matter if he denied it, they had.
- Flashback -
Escher walked through the halls blindly. Don’t cry, she kept telling herself, don’t cry, suck it up Esch. Gripped tightly to her chest, tucked away inside her binder, was the cause of her despair. A B+ in History? She had slaved for hours over her essay about correlation between the ideology behind the French and American Revolutions. A B-fucking-plus?
Finally arriving at her locker she swung the dial to her combination and opened the door. She threw her books in carelessly and leaned her head against the cool metal of the locker. She jumped when she felt a body slam into the locker next to hers. Looking to her left she came face-to-face with Frankie Iero.
“You okay Green? You looked a bit out of it”
Escher smiled and he grinned back.
“I’m fine Frank”
“Sweet”
He clapped her shoulder gently,
“I’m gonna go grab some lunch, see you in Health later?”
“Yeah” Escher breathed gently and he walked off.
Okay, so they’d never been best friends, rarely shared stories or secrets, but she never expected the animosity she’d seen in his pretty eyes the day before. What had happened in the intervening years? Or was it as simple as him never feeling the same way, that he meant what he’d said to Sarah, that they’d never been friends?
Gerard and Mikey were already at the table when she arrived.
“Hi guys,” She greeted them brightly.
“Hi…Escher, is it?” Mikey asked, shifting a little.
Escher smiled warmly.
“Yes, you can call me whatever you like though, Esch, E, whatever is easiest for you”
“Gee and E,” Gerard muttered, smiling a little, “Sounds like a formidable team”
Escher smiled knowingly as she waved to Ray, Bob and Frank who had just entered.
They got to work straight away, discussing the new album, the scope and form it was taking.
“I’ll be honest,” Escher began, as she took a sip of her Pinot, “It sounds heavy, heavy on the theatrics, on the music, on the whole concept. But if you guys can pull it off, it’ll be an amazing album. Do you think you can pull it off?”
Frank snorted,
“Please, don’t patronize us Escher”
Escher looked affronted.
“I’m not patronizing you Frank, I’m asking a simple question”
“Yes,” He snapped, “Of course we can pull it off”
“Ok then” Escher replied calmly, “Well it seems like I’m coming on board at a really exciting time. Now you guys head into the studio to start recording in a couple of weeks, right?”
“April 10” Mikey replied quickly.
“Awesome, so we need to start getting some marketing ideas down on paper. Gerard, you mentioned in the meeting this morning that you guys have really got a conceptual idea happening for uniforms, artwork and concerts, right?”
Gerard nodded and began to explain The Black Parade to Escher’s captive audience.
Escher arrived at the bar a bit later that night. Laz grinned at her as he poured a glass of champagne for a customer.
“How did it go today?” He asked as he followed her into the staff room, inspecting his nails as she changed her shirt.
“It was…interesting”
“What’s the new album going to be like?”
She swatted him with her blazer.
“You know I cannot divulge anything except to say that it’s going to blow your fucking mind”
He laughed.
“And our dear Mr. Iero?”
“Was an ass…I don’t get it Laz”
“Mmm?”
“Well, I sort of expected him to be excited to see me after all this time, it’s not like we hated each other”
“He came in”
“What?” Escher asked quickly, straightening up from where she was rooting around in a locker for her Doc’s.
“I didn’t see him, but the new girl went fucking nuts apparently”
Escher groaned.
“What happened?”
“He wanted to see the manager, she told him to come back tonight”
“Great, now I get to see him again today”
“So how dirty do you like your martini?” Escher asked the businessmen with a wink.
They loved it, man she could work a room. At the office she was all business and professionalism, but on the bar’s floor she could let it all out.
The stock broker leaned over the counter with a wink,
“As dirty as you like to make it”
Escher grinned, enjoying this drinking foreplay as she measured the grey goose and cinzano. Out of the corner of her expertly trained eye, she saw Frank wandering towards the bar. Damn it, it was her busy time too.
He hadn’t noticed her yet and she saw him talking to Laz.
“The manager will be with you in a moment,” She heard Laz saying as he tried to catch Escher’s eye.
She saw Frank sitting alone in a booth, his head in his hands and a beer in front of him.
“Hello stranger,” She said, sliding into the bench opposite him.
He had the decency to look shamefaced, they both knew why he was here, he was checking up on her.
“Hi I’m uh…”
“Checking up on me”
“I was going to say waiting for the
manager but…”
“But I got it in one”
“Whatever” He looked around, hoping that her boss would materialize soon.
“You can be so oblivious Frank”
“Excuse me?” He snapped, turning back to her.
“I’m the bar supervisor Frank”
His eyes widened.
Escher smiled and took a sip from the drink she’d brought with her.
“What are you so worried about Frank?”
He stared at the table, shuffling his bottle around a bit.
“I just need to be sure that you’re devoting everything you can to the band”
“I find it offensive that you’d think I wouldn’t” She said calmly. She rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. “What’s your problem with me Frankie?” She asked quietly, defeatedly.
“I don’t have a problem with you”
His voice was heavy, monotonous, he was lying. She knew that, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“Can you have me doing this job?”
“Can you do the job?” He replied.
“Yes”
“Then I guess we’ll be fine. But let me remind you of something Escher, we’re not friends, we don’t need to be friends and we were never friends. So all of those shared memories of fun and games that you seem to think we have, don’t exist to me. I have spent five years trying to forget about Queen of Peace and as far as I’m concerned, you and I were introduced today”
Escher felt her face grow hot, and thanked god that that sensation rarely manifested itself in an unsightly blush. She splayed her palms on the table in an act of confidence which was really only meant to stop her hands from trembling.
“If that’s the way you need it Frank, that’s fine. Now if there’s no more business you need to discuss, I have a bar to run”
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