I got home an hour before curfew. Ally and I walk home and I asked her what she had to do when she left. She took really long because even after the party ended, she was nowhere to be found. I saw her in the music shop we've been in earlier.
'It was just a friend of mine. She's leaving.'
'Why?' I ask her
'It would be weird if I told you the reason.' She mumbled, and sighs, 'I don't wanna talk about it.'
I didn't, in fact, I didn't say anything else as we were walking past the blinding lamppost lights. We got back to my house and I looked at her. That face, it looked like she was more than sad for a friend leaving. It's like this friend of hers was really something to her.
'You want me to walk you home first? I think I'll have to tell Grant first, though.' I asked.
'No, I'm okay. Thanks, Julian, see you later.' She started walking away.
'W-wait,' I stammered, she looks back and stops, 'Never mind, goodnight, Ally.'
I got inside and I thank God that the living room is still clean as I left it before I went out with Ally.
'Grant?' I shouted, no one answers.
I go upstairs to our room. He's not there, I guess his hangover was quicker than expected. But he isn't out this late. Well, I had other things to do. I went to the bathroom to take a shower. I wasn't growing any facial hair, so I don't shave yet. I didn't look anything like Grant though everyone knew we were brothers. I had wavy black hair, I usually have it long, brown eyes, and tanned skin. Grant was white as a cracker and had short hair.
'Hey, now!' He shouted as he entered the bathroom, I jumped as I was trying to brush my teeth. I think he was impersonating some actor I haven't hear of.
'F—k!' I cursed. I knew it was a joke but I got a little irritated, 'Cut it out, man!'
'Well, what if I don't?' He joked, leaning on the doorway, 'Should I shave?', he leans closer to see himself in the mirror, examining his face.
'You just shaved last week.' I let a chuckle out.
'I don't like growing a beard, doesn't make me look... attractive.' He answers, then shrugs, 'Nah, I think I'm fine for now.'
'Woah, Grant!' I exclaimed, 'When did suddenly girls go all over you?' I laughed out.
Grant sure dated but he put that past behind him. Never dated ever since he broke up with Katie. Now a year later, he goes around being conscious about looking good to girls. This is funny.
I didn't tell him about the concert I was going to. I don't think he would be interested at all watching nerds perform soft rock on stage. He was into musicals, we could never afford those because those were way out of budget. When it came to bands, we disagreed a lot to which concerts to see. Or we go to those country concerts to hang around with the others, but never have me and Grant properly watched a concert.
'Why'd you break up with Katie in the first place?' I asked him. I didn't know the real reason for this. All I knew they broke up because of some misunderstanding.
I was on my bed, laying down while Grant was on his bed, reading Shakespeare for his class. Our beds were two twins with a five feet distance away from each other. The computer desk was between us. He was almost on it everyday, I only had to use it unless I needed to search something up.
Eventually, he spoke up and said, 'It's hard to say exactly. I just wasn't her type, and she wasn't mine as well. I felt awkward, like she wasn't at all my girlfriend. She was a smartass on most occasions but she could sometimes be cute. It's my first serious girlfriend, anything can happen.'
'I think you're just plainly a terrible person.' I joked, trying to get him a little less serious.
'What if I am, Julian. What if I am a terrible person?' He looks at me with those soft green eyes.
'Well, you aren't. So don't stress about it.'
He turned off the lamp that lit up our small room and put his book away and took his glasses off. He covers himself in his blanket and just lays there staring at the ceiling. I turned away from him, soon to sleep until I heard him say, 'Night, little bro.'.
_________
Next day, I went to school. I had a rep here. But my rep wasn't like a tuff guy who smokes weed or drinks underage. I was a huge nerd. I liked learning, and I never was scared to show it, even if I get beaten up for it. The middle school was swarming with mostly poor kids. Barely you could see rich kids from the hills come here, they either go to classy private schools or their own public schools there.
I didn't have friends in this school. Sure, I knew people and we have a quick hi or something but not to the point I'd call them a friend. At first, I thought I was a weird kid, that's why I didn't have any friends but I knew later on it was something else.
I get out of school as usual and head to the meeting place me and Josh agreed at. It was in one of the old drive-ins druggies would park their car and sit around in. While I was walking to Josh's car, I saw Katie Marovitch, sitting on the curb with a can of beer. It looked like she was troubled. She was rubbing her forehead like she was having a headache.
'Katie?' I called out, 'What are you doing here?'
She looks at me and shrugs, ' I honestly don't know why... What's a kid like you doing here?'
'Meeting up with friends. We're gonna do homework' I lied. She was gonna tell the truth and Grant would kill me if I did. He didn't like rich kids one bit. I've never asked him.
'Oh, well. Go ahead. I'm about to leave anyway.' She said as she stood up and finished all of what was left of the beer. She leaves without saying bye and quietly walks away.
Josh and his friends arrive and they looked sharp alright. Like gang members. The same black jacket from his party yesterday and he was wearing sunglasses.
'Julian!' He shouted, 'These are my pals. Get in.'
I get in. It was a small car but classy, Ford Mustang. We couldn't really afford a car but usually Trapp loans us his if we need it.
'As long I don't see you and the car dead, I'm not gonna kick you guys in the nuts.' He teased me and Grant.
We got to the concert just about a few minutes before it starts. We were really far away from our town. In the area were full of stands where you could buy food or souvenirs. We get to the stage and there were many people crowding the front already. I stood my distance from Josh and his buddies. I didn't want people thinking I was a hoodlum like them.
As soon as Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of Weezer, came in along with the other three members, girls were going crazy, screaming and running to the front to get at least a high five from Rivers.
Right now, Weezer only had two albums, Blue and Pinkerton. I noticed few were replaced. Jason Cropper used to be a part as rhythm guitarist but replaced by this dude named Brian Bell. The bassist Matt Sharp was also substituted with Mikey Welsh. I wondered how'd they'll turn up to be.
'Hey, Julian, me and the dudes gotta smoke real quick, not allowed in the venue. You cool staying here?' Josh asks me.
'Yeah, I wanna see the whole thing.' I was hyped. I wasn't going to leave one bit this moment.
'Alright, See ya.' They walk away and started smirking at each other.
Rivers Cuomo started the concert out with the Sweater song-Undone. It was amazing. Brian Bell was actually good- if not better than Jason. Even Mikey did well.
If you want to destroy my sweater
Hold this thread as I walk away
(As I walk away!)
Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked
Lying on the floor (lying on the floor)
I've come undone'
I heard my all time favorite: Buddy Holly. The shred Rivers does was amazing. Sometimes I wish I could be in awe with someone, I mean understand the things I like. The thing I really liked about Weezer was that the geekiness could be seen through these songs.
'What's with these homies, dissing my girl?
Why do they gotta front?
What did we ever do to these guys
That made them so violent?
Woo-hoo, but you know I'm yours
Woo-hoo, and I know you're mine
Woo-hoo, and that's for all of time
Oo-ee-oo I look just like Buddy Holly
Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore
I don't care what they say about us anyway
I don't care 'bout that'
The guys took a break performing almost all of the songs from their Blue album. So I decided to go to the stands.
The guys never came back after they smoked. I was thinking in the back of my head they left me here and I had no way of going home. I could take the bus but that would take long until it would stop at our town.
'Julian?' Someone says, I look around but I see no one. Suddenly, someone snatched me by the shoulder and I was pulled to the person. I was praying it wouldn't be Josh.
'Julian, it's Rekha!' I look and yes, to my surprise it was Rekha Shankar, another one of Grant's exes that became his friend (Author's note: It's fanfiction anything can happen.). We haven't seen her in a while since her family moved away to another place.
She was good looking. Tanned skin with black hair and brown eyes. Taller than me, and not too sure, maybe vegan. But Grant says she ain't.
'How's Grant?' She asks as she walks along with me, 'You alone here?'
'Yeah,' I answered, 'One of the kids gave me a ticket and a ride to the concert but I think they abandoned me here.'
'Oh God,' She sighs, 'I guess I could take you home if they aren't coming back. Man, shouldn't be out here. Place gets pretty bad a little later but I didn't know you were into Weezer.'
'Trust me, Grant has crappy taste in rock, more of a classic person.' I joked. I could joke like this to her, she was like a sister.
I told her real quick I would go buy something. I saved a bit of money to buy some cassette tapes. I didn't have either of their albums so I bought both of them. I ran back to Rekha and to my surprise was Josh and his buddies.
'Shankar,' Josh snarled.
'Ruben,' She spat, 'Boy, am I glad to see you're ugly face out of prison.' She sarcastically said.
'Your brother wasn't lucky when he got his head knocked out with a broken bottle.' Josh walks closer to her, 'Probably because he was a fag, that's why he couldn't fight, huh?'
'F—K YOU, SH-THEAD!' She cursed, Rekha tries grabbing Josh by the head but he grabs her arm and twists it.
'Woah, woah, woah, Rekha!' Josh shouted, smiling like a lunatic. Everyone by now was looking at them, whispering or screaming for a bloodbath, 'You wanna end up like your brother? You're messing with the wrong guy, sis.'
'Josh, quit it, man!' I shouted at him. I was mad. Of all the days he could piss one of us off, it had to be today.
'Shut your mouth or both of you will have busted heads after this concert!' He threatened, 'You seriously thought I was gonna be pals with you, Julian? Your brother is total crap. Both of your brothers are sh-t. He's a freak, a coward, a FAGGOT!'
I was shocked. I just stood there, looking down on the ground. I wasn't strong like him to beat him up. I've never been in fights. That wasn't only an attack on Grant, but on me too. Right now, I wanted Grant by me, but he wasn't there. I told myself I don't need his help.
Josh leaves and stomps off. I see Rekha sobbing. I help her and get to her car. By the time we were in her car, she stopped crying. She drives and I sat on the front, beside her, silent. I didn't know how to comfort people, especially girls. I can't even tell Ally to stop crying when she does.
'That bastard,' She pants under her breath as she drives, 'Sorry about that. It was a problem recently so Josh just really triggered me good.'
'It's okay. He said awful stuff to Grant too.'
'That dude is nothing but trouble. Why the hell are you friends with that guy?' She asks in some hysterical pitched voice.
'I'm not friends with him. I just went because I wanted to go and see the concert.' I defended but it felt like she didn't believe it, which I understand.
Rekha told me to tell Grant and the guys she's back. I got home and I was relieved. Grant had the guys around. They were all sitting in the living room.
'Julian!' Grant in anger cried, 'Where the hell have you been? I was about to start a search party, man.'
'Grant, chill.' Trapp interrupted, 'Maybe it's a good excuse.'
'One in the morning, one in the goddamn morning and it's a school night!' Grant argues he goes upstairs and I hear him slam the door.
'Oh sh-t,' I mumbled.
'Julian,' Katie started, 'You can tell us about it.' She pats my back. Katie was being nice and that bugged me, bugged me a lot.
Grant was mad at me. He never was. This was the first time I was scolded by him. I had a lot of explaining to do.