I take a step into the building, and I'm greeted by a fresh smell. The dark blue carpet doesn't have a single stain, and the white walls are cleaner than I thought any wall could be. A few music awards hang from the wall. Most of them are for the band Fall Out Boy. I listen to them often, but I don't like them more than I like The Misfits.
I walk to the front desk, and sign in. I'm told by the receptionist that I need to go down the hallway and to the third door on the left. I do as I'm told, and open the heavy oak door. The man inside smiles at me with pristine white teeth, and I feel like I might pass out. That's Pete Wentz.
"Hi Hayley! I'm Pete. We talked on the phone. You can have a seat right in there," he says pointing to a recording booth.
"Oh, ok," I say, and sit in the red and silver stool in the booth. Pete motions for me to put on the headphones that are hanging from the microphone, so I do. I hear his voice in the headphones telling me to sing whatever I want to. I nod, and start to sing a song I wrote when I was younger, Misery Business.
When I finished that song, I look up and see Pete smiling.
"Hayley that was great! Would you mind singing another song for me?" He asks, giving me puppy dog eyes, and I just can't resist. I sing The Only Exception.
"Excellent. Were you planning on going solo or would you be interested in joining a group of three cool dudes to form a band?" Pete asks me.
"Being in a band would be cool," I say, then look down at my wristwatch.
"Alright, I'll contact them, and schedule a meeting for the four of you. I'll be in touch Ms Williams. Have a good afternoon."
"Thanks Pete. Goodbye," I say happily, and head towards the exit. I climb back into Gerard's truck and drive to the Way residence.
I open the front door and discover that nobody is home. I find a note on the kitchen counter on a pink sticky note written in a recognizable handwriting.
Hayley,
Meet me at the fancy restaurant on Locust Lane at 7?
Gerard
Oh? I decide to take a quick shower, then get on an at least presentable dress, I don't have much of anything fancy. I decide to look up the fancy restaurant on Locust Lane, since I have no clue what it is as I've never been there.
Apparently it's called The Nifty Street Bistro, and it's barely fancy. I look at the menu and find things like sandwiches, soups, chili, salads, etc.
I glance at the clock on the wall, noting that it's 6:35, so I suppose I should be on my way. When I arrive, it's 6:48, so I'm a bit early. I wait outside a bit, until I see Mikey's car pull up and come to a stop.
Gerard steps out from the passenger side and greets me with a smile. I notice a bag from the comic book store in the seat of Mikey's car, before Mikey waves "goodbye" to his older brother, and drives away. Oh what nerds.
"You look nice," Gerard compliments.
"Thanks," I reply, and I can feel my cheeks redden. The two of us step inside, and this place must be really popular because there is a HUGE wait line. An hour long at least by the looks of it. I give Gerard a worried glance, I'm hungry af man.
"Don't worry, we have a reservation," He says, then leads me to the front of the line.
"Excuse me sir, ma'm, but unless you have a reservation, I have to ask you to step back and wait in the line," a hostess says politely, smiling.
"Yes, we do have a reservation. Under the name 'Way', I believe," Gerard says. The hostess looks through a list then says,
"Ah yes, 'Way', party of two. Follow me, right this way," She says, giggling to herself about her own dumb pun. She grabs two menus then leads us to a two person booth next to a window.
I take a look at the menu, and decide to order the cheapest thing there, a children's grilled cheese. Gerard is already paying for so much, so I don't want to get anything too expensive. Also I really want grilled cheese.
When the waiter comes to take our order, he informs me that to order from the kid's menu, you have to be under 12 years old, which I am not. Damnit. I flip through the menu, still craving grilled cheese. I finally decide on a grilled cheese sandwich that comes with a bowl of soup, because soup is adult-y.
Gerard and I sit and wait for our food for a few minutes. When it arrives, I dig in, forgetting that Gerard is watching me eat. I glance up to see him smiling at me while taking a sip of his water. I decide to slow my eating down a bit.
"So how did it go?" Gerard asks, and I'm sure he means the potential record deal. I tell him all about it, not excluding a single detail. He congratulates me, and I remind him that it's not even official yet.
After a bit of small talk, I ask, "So is this a date? Like a date date?"
"Yes. Unless you don't want it to be. In that case it's just two friends having dinner," Gerard responds, his cheeks tinted red.
"Well yes, I'd like it to be a date. It's nice for a first date, straying away from the cliqué movie then dinner."
"Yeah, it is nice," Gerard says. We soon finish our food, and Gee gets in the car, and starts to drive. I notice he drives past my house.
"Gerard, you missed the turn," I inform him.
"No I didn't. I don't want you staying there alone. Tomorrow we're going to go get your stuff, and you're moving in with us."
"Gee, you know I can't. You guys can't possibly afford another person in your house!" I exclaim.
"I don't care. You're staying with us, and that's final," he says, getting an annoyed tone.
"Gerard, I can't. Stop the car," I tell him. We're only a few blocks away from my house, so I can walk back.
Gerard does as he's told, and stops. I get out, thank him for dinner, and walk back towards my house. When I walk past Abby's house, I decide to stop. Gerard was right, I shouldn't be alone.
I knock on my friends door, and she answers quickly, wearing a duck onesie.
"Abby what are you wearing?" I ask in a fit of giggles.
"These are my pajamas? What's wrong with them?" She asks, obviously confused.
"Nothing, nothing. I love them. Can I spend the night?"
"Yeah, sure, my parents aren't home though, would your parents be cool with that?" She asks, and I realize I haven't told her anything about myself yet. I trust her enough to know, so I tell her my parents don't care, and we go inside.
We play Super Mario for a few hours, and then we get in bed. It's then when I explain the horrors of my past. Abby listens carefully, and when I'm finished, she hugs me, and we go to bed.
YOU ARE READING
The Only Exception (Paramore/MCR crossover)
FanfictionHayley feels like her entire life has been for nothing. She comes from an abusive family, and her grades aren't great. Her only escape is singing, and her talent seems to give her attention from recording companies all around Jersey. On the first da...
