The Emo School (A Fanfic)

Chapter 16

Gerard
The lights are dark in the pub. Sometimes I prefer it when nobody can see me. It's nice to take a little break from being famous. You don't have to keep up appearances. It's nice to just be myself.
I scan the bar, looking for a sign of Frank. I check my watch. I'm a little early. I've got a few minutes to myself. I sit down on the soft, black barstool and observe the crowd.
There are many people here tonight.
Drunk people. Sober people. People dancing. People having fun. Old. Young. I used to be like them. I'd drink till I had escaped my mind entirely. I'd lose myself in lies and alcohol. And it felt good. But I didn't like the person I was becoming. I was irritable, took risks and had poor judgement. I'm in a better place now.
There's a good atmosphere in here anyway. Everyone seems to be having fun. Above the noise I hear my phone ping. I pull it out of my pocket and glance at the screen. There's a message from Frank. "Might be a few minutes late, sorry to hold you up!!! Just making sure the dogsitter knows how the dogs like their steak!!!" I laugh. Not only does he give his dogs steak, but he actually cooks it to perfection.
My mouth feels kinda dry so I raise my hand and the waiter comes over. I order some water and mentally congratulate myself for not drinking before Frank gets here. I take a straw from the box. Is it childish to have a straw? I don't know but I don't care. If you're always worrying about not being mature enough, you'll never have any fun.
The door opens and I glance up. Frank walks in. I stand up and wave him over. He smiles and walks over, sitting down on the stool next to me.
"Hey!" He greets me, enthusiastically. "How ya doing?" I respond.
"Not bad." He says. "You?"
I know there's no point in lying. "Not so great," I tell him.
"What's up?" He asks, concerned.
"Not much, just a little bored with life," I reply with honesty.
"We'll soon change that!" He says, grinning. "We're single and it's Friday!" We're going to have a good time!" I smile. He knows exactly how to cheer me up. He signals the bartender. Anxiety strikes my mind. "I can't start getting drunk every night...I can't relapse again. Maybe I'll just get hammered tonight then keep my drinking to a minimum for the week." I muse. It's so easy to get lost in the dark world of drink.
The bartender strides over. "Yep?" He asks, drying a glass. "One vodka and coke." Frank tells him. "What about you, Gee?" He asks, turning to me. "I'll have the same," I tell him. The bartender leaves to make our drinks. "Copycat," Frank teases, grinning. "I'm indecisive, ok?" I laugh. The bartender brings us our drinks and I decide there's no point in stressing. This night can be a one-off. I might as well have fun.
And that's exactly what we do.
Frank downs his drink and looks at me expectantly. I do the same, laughing. We order another each and repeat.
I glance over to the corner of the bar just as a gorgeous blond girl sits down next to a dark haired girl. I take another sneak peek her. Her friend's attractive, sure, but I only have eyes for the blond girl. I stare shamelessly for a few more seconds until Frank nudges me.
"Seen any nice girls yet?" He asks me, grinning. "Was just about to ask you the same thing," I tell him. I discreetly gesture to the two women in the corner. He exhales slowly, gazing at them. "Not so obvious!" I remind him. He looks back at me. "Alright, who's going to talk to who?" He asks, eagerly. "Well, I think the blond one's pretty," I say, hopefully. "Good, because I like the brunette," He replies. I suddenly feel a little worried. I haven't tried to chat anyone up in a long time, mostly due to a lack of confidence. What if I mess up? I think Frank has picked up on how I'm feeling because he puts his hand on my arm reassuringly.
"Don't worry, man!" He says. "I got your back." Frank says.
"And I've got yours," I reply.
Frank stands up. Already feeling nervous and slightly drunk, I follow him. We walk over to where the girls are sitting. Well, here we go. Let's see if you've still got it I think to myself.
There's an empty chair next to each girl. I make eye contact with the blond girl and smile. "This seat taken?" I ask, with more confidence than I feel. She shakes her head and I sit down. Frank effortlessly slides into the seat next to the brunette. He's much better at this than me. They're already deep in conversation. I follow his lead and strike up a friendly conversation with the girl. She tells me her name is Molly. We talk for a while and I discover she likes a lot of the same bands as me. We're just discussing The Smashing Pumpkins when Frank taps me on the shoulder.
"Jessica and I are going outside to get some fresh air. Wanna come?" He asks, glancing at Molly.
Molly nods and we follow them out.
It's a lot quiter outside. It's nice out here. The cool breeze comes and goes. Molly and I talk about bands some more. The conversation is quite calm until the wind lifts up Molly's skirt. She quickly pats it back down, embarrassed. I catch her eye and she giggles. It's kinda boring after that. We exchange numbers then talk a little more.
After about 10 minutes, Jessica gets bored. She decides to leave and takes Molly with her. I say a half-hearted goodbye and we say we'll text. I don't think she'll be texting me and I'm probably not going to talk to her either. It's just me and Frank now. "How did it go?" I ask him.
"Meh. She was kinda annoying." He replies. "Really?" I ask. "You looked like you were having fun."
He shrugs. "What about you?" He asks. "About the same, really." I say. "Not worth it then?" He asks.
"Nah." I reply.
We go inside and get a few more drinks. Quite a lot more, actually. My vision is blurry and I can hardly walk straight but I'm having so much fun I don't want to stop.
I'm absolutely wasted - and I think I like it.