Misbehave // Alex Gaskarth

Chapter Two ~ Reunited

Song: Somewhere In Neverland by All Time Low

~*~

Walking toward the entrance, I twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open. To my surprise, a tall man with unique hair stood on our porch. Beside him, a shorter male with muscular arms smiled politely. His eyes held silent apology for his louder, more eager friend. "Hello, new neighbor!" The strange man greeted loudly. In his arms, he held a plate of barbecue ribs. My stomach growled at the sight of the meat, but I knew better than to just accept food from random strangers that show up at my doorstep. 

"Hello," I spoke, the confusion in my tone clear, "you're our neighbor?" I couldn't tell whether I was happy or upset to have such a... pleasant neighbor. The man nodded and extended his hand out, asking for a handshake. I hesitantly shook his large hand before letting my arm drop to my side.  

Smiling, the man said, "My name's Jack Barakat. I live with this guy-" he motioned to the muscular guy standing quietly beside him. "-He's Zack."  

Nodding, I slept aside and let them in. I figured they couldn't be too bad if they had came to welcome me into the neighborhood. Things weren't like that in London. If someone new moved into the neighborhood; we would welcome them, but not with such elation. We would normally just go to their home and say, "Welcome to the neighborhood!" Then leave. Sometimes, my mother wouldn't even bother greeting them at all. 

They took their shoes off at the foyer (which surprised me because I didn't even have to ask) and headed into the living room. Myra was taking a break from unpacking the seemingly endless boxes stacked on top of each other. She sat on the living room floor, brushing the hair of her Barbie doll with her finger.  

"Myra," I said and she quickly turned her attention to me. Her eyes rested on Jack, a curious look hid behind them. She grinned widely and pointed to his t-shirt. 

"You like Blink-182 too?" She asked, referring to his Blink-182 t-shirt. For a seven year old, Myra was a bit more advanced than the other kids her age. Despite her limited vocabulary, she was still pretty intellectual. She was even given the opportunity to skip a grade and go directly to first grade, but Myra didn't want to leave her friends behind. It's sad because in the end, that's what we ended up doing, anyways. 

Jack grinned widely and nodded. He handed me the plate of BBQ and I wanted to ask how he managed to cook up ribs in the rain. "You like Blink?" He asked and sat down on the couch. It bothered me that a stranger had just come into our home and acted as if it were his own. I didn't pay attention too much to my thoughts because the two men seemed genuinely nice. I just hated that they seemed to not understand the meaning of how impolite barging into someone else's home was.

Eagerly, Myra nodded and set her Barbie doll down. She grabbed the box that was labeled 'Records' and began to search through the endless stack of Vinyls. After a few seconds, she pulled out the 'Take Off Your Pants & Jacket' Vinyl. Jack gaped as he grabbed a hold of the record. "No way!" He exclaimed. "You got this signed by Mark Hoppus?" He asked me.  

I nodded and sat down on the recliner chair, in need of a little break myself. "We met him multiple times," I said, "he's actually really sweet and nice. I have signed Vans too." Myra and I had the privilege of meeting Mark Hoppus while Blink-182 were doing their European tour a few years back. Myra was incredibly young, but she still loved the music. The second time we met Mark, he instantly recognized us and happily took pictures with Myra and I. It's an experience I will never forget. Unfortunately, we never got to meet Tom or Travis, but meeting Mark was good enough. 

Jack awed at the signed Vinyl and mumbled, "You're so lucky," before asking, "What's your name?" 

"Abella Rodriguez," I answered and tucked a strand of my dark hair behind my ear. "And that's my little sister, Myra." I quickly added. In the past few years, you'd be surprised how many people asked if Myra was mine. Although I am the closest thing she'll ever know to a mother, I am no where near as wonderful or brilliant as the woman who raised me. Unfortunately, she isn't here anymore so it was up to me to raise Myra the way I knew my mother would.