Tamarinz: Phase 1 (Gorillaz FanFic)

Part 3

Sometimes, we forget to do our homework so we either do it at the last minute or do not do it at all. I would love to graduate with Sam and be less stressed out, but I care too little about school at this point. My father might not approve of me dropping out without a valid reason, so having a successful band could change his mind. He does encourage me to listen to my gut feeling and do what I think is best. I thought being a lead singer could make me happy not just to make him proud of me, but to help me cope with stress. Sam noticed how I was feeling, thankfully. We were sitting together during our lunch hour at school that Friday and she saw how out of it I was.

"You okay?" She asked. "You look dead inside. Is it that time of the month?"

Okay. That was a bit awkward. Sometimes, Sam does not know the right thing to say when it comes to more serious topics. But I appreciate her curiosity for me so I took that comment with a grain of salt.

"I'm alright," I replied. "And no. I'm just a little worried about how we're going to do at the concert. It can get tense during rehearsals. I'm obviously sensitive when it comes to criticism and I overthink everything."

"I can tell. What do you say about a sleepover at my place? We can watch movies and try out makeup and dresses."

"Eh. I'm not really that feminine. I don't want to throw off Rose's schedule either. She's can be unpredictable."

"That's the problem. You worry too much about their expectations. What I'll do is tell Rose to shorten our rehearsal time because five hours is just absurd. Then I'll convince her and my foster parents to let you hang out at my house overnight. Then maybe I'll teach you how to meditate. I assume you've never done that."

"You would be correct, but I think movies will do the trick. And you never had a sleepover before, so I hope that it will work out. Thanks for the offer."

"Of course! I feel kinda bad because I waited all this time to invite you over. My foster parents didn't like your family so I don't know how they'll feel about you. Hopefully, they won't dislike you because we've been friends forever. That reminds me. You still haven't met them! We'll be making history tonight. Er. Also, about that thing that I said about the time of the month. My bad. That was too much."

If I had to choose one thing I liked about her, it would be how she catches herself when she embarrasses me. I was excited to be invited to her house for the first time, but it made me wonder about what else she hid from her parents. I thought I would just hold back on the overthinking for now. As we waited for Rose and May after school, Sam informed me about positivity and how there is always a bright side. Sure, I can sometimes be enthusiastic, but bad vibes can be very contagious for me. Being more positive might help my stress a little bit. Rose and May came over to us shortly and we walked to their car. Sam told them about our sleepover.

"Why weren't we invited?" Rose asked. "I can't remember the last time I went to one, but I'm a pro with those. I'll be the life of the party. And May, I guess."

"I thought you grew out of those," May added. "We are adults after all."

"Well, yeah. I'll bring out the wine."

"May has a point. No-Eyes and I are still kids at heart. You two would feel weird being with us, especially because we won't be drinking." Sam said, trying to keep me from worrying.

"That sucks. I could let you guys go early so you won't have to drive in the dark. I'm being super generous right now because I just aced an exam so don't get too comfortable with the schedule change." Rose explained.