This story is pure fiction. Which means that I do not know the true sexuality of any of the members of the light punk band Good Charlotte - especially the one named Joel, which is who I will be mostly writing about in this story. I hope that you all will enjoy my story and I ask that you email your comments about it to Mansonknot41@aol.com Well here goes chapter one. Enjoy!
Chapter One
"Ok," Mrs. Jenson said walking up to the front of the class to her desk. "It is now time again to start another edition of the school paper. And - as you know this is not just another edition, it is our last edition for the school year."
I almost fell out of my chair when she said that. Not out of pure shock, but out of happiness because I realized that I was a senior and my graduation was only a month away. It seemed for only a split moment that my school years seemed to have gone by pretty fast.
My name is Brent Deyvall. I know, not the coolest name in the world. If you ask me, it sounds kind of nerdy. But, I'm no nerd. At least I don't think so. From the looks of me I am your typical average looking guy.
My hair is short and spiky with a light brown tint. My eyes are blue, but they seem to change colors depending on my mood. I have a nice tanned complection if I say so myself. I am medium height, slim, and I suppose I have a nice body. I do try to stay in shape. My clothes are average looking, I guess. A white shirt under a blue flannel, some baggy navy blue jeans, and some nice looking Skechers on my feet. That's about something I would usually wear.
But I am different from most guys. When it comes to my sexuality. See, as long as I could remember, the members of the same sex had always intrigued me. It scared me the first time I caught myself staring at this one boy in my fourth grade class. I suppose that was when I officially knew that I was different. So over the years I kept quiet about it, keeping it to myself, except for my best friend Shannon Collins, who said she loved me no matter what. Thank goodness that was her response when I had told her. I thought she would for sure tell my parents and I would be left with no one.
"Now," Mrs. Jenson was saying. "Let us choose what goes into our paper this time. Seniors, I would choose something special if I were you with it being the last paper printed and your last school year here at Ravenbrook."
I glanced over at my friend Shannon. She was writing something on a little piece of paper. It was most likely some ideas for The Ravenbrook High Times. She was always an early starter. I think that was one of the reasons she was my best friend. She was the type that if she saw an opening to do something great, then she took it.
We had been friends since we were born. Her parents and mine were always close. They had gone to high school together. My mother told me it was only natural that Shannon and me had become really good friends. Looking at Shannon, I knew there was no way I could ever live my life without her.
She had dark brown wavy hair and pretty brown eyes to match. She was light complected, with rosy cheeks and small light pink lips. She was shorter than me, but not by much. Sometimes I would find myself in awe to realize that her personality was so overwhelming coming from someone so small.
"Oh," Mrs. Jenson said, grabbing my attention away from Shannon. "I almost forgot. As some of you know, there is a band coming to town and it seems to be the biggest thing happening this weekend."
"Oh yeah. You mean Good Charlotte?" Some girl I was sure was a freshman remarked. "Oh, I love that band!"
I turned away and bit my lip to keep from laughing so hard. I never got the fanatical impact the bands, any kind of bands for that matter, had on people. I wasn't that much of a music lover. I wasn't even a fan of the television and movies. My mother thought I was weird for that, but I told her that I enjoyed writing and reading. I also enjoyed playing hockey and basketball in my spare time. I would rather have spent my time doing those things than spending countless of hours in front of the television or listening to a radio.
Mrs. Jenson put her hand up in silence. "Let me finish. I have two backstage passes to this concert - but these passes are not to enjoy the show and go home. It is to get an interview with these guys, enjoy the show, go home and write about it. So -"
Mrs. Jenson turned to me. She had a smile on her face and she walked over to the table where I sat and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Brent, you are our reporter. You are really our only reporter. If you could so kindly do this piece for the paper I would greatly appreciate it."
"Y- you want me to do the interview?" I asked a bit taken back about the whole idea. "I don't know if I could."
"I could!" The girl who had remarked she loved Good Charlotte earlier, cried out. "Let me do it. Let someone who appreciates them do it!"
"Don't be silly Gina," Mrs. Jenson protested. "I happen to be very proud of Brent's work. I was moved by the interview he did with our custodian. I never knew Frank Harper had it so bad. Anyways, I want you to do this piece Brent. In fact, you will do this piece. I know you will do an excellent job on it. I assign it to you and it should be on my desk first thing Monday morning."
Gina scoffed and crossed her arms obviously mad that she wasn't going to see her favorite band the next night. I felt bad for her in a way, and considered letting her have the story but when she turned and gave me a look that told me I should go to hell I smiled and thought about the layout I was going to do after I interviewed her favorite band.
"Swish, baby!" I cried as the basketball went through the hoop. "What do you have to say to that Shannon?" I laughed as she grabbed the ball and hurled it at me. I caught it just as it made it to my chest.
"Oooo," She said sarcastically. "You just made your first shot of the day. I say that I am still winning."
"Bite me!"
"No thanks."
It was after school the next day, Friday, and the concert didn't start until five hours. Shannon and me were in my backyard playing basketball. I sat down on the bench by the patio and wiped the sweat off of my forehead. The day was hot, and it seemed to be getting hotter even as the sun was going down.
"Thanks for inviting me to the concert, Brent." Shannon said with a smile as she dribbled the basketball on the pavement. "I don't listen to their music much, but it is nice to actually go and do something on a Friday night."
I laughed. "You do know if I wasn't assigned to do this then we would be driving my car around town all night like usual don't you?"
She just frowned and continued dribbling the ball. I turned my head just in time to see my mother come out of our sliding glass door with her purse in her hand.
"Hi Shannon," She smiled. "How are you doing?"
"I'm just fine Mrs. Deyvall. You look nice tonight, where are you going?"
"Darren is taking me to out to that new fancy restaurant that just opened in downtown New York," My mother replied with excitement. "This is one of the first times in twenty years that we have been married he has taken me out to something that nice."
"Well have fun Mom," I said getting up and giving her a hug. "And be careful. New York isn't a place you can just say is safe."
"I will have fun," My mother remarked giving me a kiss on the cheek. "You two remember to lock up the house before you go to that concert, alright?"
With that, she was gone and Shannon and I played basketball until we were too tired to play anymore. Walking into the house Shannon told me she was leaving to get ready for the concert and to pick her up when I was ready. All alone, I stumbled upstairs and made my way into the shower, meanwhile wondering about how the interview was going to and what kind of layout I needed for the story. I just hoped everything was going to go well.
I found myself in shock at the sight of what looked like a thousand, maybe even more people crowding into the arena where there were a few men setting up the stage on the center floor. Walking away, I looked around for someone who could help Shannon and I find our way backstage. So far, we couldn't see anyone over the bustles of people trying to get to their seats.
"This is just great," I heard Shannon say. "We are so out of place right now. We don't even dress like half of these people here."
She was right. Most of the people we had seen go by were usually in dark black clothes or had spiked bracelets and chokers on, or wristbands with wild colored hair. I was standing there in a white wife-beater with a navy blue silk shirt, some baggy blue jeans, and my Skechers of course. Shannon was wearing a purple shirt with a turtle on the front, some tight black jeans, and some shoes I have never even heard or seen before.
"Did you bring the camera?" I asked Shannon, pushing away the thoughts about our clothes. "Please tell me you brought the camera."
"I brought the camera," She said a bit annoyed. I had asked her three times already. "It is my job. I am photographer for the paper. What use would I be here if I did not bring my camera? Oh, and stop asking me about it. I told you I brought it."
"Excuse me for being prepared," I said not knowing why I was getting a bit angry. "I just assumed you might have forgot it because you forget everything."
Her mouth dropped open. "I do not forget everything! You need to stop assuming things. See that is what your problem is. You ASSUME too much!"
"Whoa!" I yelled. "For your information, I do not assume too much. I was just stating the fact that you forget everything so I was making sure you didn't forget the camera!"
"I told you three times I brought the damn camera! If someone would just listen to me for once..." She trailed off and turned her head. I turned mine as well to see what she was looking at.
Everyone had seemed to have stopped where they were and looked at us while we were arguing. I felt my face go red and I saw the look of embarrassment form on Shannon's face.
"Oh my god," she whispered. "Do you realize we were arguing about something so stupid? The first time we have ever argued and we get an audience."
I tried not to laugh. It was kind of funny and it was kind of weird to think that that was the first argument her and me had ever had.
A girl of about eighteen came slowly out of the crowd and made her way towards us. The first thing I noticed was her bright red neon hair. It was bright. She had on pale makeup with black lipstick and dark black eyeliner that brought out the blue in her eyes. Her nose was pierced as was her both her ears. She had on a black tank top with a fishnet shirt under it and black knee high boots. I noticed her nails were painted black as well. To me she looked a Gothic Goddess.
"Hi," she said when she reached us. "I'm Abby. I noticed that you two need to be backstage before the show or else they won't let you guys in."
She held out her hand for me to shake. I slowly did so.
"How did you know we need to be backstage?" Shannon said shaking her hand. "Are you psychic or something?"
Abby laughed. "No. The passes around your neck told me so. I don't think I ever would have noticed you guys if you two weren't arguing."
Shannon and I gave a shy smile once again feeling embarrassed by our little spat in the corridor of the arena.
"You two follow me," Abby motioned for us to go with her. "Unless you want to hang out here all night for nothing."
"I like your hair," Shannon commented. "It is...well it is very different. I wanted to do my hair like that one time but my mom wouldn't let me."
"Thanks. It's not permanent. It washes out in like, oh a week or so. You can get the stuff anywhere really. I get mine at Hot Topic. It's a great store. You ever shop there?"
"No."
"Well you should. Hey you two don't look like Good Charlotte fans. If I am not mistaken you two belong at a Celine Dion concert."
I smiled. "No, we are here to interview the band. It is for our school newspaper. I was assigned to do it. I don't really get into the whole music scene."
Following Abby, we made our way through the crowd and through a small door that said Employees Only. Past the door, was a long hallway. We began making our way down it.
"What are you?" Abby asked. "Some kind of deadbeat? You aren't one of those - I don't watch television; would rather spend my time doing something else kind of guys, are you?"
"That's exactly what I am."
Abby laughed. "Yeah, so is Joel. He isn't much of a T.V. kind of guy. He loves music though."
"Who is Joel?" Shannon asked. "One of the members of Good Charlotte?"
"You two need to get out more." Abby remarked. "Yes, he is one of the members of the band."
We reached a small door on the left side of the hall.
"You guys go in here then," Abby stated. "I'll tell the band they have an interview."
I almost found myself in awe as the four guys of Good Charlotte sat down on a green couch and prepared for my interview. I wasn't in awe at the fact that there were four famous people in front of me; I was in awe because one of the members had caught my eye. I had never seen a guy so gorgeous.
They told me their names one by one as they shook my hand.
"Hi, I'm Billy."
"Hey, how's it going? I'm Paul."
"What's up, I am Benji." I noticed that Benji was the twin of the guy I suddenly found myself staring at. Though they did look alike, there was something about the other one that set the two apart.
"Hi, um - I'm Joel."
"Uh-...yeah, hi," I stammered. "I am Brent Deyvall and I am from Ravenbrook and I am interviewing you guys for the school paper."
I saw a flash and realized that Shannon had taken a picture. The incident of our spat just flashed through my mind and I gave a little chuckle. After a moment, I regained sense of what I was doing and peeped down at the questions that I had spent hours on to ask them. I even had to do some research from Gina to find out a little about them. It took a lot to get that information out of her.
"Okay, first question."
Imagine my surprise when the show had ended and Joel had flagged me down as I was waiting for Shannon to come out of the bathroom. She had held herself through the whole concert so it didn't surprise me she had been in there already for five minutes.
"Brent, hey." He greeted me with a handshake. "So how did you like the concert? I hoped that even though you weren't a fan you would like it."
"Oh, it was great," I smiled. "You guys aren't so bad. I don't think I would say no if I got another chance to come and see a Good Charlotte concert."
"That's great. I'm glad to hear that. You know your interviewing skills are excellent. I was amazed by some of the questions you asked."
"Really?"
"Yeah." He said. "I mean your questions actually appealed to us. Not many reporters and interviewers look into the questions they ask us. Oh man, sometimes their questions are just...well let's put it this way. Sometimes we don't always know what to say."
I laughed. "Well I am happy to know that I did a good job."
There was silence for a few moments. In the background I could hear the crowd of people leaving the arena still screaming and yelling.
"So," Joel broke the silence. "Does this mean you might actually become a fan?"
"I don't know. I guess you'll have to come back and see if I am going to be in the crowd. Or backstage even."
He smiled and that was when I felt a warm tingly feeling come over me. I pushed that away but it came right back again when he asked me for my number.
"I mean," He was saying. "As friends. You know it gets to be a hassle on the road with four other guys and I guess it would be nice to have someone different to talk to. You don't have to give it to me if you don't want to. I mean, we did after all just meet."
"No, no," I protested. "I'd be happy to. Here is my number and you can call me anytime day or night."
I wrote my number on his hand with my pen that I used during the interview. I noticed that he never looked down at his hand to see what I was writing, but kept looking at me. That warm tingly feeling still remained.
After that, we said our goodbyes and Shannon came out of the bathroom.
"Damn line," She complained. "All those damn girls...Hey, what are you looking so happy for?"
"Nothing really," I lied. "Can't a boy be happy and smile without anything really going on?" Grabbing her hand we made our way out of the arena, promising to be best friends forever and never to argue over a stupid camera.
Well there is Chapter One. I hope all of you like it. You know what to do. Email me with your comments and all...Chapter 2 will be here shortly...