My package arrived the same day before we were going to get the semi-truck (which I was SO pumped for!).
I immediately brought it into the kitchen, and opened it up. Sure enough, the compass was in there! And in great condition too! I picked it up and put it on.
"Ooooh shiny!" I cooed. Tessa scoffed and rolled her eyes as she sat at the kitchen table and began to text. I merely smirked and pulled an 'LOTR'. "My preciousssss." I slowly rubbed on it, peering at the still-miraculously-working dial.
"Gabby would you knock it off? It's too early!" Tessa snapped.
"Sheesh. And I thought I was bipolar."
"What's your problem?"
"Well what's your problem with me?!"
"What?!"
Before I could stop myself, I was already boiling over. Yeah, it's not gonna be pretty. "I asked you what the HELL is your problem with me?! All I did was move in here after what happened! I didn't ask for you to be mean because you and Uncle Cade don't see eye-to-eye!"
Tessa's mouth opened and closed, before she abruptly stood and stormed out. Yowch. NOW I did it! I sighed. "life, go bite yourself." I groaned. Then of course, I noticed that Tessa left her cellphone on, and someone was texting her.
That 'someone', was Shane Dyson.
Now, lemme clarify on something. Tessa likes Shane, who I've met a few times. He's Irish, reddish-blonde, handsome, and a race car driver. Can I just say, she hit it lucky? Boy... if he wasn't into her and if Uncle Cade wasn't -yes I'll say it- a prick, I'd totally try for him! Even if he is way, way, way older than me.
'So I was wondering if you'd like to, you know ;)' was his message.
Aw, I couldn't resist! At all! I picked up her phone and texted back.
'Hey Shane this is Gabby. Tessa needed to do something and left her phone on.'
'Oh hi Gabs.'
He called me 'Gabs' because he thought 'Gabby' wasn't 'me' or something like that.
'Can you try to convince that uncle of yours to be open to a 'relationship' between me and Tessa?'
Ooooh... wow.
'Uh, you know that's like asking me to be Moses and part the Red Sea.'
'No?'
'No.'
':('
'Sorry to dissapoint man. But seriously. You know my Uncle Cade.'
'I do. Did you and Tessa get into a fight?'
'Gee sherlock, how'd you guess? -3-'
'She would have wrestled the phone away from you by now.'
I laughed. He had a point! Tessa was very... uh... protective of her boy.
'You know me. Bipolar just kicks in and whammo. I run off my mouth. -_-'
'It must suck. A lot.'
'Eh. I get along with the voices inside of my head. 'Don't shoot the messanger' they say.'
'Still addicted to that song by Eminem huh?'
'Basically. It speaks volumes ya know?'
'I do know. :)'
I sighed. Why, why, why did he like Tessa soooo much?! She was sucha- sucha... well. If she wasn't from Texas, she could fit right into Beverly Hills.
'Well, I'd better drop the phone and delete this convo before Tessa gets on my ass about talking to you.'
'Don't blame her. I understand completely.'
'Yet you somehow still like her.'
'She's nicer than you think Gabs.'
'Then I'm a squirrel.'
'You talk like one ;)'
'Haw-haw. Whatever. :P see ya 'round.'
I deleted off eveything between us, and left her cellphone on the counter with a soft sigh. Boy oh boy, if Tessa ever found out, she'd throw the book at me! Not to mention the bookshelf and the wall behind the bookshelf.
Deciding to let things slide along casually, I headed back upstairs and into the loft of my room. It was getting hot, so I decided to head into Uncle Cade's workshop and paint. He'd let me come in there when he wasn't welding or anything, and I'd paint. Actually, my work had been featured in the town's small art gallery. Okay, make that artist too if nothing else works out. Grabbing my IPod, earbuds, one of the few blank canvases left and my supplies I headed down the stairs and outside, whistling as I walked in. Tessa and Uncle Cade were having another fight, but, I didn't really care. Instead, I just seated myself at my easel and squirted multi-coloured paint out and set my brushes aside. Briefly running by them to grab a glass of water (and I downed half of it. What? I get hot quickly!), I came back and sat on my designated stool and began to paint.
I just usually began with a dark background. Deep black at the bottom, but as I worked, I painted a dawn in the distance, with purple clouds and all that. I went through my Linkin Park playlist, and each song seemed it hit a chord with me.
Lost in the Echo...
Castle of Glass...
Numb...
Breaking the Habit...
What I've Done...
New Divide...
Iridiscent...
Strangely enough, I'd began to paint a picture of Optimus Prime! Don't ask how I know, like I told you earlier, I've done my research. I even had a picture I printed off of him, should I even get lucky and spot his alt-mode. That said-picture I quickly retrieved, and used it to paint a somewhat-silhoutte of Optimus Prime standing and facing the sunrise. I then added the faint silhouttes of soldiers standing nearby, all of them facing the same direction. Some had rifles in their hands, others stood straight and strong. But, I decided to add one more detail. Just as I was about to begin...
Someone tapped on my shoulder. "Hm?" I looked over my shoulder, seeing Lucas's grin, and he mouthed, 'it's here'. I gasped and pulled out my earbuds, stopping my music.
"YES!" I cheered, putting down my brush and running outside towards the driveway as Uncle Cade stood there.
A tow-truck pulled up, hauling in the rustiest, beaten up Marmon 97 semi-truck I had ever seen in my life! Can I get an amen that this thing desperately needed 'TLC'?
"Bring it up!" Uncle Cade shouted. "All the way!"
He held up his hands when it got close enough. I stood in between him and Lucas, who was casually lounging against his car.
Lucas actually looked bummed. Poor guy, I wondered why.
"A TRUCK?!" Tessa exclaimed as she walked over in those daisy-dooks that I initially could NEVER fit!
What can I say? I have wide hips! I'm not fat, just my body decided to take after my still-currently-unknown father.
"Dad! Please tell me you didn't spend our money on this!" Tessa continued.
"Don't worry, he didn't. He spent my money. A hundred and fifty bucks of it." Lucas told her.
I just practically ignored everyone and ran up to the truck and hugged the side. "I will hug him, and squeeze him, and name him George!" I exclaimed happily. If little hearts could be drawn over my head, they'd be 'a spinning!
"Yeah and an advance on your regular paycheck!" I heard Uncle Cade reason. I looked up. Oh great, now Lucas, Tessa and Uncle Cade were fighting?!
"What regular paycheck?" Lucas asked indiginantly. Ouch. Yeah.
"Which you will get back!"
"When?"
"Never. We're broke." Tessa told him.
Hold on. WHAT?! SINCE WHEN?!
"I knew it!" Lucas exclaimed.
"Sweetheart, could you please not drive a wedge between employer and employee?" Uncle Cade asked as I finally let 'George' go and walked over.
"C'mon guys! It's a truck. Let's just go inside, get some lemonade and-"
But I was sadly ignored.
"Hold on, I thought we were partners!" Lucas noted, looking a bit hurt.
Uncle Cade, I love you but you're an idiot.
"Look I came up short, okay? I had to buy the girls Prom dresses."
"A girl's Prom dress." I corrected. "I don't have any boys in school who like me, so technically I just stayed home that night."
"Well anyways you might as well have denied Tessa a Prom date!" Lucas argued. Okay, yeah. Even if I could've gotten a date, Uncle Cade wouldn't have let that ship sail.
"No, I offered to take her and chaperone."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't have a boyfriend.
"Nobody wants to go to the dance with their dad! It's weird." Lucas told Uncle Cade.
"It's not the issue!"
"Well, maybe it should be." Tessa said softly. Wow, she actually made sense. I think.
"Sweetheart, your shorts are shrinking by the second, okay? Cold water, air dry please!" Uncle Cade told my cousin as he walked up to the man in the truck. Tessa made that classic eyeroll and stomped off. I sighed softly, and watched as the truck was moved into his workshop.
I followed him inside, having my own bone to pick with my Uncle.
"Gonna help me Gabby?" He gave that big old grin, and my anger almost faded away.
Almost.
"Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me."
"Tell you wh-"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WE'RE BROKE UNCLE CADE?!" I exclaimed.
"Gabby did you-"
"I TOOK MY MEDS BUT THAT ISN'T THE POINT! UNCLE CADE YOUR STUPID CHOICES ARE MAKING THINGS MISERABLE HERE FOR BOTH TESSA AND LUCAS! AND YES, I DID JUST HAVE A SHIFT I THINK!"
Hey, when you're Bipolar you can still admit it!
"BUT THE POINT OF THE MATTER IS WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY! AND WHAT ABOUT MY MEDICATIONS O-OR COLLEGE FOR TESSA AND ME?! IF MOM WERE HERE-"
"GABRIELA THAT IS ENOUGH!" Uncle Cade barked, and I froze. "SHE ISN'T HERE AND WE BOTH KNOW WHY!"
My jaw flew open, and his eyes widened, knowing what was running through my mind.
"Gabby I'm so so-"
"JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" I stormed outside, teary-eyed. Uncle Cade called my name, but I didn't care. I just marched inside, past Tessa, upstairs and into my room. I'd get over it, but it hurt to remember. Remember what happened all those years ago.
....
I don't think I slept that night. I walked outside with the compass still around my neck, and into the shop, turning on the light. I sighed softly, seeing the truck, and walked over and patted it's metal front. "Hey Big Guy." I said softly. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that today."
Was I talking to a truck now?! Oh well. Nobody to overhear.
"See, my mom died four years back, d-during the Chicago attack. I-I was one of the... few hundred they estimated that actually survived." I sniffled a little. "E-ever hear of the Cybertronians? I used to hate them... then I began to read t-this book my mom got me, called 'Codename Hero'. It's banned now, but I have a copy s-still. Nobody knows I have it though. I read it maybe a hundred times since I first got here. It tells about all this cool stuff, about the Autobots, and the Decepticons, and NEST... now that I know what I'm up against, I'm not afraid of the 'monsters'. In fact, if I could, I'd protect them. They saved me, now it's my turn. That's why if I ever see one, I won't rat out. Instead he or she can hide here! I'll make up some crazy story to Uncle Cade and all that."
I sighed loudly. "Wishful thinking huh? Heh, and the part about me being a NEST agent is kinda loopy too." I added. "But ya know... I wish I could meet Optimus Prime. Best of the best, stoic, brave... My hero. The reason why I'm still here." I patted the truck again. "Yeah. This is why they call me Gabby, by the way. Not because my name is Gabriela but because I just talk a lot. O-kay, I'll let you rust in peace. Tomorrow's 'Judgement Day' for you."
I pulled away, turning my back, then froze.
I coulda sworn I heard a rumble...
I looked back at the truck, but everything was silent. With a shrug, I plopped back onto my stool, added more paint to the dry puddles on my paper plate, and began to work, turning on my music.
As I worked, 'Final Masquerade' by Linkin Park began to play through my ears, and I bobbed my head a little as I worked, and I couldn't help it as I sang.
"Tearing me apart with words you wouldn't say,
Suddenly tomorrow's a moment washed away.
'Cause I don't have a reason, and you don't have the time,
We both keep on waiting for something we won't find.
Light on the horizon was brighter yesterday,
Shadows floating over, scars began to fade.
We said it was forever but then it slipped away,
Standing at the end of the final masquerade.
Final masquerade!"
As I worked, I painted myself, staring out amongst the soldiers, standing beside Optimus Prime.
"All I ever wanted, the secrets that you keep,
All you've ever wanted, the truth I couldn't speak.
'Cause I can't see forgiveness, and you can't see the crime,
And we both keep on waiting for what we left behind.
Light on the horizon was brighter yesterday,
Shadows floating over, scars began to fade.
We said it was forever but then it slipped away,
Standing at the end of the final masquerade.
Final masquerade!
Final masquerade!
Standing at the end of the final masquerade!"
He was holding my hand, and I had a tear running down my face.
"The light on the horizon was brighter yesterday,
Shadows floating over, scars begin to fade.
We said it was forever but then it slipped away,
Standing at the end of the final masquerade.
Standing at the end of the final masquerade!
Standing at the end of the final masquerade!
Final masquerade!"
Chicago was burning in the distance. Optimus was silently comforting my loss of my mother. It wasn't his fault. I knew. I understood. I just couldn't stop my tears.
I labeled the painting, 'My Final Masquerade'.