Rebel Chic

Chapter 1

THIRTEEN YEARS LATER

I smiled, holding up the small grey animal.

“I want this one,” I stated.

“What are you gonna name her?” The worker asked.

“Um, I wanna name her Mitch,” I decided.

“But, sweetheart, that's a boy’s name,” the lady said.

“Her name is Mitch,” I pouted, setting the animal down to cross my arms.

“If my son wants to name his cat Mitch, I think he should be allowed to name her Mitch,” my dad defends.

I smiled, picking up the little kitten and scratching the top of her head gently. The two talked about pet ownership while I stayed where I was. I was sitting in the little box where you could play with the animals before buying them.

“Do you wanna come home with me, Mitch?” I asked.

Mitch purred softly, rubbing her head against my chest.

“We’re gonna have so much fun together,” I said. “It'll be Mitch and Gee forever.”

I smiled as Mitch meowed. I picked out toys and other necessities for her. When we were finally finished, the two of us headed out to the car. Well, three of us if you counted Mitch. We drove for a little bit before stopping in another parking lot.

“I’ve gotta go in here for a bit, do you wanna come in or wait out here in the car?” My dad asked, pointing to the gun shop in front of us.

“Can I go to the candy shop right there?” I asked, pointing to the place a few stores down in the strip mall.

“What about Mitch?” My dad asked. “I don’t think they’ll let her in there.”

I pouted. “But it’s not like she’s gonna eat the candy, she’s just a cat.”

“Here, put her collar on her and just don’t let go of her, okay? She’s still small and young, she can be easily frightened,” my dad said.

We got the pink collar around her neck. It wasn’t a permanent one, just the one we have until the one I wanted is engraved with her name and our number and address in case anything happens to her. My dad headed to the gun shop while I went to the candy shop with money he gave me. Mitch was contently in my arms, looking around her environment.

I entered the store, giving the person behind the counter a smile. She smiled, giving me a wave. We know each other because I come here quite often. I like her because her bright orange hair matched the store. It was all bright and colorful, and it smelled so good. It was like cinnamon and strawberries.

“Hi, Gee, is that your cat?” Hayley asked.

“I just got her,” I said, smiling happily.

“Here, I’ll help you while you pick out candy,” Hayley suggested.

“Okay, just be careful, she’s still little,” I said.

She nodded and took her from my arms. I grabbed a bag, filling it with an assortment of different candies I like. I went to the register after I finished and paid for everything.

“I’ll see you again soon?” She asked.

I nodded, taking Mitch back.

“Bye, Hayley,” I said, giving her a smile.

I stepped out of the shop, heading out into the sunny streets. I walked back to our car, where I noticed some people lingering around it and pointing to it.

“Excuse me?” I asked quietly. “Who are you?”

I looked at them as they all turned to look at me. One I recognized.

“Nice car you got here,” the one I recognized remarked.

“Thank you,” I replied, looking down at my feet before back up at him. “I-I think you need to leave now.”

“Hasn’t your daddy ever taught you manners?” He asked.

“He taught me not to talk to you, mister,” I replied sourly.

“If I was your daddy I would teach you better than to talk to me like that,” Frank Iero stated, crossing his arms. “I’m sure bending you over my knee would teach you.”

My eyes widened as I blushed, looking down again. He stepped forward to me and I stepped back in fear. He opened the passenger door for me, which my dad had left unlocked so I could come back when I was finished. Frank smiled, gesturing to the open door for me. I slid into the seat, looking at my lap as he shut the door behind me.

He waved at me through the window and they left. I bit my lip, letting Mitch hop onto the console of the car. My dad always told me to never talk to Frank Iero. He said Frank was a very bad, dangerous man. He didn’t seem very dangerous, he even opened my door for me. He did say some naughty things, but, then again, I am a 17 year old boy in a skirt, I’ve heard lots of comments like that before.

Frank is only six years younger than my dad, also the leader of a gang like my dad. He is 33 years old with black dyed hair that was shaved and bleached on the sides and piercings with tattoos. My dad doesn’t like Frank at all, he said Frank is running his business into the wall. My dad said that he is very dangerous and likes to hurt people.

I pulled down the sun visor, opening up the mirror. I looked at my own hair that was dyed black, reaching my shoulders neatly. My makeup was done perfectly, which was good because I spent nearly a half an hour making sure it was this morning. My chubby cheeks were still a little pink from the interaction I just had with Frank.

I jumped when the door opened, making my dad chuckle as he sat in his seat. Mitch had hopped into the back and curled up on the leather seat.

“Jumping like that I would think you’re doing something criminal,” he joked.

I gave a nervous laugh, closing the sun visor.

“You got the candy you like?” He asked.

I nodded, gesturing to the bag in my lap. He drove off towards our house, turning on the radio. It didn’t take long before we were pulling into the driveway. I grabbed my candy and Mitch then hurried upstairs to my bedroom. I shut the door, thinking of Frank. If my dad knew I talked to him then I would get into trouble.

I set Mitch down onto the bed, laying down beside her. I huffed as I stared at the ceiling, feeling Mitch’s small body step onto me and lay down on my stomach. I opened the bag of candy, popping a gummy bear into my mouth. He didn’t seem really mean but my dad said he was and my dad hasn’t lied to me before.

“This is so confusing,” I muttered, looking down at Mitch. “Isn’t this confusing, Mitchie?”

She meowed quietly, licking her paw. The door opened and I looked over at my brother, Mikey.

“Can I have some of the candy you got?” He asked.

I huffed, nodding my head. He smiled, coming over and grabbing a small handful from the bag.

“Something wrong, Gee?” Mikey asked, scratching the top of Mitch’s head.

“I’m confused about something,” I stated.

Mikey laughed, eating a gummy worm. “What’s so confusing?”

“It’s a secret,” I said.

“You know I always keep your secrets,” Mikey said.

I sighed, sitting up straight. The movement caused Mitch to slip from my stomach and into my lap. Mikey sat on the bed next to me, fixing his glasses on his nose.

“So today I talked to someone that dad told us not to talk to,” I whispered, afraid someone might overhear us. “But he wasn’t bad, he was actually really nice but then that goes completely against what dad has told us. What if dad has just been lying to us?”

“Who’d you meet?” Mikey asked curiously.

“Frank Iero,” I whispered.

Mikey’s eyes widened and I covered his mouth before he could say anything.

“Don’t tell anyone,” I hissed.

“But dad is very specific about us not talking to him in particular,” he said.

“I know, but Frank is actually really nice and now I’m confused as to why dad would say all those bad things about him when they don’t seem to be true,” I said.

“Maybe Frank was just pretending,” Mikey suggested. “You know, pretending to be nice just to trick you.”

I thought about his words for a moment.

“But he even opened the door for me,” I said.

“Yeah, I’m sure that Jack the Ripper has also opened a door for someone at some point,” Mikey countered.

I frowned, sticking my hand into the bag of candy.

“Just try to avoid him, alright? He could be dangerous,” Mikey suggested.

“Yeah, I know,” I mumbled.

Miley took another handful before walking out.

“What do you think, Mitch? You think Frankie is bad?” I asked.

“Frankie is a great person,” I replied to myself in a high pitched voice, mocking Mitch.

“Well, I'm glad you agree with me, Mitchie,” I said. “Frank is a very good person, he opened a door for me.”

“Who are you talking to?” My dad asked as he opened the door.

“Mitch,” I said.

“About what?” He asked.

“Secrets,” I replied.

He sat down at the edge of my bed and I smiled.

“You happy?” He asked.

I nodded, a big smile on my face.

“Good, I wanna keep my boy happy,” he said.

“Thank you, daddy,” I said.

He patted my knee, standing up and kissing my forehead. He scratched the top of Mitch’s head, making her purr softly.

“What do you want for dinner?” He asked.

I bit my lip. “Chicken noodle soup!”

“Okay, I'll tell the chef to make that,” he said.

“Thank you,” I said.

My dad smile, walking out of my room and shutting the door.

“You can't tell my daddy about Frank, Mitch, it's our little secret,” I whispered.

“Okay, Gee, our little secret,” I said in a high pitched voice.

I smiled, setting Mitch down as I stood up. I went over to my mirror, fixing my makeup and smoothing out my skirt.

“Frank is a good person, I'm gonna prove that,” I said.