Neither Steven nor Joey was up yet.  I mean, of course when I took the freezer burned waffles out of the freezer and banged them on the counter to knock some of the ice off, Joey groaned and asked what I was killing, but Steven didn't budge. Three sets of waffles later, and I have enough waffles to feed Steven... or a small bear.  And since I don't have the latter, I'm joined by a Steven with matted hair on one side and completely wild hair on the other. I make six more for Joey and put two in the toaster for myself just as Tom walks through the door saying, "Knock, knock."

        "Who's there?" Joey asks.

        "Me... And Joe and Elyssa."
    I sigh and open another box of waffles.  I thought I told Joe not to come back. Steven makes himself right at home by taking out the half-empty carton of a dozen eggs and cracking them into a pan on the stove.
     "What about the waffles?" I ask.
   "You guys need to eat, too," Steven shrugs. I glance at the place where he was sitting. Sure enough, all six waffles and any syrupy remnants are gone. Steven cooks the eggs and I cook the waffles and from the way the toaster is positioned by the stove, our shoulders keeps brushing. I catch him smirking out of the corner of my eye.

When the food was cooked and served, we crowded around the table and dug in.
     Asshole got right down to business. "So back to the argument we had a few days ago: what're we gonna call the band?"
     "Well, what about what I said?" Tom asked.
     "No!" Joey, Asshole, and Joe exclaimed at the same time. I'm not sure I want to know what he said if it was that bad.
     "Spike Jones.  It's great," Joe suggested.
    "I love it, baby," Elyssa crooned, smashing herself against Joe's arm. I roll my eyes and Tom makes barfing noises.
     Joey proceeds to laugh at the barfing noises, and for once, Asshole calls us all back to order.  "No. Not Spike Jones."
     "Well I don't see you giving any suggestions," Joe challenges, lighting a cigarette.
     "You can't smoke in here," I said to my plate.
    "That's a terrible name for a band!" Asshole says. "Beautiful, come on, I thought you were better than that!"
     Joey stifles another laugh.  I scowl, however.  "I was telling him me couldn't smoke."
    Asshole frowns and steals the cigarette from Joe. He doesn't put it out, though. He keeps it for himself.  "Back to Joe... I said my suggestion.  The Hookers is a great name.  I haven't heard anything better."  He quietly starts to chant, hookers, hookers hookers!
     No one takes him up on the name.  It wasn't until Joey was eating his final piece of soggy waffle when he gasped.  "I got it!"  He was so excited that he inhaled the waffle and started to choke.  "Arrowsmith."  He was still gasping for breath.
     Asshole ponders for a minute. "Came up with that yourself, didjya?" he asks.  Joey, not catching the sarcasm, nods excitedly.  "Nuh-uh, we had to read that book in high-school," Asshole argues.
     Joey shakes his head. "No, like A-E-R-O-smith."
     "Like airplanes and stuff? Aero?"
     "Yes!" Joey drums on the table happily.
     Aerosmith.  Hmmm... It was cool, futuristic, bad-ass... Aerosmith.  Huh.
     Tom and Asshole are grinning stupidly.  Joe is still contemplating.
     "Annie, I swear to God if you're not up yet––" my mother bursts through the door, yelling. She stops dead in her tracks, taken aback by Tom, Joe, Elyssa (who, if she gets any closer, will be literally inside his arm), the two shirtless boys––Asshole and Joey––and the sight of me squished in the middle of the two (Elyssa took my chair). Asshole instantly stubs out the cigarette hopefully before my mother can catch it, swiping away any ashes and blowing away any smoke.
     She blinks, looking flustered. "Oh, hello boys... Annie."
     "We're having a band meeting, Mrs. C," Tom says as if it weren't obvious.
     "An Aerosmith meeting," Asshole corrects, savoring the word.  My mother simply nods and cleans up the kitchen. The boys left a huge mess.

Elyssa left while Steven and I were fighting over the tiny bathroom sink (Joey already claimed the kitchen sink).  I was trying to brush my teeth, he was trying to brush his hair.  Well, at least now I know what happened to most of my mother's hair products...
   Joe left shortly afterward. He hung around to talk to my mom, but when I emerged from the bathroom he was out in a flash
     Tom and Joey stuck around, though.  Asshole was, as usual, complaining to them.  "When're we leaving?" he whined, unaware I could hear them.
     "We've only been here like three days," Joey said.
     "Yeah, three whole days! That's two whole nights with nothing."
     "It doesn't have to be that way," Tom says, playing with my hairbrush while lounging on my bed.  "It's not that way for Joe and Elyssa.  Speaking of which, can I stay here tonight?"
     "Yeah it sure as hell does have to be that way!  Joe can do whatever the fuck he wants––it's his apartment. We have it bad. This is Annie's parents' apartment!  We can't exactly bring girls 'home' with us?"
     "Yeah you can," Tom says, "we bring Annie home everyday!"
     Asshole slaps his hand to his forehead.  "No, Tom.  That's not what I mean."
     "The poor baby hasn't been able to get any for the past three days," I croon sarcastically, stroking his hair like I'm trying to comfort him.  All three of them jump.  What, they weren't expecting me in my own room? I suppose sneaking up behind the chair so that I was right behind Asshole was a little much... But the looks on their faces were worth it.

                                                                          🎶    🎶    🎶

"Annie please don't tell me you're going out like that," my mother pleaded when I came out of my room in a pair of jeans. "Go put on something nicer."
     I sigh and return to my room.  As I'm attempting to zip a green and white vertically pinstriped dress, I hear my mother try to make small talk with the guys.  "So what's on the menu for tonight?" she asked them, clearly meaning what are you going to do?
     I hear Asshole groan.  "I'll tell you what's not on the menu," he whines.
     Ah, shit. Joey won't shut him up, Tom's probably confused, my dress isn't zipped all the way yet...
I run out of my room, holding my dress closed.  "No plans.  Nothing going on tonight," I say hurriedly to shut Asshole up before he accidentally (or not accidentally) says something he shouldn't say. Especially in front of my mother.  "Actually, shouldn't you guys pack up and get ready to leave? We're leaving tomorrow."
     Asshole wipes his frown away.  "Oh, yeah.  We're leaving tomorrow."
     My mother holds up a hand.  "Wait, wait, wait.  I'm confused.  Who is we?"
   "Me and what is now Aerosmith," I say.  My mom knows I've been planning to go to Boston since Anthony decided to (back when he was a senior).
    "So your plans haven't changed?  You're still applying to that art school up there?" my mother asks, wiping her hands on her apron.
     I nod, but realize I forgot to show her my letter of acceptance I got on Monday.  I retrieve it, still holding my dress closed.  My mother reads it aloud, then pulls me into a big hug and kisses the top of my head.  Tom and Joey slap me high-fives.  Asshole hugs me too.  I finally get the chance to ask my mom to fix my fashion issue, but now I'm not even leaving.  I've had a few things packed since Monday, but now was my final chance.  I'd be returning home soon enough, though, so I didn't pack much.
     Tom and Joey left; I thought Asshole did too.  "Excited?"  He made me jump, then handed me a pair of jeans.  What exactly is he doing?  "Where're you even gonna stay?"
     I froze.  I completely forgot about housing!  Anthony and I had had this planned for so long––he was gonna go to college my senior year, renting an apartment and staying there. Then, after I graduated, I was going to come up and we'd live in the apartment together. Now what am I going to do?
     I voice most of this aloud.  A crease forms between Asshole's eyebrows.  He's now lounging on his back on my bed.  His feet are in the way of my bag and clothing.  "You could always stay with us," he offers.  "Ya know, if that wouldn't be weird or anything."
     "Or on campus," I say, absently tossing shirts into my deep green suitcase.
     I ask him where Tom and Joey went, after a few minute of silence.  He said they went out with Joe. Elyssa was either above us, or somewhere else.  "Maybe on a street corner somewhere downtown... who knows..." Asshole's comment made me laugh.
     What're your big plans for tonight?" he asks me nonchalantly.
     I think for a minute.  "I have to go to work in a few... but that's about it."
   "I dunno what the other guys are doing," he starts slowly, "but if, after work, you wanted to do something... Like as your last night in Hopedale or something...?"
     I glance up at him and smile.  "Yeah sure," I say.  "Why not?"

And the plan commences.