Madferit: The Novel

Chapter 29

                  

"You know Mom and Dad are gonna kill you if you don't come home for Thanksgiving this year." Emma said as we sat together on the bus.

            "Family missin' ya, eh Adds?" Bonehead piped up.

            "Yeah." I replied.

            He nodded. "I know the feeling. Ya oughta heed your sister's warning then."

            I smiled a little. "I know. We've got three days off that week and Thanksgiving Day is one of them."

            "So take it up with the Chief and get us our tickets." Emma instructed.

            "Yes ma'am." I replied with a salute.

            Noel was at the back of the bus sitting by himself on the couch writing something down in his lyric notebook.

            "Don't you need your guitar for that?" I asked.

            He waved his hand at me dismissively as he hummed some sort of tune.

            I smiled as I sat down beside him.

            "I take it you've come back here 'cuz you want summat." He said not looking up from his notebook.

            "I do, yeah." I replied. "Thanksgiving's the twenty-third. Emma and I wanna go home for it."

            "You what?"

            "Wanna go home for Thanksgiving."

            "What about me?" He asked looking right at me with all kinds of concern in his lovely blue eyes.

            "You could come with us if you'd like." I told him. "I just didn't know about asking 'cuz I figured you wouldn't be arsed."

            "Well I should go, shouldn't I? Y'know, meet your parents and that."

            I smiled. "Yes. Yes you should."

            He smiled back. "So when we leavin'?"

            We landed at the airport and my mom came to pick us all up.

            "Hang on." Noel said as we drove down the highway. "We're not goin' to...what is it again? Lake Forest?"

            "It's Lakewood." I corrected him. "And no. We're going to my home home."

            "And where's that then?"

            Small town Ohio. Story of my life. Cleveland was an escape but London and Manchester were even more fun.

            But I was glad to be home. Glad to see my family. Glad to spend just a little time away from the band.

            "You can stay in here." I told Noel as I led him into the bedroom.

            "Thanks but this hardly looks like your room." He said as he gazed around at the bare walls.

            "That's 'cuz it's not. It's the guestroom."

            He looked at me puzzled. "But why-"

            "It's my parents' rules." I cut him off. "They're not that strict except for when it comes to this sort of thing-"

            "Yeah but you're an adult." He pointed out. "My mam never-"