The First Chance
June 2, 1998

Gerard resisted the urge to roll his eyes and looked up at his little brother. His request while their parents was away had been simple; leave him alone. He didn’t want to be bothered, and he didn’t think that was too much to ask of his little brother. He’d let his little friend come over, hadn’t he? What more did the kid want from him? Gerard just wanted a little silence and some time to himself so he could just drown everything out. He knew he was being anti-social, but he didn’t care. He needed the space, so why was Mikey down here bothering him? Again?

“What?” Gerard asked as his brother looked down at him.

“Can you please take us to Party Poison? Mom said we could go as long as you go with us,” Mikey said and rocked back on his heels. Gerard thought of the little bar where anyone could get in and scoffed. All those bodies packed into those tight spaces, he’d go crazy in there.

“No!”

“C’mon, Gee, don’t you want to get out? Just for a night?”

“No, I want to be left alone. Why is that so hard to get through your head?” he asked and glared up at his brother.

“Can you do it for me?” Gerard actually laughed and stood up. He turned his brother around, placed his hands on his shoulders, and started walking him over to the stairs where Frank was waiting.

“I’m not doing it for anyone. Now, go back upstairs and try not to set the house on fire,” Gerard said and gave him a little push. He turned to walk back to his desk, and he was surprised when he suddenly stumbled forward. Had Mikey just…pushed him? Gerard spun back around, and Mikey was standing right in front of him with flushed cheeks.

“What’s your problem, Gee?! All you do is stay holed up down here! You don’t do anything fun, you don’t talk to anyone, and you can’t even do one little thing for me! Have you ever thought that maybe I don’t want to sit in the house on a Friday night?! Huh?!” Mikey yelled and pushed him again. Gerard was so shocked that his little brother was actually yelling at him that he didn’t even think to yell back.

“I’m not taking you, Mikey, and that’s final. Throw your little bitch fits all you want, it’s not going to change anything,” Gerard said and crossed his arms. Mikey’s jaw clenched as his cheeks turned a darker pink, and Gerard thought he saw his eyes turn misty.

“You’re the worst brother ever,” he whispered out and stormed out of the room. He drug Frank along behind him and slammed the door on his way out. Gerard walked back to his chair on numb legs and looked up at his closed doors. Mikey had never been so…violent. He was worried for a moment, but he knew his little brother would get over it.

As Gerard returned to his earlier activity, Mikey paced in his room and ranted to his best friend about how much of an ass his brother was. A girl across town sat in a bar and watched as the people around her had fun before throwing her hood over her black and pink hair and headed back home, alone. An end of the year party was being thrown at the edge of town, and three people sat on a dipping couch and quietly thought about the friend that never showed anymore.

Over the next few months, Gerard realized that he was getting further and further away from his brother. The few times he had tried to talk to Mikey after their little fight in his room, Mikey had blown up at him and stormed off. After those first few times, Mikey quit replying at all. Gerard couldn’t remember the last time he had actually sat down and talked to his little brother, and their parents had even realized there was something wrong with the two of them. Gerard wanted to change things, but he didn’t know how. When he left for college a year later, they still weren’t on speaking terms. He called home a few times, but Mikey always gave clipped answers and either gave the phone to one of their parents or hung up.

As Matt Sanders sat in silence next to his cousin as Granny Sanders once again berated her for wearing something so hideous to a family dinner, Gerard Way sat next to his silent brother and thought about how much fun Christmas used to be when Mikey said more than two words to him. Gerard returned to his apartment feeling even more lost than he had before, and he didn’t know how to reach out to Mikey. He didn’t know how to apologize, and he couldn’t remember ever feeling so alone. He had lost contact with all of his high school friends, and he was even more withdrawn now than he had ever been. He was lost, and he didn’t know how to get found.

Even though he eventually reconciled with his brother, there was always that ache between the two. There was always a gap that could never be filled. Gerard had closed himself off when Mikey was twelve. Gerard was all Mikey’d had while their parents were off around the country working, and he’d abandoned him. Not physically, but emotionally. When Mikey had needed a brother the most, Gerard had bailed. Both knew that and knew it could never be fixed. They were close, but it would never be the same.

Never…

The Second Chance
June 2, 1998

Gerard blinked up at his brother and wondered, not for the first time, why he couldn’t just be left alone. He just wanted some quiet to read or draw or think or something, but his little brother had busted right in and drug his little friend down with him. Mikey and Frank were fourteen for the next few months, which made them currently three years younger than Gerard. The two brothers used to be very close, but things had been a little strained for the past year or so. Mikey had noticed that his brother seemed quieter than usual, more withdrawn. Mikey had his own problems (like, why had Chelsea Heyne stuck her hand down his pants when they were watching that stupid documentary on the savanna?), but he still worried about his big brother.

“What?” Gerard asked again.

“Can you please take us to Party Poison? Mom said we could go as long as you go with us,” Mikey explained. Party Poison was a nearby bar, for lack of a better term. Anyone was allowed in, but there was drinking. The best thing about the place the dancing and the live music.

Gerard’s first response was, “No!” For some reason, he held it in. He looked up into his brother’s light brown eyes and considered the question for the first time. Lately, he spent all of his free time alone and trying not to think about what the fuck was wrong with him while realizing that there was definitely something wrong with him. It was an endless self-hate cycle that he knew he needed to break but couldn’t figure out how. In another year, he’d be able to graduate and actually leave. He thought he might feel better after leaving, but what was he going to do until then? Did he really want to babysit his little brother for an entire night? He could stay here and do the same thing he did every other night, or…

“Yeah, I’ll take you. Just let me get a shower first,” Gerard said and ran a hand through his long hair. Mikey’s face was completely emotionless, for a second and a half. Then two teenage bodies were pinning Gerard to the bed while emitting sounds that only dogs could hear.

“You’re the best, Gee!” Frankie exclaimed at a, somewhat, normal volume.

“Best brother ever!” Mikey chimed in.

“Get the fuck off me!”

The two fourteen year olds ran from the basement bedroom with giggles trailing behind them, and Gerard wondered just what he had gotten himself into this time. Tonight could only go one of two ways. It was either going to be an okay night or a fucking disaster. Gerard was betting on the latter, but stranger things had happened. He rushed through his shower, mainly because he was worried the two hyped up teenagers would burst into the bathroom if he didn’t hurry, and stumbled back into his bedroom just as his phone was ringing. He gripped the towel tighter around his waist and held the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Gerard, honey, has your brother been eating sugar again?”

“I don’t know, Mom, maybe.”

“He said he was excited because you agreed to take him and Frankie to that Party place.”

“Yeah, I said I would,” Gerard said and peeked at the top of the staircase. Something about those two really had him paranoid.

“Oh, that’s good. I thought he was making it up just so he could go. Now, me and your father should be home by next Thursday. You’ll call me if you need anything, right?”

“Yeah, Mom. I gotta finish getting ready so we can leave. See you when you get back.”

“Okay, honey. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom, bye.” Gerard waited for his mother to reply before hanging up, and he finished drying off as he walked into his closet. Deciding on what to wear was simple. Dark jeans, dark tee shirt, comfy shoes. He could care less about what he looked like. He thought about going out naked, just to see what would happen, but he’d save that for a time when he wasn’t babysitting.

“Gee! What’s taking you so long?! Your hair looks fine!” Mikey yelled as he bounced down the stairs. Frank was sitting on the top step and throwing skittles in the air so he could catch them in his mouth. A few colorful circles dotted Gerard’s bedroom floor.

“I’m ready. Get out of here!” Gerard yelled and pointed to the door. Mikey squealed, like a five year old girl, and drug Frank out of the house. Gerard locked the house up and turned around to see Mikey and Frank already sitting in his old black Nova. The car was a piece of shit, to put it nicely, but it got him where he needed to go. Gerard waved to Mrs. Nielson across the street, and the old woman smiled as she waved back. Gerard’s parents regularly went out of town to work, and Mrs. Nielson had watched them until Gerard was old enough to take care of the both of them. He still liked the old lady though. She had the best cookies in town. Maybe the whole state.

“C’mon!” Mikey yelled. Yeah, he was in for a long night…

Around Two Hours Later

Gerard sipped lightly at his drink and had the sinking suspicion that he was actually smiling as he watched his brother dancing with a girl from his class. Dancing very closely. He was kinda glad that there were other people blocking his view of what was actually happening to his little brother. He had no problem keeping his eye on Frankie, who had somehow become the life of the party. A group of college girls were visiting for the night, and Frankie was leading them all in the Cha-Cha as the band played on. Gerard had seen a lot of strange things in his life, but this took the whole fucking cake and a piece of pie.

“Hey, isn’t that your little brother’s friend?” Gerard’s head swiveled at the voice, and he smiled at the girl now sitting beside him.

“Yeah, Frank Iero. I never realized he was a ladies man until tonight.”

“He really is well…liked? Oh, wow.” The two continued to watch as Frankie was mobbed by the older ladies, and Gerard kept one eye on his little brother to make sure there were no homeruns made in public. Whoever the girl was, she was aggressive. As the two laughed at everything going on around them, Gerard thought about the girl seated beside him.

Hailey Isabella Rostin was her name, and he had known her practically his entire life. The first time they met was in daycare. Hailey had pulled his hair and took his chocolate milk, and he had cried. Somehow, despite the traumatizing event, the two were still friends. They hadn’t hung out much in the past two years or so, and neither knew how to be friends again. Gerard had gotten depressed and angry about everything and couldn’t explain why. Hailey lost her oldest brother, Mark, in a car accident. She was the only passenger in the car when her brother died, and she had withdrawn into herself after the accident. Most people didn’t know what to say to her, so most people didn’t even try to talk to her. They just left her alone. She still talked to Gerard, on the days they both felt like talking, but this was the first time that either of them had seen one another outside of the classroom in the past couple of years.

“So, how’d you get babysitting duty tonight?” Hailey asked.

“Mikey really wanted to come, and I just didn’t feel like saying no this time,” Gerard said and looked at his little brother. That was a lie. He had wanted to say no, but he didn’t. He was glad that he had come out tonight. He didn’t think he’d ever seen his little brother’s cheeks turn that particular shade, and Frank needed a little self-confidence boost.

“They look happy,” Hailey whispered.

“Yeah, they do. Let’s join them.” Gerard grabbed one callused hand and pulled Hailey onto the dance floor. She resisted at first, but then her brown eyes softened and she let him guide her onto the floor. They made sure to steer clear of Frank’s dancing crowd and started swaying to the beat.

Gerard looked up at his old friend and smiled. He had to tip his head back to look at her properly, she was six feet even and he had a feeling that he was stuck at five-nine. Her natural black hair was cut short and had some bright pink mixed in with it. Her ears had always been full of piercings, but she had a hoop in her nose as well now. There was a cross with a banner that said RIP Mark on it near her right wrist, which meant that he had missed out on seeing her get her first tattoo. He had missed out on a lot the past couple of years, and he hated himself for not being there for her. He had abandoned her like everyone else had. If he hadn’t come out tonight, he wouldn’t have even spared her a thought. Hailey, who had kicked his ass and had kicked ass for him. Hailey, who loved horror movies and was the sweetest girl he’d ever known.

“Gee?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re thinking too loud.”

“What?”

“You need to loosen up and just enjoy the moment. Relax,” Hailey said and spun around in his arms.

“Ray asked me to come over tonight, but I turned him down. Wanna go with me?” Hailey arched an eyebrow and sidestepped another dancer.

“You just said you turned him down.”

“I might change my mind if I have a date,” Gerard said and spun them so they wouldn’t collide with a pair of very enthusiastic dancers.

“What about those two?” Hailey asked and looked in the direction of where Mikey and Frank were.

“The college girls have been sneaking them drinks for the past two hours, so they’ll be ready to go soon. So, whattaya say, Hailey? Wanna go to a boring end of the year party with me?” Gerard asked with what he hoped was a winning smile. Hailey just rolled her eyes and looked around. Finally, she turned back to Gerard and nodded her head.

“Yeah, might as well. There’s no telling what kind of shit you’ll get into if I’m not there to bail you out,” she said and smiled. Gerard picked her up and spun her around while thinking that maybe tonight would be better than just okay.

An Hour Or So Later

“Gee, this kid’s dead weight is gonna kill me,” Hailey huffed as she held onto the banister.

“Few more steps,” Gerard grunted and pulled his brother up the last few steps. He pointed to the guest bedroom, where Frank usually stayed, and Hailey mumbled under her breath as she kicked the door open. Frank had passed out on the drive home, so Hailey had volunteered to carry him inside. Seeing Frank draped over Hailey’s back piggyback style had made Gerard’s night, but he was pretty sure that Hailey was regretting the offer. Mikey grunted something as Gerard walked into his room, and Gerard wasn’t all that gentle as he deposited his little brother in his bed. He was nice enough to pull off the kid’s shoes and remove his glasses, and he pulled the blankets up to Mikey’s chin.

“Where’s a pen when ya need one?” Gerard whispered as he searched Mikey’s cluttered desk. He knew he probably wouldn’t be back tonight, so he wanted to leave Mikey a note so he wouldn’t panic. Panicking and being hungover usually didn’t mix well, and Gerard didn’t want to come home to clean up the mess. He finally found a pen and quickly scribbled down a note. He was almost to the door when Mikey sleepily called his name. He knew he could leave without Mikey ever remembering, but he turned back anyway. He sat down on the edge of his brother’s bed and tried not to laugh at his hazy eyes.

“What is it, Mikes?”

“You’re the best big brother ever, ya know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” Gerard said and ruffled his brother’s hair. He knew that he hadn’t been much of a brother at all lately, but tonight made him open his eyes. He wanted to be a better brother to Mikey. With their parents always being gone, Mikey didn’t really have anyone else to go to. Gerard realized that he didn’t really have anyone else either. Mikes was all he had, and he needed to take care of him.

“Hey, Gee?”

“What, Mikey?”

“Why does Chelsea Heyne keep sticking her hand down my pants? I asked her, but she just laughed and did it again.” Gerard figured that Chelsea Heyne was the aggressive girl from the dance floor, and he now understood why his brother’s cheeks had turned such a dark color.

“Well, it’s probably because she wants to have sex with you. Or she could have a huge case of penis envy. Have you tried sticking your hand down her pants?”

“She doesn’t wear pants.”

“Oh, well that makes everything easier. She wants your sex. Make sure you stay safe. Goodnight, Mikey!” Gerard yelled as he nearly sprinted from the room. Yeah, he wanted to be there for his brother, but he was not ready to have “The Talk” with a drunk Mikey. Then again, he wasn’t ready for that with a sober Mikey either.

“Where’s the fire, Gee?” Gerard slid to a stop and saw Hailey sitting on his kitchen counter. She was popping some of Frank’s skittles into her mouth and humming.

“Weird talk with the little bro. You ready?” Hailey hopped down from the counter and sauntered over to him. She grabbed his collar and pulled him back outside, and they were driving towards Ray’s in no time at all. Gerard had been blowing off his friends a lot lately, but he was still surprised at their surprise when he showed up. Ray had actually spit his drink out, which earned him a disapproving look from the girl in his lap. Gerard had a feeling that he should know who she was, but he was drawing a blank. He also didn’t recognize the girl sitting next to the pair.

“Gerard!” Ray yelled.

“Hi, Gerard, it’s nice to see you,” the girl in Ray’s lap said quietly.

“Outside of a classroom setting,” the other girl added.

“Hey, umm…”

“Ava and Emma. Samson. We’ve been in the same homeroom for the past three years.” The girl with Ray blushed and avoided his eyes, and the other girl just grinned up at him. He felt like an ass, and he heard Hailey giggling quietly as she laid her head on his shoulder.

“The girl sitting on Ray is his girlfriend Ava; they’ve been together since last August. Emma’s been dating Bob since Christmas,” Hailey whispered in his ear. Gerard felt his eyes widen at that. His two closest friends were in committed relationships, and he couldn’t even remember their girlfriends’ names. How had he not noticed?

“Sorry, Ava, Emma, it’s been a…weird night,” Gee mumbled.

“It’s okay,” Ava said just as quietly as before. Ray still looked like he was in shock.

“Hey, Gerard. Hey, Hailey,” another voice said. There were people everywhere, but Gerard could easily hear his deep voice over the music pounding throughout the house.

“Hey, Bob. How’s it going?” Bob had moved to their wonderful state last year. He was kinda quiet and kept to himself, but him and Ray had become fast friends. Gerard might have been a friend to him, but he kept himself so distanced from everyone…even Ray, who he had known longer than Hailey. Seriously, his mom had pictures of him and Ray in a crib.

“It’s going okay. You?” Bob asked and sat on the couch next to Emma. Next to his girlfriend.

“Alright. I bumped into Hailey at Party Poison, and we decided to come here,” Gerard said and tapped the side of his head against Hailey’s.

“You went to Party Poison?” Ray asked. Gerard was just relieved that Ray could still speak.

“Yeah, Mikey and Frank wanted to go, so—”

“You took your little brother and his hyperactive friend to Party Poison?”

“Uh, yeah. They really wanted to go, and I needed to get out of the house…”

“Are you feeling okay?” Ray gently moved the girl off his lap and stood up to press his wrist to Gerard’s forehead. Gerard batted the arm away while Hailey just laughed at them.

“I’m fine. What? Can’t a guy go out without being sick?”

“Sorry, man, it’s just…well, you’ve been kinda out of it lately. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Someone once said that the truth hurts, and Gerard had to agree. He hated himself even more for neglecting everyone, for neglecting all of his friends, but that was going to change. He was still angry and depressed, but he could get over this. He was going to get over this, because he was stronger than this.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m gonna be better about that,” Gerard mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. Then, in the spirit of fairness, he rubbed the back of Hailey’s neck too.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Ray’s face broke out in a smile, and he pulled Gerard and Hailey into a giant bear hug. From over Ray’s shoulder and through Ray’s curly hair, Gerard could see Bob and the two girls smiling at the three of them. Was this what Gerard had been avoiding?

“You know what that means?” Ray asked when he finally released them.

“What’s that?”

“It’s time to celebrate!” Ray yelled. The random people around them cheered right along with him, and Gerard heard himself laugh. Celebrate…it sounded like a good idea to him.

“Yeah, Gee, let’s go celebrate our return to the high school world,” Hailey said with a laugh. It must have sounded like a good idea to her too.

“After you.”

The Next Morning

Hailey groaned as a few rays of sunlight slipped from between her curtains, at just the right angle to hit her in the eyes, and heard a quiet giggle. She contemplated opening her eyes against the light to see who it was, but she decided it wasn’t worth the pain. The side of the bed dipped so that she rolled out of the direct sunlight, and a cool hand pushed away the chunks of hair clinging to her cheeks. She leaned up into the touch and smiled as she breathed in the light scent of jasmine. It’s true what they say, no one can make you feel better like your mama can.

“Sit up, Hailey, and take this. It’ll make you feel better,” her mother whispered. Hailey pushed her upper body up off the bed and grunted at the small exertion. She only made it up onto her elbows. With every ounce of determination she had, she kept her eyes open and parted her lips so that her mom could pop two Advil in. She immediately swallowed it down with the water that was pressed against her lips, and she flopped back against the bed once the task was done.

“You know, when I told you to get out of the house and do something for the night, I thought you were just going to go stand at Party Poison for about an hour and then come home.” Hailey refused to meet her mother’s eyes and lightly bit down on her bottom lip. In all honesty, that’s exactly what she had planned on doing. Ever since her brother passed, she hadn’t felt like doing anything. She knows it worries her parents, which is a little weird. Aren’t most parents happy when their kids don’t go out and party? Hers had kicked her out of the house and told her to do just that. She’d been debating leaving and coming back home when she saw Gerard…

“Gee!”

“Yes, why is Gerard Way passed out on my couch?”

“Because my house was the closest?” Ray lived on the edge of town, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, which made it the perfect party house. His parents were always taking weekend getaways, and everyone’s sure that they know Ray throws parties whenever they leave. After celebrating a little too much, Gee hadn’t felt like driving so they’d walked to her house.

“Well, come on and get up. I’ll have breakfast on the table in a few minutes, and I would love it if he could join us. It’ll be like when you two used to have slumber parties.” Her mother punctuated the statement by clapping her hands, which didn’t help Hailey’s aching head.

“Except we’re not five and running around in Superman pajamas,” she said as she slung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“Just a few minor differences. Be in the kitchen in ten.” Hailey blinked and her mother was gone, but her mother has always had a lot of energy in the mornings. She made her way into the bathroom and quickly washed her face, but she still felt kinda shitty. Eating some of her mother’s pancakes should perk her up though.

But last night had been weird. For one, her and Gerard have barely traded two sentences in the past two years. He went into a funk, and Hailey was the last person that anyone would go to for some conversation. Last night though, the two of them laid on Ray’s back porch and contemplated the possibility of alien life forces. Well, until Ray and Bob had interrupted while wearing aluminum helmets complete with antennas. Gerard had jumped up to battle the fiends, and Hailey stayed on the porch to talk to Ava and Emma Samson. Twins, fraternal. Hailey can admit that knowing that the twins came from a loaded family put her on edge at first, but both girls were nothing like the rich girl stereotype. Ava, who was normally quiet and shy in class, rambled out whatever came to mind and was wearing baggy clothes from thrift stores. Emma, who was the social butterfly of their class, was quiet but thoughtful and actually made most of her own clothes. They’d even invited her to go bargain hunting with them this upcoming weekend, and she’d said yes.

“Definitely a weird night,” she mumbled as she turned the corner into the living room. Gerard was stretched out on the loveseat, and his legs dangled over the arm. Hailey’s little sister, Jane, was sitting on his stomach and carrying on a conversation with her barely conscious friend.

“Why are you sleepin’ on my couch?” Jane asked and poked the end of his nose. Hailey watched Gerard cross his eyes before he replied and bit down on her laughter.

“I got sleepy, and it was just sitting here all alone. I couldn’t leave it all alone like that.”

“What’s your name?”

“Gerard. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jane, and I’m four, but it’s almost my birthday. Will you come to my birthday?”

“Sure. What do you want?”

“I want a pony, a purple pony. Can I have a purple pony?”

“I’ll start looking for one right away.”

“Janey, baby, why are you sitting on my friend?” Hailey asked and leaned against the back of the loveseat.

“Hailey!” Jane yelled and laid a smacking kiss against the bottom of her chin.

“Well?”

“I like him. He drools on his pillow, like me, and he has beautimous hair,” Jane said and pulled on a lock of said hair. Hailey saw Gerard wince at the pull, which probably didn’t help his hangover, and she leaned forward to pick up Jane. She plopped the four year old on her shoulder, and Jane clapped her little hands.

“Good morning, Gerard,” she said with a tentative smile. For a second, she thought he was going to go back to the way he was. Instead, he smiled back up at her.

“Good morning, Hailey.”

“Mom says if you hurry up you can join us for breakfast.” With that said, she turned around and started walking towards the kitchen. She heard Gerard shuffling behind her, and she knew he was headed for the hallway bathroom. She stepped into the kitchen, closed her eyes against the smell of all that delicious food, and dropped Jane into her chair. Her dad was already sitting at the head of the table and flipping through the morning paper, so she laid a kiss on top of his head and moved into her own chair.

“Where’s Tommy?” she asked once she was settled. Tommy was two years older than her, but he still lived at home with them.

“He already left for work,” her mom said as she started laying plates on the table. By the time Gerard took his place at the table, right next to Jane, everything was set. Everyone had a plate of pancakes and juice, except for Gerard and her dad. They had coffee instead of her mother’s wonderful orange juice, and Hailey thought her head was gonna spin from how normal everything was. Jane was babbling on and on to Gerard about her toys, her upcoming birthday, and that mean boy down the road that pulled down her shorts the other day. She was talking to her dad about the progress of a Chevy they had at the garage, and her mother was humming as she looked around at everyone.

“Gerard?” her father suddenly asked. Jane went silent, and Hailey noticed her mother looking at her husband with a curious gaze.

“Sir?”

“I trust that you kept a sharp eye on my Hailey last night?” Her dad’s voice was in set in a deep commanding tone. A voice that demanded the truth.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’m depending on you to keep her straight, you hear?”

“Yes, sir, you can count on me,” Gerard said and smiled. He popped another bite of pancake into his mouth and ignored the sticky fingers pulling on his hair.

“Hailey, honey, do you have any plans for the day?” her mother asked.

“I thought about heading down to the garage and maybe helping Dad out,” she shrugged. Her dad owned a repair shop in town, it was where she normally spent her free time.

“You can come to my house. Mikey and Frank probably aren’t feeling the best, so I was gonna order pizza and watch movies all day,” Gerard said and looked down the table to meet her eyes.

“I don’t know…”

“You should go. The shop will make it without you for a day,” her dad said and looked at her. Everyone was looking at her…it was a little unnerving. And very creepy.

“Okay, I guess I’ll go to Gee’s.”

“Good. I’ll take you to your car. Me and Jane have some errands to run in town today, so it’s no problem,” her mother said and smiled over at Gerard.

“Thanks, Mrs. Rostin,” Gerard mumbled before stuffing another few bites of pancake into his mouth.

Her dad left as soon as breakfast was over, and her mother chased Jane back into her room to get ready for the day. Gerard followed her into her room, and he said that she could bring an extra change of clothes and just shower at his house. It sounded like a good idea, so she stuffed some random clothes into a bag and followed him into the living room. It didn’t take long for her mother to get Jane ready, and she dropped them off in Ray’s yard with a loud goodbye. Gerard blew a goodbye kiss to Jane and then said there was no point going in the house to find Ray because they’d probably get roped into cleanup, and Hailey was definitely not in the mood for cleanup. The ride back to the Way household was quiet, but it wasn’t awkward. It was strangely comforting, being back in the Way house like the past two years didn’t even exist, and she even managed to get in a quick nap while Gerard showered. He let her have the shower next, and she took her time under the hot spray. There wasn’t any kind of definite plan for the day, except for just relaxing, so there was no rush.

Gerard’s room was empty when Hailey exited the bathroom, and she ran a quick brush through her hair before walking up the stairs. Why did he have to live in the basement? All of those stairs were ridiculous. She could hear someone rumbling around in the kitchen, and there were voices drifting out of the living room. She saw Gerard’s messy black hair first, free of syrup now, and Mikey was sitting beside him on the couch. They were both facing away from her, so they didn’t see her walk in.

“Gee?”

“What, Mikey?”

“Did we really have the sex talk last night?” Laughter was bubbling up Hailey’s throat, but she pinched her lips together and somehow managed to keep it in.

“No. You asked a question, and I answered. There was no talk of any kind,” Gerard said quickly. Well, that explains why he ran out of Mikey’s room like a bat out of hell last night.

“Gee?”

“What, Mikey?”

“You’re the bestest brother ever,” Mikey said and laid his head on Gerard’s shoulder. It would have been a touching moment, if Frank hadn’t run into the room screaming like a siren and launched himself over the back of the couch. He landed in the Way brother’s laps and started sobbing into Mikey’s neck.

“Someone ate my last bag of Skittles!” Oops…Gerard looked over the back of the couch and met her eyes, and she does not like that look. Not one bit.

“It’s okay, Frankie. I’m sure we can buy you some more skittles,” Mikey said and patted the top of his head. Frankie sniffled, twice, and then jumped up.

“Hey, Gee, strange girl, look at what I got!” Mikey looked over the back of the couch and finally noticed her, and she raised a brow at his confused face.

“Oh, hey, Hailey,” he said and waved. He turned back around just as Frank’s shirt hit the floor, and she stepped up to the couch to get a better look. Frank’s entire upper body had been written on, and there were quite a few lipstick prints on there as well. They were a little smudged, but it was easy to tell what they were.

“Are those…phone numbers?” Gerard asked.

“Yeah. Those girls from last night said to call them up if I ever feel like partying again. That was nice of them, don’t you think?” Frank asked as he idly traced one of the numbers.

“That’s definitely….something,” Gerard mumbled. The kid’s not even old enough to drive and he already has about a dozen college girls’ numbers. Not bad. Not bad at all. Hailey felt an arm loop around her waist, and then two pairs of hands were pulling her over the back of the couch. She landed with her ass on the couch, her upper body in Gerard’s lap, and her legs hanging over Mikey.

“My turn!” Frank yelled. He landed in her lap and wiggled around until he got comfortable. This wasn’t exactly how she pictured spending her day, but she’s got no complaints so far.

“Hey, can we order some pizza and watch a movie?” Mikey asked. Hailey looked up at Gerard, who smiled, and shook her head. Definitely not any complaints. A girl could get used to this.

Notes

I'm running late for work, so I'll write a better author's note later.

Thanks for reading!