Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Early Sunsets Over Belleville, New Jersey
Chapter Two
Frank’s POV-
I winced in surprise when Gerard sent Hannah onto the field. Hannah always played goalie or defense when she was on the filed, and for good reason. Hannah on the offensive was a disaster waiting to happen, and the team looked like they knew that. However, Gee knew his game. He’d never set up a play if he knew that someone was likely to be injured, so he must have great faith in the girls. I bit my lip nervously as the referee handed Carly the ball.
BLEEP! The whistle’s shrill call sounded across the field. Carly’s arm wound back, and she threw the ball to Hannah. Time seemed to slow as the ball hit the ground and was launched with astounding speed towards the goal. The whistle blew as the ball sailed through the air, signaling the end of the game, but the crowd remained silent, their eyes locked on the black and white projectile. The goalie, who had stood her ground thus far, seemed to realize the danger and dove to the ground. The ball sailed over her head and straight to its mark, tearing part of the net away from its posts in the process.
The crowd erupted. The girls picked Hannah up on their shoulders as the other team congratulated them on the win. As the Panthers hustled back to the locker room, I could hear them burst into song, Kerri’s voice unmistakable, even from across the field.
“We’ll carry on! We’ll carry on! And in my heart I can’t contain it! The anthem won’t explain it!”
I smiled; Kerri had definitely taken after Gerard when it came to her singing. She had loved music ever since she was a little baby, and that love only continued to get stronger.
I rose from my seat and walked to the locker room, weaving around soccer moms and tired athletes. I guess being short had its advantages, as no one pays attention to the short guy. I found my way, no pun intended, to the Panthers’ bench and took a seat, straining to hear the end of the congratulatory speech that I knew Gerard would be giving.
“… and Hannah, thank you for showing us once again what a well-aimed kick can do. You girls were fantastic tonight. How about, to celebrate, we have a grill out, at my house?” The girls cheered. “There’ll be hot dogs and hamburgers and a small music concert. Whatd’ya think?” Another cheer went up, and Gerard laughed. "Your parents are welcome to come, if they’d like. Anyone who needs a ride is welcome to stick with Kerri, me, and the vegetarian outside, who I’m sure is listening right now.” The girls giggled in unison and I smiled. A last cry, “ONE, TWO, THREE, PANTHERS!” and the team began to file out onto the field.
Kerri exited the locker room next-to-last and tackled me with a flying hug. I lifted her off her feet and spun her around, unable to keep myself from laughing at her as she squealed happily. She babbled for a moment about the game- “Did you see that amazing save? I think I’m getting better!”- and then ran off to find Carly and Hannah, humming loudly.
As I watched my daughter skip away, I found myself blinded by a pair of familiar hands. A soft breath whispered lightly into my ear.
“Hi there, angel.”
I turned around, and the hands that had been covering my eyes came down to my waist, holding me tight. I looked up into Gerard’s beautiful face and smiled widely as he brushed my lips with a kiss.
Our embrace was short lived, however. A sweet voice called to us, and we turned to greet the woman who was now approaching us from not too far away.
“Autumn,” Gerard said, slipping his hand into mine. “How are you?”
Autumn smiled at Gerard and me and spoke in her kind, careful voice.
“How nice to see you again, Gee,” she said. She walked over to me unsteadily, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back gently, careful not to hurt her. Autumn was eight months pregnant, and she was the picture of health as she grinned down at me. “We must all get reacquainted later, perhaps at the grill out, but first I want to introduce you to my husband, Lucas.”
The man who had been standing beside Autumn a moment ago stepped forward and shook my hand. He was tall and thin, with blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. He smiled at me, showing perfect teeth, and spoke in the carefully balanced voice of a musician.
“I’m Lucas Reynolds. Autumn has told me so much about you two. I’m glad that I finally got to meet you.”
I smiled at him; the guy was just too easy to like! It was obvious why Autumn fell in love with him. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you,” Gerard said, shaking Lucas’s hand as well. “We will have to sit down and get to know each other tonight! But right now, there is a gaggle of giggly girls trashing our van, so we have to go intervene. We’ll see you tonight at the party?”
“Of course!” Autumn exclaimed, wrapping us both in one last hug before Lucas led her away.
Gerard wrapped his arm tenderly around my waist, and we headed off towards the van.
*
Gerard’s POV-
“Here’s the next batch!” I called to Frankie as I piled a plate with hot dogs and hamburgers. The party was a hit, and my ‘inside-out burgers’ were going about as fast as I could cook them.
Frank picked up the plate, his nose wrinkled cutely in disgust, and set it on the table with the rest of the food. He came back over to the grill and sat down, and I dropped a veggie burger on the heat for my little angel.
“How can you not like meat?” I asked Frankie, who was watching as Ray and Mikey began setting up the stage. He appeared a bit dazed as he shipped his head up.
“Hm? Oh, sorry. Um, I prefer not to eat anything that once had a face,” he explained, his voice detached and distant. His wry humor usually would have made me laugh, but I could tell something was bothering him, and I knew he wouldn’t tell me unless I asked.
“Okay, what’s eating you?”
Frank sighed. “Well, we promised everyone a concert, right? But what are we going to do? We don’t have a drummer.”
He had a point there. Bob had gotten carpal tunnel from the constant drumming, and was still recovering from his surgery. There was no way he could play again so soon, and we, as a band, couldn’t play without a drummer.
Just then, the most coincidentally ironic occurrence of the night took place.
“Gerard Way and Frank Iero, as I live and breathe!”
Frank leapt to his feet. Approaching Frankie and me was a man who I knew well, but had completely lost touch with over the years. He was a member of my original eighth grade band and quite possibly the best drummer, besides Bob, of course, that I had ever known.
“Well, if it isn’t Matt Pellisier,” Frank said, with obvious distaste. “And my name is Way now, thank you very much.”
Matt’s eyes widened slightly in shock, which he quickly hid. Frank took a step closer to me, still glaring at Matt, and I realized that this could turn very ugly, very fast. Frank had never seen eye-to-eye with Matt, to put things mildly, and he was now visibly shaking with hatred and probably fear. Matt had tormented Frank in high school, horribly, and Frank had never completely gotten over it. He still had a scarred chest from Matt’s pocket knife. I doubted that Frankie’s fear would disappear until that scar did.
I put my arm tenderly around Frankie’s shoulders, but to no avail, for Matt addressed Frank this time rather than me.
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Matt insisted, raising his hands in self-defense, “And I really am sorry about high school, Frank. I’ve wanted to apologize to you every day since graduation. So that’s why I’m here- to apologize. That, and to be of service. I heard you were in need of a drummer, and I thought I could possibly be of help. I’m a little rusty, but I still remember all the old songs…”
He trailed off, his sentence ending in an unspoken question- can I play?
I opened my mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off. “May I talk to you for a moment, Gee?” Frankie asked, his voice strained. He pulled me out of earshot from Matt, who looked around impatiently.
“I don’t trust him, Gee,” Frankie said bluntly. “I don’t trust him, and I don’t want him near our family, especially Kerri. I’ve seen what he can do, and if he wanted to, he-“
“Frank, honey,” I cut him off, gripping his shoulders tightly. “He’s not a threat. He used to be, but he’s changed, can’t you see? We’re all grown men, and I’m sure we can act like it. We don’t have to hang around him, and you don’t have to talk to him, but you said it yourself. We need a drummer. Can you deal with him, just for tonight?”
Frank looked at Matt, then at me, then at the ground. When he looked up into my eyes, his face was scared, but resigned. He nodded tightly, and I leaned down and kissed him warmly.
“Thank you, angel,” I whispered, and turned in Matt’s direction.
“Hey Matt!” I shouted, and he turned to me expectantly. “Get ready to play.”
*
I trudged up the stairs behind Frank, fatigued but pleased. The concert had gone great, despite Frank’s serious aversion to having Matt within a ten-foot radius, and now that Kerri was in bed, I was heading to my loving bed with my gorgeous, perfect husband. We changed quickly and dropped onto the mattress. Frank snuggled into my side, and we instantly fell into a deep sleep.
*
Frank’s POV-
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! the insistent alarm clock urged. The sound made me grin as I recalled the first time I had heard that sound, when Gerard had saved me from my mother for the first time. I felt Gerard get up to wake up our daughter, and I rose to get dressed, pushing last night’s nightmares out of my memory. As I was pulling on my dreams, I heard a loud, heart wrenching scream. I rushed to the door, only to nearly collide with a hysterically sobbing Gerard.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“It’s Kerri!” he sobbed. “She’s gone.”
Hee hee cliffhanger! (Evil grin)
:)
~FallenAvengingAngel
Frank’s POV-
I winced in surprise when Gerard sent Hannah onto the field. Hannah always played goalie or defense when she was on the filed, and for good reason. Hannah on the offensive was a disaster waiting to happen, and the team looked like they knew that. However, Gee knew his game. He’d never set up a play if he knew that someone was likely to be injured, so he must have great faith in the girls. I bit my lip nervously as the referee handed Carly the ball.
BLEEP! The whistle’s shrill call sounded across the field. Carly’s arm wound back, and she threw the ball to Hannah. Time seemed to slow as the ball hit the ground and was launched with astounding speed towards the goal. The whistle blew as the ball sailed through the air, signaling the end of the game, but the crowd remained silent, their eyes locked on the black and white projectile. The goalie, who had stood her ground thus far, seemed to realize the danger and dove to the ground. The ball sailed over her head and straight to its mark, tearing part of the net away from its posts in the process.
The crowd erupted. The girls picked Hannah up on their shoulders as the other team congratulated them on the win. As the Panthers hustled back to the locker room, I could hear them burst into song, Kerri’s voice unmistakable, even from across the field.
“We’ll carry on! We’ll carry on! And in my heart I can’t contain it! The anthem won’t explain it!”
I smiled; Kerri had definitely taken after Gerard when it came to her singing. She had loved music ever since she was a little baby, and that love only continued to get stronger.
I rose from my seat and walked to the locker room, weaving around soccer moms and tired athletes. I guess being short had its advantages, as no one pays attention to the short guy. I found my way, no pun intended, to the Panthers’ bench and took a seat, straining to hear the end of the congratulatory speech that I knew Gerard would be giving.
“… and Hannah, thank you for showing us once again what a well-aimed kick can do. You girls were fantastic tonight. How about, to celebrate, we have a grill out, at my house?” The girls cheered. “There’ll be hot dogs and hamburgers and a small music concert. Whatd’ya think?” Another cheer went up, and Gerard laughed. "Your parents are welcome to come, if they’d like. Anyone who needs a ride is welcome to stick with Kerri, me, and the vegetarian outside, who I’m sure is listening right now.” The girls giggled in unison and I smiled. A last cry, “ONE, TWO, THREE, PANTHERS!” and the team began to file out onto the field.
Kerri exited the locker room next-to-last and tackled me with a flying hug. I lifted her off her feet and spun her around, unable to keep myself from laughing at her as she squealed happily. She babbled for a moment about the game- “Did you see that amazing save? I think I’m getting better!”- and then ran off to find Carly and Hannah, humming loudly.
As I watched my daughter skip away, I found myself blinded by a pair of familiar hands. A soft breath whispered lightly into my ear.
“Hi there, angel.”
I turned around, and the hands that had been covering my eyes came down to my waist, holding me tight. I looked up into Gerard’s beautiful face and smiled widely as he brushed my lips with a kiss.
Our embrace was short lived, however. A sweet voice called to us, and we turned to greet the woman who was now approaching us from not too far away.
“Autumn,” Gerard said, slipping his hand into mine. “How are you?”
Autumn smiled at Gerard and me and spoke in her kind, careful voice.
“How nice to see you again, Gee,” she said. She walked over to me unsteadily, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back gently, careful not to hurt her. Autumn was eight months pregnant, and she was the picture of health as she grinned down at me. “We must all get reacquainted later, perhaps at the grill out, but first I want to introduce you to my husband, Lucas.”
The man who had been standing beside Autumn a moment ago stepped forward and shook my hand. He was tall and thin, with blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. He smiled at me, showing perfect teeth, and spoke in the carefully balanced voice of a musician.
“I’m Lucas Reynolds. Autumn has told me so much about you two. I’m glad that I finally got to meet you.”
I smiled at him; the guy was just too easy to like! It was obvious why Autumn fell in love with him. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you,” Gerard said, shaking Lucas’s hand as well. “We will have to sit down and get to know each other tonight! But right now, there is a gaggle of giggly girls trashing our van, so we have to go intervene. We’ll see you tonight at the party?”
“Of course!” Autumn exclaimed, wrapping us both in one last hug before Lucas led her away.
Gerard wrapped his arm tenderly around my waist, and we headed off towards the van.
*
Gerard’s POV-
“Here’s the next batch!” I called to Frankie as I piled a plate with hot dogs and hamburgers. The party was a hit, and my ‘inside-out burgers’ were going about as fast as I could cook them.
Frank picked up the plate, his nose wrinkled cutely in disgust, and set it on the table with the rest of the food. He came back over to the grill and sat down, and I dropped a veggie burger on the heat for my little angel.
“How can you not like meat?” I asked Frankie, who was watching as Ray and Mikey began setting up the stage. He appeared a bit dazed as he shipped his head up.
“Hm? Oh, sorry. Um, I prefer not to eat anything that once had a face,” he explained, his voice detached and distant. His wry humor usually would have made me laugh, but I could tell something was bothering him, and I knew he wouldn’t tell me unless I asked.
“Okay, what’s eating you?”
Frank sighed. “Well, we promised everyone a concert, right? But what are we going to do? We don’t have a drummer.”
He had a point there. Bob had gotten carpal tunnel from the constant drumming, and was still recovering from his surgery. There was no way he could play again so soon, and we, as a band, couldn’t play without a drummer.
Just then, the most coincidentally ironic occurrence of the night took place.
“Gerard Way and Frank Iero, as I live and breathe!”
Frank leapt to his feet. Approaching Frankie and me was a man who I knew well, but had completely lost touch with over the years. He was a member of my original eighth grade band and quite possibly the best drummer, besides Bob, of course, that I had ever known.
“Well, if it isn’t Matt Pellisier,” Frank said, with obvious distaste. “And my name is Way now, thank you very much.”
Matt’s eyes widened slightly in shock, which he quickly hid. Frank took a step closer to me, still glaring at Matt, and I realized that this could turn very ugly, very fast. Frank had never seen eye-to-eye with Matt, to put things mildly, and he was now visibly shaking with hatred and probably fear. Matt had tormented Frank in high school, horribly, and Frank had never completely gotten over it. He still had a scarred chest from Matt’s pocket knife. I doubted that Frankie’s fear would disappear until that scar did.
I put my arm tenderly around Frankie’s shoulders, but to no avail, for Matt addressed Frank this time rather than me.
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Matt insisted, raising his hands in self-defense, “And I really am sorry about high school, Frank. I’ve wanted to apologize to you every day since graduation. So that’s why I’m here- to apologize. That, and to be of service. I heard you were in need of a drummer, and I thought I could possibly be of help. I’m a little rusty, but I still remember all the old songs…”
He trailed off, his sentence ending in an unspoken question- can I play?
I opened my mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off. “May I talk to you for a moment, Gee?” Frankie asked, his voice strained. He pulled me out of earshot from Matt, who looked around impatiently.
“I don’t trust him, Gee,” Frankie said bluntly. “I don’t trust him, and I don’t want him near our family, especially Kerri. I’ve seen what he can do, and if he wanted to, he-“
“Frank, honey,” I cut him off, gripping his shoulders tightly. “He’s not a threat. He used to be, but he’s changed, can’t you see? We’re all grown men, and I’m sure we can act like it. We don’t have to hang around him, and you don’t have to talk to him, but you said it yourself. We need a drummer. Can you deal with him, just for tonight?”
Frank looked at Matt, then at me, then at the ground. When he looked up into my eyes, his face was scared, but resigned. He nodded tightly, and I leaned down and kissed him warmly.
“Thank you, angel,” I whispered, and turned in Matt’s direction.
“Hey Matt!” I shouted, and he turned to me expectantly. “Get ready to play.”
*
I trudged up the stairs behind Frank, fatigued but pleased. The concert had gone great, despite Frank’s serious aversion to having Matt within a ten-foot radius, and now that Kerri was in bed, I was heading to my loving bed with my gorgeous, perfect husband. We changed quickly and dropped onto the mattress. Frank snuggled into my side, and we instantly fell into a deep sleep.
*
Frank’s POV-
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! the insistent alarm clock urged. The sound made me grin as I recalled the first time I had heard that sound, when Gerard had saved me from my mother for the first time. I felt Gerard get up to wake up our daughter, and I rose to get dressed, pushing last night’s nightmares out of my memory. As I was pulling on my dreams, I heard a loud, heart wrenching scream. I rushed to the door, only to nearly collide with a hysterically sobbing Gerard.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“It’s Kerri!” he sobbed. “She’s gone.”
Hee hee cliffhanger! (Evil grin)
:)
~FallenAvengingAngel
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