Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Stockholm Syndrome
“W-What?” Paulina’s face crumbled, angry red patches of red embarrassment flamed up on her cheeks and tears threatened to spill from eyes that were wide with confusion and hurt. “Gerard...Gerard, come on...it’s me. You know, Paulina?” Gerard just shook his head and flashed her a smile.
“I’m sorry, I think I would remember meeting someone as pretty as you.” That toothy grin she’d seen so many times; manic, crazy, insane, she had missed it so much, and now Gerard was trying to tell her that it was foreign to her, along with the rest of him. But that couldn’t be right. She wasn’t crazy. This was Gerard. This was one of the men she had spent six months of her life living with. She was tempted to reach out and touch him, make certain this was real, but given the current circumstances, that might not be a great idea...But it was him, damn it. It just had to be. There was no way it wasn’t.
“But...it’s you. Gerard, how--?” Paulina was very suddenly sick to her stomach. Her head began to spin and she stumbled standing still.
“Are you alright?” the man that had to be Gerard asked, now concerned. “You look ill. Maybe you should go home and lay down? Can I call you a cab?” Paulina steadied herself by grabbing his outstretched arm (definitely real, no question of being an hallucination) and gently easing herself to sit on the steps of the porch. He smelled exactly like she remembered as he bent over her to aide her descent to the ground. Cigarettes, coffee, turpentine, sweat. That was the smell she remembered so distinctly hovering over her so many nights as she was invaded against her will over and over again. That wasn’t something one soon forgot. It had to be him.
“Yes. Yes, I think I need to go home and...rest.” Her head swam. Thoughts and feelings and memories danced in and out of her brain and she wasn’t sure what was happening. She was in the house--no, she was with Laura in fourth grade, making snowflakes out of construction paper--no, she was applying to colleges--no, she was in the house, Frank beside her on the piano bench-- “No, no, no, no...” she murmured, rocking steadily back and forth while Gerard whistled for a taxi--a taxi? What had happened to the car? And what about her blindfold? What if she saw something she shouldn’t?
This was happening too fast, too much, not enough, not the right time. She got up and staggered over to a nearby trashcan, retching and heaving dryly into the disgusting metal bin.The putrid smell helped to ground her in her senses once more, and she managed to straighten and accept Gerard’s assistance into the cab he’d gotten for her.
“Where are you going, sweet?” Gerard asked softly, tucking her gently into the back seat of the cleanest taxi cab she’d ever seen. Paulina found that her mouth was dry as cotton, making it difficult for her lips and tongue to form the right words.
Finally, she swallowed a thick bubble of air and managed, “Park Towers dorms on campus.” Her lips trembled as she stared wordlessly up at Gerard, who was trying to pry her arms from around his neck and depart the cab.
“Feel better, my confused little acquaintance,” he said softly once he’d dislodged himself from Paulina’s grasp. He ducked out the car and gave one last small smile and wave before closing the door and watching the cabbie as it drove away, before returning to his cigarette and his conversation with his friend.
Here it is. I know it's short, but the next one is longer and then I believe the one after that will be massive. I'm pretty surprised that so many of you are continuing to read this. It's just been so long. Thanks for your continued support, it's really, truly inspiring. I really hope to have this finished before the week is over, and I think that that is pretty doable. So yeah. If you'd like, leave a comment, and I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow or the day after. OverAndOutxx
“I’m sorry, I think I would remember meeting someone as pretty as you.” That toothy grin she’d seen so many times; manic, crazy, insane, she had missed it so much, and now Gerard was trying to tell her that it was foreign to her, along with the rest of him. But that couldn’t be right. She wasn’t crazy. This was Gerard. This was one of the men she had spent six months of her life living with. She was tempted to reach out and touch him, make certain this was real, but given the current circumstances, that might not be a great idea...But it was him, damn it. It just had to be. There was no way it wasn’t.
“But...it’s you. Gerard, how--?” Paulina was very suddenly sick to her stomach. Her head began to spin and she stumbled standing still.
“Are you alright?” the man that had to be Gerard asked, now concerned. “You look ill. Maybe you should go home and lay down? Can I call you a cab?” Paulina steadied herself by grabbing his outstretched arm (definitely real, no question of being an hallucination) and gently easing herself to sit on the steps of the porch. He smelled exactly like she remembered as he bent over her to aide her descent to the ground. Cigarettes, coffee, turpentine, sweat. That was the smell she remembered so distinctly hovering over her so many nights as she was invaded against her will over and over again. That wasn’t something one soon forgot. It had to be him.
“Yes. Yes, I think I need to go home and...rest.” Her head swam. Thoughts and feelings and memories danced in and out of her brain and she wasn’t sure what was happening. She was in the house--no, she was with Laura in fourth grade, making snowflakes out of construction paper--no, she was applying to colleges--no, she was in the house, Frank beside her on the piano bench-- “No, no, no, no...” she murmured, rocking steadily back and forth while Gerard whistled for a taxi--a taxi? What had happened to the car? And what about her blindfold? What if she saw something she shouldn’t?
This was happening too fast, too much, not enough, not the right time. She got up and staggered over to a nearby trashcan, retching and heaving dryly into the disgusting metal bin.The putrid smell helped to ground her in her senses once more, and she managed to straighten and accept Gerard’s assistance into the cab he’d gotten for her.
“Where are you going, sweet?” Gerard asked softly, tucking her gently into the back seat of the cleanest taxi cab she’d ever seen. Paulina found that her mouth was dry as cotton, making it difficult for her lips and tongue to form the right words.
Finally, she swallowed a thick bubble of air and managed, “Park Towers dorms on campus.” Her lips trembled as she stared wordlessly up at Gerard, who was trying to pry her arms from around his neck and depart the cab.
“Feel better, my confused little acquaintance,” he said softly once he’d dislodged himself from Paulina’s grasp. He ducked out the car and gave one last small smile and wave before closing the door and watching the cabbie as it drove away, before returning to his cigarette and his conversation with his friend.
Here it is. I know it's short, but the next one is longer and then I believe the one after that will be massive. I'm pretty surprised that so many of you are continuing to read this. It's just been so long. Thanks for your continued support, it's really, truly inspiring. I really hope to have this finished before the week is over, and I think that that is pretty doable. So yeah. If you'd like, leave a comment, and I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow or the day after. OverAndOutxx
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