FicWad

Gerard walked back to the kitchen after showing Ellouise to the bathroom. She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. It made it difficult not to just simply reach out and kiss her, claim her as his own. But she seemed so tough but what he realized in this day and a bit of knowing her was that she wasn’t. She was a fragile girl. A fragile girl with a haunting past. She was so scared. He could see it in her eyes when she looked at him. Hell, she was scared that he was one of the people coming after her and wasn’t for letting him help her at all. He could still vividly remember walking into that café and seeing her sitting at a table, her eyeliner running down her face, her hair and hat plastered to her, her short leather jacket useless against the harsh rain. She was soaked and shivering but none the less the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her face was still a mystery to him even though she had told him what happened to her. About going to juvi, going to prison, getting involved with the wrong people. People who wanted her back after she ran. He wasn’t going to allow that. Not even in a month of Sundays would he ever allow that to happen.

She had been puzzled as to why he wasn’t scared, why he hadn’t turned and ran. He could see the confusion in her unhappy face. Well, even though he hadn’t told her, he wasn’t exactly a saint himself. He hadn’t been to prison or anything but he had gotten involved with drug and alcohol and almost killed himself. He had gotten clean though he was still a heavy smoker but hey! Everyone’s gotta gave a poison right? His mind wandered back to Ellouise who was now showering. He wondered what it would be like to kiss the small girl who had the most stunning blue eyes. Like ice that was melting on the Glaciers. The gold flecks flickering through her eyes gave them a warm glow like the sun. Despite all that they still looked so lost and empty, like she didn’t feel like she belonged anywhere. He hoped to give her somewhere to be, if she would let him in. He felt like he had made a breakthrough with Ellouise even agreeing to stay, allowing him to help her. Letting him be near her. He shook his head, trying to bring himself back the real world. He shouldn’t be thinking about a girl like this after only just meeting her. It was crazy! And yet, he was. He hadn’t felt his way about a girl. Ever. Unbelievably cliché but he didn’t care.

Gerard sauntered silently into the kitchen where Mikey and Sam were sitting. His little brother’s girlfriend could be a pain but she could also be pretty awesome. Most of their fights are fooling around but there are some, like the one this morning, that are half kidding, half “I hate you”.
Both Mikey and Sam looked up at me, Sam’s face became worryingly serious.
“So, why is Ellouise really here?”, it surprised Gerard that it was Mikey that spoke first instead of Sam who was always the one to speak up, “I knew there was something off about her as soon as she took a footstep in the door last night.”
“And because she actually came home with you at all.”, Sam added with a smirk on her face.
“Fuck off Sam”, Gerard snapped, his eyes narrowing dangerously into slits, “There is nothing to tell. She was just traveling. I met her in a café and offered her a place to stay. Is that really so suspicious?!”
“Yes as a matter of fact it is.”, yet again Sam spoke up while Mikey remained silent but he was giving his brother a disapproving look, “Especially considering that if you were traveling then you would have a place to stay and not need one.”
Gerard was stumped for an answer to that. Sam, he hated to admit, was right. He simply sniffed in response knowing that she would get annoyed at his lack of an answer.
Sure enough Sam gave an exasperated sigh.
“Gerard! Honestly would you fuckin’ answer me man! Who is this girl really?!”
“She’s exactly who she says she is!”, Gerard snapped back, “You just didn’t get the whole picture!”
Sam crossed her arms as Mikey patted her shoulder to tell her to keep quiet and spoke up himself.
“If this girl is trouble… Gee we don’t need trouble.”
“She’s not trouble! Have you seen her?! She’s scared!”, Gerard snapped back, glowering at the table. He couldn’t let her down. He had made a promise to himself to look after her, to make sure nothing happened to her. But he would never say that aloud.
“Scared of what Gee?”, Mikey pushed.
He just shrugged, not sure what else to do that that point in time. He played over and over in his mind the possible scenarios that could play out. His mind settled on one thing: they could help her. He opened his mouth to speak just as the buzzer went at the door. Mikey got up.
“Save whatever it is you were about to say. Frank, Mikey and Bob are here. We had to tell them about this girl Gee, they want to meet her and shit. So you can tell them whatever it was you were going to say to us.”
Gerard ran his hands through his messy hair as Mikey went to answer the door. Fuck. Ellouise will most likely get mad at him for telling everyone and then she could leave. But he couldn’t hide this from his best friends for long.
He heard Frank’s happy voice as he bounded in the door.
“Where’s this chick then?! I want to meet her! Is she cool?! Is she hot?! Oh please tell me she’s hot!”, Frank babbled, walking into the kitchen as the other guys followed.
Gerard wanted nothing more than to say: trust me, she’s hot. But he refrained.
“Hey guys.”, he said, waving half-heartedly as Ray and Bob followed Frank into the room with Mikey and Sam hot on their heels.
He watched as the guys grabbed the spare chairs and pulled them around the table as Mikey and Sam sat down on the seats they already had.
“So.”, Ray began as he sat down and looked at Gerard with interested eyes, “Who’s this girl really?”
Gerard glared at Mikey and Sam who had clearly called the guys and told them that there was something off about Ellouise and knew that between the lot of them they would get whatever it was he was hiding, out of him.
“Yeah, I mean you never bring girls home! We- I was beginning to think you were gay!” ,Frank added, putting on a slight serious face yet he still had a playful glint in his eyes.
Great, now everyone seemed to think he was gay! Which he wasn’t, not even a little. Well, his drunken habits before he got clean didn’t help him anything.
“I’m not gay!”, Gerard protested loudly.
“Well who’s this girl then?! You clearly have the hots for her.”, Frank smirked.
“I don’t have the hots for her…”, he said quietly, not really able to protest loudly to what he was saying. Frank was right. But he’d be damned if he ever said that. Frank would gloat from here until next year… and perhaps into the year after that.
“WOULD. YOU. SPIT. IT. OUT!”, Sam shouted, slamming her fists down hand onto the table, making them all jump.
“Jesus! What did that table ever do you?!” ,Frank exclaimed.
“Not a case of what the table did to us, more like what we did to the table.”, Mikey muttered under his breath, causing Sam to snort and everyone else to groan.
“GUYS! I have to live here! SHIT! I have to eat food off this table!”, Gerard half flailed, squeezing his eyes shut. Horrible images!
Mikey and Sam were in hysterics while the rest of them looked on with disapproving faces.
“Anywayyyyy”, Bob spoke up for the first time, “Gerard, explain this girl to us. You’re not getting away with not telling us that easy.”
Gerard sighed and thought about where to start. Everyone had crowded around the table and now skooched nearer the table to hear Gerard talk.
“Quick man! Before she comes out of that shower.”, Sam pressed.
He sighed and began to speak.

He told them everything that Ellouise has told him. About Juvi, prison, her getting involved with the wrong people. He felt terrible for telling them all when she had told him with confidence that he wouldn’t go blabbing to the next person that happened to walk in the room. But they could help her. He knew his own friends wouldn’t go and blurt out to someone walking along the street who she was. He trusted his friends with his life and he hoped that telling Ellouise that would stop her running when she found out that he had told everyone about her. But he also knew they would all be judging whether or not to advise him to let her stay or to basically kick her out. The latter was not an option. He couldn’t do that to her.

His voice shook a little as he finished off the story. He was nervous about everyone’s reactions.
“Holy shit. We have one bad ass girl.”, was all that Frank said, his eyes slightly wide.
Ray and Bob both sat back in their seats as Ray spoke up.
“That’s one troubled girl.”
Gerard nodded. He couldn’t even deny that. Ellouise was a very troubled girl. But she was also scared and fragile though she appeared strong on the outside.
“What a poor chick. That’s really sad.”, Gerard was surprised that Sam spoke up, “She seemed so nice and normal. Like nothing was wrong at all.”
“That’s the act.”, Gerard confirmed, looking at Mikey who hadn’t yet spoken.
“What did I tell you. Trouble. Gee this girl is trouble. What happens if she brings them here and we get sucked in? Huh?”
“Then it’ll be me that gets sucked in. You guys don’t have to do anything about it. You don’t have to be involved.”, Gerard said firmly.
“She’ll be living here which mean that Sam and I could be in danger as well as you.”
“Oh shut up Mikey! You don’t have to be so fuckin’ cynical all the time!”, Sam snapped making Mikey sat back a little, “I know you mean well but this girl is in trouble and we can help her. Well, for once in my life, I’m with Gerard on this one. I want to help.”
Gerard smiled gratefully at Sam who simply nodded back with a slight smile.
He was surprised that Mikey was so against it and felt the need to ask him. He was his brother after all.
“Mikey why are you so against this? She wont be any bother to you at all. You saw her.”
Mikey sighed.
“Because you’re my brother and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Gerard was a little touched by this comment. What a brother Mikey could be.
“I wont Mikes. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Well I don’t see what help I can be but this chick needs some friends around her and I think we can all help there and make her feel welcome.”, Bob informed them all, causing the rest of them to nod.
“Yeah.”, Ray added, “It wasn’t so long ago that we were outcasts. To be shunned by us is the last thing she needs.”
Gerard smiled gladly at Ray before turning to Frank, waiting for his response.
“Well… this girl seems pretty fucking awesome and if she’s cute then I’m in.”
Gerard rolled his eyes.
“Thanks guys. I appreciate it.”
Sam stood up.
“I’m going to lay clothes out for Ellouise at the door and when she’s dressed I’m going to take her shopping and stuff.”, Sam told them all as she walked down to her room and began raking about for some clothes for her.
“Ellouise is a pretty name.”, Frank stated, looking thoughtfully off into the distance, “Elle. I’ll call her Elle for short.”
Gerard smiled in agreement. It was pretty. Just like she was. But he liked to call her Ella. He preferred that.
Mikey was sitting silently, clearly not amused that everyone was going to help her, especially Sam.
“Mikey, lighten up. I know you’ll like her even if she has had a dodgy past.”, Gerard said to him.
“I know she’s a nice girl. It just feels like we still don’t have the whole picture you know.”
“Mikey would you stop looking for problems.”, Sam said as she walked back into the room and sat on his knee, “You think about things too much. Everything will turn out. You’ll see.”
Sam stroked Mikey’s cheek before kissing his temple affectionately.
Those two are so in love, Gerard thought to himself a small smile on his lips. Those two would be married soon, he just knew it. They had already been together for a while. It was no wonder he appeared to be the loner when they lived in the same house as him.
They sat for a few minutes all around the table. Sam was making a list for something while Frank babbled on about the latest tattoo he was thinking about getting. Bob was watching intently and Ray was nodding along to what Frank was saying. It was a pretty average morning for everyone despite everything.

“Sorry about the time I took. Sam, have you got something that covers me a little more? This top barely covers my boobs.”, a voice at the door startled everyone, making them stop what they were doing and look up.
Ellouise was standing there with an inquisitive look on her face.