FicWad

D, G, Em…
I poked my pick in between my teeth and scribbled over my sheet music before strumming the chords again. Hmm, that sounded pretty good. The room was so quiet, after all it was just me, my bashed up guitar and a dusty wooden piano that hadn’t been used in years. That’s how it looked anyway. Not that I cared, I couldn’t play piano and I had no intention of learning. There’s just something so raw about the feel of strings beneath your fingers as you pluck out a melody or thrash out a rhythm. Not something you get from poking a few keys.
I got up from my cross legged pose on the carpet and propped my guitar against the wall. I don’t know why I feel so paranoid, like someone’s watching me, but I look around and check anyway, even though I know no ones there. The music room’s so small; you can barely fit two people in here unless one’s hiding in the cupboard. And I doubt that, no one ever comes in here. Jessie and Alex fucked in that cupboard, so I doubt anyone would dream of going in there now anyway. Everyone else is too busy with their friends. So it’s just me, and that’s how I like it.
My beat up converse shuffle along with my feet until I reach the piano, dust off a few keys and press the one furthest to the left. A deep grumble ruptures the silence that fades quickly as I flinch from the sound. Ugh, definitely not something I want to learn to play.
A familiar buzz ricochets off the walls around me which pulls me from my mind and back to reality. Oh great, that means I’m minutes closer to double biology.
Since I know no one but me comes in this room, I tuck my guitar behind the side of the piano, out of sight, and reach for the door handle. The door on this room is so shitty, it hardly ever opens and I always have to slam into it to make it budge. I rattle the handle for good measure, realize it’s jammed and prepare to throw my weight at the door. I don’t weight much, I’m only short and I hardly ever eat, but it’s enough to swing the door outwards…full force into someone who’s standing on the outside.
“Shit.”
Who ever made these doors open outwards into the corridor was a sneaky bastard. I peered round the edge of the door, praying internally that I hadn’t just wacked a jock to the ground. Who am I kidding, if it was a jock the door would have bounced off their huge ego. And I’d be getting pummeled followed by being wedged into the nearest open locker.
“Ar-are you alright?”
Turns out I may have just knocked some guy unconscious. He’s crouched on the floor, books sprawled around him, clutching his shoulder. He’s head is angled at my feet, probably avoiding my gaze. I can’t see where his eyes are looking because his tangle of raven hair has fallen partially on his face. Huh, pretty face.
Wait, what?
“Hello?”
Still no response. Was this guy a mute? Or just plain dumb? Since he didn’t look like he was about to beat the shit out of me, I decided I could talk to him rather than just walk away.
“Did the door hit your head? Or are you just unable to form a sentence?”
“Hnngh.” he muttered.
“Ah, that was almost a word. Congrats.”
He tipped his head up in my direction, a soft smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. His eyes met mine; full brown ones will flecks of hazel. Reminds me of an ice cream I had once. I frowned at the memory and quickly brushed it off. Not now.
“Uh, sorry. Are you okay? I didn’t know you were there. Actually, why were you standing outside the door anyway?”
His lips twitched a little, and the smile was gone. “I was on my way to registration, but I have no idea where home room is.”
Wait, was this guy new? Considering I just knocked him off his feet (pun intended) I figured maybe I should offer him a hand. He took it, only for a second, and used my weight to pull himself up. His hand was smooth and cold, like marble.
“I’m Frank by the way. I’m guessing you’re new here then?”
“Oh, yeah. Right. I-I’m Gerard.”
He turned his back to me and scrabbled for the books on the floor, and I couldn’t help but admire the curve of his spine as he bent over. His leather jacket swung forward as he leaned to reveal just the smallest crescent of snowy white flesh at the small of his back. I flicked my eyes away as he turned round and tried to act like I hadn’t been staring.
“What class are you in?”
He reached into his back pocket and handed me his schedule. It was screwed up from where he must have been sitting on it. And slightly warm from its previous location.
CONCENTRATE, DAMMIT.
His name was printed neatly at the top, just like all the schedules. Master Gerard Way. I made a mental note of the name and skimmed the rest of the text, looking for anything that would tell me where Gerard should be.
“Alright Master Way, lucky for you, you’re in my home room and few of my classes. I can show you where you should be. If you want.”
He reached up to ruffle his shaggy black hair with his hand and smiled at me. I took that as a yes and strolled in the direction of the History department, where our home room is. Despite my attempted fast pace walking, he kept up by taking casual strides, oblivious to how late we were.
We walked in silence for a few seconds, until it was broken by the sound of Gerard zipping up his jacket to block out the cold. I, on the other hand, embraced the late September weather, my teeth chattering freely and my baggy Smashing Pumpkins jacket provided little protection against the wind that whipped my hair against my face. I looked over at Gerard; his hair was windswept and framed his pale face perfectly. I wish the wind made me look hot. I probably resembled Chewbacca after receiving a haircut from a blindfolded Edward Scissor-hands.
Not that I cared.
Pffft.
Gerard’s eyes flicked in my direction and I quickly swiveled my head to my direction of motion. How scientific. And Mr Bennett tells me I’m failing physics. Well fuck yo-
“So, you like Smashing Pumpkins?”
Gerard spoke with more confidence this time, not tripping over his own words, and pulling me back from my thoughts.
“Uh, yeah. What gave it away?”
“Your jacket.”
I looked down to see the logo on my jacket peering back at me. I’m so retarded.
“Ahah, yeah.”
“That’s cool. Lost my concert virginity to them with my brother Mikey.”
I stopped walking for a second and it took him a moment to realize. He peered over his shoulder at me and raised his eyebrows. I pulled my best shocked face and said:
“Dude, that sounds like an incestual gang bang. But you have good taste, so I’ll let it go.”
I continued walking, turning left into the building and pushing through the door. The room was full of students, chatting, squealing and completely oblivious to my presence. Mr Lewisham was sat at the desk with a newspaper. Clearly the man had lost his hearing aid again, because he made no attempt at quieting the class. Kelsey Adams was the only one to acknowledge my existence, shooting me daggers from across the room as I trudged to the back of the class to my desk. It’s not my fault she turned me gay. Gerard staggered along behind me and raised his eyebrows at me while gesturing to the desk by mine. No one had sat in that chair since…
Never mind.
I shrugged at him, and he figured I had given him permission to sit there. I don’t know why he’d want to. Being around me was like social suicide. Flicking a few tacks and a piece of moist gum from my chair, I slumped down and attempted to block out my surroundings. Which would have been easy if my mind wasn’t full of shit right now. I closed my eyes, but the image of Gerard’s face was imprinted to my eyelids.
What the heck?
The buzz rang through the room and everyone filed out, the bimbos muttering about stupid things like lip stick and hair products, the jocks punching each other, the nerds doing algebra on their notepads and anyone else who had formed some sort of gang in the time we’d been in school. I never attempted to be part of anyone’s little group. Not that they’d wanted me. I was shit to them. A freak because I didn’t fit in.
I never wanted to fit in. I just wanted to survive.
Pretty much everyone had left; it was only me, Gerard and Mr Lewisham there. I don’t think Mr L counted as ‘being there’. His head was lolled forward and a small trail of drool was hanging from his slightly open mouth. Gerard nudged me in the ribs with his elbow.
“I’ve got double biology, where the heck am I supposed to be?”
“Just follow me, dipshit.”
Oh, maybe that was rude. I don’t know, I’ve not had anyone to talk to since…
Gerard didn’t look hurt, so I let it drop and walked towards the door. I flinched at the sound of a punch being thrown, and a cry in response. Sounded like some kid was getting a beating, and I didn’t want to be around the hear it. Or be part of it. Gerard looked uneasy, and I quickened my pace to get away from the all too familiar sounds.
“So, I get the feeling you love it here, Frank?”
“You bet. School really is a shit hole. I like you, Gerard. You want to know how to survive this place?”
I didn’t want a response; it was more of a rhetorical question. I was going to tell him anyway.
“Number one: don’t stand out. Give them a reason to notice you, and they will.”
He nodded seriously, and kept walking.
“And number two? Don’t let them take you alive.”