FicWad

Courtney woke up to shifting on the bed, turning over to see Gerard putting his clothes on. She smiled, sitting up, "Mmm, hey, Gee," she said as she rubbed her eyes, her voice soft.

"Hey," he muttered, kissing her.

Courtney stood up, wrapping the sheet around her. She headed toward her suitcase, grabbing a pair of clothes. "Gerard," she said, standing in front of him, "thank you."

Gerard's brows furrowed, his head cocking to the side. "For what?" he questioned, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

"Helping me," she said quickly. "This would be a lot more difficult if I didn't have help," she muttered, kissing him. "I seem to be thanking you a lot lately," she noted, kissing him again.

"Maybe that should stop," he suggested.

~x~

Courtney's foot tapped, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes wandering. Gerard felt anxious, bouncing on the balls of his feet, biting his lower lip, waiting. "Gee, you can go back home," Courtney told him, looking back at him. "I'll wait here."

"I was your ride here in the first place," he countered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Courtney, it's fine, I'll wait with you."

Courtney sighed, looking ahead, "Gee, go home. This is for me anyway, I can call Kelly or something, but you don't need to stay. It's not like you needed to drive me anyway, Gee, you're just so damn persistent."

Gerard looked at the parking lot, spotting his car. "Fine, I'll be home when you get back," he told her, kissing her forehead before heading toward his car, waving good-bye to her.

The line held up for near an hour before Courtney got to the front, and when she was finally finished, she called Kelly, asking her for a ride home. She arrived within minutes, stoping abruptly in front of Courtney.

"You never were the best driver, were you?" Courtney asked, getting into the passengers' seat.

Kelly shrugged, smiling, "I got a D in drivers ed. I wouldn't call myself a great driver, but I can make it to and from somewhere unharmed and untouched. That's good enough, right?" she chuckled. "I've never been in an accident! That's got to count for something!"

"Just so long as you don't crash this thing for once," she mumbled as Kelly began driving away.

When they arrived at Courtney and Gerard's house, Courtney unbuckled her seatbelt, thanked Kelly, and walked inside. She stepped into the living room, her stomach dropping in the process. She stared at a bare Gerard and the naked girl on his lap, unable to form words. She covered her mouth, suddenly feeling sick, and ran into their bedroom, still being able to hear the disgusting moans and groans coming from down the stairs.

She walked to the dresser, pulling out all her clothes, throwing them in her suitcase. She walked back downstairs, seeing Gerard standing at the door, shouting good-bye. She grit her teeth, pulling her phone out of her pocket, dialing Kelly's number.

Gerard turned around, seeing Courtney, smiling. "Hey, where have you been? You took forever!" he shouted, unusually happy. Courtney felt jealous. She had never had that effect on Gerard.

He looked confused as he noticed her suitcases gripped tightly, her phone to her ear, tears in her eyes. "Courtney, what's wrong?" he asked, completely clueless.

Courtney ignored him, scratching her head as Kelly picked up. "Kelly, can you pick me up from Gerard's?" she asked, wrapping her arm around her stomach, feeling sick at the sight of Gerard.

"Yeah, something wrong?" Kelly asked, worry washing over her.

Courtney nodded, even though she knew Kelly couldn't see. "Yeah. I'll explain it in the car."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes," she said, her keys jingling so loud Courtney could hear them on the opposite end.

"Thank you," Courtney out her phone in her pocket, staring at Gerard. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she asked. "You must, because I'm obviously not blind," Gerard was still confused. It was clear by the look on his face. "Gerard, I saw you two, I heard you – do you even have a conscience?"

Gerard's eyes widened, "Look, Courtney, I can explain –"

"I don't need you to, Gerard," she said, brushing past him, opening the door, staying in the doorway. "How come I never got this reactions from you, Gee?" she asked, her arms across her chest.

Before Gerard could answer, there was a car horn being honked behind Courtney. "There's my ride," she said. "I'll... see you at school," she added, running down the driveway, getting inside Kelly's car without looking at Gerard again.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Kelly interrupted Courtney's thoughts.

"Yeah," Courtney said, shifting in the seat. "After I came home, I went inside the living room, and saw Gerard and... some woman –" she stopped herself from going any further. It wasn't necessary. Kelly would've already understood, and she didn't think she could bring herself to continue without having a complete breakdown.

Kelly just looked at her sympathetically, heading toward her home. "If it's any consolation, I always thought you were too good for him," she tried to make some light of the situation, even though she knew it wouldn't work. She knew it was pointless. She knew Courtney was already too broken up to create any distraction – anything that could make her forget her current predicament.

Courtney didn't respond at all, she just looked out the window, her head in her hand. There were times when she nodded or shook her head to Kelly's questions, but that was it. She wouldn't allow any sound to emit. She wasn't sure if any sound would come out if she tried.

Kelly parked in front of her house, trying to comfort her friend, all to no avail. "Courtney, it'll be fine, I promise you, you'll get over it," she said, rubbing her back.

"Can we just... go inside?" Courtney asked, taking her seatbelt off. "Please?