Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Temporary Wounds
The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully. Mikey, still sheepish from Friday’s catastrophe, stayed at home did nothing in particular. Gerard spent the weekend as he always did, stretched out on the couch watching movies, or locked in his room reading. Thoughts of Alice flitted through his mind almost constantly. He let them, allowing himself to wallow in bittersweet, romantic angst and directionless fantasies. When Monday rolled around, he dreaded school more than ever. Mikey, on the other hand, was restless. After his self-imposed grounding he was eager for company, and a chance to release his pent-up energy. They walked to school together, Mikey chatting about nothing while Gerard ignored him and plodded along in silence.
Gerard’s first class that morning was maths, which he shared with Alice. She barely acknowledged him as she entered the room, but shot him a small smile as she took her customary seat on the opposite side of the classroom. Mr. Cooke arrived and immediately launched into a long lecture. Gerard spent about five minutes trying to pay attention, before giving up and abandoning his notes. He’d already resigned himself to a dismal result in maths – he just couldn’t seem to grasp it. Instead he spent the lesson drawing, which was much more productive as far as he was concerned. After that was English, which he enjoyed much more. This time, however, he couldn’t seem to focus at all. He simply sat there in a sort of daze, and when the bell finally rang he rose like a zombie and marched straight out of the room ahead of all the other students.
He didn’t feel like sitting with Mikey and his friends. He didn’t feel like pushing through the crowds in the courtyard to reach his usual spot. He craved to be alone with his thoughts. His feet led him to the deserted art corridor, where he sat down and cupped his chin in his hands. All of a sudden he heard footsteps approaching, and he looked up to see Alice approaching him.
Gerard didn’t know it, but she’d been thinking a lot about him over the weekend. She couldn’t get his smile out of her mind. She had a crush on him, and it was driving her crazy. She saw it happen in movies, the cliché cool-girl-gets-with-loser-guy scenario, but she never wanted to be that girl herself. But there she was, lusting obsessively after a comic book geek who she’d only known for a couple of days, and there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least, she thought, she could make the most of it.
As she sat down beside him, surprise flooded Gerard’s face. He’d assumed that she would ignore him at school. His sullen desire for solitude, however, disappeared like magic. He opened his mouth to greet her.
Before he could utter a word, her tongue was in his mouth. Stunned, he pulled back at first, until hormones got the better of him and he returned the kiss fiercely without thinking. When they finally broke apart, she stared at him anxiously, almost pointedly. For a long moment silence reigned as he tried to figure out what was going on.
Ask her out, dumb fuck. He heard the words echo in his head, but it wasn’t his voice. It sounded a bit like Mikey. Maybe he should listen to it; Mikey was good with girls. He opened his mouth and tried to form the words.
“Hi.”
Fuck, said the inner voice. Try again.
He felt so confused and flustered, he’d completely forgotten what he was supposed to be trying. Instead, he did the only thing that seemed appropriate to the situation. He leant forwards and kissed her again.
She responded, so he kept kissing her, his heart pounding so fast he was surprised it hadn’t stopped yet. She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, causing him to shiver as she caressed his neck. Her warm body pressed against his, blocking out every other sensation. It was amazing, and incredible, and he had no idea what he was doing…so he let her take charge, pressing her lips hungrily against his own. When he pulled away for breath, a flash of inspiration hit him.
“Would you go out with me?” He blurted it out quickly, smiling shyly at her. The truth was, he’d never asked a girl out before. As soon as he said it, his heart leaped straight to his throat. He’d blown it now. He’d misread the signs, she was going to turn him down, and then he’d be the laughing stock of the whole school.
Or not. His stomach seemed to flip right over as she smiled. “Yeah, cool,” she replied, suddenly trying to fake nonchalance. Gerard’s spirits soared, and with them his confidence. Suddenly he felt like he knew what he was doing.
“I’ll take you out Friday,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ll pick you up and we can get dinner together or something.”
Alice smiled. “That sounds fantastic,” she said happily. The bell rang. “I’d better get to class. See you around.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek and walked off. An idiotic grin crept across Gerard’s face, and he leant back against the wall. He had art next. He could draw what had just happened – symbolically, of course. He wasn’t going to let his teacher know what had REALLY just happened. And then he’d give her the picture, if it was good enough. He had a girlfriend…it seemed too good to be true.
“Where were you today?” Asked Mikey reproachfully as the two boys walked home together.
Gerard smirked. “Someplace better than where you were,” he replied smugly.
Mikey rolled his eyes. “Were you hiding in the library again? I went up there, and I didn’t see you…”
Gerard shook his head. “I was hanging out with Alice,” he admitted chirpily.
Mikey looked astonished, then an amused grin broke over his face. “How are you two?” He asked slyly, shooting a sidelong glance at his brother.
Gerard sighed and looked at the ground, blushing. “She’s really good,” he mumbled. “I’m hopeless, I have no fucking clue what I’m doing…”
“Hang on…so you two hooked up?” Cackled Mikey gleefully. “How did that happen?”
Gerard looked puzzled. “I don’t know,” he said frankly. “She kind of just came up and attacked me at recess, I didn’t really know what was going on. Then I asked her out to dinner on Friday.”
Mikey frowned thoughtfully. “You’ll have to take her somewhere nice, or she’ll probably dump you –“
“Thanks, Mikey,” mumbled Gerard.
“Don’t have her over to our place, cause that’s just sleazy,” continued Mikey, oblivious. “Anyway, your cooking tastes like shit. There’s a really nice Chinese place in town – everyone likes Chinese – what you planning to wear?”
Gerard bit his lip. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice rising an octave in anxiety. “Can’t I just wear jeans?”
Mikey shook his head frantically. “No way! She’s fucking posh, she’ll be all dressed up fancy. Trust me, girls take it real personally if you don’t dress up for dates. And you don’t even have any cologne…nah, you can borrow Grandpa’s, I guess.”
“I’m not turning up smelling like Grandpa-“
“Ooh, I’ve got it – you still have that suit you wore to Aunt Mabel’s funeral, right? No, fuck, that’ll be too formal…”
“Mikey!” Gerard cut his brother off sharply. “Please, calm down! I’ll sort something out.” He could feel his stomach twisting into painful knots…he hadn’t realised there were so many complicated aspects of dating a girl.
“Sorry.” Mikey smiled wryly. “Aww Gee, I’m so proud of you…seventeen years old and you’ve FINALLY managed to score a date.”
Gerard scowled, and in an instant Mikey was on the ground. He cried out in surprise, then rolled over and scrambled to his feet, lunging at Gerard. A long wrestling match ensued, which culminated in the two brothers lying flat on their backs in the middle of the footpath laughing so hard they could have choked. Eventually, Gerard hauled himself upright and helped Mikey to his feet. They walked home together, dirty and bedraggled and happier than they’d been in months.
Gerard’s first class that morning was maths, which he shared with Alice. She barely acknowledged him as she entered the room, but shot him a small smile as she took her customary seat on the opposite side of the classroom. Mr. Cooke arrived and immediately launched into a long lecture. Gerard spent about five minutes trying to pay attention, before giving up and abandoning his notes. He’d already resigned himself to a dismal result in maths – he just couldn’t seem to grasp it. Instead he spent the lesson drawing, which was much more productive as far as he was concerned. After that was English, which he enjoyed much more. This time, however, he couldn’t seem to focus at all. He simply sat there in a sort of daze, and when the bell finally rang he rose like a zombie and marched straight out of the room ahead of all the other students.
He didn’t feel like sitting with Mikey and his friends. He didn’t feel like pushing through the crowds in the courtyard to reach his usual spot. He craved to be alone with his thoughts. His feet led him to the deserted art corridor, where he sat down and cupped his chin in his hands. All of a sudden he heard footsteps approaching, and he looked up to see Alice approaching him.
Gerard didn’t know it, but she’d been thinking a lot about him over the weekend. She couldn’t get his smile out of her mind. She had a crush on him, and it was driving her crazy. She saw it happen in movies, the cliché cool-girl-gets-with-loser-guy scenario, but she never wanted to be that girl herself. But there she was, lusting obsessively after a comic book geek who she’d only known for a couple of days, and there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least, she thought, she could make the most of it.
As she sat down beside him, surprise flooded Gerard’s face. He’d assumed that she would ignore him at school. His sullen desire for solitude, however, disappeared like magic. He opened his mouth to greet her.
Before he could utter a word, her tongue was in his mouth. Stunned, he pulled back at first, until hormones got the better of him and he returned the kiss fiercely without thinking. When they finally broke apart, she stared at him anxiously, almost pointedly. For a long moment silence reigned as he tried to figure out what was going on.
Ask her out, dumb fuck. He heard the words echo in his head, but it wasn’t his voice. It sounded a bit like Mikey. Maybe he should listen to it; Mikey was good with girls. He opened his mouth and tried to form the words.
“Hi.”
Fuck, said the inner voice. Try again.
He felt so confused and flustered, he’d completely forgotten what he was supposed to be trying. Instead, he did the only thing that seemed appropriate to the situation. He leant forwards and kissed her again.
She responded, so he kept kissing her, his heart pounding so fast he was surprised it hadn’t stopped yet. She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, causing him to shiver as she caressed his neck. Her warm body pressed against his, blocking out every other sensation. It was amazing, and incredible, and he had no idea what he was doing…so he let her take charge, pressing her lips hungrily against his own. When he pulled away for breath, a flash of inspiration hit him.
“Would you go out with me?” He blurted it out quickly, smiling shyly at her. The truth was, he’d never asked a girl out before. As soon as he said it, his heart leaped straight to his throat. He’d blown it now. He’d misread the signs, she was going to turn him down, and then he’d be the laughing stock of the whole school.
Or not. His stomach seemed to flip right over as she smiled. “Yeah, cool,” she replied, suddenly trying to fake nonchalance. Gerard’s spirits soared, and with them his confidence. Suddenly he felt like he knew what he was doing.
“I’ll take you out Friday,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ll pick you up and we can get dinner together or something.”
Alice smiled. “That sounds fantastic,” she said happily. The bell rang. “I’d better get to class. See you around.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek and walked off. An idiotic grin crept across Gerard’s face, and he leant back against the wall. He had art next. He could draw what had just happened – symbolically, of course. He wasn’t going to let his teacher know what had REALLY just happened. And then he’d give her the picture, if it was good enough. He had a girlfriend…it seemed too good to be true.
“Where were you today?” Asked Mikey reproachfully as the two boys walked home together.
Gerard smirked. “Someplace better than where you were,” he replied smugly.
Mikey rolled his eyes. “Were you hiding in the library again? I went up there, and I didn’t see you…”
Gerard shook his head. “I was hanging out with Alice,” he admitted chirpily.
Mikey looked astonished, then an amused grin broke over his face. “How are you two?” He asked slyly, shooting a sidelong glance at his brother.
Gerard sighed and looked at the ground, blushing. “She’s really good,” he mumbled. “I’m hopeless, I have no fucking clue what I’m doing…”
“Hang on…so you two hooked up?” Cackled Mikey gleefully. “How did that happen?”
Gerard looked puzzled. “I don’t know,” he said frankly. “She kind of just came up and attacked me at recess, I didn’t really know what was going on. Then I asked her out to dinner on Friday.”
Mikey frowned thoughtfully. “You’ll have to take her somewhere nice, or she’ll probably dump you –“
“Thanks, Mikey,” mumbled Gerard.
“Don’t have her over to our place, cause that’s just sleazy,” continued Mikey, oblivious. “Anyway, your cooking tastes like shit. There’s a really nice Chinese place in town – everyone likes Chinese – what you planning to wear?”
Gerard bit his lip. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice rising an octave in anxiety. “Can’t I just wear jeans?”
Mikey shook his head frantically. “No way! She’s fucking posh, she’ll be all dressed up fancy. Trust me, girls take it real personally if you don’t dress up for dates. And you don’t even have any cologne…nah, you can borrow Grandpa’s, I guess.”
“I’m not turning up smelling like Grandpa-“
“Ooh, I’ve got it – you still have that suit you wore to Aunt Mabel’s funeral, right? No, fuck, that’ll be too formal…”
“Mikey!” Gerard cut his brother off sharply. “Please, calm down! I’ll sort something out.” He could feel his stomach twisting into painful knots…he hadn’t realised there were so many complicated aspects of dating a girl.
“Sorry.” Mikey smiled wryly. “Aww Gee, I’m so proud of you…seventeen years old and you’ve FINALLY managed to score a date.”
Gerard scowled, and in an instant Mikey was on the ground. He cried out in surprise, then rolled over and scrambled to his feet, lunging at Gerard. A long wrestling match ensued, which culminated in the two brothers lying flat on their backs in the middle of the footpath laughing so hard they could have choked. Eventually, Gerard hauled himself upright and helped Mikey to his feet. They walked home together, dirty and bedraggled and happier than they’d been in months.
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