Sequel: Sloth. ›
Say a Prayer
One Shot.
Gee giggled aimlessly as he ran towards the tour bus. His arms were stretched out in front of his, almost like some manic zombie.
“Gee, come here,” I called after him.
“I’m just a little high!” he squealed.
His black hair fell into his eyes. He paused and blew it upwards. He then styled his hair back to its normal state, using his fingers as a comb.
He was drunk, high, and helpless. He may think that everything was ‘easy peasy pumpkin peasy’, but he was fucked out of his mind and it was like only I could see what was really happening.
Mikey saw the energetic brother he once knew. He couldn’t see what the pills and booze were doing to him negatively.
Ray was half as fucked as Gee, and he didn’t seem to notice.
Matt just saw him doing it for the stage. He could only see Gerard Way, the lead singer of My Chemical Romance preparing for shows.
Brian just saw Gee. He hadn’t known Gee in school, where he was happy, and an ambitious artist. He only knew drunk, high and stoned Gerard Way.
I saw a helpless person getting dragged down deeper and deeper into shit. It wasn’t for the stage, it wasn’t ‘him’ – it definitely wasn’t MY Gee.
He suddenly came crashing down from his high. I knew any minute he’d be back in his bunk, popping more pills to regain happiness.
I held out my hand and pulled him upright.
“He’s ALIVE!!” I jokingly squealed.
I noticed a camera near me.
“Get the fucking camera off of me, a minute! I know I’m sexy, damn it.”
The camera guy wandered off and left us alone.
I wrapped my arms around him, while standing on my tiptoes. I was still a fair bit shorter though.
“Gee… Please stop with the pills.” I looked at him pleadingly.
“Frankie… you know I can’t…” he sighed.
“You can, Gee, you can do anything.” I whispered.
“No Frank… I can’t do this anymore.” He sighed.
“What do you mean, ‘this’?” I said.
“I dunno… Life… The band… The pills… The booze… The… The coke.” He choked out.
“The coke? As in cocaine, Gee?” I whispered tearfully.
He nodded silently. I held him tighter.
I was never going to let him go.
I took him to his bunk. I wrapped the warm, navy blanket around his shoulders and looked at him from the end of his bed where I sat.
“You okay now? Do you want me to go?” I said, stroking his cheek.
“Uh… yeah. Okay.” He grinned. He looked like a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders.
“Okay.”
I went outside and sat on the grass.
A few hours later, ( we didn’t have a show that night ), we were all tired. Everyone apart from Mikey and I were fucked out of their minds.
I went to the bus earlier than everyone else. I opened my bunk’s curtain, but then had a second thought and checked on Gee.
I pulled back the curtain, only to see him sat up against his window shaking, with pill bottles, and booze bottles strewn aimlessly and open over his sheets.
“How many of these did you take, Gee?” I asked him quickly.
“None…” he lied, shivering again. “I love you, Frankie…”
He passed out. His breathing slowed down to a normal pace.
Something wasn’t right. His breathing slowed down to an even slower pace, until it stopped all together.
I wrapped my arms around his body, which was rapidly getting colder.
I cradled him, and rocked him back and forth. I screamed.
“What’s the matter?” Ray yelled from outside.
“It’s Gee… He’s… He’s dead…” I cried.
“No!” they yelled in unison. They ran in and saw Gee’s lifeless body in my arms. Both of us were surrounded by pills and bottles.
Mikey burst out crying. “MY BROTHER!”
“Matt, take him out…” Brian said, staring blankly.
Ray tried to pry Gee’s corpse from my tattooed fingers.
“No!” I said, crying harder into his stone-cold shoulder.
“Frank… it’s too late…” Ray said.
“EXACTLY! It’s too late – what if I had come in two minutes earlier! He wouldn’t be dead, maybe in hospital, but not dead! What if I had come in five minutes or ten minutes earlier – maybe he wouldn’t have done it!”
Ray placed his hand on my shoulder. “You couldn’t have stopped him – you know Gee.”
Bert walked in from next door – well The Used’s tourbus was next to ours.
“What’s going on in here, damn it. You’ll wake the dead.”
“Gee, come here,” I called after him.
“I’m just a little high!” he squealed.
His black hair fell into his eyes. He paused and blew it upwards. He then styled his hair back to its normal state, using his fingers as a comb.
He was drunk, high, and helpless. He may think that everything was ‘easy peasy pumpkin peasy’, but he was fucked out of his mind and it was like only I could see what was really happening.
Mikey saw the energetic brother he once knew. He couldn’t see what the pills and booze were doing to him negatively.
Ray was half as fucked as Gee, and he didn’t seem to notice.
Matt just saw him doing it for the stage. He could only see Gerard Way, the lead singer of My Chemical Romance preparing for shows.
Brian just saw Gee. He hadn’t known Gee in school, where he was happy, and an ambitious artist. He only knew drunk, high and stoned Gerard Way.
I saw a helpless person getting dragged down deeper and deeper into shit. It wasn’t for the stage, it wasn’t ‘him’ – it definitely wasn’t MY Gee.
He suddenly came crashing down from his high. I knew any minute he’d be back in his bunk, popping more pills to regain happiness.
I held out my hand and pulled him upright.
“He’s ALIVE!!” I jokingly squealed.
I noticed a camera near me.
“Get the fucking camera off of me, a minute! I know I’m sexy, damn it.”
The camera guy wandered off and left us alone.
I wrapped my arms around him, while standing on my tiptoes. I was still a fair bit shorter though.
“Gee… Please stop with the pills.” I looked at him pleadingly.
“Frankie… you know I can’t…” he sighed.
“You can, Gee, you can do anything.” I whispered.
“No Frank… I can’t do this anymore.” He sighed.
“What do you mean, ‘this’?” I said.
“I dunno… Life… The band… The pills… The booze… The… The coke.” He choked out.
“The coke? As in cocaine, Gee?” I whispered tearfully.
He nodded silently. I held him tighter.
I was never going to let him go.
I took him to his bunk. I wrapped the warm, navy blanket around his shoulders and looked at him from the end of his bed where I sat.
“You okay now? Do you want me to go?” I said, stroking his cheek.
“Uh… yeah. Okay.” He grinned. He looked like a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders.
“Okay.”
I went outside and sat on the grass.
A few hours later, ( we didn’t have a show that night ), we were all tired. Everyone apart from Mikey and I were fucked out of their minds.
I went to the bus earlier than everyone else. I opened my bunk’s curtain, but then had a second thought and checked on Gee.
I pulled back the curtain, only to see him sat up against his window shaking, with pill bottles, and booze bottles strewn aimlessly and open over his sheets.
“How many of these did you take, Gee?” I asked him quickly.
“None…” he lied, shivering again. “I love you, Frankie…”
He passed out. His breathing slowed down to a normal pace.
Something wasn’t right. His breathing slowed down to an even slower pace, until it stopped all together.
I wrapped my arms around his body, which was rapidly getting colder.
I cradled him, and rocked him back and forth. I screamed.
“What’s the matter?” Ray yelled from outside.
“It’s Gee… He’s… He’s dead…” I cried.
“No!” they yelled in unison. They ran in and saw Gee’s lifeless body in my arms. Both of us were surrounded by pills and bottles.
Mikey burst out crying. “MY BROTHER!”
“Matt, take him out…” Brian said, staring blankly.
Ray tried to pry Gee’s corpse from my tattooed fingers.
“No!” I said, crying harder into his stone-cold shoulder.
“Frank… it’s too late…” Ray said.
“EXACTLY! It’s too late – what if I had come in two minutes earlier! He wouldn’t be dead, maybe in hospital, but not dead! What if I had come in five minutes or ten minutes earlier – maybe he wouldn’t have done it!”
Ray placed his hand on my shoulder. “You couldn’t have stopped him – you know Gee.”
Bert walked in from next door – well The Used’s tourbus was next to ours.
“What’s going on in here, damn it. You’ll wake the dead.”