I Never Told You What I Did for a Living

"Are you kidding me?" Gerard sputtered when I asked him to come and visit.

"Dead serious."

"Your dad hates me!"

"I'm vaguely aware of the fact. He agreed to this, though."

"How did you manage to get him to do that?"

I didn't want to tell him about the conversation between my father and I.

"I don't know," I lied. "He just kind of agreed when I told him that I wanted you and Mikey to come over."

"Liar," he accused.

"Fine, maybe you're right. The point is, he's allowing you guys to come and I want you to."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Mikey and Angela, would it?"

I grinned at the suspicion in his voice. He didn't trust my motives, but I couldn't blame him. Besides, it's not like he was wrong.

"So what if it does?"

"How do you know Mikey will come?"

"I've already talked to him about it. He doesn't know I've already put my plan into action, but he's agreed to talk to her."

He sighed. "Fine, we'll come. When do you want us? I've got classes until two on Friday, but I'm free all weekend. As for Mikey, I don't think he ever has unbreakable plans."

"Well, if you leave there at around three on Friday then I'll be home from school by the time you get here. You still remember the way?"

"Couldn't forget it."

Gerard had agreed to try to spend the weekend, but both of us knew that he would be leaving early if he and my father were ever alone in the same room.

Angela had decided that we would have another movie night that weekend, and had agreed to let me bring a couple of friends from back home. When I had brought up the idea, Kevin had shot me a warning look, but I'd ignored him.

"What are you trying to do?" he hissed when we were alone.

"I just want them to talk."

"You know what's going to happen, don't you? They're going to have a huge argument and things are going to get really weird between you and her."

"They're not going to fight. Mikey said that he wanted to talk to her."

"Yeah, but does she want to tlak to him?"

"She told me that if there was anything she could do to get back with him, she would."

He looked shocked. "She did?"

"Maybe not in those exact words, but close to it."

"Okay, fine. But if things start to go to shit, you have to take those two and get out of there."

"Don't worry. If they start to fight, we'll be out of there so fast you wouldn't see us leave."

"Good," he tried to sound reassured, but his eyes were full of worry.

"I won't let her get hurt," I vowed.

"I know," he rubbed his temple in exhaustion. "But I want to know something: are you promising that for her or him?"

His question caught me off guard. A part of me knew that the reason I would get Mikey out of the building so I could protect him from getting hurt. But how could I admit something like that? Angela and I were getting to be so close, and now I'm choosing Mikey over her? Of course, I'd known Mikey longer, and I had lived with him, after all. The two sides of the argument were battling in my head, but neither one could reign victorious.

"I'm not sure," I admitted.

Kevin nodded slowly. "Well, I guess as long as she's not hurt, I can't question the reasoning behind the actions. Just keep an eye out for her, okay?"

That Friday, I waited anxiously when I arrived home from school. I paced my bedroom, practically climbing the walls. When I heard a knock at the door, I went racing from the confines of my room. I flung open the front door and found Mikey and Gerard standing there, looking nervous. I hurried them inside and we rushed into my room before my dad had even noticed they had arrived.

I began to get ready for what was sure to be an eventful night.