I Never Told You What I Did for a Living

When I finished exams, everything began to change. Dad sold his house and moved in with Mom, who was as completely oblivious as ever. I moved in with Gerard and Mikey once again and immediately got a job.

It was far from a good job, but it gave me the chance to finally pitch in on the rent, bills, and groceries. Despite Gerard's arguments, I got my way and always paid my fair share.

"You should quit your job and just cook around here," Mikey muttered one day as he searched through the cupboards for something to eat.

"Yeah, right, I'll get on that. Maybe you should consider it for a future career choice, though. I think an apron would look good on you."

He grabbed a box of crackers and tore the top panel off. Stuffing a handful into his mouth, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

"Morning," Gerard greeted me with a peck on the lips as he headed toward the coffee pot. "Have I ever told you that you look really hot in that uniform?"

I rolled my eyes. "I hate this thing. It's really uncomfortable." I glanced down at the shirt that I was forced to wear for my fast food job.

Gerard raised an eyebrow coyly. "Remind me to help you out of it later."

I couldn't hold back my smile. "You need some new lines. I've already heard that one."

"That's what happens when I steal all of mine from Frank. You've probably heard it from him, not me."

"Probably. I've got to go or I'll be late. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

I picked up my travel mug of coffee and headed for the door. The restaurant that I worked at was just down the street, so I walked there each day.

"Morning, Lily," Jill called as I entered through the back door. She'd gotten a job here for the summer to make some extra cash before she went off to college.

"Good morning," I replied.

I liked working the morning shift here. It was usually busy, which kept me occupied and let me forget how shitty the job really was. Plus, when it was slow and I was bored, I had Jill to talk to.

Everything between her and I had went back to normal since I'd returned to the city. My friendship with her was one of the few things that I could actually refer to as 'normal.' Once I'd told her what had happened since we'd lost touch, she accepted me back into her life without question. She was genuinely a good person.

When my shift was done, I rushed home and changed my clothes. Both Gerard and Mikey were at their respective jobs, and I had the house to myself for a few more hours. I stretched out on the couch and watched a half hour of daytime television before it got too boring to bear. I got up and wandered outside.

"Hey," Frank yelled at me.

"What are you doing here?" I grinned at him as he approached me.

"Can Gerard and Mikey come out and play?" He thrust out his lower lip and widened his eyes in a pathetic attempt to make me pity him.

"They're at work. Like normal guys their age. What are you up to?"

He shrugged. "I'm bored. Want to hang out?"

"Sure, why not?"

Frank followed me inside and we found a movie that we both wanted to watch. We sat together on the couch with a big bag of potato chips in between us.

"What's all this?" Gerard asked as he walked in. He was pretending to be jealous, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"Want to watch a movie with us?" I patted a vacant seat on the couch beside me.

"Yeah, okay," he dropped the charade and joined us.

When the movie ended, I got up and went into the kitchen. I dug through the freezer and took out some meat for supper. I was amazed at how fast I'd adapted to this lifestyle. Maybe it was just what I was supposed to do.

"What are you doing in there?" Gerard's voice filtered through the living room.

"Starting supper. Mikey gets pretty grumpy if he doesn't have something to eat when he gets home."

"Mikey can shove it. We want to watch another movie."

I laughed loudly. "How about we watch one after supper? Or you guys can watch one without me."

"Come on, Lily," Frank whined.

Smiling, I left the meat on the countertop and went back into the living room. I slid back into my spot between the two of them and curled up against Gerard's side.

"If he gets bitchy, you're dealing with him," I informed Gerard.

"Fine. He's pretty scrawny, I think I can take him," he joked.

I didn't make it through the movie. I was still getting used to getting up early for work, and my sleep schedule was all out of whack. When I woke up, the credits were rolling on the screen and Mikey was standing before me, hands on his hips.

"Make your own dinner," I grumbled groggily.

"I did. Do you want some?"

I blinked to clear my eyes and observed him. He was actually wearing an apron.

I smirked at him. "I told you it would look good."

Everything in my life was finally calming down. I had a routine to follow, which was something new to me. Most of all, I had friends who cared about me and a boyfriend who loved me. It no longer mattered to me what my parents were doing with their lives. They could do whatever made them happy, as long as they didn't involve me. I still spoke to Dad on the phone every now and then, but Mom was like a complete stranger to me these days.

Frank, Ray, and Mikey were the closest friends I'd ever had, and they always kept me entertained. Jill was always there if I needed her, and it was nice to have a girl to talk to every now and then.

Gerard was the only person allowed to take care of me. I couldn't imagine a better life for myself, simply because he was there. I didn't need an exciting job or a lot of money, because he was all that I needed. Even when things got a little tight, I knew that we would always pull through.

I was stronger than ever before, and these past few months had caused that. Nothing could ever get to me after what I'd already been through.

The future was bound to hold problems and challenges, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle. After all, I had the best support system out there.

And I was finally happy.