Behind This Smile

Sydri POV

Mikey cared. Mikey always has cared. Usually, he showed it with his eyes -- I always envied that quality about him -- but when I told him (I wasn't planning on telling him, but as always, he could tell), Mikey kind of freaked. I begged him not to yell, I'm the one who followed, who kept persisting to tell him that I was sorry. I deserved to get slapped. Mikey and I both knew what a crock of shit that was.

Mikey wasn't flaming as much as he was before, but he obviously wasn't happy. It wasn't that much fun walking home with him. It was painful to try and make small talk with him. Maybe that's what he had in common with Gerard.

"It's great my sister got suspended, huh?" I asked. The silence was, as always, killing me.

Mikey looked down at me. "Yeah. And still someone manages to hit you," he murmured. I bit my bottom lip and sighed.

"Maybe I could confront him in peer counseling," I whispered mainly to myself.

"Yes," Mikey began. "Because that would help so much. 'You hit me, Gerard'," Mikey said in a really bad impersonation of me. I smiled just a bit. " 'I know, I just get mad because you talk to me. You should die'," Mikey then impersonated Gerard in a really deep voice.

I laughed. "What the fuck, Mikey?" He smiled, too and shrugged his shoulders.

"It got you to smile," he stated.

"Hey, I'm all for smiling," I said, frowning. "It's you who was all, 'Oh, my God! He hit you?'" I impersonated Mikey in a high girlie voice.

He narrowed his eyes. "I do not talk like that," he growled.

"I don't talk like how you impersonated me," I retorted.

Mikey narrowed his eyes even more to where you almost couldn't see them. "Touche." He tugged on his backpack. We continued walking, a silence overcame us, but this silence I could handle.

All of a sudden, Bon Jovi's Runaway got stuck in my head. I started humming it and Mikey looked at me funny. I laughed. "I happen to like that song," I said, smiling at him. He smiled back and went back to staring at nothing.

Mikey seemed to be deep in thought. I searched his face for something to let me know what he was thinking about, but I've always been horrible at reading people. Runaway was still stuck in my head, and I kept from screaming the words out.

"Is there something on my face, Syd?" Mikey asked, smirking.

I smiled and shook my head. "Nope. What'cha thinking about?" I smirked back.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Everything and nothing at all."

--

I lay on the couch, watching some show where people picked out wedding dresses for their wedding. I sighed. I must have no life if I'm watching this. I walked through the hall. My dad was at Wal-Mart again, and my sister completely erased me out of her life for getting her suspended. Not that I cared.

I walked in my room and drug my backpack back to the living room. I took out my English binder and decided to start on my homework. The minute I got finished getting a pencil out of my backpack, the damn phone rang.

I groaned loudly and stomped to the phone. "What?" I asked the person on the other line, annoyed.

"Fine", I heard Mikey's voice. "Be that way. I don't want to talk to you either!" He screamed.

"What do you want, Mikey?" I asked, watching the bride yell at the person helping her find the 'perfect' wedding dress.

"I just wanted -- well, my mom just wanted to know if you could come over for dinner? I mean, you don't have to. It's just... Only if you wanna."

I nodded, then realized Mikey couldn't see my nod. "Yeah, Mikey. I'll come over. I'll need your address. I'll walk."

I could already see Mikey shaking his head. "No. My mommy will pick you up, right Mom?" he asked away from the phone. I could hear, whom I'm sure was his mom, say, "Sure thing. I'll be there."

"Did you hear her?" Mikey asked me.

"Yeah. I heard her. What time?"

Mikey chuckled."Dinner time, silly! You'll know. Mom will honk until you come out. See you!" I rolled my eyes. Mikey was so weird.

--

I managed to get some of my English homework done before Mikey's mom repeatedly honked the horn. I put my binder aside and scribbled a note to Dad. I grabbed my keys and walked out the door.

I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to sit in back or in front, but it was just Mikey's mom, and she was pointing to the passenger seat window, so I took that as an okay to sit in front. When I opened the door, she smiled warmly at me.

"I'm Donna," she said, still smiling.

I smiled back. "Sydri," I introduced myself.

She continued smiling. "You're very beautiful, Sydri. When I drove by you, I couldn't see your face. You have gorgeous eyes." I felt my cheeks grow warm. I smiled again instead of saying anything. "Oh, I'm embarrassing you," Donna noticed. She started to drive. "It's just that Gerard says that it's your sister who's pretty. Does she look like you?" she asked.

I shook my head, still embarrassed. "No. We're twins, though. We're completely different." I loved saying that.

"Hmm..." She pulled over at a house, which I'm guessing was the Ways'. It'd be stupid to ask if this was their house. I followed her inside the house. It wasn't the cleanest house ever, but it was homey. I'd trade it for my house any day.

"Sydriii!" Mikey yelled, tackling me to the ground.

Donna gasped. "Mikey!" Mikey quickly stood up, pulling me up with him.

"I'm sorry, mommy." He smiled at me. "Hello, Sydri." I laughed.

"Hello, Mikey." Mikey sat down on their couch, and made me sit down, too. We ended up not talking. Maybe because there was nothing to talk about, or because we were in his house.

Donna came in. "Do you like pizza, Sydri?" she asked.

I bit my lip. "I'm a vegetarian," I said, feeling a bit guilty.

A blank expression took over her face, then realization hit her. "Oh! Yes, Mikey told me. I'm so sorry. I forgot. Salad okay?" She glanced at the clock.

"Yes. Salad's fine. I wasn't that hungry, anyway." She nodded and headed back into the kitchen.

Mikey sighed. "Sorry about that. Mom's cool, though. Are you sure salad's fine? I mean, we can fix you an actual meal, it won't be a big deal." He started to get up, but I pulled him back down.

"Seriously. It's fine. I had, like two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when I got home. I'm honestly not that hungry." Mikey nodded and he told me about another one of his fascinating unicorn dreams.

"Once again, Mikey," I said when he finished. "that is weird." Mikey nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Dinner's ready." I followed Mikey to the dinner table and sat down next to him. Mikey raised his eyebrows but shook it off. "Gerard! Get your butt over here, now!" she yelled. Soon, Gerard walked down the hall. He trudged to the dinner table and hovered over me.

"You're in my chair," he muttered. I was about to get up but Donna glared at him.

"Sit next to Sydri, for goodness sake. It won't kill you. You're being inconsiderate, Gerard." Gerard mumbled something I couldn't comprehend and sat down next to me. Donna gave everyone their pizza and me my salad.

"Don't like pizza, Sydri?" Gerard asked mockingly. I bit my tongue. What the hell was his problem?

"I'm a vegetarian," I said, trying not to kick him in the balls.

"Oh," he said. "Like Frank." I nodded.

"Gerard, shush up and eat your pizza," Donna ordered. Gerard obeyed and ate his pizza. I ate my salad.

"You know what?" Mikey asked everyone around the table. We all glanced at him. "I like pizza." He grinned and went back to eating pizza.

Gerard smiled a bit. "I like pizza, too," he muttered.

I felt Mikey's eyes on me. "I, um... like... salad?"

"Yeah, salad!" Mikey yelled. I laughed and Donna sent Mikey an annoyed but amused glance.

Donna looked at me. "Mikey speaks of you all the time." I glanced at Mikey who was glaring at his mom.

"You make me seem like I like her. What does everyone think I like her?" Mikey grumbled. He took a bite of his pizza.

"Because you do," Gerard said. He was obviously annoyed.

"No, Gerard, I don't!" Mikey yelled.

"Yes, Mikey, you do!" He mocked.

"Just because I never hit her doesn't mean I like her," Mikey said surprisingly calm. I felt my breath get caught in my throat. I was praying that Mikey wouldn't bring that up.

Donna looked at Gerard. "You hit her, Gerard?" she asked quietly. Gerard said nothing while Mikey and Donna stared at him.

Gerard looked around the room. "She's a bitch," he spat. I felt like I had been slapped in the face again. "She's annoying, she..." before I could let him finish, I got out of the chair, and left their house.