A Softer World

For some reason, i dreamt about the whole night that had just happend. I layed in my bed, thinking about the night of my life. I was nearly at tears when Frank sang me the song. But, for some reason we only talked for a little bit after the show. He was nice, and sweet though. Then when the bands were done, Gerard gave me a ride home.

That was a couple hours ago though. I was practically drifting off into sleep now. My room was chilly, since i left my window a crack open. My bed sheets were spread across me, hiding everything but my head. It was totally black in my room, except for the light coming from the street light outside.

I was asleep - almost. It seemed so hard, really hard. I couldn't get Franks voice out of my head though, and the picture of him sitting up on stage. His guitar in his hand, and the awkward nervous look on his face. He sang, bobbing his head to the sound. His voice was delicate and amazing. As every lyric came out of his mouth, it felt like i was drifting off into somewhere where nothing could go wrong.

Then, it was if i could hear that voice, litterally.

"Riley, wake up!" Franks voice called out of no where. I shot open my eyes to see the same exact room in the same exact condition as a couple minutes ago. I turned my head to the right, looking around the open part of my room, but no one was there.

I lifted the blankets off of me and sat up straight. My feet touched the ground, making them cold. My bangs flopped over my bangs. I could still hear Franks voice calling my name. I thought in my mind that this was all in my head. I was probably just letting the perfectness of this night get to my head. And then i heard a tap on my window.

That must have been the cheesiest thing in the book. I grabbed ahold of table, pushing myself over it. I looked out of the halfway opend window to see Frank standing on the side lawn of my house. He was in the same clothes he was at the show, but this time his hood was pulled over his head. I could see him smiling when he noticed me in the window.

I looked away from Frank, and to the alarm clock on my table. It was three in the morning, and there was Frank standing on my lawn. I sighed and opend the window all of the way. He better have his reasons for this, because I was just about to fall asleep.

"What?" I asked, trying not to wake up my parents.

"I need you to sneak out." He said.

I made a confused face. "Why?"

"Its about Gerard..u-ugh and because I wanted to see you." He said with a nervous grin, but it looked weak because of the Gerard part. I knew something was wrong.

I nodded, shutting my blinds all the way, and shutting the window. I hopped off of my table, onto my ground. I flipped on my lamp, making my room less darker. I stayed in my over-sized Black Flag t-shirt, and pj pants. I don't think we're going anywhere special at this time. I grabbed a sweater out of my closet and exited my room.

I shut my door behind me as lightly as i could. My hallway was dark too, except for the flashlight near the washroom. When i shut my door, i walked down the hallway quietly. I walked down the stairs, trying not to make them creak. I held onto the banaster, tip toeing down as fast as I could.

When i got to my entrance, i slipped on my shoes. I looked at myself in the mirror and made a discusted face. Even though i haven't been sleeping, i still looked like a monster. Maybe its something about the bed. Maybe whenever i lay in it, and get up, i look like shit. I shrugged and opend my door slowly.

I shut the door behind me to see Frank standing on my front lawn now. He was slunched over and he had his hands in his pockets. He gave me a toothy grin. I couldn't help but to smile. I walked off my porch quitly and began to walk to his car with him.

"Whats wrong with Gee?" I asked.

He sighed. "Cheyenne."

~

I opend the door, chucking my seatbelt backwards. I shut the door behind me, walking up the stone path to Gerards house. Frank took a key out of his pant pocket, and put it in the slot. He turned the key and opend the door to Gerards dark entrance. He kicked off his shoes, so i did the same. He nodded to me to follow.

I walked down the hallway with him and then we came to a door. He opend the door, and then i heard a big smash. Frank sighed, walking down the stairs as fast he could. When I reached the bottom of the stairs i could only hear Gerard screaming and whining about something. A couple crashes came after that.

Frank and I walked across the livingroom space and to the door that was closed. Frank opend the door and there was Gerard and Mikey. It looked like a bad scene from a movie. Mikey stood there awkwardly, watching Gerard. Gee was hoisting himself up, with a beer bottle in his hand. He screamed and chucked it at the wall. That was the smashing noise.

He had been working up over this. His hair was sweaty, and so was his face. Not only on his face was sweat, but there was also tears. I could tell that he had been drinking alot. I sighed, sitting down on a chair, beside Frank. I looked over at Mikey and asked, "What happend?"

"Facebook, thats what happend." Mikey sighed.

I cringed, making my eyebrows go together. "Facebook?"

"Yeah," He replied. "Cheyenne and Alex are dating."

"How does facebook have anything to do with this?" I asked.

"Well," He said. "I was just sitting here on Gerards bed playing my guitar. He was drinking a couple beers before bed and that was it. He was on his laptop, and then he noticed Alex's relationship status. Man, that kid likes to put the word out fast."

Gerard screamed, picking up the beer bottle he had already dranken out of. He chucked it at the wall, making the little bit of beer drip down the wall. He was crying really hard now. I never thought that someone could have been so inlove. I've heard about it and seen it in movies, but i never thought of seeing something like this.

Gerard dropped himself, falling onto the floor. He was on his knees letting out whimpers. I got up from my chair and walked over to him. I knleed down and rubbed his back. He sat up and wrapped his arms around me. I looked back at Frank and Mikey and said, "Can you guys let us talk alone?"

They both nodded and walked out of the room. I heard the door shut behind me. I picked up Gerard by his arms and set him on the bed. He looked up at me with tears streaming down his face. He was really pale right now. Paler then usual. He looked like complete shit. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was all messed up.

"Are your parents home?" I asked.

"Obviously not," He mummbled. "They'd kill me for the rackett."

"I'll be right back." I said turning around from him.

I walked across the beer covered and glass covered floor. I tried not to cut myself. I opend the door and shut it behind me. I could still hear Gee whimpering from his room. Mikey and Frank were sitting on the couch talking when I walked out of the room. They both looked back when they heard the door shut behind me.

"I think you guys should sleep in Mikeys room tonight," I said. "Its going to take all night to get Gerard back into his original state. I don't know if you've ever been like this but -"

"We haven't." They both cut me off at the same time.

"Well," I sighed. "This is a girls job."

I walked over to the staircase and jogged up the stairs. I opend the door at the top and into the hallway. I noticed the kitchen at the end of the hallway. I shut the door lightly, walking down into the kitchen. I turned on the light, to see a green coloured kitchen. I walked over to the fridge/freezer and sighed looking at it.

On the door was a couple of notes and pictures of Mikey and Gerard when they were younger. I smiled, because of a picture of Gerard. He was in a bathtub with Mikey. It must be embaressing to have this photo in the kitchen. I was only smiling because Gerard was smiling in it. I needed that kid to smile, because he was so depressed.

He needed to get his mind off of Cheyenne. She obviously wasn't worth the time if she was going just to forget about him like that. I tell her that he loves her and she still picks the cheating partier Alex. Sure Gerard drinks, but its only at partys or when he is sad. Atleast he wouldn't cheat on her, he would treat her like gold.

I opend up the freezer and noticed something I was looking for. There sat a cookies and cream Ben and Jerrys icecream. I smiled, grabbing it and shutting the freezer door. I set it on the cupboard and began to open up random drawers until i found utensells.

I grabbed two spoons and grabbed the icecream. When i was exiting the kitchen, i noticed something sitting on the table. I knew i shouldn't have been snooping around but i noticed something and i wanted to know what it was. It was a panflitt for something, it looked like some sort of school.

I flicked on the light again and looked at the paper. It had a huge building on it and it said "The Raven School for Teenage Drinkers." My jaw almost dropped when i saw this. I don't know if Gerard knew about this or anything like that. I dropped it, my heart feeling weird. Gerard was going to leave. My bestfriend was going to be leaving.

I flicked off the light and practically ran down the hallway. I opend up the door and jogged down the stairs. Mikey and Frank looked back at me and smiled when they saw the icecream in my hand. "Are you going to pull one of those girly things like in the movies?"

I nodded. "Um, yeah."

I walked across the room and to Gerards door. I opend the door and shut it behind me. Gerard was still sitting on his band, tears freshly streaming down his face. I walked up to his bed and leaned up against the fall. Gerard fell his hand onto my lap and sighed. When i handed him the icecream, he opend it very quickly and took a big chunk.

"We need to find you another girl." I said, taking a thing of icecream in my spoon and putting it into my mouth.

He shook his head on my lap. "No, we don't. I'm always going to love Chey, its not going to change. If shes with Alex, i guess i should be happy right?"

I could feel his tears dripping on my pants. I sighed and took another bite of icecream. Gerard was eating the icecream gulp by gulp. This always happens with girls, but i wasn't to sure if this was going to happen with guys to. I sighed, brushing my hand through his hair.

"You're a good friend Riley." He said.

I nodded to myself slowly. "You're a good friend too Gee."

"I actually grinned." He informed me, because I couldn't see him.

I laughed a little. "Good."

"So," He said. "About that song Frank wrote you, it was nice eh?"

I nodded. "Yeah it was."

"I should do something like that for Chey," He replied. "But i think i've already found my solution for this whole problem."

"What is that?" I asked.

"A school for help." He mummbled.

"You did that on your own?" I asked. "I saw the panflitt in your kitchen, i thought it was something your parents were making you do or something like that."

He shook his head no. "I'm doing it for Cheyenne. I know i have a problem and I want to stop that. She doesn't like it when i drink either. Its not like it matters because shes going to be spending all of her time with Alex now, but i'm still doing it."

All i did was nod in shock.

"Then, when i come back in a year from Raven, i'm going to pack up my room and move somewhere." He sighed. "Maybe go to college finally and get a job. I'll try to make my heart healed and find a wife. Maybe have a few kids."

"Wow," I said. "You really have this figured out."

He nooded. "I know. I usually can keep my plans together. My future that I planned was a little diffrent though. I wanted to go to school with Chey and then move away together. I would become a artist and she would intern for a record label. We'd have a couple kids and live happily ever after."

"Its not too late for that." I rubbed his shoulder.

"Yes it is," He said. "Everything is over."

"When are you supposed to be leaving for this school?" I asked.

"Next weekend."

"Where is it?" I asked.

"Its in Dallas, Texas." He mummbled.

"Thats pretty far." I said.

He shrugged. "Far enough away from the love birds."

"Does your parents know?" I asked.

"Not yet," He replied. "But they will. They won't care i don't think, they know I have a problem."

"Is this place only for drinking?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, its for all addictions. There is drugs and Alcohol. Some departments are even for sex addicts. Its pretty legit. I'm pretty excited to see how much they can help out. But, i'm going to be breaking inside knowing i'll be away from you and the guys...and Cheyenne."

"I'll come with you." I said.

He was caught off gaurd. I shot his head up and looked over at me. "What?!"

"Well," I shrugged. "I have an addiction. So i might aswell come too. You don't think that I don't want to get over my addiction with my pills. I need to stop that."

"What about Frankie?" He asked.

"We'll get him to come to." I smiled. "For his addiction of cigarettes."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, nothing like getting away with your bestfriends from the girl who broke your heart. We're all going to be getting help to live a better life."

He sighed. "I don't know if Frank will want to come."

"He will," I said. "I have to do something first, then i'll talk to him. I want you to get some rest."

He nodded and got under the blankets. Before leaving his room, i shut off the light. I shut the door behind me to see Mikey and Frank still wide awake, they were watching a movie now. I walked over to another door and opend it. It was a bathroom. I shut the door behind me and grabbed my phone out of my sweater pocket. I dialed Cheyennes number and walked.

"Hey, this is Cheyenne. I can't come to the phone right now.." Then there was a beep.

I sighed. "Gerard wanted me to tell you to have a nice life."