Another Hospital Stay
Chapter 14
"Hey, guys, I want you to meet my friend, Ray, the one that ran into me in the airport the other day," I say, introducing them. "Ray, the one in the skirt is Leena and the one in the jeans is Val."
"Hey. So, you guys ready to go," he says, opening the side door, revealing the rest of the guys. I hear the girls gasp in unison and I grin.
"Surprise," I say.
"Oh. My. God. This is so fucking sweet," Leena says, staring in awe at the rest of the guys. "Fuck, it's Gerard fucking Way!"
"Actually, it's Gerard Arthur Way," Gerard says, grinning. "You were close, though."
"Holy fuck, it's Frank," Val squeals.
"Wassup," a guy with black hair and his nose and lip pierced says.
"So, let's go before it gets any later," Ray says, getting into the first row of seats and pulling me in behind him. Val and Leena both climb in, Leena sitting next to a guy with glasses and Val sitting next to Frank. Neither of them saying anything.
"So, how's it going," Frank asks Val, who was seriously pale at the moment.
"Good. You," she squeaks. He starts laughing and she blushes.
"Raymundo, that's the chick you jumped in the airport," Frank asks quizzically, looking at me.
"For the last fucking time, Frank I didn't jump her. I ran into her, big difference," Ray replies through clenched teeth.
"Well, my bad. I'm Frank by the way," he says, reaching over and holding out his hand.
I smile and accept it, firmly shaking it. "Alexia."
"That's a cool name," he says. "Oh, and that's Mikey, the one with the glasses. He's--"
"Gerard's brother," Val says excitedly.
"Right, Gerard's brother. The one driving is Gerard himself. And the loner in the back is Bob," he says, jerking his head towards the back where I turn and see a red headed guy with a lip piercing and a beard thing going on, sitting, listening to music, his eyes closed.
At this point, Ray and I, who were occupying the second to last seat, started talking to each other in low voices.
"You know, I'm really sorry about hurting your hand the other day," he says quietly.
"Don't worry about it. It's fine," I reply, lifting my arm and moving it around. Yes, I was lying, it still hurt, but only a little.
"You sure?"
"Mmhmm. It's fine," I reply, gazing out the window.
"So, tell me. Why are you all of a sudden in Trenton," he asks. I turn to look at him and see that his expression was that of curiosity.
"Well, I have been living with my mom's parents ever since I can remember and I haven't seen my mom in over fifteen years. She just left me one day when I was five and never returned, telling me that one-day, she will. Well, her mom, my grandmother, finally told me why she had left and where she was," I start off, looking him straight in the eyes.
He nods, urging me to continue.
"Well, I found out that my mom left me because she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and she left to go to a mental hospital over in Belleville. My dad died about a month before I was born, so basically, I grew up with out parents. His parents live here in Trenton and so I came to visit them, since I pretty much lost contact with them over the years. I'm leaving tomorrow to see my mom," I say, lowering my gaze.
"Ah…I see," he says, nodding his head.
"Guys, we're here," I hear Gerard announce from the front.
"All right! Let's roll, dudes…and dudettes," Frank says grinning before jumping over Val and opening the door. I turn to look over at Val, noticing that she was blushing and leaning back against the seat, her eyes closed.
I lean over and lightly tap her arm, causing her to jump up slightly, her eyes quickly opening and looking around wildly. "Wha-Who did that?" she asks, looking straight at me.
I grin and smile innocently before asking her. "You getting off? Or are you gonna stay in here the whole show."
"Yeah, just give me a few minutes. I'm still trying to process what's going on here. I mean, I think I'm dreaming. Pinch me," she says in a daze.
Gerard, who was still in the drivers' seat jumps to the back, reaches over the front seat and pinches her.
"Oww…I was just kidding about the whole pinching thing, you know," she says, glaring at him.
"Well, if I heard correctly, you said ‘pinch me,’ so I did. Hey! I didn't mean pinch me." He glares at her, rubbing his arm and scowling.
"You said pinch you, and I did," she says, choosing her words carefully and grinning triumphantly. "Don't you have a show you need to do tonight?"
"Oh, shit! Come on, if you want to get in with me or suffer in line with the other fans." He jumps over me and gets out, standing next to the door, looking at us. "Are you two coming or not? And where did your boyfriend go to, Alexia?"
"What boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."
"Hello? Ray? Where'd Ray go?"
"He's not my boyfriend. And I don't know where he went. Probably with the rest of the guys."
"He's not your boyfriend…yet. Now come on, before they won't let us in." He starts walking away causing Val and I to jump out of the van, me quickly slamming the door behind me before running after Gerard. I suddenly get an idea and jump onto his back. "What the fuck! Why'd you jump me?"
"Hey. So, you guys ready to go," he says, opening the side door, revealing the rest of the guys. I hear the girls gasp in unison and I grin.
"Surprise," I say.
"Oh. My. God. This is so fucking sweet," Leena says, staring in awe at the rest of the guys. "Fuck, it's Gerard fucking Way!"
"Actually, it's Gerard Arthur Way," Gerard says, grinning. "You were close, though."
"Holy fuck, it's Frank," Val squeals.
"Wassup," a guy with black hair and his nose and lip pierced says.
"So, let's go before it gets any later," Ray says, getting into the first row of seats and pulling me in behind him. Val and Leena both climb in, Leena sitting next to a guy with glasses and Val sitting next to Frank. Neither of them saying anything.
"So, how's it going," Frank asks Val, who was seriously pale at the moment.
"Good. You," she squeaks. He starts laughing and she blushes.
"Raymundo, that's the chick you jumped in the airport," Frank asks quizzically, looking at me.
"For the last fucking time, Frank I didn't jump her. I ran into her, big difference," Ray replies through clenched teeth.
"Well, my bad. I'm Frank by the way," he says, reaching over and holding out his hand.
I smile and accept it, firmly shaking it. "Alexia."
"That's a cool name," he says. "Oh, and that's Mikey, the one with the glasses. He's--"
"Gerard's brother," Val says excitedly.
"Right, Gerard's brother. The one driving is Gerard himself. And the loner in the back is Bob," he says, jerking his head towards the back where I turn and see a red headed guy with a lip piercing and a beard thing going on, sitting, listening to music, his eyes closed.
At this point, Ray and I, who were occupying the second to last seat, started talking to each other in low voices.
"You know, I'm really sorry about hurting your hand the other day," he says quietly.
"Don't worry about it. It's fine," I reply, lifting my arm and moving it around. Yes, I was lying, it still hurt, but only a little.
"You sure?"
"Mmhmm. It's fine," I reply, gazing out the window.
"So, tell me. Why are you all of a sudden in Trenton," he asks. I turn to look at him and see that his expression was that of curiosity.
"Well, I have been living with my mom's parents ever since I can remember and I haven't seen my mom in over fifteen years. She just left me one day when I was five and never returned, telling me that one-day, she will. Well, her mom, my grandmother, finally told me why she had left and where she was," I start off, looking him straight in the eyes.
He nods, urging me to continue.
"Well, I found out that my mom left me because she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and she left to go to a mental hospital over in Belleville. My dad died about a month before I was born, so basically, I grew up with out parents. His parents live here in Trenton and so I came to visit them, since I pretty much lost contact with them over the years. I'm leaving tomorrow to see my mom," I say, lowering my gaze.
"Ah…I see," he says, nodding his head.
"Guys, we're here," I hear Gerard announce from the front.
"All right! Let's roll, dudes…and dudettes," Frank says grinning before jumping over Val and opening the door. I turn to look over at Val, noticing that she was blushing and leaning back against the seat, her eyes closed.
I lean over and lightly tap her arm, causing her to jump up slightly, her eyes quickly opening and looking around wildly. "Wha-Who did that?" she asks, looking straight at me.
I grin and smile innocently before asking her. "You getting off? Or are you gonna stay in here the whole show."
"Yeah, just give me a few minutes. I'm still trying to process what's going on here. I mean, I think I'm dreaming. Pinch me," she says in a daze.
Gerard, who was still in the drivers' seat jumps to the back, reaches over the front seat and pinches her.
"Oww…I was just kidding about the whole pinching thing, you know," she says, glaring at him.
"Well, if I heard correctly, you said ‘pinch me,’ so I did. Hey! I didn't mean pinch me." He glares at her, rubbing his arm and scowling.
"You said pinch you, and I did," she says, choosing her words carefully and grinning triumphantly. "Don't you have a show you need to do tonight?"
"Oh, shit! Come on, if you want to get in with me or suffer in line with the other fans." He jumps over me and gets out, standing next to the door, looking at us. "Are you two coming or not? And where did your boyfriend go to, Alexia?"
"What boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."
"Hello? Ray? Where'd Ray go?"
"He's not my boyfriend. And I don't know where he went. Probably with the rest of the guys."
"He's not your boyfriend…yet. Now come on, before they won't let us in." He starts walking away causing Val and I to jump out of the van, me quickly slamming the door behind me before running after Gerard. I suddenly get an idea and jump onto his back. "What the fuck! Why'd you jump me?"