Heart-Shaped Box
Heart-Shaped Birthday
“Fu ck that! Just one more shot! JUST ONE MORE FU CKING SHOT!!!” you yelled as you jumped off the couch, making the person beside you stumble to the ground.
“Hey, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT!” Ray let out a soft groan as you reached out a hand to help him stand, he was rubbing his head as he tried to regain his composure.
“Ha! That’s three straight victories for me Ahreya!” Mikey said proudly. “You have to admit, you did not expect me to be this good.” he winked.
“Uh… hmm… whatever!!!” you threw the video game controller to Frank. “Frank, please.. oh please make Mikey shut his mouth and give him three straight loses for me” you joked, a smile playing on your face.
“Anything you want Ahreya…” Frank replied in a gentleman-ish manner as you let out a soft laugh. You smiled as you headed for the couch on the darker corner of the living room. It’s nearly midnight. Your friends came over to your house since it is the night before your seventeenth birthday, yes… you’re turning seventeen in a couple of minutes.
Seventeen… you thought… you felt unusual about your age… you don’t think you act mature enough to be called a seventeen year-old girl… although it didn’t seem to be a mature age… but it’s just that the years passed so quick and that the “fourteen-year-old you” is no different from the “you today”
The last couple of hours were a blast of fun. Just you and your friends at home, no curfew, play all you want, laugh all you want, and stay up all night since it’s Friday and you don’t have classes tomorrow. Although your day at school a while ago was bullshit, at least right now you’re having the fun you did not experience for quite a long time.
But then… as you realize where your feet are heading you to, you’re starting to have a feeling that the rest of the night wouldn’t stay like this… all the things that presently feel so right will vanish later on… in a matter of hours you know all these lovely feelings you have right now would change…
You were just able to walk a couple of steps from Frank and the others when your cheerful mood started to fade, you took a deep breath and shifted your eyes to the ground as you felt his eyes on you.
It took you some time before you decided to take another deep breath and manage to look at Gerard. He was looking at you, too. Your eyes locked with his for a quick split second of silence before you grinned and jokingly punched his shoulder.
He laughed as he jumped off the couch, grabbed your hand without warning, and spun you. The next thing you know is that you are being pulled to a tight hug.
You were shocked, a bit. But you know it’s nothing but a friendly hug. Nothing more than a friendly hug. You smiled then you sighed. You pushed softly away from him, but you did not push away from him completely. His hands are still clutched together behind your back and in his face is a kind smile. You smiled back.
“Happy Birthday Ahreya…” he whispered.
“You can say that later” you joked. Then he let go of you. The both of you then sat on the couch.
“Looks like your brother is having a lot of fun…” you said. Mikey and Frank were creating a lot of noise, obviously having a fight.
“Hell yeah…” he replied, dullness evident in his voice.
“Won’t you come join us?” you asked. Now, you wanted to go back to Mikey and the others immediately. There’s an odd feeling enveloping you now. You don’t want to stay with him alone, you seriously don’t…
“No.” He grabbed your hand. “I’d rather stay here. Please, Ahreya stay with me for a while… besides, I want to be the very first one to greet you…” he smiled.
“Yeah of course,” you sat back… there’s nothing you could do… you’re stuck in this dark corner with him…
The both of you sat there in complete silence. You were motionless. That moment felt like forever. But that ‘forever’ ended when you saw him move to face the clock on the wall a couple of feet away from him.
He started looking at you.
“Hey hey, there’s just two minutes before your birthday.” he said as he pulled you closely to him.
“Yeah?” you looked at the clock, “Wow, I’d be seventeen in a matter of seconds,” you smiled
“Yes you are. Well… are you excited?”
“Yup.”
“You should be, because other than turning another year older, I have a surprise for you” he whispered. Your heart then started beating faster,… the previous weeks have been a mess for you… and it was all because of him and Nikki.
“Wow, a surprise? Umm, I don’t think I’m excited about it…” you said. You saw his immediate reaction of confusion in his face. “Damnit, you told me! So I don’t think it’s a surprise anymore!” You laughed.
“Oh… yeah…” he laughed too. But it wasn’t a joke,… you were telling the truth… you weren’t excited about it… You don’t know what the surprise is, you have no idea what it is, but you think you don’t want to hear about it…
“Just a minute more…” Gerard said, still looking at the clock. He’s very determined to be the very first one to greet you. You think it’s laughable, but cute (me: ^-^ haha “cute”).
However, as you looked behind you, you saw four guys grinning while looking at the clock also, you know they’re planning to do something ridiculous.
… 20 more seconds… the five guys in the room are looking at it eagerly… (me: yeah, they are weird)… 10 more seconds… you giggled silently… you knew exactly what this four guys on the other side of the room are going to do… 5 seconds more… 4… 3… 2… and …1—
“Hey Ahreya—”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY AHREYA!!!” the four guys jumped and started messing around.
“What the—?” Gerard was obviously cut off by the four guys before he could greet you.
“I’m really disappointed in you Mr. Gerard Way, you were not the first one to greet me” you said, hands on your hips, pretending to be disappointed, although you’re obviously just kidding.
“Darn it! I, like, waited there on that corner for hours and—” Gerard was half-laughing and half-pissed while he was trying to explain.
“It’s not like it’s a big deal kiddo” you slapped him softly on his cheek. He sighed, looking at you,
“365 days from now Ahreya… I’m making sure of it…”
“Yeah yeah, alright fine… but a while ago you failed,” you both laughed.
“Happy happy birthday best friend!” Mikey appeared from nowhere, and he pulled you to a tight hug. The five of them love doing that to you, but not with each other (me: umm lol!). “But we’re all very sleepy…”
“Yeah? You looked like you don’t want to let go of the controller while ago” Gerard said.
“Well it was a lot of fun actually,”
“Yes… you gave me three loses for my birthday, a lot of fun right?” you sighed, pretending—once again—to be disappointed.
“Hey don’t be mad, the three matches I won were for you anyway… well actually, the six matches I won…”
“SIX?!”
“Yes.”
“FRANKIE!!!” you yelled. The next minutes were you chasing Frank for not granting your wish earlier. But after you caught him and made revenge, all of you decided to go to bed.
And in addition to the fun, yes, they’re sleeping over in your house.
All of you went upstairs. Mikey and Frank were still making a lot of noise, Ray was singing the Happy Birthday Song to you over and over again and you were getting pissed of it, while Gerard and Matt were silent behind you. Mikey, Ray, Matt and Frank went inside the room beside yours, and as you opened your room, you did not notice Gerard following you.
You entered your room and you headed to your bed immediately without closing the door. You sat and that’s when you realized that Gerard had followed you.
“Gerard? You’re not going to sleep here, I remind you—”
“No, no, of course not. But I reMembered about the surprise I should’ve told you a while back down there.
“Oh yeah, I… almost… forgot” you felt a breathing a hard task for you now, he was going to tell you something… a Surprise,…
“Listen closely… Ahreya… I don’t know if I made the right decision not to tell you right away… I don’t know if it would have been better if I told you earlier… but since you’re the one closest to me other than Mikey… Ahreya…”
Your heart stopped when he said the following Word to change tos…
“Nikki and I are a couple now, Ahreya"
“Hey, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT!” Ray let out a soft groan as you reached out a hand to help him stand, he was rubbing his head as he tried to regain his composure.
“Ha! That’s three straight victories for me Ahreya!” Mikey said proudly. “You have to admit, you did not expect me to be this good.” he winked.
“Uh… hmm… whatever!!!” you threw the video game controller to Frank. “Frank, please.. oh please make Mikey shut his mouth and give him three straight loses for me” you joked, a smile playing on your face.
“Anything you want Ahreya…” Frank replied in a gentleman-ish manner as you let out a soft laugh. You smiled as you headed for the couch on the darker corner of the living room. It’s nearly midnight. Your friends came over to your house since it is the night before your seventeenth birthday, yes… you’re turning seventeen in a couple of minutes.
Seventeen… you thought… you felt unusual about your age… you don’t think you act mature enough to be called a seventeen year-old girl… although it didn’t seem to be a mature age… but it’s just that the years passed so quick and that the “fourteen-year-old you” is no different from the “you today”
The last couple of hours were a blast of fun. Just you and your friends at home, no curfew, play all you want, laugh all you want, and stay up all night since it’s Friday and you don’t have classes tomorrow. Although your day at school a while ago was bullshit, at least right now you’re having the fun you did not experience for quite a long time.
But then… as you realize where your feet are heading you to, you’re starting to have a feeling that the rest of the night wouldn’t stay like this… all the things that presently feel so right will vanish later on… in a matter of hours you know all these lovely feelings you have right now would change…
You were just able to walk a couple of steps from Frank and the others when your cheerful mood started to fade, you took a deep breath and shifted your eyes to the ground as you felt his eyes on you.
It took you some time before you decided to take another deep breath and manage to look at Gerard. He was looking at you, too. Your eyes locked with his for a quick split second of silence before you grinned and jokingly punched his shoulder.
He laughed as he jumped off the couch, grabbed your hand without warning, and spun you. The next thing you know is that you are being pulled to a tight hug.
You were shocked, a bit. But you know it’s nothing but a friendly hug. Nothing more than a friendly hug. You smiled then you sighed. You pushed softly away from him, but you did not push away from him completely. His hands are still clutched together behind your back and in his face is a kind smile. You smiled back.
“Happy Birthday Ahreya…” he whispered.
“You can say that later” you joked. Then he let go of you. The both of you then sat on the couch.
“Looks like your brother is having a lot of fun…” you said. Mikey and Frank were creating a lot of noise, obviously having a fight.
“Hell yeah…” he replied, dullness evident in his voice.
“Won’t you come join us?” you asked. Now, you wanted to go back to Mikey and the others immediately. There’s an odd feeling enveloping you now. You don’t want to stay with him alone, you seriously don’t…
“No.” He grabbed your hand. “I’d rather stay here. Please, Ahreya stay with me for a while… besides, I want to be the very first one to greet you…” he smiled.
“Yeah of course,” you sat back… there’s nothing you could do… you’re stuck in this dark corner with him…
The both of you sat there in complete silence. You were motionless. That moment felt like forever. But that ‘forever’ ended when you saw him move to face the clock on the wall a couple of feet away from him.
He started looking at you.
“Hey hey, there’s just two minutes before your birthday.” he said as he pulled you closely to him.
“Yeah?” you looked at the clock, “Wow, I’d be seventeen in a matter of seconds,” you smiled
“Yes you are. Well… are you excited?”
“Yup.”
“You should be, because other than turning another year older, I have a surprise for you” he whispered. Your heart then started beating faster,… the previous weeks have been a mess for you… and it was all because of him and Nikki.
“Wow, a surprise? Umm, I don’t think I’m excited about it…” you said. You saw his immediate reaction of confusion in his face. “Damnit, you told me! So I don’t think it’s a surprise anymore!” You laughed.
“Oh… yeah…” he laughed too. But it wasn’t a joke,… you were telling the truth… you weren’t excited about it… You don’t know what the surprise is, you have no idea what it is, but you think you don’t want to hear about it…
“Just a minute more…” Gerard said, still looking at the clock. He’s very determined to be the very first one to greet you. You think it’s laughable, but cute (me: ^-^ haha “cute”).
However, as you looked behind you, you saw four guys grinning while looking at the clock also, you know they’re planning to do something ridiculous.
… 20 more seconds… the five guys in the room are looking at it eagerly… (me: yeah, they are weird)… 10 more seconds… you giggled silently… you knew exactly what this four guys on the other side of the room are going to do… 5 seconds more… 4… 3… 2… and …1—
“Hey Ahreya—”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY AHREYA!!!” the four guys jumped and started messing around.
“What the—?” Gerard was obviously cut off by the four guys before he could greet you.
“I’m really disappointed in you Mr. Gerard Way, you were not the first one to greet me” you said, hands on your hips, pretending to be disappointed, although you’re obviously just kidding.
“Darn it! I, like, waited there on that corner for hours and—” Gerard was half-laughing and half-pissed while he was trying to explain.
“It’s not like it’s a big deal kiddo” you slapped him softly on his cheek. He sighed, looking at you,
“365 days from now Ahreya… I’m making sure of it…”
“Yeah yeah, alright fine… but a while ago you failed,” you both laughed.
“Happy happy birthday best friend!” Mikey appeared from nowhere, and he pulled you to a tight hug. The five of them love doing that to you, but not with each other (me: umm lol!). “But we’re all very sleepy…”
“Yeah? You looked like you don’t want to let go of the controller while ago” Gerard said.
“Well it was a lot of fun actually,”
“Yes… you gave me three loses for my birthday, a lot of fun right?” you sighed, pretending—once again—to be disappointed.
“Hey don’t be mad, the three matches I won were for you anyway… well actually, the six matches I won…”
“SIX?!”
“Yes.”
“FRANKIE!!!” you yelled. The next minutes were you chasing Frank for not granting your wish earlier. But after you caught him and made revenge, all of you decided to go to bed.
And in addition to the fun, yes, they’re sleeping over in your house.
All of you went upstairs. Mikey and Frank were still making a lot of noise, Ray was singing the Happy Birthday Song to you over and over again and you were getting pissed of it, while Gerard and Matt were silent behind you. Mikey, Ray, Matt and Frank went inside the room beside yours, and as you opened your room, you did not notice Gerard following you.
You entered your room and you headed to your bed immediately without closing the door. You sat and that’s when you realized that Gerard had followed you.
“Gerard? You’re not going to sleep here, I remind you—”
“No, no, of course not. But I reMembered about the surprise I should’ve told you a while back down there.
“Oh yeah, I… almost… forgot” you felt a breathing a hard task for you now, he was going to tell you something… a Surprise,…
“Listen closely… Ahreya… I don’t know if I made the right decision not to tell you right away… I don’t know if it would have been better if I told you earlier… but since you’re the one closest to me other than Mikey… Ahreya…”
Your heart stopped when he said the following Word to change tos…
“Nikki and I are a couple now, Ahreya"