Heart-Shaped Box
Nikki
Twenty minutes have passed… and yet you were still staring impassively around your dark room.
After that nightmare and despite of your extreme sleepiness, you wouldn’t let yourself go back to sleep, afraid that the nightmare would come back.
It scared you, a lot.
You’ve had a couple of nightmares since you were very little, but nothing scared you like this.
“Oh fuck. Why do all of these have to happen on my fucking birthday?” you sighed, your face covered by your hand.
Deciding to stay away from the darkness of your room, you threw your legs to the side of your bed, you quickly stood and headed for the door. You glanced side-to-side first, just trying to see if there’s someone else outside. Much to your despair, all of them seem to have gone asleep. You sighed and started for the stairs.
The first thing that caught your attention as you were going down the creaky stairs was your old piano. You are good at playing it… and usually you play it when your mood is kind of gloomy.
You forgot how late it was, so you positioned yourself on the piano chair and started to softly play a couple of notes…
**GERARD’S POV
A couple of minutes earlier…
I sat there, barely awake, on the side of my bed. Everyone in the room seems to be asleep. Except for another person who was lying, half-awake, too, on his bed.
I stared at Frank, he was staring at me too. We’ve been staring oddly at each other for a couple of minutes now. Weird. And if looks could kill, I could’ve died on the spot.
“Gerard, will you please… please… get yourself to sleep… or even at least just stop moving a lot…” Frank mumbled tiredly, trying hard to sound menacing.
“Yeah, yeah, right… and maybe if you stop staring at me then it would help me get myself to sleep… I’m not in the mood right now… Maybe in a few minutes” I said.
“Not in the mood to go to sleep? Gerard, stop fooling me, you’ve been wide awake for hours now, Gerard.. do you realize that? HOURS now.” he said, still trying his best to sound threatening, and it wasn’t working.
“Ok, ok… I’m lying down now, see? I’m closing my eyes now… you happy?”
“Whatever.” Frank turned his back on me.
I sighed. I couldn’t go to sleep… I don’t know why… maybe I really am not in the mood right now. I put both of my hands beneath my head and re-opened my eyes to look outside the window.
I just stayed like that for a couple of minutes before I heard something from downstairs, I hesitated for a while since the sound was so soft… thinking maybe it was just in my mind… but after a couple more seconds of listening carefully… I knew it… it’s the piano…
… and I already know who is playing it, I also recognize the familiar melody…
**ORIGINAL POV
You were amazed at the sound as it echoed throughout the space of your living room. The desertedness and the silence blended with the sound of what you were playing.
It was this short and sad piano piece Gerard taught you how to play when you were young… you played it beautifully like you always do… feeling calm at the moment… just as then…
“Wow, so you still memorize that…” you heard someone whisper somewhere a little bit distant behind you. “And you play it more marvelously than anybody could have played it”
You did not recognize the voice. You then looked behind you. He was sitting on some steps located on the upper part of the stairs.
You recognized him in an instant for there was this little light coming from the second floor you guess he would’ve turned on before he went to sit on the stairs.
You looked at Gerard, stunned for a moment. He looked… so… so cute… that seems to be the only way you could describe his half-awake appearance. His long hair was messy and his eyes looked so tired. But he was grinning, more like a tired grin. He looked so damn adorable. And with that… your depression slipped off… you forgot about the surprise he has told you a while back… you felt really calm at that moment
“Could play it for me again?” he stood.
“Gerard, why are you still awake? You should be sleeping by now…”
“Umm actually you too… you should be sleeping instead of being here…” he said, he was still walking towards you, he wobbled slightly, proving that he was just barely awake.
“Sorry… I didn’t mean to make noise… did I wake you guys up? I’m.. I’m so sorry…” you started to close the piano.
“No… no. Nothing to worry about, they’re all asleep. I cannot get myself to sleep anyway,” he said, stopping you from closing it.
Then he looked at you. You couldn’t resist looking at him too… and there was this weird feeling inside you… seems like… you can’t help but to let out a… chuckle.
Once again, you are here with him… but everything seems to be alright now… since you forgot about the miserable feeling you had a while ago.
“Play it.” he said, smiling widely.
“Umm huh?... umm ok” you said, but you didn’t obey, you stared at the piano and then at him. You are so stunned at his so-cute-appearance.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, when he noticed you were starting to giggle.
“What do you think is the matter?” you said, trying hard not to laugh.
“Ahreya…”
Then you bursted into a loud laugh. He laughed too, then he started messing up with your hair.
“Hey!” you shouted.
“Are you gonna play the piano for me or not?”
“Umm let me think…”
“Ahreya…”
“You messed up with my hair!”
“If not,” he cut your complain out, “then I guess I’d be the one to play a beautiful piece” he said, pushing you slightly to the side so he can position his self at the middle. “Watch and… learn” he joked, pretending to stretch his fingers and clear his throat, and you actually find it so childish and funny.
He started to play the “Happy Birthday” song loudly and with a hell lot of mistakes. The both of you were laughing, and together with the piano, you were making a lot of noise.
The next thing was a shoe… yes a shoe… flying overhead and hitting Gerard on the side of his head.
“Damn it!” Gerard yelled. You both turned to look at where it came from, and you realized it was from the wobbly and sleepy Frank.
Just upon witnessing this scene, you could barely stop yourself from laughing even harder.
“Frank! What the hell did you do that for?” Gerard asked, rubbing his head and throwing the shoe back to Frank.
“You guys are so fucking loud that you could raise the fucking dead.” Frank looked threateningly at you. You lowered your head and pretended to be sorry. “And you, Gerard… you’ve made it to my nerves… you two… get your asses back to bed… please? Just… oh please…”
He took his last fierce glance at you before he started to climb back upstairs. You listened as he closed the door, before you looked up at Gerard,…. And the both of you let out a soft chuckle.
“So I guess we really should go upstairs now before he throws another shoe at you.” you suggested.
“Yeah, I guess so too,” he started to stand and walk away.
You followed quickly and you managed to start for the stairs first. Gerard started messing your hair more.
“Hey, what the hell is that for?”
“Well…you get that for not doing what I wished for.” Gerard sighed, still smiling. “And… also… you’re going to bed anyway…”
“Yeah if that’s so… then…” you started messing with his hair too. He looked at you, shocked.
“oh… sweet revenge, huh?”
“Nah… you’re going to bed anyway too” you stuck out your tongue to Gerard, before running towards your bedroom door.
“Nighty-night Ahreya…” you heard Gerard say before you closed your door and reopen it to say ‘goodnight’ to him too… it was late when you realized it was already morning even before you and the guys went upstairs for slumber… (me: umm duh… haha)…
You closed your door, leaned your back against it, sighed, and smiled.
You have completely forgotten all about the misery and depression you came across after the clock ticked 12AM. You darted across your room, to your bed, and fixed yourself to sleep…
……
……
“AHREYA??” you heard someone call, your eyes still closed. You did not reply though.
“Mikey, you won’t be able to wake her up by doing that” Matt’s voice was heard.
You knew they were still outside your room for someone was making silent knocks at your door. You don’t want to get up from bed yet,… not now… you could still feel the extreme tiredness all over your body.
“How many hours will it take you to simply wake her up? Seriously…” Gerard sighed. “Damn… Idiots. The door is not locked…” you heard him turn the knob and open the door.
“We don’t want to enter without permission!” Mikey answered back.
“Oh shut up, don’t talk like you don’t do that at home every morning…”
You felt somebody climbing your bed, but you still refused to let them know you are awake. Then somebody jumped hard on your bed, it shocked you so you opened your eyes. You weren’t expecting anyone to be standing over you, and it caused you to jump off of your bed and stumble to the ground.
“DAMN…. YOU… whoever you are, I can’t tell right now…” you said.
“Umm hmm… I’ll give you a hint… my name has an ‘A’ on it…”
“Fruit cake.”
“Nah-uh! WRONG!... my name is Gerard… Jer-rArd…”
“Gerard, fruit cake, they’re the same thing” you grinned, looking up at Gerard. He reached out a hand to help you stand.
“Your mom is downstairs” Mikey said.
“Yeah? Um ok, that’s good.”
“And we’re going somewhere.” Gerard said from behind you, putting both of his hands on your shoulder and somewhat leading you out of your room.
“Huh? Where? Is mom going with us? Why?” you asked, talking quickly because these questions filled your mind really quick too. Gerard stopped and spun you so that you face him.
“Don’t worry…” he said, a smile across his face. “Everything is planned… alright?”
“But…”
“Just do what I tell you to, okay?… those questions are unnecessary anyway, y’know” Gerard said while he spun you again so that he stays behind you, his hands still on your shoulder, leading you out of your room to the stairs.
“Umm ok.” you said, you have no idea where you’re going, or what these people are planning to do, but you started thinking that this day—more like “your” day—will be extra-special.
“Gerard!” you heard your mom call.
“He’s here mom,”
“Yeah, I’m here Ms. Savenns, What’s the matter?”
But before your mom could answer him, you stopped in the middle of the stairs, so did Gerard, staring at the two people at the very end of the stairs. You did not like it when you saw ‘what the matter was’.
The girl beside your mom looked somewhat like you when it comes to the appearance. Except that… she looks more perfect than you… and that she’s the type of person in the ‘in’-crowd… the crowd where you never belong…
“Gerard…! I came here to see you and—”
“Huh? Nikki?”
After that nightmare and despite of your extreme sleepiness, you wouldn’t let yourself go back to sleep, afraid that the nightmare would come back.
It scared you, a lot.
You’ve had a couple of nightmares since you were very little, but nothing scared you like this.
“Oh fuck. Why do all of these have to happen on my fucking birthday?” you sighed, your face covered by your hand.
Deciding to stay away from the darkness of your room, you threw your legs to the side of your bed, you quickly stood and headed for the door. You glanced side-to-side first, just trying to see if there’s someone else outside. Much to your despair, all of them seem to have gone asleep. You sighed and started for the stairs.
The first thing that caught your attention as you were going down the creaky stairs was your old piano. You are good at playing it… and usually you play it when your mood is kind of gloomy.
You forgot how late it was, so you positioned yourself on the piano chair and started to softly play a couple of notes…
**GERARD’S POV
A couple of minutes earlier…
I sat there, barely awake, on the side of my bed. Everyone in the room seems to be asleep. Except for another person who was lying, half-awake, too, on his bed.
I stared at Frank, he was staring at me too. We’ve been staring oddly at each other for a couple of minutes now. Weird. And if looks could kill, I could’ve died on the spot.
“Gerard, will you please… please… get yourself to sleep… or even at least just stop moving a lot…” Frank mumbled tiredly, trying hard to sound menacing.
“Yeah, yeah, right… and maybe if you stop staring at me then it would help me get myself to sleep… I’m not in the mood right now… Maybe in a few minutes” I said.
“Not in the mood to go to sleep? Gerard, stop fooling me, you’ve been wide awake for hours now, Gerard.. do you realize that? HOURS now.” he said, still trying his best to sound threatening, and it wasn’t working.
“Ok, ok… I’m lying down now, see? I’m closing my eyes now… you happy?”
“Whatever.” Frank turned his back on me.
I sighed. I couldn’t go to sleep… I don’t know why… maybe I really am not in the mood right now. I put both of my hands beneath my head and re-opened my eyes to look outside the window.
I just stayed like that for a couple of minutes before I heard something from downstairs, I hesitated for a while since the sound was so soft… thinking maybe it was just in my mind… but after a couple more seconds of listening carefully… I knew it… it’s the piano…
… and I already know who is playing it, I also recognize the familiar melody…
**ORIGINAL POV
You were amazed at the sound as it echoed throughout the space of your living room. The desertedness and the silence blended with the sound of what you were playing.
It was this short and sad piano piece Gerard taught you how to play when you were young… you played it beautifully like you always do… feeling calm at the moment… just as then…
“Wow, so you still memorize that…” you heard someone whisper somewhere a little bit distant behind you. “And you play it more marvelously than anybody could have played it”
You did not recognize the voice. You then looked behind you. He was sitting on some steps located on the upper part of the stairs.
You recognized him in an instant for there was this little light coming from the second floor you guess he would’ve turned on before he went to sit on the stairs.
You looked at Gerard, stunned for a moment. He looked… so… so cute… that seems to be the only way you could describe his half-awake appearance. His long hair was messy and his eyes looked so tired. But he was grinning, more like a tired grin. He looked so damn adorable. And with that… your depression slipped off… you forgot about the surprise he has told you a while back… you felt really calm at that moment
“Could play it for me again?” he stood.
“Gerard, why are you still awake? You should be sleeping by now…”
“Umm actually you too… you should be sleeping instead of being here…” he said, he was still walking towards you, he wobbled slightly, proving that he was just barely awake.
“Sorry… I didn’t mean to make noise… did I wake you guys up? I’m.. I’m so sorry…” you started to close the piano.
“No… no. Nothing to worry about, they’re all asleep. I cannot get myself to sleep anyway,” he said, stopping you from closing it.
Then he looked at you. You couldn’t resist looking at him too… and there was this weird feeling inside you… seems like… you can’t help but to let out a… chuckle.
Once again, you are here with him… but everything seems to be alright now… since you forgot about the miserable feeling you had a while ago.
“Play it.” he said, smiling widely.
“Umm huh?... umm ok” you said, but you didn’t obey, you stared at the piano and then at him. You are so stunned at his so-cute-appearance.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, when he noticed you were starting to giggle.
“What do you think is the matter?” you said, trying hard not to laugh.
“Ahreya…”
Then you bursted into a loud laugh. He laughed too, then he started messing up with your hair.
“Hey!” you shouted.
“Are you gonna play the piano for me or not?”
“Umm let me think…”
“Ahreya…”
“You messed up with my hair!”
“If not,” he cut your complain out, “then I guess I’d be the one to play a beautiful piece” he said, pushing you slightly to the side so he can position his self at the middle. “Watch and… learn” he joked, pretending to stretch his fingers and clear his throat, and you actually find it so childish and funny.
He started to play the “Happy Birthday” song loudly and with a hell lot of mistakes. The both of you were laughing, and together with the piano, you were making a lot of noise.
The next thing was a shoe… yes a shoe… flying overhead and hitting Gerard on the side of his head.
“Damn it!” Gerard yelled. You both turned to look at where it came from, and you realized it was from the wobbly and sleepy Frank.
Just upon witnessing this scene, you could barely stop yourself from laughing even harder.
“Frank! What the hell did you do that for?” Gerard asked, rubbing his head and throwing the shoe back to Frank.
“You guys are so fucking loud that you could raise the fucking dead.” Frank looked threateningly at you. You lowered your head and pretended to be sorry. “And you, Gerard… you’ve made it to my nerves… you two… get your asses back to bed… please? Just… oh please…”
He took his last fierce glance at you before he started to climb back upstairs. You listened as he closed the door, before you looked up at Gerard,…. And the both of you let out a soft chuckle.
“So I guess we really should go upstairs now before he throws another shoe at you.” you suggested.
“Yeah, I guess so too,” he started to stand and walk away.
You followed quickly and you managed to start for the stairs first. Gerard started messing your hair more.
“Hey, what the hell is that for?”
“Well…you get that for not doing what I wished for.” Gerard sighed, still smiling. “And… also… you’re going to bed anyway…”
“Yeah if that’s so… then…” you started messing with his hair too. He looked at you, shocked.
“oh… sweet revenge, huh?”
“Nah… you’re going to bed anyway too” you stuck out your tongue to Gerard, before running towards your bedroom door.
“Nighty-night Ahreya…” you heard Gerard say before you closed your door and reopen it to say ‘goodnight’ to him too… it was late when you realized it was already morning even before you and the guys went upstairs for slumber… (me: umm duh… haha)…
You closed your door, leaned your back against it, sighed, and smiled.
You have completely forgotten all about the misery and depression you came across after the clock ticked 12AM. You darted across your room, to your bed, and fixed yourself to sleep…
……
……
“AHREYA??” you heard someone call, your eyes still closed. You did not reply though.
“Mikey, you won’t be able to wake her up by doing that” Matt’s voice was heard.
You knew they were still outside your room for someone was making silent knocks at your door. You don’t want to get up from bed yet,… not now… you could still feel the extreme tiredness all over your body.
“How many hours will it take you to simply wake her up? Seriously…” Gerard sighed. “Damn… Idiots. The door is not locked…” you heard him turn the knob and open the door.
“We don’t want to enter without permission!” Mikey answered back.
“Oh shut up, don’t talk like you don’t do that at home every morning…”
You felt somebody climbing your bed, but you still refused to let them know you are awake. Then somebody jumped hard on your bed, it shocked you so you opened your eyes. You weren’t expecting anyone to be standing over you, and it caused you to jump off of your bed and stumble to the ground.
“DAMN…. YOU… whoever you are, I can’t tell right now…” you said.
“Umm hmm… I’ll give you a hint… my name has an ‘A’ on it…”
“Fruit cake.”
“Nah-uh! WRONG!... my name is Gerard… Jer-rArd…”
“Gerard, fruit cake, they’re the same thing” you grinned, looking up at Gerard. He reached out a hand to help you stand.
“Your mom is downstairs” Mikey said.
“Yeah? Um ok, that’s good.”
“And we’re going somewhere.” Gerard said from behind you, putting both of his hands on your shoulder and somewhat leading you out of your room.
“Huh? Where? Is mom going with us? Why?” you asked, talking quickly because these questions filled your mind really quick too. Gerard stopped and spun you so that you face him.
“Don’t worry…” he said, a smile across his face. “Everything is planned… alright?”
“But…”
“Just do what I tell you to, okay?… those questions are unnecessary anyway, y’know” Gerard said while he spun you again so that he stays behind you, his hands still on your shoulder, leading you out of your room to the stairs.
“Umm ok.” you said, you have no idea where you’re going, or what these people are planning to do, but you started thinking that this day—more like “your” day—will be extra-special.
“Gerard!” you heard your mom call.
“He’s here mom,”
“Yeah, I’m here Ms. Savenns, What’s the matter?”
But before your mom could answer him, you stopped in the middle of the stairs, so did Gerard, staring at the two people at the very end of the stairs. You did not like it when you saw ‘what the matter was’.
The girl beside your mom looked somewhat like you when it comes to the appearance. Except that… she looks more perfect than you… and that she’s the type of person in the ‘in’-crowd… the crowd where you never belong…
“Gerard…! I came here to see you and—”
“Huh? Nikki?”