Glades and Playgrounds
Chapter XXXII;
Were they in love?
I stuffed my school bag with all the books I’d need for the day. My head was pounding from lack of sleep. Funny how things seem to haunt you a million times more when you’re alone in the dark.
But were they in love? Did they do all the stuff Gerard and I used to do, whenever I wasn’t around?
“Bye!” I called and walked out the door. I couldn’t be bothered to get up fifteen minutes early, but right now, I regretted it so badly. If they were waiting for me… If they wanted to talk…
I had come to the very sad conclusion that my life wasn’t interesting without Gerard. And it sure as hell wasn’t interesting without my friends. I was now busy doing three things; eat, school and sleep, and it was seriously starting to get to me. Billie’s words flew in and out of my head, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to hang out with them, but I also knew that what he had said wasn’t true. They would be forced to choose sides, and they’d choose his, and that was the only thing keeping me from walking up to them that day to ask if I could eat with them.
What if they were in love?
Bert would know. Nothing in the world could make me talk to either Gerard or Mikey, but Bert… Bert knew things I didn’t, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had to get answers to my questions. One thing I noticed that day though was that Bert never seemed to leave Gerard’s side. I didn’t want to walk up to them when Gerard was there, but around 2pm, I had built up the courage and I knew that if I didn’t do it now, I’d never.
High school drama.
They were all sitting outside at the benches, even though it was freezing cold, snow falling heavily from the white sky and the wind mercilessly licking your skin like an ice-cold tongue. With my arms protectively around myself, I got nearer and nearer until they noticed me. He noticed me first, and the way his eyes lit up felt like a warm hug in the cold weather. He eagerly rose from the bench he was sitting on, but as I walked past him, he sunk down, his eyes following me. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked up to Bert.
“Can I talk to you?” I mumbled and really wished they’d all stop staring at me.
“Uh… me?” he asked, “Not Ger-“
“No, you,” I cut him off and he nodded shortly. He followed me a few meters away behind a tree so the others wouldn’t hear or see us.
“What is it?” Bert asked and zipped up his thin hoodie as the wind got more aggressive. “Is this about you and-“
“Yeah,” I cut him off again, “Uhm… I need to, you know, just… know a few things. About him.”
“Gerard?”
“Yeah,” really wished he wouldn’t keep saying the name, “has he told you?”
“Told me what?”
“Why we’re- I’m not talking to him?”
“No…” he said slowly, “But I think I know why.”
“Why?”
“I…” he started, then looked directly at me, “Look, can we talk tomorrow? I need to talk to him first, so… you know, I won’t tell you things you shouldn’t know.”
He took a step forward, but I put a hand on his shoulder.
“I know about him and Mikey.”
He kept his eyes on the white ground for a few seconds, then looked up, stepped back and leaned his back against the tree, leg propped up.
“Look, Frank…” he started, “He was scared shitless. And yeah, he made a mistake, he should’ve told you sooner, but, you know… seeing as you’re reacting just the way he was scared you’d do, maybe he shouldn’t have told you at all.”
“How can you say that? How can you-” I stammered, “He never told me! I found out because I heard him talk to Mikey about it, and, and… a mistake? And how the hell am I supposed to act? I’ve been dating this, this incestuous, lying-
“Hey,” Bert put his leg down on the ground, looking at me coldly, “I know you’re mad, but don’t-“
“What? Call him what he is? Yeah, how fucking terrible of me-“
“You know what, I didn’t expect you to react like this! You love him, don’t you?”
“Love him? I don’t love him, I never said I did!”
Bert sighed and started making a hole in the snow with his foot, “Look… he’s my best friend, and he’s really sorry. And, as crazy as it sounds, I think he’s actually in love with you, so… if you’d just talk to him. I’m sure you could work it out,” as the last sentence had left his mouth, I knew he had lost interest in mine and Gerard’s problem, so I let him go.
I stuffed my school bag with all the books I’d need for the day. My head was pounding from lack of sleep. Funny how things seem to haunt you a million times more when you’re alone in the dark.
But were they in love? Did they do all the stuff Gerard and I used to do, whenever I wasn’t around?
“Bye!” I called and walked out the door. I couldn’t be bothered to get up fifteen minutes early, but right now, I regretted it so badly. If they were waiting for me… If they wanted to talk…
I had come to the very sad conclusion that my life wasn’t interesting without Gerard. And it sure as hell wasn’t interesting without my friends. I was now busy doing three things; eat, school and sleep, and it was seriously starting to get to me. Billie’s words flew in and out of my head, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to hang out with them, but I also knew that what he had said wasn’t true. They would be forced to choose sides, and they’d choose his, and that was the only thing keeping me from walking up to them that day to ask if I could eat with them.
What if they were in love?
Bert would know. Nothing in the world could make me talk to either Gerard or Mikey, but Bert… Bert knew things I didn’t, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had to get answers to my questions. One thing I noticed that day though was that Bert never seemed to leave Gerard’s side. I didn’t want to walk up to them when Gerard was there, but around 2pm, I had built up the courage and I knew that if I didn’t do it now, I’d never.
High school drama.
They were all sitting outside at the benches, even though it was freezing cold, snow falling heavily from the white sky and the wind mercilessly licking your skin like an ice-cold tongue. With my arms protectively around myself, I got nearer and nearer until they noticed me. He noticed me first, and the way his eyes lit up felt like a warm hug in the cold weather. He eagerly rose from the bench he was sitting on, but as I walked past him, he sunk down, his eyes following me. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked up to Bert.
“Can I talk to you?” I mumbled and really wished they’d all stop staring at me.
“Uh… me?” he asked, “Not Ger-“
“No, you,” I cut him off and he nodded shortly. He followed me a few meters away behind a tree so the others wouldn’t hear or see us.
“What is it?” Bert asked and zipped up his thin hoodie as the wind got more aggressive. “Is this about you and-“
“Yeah,” I cut him off again, “Uhm… I need to, you know, just… know a few things. About him.”
“Gerard?”
“Yeah,” really wished he wouldn’t keep saying the name, “has he told you?”
“Told me what?”
“Why we’re- I’m not talking to him?”
“No…” he said slowly, “But I think I know why.”
“Why?”
“I…” he started, then looked directly at me, “Look, can we talk tomorrow? I need to talk to him first, so… you know, I won’t tell you things you shouldn’t know.”
He took a step forward, but I put a hand on his shoulder.
“I know about him and Mikey.”
He kept his eyes on the white ground for a few seconds, then looked up, stepped back and leaned his back against the tree, leg propped up.
“Look, Frank…” he started, “He was scared shitless. And yeah, he made a mistake, he should’ve told you sooner, but, you know… seeing as you’re reacting just the way he was scared you’d do, maybe he shouldn’t have told you at all.”
“How can you say that? How can you-” I stammered, “He never told me! I found out because I heard him talk to Mikey about it, and, and… a mistake? And how the hell am I supposed to act? I’ve been dating this, this incestuous, lying-
“Hey,” Bert put his leg down on the ground, looking at me coldly, “I know you’re mad, but don’t-“
“What? Call him what he is? Yeah, how fucking terrible of me-“
“You know what, I didn’t expect you to react like this! You love him, don’t you?”
“Love him? I don’t love him, I never said I did!”
Bert sighed and started making a hole in the snow with his foot, “Look… he’s my best friend, and he’s really sorry. And, as crazy as it sounds, I think he’s actually in love with you, so… if you’d just talk to him. I’m sure you could work it out,” as the last sentence had left his mouth, I knew he had lost interest in mine and Gerard’s problem, so I let him go.
♠ ♠ ♠
Now, I know I haven't updated in... months... but here it is! You should all bow to the Sweeney Todd-soundtrack and to The Ark, as they have been my inspiration. Next update will be up tomorrow, promise.x A.