I Will Not Kiss You
Chapter 14
Gerard answered the door. He smiled at me so I smiled back because I know he’s nice. His hair was brushed straight back so that his white forehead could be seen. Stray bits of hair fell down over his forehead. He wasn’t wearing the ‘Iron Maiden’ t-shirt and black jeans he’d been wearing earlier. He was now in a faded black ‘Save the Amazon’ t-shirt that has peeling letters and a pair of baggy ‘Spiderman’ pyjama bottoms.
“Hello,” He said, standing aside “Mikey’s still getting ready so if you wanna’ go help him or you can sit in the living room and wait…whatever you wanna’ do.”
“Nice PJ’s.” I teased, stepping in.
“They’re amazing aren’t they?” He laughed.
“I don’t like Spiderman.”
“Oh…um…that was a rhetorical question.”
A rhetorical question is a question without an answer or that you shouldn’t answer. I don’t always know when people are asking rhetorical questions so I answer them anyway. Gerard smiled and went back into the living room. I followed him to see what he was doing. He was sitting cross-legged on the couch, the way I do, with a sketch pad balancing on his knees and sketching.
“What are you drawing?”
He showed me the drawing. It was a cartoon style mummy that looked really funny. I laughed and said it was really good. He said thank you and continued to sketch in its bandages. It was a really good drawing. Better than I could ever do. I told him this and he asked why so I said ‘I’m crap at art’ and he said ‘I’m sure that’s not true’.
“It is,” I said “I can’t draw to save my life.”
“Will you show me?” He asked, finding a clean page on the sketchbook and patting the space beside him.
I walked around the sofa and sat beside him, crossing my legs and taking the sketch pad and pencil. He smiled again and gestured to the blank page. I looked at him.
“What’s the matter?” He questioned.
“I don’t know what to draw.”
“Use your imagination,” He replied “You’re not stupid.”
I stared at the white A4 page in my lap, trying to think of what to draw. Nothing came into my head. That means I couldn’t think of anything.
“D’you have a favourite animal?” Gerard asked “Why don’t you draw your favourite thing? Or something that makes you happy?”
“I don’t know.” I replied lamely.
A lot of things make me happy. I can’t think of just one thing at the moment. Gerard probably thinks I’m stupid.
“Draw me!” He said in a funny breathy voice, lying back with one hand on his hip and the other across his forehead.
I laughed. And then decided to draw him and Mikey as cartoons. They both make me happy. He sat up properly as I started drawing. I gripped tightly onto the pencil, feeling nervous with Gerard watching me.
“Try not to hold the pencil so tightly,” He said quietly “You need to hold it a little looser.”
I tried but as soon as I felt it wiggling I tightened my grip again. He said I was holding it too tight again.
“Can I just touch your hand?” He asked.
I nodded, wondering what he was going to do. He shifted closer to me and took my right hand in his hands. I felt a bit anxious with him touching me but it didn’t hurt. My stomach felt funny though.
“Just loosen your fingers,” He said softly, uncurling my fingers and then resting the pencil back in my hand loosely “See? Now you’ve got more movement.” He continued, moving my hand so that the pencil sketched out the same shapes I’d just drawn.
I smiled gratefully. He laughed when he saw how pleased I was. I drew Mikey first, drawing in his glasses and making him hold his bass. Gerard watched the little figure take place on the page. He laughed again.
“It’s Mikey.”
“Yeah.” I smiled, starting on Gerard.
“That’s really good,” He complimented “See? You’re not that bad.”
A cough from the doorway made us look around. Mikey was standing there, smiling. He looked a little pale, probably because he hasn’t been well. Gerard laughed and said ‘What?’. Mikey laughed back and walked into the room, looking over my shoulder at my drawing.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
“You two,” He chuckled “You look so cute together! You should date. You have my blessing.”
Gerard laughed and I widened my eyes. Mikey laughed at my face.
“Shame I’d go to jail isn’t it?” Gerard replied.
I think he was being sarcastic. But the jail comment is true.
“Not if no one knows.” Mikey insisted.
“Oh yeah,” Gerard said, turning to me “D’you wanna’ go out on a date with me sometime, Frank?”
Mikey laughed again. I looked from one to the other, not sure how to react. Then Mikey saw my face. I didn’t know what was so funny and I was really confused.
“He’s joking, Frankie.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry,” Gerard apologised “Did I scare you?”
“You confused me.”
“I’m sorry about that. I don’t always think.”
“It’s ok.”
There was an awkward silence.
“So are we gonna’ go?” Mikey asked.
“Yeah sure.” I replied, getting up quickly and handing Gerard his sketch pad and pencil back “Thanks Gerard.”
“No prob.”
I followed Mikey out of the room. He opened the front door for me and followed me out, closing the door behind him. Mom waved at us both from the car and shouted ‘Hurry up you two’ at us. So we ran to get in the car.
“Hello,” He said, standing aside “Mikey’s still getting ready so if you wanna’ go help him or you can sit in the living room and wait…whatever you wanna’ do.”
“Nice PJ’s.” I teased, stepping in.
“They’re amazing aren’t they?” He laughed.
“I don’t like Spiderman.”
“Oh…um…that was a rhetorical question.”
A rhetorical question is a question without an answer or that you shouldn’t answer. I don’t always know when people are asking rhetorical questions so I answer them anyway. Gerard smiled and went back into the living room. I followed him to see what he was doing. He was sitting cross-legged on the couch, the way I do, with a sketch pad balancing on his knees and sketching.
“What are you drawing?”
He showed me the drawing. It was a cartoon style mummy that looked really funny. I laughed and said it was really good. He said thank you and continued to sketch in its bandages. It was a really good drawing. Better than I could ever do. I told him this and he asked why so I said ‘I’m crap at art’ and he said ‘I’m sure that’s not true’.
“It is,” I said “I can’t draw to save my life.”
“Will you show me?” He asked, finding a clean page on the sketchbook and patting the space beside him.
I walked around the sofa and sat beside him, crossing my legs and taking the sketch pad and pencil. He smiled again and gestured to the blank page. I looked at him.
“What’s the matter?” He questioned.
“I don’t know what to draw.”
“Use your imagination,” He replied “You’re not stupid.”
I stared at the white A4 page in my lap, trying to think of what to draw. Nothing came into my head. That means I couldn’t think of anything.
“D’you have a favourite animal?” Gerard asked “Why don’t you draw your favourite thing? Or something that makes you happy?”
“I don’t know.” I replied lamely.
A lot of things make me happy. I can’t think of just one thing at the moment. Gerard probably thinks I’m stupid.
“Draw me!” He said in a funny breathy voice, lying back with one hand on his hip and the other across his forehead.
I laughed. And then decided to draw him and Mikey as cartoons. They both make me happy. He sat up properly as I started drawing. I gripped tightly onto the pencil, feeling nervous with Gerard watching me.
“Try not to hold the pencil so tightly,” He said quietly “You need to hold it a little looser.”
I tried but as soon as I felt it wiggling I tightened my grip again. He said I was holding it too tight again.
“Can I just touch your hand?” He asked.
I nodded, wondering what he was going to do. He shifted closer to me and took my right hand in his hands. I felt a bit anxious with him touching me but it didn’t hurt. My stomach felt funny though.
“Just loosen your fingers,” He said softly, uncurling my fingers and then resting the pencil back in my hand loosely “See? Now you’ve got more movement.” He continued, moving my hand so that the pencil sketched out the same shapes I’d just drawn.
I smiled gratefully. He laughed when he saw how pleased I was. I drew Mikey first, drawing in his glasses and making him hold his bass. Gerard watched the little figure take place on the page. He laughed again.
“It’s Mikey.”
“Yeah.” I smiled, starting on Gerard.
“That’s really good,” He complimented “See? You’re not that bad.”
A cough from the doorway made us look around. Mikey was standing there, smiling. He looked a little pale, probably because he hasn’t been well. Gerard laughed and said ‘What?’. Mikey laughed back and walked into the room, looking over my shoulder at my drawing.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
“You two,” He chuckled “You look so cute together! You should date. You have my blessing.”
Gerard laughed and I widened my eyes. Mikey laughed at my face.
“Shame I’d go to jail isn’t it?” Gerard replied.
I think he was being sarcastic. But the jail comment is true.
“Not if no one knows.” Mikey insisted.
“Oh yeah,” Gerard said, turning to me “D’you wanna’ go out on a date with me sometime, Frank?”
Mikey laughed again. I looked from one to the other, not sure how to react. Then Mikey saw my face. I didn’t know what was so funny and I was really confused.
“He’s joking, Frankie.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry,” Gerard apologised “Did I scare you?”
“You confused me.”
“I’m sorry about that. I don’t always think.”
“It’s ok.”
There was an awkward silence.
“So are we gonna’ go?” Mikey asked.
“Yeah sure.” I replied, getting up quickly and handing Gerard his sketch pad and pencil back “Thanks Gerard.”
“No prob.”
I followed Mikey out of the room. He opened the front door for me and followed me out, closing the door behind him. Mom waved at us both from the car and shouted ‘Hurry up you two’ at us. So we ran to get in the car.