The Beginning of the End

To say I felt alone and awkward at this family party of Gerard's is an understatement. To begin, he invited mom and I to his family's party. Mom and I are our only family. What was the point in inviting us? Not many people gave attention to me so I didn't have to worry about that.

Another thing is Gerard said he'd keep me company the entire night. I looked over at mom. She was having a good time talking to the other adults in the room. That's a good sign. She needed a stress reliever; she needed some fun.

I sighed, holding my cup of hot chocolate. The last time I counted, there were only four teens in this entire house. Those teens were Gerard, Mikey, this new guy Joe, and I. If we were the only people in this house younger than 18, why aren't we sticking together? That would make the most sense so we wouldn't be so bored the entire night.

Mom glanced over to me, giving me a sympathetic smile. I returned it, raising my cup of hot chocolate to her. She smiled again, motioning to the left side of me. I turned around to face the new person, Joe.

"Lillian is it?" he asked, leaning against the chair I sat on. I nodded, warming my hands with the cup.

"You know, you're really pretty," he stated, twirling a strand of my hair with his index finger.

I looked at him and blushed. "Thank you."

"It's never a problem sweetheart."

"Joe, can I talk to you?" Gerard asked from the stairway. My face lit up when I saw Gerard. Was he going to save me from boredom?

Joe and Gerard, the two half cousins headed for the stairs, leaving me alone again. I slumped back into the chair and closed my eyes. One thing I did notice is how cute Joe is. He styled his hair in short black spikes, his eyes a light mix of brown and green, and his smile was always a mysterious smirk. All around, I think I have a crush on Joe.

Gerard's Point Of View

Joe followed me to Mikey's room where he stole most of the apple pie and was devouring it in mere seconds. I shook my head at him. In less than two hours, he was going to complain about a stomachache.

Right now, that didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that I needed to talk to Joe. He followed me into the room with a smile on his face. I wanted to slap it off him but settled for pushing him rather hard into the room. He grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

I closed the door and stayed quiet making sure no else was coming up here. Confident that no one was up here besides the three of us, I stabbed Joe's shoulder with my finger numerous times.

"Don't hit on her!" I growled.

"Why not? Her mom told me she's single," Joe replied.

"So? I like her okay?"

"OH MY GOD, YOU DO?! I KNEW IT! I'M TELLING HER!" Mikey screeched, running to the door.

Joe and I decided on a five-minute treaty and chased after Mikey. I found him at the foot of the stairs who caught Lilly's attention.

"He like y-" Joe and I pulled Mikey backwards, sending him falling against the steps.

Lilly raised her eyebrow. "Gerard?"

I smiled weakly at her, holding a finger up. "He had too much candy, a little hyper you know. I’ll be back for you, I promise!"

She nodded. I pushed Mikey into the hallway, shushing him. "Don't tell her please! I'll give you my comics if you keep it a secret," I pleaded.

Mikey's eyes bulged out of the sockets, his glasses askew. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"Okay!"

He ran off stealing more cookies in the kitchen. I sighed, leaning against the wall. She almost found out, almost. What am I going to with myself?

Joe slapped my back. "Dude, what was that worth it? Giving him your stuff?"

"Yeah," I sighed, pulling at my hair. "She can't find out."

"Why not?"

"She's the only pretty girl I've ever gotten to be friends with and I can't lose that."

"You're only hurting yourself."

"I know that. I don't care." And I really don't. I would rather keep her as my friend than lose her to my feelings. It's only logical. I might never get over Lilly, but that's okay. She just needs to be happy. That is the only thing I'm concerned about when it comes to her. I won't get in the way of her happiness.