Under Jersey Skies

It’s Wednesday morning and I’m in Science with Gerard. Mrs Veriton is standing at the front of the classroom, rambling on about DNA, most of us aren’t listening, some with heads on tables practically falling asleep, some playing with lighters under their tables, some gossiping in low voices, others playing with their mobiles. I turn my attention to Gerard, who is sitting next to me. He’s drawing, what looks like him and his friends, it’s really good.

“Hey” I said, grabbing the paper out from under his hands.
“Jackie!” Gerard snapped, annoyed.
“Relax, I’m just looking” I said.

I trace my fingers around the lines. It’s even better up close, it’s a perfect cartoon replica of Gerard, Mikey, Frank, Ray and Bob.

“This is really good” I said.
“Thanks” said Gerard, taking his drawing back.
“I mean it Gerard” I said.

Gerard looks at me and smiles.

“I’ve always wanted to be a comic book artist” he said.
“And you could make it! You’re really good!” I said.
“Thanks” replied Gerard.

“Got that class?” said Mrs Veriton, finishing her boring talk on DNA.

Suddenly everyone snapped to her attention in an attempt to avoid getting a detention.

“Well then you shouldn’t have any trouble completing this worksheet” she continued, and began to walk around the classroom, handing out worksheets to everyone.

As she returned to her desk, Sean Walters taped a “Kick Me!” sign to her back.
I tried to stifle a laugh, and Sean looks over at me and smiles, and puts a finger to his lips to warn me to keep quiet.
Suddenly his attention turns to Gerard, and with a scared and wide-eyed expression, Sean suddenly turns back around.
I look at Gerard just in time to see his narrowed eyes go back to normal, and then he goes back to drawing.

Well that was weird, maybe Sean just broke his concentration…

***

“Seeya!” says Frank, walking out of the school grounds.

School’s over for the day, and I bid my friends goodbye as one by one they all go home.

“See you tomorrow Jackie” says Gerard, brushing his hand over my shoulder as he walks past.

And then I’m on my own, waiting for Dad to come pick me up. I get bored and play with my mobile.

I check the time: 3:30.

I get my MP3 out and listen to a fair few songs.

I check the time: 4:00.

I sit down and get started on my Science homework, I finish the worksheet.

I check the time again: 4:30.

I grab a clean sheet of paper out of my Art folder and begin to draw.

When I’m halfway through, I check the time once again: 5:00.

Where the hell is Dad?

I hear footsteps approaching and I look up to see a boy with shoulder length black hair, hazel eyes, dressed in an Iron Maiden t-shirt, black jeans and black steel capped boots looking down at me.

“Jackie? What’re you still doing here? It’s five o’clock! The sun’s on it’s way down” says Gerard, pointing at the sky, which has now become a sea of blue, purple, pink & orange.
“Dad hasn’t come to pick me up yet” I say in a low and tired voice.
“Get up, I’ll take you home” says Gerard, holding out his hand.

I take one look in his hazel eyes, with the wind blowing his hair across his face, and somehow I know I can trust him. I take his hand and he pulls me to my feet.

“So did your Dad have anything to do today?” Gerard asks as we begin the walk home.
“Not that I know of, why?” I reply.
“Cuz I was gonna say that if he was doing something that might be the reason why he’s so late” says Gerard.
“Hmm, hey, why were you walking back to school anyway?” I ask.
“Oh, I was coming home from Frank’s house, we had band practice this afternoon” Gerard explains.
“Where’s Mikey?” I ask.
“Still at Frank’s, they’re heading out for dinner” says Gerard.
“Why aren’t you going with them?” I ask.
“Because I’m tired” laughs Gerard.
“Besides, I got a comic to work on” he adds.
“Really?” I say.
“Yeah, it’s called The Umbrella Academy” says Gerard.
“Awesome” I say.
“Yeah, maybe I’ll show you sometime” Gerard says, smiling at me.

We walk in silence for awhile, until Gerard suddenly pulls me to a halt.

“Look, wet concrete” he says, releasing his hold on my hips.
“We should leave something here, you know, so when it dries it’ll preserve our mark forever” says Gerard, grabbing a stick off the ground.

He draws a really graphic looking skull, and writes “Gerard Way Was Here” under it. He looks up at me and smiles.

“C’mon, draw something” he says, passing me a stick.

I take it and kneel down beside him. I draw a heart with an arrow going through it, and write “Jackie James” in cursive inside it.

“Naww, pretty” says Gerard, with a little giggle.

He stands up, then helps me to my feet. We continue the walk home, talking about music. Gerard stops suddenly, and I stop too.

“What?” I ask.
“You’ve got a ladybug in your hair!” he laughs, lifting it out with his finger and putting it down on the ground.

“There, that’s better” he says, standing up straight again.
“Ok, well maybe this time we can walk for more than five minutes without stopping” I joke.
“Hey!” says Gerard, slapping me playfully.
“Jerk!” I say, punching him, I quickly run ahead, with Gerard following close behind me.
“GOTCHA!” says Gerard, catching up and throwing his arms around me, pulling me to the ground.

Through immense laughter, I look up at Gerard, with his long black hair forming a curtain around us. He smiles.

“Ha-ha. I caught you” he teases.
“That you did” I laugh.

A cheeky smirk forms on his lips, and his eyes soften. He leans in closer, and for a moment his lips brush against mine, but he quickly pulls back and sits up, covering his face with his hand.

“What the hell am I doing?” he asks himself.
“Gerard, it’s okay” I say.
“No, it’s not okay, what about Jess?” Gerard replies.

I sit up and put my hand on Gerard’s shoulder.

“Really Gerard, it’s fine, it was just a silly mistake, it’ll be our little secret, Jess will never know, just as long as it doesn’t happen again” I tell him.
“Hmm” Gerard sighs, his face still hidden behind a curtain of hair.
“Gerard” I say gently, brushing his hair back so I can see his face.

Gerard smiles.

“You’re a great friend Jackie” he says.

I stand up, and hold out my hand for him.

“C’mon, we still got at least half an hour’s walk left, and it’s getting dark” I say.

Gerard takes my hand and I pull him to his feet, yet when he stands up, he doesn’t let go of my hand. We continue to walk, as the orange colored sky slowly turns to navy blue…