Did We All Fall Down, Well After All

::A Few Hours Later::

I was dead tired. Video games, head banging with Ray, DDR, mini mosh pits, screaming, dancing, chasing Frank for the bag of skittles, trying to beat Mikey in Guitar Hero.

"Can we have cake now?" I asked childishly from Bert's back, which I had been sitting on, resting, for about ten minutes.

"Cake!" Frank shouted. Dad went over to the microphone.

"Everyone shut the fuck up. Alicia, go get the cake!" She walked over to the side of the room and pulled out a large white box and set it on the table. With the help of grandma, she pulled out the cake. Everyone crowded around to look at it. I looked at the picture on top and smiled.

"Gerard, did you draw that?" someone asked.

"Yes. And I baked the cake too." Alicia started to light the candles.

"No one eat it!! He probably put blood in it!" Ray shouted, causing everyone to laugh. He just rolled his eyes and slowly started the traditional song.

"Happy Birthday to you. . ." As he sang I looked around at all the people. Grandma smiled next to Alicia and Jamia. Frank, Bob, Mikey, Quinn, Jeph, Matt, Adam, and Mark were all shouting the song louder than everyone else. Ray was holding on to Krista. I'm guessing they had some how hit it off while I was gone. Bert came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, starting to sway back and forth. ". . .Happy Birthday to you!!" I blew out the candles, and everyone cheered.

::A Little Later::

All of us had eaten our fair share of cake, and I was now bouncing up and down due to the huge sugar rush that had slammed into me a few minutes prior.

"Presents! Presents!! Presents!!!" I chanted. Frank joined in with me. I ran over to the microphone and started to chant into with him louder and louder.

"Now?" Dad asked. I nodded my head violently. "Are you sure?"

"Fuck, come on!!" He laughed.

"Alright. Go for it," he said motioning his head to the pile in a different corner. I had been stalking it earlier, but was scolded by Grandma, telling me not to ruin my surprises. I opened each gift, thanking every person even if I didn't know them one hundred percent. Soon, I came to the presents from the people I knew best. Jeph and Quinn had bought me a The Used hoodie and a box of mac-and-cheese and a bottle of salsa. I smirked over to Bert as I saw it. Alicia and Jamia got me a lot of clothes and a $25 gift certificate to Hot Topic. Grandma got me a snuggle blanket that she had made herself. Bob got me seven CDs and Bose headphones and a new pair of converse. My old pair had been lost somewhere back in Texas. Ray got me a scary movie and a PSP. Frank got me a cell phone and a care bear. Mikey got me a computer and a stuffed unicorn, a little smaller than his own. All of the electronics made me feel spoiled, but I kind of was at the moment. I didn't have any of the stuff though, and I needed it. Well, I needed the cell phone. The rest of the stuff was just added bonuses.

"Here," Bert handed me a small box. "I didn't feel like wrapping this one. Do you remember when you were over at my apartment?" I nodded. "You remember the song I wrote for you?" Smother Me. Of course I remembered. I nodded my head again. He handed me a CD. "We recorded the song early for you." I gasped.

"Listen to it!" Jeph shouted.

"I am! I am!" I yelled before quickly hugging Bert and taking it out of its case and running over to the CD player. I opened it up and pressed play. No one else had heard the song, so everyone was quiet as it played.

Let me be the one who calls you baby all the time
Surely you can take some comfort knowing that you're mine
Just hold me tight, lay by my side
and let me be the one who calls you baby all the time

I found my place in the world
Could stare at your face for the rest of my days
Now I can breathe, turn my insides out
and smother me
Warm and alive I'm all over you
would you smother me?

Let me be the one who never leaves you all alone
I hold my breath and lose the feeling that I'm on my own
Hold me too tight, stay by my side
and let me be the one who calls you baby all the time

I found my place in the world
Could stare at your face for the rest of my days
Now I can breathe, turn my insides out
and smother me
Warm and alive I'm all over you
would you smother me?
Smother me
Smother me

When I'm alone time goes so slow
I need you here with me
and how my mistakes have made your heart break
Still I need you here with me
So baby I'm, baby I'm here

Now I can breathe, turn my insides out
and smother me
Warm and alive I'm all over you
would you smother me?

Now I can breathe, turn my insides out
and smother me
Warm and alive I'm all over you
would you smother me?
Smother me
Smother me

Let me be the one who calls you baby all the time
Let me be the one who calls you baby all the time
Let me be the one who calls you baby
The one who calls you baby

"Awwwww," everyone said as it ended. I had gone over to Bert and leaned up against him during the middle of it. I buried my head in his chest to cover my ridiculously happy smile.

"Thank you," I laughed, I was too happy to control it.

"There's more." I sat up as Quinn handed him another box. I looked at it, small, rectangular. Slowly, I opened it and my eyes lit up.

"Oh my. . . . are they real?"

"As real as my love for you," I playfully hit him for his cheesy remark and pulled out the object. Alicia and Jamia gasped.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." It was a diamond bracelet. Bert draped it over my wrist and clasped it around my skin.

"It's so beautiful." I looked up from it and smiled, leaning forward to kiss him.

"I knew you'd like it."

"Like it? I love it!" I kissed him once more, lasting a little longer than the last, before standing up and looking over at Dad.

"You're turn," I said. He motioned for me to come over to him. I took the chair next to him and sat down.

"You remember the first time we ever met, you said that you wanted to tell everyone your story so that people who are going through the same thing as you can have confidence that it'll all be okay in the end?" I nodded my head slowly, not understanding where he was going with this. "I got my friend Steven to let you come onto his show and tell your story." My eyes widened.

"You. . . .I . . . get to help people?"

"You get to help people." I screamed with excitement and jumped onto him, knocking him out of his chair while hugging.

"Oh My God!!!" Tears slowly crept into the corners of my eyes, but I wiped them away before they could fall. He knew it was my dream to tell people about me and help them get through hardships. But, to go on national television that could later be posted all over the web. . . . words can not describe. That's millions of people.

"There's more." I sat up.

"More!!?" He looked over to the door and nodded his head to Worm. He opened the door, and in walked a man. I felt that I had seen him somewhere, but could not remember when. After a few seconds of studying him, I screamed even louder than before, recognizing his smiling face.

"CHARLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!"