Touched by Angels, Though I Fall out of Grace
An Arm For An Arm
Gerard’s POV
The weekend came and went in a blur; Mikey and Frank were doing their normal things except this time Gabriel was with them. I came downstairs on Saturday morning and saw him sitting on our couch looking so out of place in our messy, dirty house. I don’t think he cared about what our house looked like, he was just here to have fun and hang out with some friends though that seems so weird to say Gabriel and ‘hanging out’ in the same sentence. He just seems so… oh I don’t know it just doesn’t fit, he shouldn’t be hanging around with the likes of us or talking to us at any point he should be partying with the jocks or something, he just doesn’t fit and yet in a weird way he does, oh this is so confusing!
Gabriel came around a few times that weekend; after he left on Saturday we all cleaned the house so it was almost spotless it started to scared me every time I turned the corner into the lounge and kitchen I never expected to see it so clean. It wasn’t normal for our house to be so clean but it was good that it finally got cleaned after months of us living in a pigsty. Our mother would clean a little before she left for work but nothing much when I woke on Sunday morning there was a note from her saying thank you, but that was it. That was the most she has ‘said’ to us in months, you know I don’t think our father is away I actually think he and our mother are going through separation and just don’t want to tell us. I’ve thought about moving out but I don’t see the point, kids move out so they can get away from their parents but my parents aren’t ever here so that’s great and I don’t have to pay rent or buy food.
Monday was a pretty interesting day if I do say so myself. It was just after third period I think and I was walking towards my next class, which was art and I saw Aiden being trailed by a rather large group of sluts/the jocks girlfriends. They were shouting things at her and then one of them threw a bottle at the back of her head but she didn’t do a thing she just kept walking, I ran towards them
“Hey sluts fuck off,” I yelled as I got between Aiden and them
“Ohh…” they chimed in choirs
“Sticking up for you’re girlfriend are you fag?” Kelly spat at me; she was like their ‘leader’
“Now how does that work? You call me a fag yet think she’s my girlfriend. Aren’t fags gay?” I asked them trying to confuse them which wasn’t hard
“Well… fuck you fag,” she said as she put her middle finger up and then stormed away with all her friends, I turned around to look at Aiden. She was staring at me puzzled and confused
“Why?” she asked me simply, her voice was so commanding but soft
“Because I know what it’s like, though normally the jocks just go straight for beating me” I shrugged and looked at her, her hood was pulled over her head and she was wearing her normal dark makeup, I was wondering what she’d look like without all the makeup on when she answered
“Well um… thank you I suppose. I must be off to class now so goodbye” she replied emotionlessly and then turned and walked away, as I’ve said before she’s weird. It was like no one had ever done that for her which I find is very hard to believe, actually what I find is harder to believe is that those sluts were picking on her, though they’re probably jealous of her beauty.
I was waiting by my car after school like normal when the jocks came up, I threw my smoke down, I’ve learnt that if I have a smoke lit when they beat me it normally burns me not them
“Hey fag I heard you were beating up on my girlfriend this morning” he yelled from a few meters back, I knew I was going to get beaten up and I was never one to keep my mouth closed anyway
“I wasn’t ‘beating up’ on her I was merely asking her a question on her use of words” I answered, well it was the truth I didn’t lay a finger on her never have and never will
“Don’t be smart fag” he was right in my face now, I knew I was about a second away from being smashed so I though I’d get my two cents in first
“Sorry I can’t help it, I have a brain unlike you” a second after I said that I felt a fist collide with the side on my face, it was oddly familiar especially for me. I fell to the ground and then he kicked me in the stomach a few times and then someone said something that made him stop
“Baby doll let me finish with this then you can talk to me” he said and then kicked me again, I didn’t hear the voice the first time but the second time I knew exactly who it was, there was no mistaking her voice
“Stop it now” she said, not yelled just said in her commanding, warning voice there was no softness to it this time just power. Mike the jock who was beating me stopped and took a few steps back, he gave me enough room to sit up and lean against my car.
“Look Way your girlfriend is here to save you,” he said and then laughed his head off, I stood up holding my ribs no matter how many times he’s done this to me it still hurts every time. I stood there wondering if I was the only one who heard the warning in her voice or if Mike was really as stupid as he’s seemed. He turned towards me again and punched me again, this time it wasn’t as hard and I didn’t fall to the ground but I did have to hold onto the car, when I opened my eyes again Aiden was standing right next to me and all of Mike’s friends had disappeared
“Leave Gerard alone, now!” she growled at him, I couldn’t see her face and I didn’t want to. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her so I didn’t see when Mike disappeared, she turned to me when he was gone
“Are you… okay?” she asked unsure if what she said was right and then she smiled at me, her smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, it was like the first rays of sunshine after months of cloud and rain
“Yeah I’m fine, thanks” I smiled at her, at that point I didn’t even think about how she made Mike go away.
“Hey guys” Mikey, Frank and Gabriel came towards us
“Hello” Aiden answered them in her normal fashion; her smile was gone
“Gerard are you okay? Did the jocks get you again?” Mikey asked me as he came towards me, he touched my head and then I felt the pain. I brought my hand up to my head and gently felt the wound; it was bleeding
“Not again” I said to myself, Gabriel smiled awkwardly
“We better get home” I said as I licked the blood off my fingers
“Yes you should do that and so should we” Aiden said her voice was very harsh and ridged
“Goodbye” Gabriel said to us he was acting very ridged as well and then they quickly walked off. I got in the car and waited while Mikey and Frank took their time, I was use to bleeding so I didn’t mind so much but I still wanted to get it cleaned up.
The weekend came and went in a blur; Mikey and Frank were doing their normal things except this time Gabriel was with them. I came downstairs on Saturday morning and saw him sitting on our couch looking so out of place in our messy, dirty house. I don’t think he cared about what our house looked like, he was just here to have fun and hang out with some friends though that seems so weird to say Gabriel and ‘hanging out’ in the same sentence. He just seems so… oh I don’t know it just doesn’t fit, he shouldn’t be hanging around with the likes of us or talking to us at any point he should be partying with the jocks or something, he just doesn’t fit and yet in a weird way he does, oh this is so confusing!
Gabriel came around a few times that weekend; after he left on Saturday we all cleaned the house so it was almost spotless it started to scared me every time I turned the corner into the lounge and kitchen I never expected to see it so clean. It wasn’t normal for our house to be so clean but it was good that it finally got cleaned after months of us living in a pigsty. Our mother would clean a little before she left for work but nothing much when I woke on Sunday morning there was a note from her saying thank you, but that was it. That was the most she has ‘said’ to us in months, you know I don’t think our father is away I actually think he and our mother are going through separation and just don’t want to tell us. I’ve thought about moving out but I don’t see the point, kids move out so they can get away from their parents but my parents aren’t ever here so that’s great and I don’t have to pay rent or buy food.
Monday was a pretty interesting day if I do say so myself. It was just after third period I think and I was walking towards my next class, which was art and I saw Aiden being trailed by a rather large group of sluts/the jocks girlfriends. They were shouting things at her and then one of them threw a bottle at the back of her head but she didn’t do a thing she just kept walking, I ran towards them
“Hey sluts fuck off,” I yelled as I got between Aiden and them
“Ohh…” they chimed in choirs
“Sticking up for you’re girlfriend are you fag?” Kelly spat at me; she was like their ‘leader’
“Now how does that work? You call me a fag yet think she’s my girlfriend. Aren’t fags gay?” I asked them trying to confuse them which wasn’t hard
“Well… fuck you fag,” she said as she put her middle finger up and then stormed away with all her friends, I turned around to look at Aiden. She was staring at me puzzled and confused
“Why?” she asked me simply, her voice was so commanding but soft
“Because I know what it’s like, though normally the jocks just go straight for beating me” I shrugged and looked at her, her hood was pulled over her head and she was wearing her normal dark makeup, I was wondering what she’d look like without all the makeup on when she answered
“Well um… thank you I suppose. I must be off to class now so goodbye” she replied emotionlessly and then turned and walked away, as I’ve said before she’s weird. It was like no one had ever done that for her which I find is very hard to believe, actually what I find is harder to believe is that those sluts were picking on her, though they’re probably jealous of her beauty.
I was waiting by my car after school like normal when the jocks came up, I threw my smoke down, I’ve learnt that if I have a smoke lit when they beat me it normally burns me not them
“Hey fag I heard you were beating up on my girlfriend this morning” he yelled from a few meters back, I knew I was going to get beaten up and I was never one to keep my mouth closed anyway
“I wasn’t ‘beating up’ on her I was merely asking her a question on her use of words” I answered, well it was the truth I didn’t lay a finger on her never have and never will
“Don’t be smart fag” he was right in my face now, I knew I was about a second away from being smashed so I though I’d get my two cents in first
“Sorry I can’t help it, I have a brain unlike you” a second after I said that I felt a fist collide with the side on my face, it was oddly familiar especially for me. I fell to the ground and then he kicked me in the stomach a few times and then someone said something that made him stop
“Baby doll let me finish with this then you can talk to me” he said and then kicked me again, I didn’t hear the voice the first time but the second time I knew exactly who it was, there was no mistaking her voice
“Stop it now” she said, not yelled just said in her commanding, warning voice there was no softness to it this time just power. Mike the jock who was beating me stopped and took a few steps back, he gave me enough room to sit up and lean against my car.
“Look Way your girlfriend is here to save you,” he said and then laughed his head off, I stood up holding my ribs no matter how many times he’s done this to me it still hurts every time. I stood there wondering if I was the only one who heard the warning in her voice or if Mike was really as stupid as he’s seemed. He turned towards me again and punched me again, this time it wasn’t as hard and I didn’t fall to the ground but I did have to hold onto the car, when I opened my eyes again Aiden was standing right next to me and all of Mike’s friends had disappeared
“Leave Gerard alone, now!” she growled at him, I couldn’t see her face and I didn’t want to. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her so I didn’t see when Mike disappeared, she turned to me when he was gone
“Are you… okay?” she asked unsure if what she said was right and then she smiled at me, her smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, it was like the first rays of sunshine after months of cloud and rain
“Yeah I’m fine, thanks” I smiled at her, at that point I didn’t even think about how she made Mike go away.
“Hey guys” Mikey, Frank and Gabriel came towards us
“Hello” Aiden answered them in her normal fashion; her smile was gone
“Gerard are you okay? Did the jocks get you again?” Mikey asked me as he came towards me, he touched my head and then I felt the pain. I brought my hand up to my head and gently felt the wound; it was bleeding
“Not again” I said to myself, Gabriel smiled awkwardly
“We better get home” I said as I licked the blood off my fingers
“Yes you should do that and so should we” Aiden said her voice was very harsh and ridged
“Goodbye” Gabriel said to us he was acting very ridged as well and then they quickly walked off. I got in the car and waited while Mikey and Frank took their time, I was use to bleeding so I didn’t mind so much but I still wanted to get it cleaned up.