School Will Never Be the Same

“Look, he’s coming back and that, Max, guy is fine, he’s running and everything.” Mikey said. “Gee don’t look all too happy though. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gerard said as soon as his door was closed.

“And apparently him.” Mikey mumbled.

“Where is the point in getting you all mad for an empty threat. They haven’t been following me,” I hope, “and I only saw Max once, at a petrol station and he didn’t lay a finger on me. To me it was no big deal and so I thought there was no reason to involve you, it was before you asked me to be your girlfriend as well.”

“You said, no you promised, that if they found you that you would come and find me.” Gerard said, he hadn’t looked at me once.

“I promised I would come and find you at school.”

“Well this time, promise me that you will tell me if anything happens anywhere with them, or anyone. Ok? I want to know, when someone hurts or threatens you or anything like that, ok?” Gerard said looking at me properly for the first time since he got in the car.

“Ok,” I mumbled. It was a mistake not to tell him. We may not have been in a relationship then but he had made me promise and I am lucky that Gerard was around this time, it could have been a lot worse if he wasn’t there.

“Now that’s all cleared up can we skip the awkward silence and get on with our day please.” Mikey said from the back seat.

It wasn’t busy for a weekend in the Christmas break, but we preferred it that way, less queues and angry shoppers. Gerard and I held hands, it was weird holding hands in public, I have never done that for a long period of time with him before. Always just to the car or sitting around. Holding his hand felt nice though.

“Where to first?” I asked the boys. They were the ones shopping, I wasn’t planning on buying anything but I didn’t mind buying something if I saw something I wanted.

“Mikey?” Gerard said turning to see his brother.

“I don’t know what’s here, why don’t we just start at the beginning and work our way round.” We went with Mikey’s plan and just started in a random shop. We ended up in Boots, a cosmetic place which sells make up and shampoo and all things like that. I wondered why Gerard had insisted on coming in here, he practically dragged me, Mikey seemed to be in on the secret.

“Just come on, it’s just over here,” he said pulling me to the back. “See.” We stood in front of the hair dye isle. “Now close your eyes, I have to find the two choices.” Gerard didn’t trust that I would just close them, he made me place my hands over my eyes. He was making choosing his new hair colour a big deal. “Open them.” I moved my hands and I got a bit of a shock by the colours he had picked. He had narrowed it down to a bright red, the kind you see in bad horror movies when they need fake blood. His other choice was what he had now, black. “My roots are beginning to show but I have wanted to re dye my hair this colour for a long time. This was my hair colour for a long time when I was younger, I wanted to check with you first though.”

I was in slight shock at first, I had never thought Gerard would have that kind of colour hair. “Would the school let you have a hair colour like that?” Although I know a few girls who used to go to my school with hair brighter than that.

“I checked, no one has said I can’t.” I looked at Gerard’s face, I haven’t seen him so excited over something like hair dye before. I couldn’t imagine him like that, I hadn’t seen pictures of him from his younger years with that hair colour. “So, black or red?”

“Red,” I smiled, “I want to see you with hair that bright.” He just grew happier, this hair dye stuff seemed to be a big deal to him. He kissed me on the cheek and skipped off to buy the stuff.

We went to book shops, where I spent a portion of my pay check and Mikey found a few things he wanted. I found him looking over the graphic novel section when I was done, I had a big stack of books in my arms and I was going to round up the boys and see if they were done. Mikey was on one side of the rack while Gerard was on the other.

“Do you think Frankie would like this one?” Mikey asked holding up a copy of The Watchmen.

“Mikes, do you never pay attention, he has red that about fifty times, he’s ready nearly all of these. Frank Iero has got to be one of the most difficult people to get an English graphic novel for, considering he seems to be able to get them anyway.” Gerard said, this Frank guy must love his comic books then.

“Marvel zombies?” I suggested. Zombie novels are some of my favourites.

“Several times,” they found a Stephen King graphic novel thing they were sure he had never even heard of before.

“What did you buy Natalie?” Mikey asked me when he had paid for this Frank guys comic and a few other things he was getting.

“A few books I thought looked good.” I smiled, Gerard looked at my stack.

“And yet another Stephen King novel, you should see this girls collection.”

“So who is this Frank guy?” I asked walking hand in hand with Gerard to the food court. The day had been going great so far, Mikey had complained about us not feeding him, so to the food court we went. I had to admit I could do with eating.

“A friend of ours, lives in New Jersey, I haven’t talked to the guy in forever, how is he Mikey? I might email him tonight.” Gerard said.

“He’s great, his wife just had twins.”

“Awww,” Gerard and I said in unison, which made Mikey pretend to gag a little. “We’ll have to get him a baby present too.” Gerard said as we sat down.

I got a burger and chips, Mikey got pizza and Gerard got KFC.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” I heard Kayla’s voice ask. “Natalie, her new boyfriend and Mr. Way.” Twice in one day, my luck was against me today.