Everyone Learns Faster On Fire
Chapter 36: 10th May 2006
“And here the little spy is!” Gerard beamed and pulled Mikey into a bone crushing brotherly hug. “Go on then. Say it! Say ‘The name’s Way…Mikey Way.’”
It was late afternoon, 4:43PM to be precise, and Gerard had just dropped Frank off at his apartment and drove to Mikey’s house. When he saw who was ringing the bell through the front room window, Mikey’s heart sunk. It was the very first time in all he could remember where he had been disappointed to see his brother.
When Mikey did not say the corny movie quote or even smile in the slightest, Gerard let go of him in concern. “Is everything okay? You did get the pictures from earlier, didn’t you?”
“Yeah…I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.” Mikey lied. Tired of Gerard’s stupid plan more like.
Gerard stepped into his brother’s house, removed his jacket and wandered into the living room. He could hear Alicia humming along to a tune playing on the radio in the kitchen next door. He hoped she wouldn’t disturb them.
“You almost got caught out by Frank.” Gerard said, sitting down by the window. “Who called you anyway? They could’ve blown it for us if Frank saw through your disguise!”
Mikey didn’t seem to be listening. He was standing in the doorway and searching through his messenger bag. He eventually stepped over to the small table beside his brother, removed the empty glass and one of Alicia’s girly magazines from it, and poured out all the contents of his bag onto it’s mahogany surface. Gerard’s eyes grew wide. Mikey must’ve taken about thirty or forty pictures of him and Frank that afternoon. Gerard flicked through them and marvelled at his brother’s ability to take such good quality photographs from such a far distance. He was practically drooling. He had no idea that he and Frank looked so hot together.
“Wow Mikey.” He sat on the edge of his seat, eyes wide and admiring a picture of Frank kissing his neck. “Have you ever considered doing any photography? Whenever I take pictures, I always manage to screw up somehow. I always end up getting my finger over the lens or moving the camera too quickly so it goes blurry. You’re a star!”
Gerard got up from the armchair and hugged his brother again. Mikey stood rigidly and didn‘t react to the compliment, but Gerard didn’t seem to notice.
“Now, all you’ve got to do is shove these in an envelope and post them through the door to Jamia when Frank’s out. One of those big Jiffy bags should do it. There’s no need to mail it or anything…Mikey, seriously what’s up?”
“I’m not doing this anymore. I’ve done enough already.” The younger sibling said quietly, staring at his feet. “Gerard, I love you and everything, but this is too much. Frank is going to find out that this was a big set up and he’s going to hate us.”
Gerard was still looking at the photographs with a smile on his face. It was going to be difficult for Mikey to convince him that what he was doing was wrong.
“But he won’t find out.” Gerard assured him, putting his strong hand on this shoulder. “It’s not like you’re signing it from you or anything!”
Mikey sighed and picked the photographs up. “I’ve tried telling you, but I’m not going to be involved anymore.” He put the photographs in a plastic bag and handed it to Gerard. “You do it. I just can’t do this anymore! I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I was the one who broke Frank and Jamia up!”
Gerard found it difficult to control his anger. His fists clenched and he raised his voice by a few octaves. “But you’re not breaking them up! It’s got to happen anyway! Do you think I want to live my life sharing my man with another woman?! They’ve got to break up sometime, whether you like it or not, whether Frank likes it or not, or whether Jamia herself likes it or not!”
“You’re not going to bully me into doing this Gerard! I don’t even know why I had to get involved into something so-”
“Er…is everything alright guys?”
The Way brothers spun around in unison. Alicia had appeared at the door with her kitten cradled in her arms. Her cheeks had a slight pink tinge, like the sort of colour you turned when you had walked in on a scene that you were not supposed to see.
Mikey was the first to speak. “Yeah, everything’s fine honey. Just a little brotherly quarrel, nothing to worry about.”
She raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t seem like nothing to me. Are you sure you’re not killing each other?”
Gerard hid the plastic bag behind his back. “It’s fine, Alicia. Me and Mikey always argue like this. It’s just what brothers do.”
She didn’t look convinced. She had heard some rather suspicious things about Frank and Jamia breaking up. She hoped everything was okay with them, they were too cute a couple to part ways. She looked into her kitten’s big green eyes and turned to leave the room. “Well if you’re sure. If you start trying to murder each other, please call me first. I don‘t want blood all over the carpet.”
Once she had left the room and safely shut the door firmly behind her, Gerard spoke quietly and assertively. “Fine then. If you won’t do it then I will. I really thought you would help me out with this, Mikey. I thought I could count on you. Do you think this is easy for me? Like you, I don’t exactly want to hurt another human being, but sometimes things like this have to be done.”
He snatched his jacket up from the arm of the chair and made his way to the door. Mikey didn’t go after him, he just stood silently in the middle of the room, looking down at his feet. He only looked up when he heard the front door slam, footsteps down the path and the sound of the car engine starting.
Mikey collapsed on the sofa behind him. He needed a coffee, but he couldn’t be bothered to get up. It had been a long day, a very long day, and now his brother hated him. Isn’t life just great?
It was late afternoon, 4:43PM to be precise, and Gerard had just dropped Frank off at his apartment and drove to Mikey’s house. When he saw who was ringing the bell through the front room window, Mikey’s heart sunk. It was the very first time in all he could remember where he had been disappointed to see his brother.
When Mikey did not say the corny movie quote or even smile in the slightest, Gerard let go of him in concern. “Is everything okay? You did get the pictures from earlier, didn’t you?”
“Yeah…I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.” Mikey lied. Tired of Gerard’s stupid plan more like.
Gerard stepped into his brother’s house, removed his jacket and wandered into the living room. He could hear Alicia humming along to a tune playing on the radio in the kitchen next door. He hoped she wouldn’t disturb them.
“You almost got caught out by Frank.” Gerard said, sitting down by the window. “Who called you anyway? They could’ve blown it for us if Frank saw through your disguise!”
Mikey didn’t seem to be listening. He was standing in the doorway and searching through his messenger bag. He eventually stepped over to the small table beside his brother, removed the empty glass and one of Alicia’s girly magazines from it, and poured out all the contents of his bag onto it’s mahogany surface. Gerard’s eyes grew wide. Mikey must’ve taken about thirty or forty pictures of him and Frank that afternoon. Gerard flicked through them and marvelled at his brother’s ability to take such good quality photographs from such a far distance. He was practically drooling. He had no idea that he and Frank looked so hot together.
“Wow Mikey.” He sat on the edge of his seat, eyes wide and admiring a picture of Frank kissing his neck. “Have you ever considered doing any photography? Whenever I take pictures, I always manage to screw up somehow. I always end up getting my finger over the lens or moving the camera too quickly so it goes blurry. You’re a star!”
Gerard got up from the armchair and hugged his brother again. Mikey stood rigidly and didn‘t react to the compliment, but Gerard didn’t seem to notice.
“Now, all you’ve got to do is shove these in an envelope and post them through the door to Jamia when Frank’s out. One of those big Jiffy bags should do it. There’s no need to mail it or anything…Mikey, seriously what’s up?”
“I’m not doing this anymore. I’ve done enough already.” The younger sibling said quietly, staring at his feet. “Gerard, I love you and everything, but this is too much. Frank is going to find out that this was a big set up and he’s going to hate us.”
Gerard was still looking at the photographs with a smile on his face. It was going to be difficult for Mikey to convince him that what he was doing was wrong.
“But he won’t find out.” Gerard assured him, putting his strong hand on this shoulder. “It’s not like you’re signing it from you or anything!”
Mikey sighed and picked the photographs up. “I’ve tried telling you, but I’m not going to be involved anymore.” He put the photographs in a plastic bag and handed it to Gerard. “You do it. I just can’t do this anymore! I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I was the one who broke Frank and Jamia up!”
Gerard found it difficult to control his anger. His fists clenched and he raised his voice by a few octaves. “But you’re not breaking them up! It’s got to happen anyway! Do you think I want to live my life sharing my man with another woman?! They’ve got to break up sometime, whether you like it or not, whether Frank likes it or not, or whether Jamia herself likes it or not!”
“You’re not going to bully me into doing this Gerard! I don’t even know why I had to get involved into something so-”
“Er…is everything alright guys?”
The Way brothers spun around in unison. Alicia had appeared at the door with her kitten cradled in her arms. Her cheeks had a slight pink tinge, like the sort of colour you turned when you had walked in on a scene that you were not supposed to see.
Mikey was the first to speak. “Yeah, everything’s fine honey. Just a little brotherly quarrel, nothing to worry about.”
She raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t seem like nothing to me. Are you sure you’re not killing each other?”
Gerard hid the plastic bag behind his back. “It’s fine, Alicia. Me and Mikey always argue like this. It’s just what brothers do.”
She didn’t look convinced. She had heard some rather suspicious things about Frank and Jamia breaking up. She hoped everything was okay with them, they were too cute a couple to part ways. She looked into her kitten’s big green eyes and turned to leave the room. “Well if you’re sure. If you start trying to murder each other, please call me first. I don‘t want blood all over the carpet.”
Once she had left the room and safely shut the door firmly behind her, Gerard spoke quietly and assertively. “Fine then. If you won’t do it then I will. I really thought you would help me out with this, Mikey. I thought I could count on you. Do you think this is easy for me? Like you, I don’t exactly want to hurt another human being, but sometimes things like this have to be done.”
He snatched his jacket up from the arm of the chair and made his way to the door. Mikey didn’t go after him, he just stood silently in the middle of the room, looking down at his feet. He only looked up when he heard the front door slam, footsteps down the path and the sound of the car engine starting.
Mikey collapsed on the sofa behind him. He needed a coffee, but he couldn’t be bothered to get up. It had been a long day, a very long day, and now his brother hated him. Isn’t life just great?