Into Your Icy Blues
Ten.
January 1, 2007
Jade awoke to the sound of retching. Scrunched up her nose, she padded into the bathroom next to the guest room where she found Alicia "praising the porcelain gods," so to speak. Rolling her eyes, Jade hurried over to the girl and pulled her hair out of her face, knowing she would probably regret it. Just as she expected, as soon the girl had emptied her stomach, she stood up, flushed the toilet, and left.
"You're welcome," Jade scowled after her. Pulling herself to her feet, she went back to the guest room where she quickly dressed and slipped on shoes.
"I'm going over to Frank's," she told Gerard, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading what looked like a comic.
"Why?" A sly smirk had made its way onto the man's face.
"To see my dog and my brother, dumbass. Be back later." And with that, she stepped outside and into the rental car she and her brother had been using for the past few days.
When she arrived at the house, she approached the front door and knocked loudly a few times. Several moments later, the door was yanked open by a very tired looking Frank Iero.
"Wha'?" he got out, rubbing fervently at his eyes. "Bob's not 'ere."
"My dog is," Jade retorted, pushing past the man and entering the house. Not seeing her dog anywhere in the front room, she continued searching the first floor with Frank trailing behind her. Not having any luck, she ascending the stairs and headed toward what she assumed was the bedroom, stopping at the door. Blinking, Frank nearly crashed into her. Jade gestured at the door.
"What?"
"I'd rather not walk in on a naked girl."
"She's not here." Frank looked down at the floor as he pushed the door open. At the noise, several dogs looked up from his large bed, one of them being Kono, whose ears perked up at the sight of Jade.
"Hey boy," she cooed, rubbing between his ears. "How's my baby?"
"I think you like that dog more than me." At this, Jade frowned a bit.
"I don't hate you either, Frank."
Soon after Jade had opened her mouth, things had become awkward. Jade quickly collected her puppy and bid Frank farewell. Now, the two sat outside a Starbucks a few blocks away from his house. As she sipped at her vanilla latte, Jade wondered what exactly the man had meant when he had said that Jamia wasn't there. She had been there less than a day; how could they be in a fight? At this thought, Jade rolled her eyes - boys were nothing but trouble.
"Except you, boy," she rubbed Kono's head affectionately as he sat in her lap. "We're keeping you away from girl dogs once we go home, you hear? No heartbreakers in my family."
What Jade didn't realize, however, was how hypocritical this was coming from her. For Frank, simply being around her was enough to break his heart a little more, torn between his high school sweetheart and a girl that had known for few months. He felt awful for even thinking about Jade that way, but couldn't help himself. The worst part about it, though, was that she had never given him a second glance.
"Hey Gerard?" Jade had returned to the Way household and was now sitting between the brothers watching a black and white horror movie. The other two girls had left to do "girl stuff" and she opted not to put up with Alicia for however long.
"Hm?" came his distracted response.
"Why isn't Jamia at Frank's?" This caught the man's attention.
"What d’you mean?"
"I dunno. I mean, he just said she wasn't there, but it was really early in the morning. And he seemed upset. And why wouldn't she be with him on New Years Day?"
"I have no idea. I'm going over there." He quickly made his way over to the door where he pulled his jacket off the coat rack and grabbed his keys off of the table before hurrying out the door.
"He didn't say where she was?" Mikey questioned.
"Nope. He just said she wasn't there."
"Hm."
By that night, the two girls had returned armed with several full bags of clothes each, and Gerard had not. When she was told he had gone to Frank's, Eliza didn't seem worried and simply made her way down to the basement. With Alicia hooked onto Mikey's arm, Jade rapidly removed herself from the den. After a quick debate with herself, she decided to head upstairs, take a quick shower, and then retire to her room. Gerard didn't seem to be coming home any time soon.
As she was sliding under the cool covers, Jade's mind began to wander. She wondered why Gerard had been gone all day and then her mind drifted to Frank, before she mentally hit herself. With a final shake of her head, she fumbled around for her iPod before turning on the speakers that sat next to her bed and hitting shuffle.
I miss the part
When we were moving forward now
On our way down
But maybe someday
I'll be something more than love
Just know I'll never tell
The next morning, Jade was awoken by a wet tongue brushing against her cheek. Opening her eyes slowly, she was met with two baby blue eyes staring down at her. Smiling softly, she sat up and pulled the puppy into her lap.
"Where'd you come from, boy?"
"Frank brought him over this morning." Startled, she looked up to see her brother leaning against the doorway of her room.
"Oh," she replied softly. "Is he, um, okay? He seemed... not okay, yesterday."
"Not really. He got into another fight with Jamia."
"Oh." She looked back down at Kono, whose tail was wagging happily as if he hadn't a care in the world. Which, he probably didn't, the lucky dog that he was.
"It was about you, apparently." Bob wasn't done yet.
"Oh?" Jade attempted to sound disinterested. "What about me?"
"Not you directly. Well, yes, you directly. The little guy in your lap, actually."
"They had a fight about my dog?" Her eyebrows furrowed.
"They had an argument about Frank buying you your dog."
"Damn it! I told him not to, but he wouldn't budge. I'll talk to her, Bobby," she slid out of bed and stood up with Kono in her arms.
"Um, it's probably best you didn't, Jay," her brother said hesitantly. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him before making his way over to his sister. "Apparently she's pretty mad. You talking to her would probably only make it worse."
"Oh." What else was there to say? One of her brother's best friends was fighting with his fiancé about her, and it wasn't the first time. Biting her lip, she sat back down on her bed and was soon followed by her brother.
"I know you don't mean any harm," he began softly, wrapping an arm around her waist. "And you haven't done anything wrong. Jamia just gets a little... jealous, sometimes. She's really paranoid because of the whole rock star thing, and in her eyes, you're a threat to their relationship."
"Why?! All I've done is try to be nice to him. And if she loves him so much, shouldn't she trust him to keep it in his pants?"
"Jade." Bob scolded. "I don't think it's so much groupies she's worried about," he continued. "I think she's just worried about him falling for another girl." Jade's eyebrows immediately went up.
"Frank loves her."
"Yes, he does."
"Then what the hell is she so worried about?" Jade demanded. Her brother seemed to be thinking about something, and was silent for a minute.
"You," he said finally.
"Me," she mimicked monotonously.
"Yes."
"That's weird."
"Not really."
"No?"
"No."
"I think you're weird."
"I can feel the love."
"I feel it, too," her eyebrows batted mockingly up at her brother before she broke out into a grin. "Love you," she mumbled, wrapping her arms firmly around him.
"Love you, too, Jadey."
That's all she needed, she told herself firmly. She had an amazing dad and brother, a slightly obnoxious, but nonetheless loving mother, and she didn't need any boy in her life.
Jade awoke to the sound of retching. Scrunched up her nose, she padded into the bathroom next to the guest room where she found Alicia "praising the porcelain gods," so to speak. Rolling her eyes, Jade hurried over to the girl and pulled her hair out of her face, knowing she would probably regret it. Just as she expected, as soon the girl had emptied her stomach, she stood up, flushed the toilet, and left.
"You're welcome," Jade scowled after her. Pulling herself to her feet, she went back to the guest room where she quickly dressed and slipped on shoes.
"I'm going over to Frank's," she told Gerard, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading what looked like a comic.
"Why?" A sly smirk had made its way onto the man's face.
"To see my dog and my brother, dumbass. Be back later." And with that, she stepped outside and into the rental car she and her brother had been using for the past few days.
When she arrived at the house, she approached the front door and knocked loudly a few times. Several moments later, the door was yanked open by a very tired looking Frank Iero.
"Wha'?" he got out, rubbing fervently at his eyes. "Bob's not 'ere."
"My dog is," Jade retorted, pushing past the man and entering the house. Not seeing her dog anywhere in the front room, she continued searching the first floor with Frank trailing behind her. Not having any luck, she ascending the stairs and headed toward what she assumed was the bedroom, stopping at the door. Blinking, Frank nearly crashed into her. Jade gestured at the door.
"What?"
"I'd rather not walk in on a naked girl."
"She's not here." Frank looked down at the floor as he pushed the door open. At the noise, several dogs looked up from his large bed, one of them being Kono, whose ears perked up at the sight of Jade.
"Hey boy," she cooed, rubbing between his ears. "How's my baby?"
"I think you like that dog more than me." At this, Jade frowned a bit.
"I don't hate you either, Frank."
Soon after Jade had opened her mouth, things had become awkward. Jade quickly collected her puppy and bid Frank farewell. Now, the two sat outside a Starbucks a few blocks away from his house. As she sipped at her vanilla latte, Jade wondered what exactly the man had meant when he had said that Jamia wasn't there. She had been there less than a day; how could they be in a fight? At this thought, Jade rolled her eyes - boys were nothing but trouble.
"Except you, boy," she rubbed Kono's head affectionately as he sat in her lap. "We're keeping you away from girl dogs once we go home, you hear? No heartbreakers in my family."
What Jade didn't realize, however, was how hypocritical this was coming from her. For Frank, simply being around her was enough to break his heart a little more, torn between his high school sweetheart and a girl that had known for few months. He felt awful for even thinking about Jade that way, but couldn't help himself. The worst part about it, though, was that she had never given him a second glance.
"Hey Gerard?" Jade had returned to the Way household and was now sitting between the brothers watching a black and white horror movie. The other two girls had left to do "girl stuff" and she opted not to put up with Alicia for however long.
"Hm?" came his distracted response.
"Why isn't Jamia at Frank's?" This caught the man's attention.
"What d’you mean?"
"I dunno. I mean, he just said she wasn't there, but it was really early in the morning. And he seemed upset. And why wouldn't she be with him on New Years Day?"
"I have no idea. I'm going over there." He quickly made his way over to the door where he pulled his jacket off the coat rack and grabbed his keys off of the table before hurrying out the door.
"He didn't say where she was?" Mikey questioned.
"Nope. He just said she wasn't there."
"Hm."
By that night, the two girls had returned armed with several full bags of clothes each, and Gerard had not. When she was told he had gone to Frank's, Eliza didn't seem worried and simply made her way down to the basement. With Alicia hooked onto Mikey's arm, Jade rapidly removed herself from the den. After a quick debate with herself, she decided to head upstairs, take a quick shower, and then retire to her room. Gerard didn't seem to be coming home any time soon.
As she was sliding under the cool covers, Jade's mind began to wander. She wondered why Gerard had been gone all day and then her mind drifted to Frank, before she mentally hit herself. With a final shake of her head, she fumbled around for her iPod before turning on the speakers that sat next to her bed and hitting shuffle.
I miss the part
When we were moving forward now
On our way down
But maybe someday
I'll be something more than love
Just know I'll never tell
The next morning, Jade was awoken by a wet tongue brushing against her cheek. Opening her eyes slowly, she was met with two baby blue eyes staring down at her. Smiling softly, she sat up and pulled the puppy into her lap.
"Where'd you come from, boy?"
"Frank brought him over this morning." Startled, she looked up to see her brother leaning against the doorway of her room.
"Oh," she replied softly. "Is he, um, okay? He seemed... not okay, yesterday."
"Not really. He got into another fight with Jamia."
"Oh." She looked back down at Kono, whose tail was wagging happily as if he hadn't a care in the world. Which, he probably didn't, the lucky dog that he was.
"It was about you, apparently." Bob wasn't done yet.
"Oh?" Jade attempted to sound disinterested. "What about me?"
"Not you directly. Well, yes, you directly. The little guy in your lap, actually."
"They had a fight about my dog?" Her eyebrows furrowed.
"They had an argument about Frank buying you your dog."
"Damn it! I told him not to, but he wouldn't budge. I'll talk to her, Bobby," she slid out of bed and stood up with Kono in her arms.
"Um, it's probably best you didn't, Jay," her brother said hesitantly. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him before making his way over to his sister. "Apparently she's pretty mad. You talking to her would probably only make it worse."
"Oh." What else was there to say? One of her brother's best friends was fighting with his fiancé about her, and it wasn't the first time. Biting her lip, she sat back down on her bed and was soon followed by her brother.
"I know you don't mean any harm," he began softly, wrapping an arm around her waist. "And you haven't done anything wrong. Jamia just gets a little... jealous, sometimes. She's really paranoid because of the whole rock star thing, and in her eyes, you're a threat to their relationship."
"Why?! All I've done is try to be nice to him. And if she loves him so much, shouldn't she trust him to keep it in his pants?"
"Jade." Bob scolded. "I don't think it's so much groupies she's worried about," he continued. "I think she's just worried about him falling for another girl." Jade's eyebrows immediately went up.
"Frank loves her."
"Yes, he does."
"Then what the hell is she so worried about?" Jade demanded. Her brother seemed to be thinking about something, and was silent for a minute.
"You," he said finally.
"Me," she mimicked monotonously.
"Yes."
"That's weird."
"Not really."
"No?"
"No."
"I think you're weird."
"I can feel the love."
"I feel it, too," her eyebrows batted mockingly up at her brother before she broke out into a grin. "Love you," she mumbled, wrapping her arms firmly around him.
"Love you, too, Jadey."
That's all she needed, she told herself firmly. She had an amazing dad and brother, a slightly obnoxious, but nonetheless loving mother, and she didn't need any boy in her life.