Back To School

*Gerard’s POV*

Gerard let out a weary groan, finally the little ones could sleep…giving him and Mikey a much needed break. Mr. Smith had pulled out the mats and made sure each child was fast asleep. Surprisingly, they fell asleep fast…must’ve been lack of sugar; Gerard didn’t think these kids had an off switch. Mikey slumped down in a mini chair next to Gerard, releasing a quiet sigh. Mr. Smith crept over, being careful not to tread on any of the little children.

“Now, I’ve going to go eat my lunch. As long as you don’t make any loud noises, they’ll remain silent and non-chaotic,” Mr. Smith assured, starting towards the door.

“Wait, what if one of them wakes up?” Mikey hissed quietly to Mr. Smith’s back.

“Just tell them to go back to sleep,” Mr. Smith called back faintly.

“Great, now all we’ve got to do is make no sudden movements. They’re kids, not hyenas…I think,” Gerard smirked, fidgeting in his small chair.

“Real mature, Gee,” Mikey whispered, rolling his eyes.

“Oh yeah, Frank called. He said he wanted to pop in and say hey sometime today,” Gerard said casually, inspecting a finger nail to avoid Mikey’s drilling stare.

“What!? He can’t come here, especially not when the kids are sleeping! He doesn’t know when to shut up!” Mikey hissed.

“Oh come on, it’s not like he’s going to come in right at this mo---,” Gerard started.

“HEY GUYS, WHAT’S UP!?” Frank yelled, poking his head in.

“Oh. My. God,” Mikey groaned, putting his hands on his face.

“Frank, be quiet! The children are--,” Gerard hushed frantically.

It was like an eruption tore through the building. The kids woke up and with that, a whirl wind of chaos. They were everywhere, screaming and running around like lunatics. The worst part was they tackled like pro-footballers…and man, did it hurt. Mikey grabbed Frank and Gerard and tugged them behind the small bookcase, which barely protected them from flying crayons.

“You just had to come in screaming, didn’t you!?” Gerard yelled above the din.

“I thought they were outside or something!” Frank protested, pulling out a bag of skittles.

“How could you be eating at a time like this!?” Gerard said, ducking as a paper ball grazed his head.

“I’m hungry, Mr. Sour-pants!” Frank shrugged, eating some of the candies.

“Screw the food, gimme those!” Gerard screeched as scissors planted themselves in the carpet next to him.

Snatching the bag of skittles, Gerard started flinging the bright candies over his shoulder at the wild kids. Frank sat there staring in horror as his precious candy flew through the air, nailing the unsuspecting child.

“GERARD! YOU CAN’T THROW CANDY AT CHILDREN!!” Mikey yelled, tugging at his older brother’s arm.

“Do you want to get out of here alive and with all fingers intact!? Then trust me!” Gerard shouted, finishing off the rest of the bag and taking cover.

“I can’t believe you just did that to my beautiful skittles!” Frank said, holding up the empty bag mournfully.

“I’ll buy you another bag, Frankie, just shut up for two seconds,” Gerard hissed, peering over the bookcase cautiously.

A strange, but relieving sight met Gerard’s eyes. The wild children were now passed out again…having eaten their fill of skittles. Wearing a triumphant grin, he stood and walked out into the aftermath of the stampede. Mikey wore a look of disbelief, while Frank still held the empty bag.

“I can’t…believe that WORKED,” Mikey murmured.

“They feed the kids carrot sticks and healthy vegetables for lunch, of course they’re going to go wild…no sugar,” Gerard said knowingly, bending to clean up some spilled paper.

“So…I’m guessing next time I visit, no screaming?” Frank grinned, chucking the bag into the trash.

“Yeah, no screaming,” Mikey laughed, adjusting the strewn toys.

It took the three of them fifteen minutes to re-clean the room. Frank said good bye and left, threatening to slam the door before Gerard chucked a pencil at him. Mikey laid his head down on a miniature table, Gerard sat also, hunched in exhaustion. It was ten minutes later when Mr. Smith came walking in, wearing a puzzled expression. He looked surprised that the kids were sleeping still.

“Well, you two certainly know how to keep the little ones quiet and asleep,” Mr. Smith smiled.

“Yeah,” Mikey said, face still smashed on the table.

“I’ll tell you what, how about you two head home early today? It’s no easy task making sure they stay asleep, so go on home…you two look dead on your feet,” Mr. Smith said kindly, opening the door for the exhausted men.

“Thank you, we’ll be here tomorrow,” Mikey said gratefully, following Gerard out the door.

The two made it back to their car, sitting silently before Gerard started up the car.

“I think I’ve got some staples in my shirt,” Mikey muttered, flicking at some metallic pieces embedded on his shirt.

“I think that was Thom’s doing,” Gerard chuckled as the car exited the parking lot.