Well After All We'll Lie Another Day.
Chapter Twenty One
Gerard POV:
"Who is it Mom?"
"Just a girl who said she was a friend of yours and Mikey's. She looked in a bad way son. I said she could stay for as long as she needs."
Cherise.
She was sat in the chair by the window, looking out at where her house stood.
"Cherise?" It was late, about midnight, and she was a wreck. Her usually beautiful hair was a greasy mess, barely pulled back off her sullen face, her red-rimmed eyes filled with despair.
She turned to face me, a smile, weak and unreal, graced her face.
"Hello Gerard." she buried her face in the large black hoodie wrapped around her shaking body.
"Hey, hey, what happened?" I whispered, wrapping my arm around her shoulders, only to have her squeak in pain.
"Don't." she gasped.
"Let me look," I said, trying to pull the hoodie back from her shoulders,
"No, please Gerard." struggling to stop me looking at her shoulder, though all in vain as she finally let me pull back the sleeve of her hoodie, and pull up the sleeve of her T-shirt.
To find many small, long red lines, thin and bleeding, high on her pale skin.
"Cherise!" I whispered in shock, as she shook me off and replaced her moved clothes.
"Just don't touch me Gerard," she said, looking away again, "You don't know...don't understand...what it's like in that house now. I...I-" she sobbed her words out now,
"I-can't-cope."
I wrapped my arms around her, careful to avoid her shoulder, and held her close to me, rocking her as she sobbed against me.
Slowly, after at least an hour, the crying subsided and she fell asleep in my arms, her own wrapped around my back.
I kissed her forehead as I laid her down on the couch.
She needed me to hold her.
But she WANTED Mikey.
Mikey POV:
The sight that greeted me as I walked into the lounge that morning caused me to stop dead.
Cherise asleep on the couch, Gerard leaning against it, hand wrapped around hers,
asleep.
*When did she get here?*
I backed out of the room and walked into the kitchen. My mom, sitting at the table pouring over the morning paper, looked up and gave me a warm smile.
"Good Morning Michael." she saw my shocked face, "I'm sorry I didn't wake you when your friend arrived, but she did come quite late last night." she ended with mothering stern-ness.
I felt an unusual anger towards my mother, mixed with my immense jealousy that I couldn't shake around her and Gerard.
"And yet Gerard gets woken?" I said, getting a carton of orange juice out of the fridge.
"Well Michael, he is that much older." She said calmly, she could feel the emotion in my voice.
I didn't trust myself to answer, and bit back several angry, and stupid, comments. Instead I put down the orange juice and went to get dressed.
It wasn't moms fault, and I know that.
It wasn't Gerard’s fault either.
But I still blamed him.
Cherise POV:
I am standing on a hill.
I am not I.
I don't exist.
All around me I see nothing but the hill, and the black. The black that surrounds it.
I am alone.
I begin to scream.
Gerard POV:
"Cherise! Wake up! Please! PLEASE!" I was shaking her, trying to wake her from her dream.
Her nightmare.
Cherise POV:
I am screaming and I see a figure walking up the side of the hill.
I can already see the bouncy blonde hair.
In the darkness behind her are others, trying to stop her coming towards me, failing.
She reaches out,
and grabs my shoulders.
Gerard POV:
Her screaming, blood curdling and terrified, had brought mom and Mikey, worry on both their faces. I tried talking to her, holding her hands. It wasn't until I began to shake her shoulders that she woke. She was still screaming, crying and fighting me as I tried to help her calm down.
"Cherise," I said "Please, it's me, it's Gerard!"
She stopped dead. Her fists in the air held by my hands. Her eyes cleared of their panic, and was replaced by guilt.
"I'm sorry," her voice sounded raspy, affected by her shouting, "I'm so, so, sorry." She looked at Mikey and my mother, and ran to hug her, apologising and crying as mom calmed her down and took her to the kitchen for a drink.
Mikey stood there, stunned and confused looking as this all happened, his suddenly young features pale.
"What,-" he began, dry voiced, "What was that about?"
I looked him levelly in the eye,
"Whatever it was, it was bad. And it's something to do with being in that house." I said, turning my head towards the window.
I sat Mikey down, and told him what I’d seen on Cherise' shoulder.
"This is all my fault."
"What? How is it in any way your fault Mikey?"
"I could have helped her," he swallowed, "I could have said something, anything. And now she's-"
I could see him breaking down.
"She's not gone Mikey," I said quietly, "she just needs our help."
The rest of that day was spent watching TV. Cherise, Mikey, and me. Not saying much, just being there. Mom went out to give us all "space".
Of all the talking Cherise talked the least. Until it was three o'clock. At which point she turned the TV off and sat down on the floor in front of us.
“We have to talk. About everything. Now."
"Who is it Mom?"
"Just a girl who said she was a friend of yours and Mikey's. She looked in a bad way son. I said she could stay for as long as she needs."
Cherise.
She was sat in the chair by the window, looking out at where her house stood.
"Cherise?" It was late, about midnight, and she was a wreck. Her usually beautiful hair was a greasy mess, barely pulled back off her sullen face, her red-rimmed eyes filled with despair.
She turned to face me, a smile, weak and unreal, graced her face.
"Hello Gerard." she buried her face in the large black hoodie wrapped around her shaking body.
"Hey, hey, what happened?" I whispered, wrapping my arm around her shoulders, only to have her squeak in pain.
"Don't." she gasped.
"Let me look," I said, trying to pull the hoodie back from her shoulders,
"No, please Gerard." struggling to stop me looking at her shoulder, though all in vain as she finally let me pull back the sleeve of her hoodie, and pull up the sleeve of her T-shirt.
To find many small, long red lines, thin and bleeding, high on her pale skin.
"Cherise!" I whispered in shock, as she shook me off and replaced her moved clothes.
"Just don't touch me Gerard," she said, looking away again, "You don't know...don't understand...what it's like in that house now. I...I-" she sobbed her words out now,
"I-can't-cope."
I wrapped my arms around her, careful to avoid her shoulder, and held her close to me, rocking her as she sobbed against me.
Slowly, after at least an hour, the crying subsided and she fell asleep in my arms, her own wrapped around my back.
I kissed her forehead as I laid her down on the couch.
She needed me to hold her.
But she WANTED Mikey.
Mikey POV:
The sight that greeted me as I walked into the lounge that morning caused me to stop dead.
Cherise asleep on the couch, Gerard leaning against it, hand wrapped around hers,
asleep.
*When did she get here?*
I backed out of the room and walked into the kitchen. My mom, sitting at the table pouring over the morning paper, looked up and gave me a warm smile.
"Good Morning Michael." she saw my shocked face, "I'm sorry I didn't wake you when your friend arrived, but she did come quite late last night." she ended with mothering stern-ness.
I felt an unusual anger towards my mother, mixed with my immense jealousy that I couldn't shake around her and Gerard.
"And yet Gerard gets woken?" I said, getting a carton of orange juice out of the fridge.
"Well Michael, he is that much older." She said calmly, she could feel the emotion in my voice.
I didn't trust myself to answer, and bit back several angry, and stupid, comments. Instead I put down the orange juice and went to get dressed.
It wasn't moms fault, and I know that.
It wasn't Gerard’s fault either.
But I still blamed him.
Cherise POV:
I am standing on a hill.
I am not I.
I don't exist.
All around me I see nothing but the hill, and the black. The black that surrounds it.
I am alone.
I begin to scream.
Gerard POV:
"Cherise! Wake up! Please! PLEASE!" I was shaking her, trying to wake her from her dream.
Her nightmare.
Cherise POV:
I am screaming and I see a figure walking up the side of the hill.
I can already see the bouncy blonde hair.
In the darkness behind her are others, trying to stop her coming towards me, failing.
She reaches out,
and grabs my shoulders.
Gerard POV:
Her screaming, blood curdling and terrified, had brought mom and Mikey, worry on both their faces. I tried talking to her, holding her hands. It wasn't until I began to shake her shoulders that she woke. She was still screaming, crying and fighting me as I tried to help her calm down.
"Cherise," I said "Please, it's me, it's Gerard!"
She stopped dead. Her fists in the air held by my hands. Her eyes cleared of their panic, and was replaced by guilt.
"I'm sorry," her voice sounded raspy, affected by her shouting, "I'm so, so, sorry." She looked at Mikey and my mother, and ran to hug her, apologising and crying as mom calmed her down and took her to the kitchen for a drink.
Mikey stood there, stunned and confused looking as this all happened, his suddenly young features pale.
"What,-" he began, dry voiced, "What was that about?"
I looked him levelly in the eye,
"Whatever it was, it was bad. And it's something to do with being in that house." I said, turning my head towards the window.
I sat Mikey down, and told him what I’d seen on Cherise' shoulder.
"This is all my fault."
"What? How is it in any way your fault Mikey?"
"I could have helped her," he swallowed, "I could have said something, anything. And now she's-"
I could see him breaking down.
"She's not gone Mikey," I said quietly, "she just needs our help."
The rest of that day was spent watching TV. Cherise, Mikey, and me. Not saying much, just being there. Mom went out to give us all "space".
Of all the talking Cherise talked the least. Until it was three o'clock. At which point she turned the TV off and sat down on the floor in front of us.
“We have to talk. About everything. Now."
♠ ♠ ♠
Hey guys, sorry for not having posted in absolute years. Very very busy.But i promise i'll post more often now, once a weekish coz i have exams coming up!
Okay well.. love to you all!
xx Brina.