This Moment was Held for Me

“You totally just killed it!” Gerard yelled at Amanda.
We had been playing video games for the last hour and Amanda and Gerard were a team. I decided to sit and watch after I lost terribly in a racing game to Bob. The final member of Gerard’s band had also joined us to play video games. His name was Ray and he had the coolest afro I’d ever seen.
“Hell yeah!” Amanda shouted as she high-fived Gerard.
“You realize I don’t care if you win,” said Mikey calmly to Gerard.
Gerard stuck his tongue out at his brother and yelled in a child-like voice, “You’re just jealous!” Sometimes I found it hard to believe that he was 20.
“Let’s stop playing then,” said Mikey folding his arms.
Gerard and Amanda moaned in disappointment when everyone else agreed with Mikey.
“Well what are we gonna do now?” Frank pitched in. He had lit up a cigarette and was looking ridiculously attractive as he sat lazily across the couch opposite of me.
Gerard and Amanda looked at me, I shrugged and looked at Frank, Frank raised his eyebrows and looked at Bob, Bob pointed quickly at Ray, and Ray turned his head to look at Mikey. All of our eyes then landed on Mikey, who proceeded to throw his hands up in the hair and sigh.
“Ah! I don’t wanna decide,” he yelled.
I laughed and said, “How about we watch a movie?”
“But we probably won’t have the same taste,” Frank said while taking a drag.
I raised my eyebrows at him, “Yeah? And how would you know.”
He shrugged, “You’re a girl.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and stuck up for us, “Doesn’t mean we’re cheerleaders.”
Gerard grinned, “That’s very true. You’ll be surprised Frankie. They have the same taste in music, movies and comics as us.”
I nodded, “Yeah, I work in a comic book store remember?”
Frank rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Yeah, I remember.”
“We’ll forgive you,” I said to Frank even though he hadn’t specifically apologized.
He raised his eyebrows at me but smiled between another drag of his cigarette. I couldn’t help but stare at him and the wisps of smoke he breathed out.
“So what’s your favourite movie?” Amanda asked no one in particular.
Mikey rubbed his chin in thought and said, “There are so many.”
Gerard grinned, “Obviously horror is our favourite genre.”
Bob, Ray and Mikey nodded in agreement.
Frank looked over at me and said, “Nightmare before Christmas is definitely one of my favourite movies. I love anything to do with Halloween.”
I grinned, “Yeah, doesn’t everyone? Tim Burton is great.”
Amanda giggled into Gerard’s shoulder and I stopped talking. I could tell that she knew I thought Frank was attractive. Luckily, no one else could read me as easily as her.
I coughed and attempted to be less smiley and eager when talking to Frank. I averted my eyes from Frank’s direction this time when I spoke, “So how about we watch a Tim Burton film?”
“I vote Corpse Bride!” yelled Gerard.
We all knew it was useless fighting against Gerard, so we popped in the DVD and sat back. Halfway through the film, Frank casually walked over to the couch I was sitting on.
I looked at him and smiled.
“Hey,” he whispered in an attempt to not interrupt the movie for everyone else. Though, I doubt anyone would have noticed. Amanda and Gerard were lying on the floor together staring intently at the screen. Bob had dozed off as soon as the movie started and Mikey was preoccupied with reading a comic book seeing as he had seen the movie a dozen times before.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I couldn’t see from over there,” he said pointing at the couch he was on before.
I thought it was strange that someone would wait until half of the movie was over to get a better view.
“Really?” I said somewhat skeptically.
He laughed softly, “Okay, you caught me. I just wanted to be closer to you.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I laughed, “Now that I can believe.”
“Oh,” he raised his eyebrows and smirked, “Someone is confident.”
I shrugged, “There’s no point hiding your real feelings or thoughts.”
He smiled at me, this time he was serious though, “Hm. I like that philosophy. People should be more honest with each other.”
“Will you be honest with me?” I asked.
He gave me a quizzical look, “About what?”
I grinned, this time it was my turn to wiggle my eyebrows, “Did you really say that I was hot?”
He bit his lip which made his lip ring turn. I waited for an answer.
“Honestly?” He sighed with a smile and continued, “I did.” He looked down at the couch so I couldn’t see his face. I would almost say that he seemed a little nervous which struck me as strange because all day today he had been so loud and energetic and confident.
I nudged his knee with mine to force him to look back at my face. When his eyes met mine we smiled.
“Yeah well, you’re not too bad yourself, Iero.”

After the movie, Gerard offered for Amanda and I to stay for dinner. He and Mikey lived by themselves together in the house. Frank, Ray and Bob still lived with their respective parents.
“Well if it’s not too much trouble,” Amanda said in reply to Gerard’s invitation.
He waved his hand, “Are you kidding? It’s fine!”
Frank giggled, “He is only ordering pizza anyway.”
Gerard stared at Frank, “Shut up Pansy!”
I smiled at their exchange. I loved hanging out with these guys. They were so laidback, but at the same time they kept it exciting with their crazy banter.
“Hm, what type should we get?” mused Frank who was leaning against the kitchen counter.
“Well, I’m vegetarian,” I said biting my lip. I hated being an inconvenience. It had taken my Mom 2 months to accept the fact that I truly didn’t want to eat meat. At first she thought it was a fad or an extreme diet, but I really didn’t like the moral side of eating a dead animal.
Frank looked at me and smiled, “Hey! Me too!” He gave me a quick high-five.
Gerard looked at us too and dramatically stuck his nose up in the air before saying, “Yeah, whatever you guys are so moral and good.”
I shoved Gerard playfully, “Don’t put words in my mouth!”
Frank giggled and tried to be quiet so that only I would hear him say, “Yeah but it’s true though. We are far superior moral beings.”
Gerard turned around to look at Frank and fake gasped.
I quickly kept them on track, knowing too well that Gerard’s antics could delay the pizza ordering by at least half an hour.
“Okay guys! So, two vegetarian pizzas, two cheese and two meat?” I confirmed.
They all nodded at me hungrily as I placed the order.
“Shouldn’t be too long,” I said to them after I put the phone down.
I was about to answer’s Gerard’s question about how much it cost when my phone rang. I looked at the screen. It was my mother.
“Shit!” I said, mainly to Amanda. “I forgot to let Mom know we weren’t coming home after school!”
Amanda’s eyes widened. She knew how stressed my Mom became. I quickly answered the phone.
“Where the hell are you?” yelled my mother.
“Mum I’m so sorry, I forgot to let you know that Amanda and I decided to hang out at Gerard’s!”
“You had me worried sick!” she continued.
“I’m really sorry.”
She sighed, “I can’t believe you’d be so irresponsible. I was expecting you home at 3.30pm and it’s now 7.30!”
“It won’t happen again Mom. I’ll talk to you when I get home,” I said hurriedly. I didn’t want to get a lecture in front of Gerard and particularly not in front of Frank. I hung up the phone and sighed.
“Strict Mom?” Frank asked me.
I laughed, somewhat bitterly, “I guess you could say that.”
Amanda pulled Gerard’s hand and led him out of the kitchen, leaving Frank and I alone. I had a feeling she did it on purpose.
“We will wait for the pizza guy,” she said to us, calling over her shoulder.
“That must be tough,” continued Frank as if they never interrupted.
“Having a strict and controlling mother? Definitely,” I said.
He pulled a face, “I guess it means she cares, though.”
I nodded, “Yeah she’s a great person. It’s just annoying that she’s so…uptight.”
“Must be hard to do certain things,” he said, “As in, going out must be hard sometimes.”
“You have no idea. She has to check out the venue and the people going,” I rolled my eyes.
“So I guess you don’t bring boys over much?” he said smirking. I think he was trying to lighten the mood.
I smiled, “I guess not. Gerard doesn’t really count does he?”
Gerard must have been listening in to our conversation as he yelled out, “I resent that!”
Frank and I both laughed as we heard Mikey tell Gerard to shut up and stop eavesdropping.
Frank continued to ask me about my life, “So you don’t have a boyfriend, I’m guessing?” he said.
I fiddled with my bracelet which is something I always did when I was nervous. I liked absorbing myself in practical things to avoid awkward or emotionally charged situations. It was yet another one of my bad habits, according to my mother.
“Nope,” I answered finally. “What about you?”
He giggled, “I’ve never had a boyfriend.”
I rolled my eyes, “I meant girlfriend.”
He copied my eye rolling, “I know. And no, I don’t have one at the moment.”
I nodded coolly.
Frank tousled his hair and grinned at me, “So I bet your Mom would love me.”
I looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to explain.
He pushed his sleeve up to show me some of his tattoos, before saying, “I’m covered in tattoos, I smoke, I swear and I play in a band. I bet your strict Mommy would love all that.”
I grinned, “Well you should come over so we can test her reaction.”
He raised his eyebrows, “Oh? Is that an invitation Mia?”
I smiled, “If you want it to be?”
He nodded, “That’d be cool. You could show me the rest of your concert tapes.”
I laughed, “Why? Hoping there’s more underwear footage of me somewhere?”
He grinned, “Oh you already know me too well.”