Another Memory

Gerard’s P.O.V.:

Mikey had yet again beaten me at video games for the afternoon, and so I retreated back to my room. I didn’t feel like drawing. I didn’t feel like sleeping. In my world, there wasn’t a lot left to do, then.

Frank was over again and the little fucker drove me insane. He was jumping up and down in the lounge room because Mikey had agreed to make him a coffee. My coffee. I knew I couldn’t stay mad at him and would regret snapping at him, so I bit my tongue and let him be. I sat on my bed and tried not to let myself slip further into a bad mood, but I couldn’t help it. I saw on my cluttered desk a canvas I knew wasn’t mine, as it was far too bright from first sight. Upon closer inspection, I found it to be Alison’s gummy bear painting. I smiled at her innocent, yet slightly twisted mind. It was quite a good painting. I picked it up and placed it by my messenger bag so I’d remember to get Mikey to give it back to her the next morning at school, as she’d probably need it by then. She must have left it behind the previous weekend, I thought.

I felt a little bad for having to make her crawl through the window that morning, but I couldn’t see things ending well if she’d left my room and been noticed. Mikey knew I didn’t exactly have the best of records when it came to girls, and he seemed to be quite fond of his new friend. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I’d taken advantage of a drunk, underage girl he so adored.

I lay back down on my bed and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling that no one could seem to get off, thinking about Alison. Mikey had told me she was a particularly quiet girl, though I didn’t see that side to her at all. I thought she seemed careful of the way she spoke and held herself, but not quiet. I wondered why someone would think before they spoke and acted, realising that it was probably better to be that way. I rarely ever thought about the day ahead, so never planned for it through my actions, either.

Of course there were those days that I did look to the future, yet it was never very appealing. I guess that’s what booze does to me at 3am. Those pills didn’t help the situation, either. I glared at them from the corner of my eye, knowing I was a few days behind on them again. It’d catch up on me and it’d hurt, but I just didn’t care anymore. They didn’t make me happy whether I took them or not, and I was never one for doing pointless things.

I groaned as Frank’s shrill scream woke me from the sleep I eventually drifted off to, and contemplated getting up to yell at him. He always had something to scream for joy about. I got up anyway as I was in desperate need of a coffee. I was almost knocked flat on my face as Mikey’s girlfriend ran straight into me, her long hair a dead giveaway that it had definitely been her as I felt it run across my face. It was very dark – pitch black, in fact – and I wondered just how long I’d slept for. Again I heard Frank’s loud voice so decided to hell with the coffee; there were urgent matters that needed attending to. I followed his screams in the dark, trying for the light switch so I could avoid tripping over almost everything on my way and find his neck to wring, but none seemed to be working.

“Mikey?” I called out.

“Gerard?” I jumped as his voice came from directly behind me.

“What are you all doing?” I was so confused.

“Shh! The power’s out. We’re playing murder in the dark!”

“Ohh…” I briefly wondered where our parents were, deciding that they wouldn’t stand for this and so must be out somewhere.

“Do you wanna join?”

“Who’s the murderer?” I tried to feel around to find some indication of where I’d got to in the house.

“Alison, I think.”