Who Knew.
Take His Hand And Be Surprised
They laughed and moved to get in. We made comfortable small talk about life and driving and old times at the fair— with the exception of the last one I went to. I was actually anxious; I had refused to set foot at the fair again since that night. Mikey grabbed my hand again and gave it another small squeeze. He was such a good friend—and that’s all he’d ever be to me, my best friend. He was way into girls to even look at me twice and I loved him like a brother to even fathom that incestuous thought.
We had managed to get a good parking spot—something that usually never happened to guys like us; not with our luck. We were given student discounts; I didn’t realize we looked that young. We also got the stupid wrist bands that let us get on all of the rides without tickets—something had to go wrong if our luck was this good. Mikey won practically every game he played—Ray and Bob hardly had to wait in line for the rocking boat and I got my favorite bumper car. Something had to go wrong soon—it did—in the form of Gerard Way.
“Hello girls, why didn’t you come in and say hello Raymond?”
Bob kept playing the dart game, I refused to look at him and Mikey and Ray were the only two who moved to acknowledge him.
“Gee, erm, it’s good to see you, I didn’t realize you were home. Mikes and Frank just ran out of the house and we headed over.”
“Ray you always sucked at lying. Who’s this?”
He jerked his head in Bob’s direction—I assumed of course, I haven’t looked at him yet. I’m too afraid to—for a few reasons actually.
“His name is Bob, college friend of Frank’s and Ray’s roommate. Why are you here? Why couldn’t you just stay where you came from? You have no idea what you did.”
I turned around the moment I heard Mikey’s voice. I’ve never heard him speak so harshly to anyone—ever. I always knew he and Gerard were really close; we just never talked about the accident because it was hard on both of us. I finally looked at Gerard; he changed—a lot. His hair was still long and black but his eyes held life, he looked a healthy pale, not that sickly pale I remembered him holding. His eyes were brighter; if that were at all possible—best of all he was sober. I grabbed Mikey’s hand and we walked off.
We walked to the other side of the jewelry stand and Mikey slumped to the floor. I noticed the small drops of water falling down his cheeks; you’d find the same things on my own face if you looked.
“Mikey, I…”
I didn’t know what to say, what do you say in a situation like this? I hope he’s not afraid he’ll be replaced; sure Gerard was my best friend but I don’t know him anymore.
“I’m sorry Frankie, I, I just don’t want to lose you to him—not again. You’re my best friend and what he did was stupid, it was selfish and he doesn’t know what he did to us, he doesn’t.”
I pulled him into my arms as he wrapped his own around me. He was right, Gerard had no idea what he did to us that night; I have no idea what I did to him that night either.
“Mikes I, I need to tell you something about, about that night.”
He pulled away from me and looked expectantly into my eyes, they were screaming at me to continue but softly crying for the truth that everything would be alright.
“I, I don’t think you’re brother would want to be my friend in the first place—not again. That, that night I found him, I found him like that. His slit wrist and empty bottle of pills, I called the ambulance and I, I didn’t let him have what he wanted.”
“You saved his life Frankie. You gave him the second chance he thought he didn’t deserve—would you hate someone who gave you that?"
We had managed to get a good parking spot—something that usually never happened to guys like us; not with our luck. We were given student discounts; I didn’t realize we looked that young. We also got the stupid wrist bands that let us get on all of the rides without tickets—something had to go wrong if our luck was this good. Mikey won practically every game he played—Ray and Bob hardly had to wait in line for the rocking boat and I got my favorite bumper car. Something had to go wrong soon—it did—in the form of Gerard Way.
“Hello girls, why didn’t you come in and say hello Raymond?”
Bob kept playing the dart game, I refused to look at him and Mikey and Ray were the only two who moved to acknowledge him.
“Gee, erm, it’s good to see you, I didn’t realize you were home. Mikes and Frank just ran out of the house and we headed over.”
“Ray you always sucked at lying. Who’s this?”
He jerked his head in Bob’s direction—I assumed of course, I haven’t looked at him yet. I’m too afraid to—for a few reasons actually.
“His name is Bob, college friend of Frank’s and Ray’s roommate. Why are you here? Why couldn’t you just stay where you came from? You have no idea what you did.”
I turned around the moment I heard Mikey’s voice. I’ve never heard him speak so harshly to anyone—ever. I always knew he and Gerard were really close; we just never talked about the accident because it was hard on both of us. I finally looked at Gerard; he changed—a lot. His hair was still long and black but his eyes held life, he looked a healthy pale, not that sickly pale I remembered him holding. His eyes were brighter; if that were at all possible—best of all he was sober. I grabbed Mikey’s hand and we walked off.
We walked to the other side of the jewelry stand and Mikey slumped to the floor. I noticed the small drops of water falling down his cheeks; you’d find the same things on my own face if you looked.
“Mikey, I…”
I didn’t know what to say, what do you say in a situation like this? I hope he’s not afraid he’ll be replaced; sure Gerard was my best friend but I don’t know him anymore.
“I’m sorry Frankie, I, I just don’t want to lose you to him—not again. You’re my best friend and what he did was stupid, it was selfish and he doesn’t know what he did to us, he doesn’t.”
I pulled him into my arms as he wrapped his own around me. He was right, Gerard had no idea what he did to us that night; I have no idea what I did to him that night either.
“Mikes I, I need to tell you something about, about that night.”
He pulled away from me and looked expectantly into my eyes, they were screaming at me to continue but softly crying for the truth that everything would be alright.
“I, I don’t think you’re brother would want to be my friend in the first place—not again. That, that night I found him, I found him like that. His slit wrist and empty bottle of pills, I called the ambulance and I, I didn’t let him have what he wanted.”
“You saved his life Frankie. You gave him the second chance he thought he didn’t deserve—would you hate someone who gave you that?"