The Crumbling Pyramid

"Shit."

"What?"

"I left my damn English book backstage."

"Gee!"

"I'll take you home and go back to get it. I think someone was still there."

"This is stupid."

"I know."

Gerard dropped Mikey off at their house, told him he'd be back soon, and started back for the school. The performance had gone okay tonight, not as well as he would have liked, but it was still pretty good. At least Conner had found his pants this time.

As he pulled in to the parking lot, he prayed that someone was still backstage and would let him in. He got out, locked his car, and went for the front doors of the school. Locked. Grumbling, he started walking around for the back door that led into the theatre. It was really dark there, away from the street lights that adorned the front of the school, but that was okay. Gerard liked the dark. Loved it. Lived in it.

This door was locked too. Sighing, he pulled out his phone and tried to call Anette to see if she was still there, but then he remembered that she had walked home, and put it back. He'd just have to get it Monday.

As he started walking back towards the front, he froze. He thought he had seen movement out of the corner of his eye. But he just shrugged and kept going, ignoring it. It was probably his mind playing tricks on him.

Unfortunately, he was wrong. Just as he was about to go around the corner to the front of the school, someone grabbed him from behind and threw him into the brick wall. Air escaped his lungs and he gasped, but then a fist landed itself in his stomach and he doubled over. At least two people were assaulting him, maybe more, but Gerard couldn't tell because they were all in black and were blending into each other and the darkness around them.

He didn't want to fight back though, even if he could. He was getting pulverized, that's for sure, but it wasn't the answer. He tried to curl himself up into a ball, to escape the blows and the jeers about his sexuality that weren't even correct, but every time he did someone landed a foot in his gut or another punch to his face.

And just when he thought it would never end, that the assault would continue until the morning, it stopped as suddenly as it had started. Gerard lay there, curled up for a few moments, long enough for him to hear their footsteps hurry away and car tires squealing. Then shakily, he got up and started for his car, his legs wobbling and everywhere aching. When he collapsed inside his car, he pulled down the mirror and wiped the blood off his face. He was already developing a black eye, and in fact, the entire right side of his face was bruised. He felt like he would look like raw meat when he got home, but at least they hadn't broken anything. And so he drove home as calmly and casually as he could.

-

"Gee, what the fuck?"

Gerard smiled shakily at Ray, who had just walked in for band practice. He and Anette were the first ones there for a change.

"I uh... had an accident."

"Oh, Gerard!" Anette cried as she saw him. "You look terrible! What happened?"

"It was an accident."

"Like hell it was," Ray growled, and he went inside to find Mikey. They came back out together, and he started interrogating Mikey. Gerard had never seen Ray this furious. "Mikey, what the hell happened to Gerard last night?"

"He..." Mikey cast Gerard a glance, but even though Gerard shook his head, Mikey told Ray anyways. "He got jumped last night."

"Jumped?" Anette asked, a bit scared. "By who? Andrew?"

"I don't think so," Gerard said. "I would have recognized his... ah... unique insults."

"It had to be his guys though," Ray said, glaring at nothing in particular.

"It didn't have to be."

"I'm going to fuck that guy up."

"No, Ray." Gerard shook his head. "Don't. It's not worth it. Besides, fighting fire with fire is pointless."

"You're face looks like hamburger!"

"I know."

"You're such a fucking passivist!"

"Look who's talking," Mikey muttered to Anette under his breath, but neither Ray nor Gerard heard him.

"Ray-"

"Well, I guess there goes my fucking plans for this weekend," Ray said through gritted teeth. "We can't do shit with Gerard like this."

"What were we going to do?"

"I was gonna have a party at my house before prom," he muttered. "Just a 'let's play stupid games' party, 'cuz my mom's not keen on alcohol."

"We can still do that," Gerard said gently, putting a hand on Ray's shoulder.

"No we can't. You need to go to the fucking hospital and make sure nothing's broken."

"You didn't go when you and Mikey got it at the theater. Neither of you did."

"We're different."

"Yeah? How so?"

Ray didn't have an answer for that. At least, not one he could say out loud.

"What... whatever," he said, and he started getting unpacked.

-

News about Gerard's assault spread through the school quickly come Monday. Andrew denied having anything to do with it, but almost everyone knew that even if he hadn't been there, he had certainly planned it.

That day, Anette was in the lunch line by herself, just listening to some music and waiting for her chance to grab a ham and cheese sandwich when something unexpected happened. Chase tapped her on the shoulder.

She whipped around and glared at him, pulling out one headphone. "What?" she asked moodily.

"I... I need to talk to you. Now," he said shiftily.

"If you're apologizing, you can just... just shove it," Anette said, starting to get angry.

"Now, Anette."

"I'm going to get my sandwich."

"Alright, but... this is really important," Chase said. Anette shoved her headphone back in and turned away from him, wishing dearly that she could just turn back around and slap him good and hard across the face. She grabbed her sandwich, paid, and then left, Chase following her closely.

"Outside," he said, and he took the lead out the door. They walked for quite a ways, away from prying eyes and ears. Away from anyone who would tell the tale of how Chase Skyridge, sports champion was talking once again to Anette Baker, fallen thespian extraordinaire.

"What do you want?" Anette asked again, shoving her iPod in her purse.

"I need to talk to you. About Andrew."

Anette froze. She had certainly not been expecting this. "What about him?" she finally asked. "Did he finally come out of the closet to you?"

"No," Chase said, irritated. He ran a hand through his blonde hair a few times before going on. "It's just... I get him now. Kinda. And I wanted to tell you."

"You get him? What's to get? He's a jerk."

"Do you know why?"

"Because... he just is?"

"No. Well... you know how he doesn't live with his parents, right? How he lives with his crazy aunt and uncle-"

"Who enjoy shoving religion down his throat. Yeah, I know."

"Do you know why?"

"Because they're weird?"

"No, why he lives with them."

Anette pursed her lips. "No, he failed to mention that when we dated."

"His mom drank herself to death. Know why?"

"Obviously not, idiot."

"His dad left her for another man."

There was silence as Chase's words sunk in.

"His dad... his dad was gay, but didn't come out about it until Andrew was like, eleven. It came out 'cuz he was having an affair with another guy, and so he left his mom for the dude. And his mom was heartbroken and started drinking, and died from it. Then Andrew went to live with his aunt and uncle, who are Bible-thumpers galore and made him believe all their crazy shit."

Anette took a deep breath. "Yeah? And how do you know all this? You and Andrew best friends now?"

"No." Chase paused, examining the ground. "We were at a party and he was drunk... wasted, completely wasted. And he just... told me. He blames his dad for his mom's death, you know. He said that if he wasn't gay, she never would have died."

Anette swallowed shakily. "Okay... and so this gives him an excuse to persecute Gerard and all my other friends? This gives him the right to be a bigoted, homophobic, d-douche?"

"No," Chase admitted. "But... it makes sense now, at least."

"What... whatever, Chase," Anette replied, turning away from him. "Quit screwing around with me."

"I'm not, Anette!" he called after her as she walked off, but he didn't follow her. He stayed put and watched her with a sad expression, and if Anette had turned around, she would have seen him look the most vulnerable he had ever been in his life.

-

"Okay Ray, so what are we going to be doing?" Anette asked as she walked in to his house and slipped off her shoes in the entryway. She was the first one there for his pre-prom party, and she was slightly dreading what Ray had planned.

"I dunno yet, I was gonna wait until everyone got here to figure that out," he replied. "Want something to drink?"

"Nah. Is your mom home though?"

"She left just a few minutes ago. She's not supposed to get in 'till two in the morning."

Anette shook her head. "Poor woman. That job must suck."

"Yeah, but she loves it," Ray said with a smile. "I mean, she loves cooking, anyways."

"Well, that's a good point, I guess."

They lazed around the living room until everyone else arrived, Gerard, Frank and Mikey coming last. "Sorry, we had to pick Frankie up," Gerard apologized as he shoved his car keys into his pocket. His bruises were starting to fade slightly, and he didn't look quite as bad as he had earlier that week.

"It's okay Gee, just glad you got here some time," Ray said. "Coffee? I've got a batch made already."

"Fuck yeah dude," Gerard replied with a grin, and everyone migrated to the kitchen for coffee.

"So, does anyone want dinner here? My mom picked up stuff for me to make pasta," Ray offered as he started pouring cups of strong coffee.

Everyone said yes except for Anette, who said, "Oh, I already ate. I um... didn't want to impose."

"Oh, god no, Anette," Frank said, taking a deep swig of coffee and wiping his mouth. "You have got to have Ray Toro's pasta."

"That sounds dirty," Mikey smirked.

"Maybe it is," Frank replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

Anette laughed. "Alright, I guess I'll eat too."

"Okay, so food for seven. You guys know where the games are," Ray said, shooing them out so he could start.

"He doesn't want anyone to know his secret recipe," Gerard muttered to Anette. "Doesn't matter though, he's a fucking awesome cook."

"I guess I'll be finding this out tonight," Anette replied, smiling and wiping some lipstick off the rim of her mug.

Frank and Mikey immediately popped in Mario Kart and began to re-ignite their rivalry, screaming and yelling at each other as they tried to win, and everyone else could do nothing but laugh and finish their drinks.

"I HATE YOU, FRANK!" Mikey yelled as Frank won the last race, and he threw the Wii Mote at Frank. "I SWEAR YOU'RE CHEATING!"

"Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful!" Frank sassed, but he didn't get to go on because Mikey tackled him and they were rolling around on the floor, half-heartedly fighting.

"Mikey, violence isn't the answer," Gerard said, but no one apparently heard them.

"Alright, I'm next," Bob said, and he chucked Hailey the remote. "You and me, babe."

"Aww! Bob just said 'babe'!" Frank half shouted, half cooed before he had to dodge Mikey trying to head-butt him.

If Bob was the sort of person who blushed, he would have. "Fuck off, Frank."

Hailey leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, I won't tell them what you call me in private."

Bob just shook his head. "Hailey, you're almost as bad as Frank."

"Almost. That's why you're with me and not him," she said with a wink.

Bob and Hailey had just finished their first race when Ray called down the stairs that the food was ready. Everyone immediately jumped up and ran back to the kitchen, leaving their games and rivalries in favor for the delicious smell that was floating through the air.

Anette had to admit, they were right - Ray was an amazing cook. They all had second helpings of pasta, and they got sauce all over their faces, and Frank licked Gerard's face, trying to get the sauce off instead of just telling him where to wipe like a normal human being.

"Okay guys, what do we want to play?" Ray asked as he stacked dirty dishes in the sink.

"Something stupid but fun," Gerard said.

"That’s like, every game we play," Mikey pointed out.

"Ooh! Definitely Spin the Bottle!" Frank said, exciting, rocking slightly on his chair. He really shouldn't have been given coffee.

"Oh God," Bob groaned.

"Yes!" Gerard said brightly, hi-fiving Frank. "You got a bottle, Ray?"

"Nope," Ray replied, but he reached into the fridge and pulled out a Coke bottle.

"Classy," Hailey commented as Ray popped it open and chugged the entire thing in one go, setting it down roughly when he finished.

"Now we do."

"Hell yes!" Frank yelled. He grabbed the bottle and led the charge back downstairs once again. They moved the couch a little so they could all sit comfortably in a circle. Anette ended up between Gerard and Mikey somehow, casting Ray a look of "how did this happen?"

Frank placed the bottle carefully on its side on the carpet like it was the Holy Grail or something. "Okay... who goes first?" he asked, a slightly evil grin creeping across his face.

"Me," Gerard said immediately, and he spun the bottle. Anette watched it anxiously, and surprise, surprise, it landed on Frank. They kissed, and Frank spun, giggling his weird giggle.

"No tongue, right?" Mikey asked nervously as the bottle landed on him and Frank started crawling over to him.

"No," Bob and Ray said at the same time.

"Fuck you guys, you're no fun," Frank said, and he kissed Mikey fiercely, nearly smashing his face into Mikey's glasses.

"God I hate kissing you," Mikey said grumpily, but he smiled grimly and spun. Anette unintentionally held her breath, and bit her lip slightly when it landed on her. Mikey turned to her, a frown on his face, and she looked at the carpet, wishing she could melt into it. 'What is wrong with me?' she thought.

"Well, go on Mikey, kiss the girl," Hailey said.

Mikey nodded, leaned over to Anette, and their lips barely brushed before he pulled away.

"That was barely even a kiss!" Frank protested.

"It's fine, Frank," Anette said before she spun and landed on Ray. "Hi, Ray," she said when she scrambled across the circle and kissed him hard and long.

"Hi yourself," he panted slightly before taking his turn.

And so the game progressed like this for quite some time. Everyone kissed everyone else, but Anette thanked whatever power it was that made sure she didn't have to kiss Mikey in public again. Not that she didn't want to kiss him, but she'd rather do that in private and only after she figured out if he liked her back or not. But she did have to kiss Hailey a few times, which was very weird, but mostly because Frank and Gerard were whistling at them and calling for a hot lesbian make out session.

"Well Gerard, you're practically a girl yourself, so you could say the same thing about you kissing either one of us," Hailey retorted after the third time.

"You're mad 'cuz I'm prettier than you," Gerard joked, batting his eyelashes.

"You wish, Gee," Hailey said, taking her turn.

After a few more turns, Frank said, "Okay, so we should do the make out round."

"Make out round?" Anette asked.

"Yeah. So for like, seven turns, you gotta make out with the person for thirty seconds. You gotta keep lips locked and you can't take off their clothes, but other than that, anything goes," he explained, clearly excited for this.

"Frank, you just want to lick Gee's tonsils," Bob said.

"Duh. Gee's tonsils are awesome."

Frank spun, and funnily enough, he landed on Bob. "Com'ere, Bryar," Frank said, and he practically pounced Bob, who looked like he was going to kill Frank. Ray had pulled out his phone to time them, and when he called thirty seconds, Bob shoved Frank off him and stuck out his tongue.

"Frank, if you ever do that again, I'm going to shove my boot so far up your ass-"

"Spin dude," Mikey said, half-bored. "He'd like that anyways."

"You liked it," Frank said, winking.

"Since when have I ever liked sexual harassment?" Bob asked, and he landed on Gerard. Everyone sort of sniggered at them as Bob awkwardly kissed him, and it seemed to take forever for Ray to say, "Time."

"You're a winner, you are," Gerard snorted, and he spun, landing on Anette. He grinned at her. "Just like old times, Sandy," he said before pushing her on the floor and kissing her like he'd never done before. She could hardly breathe from his tongue in her mouth and his weight on her chest, and she was gasping far harder than she should have been when Ray called time.

"Gee, you've got, um..." Ray said awkwardly, pointing to Gerard's face, where there was quite a bit of Anette's pink lipstick on his lips and chin.

"Ah, just leave it. Spin, Anette."

"Yeah, after I've recovered from suffocating," she retorted, but spun anyways. She shot Ray an apologetic look as it spun around and around.

"Land on Hailey, land on Hailey!" Frank chanted.

"Seriously Frank, I'm gonna kill you," Bob growled.

"Don't have to," Ray said, gesturing to the bottle. It was pointing at Mikey.

"Damn!" Frank cried. "Lucky! Both Way brothers, one right after the other."

"How is that lucky?" Hailey asked, laughing a little, but Anette was more focused on building up her courage to kiss him again. She scooted as close as she dared to him and took his face in one hand, the back of his neck in the other. His eyes were closed like he was waiting, and he shoved his slipping glasses back up his nose. They were rather smudged, probably from Frank's violent kiss.

"Sometime tonight," Gerard said.

"Right," Anette replied, her mouth not an inch from Mikey's, and she closed her eyes before pressing her lips softly to his.

Instinctively (she hoped), his arms found her waist and pulled her closer, and her fingers tangled in his hair, soft from lacking gel for the day. She started kissing him a little faster, wishing she could just French him already or that he would pulled her on top of him or something. Faintly, she heard Ray say, "Time," but it didn't register in her mind that she was supposed to stop, and apparently the same was true for Mikey, because he was still kissing her, too.

"Uh, guys? Time," Ray said again, a little louder. They broke apart, their eyes still closed and holding each other and breathing a little harder.

"S-sorry, didn't hear you," Anette replied shakily, opening her eyes and retreating away from Mikey, blushing.

"I'm like, four feet away from you."

"Sorry," she repeated, and after Mikey took a deep breath, the game resumed.

It was over soon enough. Mikey made out with Ray, who in turn had to make out with Hailey, and then it was over. Ray left to go do the dishes, Bob and Hailey finished the last of their races, and Anette went to the spare room, sitting on the bed and putting her head in her hands.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she muttered to herself, wondering why she had been so afraid of kissing Mikey. She had never been afraid of kissing someone before. Ever. Why did he have to be different?

Her head snapped up as she heard the door open and close, and Mikey was leaning against the door.

"Mikey?" she asked, confused. What did he want?

"Hi," he replied quietly. "I... um..."

Instead of finishing his sentence, he walked over and kneeled in front of her so he could look in her eyes. Anette found herself breathing a little harder for some reason, like she was afraid of him. But that was silly. He wasn't going to hurt her. But she locked eyes with him, staring deep into them. They were a lovely hazel, and Anette smiled softly.

"I'm sorry about that," he finally said after running a hand through his hair, making it even messier. "I gave you a really shitty kiss. Hell, it wasn't even a proper kiss."

"It doesn't matter, Mikey, it's fine."

"No it's not," he said, determined. "I... well..."

He reached out and set a hand on her cheek. Anette closed her eyes and shuddered, half-wishing Ray would burst through the door. She felt his breath on her face, and he mumbled, "Um..." before kissing her firmly.

It seemed to last for forever, but sooner than she would have liked, he pulled away and whispered, "I, um, hope that was satisfactory." Then she felt his warm hand leave her face, and she opened her eyes. She glimpsed him closing the door behind him.

"Mikey!" she called out weakly, but when he didn't come back, she fell over on the bed, frowning and running her fingertips along her lips, trying to ignore the tingling sensation in her stomach.

She stayed there the rest of the night, and no one disturbed her. It didn't bother her, either, because she wanted peace to try and figure out what to do about Mikey Way.