You Can Take All the Pain Away From Me

Gerard's P.O.V.
November 2004

Once Frank woke up and everyone just started to follow. A few minutes later Mikey woke and not to long so was Ray. We were just watching the TV until our eyes went watery.

"I'm gonna make popcorn anyone want?" Frank stood up asking.

"I want," Mikey said raising his hand.

"Oh dude me too!" Ray said.

"Don't mind if I do!" Bob said taking his eyes off what ever he was texting.

"Alright," Frank said taking out a pack of popcorn from the box and placing it in the microwave. And not to long it was already done. I could smell the butter from the pop that filled the cold air through the bus. Frank opened the the bag of popcorn and sat down getting a few popcorns.

"Anyone want?" he said stuffing his mouth with the popcorn.

"I want!" Mikey exclaimed and getting the bag of popcorn. We started passing the bag of popcorn around the bus each of us getting some. Until the bag came to me.

"Gerard, you gonna get?" Frank asked.

"Oh, yeah," I said. I stopped staring at the table and looked up.

"Gerard, is there something on your mind?" Bob laughed trying to keep quiet.

"... Uhm... Nope. Theres nothing," I said lying beneath my smile. "Why is there?" I said giving a questionable look at Bob.

"No, I don't recall. I was just wondering," Bob smirked. Frank, Ray and Mikey wasn't sure what was happening. Mikes and Lilly were giggling on what Bob was trying to do. Plus I tried forget what Bob was trying to pull or let the guys find out. So I just got some popcorn and passed it back to Frank.

"Oh, driver dude! Are we near yet?" Frank asked yelling at the front of the bus.

"A little bit. You wanna make a stop somewhere?" the driver suggested.

"Yeah that would cool," Ray said reaching for the popcorn bag.

"Oh yeah here," Frank said passing it to Ray.

I looked at Mikes and she smiled. I smiled back. We were unsure what to do. It got boring. And I got impatient. So I started humming the chorus 'I'm Not Okay'. Lilly started to sing along and so did Frank, even Mikes started to sing along. Not to far along the song Mikey and Ray were. Until we felt the bus and park somewhere.

"Were here at a gas station," the driver said opening the door.

"Yay!" Frank said getting up and going out the bus.

Everyone stood up and walked out to the gas station.

"So I'm going to the store and buy some stuff, yeah?" Mikes said raising her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah I'm coming!" I said.

"Yeah I'm coming too," Lilly said following as they walked toward the store. Bob followed us as we got to the store. Fuck, why the hell...?

"So gonna buy anything?" Mikes asked walked to the counter and buying a pack of cigarettes.

"I need to talk to you," Bob said.

"About what?" I asked. As if I didn't know...

"You know what I'm talking about," Bob said taking me to the diner beside it. It was connected.

"Ei, we're going to the diner!" I told MIkes and Lilly as Bob dragged me to the diner and took me to one of the booths. He sat down in front of me.

"What are you going to do?" Bob asked leaning forward.

"I dunno," I said calling a waitress.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Bob asked getting a menu from the waitress.

"I just... don't know what to do," I said looking down at the menu.

"Well I just don't want you to screw anything up. I mean like if you're going to make this a relationship, just be careful," Bob said smiling. Wow. The first smile I've seen since after the show when we met the girls. I smiled back looking at the menu.

"I will," I said.

"Well I hope you do something good with this. Because I am hungry," Bob said putting down the menu and calling the waitress. I thought about what I was going to do. But I didn't feel like thinking right now. I thought I'd just see what will happen. I didn't want to be one of those people who planned everything. I'll just think of it later. I wanted to see if she would do anything, or even care.

"Can I have a cheese burger?" I heard Bob say as I looked at the menu. I was still looking at the menu. Not sure if I was looking for something to eat or just staring at the menu.

"What will be your order sir?" the waitressed asked me. I looked up from the menu, still not knowing what I was going to order.

"Uhm... I'll have the small French fries," I said giving the menu to the waitress as she walked away.

"So don't worry," I said leaning back.

"I won't," Bob said yawning.

***
Mikes P.O.V.

"Ei were going to the diner!" Gerard said as Bob dragged him to the diner.

I tapped the top of the cigarettes box on the counter while I waited for my change. Trying to avoid the question that Lilly was going to ask me.

"So... watcha going to do?" she asked. There we go! I knew she was going to ask.

"Should I do anything?" I said getting my change from the cashier.

"I think so," she said leaning on the counter.

"I'll let him do something. He started it," I said placing the pack of cigarettes in my pocket.

"Mikes you're acting as if its a child's game!" Lilly shouted.

"Don't get mad at me! I didn't do anything," I said raising my eye brows.

"Sorry, its just that I was worried for you," she said looking down.

"Don't be," I said placing my hand on her shoulder. "Why would you be anyway?" I asked raising an eye brow.

"I mean I just don't want you to get into anything to drastic or I don't want you to get hurt," she said. She was doing the mommy role again. I couldn't blame her once again.

"Well okay. So can we go to the diner now?" I asked.

"Yeah, okay," Lilly said as we walked over to the diner.

We saw Bob and Gerard in one booth and Frank say and Mikey in a couple of booths farther.

"Hey guys," Lilly said sitting next to Bob. As she sat down she smiled at me. I knew she did it intentionally. So I had no choice but to sit beside Gerard. I sat down beside him, and soon enough no one was talking.