Wasted

Weeks had passed and Gerard didn’t hear a single word from Autumn. Frank kept him and the rest of his friends in tune when they asked about her. He heard that she apparently quit her job as a set teacher but kept teaching every few days as a substitute. The thought of her still teaching annoyed him. She rarely ever had anything good to say about it and he wondered why she was still wasting valuable time of her life away at a desk.

The band was forming now, consisting of Mikey, Ray and Matt along with Gerard who had successfully written their first few songs. It was almost the end of October and Frank’s birthday was descending. But bad news was creeping upon Frank’s shoulders and everyone could sense it. Pencey Prep wasn’t doing as well as they had hoped and they were slowly losing their shine.

Nevertheless Pencey Prep helped My Chemical Romance book their first big show at a club for the upcoming Friday and everyone they knew was set to come. Even Autumn, who Gerard couldn’t admit, fancied a bit more than he ever thought.

Autumn was currently sitting at her kitchen table, looking down at her bills and sorting out their payments. Being a substitute paid better than she expected and she could handle her bills very well. She was happy she even had money left over to spend and save.

“Mornin’.” Riley mumbled, walking into the kitchen with sleep still deep in her senses.

Autumn smiled up at her and pointed behind her, “its five o’clock sleeping beauty. Coffee’s ready.”

Riley moaned loudly and hurried over to the kitchen. “You’re a life saver, I love you!”

“I know,” Autumn smirked and went back to her checkbook.

“I was talking to the coffee, not you.” Riley grinned playfully and took a seat across from Autumn.

“Keep that up and I’ll stop paying for cable.”

Riley rolled her eyes and rubbed the rest of sleep from her eyes. “So what’s the plan for tonight?”
Autumn looked up for a split second before shrugging. “Um, I think Frank has another show.”

“Oh, we should go. Where is it at tonight?”

“At Mustangs,” Autumn looked up and grabbed her cup of coffee. “You sure you want to spend your Saturday at a grubby club?”

Riley smiled and shrugged her shoulders, “Yeah, why not? Your cousins friends are good company.”

Autumn thought back to Frank and his friends. She hadn’t seen them since they had take-out at
Frank’s and her and Gerard had small tension between them. “Some of them, yes.” Autumn replied bitterly.

“Whoa, what’s gotten into you? You love those guys.”

“I repeat, some of them.” Autumn pushed away her bills, tired of looking at them and sure she was finished with them.

Riley raised an eyebrow and put her chin in her palm, resting against the table, “Do tell.”

Autumn sighed and shook her head. “You were wrong about Gerard, he doesn’t like me.” Riley’s mouth popped open but she stifled a laugh.

“What makes you say that?”

“I overheard him calling me a brat and he even kept picking on me! He was pissing me off the last time I saw him.” Autumn threw her hands up in frustration and felt her cheeks flush.

A small laugh escaped Riley’s throat. “You sound like a child.”

“I don’t care! He didn’t even really apologize for that night he blew up on me at Frank’s show and then had had the audacity to imply that I sleep around.”

Autumn ran a hand through her hair and let them steam out through her nose. She didn’t know what it was about Gerard that frustrated her so much. She didn’t hate him or dislike him; he just had a habit of lately getting under her skin.

Riley clicked her tongue in response and shrugged her shoulders. “Sounds like he’s taking out his sexual frustration out on you.”

Autumn scowled and shook her head at her friend, picturing the thought of Gerard in action and felt a weird pang in her chest. “That’s disgusting.”

“I’m dead serious Autumn. When’s the last time you even had sex?” Autumn’s cheeks turned a flush of crimson red and she looked down at the wood of the table.

“Oh my god,” Riley gasped, “you haven’t gotten laid in months huh?”

Autumn groaned and threw her head back in annoyance.

“Seriously Riley? Piss off.” She grumbled and stood up to head towards her room.

“Ten bucks says he wants to fuck you tonight!” Riley shouted and laughed out loudly from the kitchen.

-

The club was filled with more people anyone thought. The word got around that My Chemical Romance, a new band formed here in Jersey was going to perform and people were ecstatic to watch them. They had easily become a big hit with people in Jersey and they even gained a few fans and new friends along the way.

“Fuck man, tonight’s going to be fucking dope.” Gerard slurred and ran a playful hand through his own hair. It was completely normal for him to be wasted before they even played their set. He was chugging beer after beer and even went out and smoked a few blunts outside before they had to set up.

“Good luck tonight guys,” Frank grinned and patted them all on the shoulders. “You’re on in five.”

Ray nodded and took one last swig of his beer before shaking out his entire body of his nerves. Mikey pumped up his fists and gave everyone in the room a high five. Matt grinned to himself as he drank his last beer and huddled up a small conversation with a few of the guys around.

Gerard looked up towards a friend of his who was filming and grinned up to the camera. “We’re gonna blow people’s fucking private parts dude!”

The camera guy laughed silently behind him and turned the camera towards Mikey, “Yeah, what he said.” He put a thumbs up and a small smile.

“Lets go!” Ray shouted and smiled toward his band mates, eager to get out and play their hearts out on that small stage.

Gerard stayed behind and looked out towards the crowd from the sidelines. He saw a few familiar faces but mostly new people he was excited to perform for. He didn’t expect to see her standing there with her girlfriends. She took him by surprise but despite the alcohol he felt small nerves sinking into his pulse. Her style always kept him on the tips of his toes, she knew how to dress according to her body and he couldn’t help but stare at the way her shorts hugged her frame.

He heard the banging of Matt’s drums, getting him out of his gaze and ran up towards the stage. “Hey you motherfuckers!” He shouted into the microphone towards the crows and pointed his finger.

A rush of cheers filled his ears and he grinned to himself. Everything looked blurrier when he was drunk but he knew the only way he could put on a good show was if he got completely shit faced and disregarded his nerves and doubts.

“We’re My Chemical Romance and we’re from Jersey. This song is called Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Both of Us!” Ray’s fingers started strumming the fast riff of the guitar and before the crowd knew it everyone went crazy and started rocking their bodies to the music.

Autumn watched with wide eyes when she heard his voice through the microphone. She was surprised because she had never once heard him sing. He belonged up there, thrashing around and losing himself in the music. She smiled to herself, remembering how she was one of the first to know that this would happen. She took him in, watching his every move and her eyes shined with glints of awe.

“They’re fucking rad!” Taylor shouted over the music into Autumn’s ear. Autumn nodded back, not taking her eyes off of the stage and bobbed her head to the music. She looked over and noticed Frank going crazy in the small mosh pit that had formed. She laughed to herself, remembering how much of a fan girl Frank was over his friends’ band. But she finally understood why; they were amazing and she forgot her annoyance with Gerard for the night.

“You know you want his dick,” Riley whispered in Autumn’s ear when they headed to the bar as soon as My Chemical Romance’s set ended. Autumn rolled her eyes and pushed Riley away, “The way you talk about it, I’m starting to think you want it.”

Riley smirked and shook her head, “I’ve got my eyes on your cousin.”
Autumn almost gagged and she looked at her friend in disbelief. “Riley, that’s…that’s not cool man.”

Riley shrugged and flipped her hair playfully, “He’s not taken, is he?”

“Okay, I’m not playing fucking matchmaker between you and my cousin.” She distanced herself and quickly ordered herself a drink from the bar. She was about to turn to ask Riley what she wanted but she caught her in a conversation with Frank and Taylor.

Oh God, not the two of them fighting over him please, she thought to herself and rolled her eyes. She swallowed a drink of her beer before she noticed a figure hovering behind her. She turned with a raised eyebrow and caught Gerard looking down at her his usual smirk.

“Did you like the set?” He asked, raising his eyebrows and taking another swig of beer.

“Yeah, you guys are rad.”

His crooked grin took hold of his smirk and he felt lighter after she spoke those words. His nerves from before completely diminished as he looked down at her.

She noticed he was drunk but it didn’t surprise her. It was a usual occurrence and she could almost tell his sober words apart from his drunken ones.

A small silence over took them, neither of them knowing what to say next. They glanced around the club before Gerard spoke up, his smirk coming back.

“You look good tonight Autumn, trying to get someone else’s number?”

Autumn’s eyes narrowed and the annoyance came back. “You’re such a prick Gerard.”

He put his hands up in surrender. “It was just a simple question. Why else would you get so dressed up? Trying to seduce a musician?” He grinned mischievously.

Autumn rolled her eyes and glared at him. “You know, I like you much better when you’re sober. Even if you are a total prick regardless of the alcohol.”

She did it again, she said something that stung and his smirk faltered. She looked up at him and noticed the solemn expression that took place on his face. He glanced around so she wouldn’t catch it again but she spoke up.

“Do you dislike me or something? Because you keep giving me these weird signals. One minute you’re hot and the next you’re cold.”

He looked down and his eyebrows furrowed.
“What are you talking about?” His words were slurring together and she sighed to herself.

“Forget it.” She turned on her heel but he caught up to her.

“I’m confused Autumn.” He mumbled, his voice coming out drunk but slightly childish.

Autumn turned to look at him. “I can’t talk to you about this when you’re drunk. Maybe when you sober up.”

She turned to walk away again but this time his hand grabbed her wrist.

“Why are you so confusing?!” Gerard shouted, earning a few weary glances from the people around them and Autumn’s eyebrows furrowed in her own confusion. She pulled her wrist back to herself and shook her head at him.

“Maybe it’s because you’re so god damn drunk all the time! And when you’re sober you go bipolar on me! I mean, one minute you’re talking to me and showing me your songs and the next you laugh at me like I’m your annoying little sister!”

Her cheeks were pink from frustration and she felt her body heat up with embarrassment from the people around her. Gerard’s eye glazed over hers and her shook his head at her, pursing his lips and running a hand through his hair.

“I can’t like you. I just can’t.” He mumbled to himself but Autumn caught it and her eyes widened.

“What are you talking about?”

He swallowed thickly and shook his head at her. “I can’t like you. This isn’t good.”

Her eyes darted back and forth from his lips to his eyes, wondering if he really said that. Her body heat had risen and she didn’t understand what he was going on about. What did he mean he couldn’t like her? Is that why he called her a brat?

He took another drink of beer and glanced at her before turning away without a last slur.