You Give Love a Bad Name
Cow Juice
"Morning."
Mikey and I looked up from our cereal to see Gerard in the kitchen's doorframe, scratching his unruly black hair with his left hand.
Even though I wasn't surprised by anything that concerned Gerard anymore, I still winced when I took in his groggy eyes, sagging shoulders, and rasping voice. This hangover wasn't as bad as some others that I've seen Gerard with, but it was bad enough. No one wants to see their loved one in this condition.
"Eat something," Mikey patted the surface of the chair next to him, scrutinizing Gerard's face. "You look like shit."
Gerard yawned in response and started to walk towards his seat. Sitting down, he sprinkled some Cocoa Puffs in his already waiting plate and started to reach for the milk.
Not saying a word, I stood up and went to one of the kitchen's cabinets, taking out a package of Tylenol. Taking two tablets out, I clutched them in my hand as I made my way to the refrigerator to fish out a water bottle.
"Thank you. You're a doll," Gerard smiled at me as I set the water and the tablets next to his bowl.
"Anytime," I mumbled, sitting down across from Gerard and next to Mikey, and starting to pick at my cereal, something that I had been doing all morning.
Not even five minutes into our breakfast, I felt something warm resting on my left hand.
Looking up, I saw Gerard leaning across the table, his fingers on my skin. His eyes were narrowed with worry and his lips were shaped into a visible frown.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good," he said, concern evident in his voice.
I cringed. I was stupid enough to hope that he and Mikey would not to notice my bloodshot eyes and my pale complection. But of course my wishes were all in vain. I should have known better than that with my overly observational and protective brothers.
The truth is, I had a really bad night. If my calculations were correct, I merely slept around two hours, and even then my sleep was restless. Frank's face kept popping up in my mind every ten seconds and as hard as I tried to make him go away, I always failed.
And then there was the dream. Or I guess you would call it my personal nightmare. I dreamt that Frank kissed me after asking me if he made me nervous. It was as vivid as the first time I dreamt it.
"Lena?"
Now Mikey was studying me as well, lips pursed and his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"I'm fine," I assured both of them. "I just didn't sleep well."
The sound of the doorbell saved me.
Gerard stood up, his hand leaving mine.
"I'll get it. It's the guys," he said, pushing his chair backwards and walking out of the room.
I gave a small sigh of relief, looking up so I could look at the clock above the microwave. Instead my green eyes met Mikey's honey colored ones, and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. He was still watching me with concern so I smiled in hopes to make the atmosphere a lighter one.
"I'm fine. Really," I smiled at him, showing a 'thumbs up' sign for the full effect.
He laughed and finally put the spoon in his mouth, looking down at his Cocoa Puffs cereal.
"Morning, everyone!"
My eyes traveled to the right to see Ray striding through kitchen doorframe, a big grin on his face and his brown afro standing up a mile from his scalp as usual.
"Morning, Toro," I smiled back at him, while Mikey just nodded, his mouth full of cereal.
"Food. Excellent," Bob rubbed his hands together, walking in after Ray, already eyeing up the kitchen for something to ravish.
I just laughed and shook my head.
Ray, Frank, and especially Bob, picked our kitchen clean of food for as long as I could remember. My Mom got used to the fact that she had to go grocery shopping three times a week a long time ago and now laughed about the lack of food in our kitchen.
"Yo! Hurry up, will you?" Bob yelled over his shoulder, already munching on a strawberry Poptart.
I turned my head to see who he was talking to and saw Gerard, Frank and Manda stepping through the kitchen door. Gerard was animatedly talking to Frank, who listened to him with deep concentration, his fingers entwined with Manda's.
My stomach lurched and I looked away, focusing my attention on Bob instead. "How's that Poptart?"
"Pretty good," he approved, shoving the rest of the pastry in his mouth. "Strawberry is my favorite."
"Maybe I'll go eat one as well," I said, looking around for the box.
"Sorry, that was the last one," Bob gave me a big, cheesy smile so wide, that I could see crumbs stuck in his teeth.
"Ewww, gross, dude," Mikey and I exclaimed at the same time.
"Yo! Pass the cow juice!"
All three of us turned our heads to see Frank sitting across from me, in the seat that Gerard occupied before, grinning at us with a spoon in hand and a bowl of Cocoa Puffs in front of him. Manda was perched in his lap, smiling at him in adoration as he stared at me expectantly.
"Hello! This is a band practice, not a goddamn luncheon," Gerard growled, pushing the carton of milk towards Frank never less.
"Thanks," Frank said cheerily, drowning his cereal in milk and making it turn chocolate brown. "Want some, babe?"
"Oh, I don't know," Manda said in her soft voice, turning to face me. "Only if Lena doesn't mind that we're eating all her food."
I shrugged, trying my best to remind myself that I had no reason to be annoyed with the girl across from me. "Nah, it's all good. Go ahead."
The vibration in the pocket of my jacket made me jump a bit. Ignoring Frank's melodic laughter, I flipped open the phone.
"Hey, Melanie."
"Hey," her voice sounded exited. "I know that we're hanging out tomorrow with Cara, but do you want to come over for a bit? I'm home alone and it's kinda boring."
"Uh," I looked around the room to find a reason to stay. Gerard was talking to Ray about new lyrics, Bob was searching the fridge for something edible, Mikey was washing his bowl in the sink, while Frank and Manda - my stomach dropped a mile - Frank and Manda were sharing a very passionate kiss, cereal forgotten.
"Just a second," I covered the mouthpiece of the phone with my hand. "Hey! Mikey, Gerard?"
"Yeah?" Mikey called over his shoulder, while Gerard stopped talking to Ray, indicating that I had his full attention.
"Are you guys going to use the car today? Or can I borrow it?"
"I'm not," Mikey said, turning the faucet off and reaching for a towel.
"Same here," Gerard slid his hand in the back pocket of his dark blue denims and fished out the keys. "Drive safely or else Mom will kick my ass after she comes back from Grandma's."
I smiled and stood up, carefully avoiding any eye contact with Manda and Frank. "See you later."
"Melanie?" I spoke into the mouthpiece of my cell, once again. "I'll be over in a couple of minutes."
Mikey and I looked up from our cereal to see Gerard in the kitchen's doorframe, scratching his unruly black hair with his left hand.
Even though I wasn't surprised by anything that concerned Gerard anymore, I still winced when I took in his groggy eyes, sagging shoulders, and rasping voice. This hangover wasn't as bad as some others that I've seen Gerard with, but it was bad enough. No one wants to see their loved one in this condition.
"Eat something," Mikey patted the surface of the chair next to him, scrutinizing Gerard's face. "You look like shit."
Gerard yawned in response and started to walk towards his seat. Sitting down, he sprinkled some Cocoa Puffs in his already waiting plate and started to reach for the milk.
Not saying a word, I stood up and went to one of the kitchen's cabinets, taking out a package of Tylenol. Taking two tablets out, I clutched them in my hand as I made my way to the refrigerator to fish out a water bottle.
"Thank you. You're a doll," Gerard smiled at me as I set the water and the tablets next to his bowl.
"Anytime," I mumbled, sitting down across from Gerard and next to Mikey, and starting to pick at my cereal, something that I had been doing all morning.
Not even five minutes into our breakfast, I felt something warm resting on my left hand.
Looking up, I saw Gerard leaning across the table, his fingers on my skin. His eyes were narrowed with worry and his lips were shaped into a visible frown.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good," he said, concern evident in his voice.
I cringed. I was stupid enough to hope that he and Mikey would not to notice my bloodshot eyes and my pale complection. But of course my wishes were all in vain. I should have known better than that with my overly observational and protective brothers.
The truth is, I had a really bad night. If my calculations were correct, I merely slept around two hours, and even then my sleep was restless. Frank's face kept popping up in my mind every ten seconds and as hard as I tried to make him go away, I always failed.
And then there was the dream. Or I guess you would call it my personal nightmare. I dreamt that Frank kissed me after asking me if he made me nervous. It was as vivid as the first time I dreamt it.
"Lena?"
Now Mikey was studying me as well, lips pursed and his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"I'm fine," I assured both of them. "I just didn't sleep well."
The sound of the doorbell saved me.
Gerard stood up, his hand leaving mine.
"I'll get it. It's the guys," he said, pushing his chair backwards and walking out of the room.
I gave a small sigh of relief, looking up so I could look at the clock above the microwave. Instead my green eyes met Mikey's honey colored ones, and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. He was still watching me with concern so I smiled in hopes to make the atmosphere a lighter one.
"I'm fine. Really," I smiled at him, showing a 'thumbs up' sign for the full effect.
He laughed and finally put the spoon in his mouth, looking down at his Cocoa Puffs cereal.
"Morning, everyone!"
My eyes traveled to the right to see Ray striding through kitchen doorframe, a big grin on his face and his brown afro standing up a mile from his scalp as usual.
"Morning, Toro," I smiled back at him, while Mikey just nodded, his mouth full of cereal.
"Food. Excellent," Bob rubbed his hands together, walking in after Ray, already eyeing up the kitchen for something to ravish.
I just laughed and shook my head.
Ray, Frank, and especially Bob, picked our kitchen clean of food for as long as I could remember. My Mom got used to the fact that she had to go grocery shopping three times a week a long time ago and now laughed about the lack of food in our kitchen.
"Yo! Hurry up, will you?" Bob yelled over his shoulder, already munching on a strawberry Poptart.
I turned my head to see who he was talking to and saw Gerard, Frank and Manda stepping through the kitchen door. Gerard was animatedly talking to Frank, who listened to him with deep concentration, his fingers entwined with Manda's.
My stomach lurched and I looked away, focusing my attention on Bob instead. "How's that Poptart?"
"Pretty good," he approved, shoving the rest of the pastry in his mouth. "Strawberry is my favorite."
"Maybe I'll go eat one as well," I said, looking around for the box.
"Sorry, that was the last one," Bob gave me a big, cheesy smile so wide, that I could see crumbs stuck in his teeth.
"Ewww, gross, dude," Mikey and I exclaimed at the same time.
"Yo! Pass the cow juice!"
All three of us turned our heads to see Frank sitting across from me, in the seat that Gerard occupied before, grinning at us with a spoon in hand and a bowl of Cocoa Puffs in front of him. Manda was perched in his lap, smiling at him in adoration as he stared at me expectantly.
"Hello! This is a band practice, not a goddamn luncheon," Gerard growled, pushing the carton of milk towards Frank never less.
"Thanks," Frank said cheerily, drowning his cereal in milk and making it turn chocolate brown. "Want some, babe?"
"Oh, I don't know," Manda said in her soft voice, turning to face me. "Only if Lena doesn't mind that we're eating all her food."
I shrugged, trying my best to remind myself that I had no reason to be annoyed with the girl across from me. "Nah, it's all good. Go ahead."
The vibration in the pocket of my jacket made me jump a bit. Ignoring Frank's melodic laughter, I flipped open the phone.
"Hey, Melanie."
"Hey," her voice sounded exited. "I know that we're hanging out tomorrow with Cara, but do you want to come over for a bit? I'm home alone and it's kinda boring."
"Uh," I looked around the room to find a reason to stay. Gerard was talking to Ray about new lyrics, Bob was searching the fridge for something edible, Mikey was washing his bowl in the sink, while Frank and Manda - my stomach dropped a mile - Frank and Manda were sharing a very passionate kiss, cereal forgotten.
"Just a second," I covered the mouthpiece of the phone with my hand. "Hey! Mikey, Gerard?"
"Yeah?" Mikey called over his shoulder, while Gerard stopped talking to Ray, indicating that I had his full attention.
"Are you guys going to use the car today? Or can I borrow it?"
"I'm not," Mikey said, turning the faucet off and reaching for a towel.
"Same here," Gerard slid his hand in the back pocket of his dark blue denims and fished out the keys. "Drive safely or else Mom will kick my ass after she comes back from Grandma's."
I smiled and stood up, carefully avoiding any eye contact with Manda and Frank. "See you later."
"Melanie?" I spoke into the mouthpiece of my cell, once again. "I'll be over in a couple of minutes."