My Medical Romance

“Get him, Batman!” Frank demanded the TV. “Damn it, if they stopped with the puns maybe there’d be an actual fight scene.”

“Puns are what make it, Frank,” Gerard reminded him. Currently, he was struggling to fill the air mattress and the fact that Ray had taken to lounging on it didn’t look like it was helping.

“So you’re all staying over too?” Mikey sighed, trudging down the stairs. “I’ll get the sleeping bags, Ray.” He turned to dig around in Gerard’s closet.

“I’d offer you my bed,” Gerard finally huffed, having knocked Ray off and filled the air mattress. “But it’s a smoke pit at the headboard and that’d wreck your asthma.”

“Besides,” Mikey added with a smirk, something I’d never seen before on him, “You always share with Frank anyway.”

“Piss off, Mikey,” Gerard mumbled, flipping off his brother.

It was a long time before everyone got somewhat settled. Gerard and Frank crushed together on Gerard’s twin bed, Ray and Mikey in sleeping bags on either side of me.

I wasn’t used to the way the house creaked, or the sounds of anyone but myself moving around, but it was comfortable. Safe, even. Gerard was the kind of person who left the TV on even if no one was watching it, and eventually it lost the signal and turned to a gray, fuzzy screen. The glow reflected off Mikey’s glasses (not that I was staring at his face or anything) and for once, everything seemed to make sense.

“Iris.” I buried my head deeper into the blankets. “Iris, come on, I want to show you something.”

Mikey helped me up and together we headed to the Way’s garage.

“It’s not much, not yet. But it will be.” He was right, it wasn’t much yet. I could see the potential, though. There was soundproofing foam painted red and periwinkle and half hung lights. There was even a stage complete with amps and a stray guitar.

“That’s Frank’s, he leaves stuff here a lot,” Mikey answered, noticing my questioning gaze. “He and Gerard have been unofficially together since last year.”

“How long have you been building this?”

“About as long. See, Frankie and Ray can play guitar, I’m learning bass and Gerard sings. The only thing we need now is someone who can play the drums.”

“Bob,” I recalled. He was in my English class. Mostly he just kept his head down and ignored the teacher, but when he was interested in something he’d take out two pens and start drumming on the desk. “Bob Bryar. I haven’t talked to him, but I know he can play.” I didn’t think I’d ever heard the kid give more than a one word answer the whole year.

“Well, maybe Monday you can ask him. It’s not super important, there are lots of good musicians in Jersey. Most of them are just hard to find, you know?”

“Yeah. So all this is for your band? Does it have a name?”

“That’s a secret. This was all supposed to be a secret until we had a few songs ready to go, but I figured I could show you.”

He stood by the door while I got a closer look at everything.

It must’ve taken ages just to get this together with no one knowing. I thought, careful not to disturb anything.

“We should get going. Like I said, this is supposed to be a secret. Do you want me to walk you home?”

My mother was definitely home by this point, probably awake and sitting down to a breakfast of leftover lasagna. She wouldn’t mind coming to get me, not while she was still feeling guilty about not being home for me, but I wanted to spend more time with Mikey.

“Yeah, just let me change.”