Garage Heroes
Chapter Six
As I made my way to go look at how much of my room still needed to be painted, I remembered Gerard. I realized that I was supposed to go see them all today. I ran back out of my bedroom to find my dad. He was in the kitchen then, getting a glass of milk.
“Whoa! Slow down!” He laughed and took a drink of his milk.
“Dad! We need to finish painting my room!”
“Well, I was planning on doing it later. Why are you in such a hurry?” He smirked at me, and I could tell he remembered Gerard.
“Well, that kid and his band that were playing in the garage? He invited me over there to listen to him and he said I could come back over there today, and I want to finish my room before I go over there because I don’t know how long I’ll be there,” I spoke quickly, I didn’t think we should be wasting any time, but obviously my dad did. He waited a few moments before responding.
“I suppose we can get started as soon as you’re ready!”
I thanked him and ran back to my room. All my boxes were in my bathroom to be out of the way of painting, so I hurried to get dressed. Painting clothes. I grabbed an old pair of jeans that had holes everywhere, including the ass of them, and a white shirt that I hated, and changed. I opened the door of my room right before my dad knocked and gestured for him to come in. We spent about three hours painting, until our skin was covered in either paint or sweat, or both. Dad said we would have to finish it the next day, because he was exhausted. I agreed and told him I was going to shower in his bathroom because of the boxes barricading mine. I took a quick shower and blow-dried my hair. I took about twenty minutes to straighten it, and put on my black beanie. I wore one of my Nirvana T-shirts and black skinny jeans. I slipped on a pair of black high tops and walked out the door. I had only bothered putting mascara on. I was in too much of a hurry to see Gerard. As I was walking out the door, it hit me. I think I’ve made some friends. I better not fuck this up.
I walked across the street and was greeted with smiling faces. Gerard ran over to me and told me that they were on a break for a few minutes.
“Hey! It’s Taylor!” Frank called to his friends and then turned to wave to me.
“Hey Frank!” I laughed as his enthusiasm. I really liked everyone over here so far, and I thought everyone liked me. I was making friends for the first time in my life.
“So, are you hungry? We have snacks!” Gerard grinned and led me inside his house before I had the chance to answer. His house was small, smaller than mine. It was a little worn, I guess you could say. I could tell it was old. It smelled of mildew, and I then realized there were places where rain had seeped through the ceiling and onto the floor. Buckets were placed to catch the rain. I felt kinda bad for him, living here.
“Yes! Finally, some food,” Frank ran into the kitchen and I then realized Mikey had not been with us, instead he was making spaghetti and I could smell the garlic bread. Ray went with Frank, leaving me alone walking with Gerard.
“So, this is your house?” I asked him, disrupting the silence between us. My question seemed to have startled him.
“Uh, yeah. It is.”
“Where are your parents? Are they working?” I wanted to know more about him and I felt like asking about his parents jobs could help. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he increased his walking speed and hurried toward the kitchen. I ignored his reaction and assumed he was just really hungry. I joined everyone in the kitchen where the aroma of the food seemed to hit you in the face. It smelled fantastic, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I wasn’t even hungry, but there was no way I could pass up something that smelled this fucking great.
“Sit down, Taylor!” Ray called to me, and I did. I took a seat between Frank and Ray. This would be very interesting. Mikey sat a plate in front of me and sat down. I felt weird being the only girl there, but it was kinda nice. Frank and Gerard made jokes at each other while Ray and I discussed Nirvana because he noticed the shirt I was wearing. I would look up every now and then to catch a glimpse of Gerard and his smile. His laugh was so beautiful. And his smile. God, everything about him was beautiful.
“How’s your spaghetti?” Mikey’s question caught me off guard.
“Sorry, what?” I knew how stupid I sounded.
“How’s your spaghetti?” He repeated and laughed.
“Oh, it’s really good. You’re a good cook!”
“Thank you!” He gave me a quick smile before going to put his plate away and leaving the room. I finished my spaghetti and put my plate in the sink and went to sit back down. Gerard was just finishing his last bite when Ray and Frank stood up.
“We’re going to bed. Goodnight, guys. See you tomorrow, Taylor!” I guess they actually did like me.
“Oh, it is getting late. I don’t mean to bother, I can go ahead home,” I insisted, kind of embarrassed. Gerard stood up and put his plate up.
“You aren’t bothering me, you can stay longer if you’d like. I like the company,” he smiled at me and looked at his feet.
“Are you sure?
“I’m sure,” he gestured for me to come with him and we went outside. He sat on the steps and patted next to him. I sat down, and watched as he popped his knuckles and laid them on his lap.
“Hey, uh, I’m sorry about asking about your parents earlier. I know it was kind of rude, I just wanted to know more about you.” It was silent for a few moments before he spoke.
“My mom, she passed away when I was 9. My dad left me when I was 11. He left me in foster care.” His voice was shaky as he spoke.
“I’m so sorry to hear that… I really didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.”
“Can I ask one thing? I thought you had to be 18 to just be let out of foster care. You’re what, 17? How are you released?” He sat up and looked right into my eyes as if he was concentrating on something that I was unaware of.
“I ran away. I got out when I was 14. They never found me. Mikey escaped with me, of course.”
I was going to ask how, but my phone rang. It was my dad. I told Gerard to hold on a second, and answered.
“Either come home now, or I’m locking the door.” I could just hear his smirk. He hung up and I faced Gerard.
“My dad said I either have to come home now, or he’s locking the door,” I watched Gerard’s face light up in laughter.
“If he’d allow you, you can stay here!” He smiled at me with confidence.
“He wouldn’t mind, I know.”
“You can sleep on my bed, I’ll sleep on the floor,” he looked up at me and stood up, “That is, if you want to stay.”
“That would be very nice, but you can have your bed. I’ll sleep on the floor, I don’t mind.”
“You are my guest, take the bed,” He smiled and led me back inside. He brought blankets and showed me to his room. When I opened the door, I realized that it was like a different world. It was fantastic. The walls were covered with posters and drawings. He was an artist and goddamn, his works were beautiful. I walked over to his bed and sat down. It was covered in papers, so I began to pick them up to put them on his nightstand. They were all sketches and they were beautiful. He was making his bed on the floor and I knelt down next to him.
“Gerard, these are gorgeous. You are a great artist.” I watched as his eyes lit up. He sat them on his nightstand and sat on his bed, waiting for me to join him.
“When I’m not making music with the guys, this is what I’m doing.” He smiled at me and told me that he’s glad I liked them. He got back down on the floor and covered himself up with blankets.
“Oh! I forgot you need nightclothes.” He grinned at me and hopped out of his bed. He went to a dresser and pulled out a Misfits shirt that looked like it was a couple sizes too big for me and a pair of basketball shorts.
“Put these on, I’ll go get a drink while you change.” He smiled at me and walked out, closing the door behind him. The clothes were comfortable and I was glad he was letting me wear them. I tossed my clothes in a pile in the corner and took my beanie off and set it on his nightstand. Gerard knocked a couple minutes later and I told him to come in. He smiled when he saw me sitting on the bed.
“And still, you can pull off a giant T-shirt and basketball shorts. I’m impressed.” He crawled into his blankets and shut off the light on his nightstand.
“Goodnight, Taylor. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight, Gerard.”
“Whoa! Slow down!” He laughed and took a drink of his milk.
“Dad! We need to finish painting my room!”
“Well, I was planning on doing it later. Why are you in such a hurry?” He smirked at me, and I could tell he remembered Gerard.
“Well, that kid and his band that were playing in the garage? He invited me over there to listen to him and he said I could come back over there today, and I want to finish my room before I go over there because I don’t know how long I’ll be there,” I spoke quickly, I didn’t think we should be wasting any time, but obviously my dad did. He waited a few moments before responding.
“I suppose we can get started as soon as you’re ready!”
I thanked him and ran back to my room. All my boxes were in my bathroom to be out of the way of painting, so I hurried to get dressed. Painting clothes. I grabbed an old pair of jeans that had holes everywhere, including the ass of them, and a white shirt that I hated, and changed. I opened the door of my room right before my dad knocked and gestured for him to come in. We spent about three hours painting, until our skin was covered in either paint or sweat, or both. Dad said we would have to finish it the next day, because he was exhausted. I agreed and told him I was going to shower in his bathroom because of the boxes barricading mine. I took a quick shower and blow-dried my hair. I took about twenty minutes to straighten it, and put on my black beanie. I wore one of my Nirvana T-shirts and black skinny jeans. I slipped on a pair of black high tops and walked out the door. I had only bothered putting mascara on. I was in too much of a hurry to see Gerard. As I was walking out the door, it hit me. I think I’ve made some friends. I better not fuck this up.
I walked across the street and was greeted with smiling faces. Gerard ran over to me and told me that they were on a break for a few minutes.
“Hey! It’s Taylor!” Frank called to his friends and then turned to wave to me.
“Hey Frank!” I laughed as his enthusiasm. I really liked everyone over here so far, and I thought everyone liked me. I was making friends for the first time in my life.
“So, are you hungry? We have snacks!” Gerard grinned and led me inside his house before I had the chance to answer. His house was small, smaller than mine. It was a little worn, I guess you could say. I could tell it was old. It smelled of mildew, and I then realized there were places where rain had seeped through the ceiling and onto the floor. Buckets were placed to catch the rain. I felt kinda bad for him, living here.
“Yes! Finally, some food,” Frank ran into the kitchen and I then realized Mikey had not been with us, instead he was making spaghetti and I could smell the garlic bread. Ray went with Frank, leaving me alone walking with Gerard.
“So, this is your house?” I asked him, disrupting the silence between us. My question seemed to have startled him.
“Uh, yeah. It is.”
“Where are your parents? Are they working?” I wanted to know more about him and I felt like asking about his parents jobs could help. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he increased his walking speed and hurried toward the kitchen. I ignored his reaction and assumed he was just really hungry. I joined everyone in the kitchen where the aroma of the food seemed to hit you in the face. It smelled fantastic, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I wasn’t even hungry, but there was no way I could pass up something that smelled this fucking great.
“Sit down, Taylor!” Ray called to me, and I did. I took a seat between Frank and Ray. This would be very interesting. Mikey sat a plate in front of me and sat down. I felt weird being the only girl there, but it was kinda nice. Frank and Gerard made jokes at each other while Ray and I discussed Nirvana because he noticed the shirt I was wearing. I would look up every now and then to catch a glimpse of Gerard and his smile. His laugh was so beautiful. And his smile. God, everything about him was beautiful.
“How’s your spaghetti?” Mikey’s question caught me off guard.
“Sorry, what?” I knew how stupid I sounded.
“How’s your spaghetti?” He repeated and laughed.
“Oh, it’s really good. You’re a good cook!”
“Thank you!” He gave me a quick smile before going to put his plate away and leaving the room. I finished my spaghetti and put my plate in the sink and went to sit back down. Gerard was just finishing his last bite when Ray and Frank stood up.
“We’re going to bed. Goodnight, guys. See you tomorrow, Taylor!” I guess they actually did like me.
“Oh, it is getting late. I don’t mean to bother, I can go ahead home,” I insisted, kind of embarrassed. Gerard stood up and put his plate up.
“You aren’t bothering me, you can stay longer if you’d like. I like the company,” he smiled at me and looked at his feet.
“Are you sure?
“I’m sure,” he gestured for me to come with him and we went outside. He sat on the steps and patted next to him. I sat down, and watched as he popped his knuckles and laid them on his lap.
“Hey, uh, I’m sorry about asking about your parents earlier. I know it was kind of rude, I just wanted to know more about you.” It was silent for a few moments before he spoke.
“My mom, she passed away when I was 9. My dad left me when I was 11. He left me in foster care.” His voice was shaky as he spoke.
“I’m so sorry to hear that… I really didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.”
“Can I ask one thing? I thought you had to be 18 to just be let out of foster care. You’re what, 17? How are you released?” He sat up and looked right into my eyes as if he was concentrating on something that I was unaware of.
“I ran away. I got out when I was 14. They never found me. Mikey escaped with me, of course.”
I was going to ask how, but my phone rang. It was my dad. I told Gerard to hold on a second, and answered.
“Either come home now, or I’m locking the door.” I could just hear his smirk. He hung up and I faced Gerard.
“My dad said I either have to come home now, or he’s locking the door,” I watched Gerard’s face light up in laughter.
“If he’d allow you, you can stay here!” He smiled at me with confidence.
“He wouldn’t mind, I know.”
“You can sleep on my bed, I’ll sleep on the floor,” he looked up at me and stood up, “That is, if you want to stay.”
“That would be very nice, but you can have your bed. I’ll sleep on the floor, I don’t mind.”
“You are my guest, take the bed,” He smiled and led me back inside. He brought blankets and showed me to his room. When I opened the door, I realized that it was like a different world. It was fantastic. The walls were covered with posters and drawings. He was an artist and goddamn, his works were beautiful. I walked over to his bed and sat down. It was covered in papers, so I began to pick them up to put them on his nightstand. They were all sketches and they were beautiful. He was making his bed on the floor and I knelt down next to him.
“Gerard, these are gorgeous. You are a great artist.” I watched as his eyes lit up. He sat them on his nightstand and sat on his bed, waiting for me to join him.
“When I’m not making music with the guys, this is what I’m doing.” He smiled at me and told me that he’s glad I liked them. He got back down on the floor and covered himself up with blankets.
“Oh! I forgot you need nightclothes.” He grinned at me and hopped out of his bed. He went to a dresser and pulled out a Misfits shirt that looked like it was a couple sizes too big for me and a pair of basketball shorts.
“Put these on, I’ll go get a drink while you change.” He smiled at me and walked out, closing the door behind him. The clothes were comfortable and I was glad he was letting me wear them. I tossed my clothes in a pile in the corner and took my beanie off and set it on his nightstand. Gerard knocked a couple minutes later and I told him to come in. He smiled when he saw me sitting on the bed.
“And still, you can pull off a giant T-shirt and basketball shorts. I’m impressed.” He crawled into his blankets and shut off the light on his nightstand.
“Goodnight, Taylor. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight, Gerard.”
♠ ♠ ♠
this is reaaallllyyyy long, sorry!