This Is How I Disappear

"So, what's the plan for your date?" Mikey asked, plopping down on my bed. I put my nose ring and turned to look at him. "What? I'm just curious. Like, are you going to a movie or a restaurant or what?" I rolled my eyes and turned back to the mirror.

"I don't know, Mikey. He wouldn't tell me. He just said that he was going to pick me up at seven. He didn't give me any other details," I explained for the tenth time. I applied a thin line of eyeliner. "Besides, I figured you would know more, since you live with him."

"Nope, "he said, shaking his head. "He wouldn't tell me. He said it was a surprise and that I would probably come tell you." I laughed and shook my head.

"Yeah, because he knows you," I said, running a hand through my bangs. He pouted and stuck his tongue out at me.

"You guys are just mean to me," he whined. I rolled my eyes and laughed. I turned to face him.

"So, do I look okay?" I asked, doing a model spin. He smiled in approval. "Good." He tilted his head. "What? Is there something wrong?" He just shook his head.

"No, just glad I have an amazing friend like you," he smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"Flattery only gets you so far, Mr. Way," I said, mocking our English teacher. He burst into laughter. I walked to my closet in search of some shoes.

"You should wear your sparkly flats that you wore to the band dance last year. I think they'd look good with what you're wearing," he suggested. I looked over at him and raised a brow.

"Letting out your inner-gay much?" I asked jokingly, before turning back to my closet, retrieving the suggested flats. I turned around to see him glaring at me. I ignored him and slipped my shoes on. "Well, are you just gonna stay here or what? He's gonna be here in like ten minutes." He sighed and got off of my bed.

"I guess I'll head back to the house. Call me when you get back. Wait, no. I'll call you once I ask Gee how it went," he said as he slipped his shoes on. I nodded, and we walked to the front door. "I really hope it goes well."

"Don't worry, Mikey. I got this," I reassured him. He smiled at me. He opened the door, and stopped for a minute. "What's up?"

"Thank you... This is the first time he's really left the house in a long time without being forced or taken to the hospital... I know that you are just doing this for me, but I really want to thank you for everything. For helping me when I needed it, and now for trying to help him..."He looked up at me with tears forming in his golden brown eyes. I pulled him into a hug.

"Mikey, you've been my best friend for a really long time. We've helped each other through some really tough times. This is no different. After all, we joined the best friends forever club," I smiled at him, holding my wrist up to show him the friendship bracelet he made me back in the seventh grade. He smiled and held up his wrist to show me the one I made him.

"Best friends forever..."He smiled. I nodded.

"No matter what," I added, reminding him of the promise we'd made all those years ago. He smiled and wiped his eyes. "Well, he should be here any minute now, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, thanks, Taylor," he said as he walked out the front door. I smiled at him.

"No problem, Mikes. I'm always here for you," I assured him. He waved and headed down the sidewalk towards their house. I went back inside and grabbed my bag and keys, and then stepped outside to wait. Not but a few minutes later, Gerard pulled up to the curb. He got out and walked up the walkway to the steps.

"Hey," he said, looking me over. I felt a little self conscious. "You look beautiful." I smiled at him and walked down the steps. "So, are you ready to go?" I nodded, and we walked down to the car. He opened the door for me and I bowed. "Ladies first."

"Thank you, kind sir," I smiled brightly. I stepped inside the car, and he shut the door, walked around the car, and got into the driver's seat. "So, will you tell me where we're going now?"

"Hmm..." He seemed to think for a second. "Nope. You'll just have to wait and find out." I sighed dramatically.

"You are so much like your brother," I laughed. He grinned.

"He had to get it from somewhere, didn't he?"

"Well, I guess he learned from the best," I said, fastening my seatbelt. He shrugged as he did the same. "Well, will you at least give me a hint?"

"Nope, you just have to wait, love," he smirked at me. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, "I said in an overly exasperated voice. He just chuckled to himself.

"Well, I will tell you this. I think, and I really hope, that you will like it," he said in a hopeful voice. I just smiled at him.

"Okay, fair enough." We drove in silence for what seemed like forever before he pulled up to a deserted playground. I raised a brow. "Um, where are we, exactly?"

"A place I like to go and think sometimes..." He said wistfully. I looked at him suspiciously.

"Well, Mikey knows I'm with you. So, if I don't come back, you'll be the first suspect..."I said slowly. He looked over at me, and I noted the look of hurt in his eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." I realized how bad that had sounded. I quickly tried to cover up my slip-up. I put my hand over his.

"I know you wouldn't. I wasn't being serious, "I said, hoping to somewhat comfort him. "So, let's go." He seemed unsure, but he complied. He got out of the car, walked around, and opened my door for me. I took his hand and stepped out of the car. "So, what's the plan, exactly?" I asked, looking into the dark brush of the abandoned park.

"Well, follow me," he said with a faint smile as he pulled a basket out of the trunk of the car. He took me by the hand and led me through the thick brush. I kept close, for fear of getting lost if he were to let go of my hand. We came to a small clearing and he let go of my hand. "This is where we are going." I stared in awe as I took in the scenery. He had a quilt spread out over the ground, with candles surrounding the area for light. I looked up at him.

"Wow, of all the things that I might have thought of, this is far from what I expected. This is amazing," I said softly, still shocked by the effort he put into this. He smiled faintly. He motioned for me to sit. He set the basket on the ground next to the blanket and sat down next to me.

"I hope you're hungry," he said as he opened the basket. Until he mentioned it, I hadn't realized how hungry I was. He pulled out two Tupperware containers along with two forks and two cans of Cherry Coke. He handed me a drink, a fork, and one of the containers.

"What is that?" I asked, accepting his offer. He smiled.

"It's fettacini alfredo with shrimp. Mikey said you liked seafood," he explained. I smiled at him. I nodded, removing the lid from the container. The smell filled the air, causing my stomach to growl.

"It smells amazing," I said as I wrapped the noodles around the fork. I took a bite and nodded. "It tastes even better." He smiled with a feeling of accomplishment.

"I'm glad you think so. I made it myself. It's an old family recipe," he noted as he took a bite himself. We both ate, making casual conversation while we finished. Once we were done, he put the containers and forks back into the basket.

"That was hands down the best meal I've ever had the pleasure of eating," I complimented him. He smiled softly.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said quietly. "Well, it's getting late, and I have to get the car back to my dad..."I nodded, standing up. I helped him clean up, and he led me back to the car. He set the basket and the blanket in the backseat, and opened the passenger door for me. I got in the car, and he shut the door. He seemed to take his time getting into the car himself. When he finally did, he just started the car and began the drive back to my house. He didn't say much, so we drove in silence. When we got back to my house, he got out and opened the door for me. I stepped out and shut the door behind me.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, attempting to break the silence. He just sighed.

"Well, I had a really good time tonight, and I figured this was my one chance to impress you, and I just don't really think that things went like I hoped they would... If I were smarter, I would have thought of something better, but I'm not, so I didn't..."He muttered more to himself than to me. I put my hand against his face. He avoided my eyes.

"Gerard, this was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I wouldn't change it for anything," I smiled to try and reassure him. He sighed and looked in my eyes. I saw the fear in his dark brown eyes. It was a look that I was not a stranger to. I leaned forward and kissed him softly. He put one hand behind my head and the other on my back, kissing me back. I pulled back and smiled at him. "You didn't have to try and impress me. Even if you think you did, I never said that I wasn't." He smiled one of those half smiles. "Now, you better get back to Mikey before he starts blowing up my phone. He said he wanted to know everything." He nodded and turned to walk away. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back for one more kiss before sending him home. He smiled and headed back to the car. I waved at him and watched as he drove off. I headed into the house, and simply waited for Mikey to call.