We Could

I didn’t tell anyone that Gerard was helping me with my homework.

That’s why my friends and I were unpleasantly surprised when he showed up at our lunch table the following week. He was clutching a paper bag in his left hand with a death grip, and took a long breath before asking if I would come with him for a bit. I could feel his nervousness rolling off him in waves. His neck was beet red.

Amanda kicked my knee under the table when I didn’t answer him at first. I sent her a dirty look while I gathered up my lunch and followed him back to where we’d met last week. He dropped to the ground against the wall and stretched his legs out. I slowly sat next to him and picked at the paper wrapper around my water bottle. I wasn’t sure if I was hungry anymore.

I could feel his glances every few seconds while his hands fumbled with the wrapper of his Gushers. I was starting to get irritated, “Is there something you wanted?” I asked, trying not to be rude. I still needed his help with my work.

“What did Jenner say about the homework?” He hesitated before asking, so I know this wasn’t what he really dragged me out here to talk about.

“Not much. She just took it and told me it would be in the grade book by tonight,” He nodded, and we sat in silence. He offered me one of his Gushers, but I declined and flicked the wrapper I’d been playing with off into the grass, “I’m just gonna go back inside, I’ll see you later.”

I could feel his eyes burning into my back as I hurried back to the cafeteria to endure Amanda’s jeers about hanging out with weirdo Gerard Way.



I managed to get a few of my homework assignments done by myself, but it wasn’t really anything to write home about. Instead, I shoved the undone homework into the drawer of my desk and went over to Frank’s house instead. We were planning a movie day, something he would watch while I screwed around on my phone. I didn’t like movies very much.

We made it through some movie I didn’t follow the plot of before Frank’s doorbell rang. He hollered for the visitors to come in, and I was surprised to see Mikey. He was an alright kid, he and I had volunteered in the school library for extra credit a few times together, and he wasn’t a complete
weirdo.

Luckily, it was just him. Mikey sat down next to me on the couch and Frank popped in the next DvD and navigated through the main menu.

“So, what did Gerard want during lunch yesterday?” Mikey asked me, and I remembered the weird encounter. I tried not to scrunch up my nose, Mikey was Gerard’s brother after all.

“I don’t know, we went outside and he asked me what Jenner thought of the homework. Then we just didn’t talk for like ten minutes. I don’t know, it was weird.”

“Gerard is weird,” Mikey shrugged, leaning back into the couch and pulling his own phone out of his pocket, “He’s okay once you get to know him, he’s just a quiet guy, hangs out by himself a lot.”

“Yeah, I know. Hey, gimme your phone number,” I demanded, and Mikey rattled it off while I entered it in my phone, and sent him a text to return my own number. Frank shushed us as the movie started, and I opened up some app on my phone about flapping birds.

Mikey’s phone went off two movies later, while the sun was going down. He looked at the text message and groaned, “Gerard’s car isn’t starting and Mom needs me to take ours to go jump him,” I glanced at the darkening sky and shrugged at Frank.

“Yeah, I need to get home too. I have to walk and I don’t feel like getting mugged tonight.”

“I’ll take you home if you want,” Mikey offered while Frank groaned from his armchair and tried to make up excuses for me to stay. Of course, I accepted his offer. I’m not going to walk across town if I don’t have to. I gave Frank a kiss on the forehead and ruffled his styled hair before I left, and he
sent me a snapchat of his middle finger after I left the house.

The only downside was I forgot the main reason Mikey was leaving – going to jump Gerard’s car. I couldn’t back out now, and I only hoped that Mikey would take me home first. I buckled my seatbelt and told Mikey my address. He hummed for a second, before explaining that it would be quicker to go
jump Gerard first, since my house is farther than Gerard’s work at Bookworld.

I tried not to groan.

It took us all of 10 minutes to get there, and Gerard’s car was the only one sitting in the parking lot. I tried to sink down in the passenger seat so he wouldn’t see me, but we made eye contact. Gerard said something to Mikey, and Mikey shrugged in response.

I occupied myself with my phone again and tried not to feel Gerard’s casual glances at the passenger seat. It wasn’t until Mikey climbed into the driver’s seat and Gerard got into the back that I was brought out of my self-induced trance.

“Looks like his alternator took a shit. You said West Market, right?” I nodded and Mikey took off down the road again. I could just barely smell Gerard’s body wash, still Wolfsthorn. Good god. I tapped my fingernails against the back of my phone case and tried not to think about how long this drive home felt.

Finally, we pulled into my driveway and I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. I was halfway to the front door when I heard Gerard’s hoarse voice call out for me to wait a second. I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face him, “When do you want to work on your homework again?”

“I don’t know-“

“What are you doing tomorrow? Do you want to meet at Carl’s?” His words came out quick and jumbled, and I had to take a second to decipher them. I didn’t want to accept this meeting place, just in case someone saw us and thought it was a date, but I agreed and he gave me a small sideways smile and climbed into the car. He didn’t even tell me what time?

Mikey texted me fifteen minutes later.

Gerard says that he will be there at two.