The *** of Gerard Way

Mikey sat on the stairs of his apartment complex and stared out at all the parked cars. The midnoon sun shone brightly against the cars' shiny surfaces, almost blinding Mikey. He squinted against the glare and frowned. Gerard's car was still parked in the same spot as it had always been. He zipped up his hoody, then unzipped it. After a while, he zipped it up again.

Mikey didn't know why it bothered him, to see his brother's car there. But it did.

He got up and stepped off of the stairs. For a moment, he just stood there and stretched his long legs. A noise behind him startled him.

He turned around and saw a shadow beneath the stairs. Mikey's heart began to pound in his ears. For a second, he thought that Gerard's killer was back.

Back for what?

He shook the feeling off when he realized the shadow was nothing more than a mere child.

"H-hello?" He felt like he was answering a telephone. Instead, he said, "Um... can I help you?" He shook his head. Now he sounded like a waitress at Olive Garden.

The child slowly stepped out from the shadows. Her dark hair shone brightly against the sun.

Mikey stood there, unsure of what to do.

The girl looked around five years old. Her large, almond eyes were wide with uncertainty. She looked like she was ready to cry.

"Um... are you okay?" Mikey took a step forward.

The girl shrunk back and shook her head.

"W-what's wrong?" Mikey didn't know what else to say.

"I.. I can't find him." The little girl said in a tiny voice.

"Who?" Mikey frowned. "Find who?"

"We were playing hide and seek." The little girl continued.

"But who?" Mikey asked again.

"My brother."

Mikey felt the edges of his jaw soften.

"Your brother?" Mikey asked softly. "You can't find your brother?"

The little girl shook her head.

"I was the one who was supposed to hide... but I went too far."

Mikey exhaled through his nose. The same thing had happened to him when he was six. He had been playing hide and seek in the yard with Gerard. He thought that Gerard would never find him if he left their yard. It turned out that he was right.

"I lost my brother, too." Mikey said softly.

"You did?" The little girl's eyes were wide.

Mikey nodded.

"You can't find him?" The girl asked.

Mikey stayed silent for a moment.

"No." He said. "No, I can't."

"D-do you miss him?" The little girl's voice grew quieter.

"Yeah, I do." Mikey answered. "A lot."

The little girl nodded. She looked at the ground.

"Right now, I really miss my brother." The little girl wiped at her eyes.

Mikey looked at her. Something about her sad eyes made him want to help her.

"What's your name?" He asked her.

"Olivia." The little girl sniffled.

"If you want, I'll help you find your brother."

Olivia looked up.

"Please?"

"Okay, then, let's find your brother."

The little girl smiled at Mikey.

"And then I can help you find your brother."

At that moment, a sadness filled his chest.

"Yeah." He said quietly.

Olivia's smile suddenly vanished.

"Wait." She said gravely. "My brother said not to talk to strangers."

"Your brother's a smart man." Mikey said.

Olivia giggled.

"He's not a man."

Mikey thought for a moment, then held out his hand.

"Hello, my name is Mikey, and I like unicorns." He introduced himself.

"I like unicorns, too!" Olivia took his hand and shook it furiously. "I think this is the beginning of a very beautiful friendship!"

She smiled at him, revealing a missing tooth.

"Yes, yes it is." He laughed. Kids could be so cute sometimes. "See? Now we're not strangers."

"You're smart." Olivia grinned.

"Yeah." Mikey didn't even try to be modest. "So where do you live?"

Olivia bit her lip.

"Um..." She looked around. "I think... I think over there."

She pointed to a far away spot.

"Your brother's probably over there." Mikey said. "Let's go."

Olivia took Mikey's hand and happily marched beside him.

It surprised him. He never knew that a simple, innocent gesture like that could be such a life defining moment.

After they had walked pretty far, a voice called out.

"Olivia!" The voice sounded distressed. "Come out, Olivia!"

"It's my brother!" Olivia let go of Mikey's hand.

"Olivia!" The voice called again.

"Anthony!" Olivia called out.

Suddenly, a boy around twelve or thirteen appeared from behind the building. He looked around and spotted them. He dropped the skateboard he was carrying and ran towards them.

Olivia jumped up and down, overjoyed.

The boy ran up to Olivia, picked her up, and threw her into the air. She laughed and hugged him.

The boy squeezed her tightly and said, "Don't you do that again, you hear me? You scared the shit out of me."

When he set her down, Olivia grinned.

"My new friend, Mikey helped me." Olivia said. She looked at Mikey. "This is my brother, Anthony."

Mikey nodded at Anthony.

"Uh.." Anthony looked at Mikey. He was probably wondering why a 27-year-old dude wanted to befriend a five year-old.

"She likes unicorns." Asif that explained everything.

"Okay." Anthony said. "Thanks. Seriously, she'd be screaming right now if it weren't for you."

"Hey, it's what people do." Mikey shrugged. "We help each other out... sometimes."

Suddenly, Anthony's eyes widened..

"I knew you looked familiar!" He said excitedly. "You're Mikey. Mikey Way! From My Chemical Romance!"

Olivia looked confused.

"But that's the band you're always listening to." She said.

"Yeah, and he's in it."

"Oh, my brother has your poster!" Olivia jumped up and down in excitement.

"I heard you lived around here, but I didn't think you lived that close!" Anthony said. "Can I have your autograph?"

Suddenly, his eyes widened. Again.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry." He said softly. He bit his lip. "I... I heard about your brother. You probably think I'm an asshole or something." Anthony stared at his shoes.

Mikey looked at the ground. So the news was out.

"No, no. It's okay." Mikey looked back up.

"No, it's not-"

"Yes, it is." Mikey said. "Um, I don't have anything I could give you."

Mikey dug around in his pockets, hoping to find a pick or anything. He dug around his hoody pockets. He smacked himself in the head. Duh.

He pulled off his hoody and held it out towards Anthony.

"No." Anthony looked at him incredulously. "You don't mean... really?"

"Yeah, take it." Mikey said. "I have a ton of them at home."

Anthony took it and stared at it, as if he held the most precious thing in the world.

"Thanks... for the hoody, and for bringing my sister home. I don't know what I'd do without her." He pointed his chin at an apartment behind him. "I kinda have an out of wack family."

Mikey felt something burn in his chest as he watched Anthony and Olivia grin at each other.

"I guess I should go now." Mikey turned to leave.

"No, wait!" Olivia said. She ran inside the apartment. After a couple of minutes, she came back out, holding something in her hand. "Here." She held it out at him.

Mikey took it. It was something wrapped in an old handkierchief. Mikey was speechless. He didn't even know what it was.

"Th-thank you." He said.

"Don't open it 'till you get home. And don't drop it!" Olivia said and smiled again. "Thank you, Mikey."

"Yeah, thanks." Anthony said. "It was really nice meeting you."

"No problem." Mikey said.

He watched as Anthony took Olivia's hand and walked with her down the sidewalk. Anthony smiled at her and Olivia smiled back. Mikey felt his heart ache. He watched as Olivia said something and Anthony smiled. He just ruffled her short, dark hair.

As Mikey walked back home, he thought about what had just happened. Life hands you the craziest things at the craziest moments sometimes. A lost girl. A dead brother.

Oh, Gerard.

He looked off at the horizon, thinking of that day he had gotten lost. He had started crying until he realized that Gerard had been smart enough to stay within ten feet of him. He had spent the next five minutes throwing punches at him for making him cry like that. Gerard just laughed, which made Mikey stop and hug him.

"I don't wanna get lost ever again." He had said.

"Good." Gerard had said. "I don't want you to get lost either."

As he neared his apartment, he pulled out his gift. With wet eyes, he carefully unwrapped it. A smile crept on to his face.

It was a porcelain unicorn.