A Tale of Two Cities

“Mr. Iero, your car has arrived and is waiting for you downstairs; you may collect the keys from the reception desk”

“Oh, err, right thanks” he replied to a rather snooty desk clerk on the other end of his hotel telephone.

“Not a problem sir”

Putting down the phone in his hotel bedroom, he scanned the room for any last minute things he needed to bring with him. Deciding that he had everything he needed, he grabbed his room card, and left his room.

Walking down the hallway towards the elevator, he realised a similar time when he went to visit his baby sister after she first moved into her student residence of Berkley College.

*Flashback*

Pulling into the parking lot, the graffiti ridded van filled with 5 young men came to a stop after 5 hours non-stop driving. The designated driver, a tired looking man with the name of Ray Toro turned in his seat to look at the other members of his band. He smiled to see that everyone was soundly asleep, practically all over each other, with the only exception of his fellow guitarist Frank Iero, who seemed to be more alert than ever.

Turning back around, he switched of the ignition and a silence lay over the van, only the occasional grunt and snore from someone in the back disrupted the stillness. Looking through the windshield, he looked at the surrounding buildings towering above the small parking lot and as the sun was still out, the shadows were cascading down from the large blocks giving everything an eerie mark to it.

“What time is it?” whispered the newly appointed member of the band, Frank.
“No idea, probably about 6ish”
“God I haven’t seen her in ages, or talked to her for that matter. Do you think she’ll be pissed?”
Please, you’re her big brother” he said with a warm smile, “I think she’d be more happy than pissed. You miss her don’t you?”
“Well duu” he retorted.
Laughing, Ray began to get comfortable in his seat.
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’m gunna get some sleep coz I’m fuckin’ beat”
“Ye sure, do you think I should go in now or leave it for a while?”
No reply came, as Ray Toro was now fast asleep, breathing evenly and heavily in the front seat of the rubbish filled van.
“Take that as an “I don’t know”” he said softly to himself.
Opening the sliding door as quietly as he could, he tried with all his might not to wake the fellow members but failed miserably, as he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face a rather grumpy and tired looking Gerard Way.
“Where are we?” he grumbled.
He never seemed to in a good mood anymore. No scratch that, he was never in a good mood.
Frank and Gerard didn’t have a close relationship and weren’t on friend terms yet, but that didn’t seem to faze either of them, as Frank was always closest to Gerard’s younger brother, Mikey Way. However, Frank looked up to Gerard, not in a physical sense (te he) but rather in a way where he admired him for making something out of his life that had a purpose and forming a band that had a message.

“We’re at Berkley now, you can go back to sleep if you want I’m just going to meet up with my sister”
“Oh right” he said without any enthusiasm. Sighing deeply Gerard looked around the deserted campus and parking lot that seemed to be in a cover of complete darkness now.
“Wanna come with?” Frank asked nervously, as all that passed between the two of them in the past couple of minutes was an awkward silence.
Gerard simply replied by taking a cigarette out of his front pocket and, pushing Frank out of the way, exited the van. Stretching his hands above his head, he walked a few metres away from Frank and lighting up his new cigarette, he took a long drag whilst staring at the sky as though in deep thought.
“You coming or what?” he grumbled, startling Frank out of a daydream.
“Oh...ye”
Both walking in silence, they made their way to a reception desk in the centre of the campus.
Walking up to the desk, Frank saw that there was a rather snooty looking woman talking away on the phone but once she saw the two men approach her, she quickly finished her conversation and greeted them with a rather forced smile.
“How may I help you....” she looked up and down Frank and Gerard, judging them in her mind “gentlemen?” she smirked.
Giving a laugh under his breath, Gerard took one final drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out on the desk, purposely missing the ash tray, making the women grimace and shot him a rather evil look. Gerard responded by giving her a quick smirk and headed towards the main reception doors to make an exit whilst giving her a small sarcastic wave of a hand.
“Sorry about him, he’s just tired, ye know, coz we’ve travelled a long way.”
“Of course” she shot Gerard another look through the window.
“Anyway, um, I’m trying to find my sisters room, Sarah Iero”
“Oh Sarah” she said with much enthusiasm, obviously forgetting the events that happened just a second ago. “Such a sweet girl, she helped me fix my computer the other day, always very helpful....”
“Er, ye do you know her room number...?”
“Don’t like her friends thought, bit of a troublesome lot but she’ll soon come to her senses and decide that their not right for her”
“Really...” he said with a feigned interest. “Can I have her room number please?” he said, getting rather aggravated with this woman.
“Oh yes of course.....” Tapping away on her computer she looked for the required information “room 7, Winchester block which is just to the right of you.” She said whilst pointing with one of her long, red nail-varnished fingers.
“Thank you” he said with an exasperated sigh.
“Have a nice day sir”
Grumbling a response, he had already turned his back on her and headed towards the main doors, trying to make a fast exit.
Looking around outside, he tried to look for a sign that said “Winchester block”, but got a sudden shock as a hand grabbed him on the shoulder.
Letting out a small shriek, he turned to face his attacker, but just saw a whitish haze as someone blew smoke all over his head.
“God, I really hate women like that, judging you and making you feel unworthy of yourself, but did you see her face through, priceless”
It was only Gerard.
“So where we headed?” He seemed to have perked up a bit after getting his revenge on that woman.
“Winchester block which is apparently over in that direction” Frank waved his hand to his right whilst turning his head in the other direction, still trying to find a sign.
“Well, let’s go then”
Sighing, he began to follow Gerard who seemed to have had a greater head start than he.
When he finally caught up with him, they both walked together with a silence hanging over them until they reached the appropriate block where the younger Iero would be located.
“Do you wanna wait out here, or come up and meet her? I don’t care either way”
“Na, I wanna meet this girl”
Frank shrugged off the fact that he just called her “this girl” and made his way into the block. Deciding that he would rather take the elevator in his tired state than the stairs to the second floor, he pressed the button that called it and stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for the bell that indicated the elevators arrival. Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out Gerard looking at a painting that was hung on the wall, touching and admiring the work.
Upon hearing the annoying and all too familiar “Ding” of the elevator, he signalled for Gerard to come with him.
Pressing the button marked 2; the doors closed leaving the two men alone on a small compact space.
“Ye know, your sister is a good artist”
“Wait...was that her artwork in the foyer?
Gerard simply replied by nodding his head, not really looking for the conversation to continue.
“Wow” he muttered under his breath. She must of really thriving at this college.
Upon hearing the doors open, he quickly left the elevator and began his search for room 7.
“Frank you’re going the wrong way…”
Looking embarrassed he said shyly “I know, I was just looking at the other rooms…”
“Of course you were” Gerard said mockingly with a smirk on his face.
Giving Gerard a glare to show a look that said “whatever”, he made his way, in the right direction, to find her room.
Once located, he felt Gerard approach him and stand next to him, straightening out his t-shirt and pants.
Giving him an odd look, Frank knocked on the door and heard footsteps approach him.
Opening he came face to face with a young man, possibly about his age, giving him an incredulous look.
“Can I help you?”
“Err…” looking at the door again, he made sure that it was definitely room 7 that he knocked on.
“Is this your room?”
“Frank, is that you?” came a faint voice from inside the room.
Soon she was standing before Frank, looking the same as she always has been.
“Who’s this guy?”
“Oh, this is Derik.....my boyfriend”