For the Last Night I Lie, Could I Lie With You?

Gerard’s POV

I walked down the street by myself in the dark. I did my best to shove my pillowcase of candy in the pocket of my black hoodie. I think I did a pretty good job of it too.

I opened the door to the house and tried to sneak down the hallway to my room without my dad hearing me. As I was turning the knob on my bedroom door I heard a clinking bottle the creaking couch cushions in the living room.

“Hey, Jerry! Where the hvll have you been?!” My dad slurred, confronting me from the hallway.

I reluctantly turned around to face him. He looked unusually dirty and unkempt, even for him. The stench of liquor emanated off of him like cheap perfume. He was obviously drunk. Why else would he have called me by the wrong name?

“Out.” I answered him simply.

“With who?”

“My friends.”

“What? You don’t have any friends.”

“Yes, I do. I have a girlfriend too.”

For some reason I could tell after I said that last bit I was going to be in a world of hurt. Me and my big mouth.

My dad approached me, a fire in his eyes that I’ve seen so many times before. I braced myself, expecting the worst.

“What kind of whore would be stupid enough to want to go out with a loser like you?” Dad spat, venom dripping from his words.

I was infuriated. My dad had just lit hot coals under my feet. How dare he talk about Bridgette like that? He doesn’t even know her.

“Take that back!” I shouted, a newfound strength glowing inside me.

I clenched my fists down at my side, putting one foot in front of the other. Karate better come in handy now.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Jerry!”

“My name isn’t fvcking Jerry! And how could you say that about my girlfriend? You don’t even know her!”

“Oh, it’s a girl? That’s funny. I always thought you were a little faggot since all you do is sit in your room and write poetry all day.”

At that last comment I couldn’t hold my anger in. I lashed out and clipped my father in the jaw. He got really angry really fast and shoved me onto the floor, kicking me in the ribs several times.

“Stop! Stop!” I screamed.

“Harder?!” My dad yelled back. “Ok!”

In one solid strike, my dad’s heel made contact with my ribcage. I heard a horrible cracking sound like splitting wood and shrieked in pain. My dad laughed devilishly and walked away. Actually, he left the house, leaving me on the floor, tears flowing from my eyes. This is one of those times when I wished I had a cell phone.

I had to force myself to get up and go get help for myself. Where could I go? Bridgette’s house is too far, but I might be able to get myself to one of the neighbors’ houses. The couple next door was nice enough. I could call myself an ambulance or something.

I needed motivation. The searing pain in my abdomen was enough to kill me if I laid here long enough and I already decided I didn’t want to die just yet. In a desperate effort to stand I clawed at the carpet with my right hand while holding my ribs with my left. My legs did all the work and I managed to stand.

Heart pounding and stomach throbbing, I made my way towards the door. I didn’t have to fuss with the knob because it was already open. The lights were on at the nice couples house so I decided to go over there. I rang the doorbell and did my best to wipe away some of the tears that were saturating my face.

A young woman no older than 30 answered the door. There was a smile on her face that immediately disappeared when she saw me hunched over on her doorstep.

“Oh my goodness, hon. What’s wrong?” She inquired. “Come in.”

I stepped inside, yelping quietly.

“I think I’ve broken my ribs.” I told her softly.

She gasped and grabbed her home phone.

“Aren’t your parents home, sweetheart?”

“No.”

“I’ll call an ambulance.”

“Thank you.”

The woman walked into another room of the house briefly and came back with a bag of ice that she handed to me. I held it over my pulsating chest.

“What’s your name?” The woman asked.

“Gerard Way.”

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

She nodded and continued talking to the operator on the phone whom she’d dialed a moment prior. In a few minutes, red-flashing lights appeared outside the house. Paramedics came in and helped me into a stretcher and in a few minutes we were off to the hospital.

“Do you have any family, kid?” One paramedic asked.

“Only my dad, but he disappeared.” I answered.

“Any friends? A girlfriend maybe?”

“Yeah, I have a girlfriend.”

“What’s her name? You have her phone number?”

“Bridgette Jackson and no I don’t have her phone number. I have her address though.”

“Ok, give us the address and we’ll look her up once we get to the hospital.”

“It’s 1666 Belleview dr.”

“Thanks…so, uh, how’d this happen?”

“I fell.”

“Really? From where, the roof of your house?”

“Sure…”

I hate my dad, but I didn’t want to tell on him now. They’d take me away from him and I may never see Bridgette again. I wasn’t about to risk that.