[b]Chapter 2 – Gerards POV[/b]

I walk off the stage with my scroll in hand. I take one last look at the crowd, I see my parents smiling, clapping, waving, all the stuff you expect parents to do when they watch their child graduate, but there was no Mikey. I couldn’t tell from the stage due to the obnoxious lighting tech in the auditorium. I didn’t expect him to be there but I did feel slightly let down. He was my brother, he should have been there, but then again, our parents hated the thought of us having any sort of social life at all.
I enter the small hallway that lead to the small room where I could ditch the prep school grad get up and be me again. I walk into the room and dump my gown on the floor and throw my hat towards the box. I walk to the stand of lockers at the back of the room, pull out my bag and pull out my eyeliners. Making my way back to the mirror near the door, I ruffled my hair and started applying my makeup. I thought of my party tonight, seeing the manor, seeing Mikey, seeing Mikey having to make nicey nice with my friends. That, I worried about. Knowing Billie, there would be weed and booze involved before nightfall.
I heard shuffling in the hall, I glanced away from my reflection long enough to see a tipsy Billie stroll into the room, throw his graduation get up on the floor and grab his bag before turning to me and saying with a slight slur “See you at your party, bro.”.
A few minutes later, giggling erupted from the hall before yelling from the auditorium and women screaming. Lindsey and Christa walked in with a stunned Ray and equally stunned Bob. I eyed them, “What did you do this time?”
Lindsey laughed, “Not much, just a stink bomb.”
I rolled my eyes, it was funny, I will admit. Lindsey loves making a formal event go awry. I turned to Christa, “Where was it planted?”
She giggled, “Under the headmaster’s seat.” I gave her a look, “Don’t look at me! It was Ray’s idea! And Bob planted it!”
“And Lindsey watched the door?” I asked sarcastically.
“No, she made it. And Billie had the detonator.” Ray shot back.
I glanced out the door, sure enough, there was Billie, laughing his ass off holding a square remote with a big red button. I shoved my eyeliner back in the bag I had and shouldered it, “Just hope my parents don’t kill you for this.” I told them.
As we walked out to the cars Lindsey started complaining, “I’m so fucking hungry!”
“Linds, we all are. My parents have some food back at the manor. You can get your fix there, okay?” I chided.
She looked at me and pouted, “But I don’t just want a feed, I want a little more…”
I rolled my eyes, “For that, we’re not sharing a car, you can go with Christa.”
She pretended to be grumpy before bouncing off and linking arms with Christa. She said something to Ray making him walk over to me, “Sending your fuck buddy over and kicking me out of a car with my girlfriend? Not cool man.”
“She isn’t my fuck buddy!” I complained.
“Booty call, fuck buddy, everlasting one-night-stand, girlfriend, whatever she is, she is now in the same car as my girlfriend while I, am stuck, with you.” He shot at me, feigning a frown.
“Shut up. It isn’t my fault she wanted to do it on the way there. I’m trying to cut back on the hickies here.” I shot back.
We both looked at each other and laughed. Ray was my best friend; we knew each other like we knew how to pull a good prank. He was the brother I never had the chance to properly grow up with. We climbed into the black Mercedes that awaited us. Once settled, my mind drifted back to my brother, my real brother, Mikey.
After a few minutes, Ray caught on to my thoughts, “Hey, isn’t Mikey turning seventeen this year?”
I nodded, “Yeah, it’s gonna be tough for him.”
“At least you’ll be there for the change, right?”
“Yeah, my parents wanted me to be. They’re going off on another “business trip” to see the Elders.”
We sat in silence for the rest of the trip. We laughed about the prank and a few of our greater moments at Wilderness Prep before finally arriving at the manor. I wait for the chauffeurs to open our door. I got out quickly and instantly felt Mikeys eyes looking down on me from his window. I felt uncomfortable and made my way to the house to escape his gaze. I enter the house and look around, unsure if he was coming down to meet me or I had to go see him. It had gotten like that since I changed. I, thankfully, changed at school so he didn’t know but I knew he was sus about what went on there.
I walk up stairs to find Lindsey walking into Mikey’s room. “HONEY, I’M HOME!” I hear Lindsey yell.
“It’s called knocking, Lindsey.” Typical sarcasm from Mikey.
“Aww, but it’s good to see my Wayward boy again.” She said. Oh god, he doesn’t need that, he already knows she wants to get in my pants every night.
“You’ve got the wrong room. My brother’s room is next door. Oh, and Lindsey? Keep the squeaking bed and banging against the wall to a minimum.” A dripping with sarcasm reply came from inside the room.
Lindsey turned around closing the door as she went. I walked up to her with a slight smirk, I raise a eyebrow at her, she points to the door, “Me so grumpy, grrrr.” She says in a high whisper trying to be a elf-like version of Mikey.
I smile at her, “What did you expect from him? A full blown welcome home hug?”
She pouted, “Maybe I was… just a little.”
I could smell alcohol on her breath; she was slightly tipsy but not fully. I sigh as I patted her on the back, “If you’re good later, I won’t spank, promise.”
She winks at me before disappearing into my room. I take a deep breath and knock on the door, “Enter.” I hear a voice inside call.
I open the door, just a crack and poke my head inside, “How’s it been, little bro?”
Mikey shrugged, “Ok, how was grad?”
“It was… interesting.” I said.
He sighed, rolling his eyes and failing to control a small smile spreading across his face, “What prank did Lindsey pull this time?”
“Stink bomb under the Principal’s chair,”
I heard a muffled yell from the other side of the wall, “IT WASN’T MY IDEA!”
Mikey smiled at that.
“So, why were you such a little bitch to Lindsey just then?” I asked.
“Sorry, I…”
“Ah, it’s alright. She can be annoying anyway.”
Mikey grinned, “So you guys aren’t all lovey-dovey then?”
“I… well… I don’t know.” I confessed.
His grin widened and an eyebrow was raised, he said nothing.
I opened the door wider and walked over to the bed and sat down, “Planning on coming down to the party later?”
“What’s the point, I can see it now. Billie will be stoned, the rest of you drunk and mum’s favourite vase broken.” He replied.
He had a point, Billie, great as he was, was planning on getting so stoned he couldn’t move. And as for the rest of us, there would be lots of drinking. I sighed, smiling at the memory, “You’re right, except, I broke mum’s favourite vase years ago.”
Mikey grinned again.
I opened my arms and quoted our favourite childhood TV show, “HUG ME BROTHA!”
Mikey laughed and returned the hug.
A bit more of a catch up without my friends around was nice, “So, are you going to leave so I can get ready for your lame ass party?” he joked.
I took the hint, “See you down there.” and with that, I left him alone.
I walked into my room, fully expecting Lindsey to be full frontal on the bed. Instead I was greeted with a new shirt set out on the bed for me and a note saying “You owe me – L”
I smile at her gesture, I pull off my red waistcoat and school shirt. I pull on the new one and pull the waistcoat back on, as much as I hated the school, the waistcoat is brilliant, there’s no logo on it so I see no harm in wearing it after graduation. I open my door to go back down for the party only to see Mikey also leaving his room, not seeing me, he was wearing a pair of dark green skinnys, a smashing pumpkins tee I remember our parents getting him one year for his birthday and a grey knitted cap. I let him go ahead of me, I hear him go down the stairs. I reach the top just in time to hear him say something before moving away from the stairs. I make my way down and stop at the base, I see Mikey in the corner with a soda, Lindsey dancing drunk on a table with Billie and Bob talking with Ray and Christa.
I make my way over to get a drink and make my way over to Mikey when Lindsey calls me over to help her off the table. As I walk over, I hear the doorbell and Frank walks in with two others, Ashley and her brother Pete, I think. Ashley hugs Mikey and Pete does some sort of handshake with him. Frank made his way over to me,”How was grad?” he asks.
“Great, best prank of the year too.” I replied with a smile.
He laughed nervously; I sensed he was thinking about someone, “Have you asked her out yet?” I teased.
“How… why…what are you on about?” he shoots back a bit too quickly.
“The girl you like… whatsername-”
“Emma.”
Ah, Emma, the girl he had been trying to snag for years. After the change he thought he would never have a chance due to the fact they were beyond different now, “There are ways to make her like you, you know.”
“There are? Since when?” he asks.
“Since Dracula could turn into a bat, I thought you knew.”
“Nope, this is brand new information on this.”
“Oh… well-“I was cut off by Mikey calling Frank over to talk to him. I let him go only to have Ashley pop up in front of me wearing a top with opaque material covering her lower torso, shorts, gladiator type sandals and her short-ish hair up in a ponytail, “Hey, how was your graduation?” she asks in a casual tone.
“Ahh, okay I guess. My friends put a stink bomb under the headmasters chair. Best prank ever.”
She laughed, I stole a glance at Mikey, he kept looking over at her with an almost longing look in his eyes, he wanted her, and he wanted her bad. I shuddered to think what would become of her after the change if I failed to help him. She was pretty, almost elf-ish, I would hate to see her gone, “I notice tattoos, someone’s been busy since last summer.”
She giggled, “My parents hate it, and I love it.”
“Fair enough, I hate needles so…”
“Fair enough yourself. How’s Mikey been? I haven’t seen him for a few weeks.” She asked.
“I don’t really know much, he said it was all good, he just hates the sun for some reason at the moment.”
“Oh,” she turned for a moment, “PETE! Come meet Gerard!”
A moment later Ashley’s twin popped up next to her, Pete and Ashley looked nothing alike, Pete had dark hair and a single tattoo, Ashley was blonde, pierced and had a few tattoos. They only had one thing in common that I knew of, and that was a simple treble clef tattoo behind their right ear, “How’s it, Pete?” I asked.
“P-pretty good I guess.” He said warily.
“He’s shy. But yeah, Pete, Gerard, Gerard, Pete.” She says simply.
“Are we going to see you at our party on Mikey’s birthday?” Ashley asked.
I hesitated, “Yeah, sure. Super excited! Do you want me to bring anything..?” I lied. I knew I couldn’t go, and unbeknown to Mikey, he couldn’t either.
“Oh, yay! Uhhh, Pete? Do you want him to bring anything?”
“He could bring his friends, IF Mikey approves, of course.” He said.
“ASHLEY! PETE! COME OVER HERE!” Mikey called from the other side of the room.
“Oops, better go, Bye Gerard! It was nice to see you again!” Ashley said in a chipper voice before hugging me.
“Bye.” Pete said, extending his hand, when I clasped his hand to return the shake, I felt a jolt go through me.
Ashley and Pete linked arms and walked back over to Mikey. Something set me off about their relationship, something weird. They had a strong bond, I knew that much, but it was no ordinary bond, there was another element to it.
I felt a hand grasp mine and the familiar smell of alcohol wisp under my nose from her breath, “You, me, now.” Lindsey whispered in my ear before dragging me back towards the stairs.

Notes

[b]Author's Notes:[i] Ash and Jay[/b][/i]

Comment, subscribe, you know the drill :)