A Surprise Party?
Chapter Five
"How much longer?" I whine. It's dark.
"I wanna get out of state at least."
"To Pennsylvania?"
"Yeah. Not long yet."
Soon we're pulling into a 10 room motel off the highway. We get our room, (room 7) and before Gerard even has the light on I'm running to the bathroom to take a shower. I undress and turn the water on as hot as I can stand. God, I robbed a fucking bank today. I recap everything that happened today. From Gerard begging me to eat breakfast, (apparently you can't rob a bank on an empty stomach) to the military surplus to the bank to that gorgeous drive afterwards. Fuck.
I walk out of the bathroom with a white towel around my hips to find Gerard still hasn't turned the lights on. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, and he's dragged the coffee table away from the two dirty arm chairs to the end of the bed. All the money is stacked up on the coffee table. He's counting it. The only light in the room is the T.V. lighting up his face. He's undressed and is in his dirty white button up and faded black jeans. He's got a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, but it looks like its about to fall out. He's staring at the nine o'clock evening news wide eyed.
"What?" I ask.
"We're on the news." he says still not taking his eyes off the T.V.
'A bank robbery took place in Bride's Bay New Jersey, the only suspect is ex-military Gerard Way. On Friday evening he held up his own surprise birthday party, and fled from the scene taking one hostage, Frank Iero, in Belleville New Jersey. He seemed to be forcing Iero to take part in the robbery. If you have any information of the whereabouts of Gerard Way and hostage Frank Iero, please contact the Bride's Bay police.'
They showed a picture of Gerard, and then a picture of me and then it was time for the weather report.
A wide Grinchy smile slowly creeps across Gerard's face. I turn the bedside lamp on and shut the T.V. set off.
"What? We robbed a bank, of course they'd have it on the news." I say, getting sick of Gerard's stupid grin. He laughs and shakes his head, going back to the money.
"They still think you're my hostage. Do you even get how good that is?"
"I guess." I go back to the bathroom to put my boxers and t-shirt on.
"We're untouchable as long as they think I could kill you at any moment. They're not gonna risk a raid over a few thousand if they think I'd kill you." He says as I lay down on the bed and cross my ankles together.
"Oh yeah," I say looking up at the stained ceiling. I smile. That is good.
"Though I still don't know why we're on the news in Pennsylvania. We shouldn't be. Not yet."
"Maybe they're making a big deal about it because you were in 'Nam." I offer.
"Maybe."
"Or maybe just because we're still only like ten miles from New Jersey."
"Maybe." He seems too worried about this. I let him finish counting.
"So is it all there?" I ask.
"Yeah." he stretches out back on the bed next to me. Looking at Gerard now I realize just how dead he looks. His skin is pale and kind of chalky. His entire eye area is darker, so it looks sunken in. Though he's got quiet big eyes. Eyes full of expression, they're the only part of him that tells you he's not dead. His hair really weird though. It's really messy and a little curly and it like, holds itself up or something. There's little chunks of bleach blonde here and there.
"We should have gotten two beds." I say.
"Naw, then I couldn't snuggle close to my Frankiepoo." There's the Gerard I missed. He gasps.
"Maybe we could pretend to be gay lovers! And that would be our thing!" He looks at me with all the wonder of the world in his eyes.
"Other than the hats?" I tease him.
"That too." He shuts the light off, takes his pants off, and climbs under the blanket.
"Gerard?"
"Yeah?"
"How'd you know I wanted this. I didn't even know that."
"It's totally obvious."
"That really answers my question." He laughs.
"When I first held you up in front of those people last night, you got excited. You fucking loved it." That was just last night? The feels like lifetimes ago. "What's your life like, Frankie?" Before I can answer, "Who am I kidding, you're a pizza boy, of course it sucks. You were begging me to take you. You were begging me for a way out." We sit in the dark silence for a long time.
"Is it this obvious to everyone else?" I ask.
"I don't think so. I think I can see it because I'm the same way. I took you because I saw myself, and I didn't want you to have to go through the end alone. You would one day, but it wouldn't be as fun without me, would it Frankie?" I laugh.
"So why are you doing this, Gerard? Why are we doing this?" I ask. Then I remember what he said last night. "Why are we leaving this world in a hail of bullets?"
"Why?" He thinks for a long time. "Because there's no place for us in this world. And we're all gonna die someday, why not do it our way? I don't wanna die in a puddle of piss in some nursing home my son stuck me in cause he's sick of looking at me." He laughs humorlessly. "Isn't it sad that two men with the world at their feet are so hopeless?" he asks.
"Some people are born to self destruct." This is the life I want.
"I was a pizza boy back in Belleville. God. I need this. I was always a overly mature loser back home. I always played everything safe. I never did anything. I didn't even have any friends. My parents hated me. I flunked out of school. I have no future. One of these days I'm gonna get drafted. I fucking need this." How am I just realizing this now?
"So what are we gonna do with all that money?"
"Have some fun." he says.
"What kind of fun?"
"You'll find out tomorrow."
"I wanna get out of state at least."
"To Pennsylvania?"
"Yeah. Not long yet."
Soon we're pulling into a 10 room motel off the highway. We get our room, (room 7) and before Gerard even has the light on I'm running to the bathroom to take a shower. I undress and turn the water on as hot as I can stand. God, I robbed a fucking bank today. I recap everything that happened today. From Gerard begging me to eat breakfast, (apparently you can't rob a bank on an empty stomach) to the military surplus to the bank to that gorgeous drive afterwards. Fuck.
I walk out of the bathroom with a white towel around my hips to find Gerard still hasn't turned the lights on. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, and he's dragged the coffee table away from the two dirty arm chairs to the end of the bed. All the money is stacked up on the coffee table. He's counting it. The only light in the room is the T.V. lighting up his face. He's undressed and is in his dirty white button up and faded black jeans. He's got a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, but it looks like its about to fall out. He's staring at the nine o'clock evening news wide eyed.
"What?" I ask.
"We're on the news." he says still not taking his eyes off the T.V.
'A bank robbery took place in Bride's Bay New Jersey, the only suspect is ex-military Gerard Way. On Friday evening he held up his own surprise birthday party, and fled from the scene taking one hostage, Frank Iero, in Belleville New Jersey. He seemed to be forcing Iero to take part in the robbery. If you have any information of the whereabouts of Gerard Way and hostage Frank Iero, please contact the Bride's Bay police.'
They showed a picture of Gerard, and then a picture of me and then it was time for the weather report.
A wide Grinchy smile slowly creeps across Gerard's face. I turn the bedside lamp on and shut the T.V. set off.
"What? We robbed a bank, of course they'd have it on the news." I say, getting sick of Gerard's stupid grin. He laughs and shakes his head, going back to the money.
"They still think you're my hostage. Do you even get how good that is?"
"I guess." I go back to the bathroom to put my boxers and t-shirt on.
"We're untouchable as long as they think I could kill you at any moment. They're not gonna risk a raid over a few thousand if they think I'd kill you." He says as I lay down on the bed and cross my ankles together.
"Oh yeah," I say looking up at the stained ceiling. I smile. That is good.
"Though I still don't know why we're on the news in Pennsylvania. We shouldn't be. Not yet."
"Maybe they're making a big deal about it because you were in 'Nam." I offer.
"Maybe."
"Or maybe just because we're still only like ten miles from New Jersey."
"Maybe." He seems too worried about this. I let him finish counting.
"So is it all there?" I ask.
"Yeah." he stretches out back on the bed next to me. Looking at Gerard now I realize just how dead he looks. His skin is pale and kind of chalky. His entire eye area is darker, so it looks sunken in. Though he's got quiet big eyes. Eyes full of expression, they're the only part of him that tells you he's not dead. His hair really weird though. It's really messy and a little curly and it like, holds itself up or something. There's little chunks of bleach blonde here and there.
"We should have gotten two beds." I say.
"Naw, then I couldn't snuggle close to my Frankiepoo." There's the Gerard I missed. He gasps.
"Maybe we could pretend to be gay lovers! And that would be our thing!" He looks at me with all the wonder of the world in his eyes.
"Other than the hats?" I tease him.
"That too." He shuts the light off, takes his pants off, and climbs under the blanket.
"Gerard?"
"Yeah?"
"How'd you know I wanted this. I didn't even know that."
"It's totally obvious."
"That really answers my question." He laughs.
"When I first held you up in front of those people last night, you got excited. You fucking loved it." That was just last night? The feels like lifetimes ago. "What's your life like, Frankie?" Before I can answer, "Who am I kidding, you're a pizza boy, of course it sucks. You were begging me to take you. You were begging me for a way out." We sit in the dark silence for a long time.
"Is it this obvious to everyone else?" I ask.
"I don't think so. I think I can see it because I'm the same way. I took you because I saw myself, and I didn't want you to have to go through the end alone. You would one day, but it wouldn't be as fun without me, would it Frankie?" I laugh.
"So why are you doing this, Gerard? Why are we doing this?" I ask. Then I remember what he said last night. "Why are we leaving this world in a hail of bullets?"
"Why?" He thinks for a long time. "Because there's no place for us in this world. And we're all gonna die someday, why not do it our way? I don't wanna die in a puddle of piss in some nursing home my son stuck me in cause he's sick of looking at me." He laughs humorlessly. "Isn't it sad that two men with the world at their feet are so hopeless?" he asks.
"Some people are born to self destruct." This is the life I want.
"I was a pizza boy back in Belleville. God. I need this. I was always a overly mature loser back home. I always played everything safe. I never did anything. I didn't even have any friends. My parents hated me. I flunked out of school. I have no future. One of these days I'm gonna get drafted. I fucking need this." How am I just realizing this now?
"So what are we gonna do with all that money?"
"Have some fun." he says.
"What kind of fun?"
"You'll find out tomorrow."
I stayed up till 4 am reading this and I have absolutely no regrets <3
10/29/15