We Aren't So Different, You and Me

I sighed as I slid into the booth in the shop. Cori said that she'd meet me here so I ordered our usuals. I leaned my head back against the wall and sighed. Mom used to bring me here all the time when I was younger and we still lived in our loft above the hardware store. When Mom and Dad got divorced, I was shipped off to school in France. I haven't been in the States in over 7 years but I still remember my way around this town. The bell above the door brought me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see Cori.

"Hey, babe," she whispered, hugging me.
"Hi..."
"So how are you?" she asked once she sat down.
I shrugged and fucked with my drink. "Okay, I guess."
"When's the funeral?"
"Wednesday."
"What is your dad going to do? Are you going back to school in the fall or...?"
"I don't know, Cori. Dad won't answer my phone calls or anything. I'm not even sure if he's back from Mexico yet."
"How are he and Sheila doing?"
I shrugged again, not wanting to talk about my dad moving on from his relationship with my mom.

We heard the bell above the door ring again and this time, Cori just about spit her coffee all over me. Her eyes widened as she started pounding the table lightly.

"Dude, what the fuck?"
"It's Gerard Way. Gerard Way is here in Jersey." she rambled quietly.
I turned around and looked at him ordering his coffee and groaned. "Yeah. I crashed at his parents' last night."
"You WHAT?!" she shrieked, causing the whole shop to stare over at us, including Gerard.
I turned over to Cori and glared at her, kicking her knee under the table. "If he comes over here, I swear to fucking God, I will cut your throat and ma--" I was cut off by Gerard clearing his throat and leaning down towards us.

"Hey... Taylor, right?"
I nodded and sighed. "Yeah."
"We didn't officially meet and I was hoping to earlier this morning but you sorta ran off in a hurry."
"Well I was trying to get a hold of my dad but..."
"Right, right..." He looked a little offended at the mention of 'dad'. Weird.
"Right.."
"Well, I'm Gerard." He held out his hand and I just stared up at him. Reluctantly he retreated. "I'll... I'll see you at dinner tonight, okay?"
I shrugged and looked back down at my coffee. "Okay.."

Cori stared at me after he left the shop. She went on and on about how I probably made him cry or something like that, and that I was disrespectful on so many levels. I got upset and got up and left, leaving money for the waitress's tip before I took off back towards the Ways.

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