Common People

The next day I went out to the back of the school again, the same as I always did. Most people had learned that this was my spot so it was pretty much always empty, except for today.

"What are you doing?" I hissed and Gerard jumped out of his seat, standing up quickly and fixing his crumpled clothes.

"Y-you forgot your lighter, I just wanted to give it back." He shuffled around, taking the metal zippo lighter out of his pocket and holding it out to me. I took it from him and sat down in the spot he was in before, sighing quietly.

"Sorry for scaring you, kid." I laughed to myself, but it sounded short and hollow.

"No, no it's fine. I'm going to go, I've obviously invaded your space." He went to grab his bag, but I stopped him.
"No, stay, you're alright" Gerard blushed as he shifted from each foot awkwardly. I wasn't sure why I'd said it, but I wasn't regretting it.

"You want one?" I offered him a cigarette from the packet as I was about to light mine.

"No no, I don't-" He waved his hand in refusal.

"You smoked yesterday?" I asked him with confusion.

"I only really smoke when I'm stressed, and yesterday I was" He explained. I felt almost guilty, maybe I was too hard on him yesterday.

"Whatever, kid" I said, shrugging it off. I wasn't going to worry about him and I wasn't going to let myself like him.

"Why do you keep calling me kid? We're the same age?" He frowned as he looked down at his legs.

"I don't know, I guess you just have this innocence to you- I'm not sure, whatever." I rushed through my explanation, wanting to change the topic. "Anyway, shouldn't you be in class?" Gerard sat down again, beside me.

"Uh-I, yes. But I don't want to go," He said quietly, tripping over his words.

"I thought you were all "A grades, nice attitude? And yet you spent your first day smoking out back with the school misfit?" I quoted what the Headteacher had told me before, but with a questioning tone to my voice as I held up my hands to make speech marks.

"Yeah" He just emit a deep breath and looked up at me again. "But I don't enjoy school. I do it because I have to, I need a good job, good money," He said, distantly.

"But what's the fun in that? You really want to spend your life doing some boring cubicle job for the rest of your life?" I thought about myself in that position and shuddered inwardly

"I do have dreams, but I have to keep reminding myself that they are just that. Just dreams." Gerard smiled softly to himself, looking up at the sky like he did yesterday. The moment felt like some kind of twisted cliché highschool movie.

"What do you want to do then? In your dreams?" Gerard smiled wider this time, I saw a modest spark in his eyes.

"I want to drop all the rules, leave school and move away. I want to start a band and make music and travel the world. You know that feeling where you're on stage and it's dark until suddenly the spotlights come on and they're all cheering for you. I live for that feeling. " He waved his arms about as if he was showing me what he saw in his head. "-I don't want to be common. I don't want to be peoples expectations. But I have to be, because that's what's practical" He continued, looking down at his lap again.

"Well I- I play the guitar, but I've never really thought about doing anything with it." I offered, trying to further the conversation.

"You play the guitar?" He raised his head and looked me in the eyes, there was that spark again.

"Not very well, but yeah" I explain, trying to push away from the subject as I ran my fingers through my hair. Unlike Gerard, I hated having the attention on me.

"Bring it in one day, I'd like to hear you play it." Gerard clapped his hands together like an overexcited child.

"I'm not sure, I don't really like playing to other people." I shifted about, adjusting my jacket to try to find something else to focus my attention on.

"That wasn't a question" Gerard insisted. "Anyway, I probably should head to class. See you around, Iero." Gerard stood up, successfully grabbing his bag this time.

"Later, Way" I waved my hand briefly as a goodbye gesture. I think that for the first time in my life after that, I actually felt lonely.

Notes

This chapter is called Lauren because my friend told me that if I didn't name it after her she'd throw her cat at me. There will be more characters later but I'm still in the early filler chapters bit right now.Feedback is awesome, I'll update soon.

Sleep properly and don't forget to love yourself.