We're All Born Losers

The first day rushed by in a blur of new faces, more homework than should be allowed on the first day of school, and at the very end--gym class. Gerard hated gym class. He wasn’t as self-conscious about his body as he used to be, though. During the summer he’d spent countless hours in Matt’s basement lifting weights and doing crunches (when they weren’t smoking pot). Not because they wanted to look good (although Gerard secretly liked the improvements to his body) but because they were bored and there was nothing else to do.

Still, Gerard hated gym. Aside from that summer, he detested anything that involved physical labor, anything that forced him to play sports with goons who just wanted to show off and beat the shit out of him. Maybe this year he’d show them.

Yeah, right.

The upside to it all was that Mikey was in his class. He didn’t like gym, either, but for very different reasons than Gerard. Mikey had asthma. He wore his inhaler on a string around his neck when he was in gym and kids never tired of making jokes about it.

Because it was their first day, Gerard and Mikey didn’t have to participate. They received their uniforms (white t-shirts and blue shorts or sweats) and got to spend a few minutes fiddling with their lockers, getting the hang of their new combinations.

“This blows,” Mikey grumbled, throwing an extra inhaler into his small locker.

“Hey, at least we don’t have to dress today,” Gerard pointed out.

“Yeah,” Mikey sighed. “But we will on Friday.”

For some reason, gym was every third day and the boys were separated from the girls. That was just fine with Gerard. Less people to see him fall on his face.

They sat on the bleachers watching the other boys run laps. Gerard’s smoker lungs were aching just watching them.

And then the preppy skater jogged past, white t-shirt clinging to his torso, wearing black shorts instead of blue. The pink Converse were still on his feet. What the fuck?

“What the fuck, what?” Mikey asked, looking up from his algebra book.

“Huh?” Gerard tore his eyes away from the boy to blink at his brother.

Mikey pushed his glasses up with his middle finger. “You said, ’what the fuck’.”

“Oh.” Gerard turned back to the gym but the boy was gone, swallowed up in the jogging mass. “Just thinking out loud.”

“K.”

Five minutes later the shrill sound of a whistle pierced Gerard’s ears, rocking him out of a daydream.

“Okay, ladies! 3 on 3!” The coach (who looked a little like Bruce Campbell, if he gained 30 pounds) clapped his hands, ignoring the few groans and grumbles of protest.

The sound of basketballs hitting the polished floor made Gerard want to puke. He hated basketball. He dug out a sketchpad from his black messenger bag and started doodling with no real intention of drawing anything. Within ten minutes he had a rough sketch of the boy on the skateboard, body tucked in as he hung in midair.

A basketball bounced against the bleachers below his feet. He flicked an irritated glance at it before going back to his drawing.

“Hey, kid!”

Gerard frowned and began making the boy’s hair longer in the front, falling into his eyes.

“Hey! Kid with the inhaler!”

“What?” Mikey called.

“Wanna play?”

Gerard looked up in amazement. Someone was asking Mikey to play basketball?

Mikey wiped his hands against his jeans. “Play?”

The boy standing at the bottom of the bleachers looked like he had a bottle tan but Gerard was almost positive it was the real deal. When he smiled his teeth were so white it was painful. Gerard went back to his drawing, giving the skater a Misfits shirt.

The boy scoffed. “Yeah. Tyler messed up his knee and the other team’s a player short.”

“Yeah, I’ll play,” Mikey replied casually, stripping off his denim jacket.

Gerard’s head snapped to his brother, then back to the jock. He opened his mouth to tell Mikey to be careful, but he doubted that would go over well. So he ducked his head and peered out from behind the safe curtain of black locks as Mikey jogged across the gym. To the boy Gerard was drawing. Only this time, he was shirtless.

Gerard’s mouth began to water.

Notes

ayy chapter 2! hope you enjoyed :). also, thank you so much for the continued support. your feedback means a lot to me

xoxo addictwithapen