Bookworms Anonymous

Lindsey's apartment was simple and very tidy compared to Gerard's cluttered mess. That's why they hanged out here more often, because her apartment was nicer. Her living area consisted of a small TV set and a sofa. They were sat on the floor between the two bits of furniture when Lindsey phoned the Pizza Place.

'Hey, can I get a delivery please?' Gerard slumped beside her as she rattled off her address and their order. She looked down at Gerard seeing how miserable he looked and in that moment had an idea. 'And also, send you most attractive delivery boy.' She said quickly before cutting off the phone. Gerard sat up laughing and hit her playfully.

'If they spit on our pizza I'm making you eat it.' Gerard said laying his head on her shoulder and began to think about the pizza. 'My mum called last night.' Gerard said into Lindsey's hair. She turned to him raising an eyebrow and frowning slightly. 'You are still okay about going to New Jersey with my next month right?' Lindsey nodded and gripped his arm in an effort comfort him.

'Just for a couple of days right?' She asked sitting up right and crosses legged next to her friend. 'Cause I can't take much time away from MSI and work.' MSI was Lindsey's band, they were quite well known in the New York music scene and she played bass. She worked part time at this coffee shop just down the road from the bookstore. She hated it, but it's what paid her rent.

'Yeah, Mikey and Kristin are going back for the weekend too.' Lindsey smiles. She liked Mikey. Gerard and Lindsey had known each other since they were around 17/18 when Lindsey moved from Connecticut to Brooklyn and started out in the music scene. So she had obviously met Mikey. She loved him actually. She treated him like a little brother and she really did like hanging with him. Lindsey was older than both the brothers and acted as an older sister to them both, but especially Mikey.

'Oh, I haven't seen Mikey since...your 21st birthday party!' Lindsey remembered happily the memory. 'That was two years ago.' She stated in disbelief. Gerard nodded slightly. 'So Mikey and Kristin are still going then?'

'From the last I heard he was planing to propose.' Gerard said recalling his last phone call with his brother. Lindsey hummed happily. 'It's not a good thing.' Gerard huffed out.

'How not? You'll be best man. Oh I need to find a hat! I'm thinking lemon yellow or pink!' She said excitedly, Gerard laughed at her, but then became sad.

'It'll be great, but it'll just...I mean my mum will get on at me about settling down and getting married and having her grandchildren.' Lindsey smiled softly. 'She doesn't know obviously that's not what I want, well it is. Just not the same way; you know?' Lindsey nodded in agreement with him. Gerard's mum could be very disgruntled by Gerard's life choices and one of them was not being totally settled yet. Gerard was still studying and getting his life together and usually that would be okay for a 23 year old, but not when you have Gerard's mother. And that wasn't even the worse thing; he was keeping a lot of secrets from her.

'Maybe you should just tell her the truth? Tell her...'

Their conversation was interrupted by a slight and shy knock on the wood of Lindsey's door. She struggled from her rather comfy position on the carpet beside Gerard. Once she was standing and stable on her feet she offered a hand to her friend to help him up from the floor.

'You answer the door and I'll get some drinks.' She said as she moved through the door towards her kitchen. Gerard sighed and treaded lightly across to the front door. He was about to open the door when he realised he didn't have any money on him. He grabbed his wallet from the couch where he had discarded it earlier in the night. He only had two twenties so that meant he had to wait for change which is his worse nightmare. He sighed and accepted his fate and opened the door.

On the other side was Frank. In his hand two pizza boxes and he was clad in a cap and normal clothes. He smiled up at him. Gerard wasn't aware of whether the panic on his face was evident. But he stood there for thirty seconds just staring at him and holding his breath. Suddenly Lindsey called from the kitchen 'Gee! Do you want Pepsi or Mountain Dew?' Gerard's eyes darted from Lindsey's voice to Frank looking at him. Then Gerard did something he would grow to regret...ten seconds later. He slammed the door shut on Frank and turned away gasping for air. He pressed his back to the door and placed his head in his hands. Lindsey came through swaying slightly and holding two cans of soda. She looked at him confusingly and her smile was soon replaced a frown and raised eyebrow. She moved close to him placing the cans on the ground and cupping his cheek slightly.

'Gee? You okay there? Is it about the hat because if you wanted to wear a pink one I suit like a powdered blue sort colour and....' She said, Gerard didn't have time to respond because there was another light tap on the door. She squinted a little then pushed Gerard out of the way and before he could protest she swung the door open.

Frank looked up to find the girl from the bookshop smiling at him and behind her Gerard staring at him in pure terror. Frank smiled and passed her the pizza.

'Hey Frank!' Lindsey said excitedly. 'How are you?' She said holding the pizza close to her and balancing it against her hips.

'Good good.' He said simply. 'You?' He was looking at Gerard, but Lindsey answered.

'I'm good, Gee is...' She looked up to him to see if he would respond. But he just stuttered and then just ended up nodding to avoid more embarrassment. 'How much is it Frank?' She said trying to save her friend the hardship of speaking.

'That'll be 21.40 please.' He said to Lindsey. She smiled and moved out of the door way entrance.

'Gerard pay Frank would you.' She smiling up at him and then towards Frank and walked away with the pizza. Gerard stuttered out a 'okay' before having to pass over the two twenties. Frank smiled at him and then fumbled about in his pocket for change.

'Sorry.' Gerard said as he watched Frank count out the change. Frank shrugged and then dug around in his pocket a little more.

'No problem, man. Didn't expect to see you till Thursday.' Frank slipped up there and then smiled trying to regain his composure. He still couldn't find the right change. Gerard smiled gripping onto the door frame.

'Do you know what.' Gerard said standing up straight and trying to grab Franks attention. Frank looked up hopefully. 'Keep the change.' Frank frowned and his eyes dropped in disappointment. 'See you Thursday.' And then for the second time that night Gerard slammed the door shut on Frank.

Frank turned around slightly pushing his hands through his hair and gasping for breath a little. He didn't expect for him to be delivering pizza to them of all people. He walked down the apartment block slowly, but not before making sure of something first, going over in his head what had just happened and trying to calm himself down before he had to get behind the wheel again.

Gerard turned and leant against the door again. Sliding down it till he was sitting on the floor. Lindsey came through laughing.

'That was the funniest thing. Oh my fucking God.' She was doubled over giggling. She stood up straight and frowned and began to look worried and scared. 'Sorry.' She mimicked Gerard from just moments ago. She then began cracking again. 'Keep the change? Are you kidding me Gee? You just lost the best part of $20?' Gerard got up hanging his head and grabbed his pizza from her and sat down on the floor next to the sofa and began to eat it in silence. 'Oh don't be like the Gway....' She whined sitting beside him and resting her legs on his. They are in comfortable silence. But after a few slices in Lindsey couldn't contain herself. 'See you Thursday.' She said between laughs. Gerard hit her playfully and smiled at her. 'You're an actual disaster.' She said sarcastically. 'You literally can't form sentences around the guy.'

'You planned that didn't you?' Gerard questioned. Lindsey shook her head unable to stop laughing.

'No...no. I didn't but I wish I had cause then I could have filmed it.' She was leaning against Gerard and wiping her eyes. 'I'm tired.' She said after she had finished half her pizza. 'Do you wanna stay here tonight?' Gerard shook his head.

'I better head home.' He said closing his pizza box and standing up. She mirrored him and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. She hugged him tightly. 'See you tomorrow, okay? Practice.' Gerard calls from the front door.

'Oh yeah! You coming then?' She says teasingly whilst cleaning up her and Gerard's mess.

'Wouldn't miss it for the world.' Gerard shut the door smiling. He began to walk away when his feet hit something and the apartment block was consumed by the sound of metal hitting the tile floor repetitively. He looked down to see a bundle of change on the floor and a note. It read:

'Dear...you guys. Sorry about being awkward. Here's your change. See you Thursday -Frnk. X'

Gerard smiled collecting the change and shovelling it into his pocket and folding the note in there too. He smiled and made his way home. Still trying to not to think too much into what happened that night.

~~~~~

The next morning Gerard had two lectures and project to work on so his mind wasn't really thinking about the awkward encounter the night before and about Thursday. Well that's what he told Lindsey anyway. In reality he sat and daydreamed his way through his first lecture and then was ten minutes late for his second one because he was reading the note Frank had left looking for a hidden message. His project wasn't any further forward and how he was sitting listening to Lindsey talk to the new drummer whilst trying not to think about how her hair was the shame shade as Franks. Her name was Kitty, but Gerard was sure that wasn't her real name. But she was pretty cool and she was really good on drums. They had practice and Gerard always sat in on them to give them tips and because he really liked their sound and he really didn't have any friends in the city apart from Lindsey and she was incredibly sociable and so her friends automatically became accustomed to Gerards presence.

'So I was thinking.' Jimmy suddenly burst into some wired melody of high pitch singing as Steve played guitar along to it. The two high fived and quickly scribbled down their idea onto paper. Lindsey was lying on her back babbling on to 'Kitty' about their gig on Saturday.

'It's the biggest venue we've played and I'm so sure that this will get us some support. The set list is 45 minutes, so we need to pick 6 songs and maybe 2 covers?' The girl nods in agreement, but Lindsey doesn't even look at her, she just turns to Gerard and smiles. 'What two covers should we do Gee?' Gerard shrugs and thinks for a second.

'I heard Jimmy sing Space Oddity once and it sounded alright.' Gerard mumbled. Jimmy laughed weakly and Lindsey raised an eyebrow slightly.

'Was that the time I was in your shower?' Jimmy laughed, this grabbed everyone's attention. Gerard nodded slightly.

'When were you in Gerard's shower?' Lindsey gasped slightly. Jimmy kept laughing and not offering an explanation so Gerard had to.

'He stayed at mine once.' Gerard whispered to her not wanting to tell the rest of the room.

'YOU SLEPT WITH GERARD?' Lindsey shouted at Jimmy. She stood up angrily.

'No!' Gerard said pulling her back down into her seat. 'He was drunk and my apartment was near the club he was at. So he crashed at mine.' Gerard said calmly. Lindsey didn't look convinced. Jimmy waltzes over putting his arm around Gerard. Gerard moved out of Jimmy's grip and stands up. 'Anyway, I gotta go. But do Bowie. Bowies always a safe bet.' Gerard says before turning around and escaping from Lindsey's grasping stare.

Lindsey was always over protective when it came to Gerard. Nobody touched him and if anyone hurt him they would know about it. Lindsey was like Gerard older sister. She knew him better than he knew himself. It was both a blessing and burden.

Notes

Happy reading and tell me what you think.

-C

(Still editing...)