Shatter Me

My heart jumped into my throat as I realized it was my brother Eric. He appeared in the doorway, “Ron, you ok-“ He cuts himself off when he sees Mikey standing in our kitchen.

I knew how bad this looked. It wasn’t just the fact that he was a boy, it was what kind of boy he was. Suddenly the skinny jeans, band tee shirt, beanie and straightened hair I thought was cool and attractive was a curse, signaling how different he was from the people I was supposed to hang out with. “Who’s this?” Eric questioned, crossing his arms.

I could tell that Mikey looked nervous. In high school, my brother had never been a bully, but he was just like me. Just laughing along as we watched the torment. “Stay here,” I tell him as I grab my brother’s arm.

He followed me with no struggle, so I’m assuming he’s waiting for an explanation before he tells Mom and Dad. “Look, I can explain,” I plead, stopping in the living room.

“Who is that?” He asked again, his voice having more of an edge to it.

I started cracking my knuckles, something I do when I’ve nervous, “Um, his name is Mikey Way-“

He sighs, putting his hand over his eyes, “Oh my god, please don’t tell me he’s related to Gerard Way.”

I chuckle hesitantly, “Heh heh, well…”

“Mom and Dad are going to kill you,” he looks at me with a look of concern. “If they find out you’re hanging out with those people-“

For some reason, I felt confident. I felt the need to defend these people, who I hardly knew. “What is the big problem with them anyway?” I snapped at him, “So what, they dress differently and listen to different music. That is no excuse to alienate them and treat them like trash.”

“Ronnie-“

I cut him off again, “I hate the people who are supposed to be my friends. I’ve only met them last night and they’re better people than everyone who calls themselves my friend.”

“Ron-“

“And you have no right to judge me for it!”

“VERONICA!” He exclaims. “I’m not judging you! I’m proud of you!”

There was absolute silence. My eyes were wide as I stared at my brother. The football player, the good looking one that all my peers wanted to date, the college student, was proud of me? “Huh?”

He lets out a breathy laugh, “I’m proud that you’re finally able to see through the stupid stigmatism bullshit.”

“Huh?”

Rolling his eyes, he grabs my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes, “College has shown me that just because you come from money and you can play a sport does not mean that you are above anyone, especially the artsy kids. Those kids can run laps around us, trust me. I am proud of you for seeing through what Mom and Dad have built for us. I only wish I could’ve done it sooner.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his kind words, “Really?”

“Really,” he lets go of my shoulders. “Here’s the deal. I’ll shield you from Mom and Dad so they don’t find out and disown you, but you have to do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Give me a cigarette.”

I raise my eyebrows, “What are you talking about?”

He rolled his eyes again, “Don’t be a twat. I saw you smoking last week.”

I felt my face flush as I reached into my bra, pulling out my pack of cigarettes. I hand him one while he winks, “Thanks, little sis. Have fun!”

He rushed up the stairs, leaving me in the living room, stunned. “That was unexpected,” I hear Mikey say as he entered the room.

“You heard all of that, didn’t you?” I looked over at him, eyebrow raised.

He smirked, “You weren’t exactly being quiet.”

I told him to shut up, shoving him slightly. He let out a soft laugh. I liked his laugh. I had this odd thing where I’m attracted to someone’s laugh. That’s how I initially like a person. His laugh instantly made him even more attractive in my eyes. “So,” he stuffs his hands in his jacket pockets as if he was becoming nervous again. “Wanna come back to my place to try to hang out with us again? I promise that Gerard won’t be a dick this time.”

He was offering another opportunity. Ecstatic couldn’t even describe how I felt. The corners of my mouth rose into a wide grin, rivaling the Cheshire Cat’s, “Of course!”

That’s how we ended up back at the Way household, with my brother ordered to tell my parents that I went to my boyfriend’s house, which they would be too pleased with the fact that I finally had a boyfriend that to pry into it. Gerard shot me a quick apology before falling silent to the loud chatter that emanated from Frank. “I’m so glad that you’re here!” He exclaimed. “I thought that you wouldn’t want to hang out with us again after what happened last night!”

I smiled bashfully, “Despite what happened towards the end…that was probably the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

Frank couldn’t stop grinning as he slapped the couch in excitement. Ray tried to calm him down as I looked back over to where Mikey went. He had taken a seat in the recliner, watching the scene before him with amusement. The corner of his mouth was turned up with a slight smirk. He caught my eye, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

The short, tattooed boy pulled me onto the couch to sit with him and Ray, talking about music I think. He was trying to get me to listen to a band, but I was only half paying attention. I kept glancing at the tall, wiry boy who came to my house. He had a heart, a true one. I knew from then on that he would be someone to rely on.

Notes

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