That weekend was truly one to remember. I had met the Way parents, both absolute darlings who seemed to only care for what made their children happy. It made me smile to see them dote on their children while scolding them for small infractions, like putting their feet up on the table. They did that with Ray and Frank too, so it was even more endearing.

I learned so many things that weekend. I got to discover music I had never heard before, but I had liked it. I learned that I looked really good with just dark eyeliner on my lids that had a wing. Frank did it for me, surprising me with the fact that he could do makeup. He said Gerard was better, and he had tried to get him to do it, but he refused. He still kept his distance from me, which was understandable.

Not all of the things I learned that weekend was good. I discovered the extent of the bullying that happened when I wasn’t there. Turns out when my peers are around me, they are tame. Frank told me of a time that he was beaten up in the bathroom just for playing music on his headphones too loudly. Mikey told me that one time he had his glasses stolen off his face and broken right in front of him. Ray had gum stuck in his hair last year, which made him have to cut it. Gerard had been stripped from his clothes and thrown into the girl’s locker room. I was absolutely horrified. “Why didn’t you tell a teacher?” I asked after Gerard’s story.

He had just shrugged, “We’ve tried. They don’t believe us.”

It was Monday morning. It was time for reality. My time in fantasy world had expired. Frank was currently on my back porch with me. It was a perk of my parents leaving for work early. We were having a morning cigarette and coffee before we went to school since he lived right down the road from me. “So, you’ve officially hung out with us for a total of two days,” he glanced at me. “What do you think?”

I looked down into my cup of coffee, the dark brown liquid swirling as I moved the mug. “You guys are amazing. Kind, funny, even Gerard started being nice towards the end…” I hesitate. “But…”

“You’re scared,” Frank nodded. “Understandable.”

I shake my head, “I don’t know why! You guys face them every day, but I can’t stand by you just for one! I’m such a coward.”

He shrugged, “You have more to lose than we do. If you choose the dark side, and your family gets wind, they’ll disown you. If this doesn’t work, they guys will understand.”

I didn’t want to leave them up to dry, but I was worried about what would happen if we were seen at school together. We didn’t say another word as I watched him leave. Before he left my yard, he stopped, turning around with a small smile on his face, “No matter what you choose, I won’t abandon you.”

With that, he was gone. I looked down at what I was wearing. A white blouse with light skinny jeans and tan, heeled boots. I wore a pearl necklace with a few bracelets. My nails were a perfectly manicured light purple color. I loved that color. It was the only thing that felt me besides the coffee and cigarette in my hands.

---

“Where the hell did you disappear to on Friday?” Kurt asked as I approached the group.

I shrugged, “I wasn’t feeling well, so I just went home.”

Jason threw his arm around my shoulders, “You probably drank too much!”

“Probably.”

So, I had decided to be a coward and run back to what I’m used to. Here, I was safe. Here, everything would be okay. In my place alongside Molly, Kurt, Jason and the rest of the popular peers. I pretended to be amused by the jokes they would say at another person’s expense. It wasn’t until five minutes later that I saw the guys.

For the most part, their faces as they looked at me were ones of understanding and acceptance. All except for Mikey. His expression was one of betrayal. He knew that I may not have chosen to stay friends with them. He knew this might happen. I did nothing wrong, I know that, but under his gaze, I felt guilty. I tear my eyes away from them, looking back to the group, hoping that some of the guilt would edge off, but it seemed to only grow.

The entire day I tried to survive the immense guilt I felt. They told me the horror stories of what my peers had done to them and I still went crawling back. I was a despicable human being. I needed a cigarette to take the edge off.

I decided to skip sixth period. I was only an online class that I could catch up on at home. As I wandered the halls to find a way outside without being noticed by anyone, I heard faint yelling. Without realizing it, I started walking towards the sounds. I recognized two of the voices to be Jason and Kurt. I realized that it was coming from the boy’s bathroom. Those two were probably bullying some poor unsuspecting student.

I shook my head, about to walk away when I hear another voice. His voice had blended with the other two as they yelled, but now I could hear it clearly. It was Gerard. I could feel the familiar clench in my heart as I realized that they were probably beating him up. At first, I felt guilt and sorrow, but that was quickly replaced with anger as I remembered the shit that these two assholes but that group through. The shit they put my real friends through. I needed to get over myself.

Without thinking, I slam the bathroom door open, crashing into a tall body. When I realized it was Jason, I shoved him as hard as I could. Since he was caught off guard, he tipped over. I finally saw the scene before me, making me even angrier.

Gerard was in a crumpled heap in the corner, blood pouring down his nose, his eye already bruised. His knees were pulled up to his chest as he held his arms to his body. His hazel eyes stared at me as I looked from him to Kurt, “What. The Fuck.”

He looked confused, as if what he was doing wasn’t wrong, “Ron, what are you-“

“Don’t call me Ron,” I snap. “And what give you the fucking right to hurt someone who has never done anything to you!”

“Ronnie, what’s wrong,” Jason asked, getting up from the floor.

I whirl on him, “And you don’t call me Ronnie! Shut the fuck up you sleaze!”

At this point, he was standing next to his buddy as I started going off on the pair, “You both are fucking pathetic. Dick too small so you have to overcompensate by beating another kid’s ass? If you don’t leave him, and the rest of his friends alone, I will rip off your ball sack!”

Their confused stares turned into glares. “You will regret this,” Kurt growls.

“Oh really,” I snarl, my voice dripping with venom. “And what will you do? Hit me? That’ll just make you look worse than you already do. So, skedaddle.”

They walked out of the bathroom, shooting glares at me Gerard and me. As soon as the door closed behind them, I turned to the boy on the floor. “What have you done?” He whispered.

I smiled at the boy, holding out a hand to him, “I was defending my friend.”

He hesitated before grabbing it. I lifted him up to his feet, where he stumbled slightly. I grabbed ahold of him, keeping him steady as we made our way out of the bathroom. “He’s right,” Gerard mumbled. “They’ll come after you next and everything you’ve built will be ruined.”

“Maybe,” I muse. “But I’ll have you guys by my side through it.”

For the first time since I’ve met him, he gave me a genuine smile.

Notes

Woah, I am on fire! I hope you liked two updates in one day!