Let The Flames Begin ✓ | Mikey Way

Chapter Ten

Dedication to mikeyways_knees. Thanks for reading and supporting the story!

"Kris-"

I shook my head. "Mikey, don't."

Ever since Wednesday, when the rumors just started, they ended up growing worse and worse, like a snowball rolling down a hill that only grew bigger. It was now Tuesday, and lately, I've been ignoring everyone. Mikey, Gerard, Forrest and even Cassey, who I've been best friends with ever since I finally got to escape Daren when he left in elementary school. I didn't mean to ignore them, it just happened. It was lunch, and Mikey, Cassey, and Forrest were trying to talk to me, and Gerard and Frank, who usually sat with us now, where nowhere to be seen, and were probably behind the school.

He reached for my hand. "Please, we-"

I pulled my hand back. "I'm sorry. I just want to be alone."

"Kris, please stop!" His voice raised a little with concern. "Please stop trying to push us away! We want to help-"

"What if I don't want your help?" I snapped, starting to get attention from people from other tables. Mikey tried to grab my arm, but I shook him away as I grabbed my bag. "I'll see you next period." And I ran out of the lunch room.

I made my way through the easily-navigable small halls of my school to the back door and ducked under the bleachers, where Frank and Gerard were sitting on the ground, just smoking and talking.

I threw my bag on the ground and plopped next to Gerard, holding out my hand.

He sighed. "You know, Mikey will kill me if he finds out I'm giving you cigarettes."

I shrugged my shoulders and gratefully accepted the already lit cigarette he placed in my hand. Despite the fact that I've been smoking for a few days now, it was still hard to fight the urge to cough when I breathed in the smoke. Yet, it was relaxing, soothing in a way. The way that the smoke filled my lungs, and made it feel tight, made me feel alive. It felt as though I was floating, and sent a warm feeling throughout my body even though it was close to zero degrees outside.

"He cares a lot about you, ya know." He sighed. "Mikey."

I let my head fall back against the brick wall as I took another puff. "I know, and I feel terrible for starting to push him away- but it's what I always do when I'm stressed. I just stop talking to people."

"He doesn't know that. He thinks he did something wrong, like it was his fault because he told you to meet at the park-"

"What?" I interrupted. "Tell him it's not-"

He shook his head. "You have to tell him. It's not my job to fix my brother's relationships."

"I'll tell him next period," I said, whining when Frank plucked my cigarette from my hands.

"Sorry, mine finished, and Gerard won't give me any more." He said.

"Because you've already smoked three today, Frankie!" He took the cigarette from Frank, and I took a drag of it while staring at Frank with a smug smile on my face.

"And if you keep giving some to her, she's going to end up just like me, and Mikey will really kill you then."

I rolled my eyes. "Why does Mikey even care? I'm just some-"

"You're like, his only friend, Kris." 

"But what about Cassey and Forrest-"

"He's not nearly as close to them as he is to you." 

"Yeah, but-"

"But the two of you are also in love" Frankie called out from beside Gerard.

"We are not-"