Another Way | Adopted by Gerard Way (Book Three)

10

Harley's hands wouldn't stop shaking so she stuffed them into the front pocket of her hoodie. She could under no circumstances give away what she'd been planning since she was told she couldn't go to that party with Mason.

"No playing with the hose this year, alright?" Frank said, nudging her with his elbow as he walked by her to set some things on the picnic table outside.

"No promises," Harley joked back as though everything was fine and normal.

It was getting late and the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, the fleeting pinks and purples of dusk fading away. She watched the sky with contentment despite the nerves that coursed through her veins in anticipation for the night that laid ahead. The plan kept rolling in her head like the end-credits of a movie on a loop so she wouldn't forget a single detail, knowing it could only end in disaster if Gerard— or worse, her parents— found out about what she was going to do.

It would be easy if she made sure she timed it perfectly. To do so, she couldn't keep her eyes off the time. She knew it was unusual for her to be checking her phone so often, as she'd never been one very attached to technology, so she had to check it discreetly. Gerard had no reason to suspect anything, as long as she kept calm and acted like her usual self.

"Harley, come play hide and seek with us!" Miles called. He stood at the tree line at the bottom of the yard with all the other kids. They watched and waited for her reply with eager faces.

She willed an excuse to pop into her head, fearing she'd lose track of time if she went to play with them. That being said, it was just as important for her to keep acting like herself so no one would suspect a thing, and she'd never turned down a game of hide and seek before. She couldn't spend too long on this dilemma, either, because they might start wondering why she had to think about it so much.

She called back, "I can't!"

"Why not?" Miles asked.

Harley pointed at her feet. "I just got these shoes; I can't let them get dirty!"

Miles shrugged and ran off into the woods with the other kids.

Harley sat at the picnic table on her own. Stacks of plates and napkins and silverware that glinted in the dying sunlight sat in front of her. She had to slap a hand over the stack of napkins so that they wouldn't flutter away one by one when the light breeze picked up momentarily.

It would be a boring few hours if she had to sit here all evening before putting her plan into action, but it'd still be bearable for an only child who had learned to occupy herself over the years.

Harley often wondered if she'd have always been an only child. Her biological parents had been so young. They could've had more kids if they'd only had time, she thought. The thought depressed her, but she couldn't keep it from infiltrating her mind. She wouldn't admit it, but she envied the kids with siblings. Especially the twins who always seemed on the same brainwave and who seldom fought with each other. To her, siblings seemed like a built-in friend, someone with whom you could share a kind of connection you couldn't get any other way. It felt like a big secret she'd never understand and would never get the chance to understand as long as she lived.

"Why so glum, Harley?" Mikey asked, suddenly appearing across from her, his arms folded on the table. His tone was light, but there was a hint of concern buried underneath.