Another Way | Adopted by Gerard Way (Book Three)

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Despite it being the middle of summer, Harley was shivering as she sat on the stone steps outside Jace's house. Instead of feeling comforted by the breeze and the lighting bugs and the stars, she felt profoundly lonely. It was like the wide expanse of black sky might swallow her up.

She hugged her knees to her chest and laid her head on them, making herself small, wishing she'd thought to bring a hoodie or anything warmer than a T-shirt. At least she didn't have to wait there too long; Mikey was probably breaking laws to get to her as soon as possible.

"Shouldn't you be asleep right now?" he'd said in a voice just above a whisper when he picked up his phone.

"Mikey, I fucked up real bad and I don't know what to do," Harley replied.

"Hang on, Harley, Kristin's asleep next to me. Let me just go to another room," he said, urgency in his voice. Harley heard the distant creaking of a bed frame, the sound of a door opening and closing, footsteps, and then, "Okay, what's up? Are you okay?"

"Well, I mean, I've been better."

"Well, what do you mean you 'fucked up?'" Mikey asked slowly.

"I- I did something I shouldn't have and now Gee's gonna be mad at me, and my parents are definitely gonna be mad at me... I don't know what to do. I can't do anything to fix it now," she rambled, her voice shaking from the cold and the fact she was bouncing her leg up and down, vibrating her entire body.

"You sound like you're panicking, Harley. I need you to take a deep breath with me, okay? And we can talk about it after."

"Okay," Harley whispered. She took a deep breath and heard Mikey inhale and exhale along with her. "Okay," she said again, even though taking a deep breath hadn't slowed down the adrenaline at all.

"Okay. First of all, Gee won't be mad at you, okay? I know him better than anyone and I promise you, you can tell him anything."

"This is different," Harley said.

"How is it different, Harley? Can you tell me what happened?" Mikey asked gently. When Harley only sighed deeply into the receiver, at a loss for words at her own stupidity, Mikey grew more afraid. He prompted kindly, yet bordering on desperation, "Please talk to me, Harley, what's going on?"

"I-I'm telling you, Mikey, I fucked up and now everyone's gonna be mad at me—even Gee—and now I'm even scared to tell you what I did 'cause you're gonna be all like, 'Harley, that was so fucking stupid,' but you don't even have to tell me it was fucking stupid 'cause I know it already, okay?"

She knew that continuing to stall and ramble wasn't going to make the situation better or the truth easier to tell, but it was a nervous habit, and she was definitely nervous. She didn't want to lose her "good kid" card, but mostly she knew Mikey would be disappointed in her just like Gerard would be and she was dreading the rainstorm of guilt that would wash over her.

"Harley, you have to tell me what happened so I can help. I won't be mad and I won't tell you it was fucking stupid."

He was scared. He'd never heard Harley panic like this over something before. She was always so laid back, humorous, carefree. He was also being bombarded with a memory he thought he'd successfully buried in his mind years ago.