I Drew You Once in Art Class

Fifty-Six

Now what?

Gerard hadn't really expected what had happened, somehow, even though he was the one who started it. It really wasn't his original plan to just run over there and do that.

Maybe it was anger about Bert, maybe it was rejection from Mikey, he didn't know. Despite Frank's insistence that he come inside ("You're going to get sick!"), Gerard walked home. It felt very anticlimactic if he was being honest, but he was cold and he wanted to be back in his bed. It had been a very weird day and he just needed to take a rest and process everything.

Unfortunately, he was unable to do even that.

The second he walked through the door, his ears were blistered with screaming and beeping and just LOUD. Through the kitchen doorframe, the oven was open and smoke was rising out, which was triggering the smoke alarm. Mikey had two oven mitts on, and he and his mom stood on the tile floor, screaming at each other. Gerard threw off his wet hoodie and hastily hung it on the hook. "Woah, woah, woah, woah, what the hell is going on?"

Mikey and their mom started talking at the same time. The smoke coming from the oven got higher and thicker, so Gerard snatched one of Mikey's oven mitts off his hand and grabbed at what appeared to be a melted lump of plastic on the metal racks, but it was stuck to the rungs, dripping over the side and sizzling against the burning oven floor. He pulled his arm out, on the way bumping his wrist against one of the scorching mettle racks. He winced, hissing in pain as he turned off the oven. "Open all the doors," he said, and Mikey and their mom, now silent, rushed to open the doors and windows. The smoke alarm beeped infernally.

Gerard's head hurt. His wrist, too.

He wet a dish towel and wrapped it around his arm.

A few minutes later, the smoke alarm finally shut up. They all exhaled in relief.

Gerard leaned against the counter while his mom and Mikey leaned on the counter opposite him, awaiting what he had to say.

"What happened? ONE. At a time."

Mikey went first.

"I was trying to heat up pizza from the other night."

His mom butt in. "But he didn't know you can't put plastic plates in the oven! Stupid."

She looked over at Gerard, annoyed, as if to say "this dumb kid." As if SHE were the one who was going to have to clean it up.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to if one of you had brought me dinner!"

A screaming match ensued.

-

Gerard lay on his bed, an ace bandage around his arm and his headphones over his exhausted ears.

Mentally, he tallied every notable thing that had happened.

A List of Notable Things:

-Waking up at Frank's house

-Seeing Bert

-Mikey had refused to explain Mystery Boy

-He'd kissed Frank

-Frank pierced his lip

-Mikey had almost burned their house down

Good lord.

He pressed his headphones closer to his ears, letting the song fill up his skull until it was so loud Gerard was sure it must be leaking out of his body and spilling all over everything, creating yet another mess he'd have to clean up.

The world just screams and falls apart

But now we must pick up every piece

Of the life we used to love

Just to keep ourselves

At least enough to carry on