Here's to the Heartache (Frerard) *Discontinued*

13: Bert McCracken Is Always Right - Never Doubt The Wisdom Of Bert

Gerard found himself walking down the street at just a little after noon, which was a rare occurrence for the borderline recluse, because even though he did leave the house at some point, that was usually only for cigarettes and booze, and half of the time, Gerard managed to convince Mikey to procure those item for him, so it wasn't every day that Gerard willingly emerged from his apartment without a very good reason.

Gerard did have some motivation for his impromptu journey though, which came in the form of Bert, who seemed determined to make sure that Gerard experienced the outside world at least once a month, and after Gerard had turned him down on his invitation for drinks the other week, Gerard knew it was only a matter of time before Bert attempted to see Gerard again, so he had been expecting the phone call he received this morning asking him to meet up.

And even though Gerard usually avoided things like this, because he hated going out, not to mention walking, he was pleasantly surprised with how much he was enjoying himself at the moment, and he did feel guilty for putting Bert off for so long, and he really had no excuse or reason to cancel on him today, not with Frank busy with something until later in the evening.

It helped that the weather was perfect; one of those days where the sky was overcast, but not quite gloomy, and the sun peeked through the clouds every now and then, providing just enough light to illuminate the dingy streets, but also the perfect amount of shadows to make them appear much more beautiful than they actually were, casting a sense of ethereal wonder to the small city that enraptured Gerard completely.

The cracked pavement beneath Gerard's feet guided his steps as his head craned around, taking in the sights that rarely graced his eyes, because even though Gerard had moved back here almost two months ago, he had never bothered to explore the area around his apartment, knowing where the closest bar and corner store was good enough for him, and if he ventured anywhere else, he typically drove, but for some reason, walking had seemed much more appealing today.

Gerard couldn't remember the last time he had done this, walked just for the pleasure of it, with no reason to hurry or panic, taking in the ordinary sights that had somehow become extraordinary, and Gerard made a mental note to himself to indulge in this more often, because it was as if his forward motion was stripping all of his demons away, the heavy aura that usually clouded his thoughts getting tangled in his steps before sloughing off of him like an unwanted skin, and maybe if Gerard kept walking for long enough, everything would be okay again, or maybe not, but it didn't hurt to try.

This area was different to where Gerard had grown up, but similar all at the same time; the same seedy alleys threaded in-between houses in all states from rundown to brand new, more apartment buildings than his old neighborhood had possessed, more shops, but less people, as if everyone had somewhere to be, and they couldn't waste their time ambling down the streets, or maybe Gerard had just gotten lucky, and he had picked the rare hour in which this neighborhood saw some form of peace.

Gerard almost didn't want this walk to end, because he was truly enjoying this solitude, not only from his surroundings, but from his mind, because for once, it had shut up for a short time, and he was more than content gazing at the dry trees and stubborn weeds, without any memories assaulting him, because this place was new, and he held no association to any of this. It was pure, and untouched, at least to Gerard, and even though he had moved back home to face his past, he wasn't prepared for that just yet, which is why he had chosen an area far removed from his childhood haunts.

Gerard couldn't explain to himself why he had returned to Jersey after everything fell apart, because it wasn't a happy place for him, or at least, it hadn't been, but in the end, Gerard didn't know where else to go, and at least Bert was here, and Ray had decided to move back as well, and Gerard wasn't brave enough to make a completely new start in another city, another state, not yet anyway.