The Only Hope For Me Is You

Chapter 17

"So are you ready for that special time of month?" asked Gerard. Bewildered, I looked at him to make sure what I heard was correct. We were walking side by side on our way to the coffee shop on Manson Avenue Gerard said was his favorite.

"Excuse me?" He kept walking with his hands in his pockets as if he didn't say anything out of the ordinary.

"You know, are you a big on Halloween? Getting dressed up and pulling pranks and stuff. That's actually when Frank was born The lucky bastard." he answered. Woah, I swear I thought for a minute there he meant my period (which by the way, I am SO not ready for). We had finally reached the start of Manson Avenue. The street was lined with quaint little shops. It must be beautiful during Christmas time.

"Oh. Right, it's October. I forgot. Well, yeah, I guess. Back in New York I used to celebrate it all the time with my friends. I always dressed up for the free chocolate. You?"

"Nice perspective on it. 'Free chocolate'," he chuckled,"I love it. It's gotta be the best holiday ever. Me, Mikey, and Frank have been doing it together since we were little kids. It's, it's like a tradition now." He shrugged. He then looked at me with an awkward, questioning look.

"...What?" I said, raising one eyebrow.

"Um...would you want to like...hang out with m-with us! With us on Halloween?" He made a goofy grin and blushed. Why has he been doing that a lot lately? Is he mad at me? Is he being forced to ask me?

Instead of answering, I poked both his cheeks with my index finger, which only made him blush even more.

Confused and bewildered, he asked,"What?"

"You're red. You're never red, you're usually pale. Are you sick?" I said jokingly. He just looked down, mumbled, and opened the door for me because we arrived at the coffee shop.

'Oh wow!" I said as soon as I laid my eyes on the interior. Everything was so antique and steampunkish. The lighting was dim, the furniture was mahogany wood, there was a fireplace at the far wall, the only worker dressed in black and white, and the coffee machine was run with pipes and knobs. It was peacefully quiet in  coffee shop. I like it very much.

"This looks like something out of Sherlock Holmes! This is amazing!" I exclaimed.

"Wait till you try the coffee." he said looking rather smug. I ran to the front of the counter where an old man was there to take orders. Only an old middle-aged couple besides me and Gerard were in the shop.

"I'll have a dark chocolate mocha frappuchino! No, a peppermint chocolate mocha! But the chocolate-chocolate moccachino sounds yum. Nah, I take it back! I'll take the peppermint chocolate mocha." I smiled.

"Okay. And for the boyfriend?" the old man wheezed.

I put my hands on my hips. "He's not my boyfriend, mister. I'm too much for him." I said, sticking my tongue out at Gerard. He looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock. "What? It's true. I'm not that bad." I pouted.

'You don't know the half of it." he mumbled to himself. I will just pretend I  didn't hear that. "So I'll have the usual, Guillermo." He pulled scraps of bundled up money out of his pocket and handed it to Guillermo. Then the waiter went to work on our coffee.

'What's the usual?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing." He wouldn't look at me in the eye.

"What? What is it? Why can't you tell me?"

"Well..."

"What? Well what?"

"You're pushy."