Thirty Five Days

7: The Car Journey

Every time a car drove past Dom's house I felt the butterflies in my stomach go wild. Each time however, they would carry on, not even slowing down as they passed us. Every car that passed without Gerard made me more and more anxious. It was stupid really, and I knew that. Why should I be this nervous just for somebody I barely knew to drive me five minutes around the corner with my best (and really only) friend? Still, it was driving me crazy.

When a little black car finally pulled up at the edge of the road a few houses away my heart began to race. Sure enough Mikey started heading towards it, apparently having recognised it as belonging to his brother.

He gestured for me to get in the passenger seat, beside Gerard, before appearing to fold himself into the back seat. Nervously, I settled in beside Mikey's older brother who grinned at me, displaying his tiny little teeth.

"So, I guess we were both wrong when we said I wouldn't see you again without the aid of pizza. You should count yourself lucky that I volunteered to drive out like this for you both, without any sort of charge, when I could have left you stranded out there in the cold. Aren't I a lovely person, Frank?"

He was talking to me. He was actually addressing his question to me. And not only that but he remembered our first conversation! Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I thought. Maybe we could work out the way I hoped. Just maybe...

"Oh, er, yeah I guess you are."

Great response Frank. I mean, really, of all the things I could have said that was quite possibly the most pathetic, not at all witty thing I could manage to come up with.

I risked a glance across at the dark haired man as he pulled away from the edge, turning the car back to the house. He wasn't looking at the road though. He was looking at me, smirking a little.

"Yes I am, Frank, you're right. He's clever, Mikey. You should have more clever friends – they're better than your last ones."

He winked at me as he spoke, making me blush a horrible shade of red which I desperately hoped he couldn't see in the dark.

"Thanks for that, Gerard. I'm sure Frank loves being compared to some idiots he doesn't even know by the weird guy that's acting as a taxi driver for him. And anyway, as I recall, you didn't mind some of my old friends..."

"Which of your friends did I like? Name a single one of your friends that I liked. I don't recall any of them being particularly outstanding human beings. In fact, I hardly recall any of them at all."

"What about Bert?" Mikey's response was immediate, making me wonder if something had happened with Gerard and this Bert, something either good or bad.

"Bert? Which one was he again? I'm not convinced I even remember the name, never mind which one of your friends he supposedly was."

"Bert McCracken. You definitely remember Bert, Gerard, don't be an idiot. He was the one with the fairly long black hair, the one from that party. He went out with that girl I liked so I stopped talking to him until they broke up."

I couldn't imagine Mikey liking someone in that way. From what I saw of him, he was too reserved to be the sort of person going to parties and ignoring people just because of who they were dating. I wondered if he would ignore me if I told him about Gerard. If that ever came to anything anyway.

"Mmm, I may vaguely recollect him but like I said earlier, he doesn't seem particularly outstanding. Not like Frank here."

The grin that went with that statement made my heart stop entirely. He was flirting with me. Gerard Way was actually flirting with me. What was I supposed to do? This man had been in my thoughts ever since he introduced himself over the pizza that first day and now here he was, actually flirting with me!