Drums Of The City Rain (Gerard Way Fanfic Book 2)

Chapter 27

~Dawn's POV~
Gerard left the next day, which was good. I could not have handled much more. And to make matters worse, school was getting stressful as spring came. I had a hard time keeping myself organized, which hadn't been a problem for me until then. I couldn't wait for summer already. I would get teased a lot and it made things worse for me. My only friend was Patrick.
Lunch time came fast it seemed, that day. So I headed to get lunch and waited in line. I didn't make eye contact with anyone and I didn't say anything, I just stood and waited. But that didn't seem to make a difference. Maybe if you're quiet and kept to yourself, trying to mind your own business and just get out of there as fast as you can, you're seen as an easy target. You're seen as vulnerable.
"Nice legs, sweetheart." A boy said to me. I was wearing shorts since it was warm out. These words made me sick as him and his buddies chuckled and kept looking at me. I didn't care if it was a compliment, I felt uncomfortable.
"What's the matter?" He asked me since I didn't reply, just looked away. "Can't I compliment a pretty girl?" He winked at me.
"Sorry, bud, she's with me." A boy said, appearing beside me. He had dark hair and tanned skin and he was about my height. Isn't he Patrick's friend?" He put his arm around me and smiled at the other boys. "Buh-bye." He said to him. The other boy glared at the boy at my side, then he kissed me on the cheek and waved them goodbye. He left me alone after that.
I was standing there in shock though because this boy had his arm around me and had just kissed me on the cheek. I knew he was just trying to make them go away though.
"T-than.... Thanks." I said, rubbing my arm.
"No problem, sweetheart." He said with a laugh. "Dawn, right?"
I nodded and he shook my hand with a firm handshake. "Patty-cakes has told me a lot about you."
I smiled. Patty-cakes.
"Pete." Patrick said, walking up to us as we grabbed our trays. "What was that?"
"Me doing her a favor. Those perves were buggin' her."
Patrick rolled his eyes and we got our food, then left the cafeteria and headed outside to swing set.
The two of them talked and I mostly just smiled. They were funny, and lots of strange topics were brought up, debates on stupid things like whether or not some guy should wear his pants that low or not. We agreed on not.
"You cannot." Patrick said at one point.
"Bitch, watch me." Pete replied, doing a crooked cartwheel.
"Wow, amazing." Patrick said sarcastically.
"Yeah, whatever." Pete scoffed.
I laughed and Patrick looked at me with this glow of happiness on his face, and laughed. A car then pulled up near by, blasting loud music.
"Oh my God, this song is the shit." Pete said. "Gotta respect Def Leopard." Then he started dancing around like a fool. Patrick and I laughed at him then Patrick stood up and came over to my swing, holding out his hands.
"C'mon, Dawn." He said.
I smiled and took his hands, he pulled me up and into him. My face met with his chest and I got a whiff of his comforting scent. He smelled like mint gum, comic books, and his own scent, like a type of deodorant or cologne. A warm breeze blew and the sun shone down on us and I had this sense of comfort and calmness, like the last time he held me in his arms. It was a feeling that I liked. And it wasn't like when Gerard did it either. It felt even better.
He spun me up and held my hands in his, dancing with me like no one was watching, which no one was but Pete. It wouldn't have mattered if they were though. I laughed, more than I had in a long time, and I smiled. When the car drove off and the music faded like the record slowed down, he pulled me into him once again, but this time a little tighter, and I hugged him back, tight. And at that moment I realized that the feeling of Gerard's touch wasn't on my skin. The memory of it happening wasn't lingering in my head that whole lunch. I felt happy.
******
I looked up at the sky as I stepped outside, it was cloudy and a cool breeze blew my hair into my face. I pulled my dark blue sweater a little closer to me and tucked my hair behind my ear. The whole world had a greyer tint to it because of the overcast. It had been warm recently but not today. It was a little chilly but I decided to go to the park anyway. Patrick was going to be there, he said, otherwise I might not have gone.
When I came to my special spot, sure enough, there sat a dirty blonde boy. I guess he heard me coming because he turned around and a smile appeared on his face.
"Hey, Dawn." He said as I sat right next to him, not two inches away.
"Hey." I said, without a stutter. I had been doing better with Patrick and Pete's support, but wasn't completely okay. Some times would be worse than others. We sat in silence for a few minutes then he spoke up. "If you could have a wish, anything you wanted, what would it be?"
I sat and thought because I wasn't sure. It wasn't something I thought about a lot. "Maybe...... I-I don't know. T-there are.... There are t-too many things." I replied, shaking my head.
He nodded. "I think I'd pick to protect the people I love. Like, for them to be safe all the time." He said. He was looking out on the water and I was looking at him. The wind blew his hair a little and his shirt too, as he picked at the grass. "Because, sometimes I don't feel like they get protected. They get hurt and I can't stop that from happening. Not just physically, but they get left scarred by events that happen in their lives. By people they trust, by people they love."
I knew what he was talking about. By they, he meant me. He was talking about what's happened to me, with my parents and with Gerard. "Patrick...." I said.
He met my gaze. The people I love.
He looked away and laughed a little. "Sorry,I was just thinking a lot while I waited for you."
"It's okay." I replied. "That's a nice thing to wish for."
I felt a little drop on my face, cold and barely noticeable, in fact, I wasn't sure if it was in my head at first. But then it happened again, and again, closer and closer together and more at a time. Patrick noticed too and stood up, helping me to my feet. The rain fell faster, it fell harder. Pretty soon we were soaked and he help his jacket above our heads, walking really close to me to keep it over my head as well.
"Want me to take you back to your house or go to mine?" He asked me over the sound of the rain.
I didn't want to go back home. "Yours."
His was a little closer than mine anyways, and we were there in no time. When we got inside he laughed as did I. "It's really coming down out there." He laughed.
"I didn't notice." I laughed back, sarcastically.
"I'll get some towels. Make yourself at home." He smiled, leaving the room.
It was a comfortable little living room. The couches were tan and the walls were cream colored. The floor was a dark oak wood that was shiny and clean. There were pictures of a happy family on the walls, individual children, then with their parents, then with even more people, probably aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. I wished I'd had that as a child. A happy family with cousins and grandparents involved in my life. Patrick appeared in the room again and handed me a towel to dry my hair off.
"Do you need a dry shirt or something?" He asked me as he dried his hair.
"Um...Yeah. Sure."
He disappeared and came back with a Green Day shirt that was too big, but it was okay. I went into the bathroom, pealing off my wet shirt and putting that one on. My pants were a little wet but they'd dry. When I came out of the bathroom and went back into the living room, Patrick was no where to be found. I looked around a bit and suddenly I felt hands around my waist and I was lifted off the ground. I screamed but not out of fear.
"Put me down!" I said. "Patty-cakes.' I smirked the last two words.
He put me down then asked, "where did you hear that?"
"Pete." I replied with a shrug.
"No, don't."
"Make me." I said with a confidence that I wasn't familiar with.
"Oooh." He laughed. Then he tickled me. I laughed and struggled, gasping for air.
"Patrick, stop! You win." I said, and he did.
"Ha! Victory."
We sat down on the couch and he turned on the TV, flipping through the channels as the rain poured down outside. I couldn't help but think about what he had said earlier about his wish.
"The people I love." And he was talking about me. I think. The people I love.
____
I realized this story is like my life omg.
Anyways, please vote and comment and thank you so much for reading!