The Kids Aren't Alright

-9-

True to Gerard's word, someone showed up out the front of Dallon's house the next morning in a dark blue car. It was a surprise to everyone in the Weekes household when the car not only stopped, but honked its horn to draw Dallon's attention.

"Ooooohhhh." Nora called, rushing to the window to gawk at the strange car. "Who's car is that?"

Dallon's face was instantly reddened. "It's for me." He said quietly, watching his fathers eyes widen slightly in amazement and his mothers narrow in suspicion.

"Who is it, Dallon?" She asked sharply, putting her hands on her hips and fixing him with a stern look.

"Its my friend, um, Gerard." The tall boy mumbled, leaving his plate of scrambled eggs and toast on the table and standing, slinging his bag over one shoulder. "He wanted to pick me up early so we could go to school and work on our math homework."

It seemed like an obvious lie, bit his mother certainly didn't pick up on it. He stood still, waiting for her to dismiss him so he could leave without a hitch. Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, she nodded her head curtly. Dallon let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding and walked towards the door.

"Dallon."

He turned around quickly, mentally freaking out and figuring that she'd realized that he was bullshitting her. A thousand excuses ran through his head.

"Don't forget to take your medication."

He nodded quickly and grabbed his bottle of pills, sliding one into the palm of his hand and shoving it into his mouth. He dropped the container back onto the table and rushed out the door, closing it hurriedly behind him.

Dallon spat the pill into his hand and threw it into one of the bushes in the front yard before rushing towards the dark blue car and pretending that none of that ever happened. He hesitated to open the door, standing awkwardly outside on the pavement for a moment before finally summoning the courage to yank the door open and climb into the passenger seat.

"Finally." The guy in the drivers seat laughed. "I thought we were gonna be here for a while."

Dallon's face flushed red again, and he pushed his bag to his feet and shoved his seatbelt into the slot. The boy observed him carefully, one eyebrow raised and an easy smirk playing on his lips as he lent on the steering wheel without a care in the world. He watched for a moment longer, noticing how Dallon folded his hands in his lap and looked around uncomfortably and awkwardly.

He twisted the key in the ignition slot and the car rumbled to life. Brendon pulled out of his spot by the curb and out onto the road, the small smirk never leaving his face. "Relax. We're just going to the mall, not some highschool party."

Dallon's voice caught in his throat and he finally glanced over at the driver for the first time. "I don't- I'm not nervous. I'm good." He mumbled, his words jumbling together as he tried to make a coherent sentence. The boy in the drivers seat had quite literally stunned Dallon with his sheer beauty.

Brendon chuckled. "Right, sure you are." He wasn't speaking down to him, or even making fun of him, he was just making conversation. And he was doing a way better job then Dallon was.

The silence that hung between them after that was awkward and not letting up, so Brendon took it upon himself to lead the talks. "So, why did Gerard tell me to come get you? Like, not that I have anything against it, but you gotta admit, it's a bit random."

Dallon cleared his throat and looked out the window and down to his hands, avoiding the attractive boy he was sat beside so he could possibly answer the question without falling over his own words. "I don't really know. Um, I took the fall for something he and Frank did and I guess he felt bad for me or something."