The Name of the Game

Chapter 2

Mikey pouted in the passenger seat. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he muttered.

"I can," Gerard said, grinning over at his little brother. "I promise, Mikes, you'll have fun. We'll find Ray as soon as we walk in, and you'll love him, and we'll meet his friend, and we'll all hit it off. It's gonna be great, I promise."

"You keep saying that," Mikey said. "You promising me things like that only makes me believe you less."

Gerard rolled his eyes. Mikey reached over and turned up the radio before his brother could say anything else.

When they reached the party, Mikey straightened up in his seat. They could practically feel the bass of the music under their car in the street, and there were lights flashing through the windows.

"Y-Y'know, I think I made a mistake agreeing to this," Mikey said. "Maybe I'll just go home. Better yet, you don't even have to take me home, I'll just stay in the car. That blanket is still in the backseat, right? I-"

"Mikey, will you calm down?" Gerard reached over and put a hand on Mikey's head. "It's just a party. Cool kids do this all the time!"

"Well I guess I'm not a cool kid." He threw a dramatic arm up to his forehead, feigning weakness. "How will I go on?"

Gerard laughed. "Okay, kid," he said. "How about this: you come in and meet Ray, stay for fifteen minutes, and if you don't want to stay after that, we can go. Deal?"

Mikey mulled over the offer. He eventually sighed and nodded. "Deal."

The two got out of the car and made their way up the walkway to the house. The door was unlocked, so they could just walk right in.

Once they did, the bass shook their feet, and the scent of alcohol hit them like a truck. Mikey tensed, once again rethinking the party. Gerard sensed this and placed a gentle hand on his brother's arm. "Mikey, it's only fifteen minutes," he said, somehow managing to make himself heard over the music. "You can do this. Look, I see Ray over there. Come on!"

Mikey took a deep breath and nodded. Gerard led him into the kitchen, where Ray was leaned over the counter and laughing with a few other guys. They noticed the brothers walking up, and Ray turned around to greet them with a wide smile.

"Gerard Way!" Ray said, slapping him heartily on the back. "How are you on this lovely night?"

Gerard laughed. "I'm great, man, thanks," he said. He gestured to Mikey. "This is that weird kid I was telling you about; y'know, the one I invited because his mom asked me to? Said he didn't have any friends?"

Mikey swatted at Gerard's arm a few times, blushing hard. "Gee," he whined.

Gerard laughed again. "This is my brother, Mikey," he said, nudging Mikey forward. Mikey, suddenly floored by Ray, barely moved, only mustering a small smile and a wave. Ray grinned, taking a half-step closer to him.

"Nice to meet you, Mikey," he said, looking down at the blushing boy. Mikey smiled, avoiding eye contact. He mumbled a response that was drowned out by the music.

"Gerard," Ray said, suddenly remembering that he and Mikey weren't the only people in the room, "This, uh, this is my friend, Frank." He nodded towards a short boy with shaggy black hair who had been standing back and staring blatantly at Gerard since he had entered the kitchen.

Gerard grinned. "Hey," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Frank blushed slightly and smiled. "Yeah, you too," he said.

"Drinks are... well, spread out everywhere," Ray said. "Make yourselves at home and have fun!"

"Oh, that sounds good," Frank said. "I'm gonna go get a drink." He turned his attention back to Gerard. "You wanna come with me?"