The Name of the Game

Chapter 3

Mikey sighed happily as he closed the car door. "Okay Gee," he said, "I admit it. I'm glad you dragged me to this party."

Gerard laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure you are."

Mikey swatted his arm. "Oh, stop! He is a nice guy!"

"I know he is, he's my friend!"

"Gee, he's so wonderful. We have a date tomorrow night."

Gerard snorted as he pulled the car out into the road. "I don't think you need a date. I mean you've already had his tongue down your throat."

"Cut it out!" Mikey cried. "Oh, come on, what about you and Frank? It's not like you were being a perfect angel, you disappeared too!"

"We went outside and held hands! That's all!"

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said.

"So tell me," Gerard said, "In fifteen minutes, what led from you barely being able to talk to him to being able to make out with him in the bedroom of some guy you've never met?"

Mikey sighed. "Well, we started out talking in the kitchen. He told me some things about himself, and then a bunch of people started coming into kitchen. Ray asked them why they were there, and this guy told him that they ran out of booze in the living room, so they were migrating to the kitchen. So we decided to go to the living room because he said there wouldn't be many people there, and we talked in there for a little bit, and that's when we started touching hands and thighs and stuff. So that's when we decided to go... have some privacy. We weren't even planning on doing anything, it just happened!"

Gerard grinned. "So what'd you talk about?" he asked. "Did you learn a lot about him?"

"I know that his name is Ray," Mikey said slowly. "But it's not just Ray, it's Ray Toro, and he's really sweet, and he plays guitar, and he has two brothers who aren't nice, and we have a date tomorrow night."

Gerard rolled his eyes at his brother. "At least you know more than what he tastes like," he muttered.

"Oh, Gee," Mikey said, crossing his arms, "You think you'd be happy for me for finding someone who doesn't make me nervous all the time. And someone who's gay at the same time!"

Gerard sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Mikey reached over to turn on the radio.

When they got home, Gerard pulled the blue car up to the curb. He turned the car off, but neither of them moved.

"You know we're in real big trouble, right?" Mikey asked quietly.

"That was something I realized..." Gerard checked his watch. It was 1:30 in the morning. "About an hour and a half ago."

Mikey sighed, reaching for the door handle. "You think I'll be able to make my date?"

"Y'know, you're not the only one who has a date tomorrow night."

"Oh, you're going out with Frank? I didn't know that!"

"I thought it was obvious," Gerard said. "I mean, holding hands typically signals a future date. Unlike making out with someone, which usually signals an ongoing relationship."

"Are you ever going to let me live that down?" Mikey asked.

Gerard grinned, closing his door and locking the car. "No."

They made their way up the lawn and Gerard tossed Mikey the keys. Mikey fumbled through the keys to find the one to the front door. He eventually found it and opened the door as quietly as he could. Their father was sat beside the front door, reading a newspaper. Their mother was sitting in the kitchen with safety goggles on, pouring marked test tubes into a beaker. Mikey instinctively drifted into the kitchen rather than the living room; he was much more scared of his father.