I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

Let This World Explode

Gerard's POV:

When Mikey and I got to school on the following day, Friday, I had no idea what to expect.

School was still weird; looking more like a jungle than anything else. We weren't exactly the center of attention anymore. It was more like a hierarchy. The strongest, the one that showed more, the one that showed more control, was at the top, and the rest ended up subordinated or forgotten. This was for Jocks and outcasts.

I was happy being invisible. Well, at least until the end of the day, when we would have our last battle, as you can say.

Maybe not last. But I had a felling things would change and be marked forever after that day. And, so, my stomach turned. I could not pay attention to almost anything all day. Not classes neither my friends. Probably ignored Ray talking about how nervous and excited he was, Mikey saying that he wanted to get that over with and Frank grunting how Amanda was being childish for not talking to him anymore.

All I could thing about was the fight.

Another thing that made me concerned. We didn't see the Jocks all day.

Well, we saw Jocks, yeah, but not the Jocks. The five ones we had more problems with. It was as if they had been hiding all day. Maybe they didn't even go to school. Maybe they had given up the fight, maybe they were scared.

Yeah. As if.

Anyway, the record just fell to me that that was really happening when I found a note on top of my desk.

Stairway. After the bell. Bring your vampires. Hope you haven't forgotten.

No. No, I haven't.

The bell rang. It was finally time.

I sent a message to my friends and the four of us met at the courtyard. We talked for a few minutes about how we didn't bring any "weapons".

"We don't have to use conventional ones." Ray said, and this is how we left the court holding croquet wickets.

We went back to school and walked down the aisles. At that point, most of the students had left. We were practically alone.

We walked down the corridor on the right. Me in the middle, spinning my wicket as I walked. Ray, holding his wicket, and Frank with sunglasses and leaning his wicket on his shoulder on one side, and Mikey, swinging his wicket and throwing up an apple on the other.

Further ahead was the stairway, and, on the other side, in the corridor on the left, the Jocks were walking.

From left to right, there was Carter and Zach, both holding hockey sticks, Blake in the middle, with gloves and a hockey stick, Sam with another club, and Jason with a fucking hockey helmet. A random boy came down the hall and was pushed back against the wall by Sam.

How was I feeling? I don't know. I wasn't scared, that's for sure. My anxiety was gone. I was... Excited. Not that wanted to do that, but like I needed so things would be over.

No. I wanted that. I wanted to beat the shit out of them.

Finally, we found ourselves in front of the staircase. Jocks on one side, us on the other. Face to face. Ready for whatever came.

"So, the vampires left the coffins." Carter provoked.

"Wouldn't miss that for anything." Frank said. "So, Sam, how are things with Courtney? Or should I ask Carter that?" he smiled. I tried my best not to laugh.

"Shut up, Iero, this isn't about girls." Blake said, lauder. "This is about you. And us. And how it ends."

"I'm dying to know how it ends." I said.

The nine of us smiled. We all were.

"Let it begin, then. The beginning of the end."

And in the next second, we were jumping over each other.

Saturday was probably one of the worst days ever. Mikey, Frank, Ray and I spent the whole day on my living room, Full of pains, scratches, bruises, purples, everything you could imagine. Frank even got his arm broken.

I don't even know how we manage to get back home on Friday. Probably carrying each other all the way from school to my house. After a really long time of fighting, some teachers – were necessary more than one – manage to separate us. We could have continued. Our egos and prides would have allowed. But our bodies were on the edge. Both the Jocks and we chose the healthier option.

Mom almost fainted when she saw our state. I asked her with my eyes not to ask any questions - at least not at that moment. I can't say I didn't feel sorry. Not only did she have to see us that way, but she also had to take care of four teenagers falling apart. And still drive Frank to the hospital to bandage his arm.

Ray and Frank slept there and also spent the whole day with us. We explained everything to mom. If she wanted to give us a lecture, I think she had too much pity on us to do so.

Still, after everything, we were happy. So happy. Happy to have gone through all that and gotten something in return. Make a change. Anything. We talked about how fucking awesome it was all that week. The music in the speakers. The music out of school. The revolution and the jungle that the school became. And we laughed. Even though it all hurt, we laughed. Because it was worth it. I did not have an ounce of regret, and if necessary, I would do it all over again.