Show Me the Way

Chapter 6: Reunited

"Mikey!"

Pete threw his arms around me, and I smiled.

"Come here, I want you to meet the guys!" I watched Pete talk and identified the other boys in the dorm. The tall one with the shaggy, dark hair was Brendon, the one with the shaggy brown hair was Ryan, and the short one with the reddish blonde hair was Patrick.

"And Patty is mine," Pete said, facing me with his back to Patrick. I grinned and nodded, putting my hands up in innocence. I wasn't going to go after anyone right now. Not while Ray was around. Hell, he probably had a girlfriend that we didn't know about.

The guys all greeted me, and I think someone asked me a question. I looked at Pete. "Brendon asked if you were straight," he explained. "Because... literally none of us are."

I smiled and shook my head. "He's gay," Pete said, grinning. I nodded.

"Does he talk?" Ryan asked. Pete shook his head. "He's deaf," he explained. I nodded again.

"Oh," Ryan said. The guys shared awkward glances.

"It's okay, you idiots," Pete said, sitting down beside Patrick. "He's really cool! Just because he can't hear us doesn't mean he can't communicate with us. Hey, Mikey, did you bring your board?" I shook my head. "It's okay," Pete said. "We have paper."

I nodded and sat down across from all of them.

"So, who are the guys in your dorm?" Pete asked, handing me a notepad and a pen. "Their names are Gerard, Frank, and Ray," I wrote. "Gerard is his brother," Pete said. "He's the one who was teaching me sign language." Patrick nodded. I noticed that he was watching Pete when Pete turned away from him.

I felt my phone vibrate and held up a finger.

R: where did you go?

ME: im at a friends

R: okay, gerards freaking out

ME: haha, just learn more letters

R: hes a shit teacher though

ME: dont use my words, educate yourself! hahaha

R: ugh, fine

I smiled and jumped when I realized Pete was reading over my shoulder.

"Who's Ray?" he asked. I picked up the notepad and pointed at Ray's name. They all nodded in understanding.

"Is he straight?" Patrick asked. I shrugged. "I hope not," I wrote. They all laughed and cheered. I blushed slightly.

"Do you have a picture?" Pete asked. I shook my head. "But he has amazing hair," I wrote. "It's called an 'afro.'" Pete grinned.

"Did you not know that?" Brendon asked. I shook my head. "I just thought of it as hair," I wrote. "I didn't know it had a specific name." They nodded.

"That's fucking adorable," Ryan said. "So, wait. You read lips, right?" I nodded. "So, can you read swears?" I nodded again.

"Gerard taught me how to," I wrote. "It was kind of funny." They smiled.

"You guys should come meet my dorm-mates," I wrote. "I think you would like them. They're easier to communicate with." I showed them the message and smiled to show them that it was a joke.

"I know I want to!" Pete said. "Can I come back with you?" I nodded. "Drive your car so you can come back easily," I wrote. Pete nodded.

"You guys coming?" he asked. They nodded. "Follow me," I wrote.

~

I opened the door to my dorm. Frank was standing on the couch, Ray was laying underneath him on the ground, and Gerard was throwing things at Frank, who also happened to be stripping off his shirt.

I covered my face.

I sighed and looked back up. Frank was yelling something that I couldn't catch. I turned around and found Pete, Patrick, Brendon, and Ryan howling with laughter.

This was what I lived with.

Holy shit.

I picked up my whiteboard from the table and wrote, "Ray's on the floor, Frank's the one trying to get naked for some reason, and Gerard's the one throwing shit."

I sighed again.

"They aren't usually like this," I wrote. "At least, I hope not."

"Oh my God," Pete said, wiping his eyes. "Oh, my God. This is priceless."

Someone clapped a hand down on my shoulder and turned me around. "Who are these people?" Frank asked. "Why didn't you tell us they were coming?"

I shrugged, not knowing how to answer him. "Introduce yourselves," I wrote, showing Pete.

They did, and I walked over to Ray. "What are you doing?" I wrote, an exasperated expression on my face.

"Frank told me to," he said. I rolled my eyes and helped him to his feet. He fixed his hair, and I pointed over to the others. "Go," I wrote. "Play nice."

Ray smiled and I stuck my tongue out at him.

I went to the bathroom, and when I came back out, everyone was situated on the floor and in the seats. I smiled and sat down beside Ray.

I ignored the guys talking, and instead scrolled through my phone. When I glanced up, everyone was smiling, talking together. I grinned and bit my lip, looking back down. I was glad everyone was getting along.

And then I noticed Gerard sitting in between Pete and Frank. Patrick was sitting on the arm of the couch, beside Pete. Frank and Pete seemed to be somewhat competing for my brother's attention. Gerard seemed caught there, awkwardly. I smirked at him. I wasn't going to help him. He was on his own.

Although I will say: Frank seemed to be winning.