Let The Flames Begin ✓ | Mikey Way

Chapter Three

Dedication to itsmadyagain. Thanks so much for voting, commenting, and supporting this story!  Forrest is on the side. he's played by Sam Claflin, who was Finnick in Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked Mikey as I closed Gerard's trunk. He had his bag with his bass in it slung over his shoulder, and he was holding his amp with both hands.

He shook his head. "I told you, I'm fine." He muttered, like he as mad at me.

I wasn't sure how to respond, so I stayed silent, stuffing my hands in my pocket and staring at my feet as we walked back into the school. I held the door open for him, and we were both grateful once we stepped inside when a blast of heat warmed my face. Winter was never fun in upstate New York.

"Here, I'll show you to the auditorium. You can put your bass in the closet there and then we can go to lunch."  He only responded with a nod. I pulled my lips into a straight line and continued walking through the silent halls. I was always one to talk a lot, but Mikey seemed to be the polar opposite. He was quiet, shy, and awkward. I didn't mean it in a bad way, I meant it in the complete opposite. He was adorable, and you could even say he was adorkable.

"Well, here we are." I opened the door to the closet at the top of the auditorium stairs. "You'll have band next period with me. You can just throw your stuff in a chair, get out your instrument and get on stage and warm up and tune. I'll be sure to grab an extra stand and chair for you backstage."

"Sounds cool." He actually responded to me! "Yeah, yes I did."

I could feel my face getting redder. "I said that out loud didn't I?" He just simply nodded. "Ah, sorry if I made you feel awkward. I just like to talk a lot and-"

"Y-Yeah, I know." He cut me off. "It's not a bad thing, don't worry. By the way, does Gerard know I'm s-staying after?"

"Oh yeah, my mom can also give you a ride home. And Gerard is coming to my house later to study for pre-calc, do you wanna stay? We can play music and I'll help you with any pieces you need." I offered.

He bit his lip until he responded a few moments later. "Are you sure? I don't wanna intrude or get in the way-"

"No, of course not! It'll be fun! Don't worry about intruding, my mom lets anyone come over whenever. She's like, an OCD freak, so the house is always clean. And Gerard will be able to drive you home."

He nodded and walked over to our lunch table and sat across from my usual seat. Forrest nudged my arm.

"So, it's him?" He wiggled his eyebrows, as I playfully smacked his arm.

"No!" I whisper-shouted at him, making sure neither Gerard nor Mikey could hear me. "It's not him, it's neither of them! They're just friends and I only met them yesterday!"

He smirked and picked up his sandwich before taking a bite. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my lunch. "Just don't talk while you're eating. Please, it's gross."

Mikey chimed in, "Right? It's disgusting. Gerard does it all the time, it's probably my biggest pet peeve."

As if on cue, Gerard paused his conversation with Cassidy and turned to us, with his mouth full. "I heard my name?"

I laughed, but the sound was muted by the bell.

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"I was absolutely awful," Mikey said while we were putting our instruments away after jazz band.

"What?' I asked. He had been really good during concert band, he played all the rhythms right with a few note errors, but hey, it was his first time seeing the music! The same thing happened in jazz band. "You were really good for sight reading-"