The Emo Trinity/Quartet Book

The "Penitence Ball"

At nine in the afternoon, Mikey was rudely shoved out of bed.

"Ack! Gerard!!" he complained, glaring up at his brother.  Gerard giggled at his prank.  "Sorry! I had to wake you up somehow.  Why do you even sleep that late?" Mikey rolled his eyes and stood up.  "Because I can.  What is it?" "I have something to show you," Gerard said slyly.  His secretive comment instantly made Mikey on his guard, but he nodded.  "Sure, let's go."

Gerard led Mikey down, way down, into their basement.  Wait... basement? "I didn't know we had a basement," Mikey said, confused.  "Weeell... it's more than that," Gerard explained, opening cleverly camouflaged door that was the same gray as the walls.  Confused and intrigued, Mikey followed Gerard through a hallway, lit every few feet by lanterns along the walls, and emerged into a huge auditorium.  "An auditorium?!  There's a freaking auditorium under our house!?" Mikey gasped.  "Yep.  So go on, sit down.  You've got front-row seats to the Penitence Ball," Gerard instructed, pointing to a foldable metal chair in the middle of the aisle.  Mikey sat down, still uncertain of Gerard's intentions.

Before he could do much else, a lasso wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides and his body to the back of the chair.  "What-- Gerard?" Mikey cried, as his brother continued tying him to the chair.  "What the heck are you doing?!" "Nothing," Gerard said, but it didn't sound like nothing.  After he'd secured the last knot, Gerard stood up and climbed onto the stage.  "WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN -- or should I say, just gentleman -- TO... THE PENITENCE BALL!! Featuring some of the best acts around!"

Carnival music started up, and a bunch of trapeze artists and stunt actors came onstage, doing twirls and flips.  "No no no! Stop!" An angry voice called from offstage.  On rushed Brendon, wearing a white tee shirt and jeans.  "What are you guys doing?" he asked the stunt people.  "This isn't 'I Write Sins'! Now shoo!" Brendon waved his hands, and the crowd dispersed, looking disappointed.

"Oh! Hi!" Brendon noticed the "audience", and waved.  "Brendon, since you're here, why don't you start the show?" Gerard asked.  "Sure!" Brendon grinned.  "Make way for the Beebster!" Brendon, like the crazy genius he was, ripped off his shirt.  Mikey's eyes widened in horror as Brendon began to sing:

I don't wanna hear you've got a boyfriend
Sometimes you're better off alone
But if you change your mind, you know where I am
Yeah if you change your mind, you know
Where to find me
'Cause I don't ever wanna be your boyfriend

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me
Push another girl aside and just give in

Girls love girls and boys

Girls love girls and boys
And never did I think that I
Would be caught in the way you got me
But girls love girls and boys
And love is not a choice

"Ugh... what's the point of this?" Mikey asked, disgusted by Brendon dancing around shirtless.  "The point is to embrace your inner gay," Gerard said, a hand on Mikey's shoulder.  "No, not the song, this whole... shebang!" Mikey cried.  "What's it for?" "Oh, that.  Torturing my favorite brother, of course," Gerard smiled.  "I'm your only brother," Mikey corrected him, but Gerard had already climbed onstage and was announcing the next "act".

"NEXT UP! We've got... Peter Wentz and the Falling Boys, also known as Fall Out Boy!" Gerard said into the microphone.  "Yay, woohoo! Go Pete! We love you, Falling Boys!" he added, miming the crowd.  Pete, Patrick, Andy, and Joe took the stage, and began performing a familiar song.  Mikey would've facepalmed, except that his arms were tied to his sides.