Desolation Row

Four

Donna pulled her heels off, dropping them by the door. "Hi, Mikey," she said tiredly.

"Hey, mom. How was work today?"

"Shitty, like always. But I'm home now, so it's okay."

Mikey sighed, dropping the spoon so it sat on the edge of the pan. "I hate that you got it so rough, ma."

"Don't be. I need to be making the best of things. It isn't like I can just get a new job."

Mikey hugged his mother. "I know," he said. "I wish I could get one."

"That isn't how things work around here and you know it, so don't bother wishing."

"But it isn't fair!"

"If life was fair, we wouldn't be living here! There wouldn't be a here."

"Why-"

"You know why, Mikey."

He sighed. "Dad's coming home late tonight. It's just gonna be me, you, and Gee."

Donna nodded. "Alright. Gerard's gonna be home soon, ain't he?"

"Yeah, think so."

Mikey continued cooking while Donna started making sure the beds were clean and ready for the night.

"So those new kids came in today," Mikey said. "From IPH."

"Are they as bad as you thought?" Donna asked.

"Worse, really. McCracken paired me up with one. His name's Roy or something."

"Oh, poor baby. Pull your switch on him one time, that'll show him."

"I did the next best thing, ma. I told him what's what. You'd've been proud. I don't think I'll have to worry about him. Nah, the real problem is Gee. He got paired up with Frank."

"What, did your brother suck Bert's dick or something?"

"I dunno, probably."

Donna chuckled. "Well you know my rules. As long as I don't see it, hear it, or have to take Gerard's stupid ass to the ER for an STD, I don't care."

"Well, we know we don't have to worry about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Ma, they've had sex, like, a million times."

"Then they followed my rules."

About twenty minutes later, Gerard walked through the door. He used the trick that they all do to get the thing open; punch it in three specific places.

"Hey mama, how was work today?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her head.

"Oh, it was alright. I mean, it could've been better, but you know how it goes. How was Lucky's today? How's Brendon? What about Dallon?"

"They're fine, ma. They said hi."

Donna was about to say something else, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who the hell?" she said. "Mikey, hand me your switch, please."

He pulled the knife out of his pocket and tossed it to his mother. She caught it and held it behind her back. "What is it?" she called, answering the door.

"Oh, you have got to be fuckin' kidding me!" Mikey cried. "What the fuck do you want?!" He pushed past his mother, taking his switchblade from her as he did so.

"Um, I just needed to talk to you for a minute," Ray said. "Just a minute, I promise."

Mikey thought about it for a second, then pulled the boy inside from the rain. He gave his brother a look, telling him to take Donna into the kitchen.

"What do you want?" Mikey asked again?

"The project."

"I thought we settled that we weren't working together."

"We did! We did, but the thing is, if we don't do this, we fail."

Mikey laughed. "Don't you understand, Roy? I-"

"Ray."

"What?"

"My name is Ray."

"Right. Whatever. Anyway, like I was saying, I'm already failing. Besides, I don't need this shit to get along in life." Mikey paused. "Do you know how to do your taxes?"

"What? I-"

"Do you know how to do your goddamn taxes?" Mikey snapped. "It's a yes or no question, dumbass."

Ray blushed. "No."

"Exactly. And see, that's what's wrong here. You may know what the circumference of the sun times the moon is if little dickhead over there is standing twenty feet away from his mother's vagina, but at least I can do my taxes."

Ray sighed. "Look, Mikey, I just need you to help me with this. Please? I need to pass this."

"Need to? Why the fuck?"

"To get a job."

"So you have to do a project to get a job?"

"No! Well, not a good one."

Mikey paused, but then he shrugged. "Alright, fine. I'll help you. But nobody needs to know, you got me?" Ray nodded.

"We'll meet at Lucky's whenever you need to after school, okay?"

"Where's Lucky's?" Ray asked.

Mikey thought about it. "Meet me behind the school tomorrow afternoon. I'll take you there, and we can work upstairs."

"This is the longest I've ever heard you speak without swearing."

"Yeah? Well fuck you. Go home, Ray-tard. And you and I didn't have this talk, got it? I'm not helping you."

"Got it. I don't know what I was expecting."

"Fuck off."

Ray started to walk out, but Mikey stopped him. "Hey, how'd you even get here?" he asked.

"Oh," Ray said, "Patrick said there was an easier way home, and I saw Gerard, so I followed him."

"So your ma's waitin' on you?! Aw, you better get home, cunt-slick, she's gonna think ya got knifed or something!"

Ray gave him a curious look. "That... isn't her first assumption."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "I've said 'get out' a lot. Go home."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mikey."

~

"Ray, where have you been? I was worried sick!"

"I was talking to this guy from Redwood Drive. They're actually pretty cool."

"Ray, I don't want you around them. I told you that."

"But I got paired up with him to do a project on culture!"

"Where's your rubric?"

"Mr. McCracken said he'd have it to us soon, but he went ahead and got us our partners today."

His mother looked at him skeptically. "Ed! Justin! Dinner!"

That night, they ate a large, home-cooked meal, while they Way's ate Ramen noodles because Mikey burned the food while he'd been talking to Ray.