A Way Back Home | Adopted by Gerard Way (Book Two)

Smoothie Incident (8)

*trigger warning- homophobia*

The man standing in front of us isn't alone. He is holding the hand of a girl I assume is his girlfriend. She looks embarrassed to be here and she's standing a couple steps behind him, hiding her face by letting her blonde hair fall in front of it.

The man takes off his reflective sunglasses which makes him only slightly less intimidating. "You're that Way kid, right?" he asks, placing his sunglasses on top of his head and narrowing his dark eyes at me. His Jersey accent is thick.

"Um, yes?" My nervous reply comes out sounding more like a question than a definitive answer. But, of course, I am that "Way kid" he's speaking of. I make eye contact with Em, and by the expression on her face, she's just as nervous as I am.

I don't get recognized in public. I mean, I have on the odd, rare occasion, but generally people take no notice of me. When those articles about me first started being released, people wanted to interview me. They even invited me to interviews with the whole band. I didn't go for any of them. They'd only be interested in my past and how I ended up with Gerard, and, of course, why I was in the hospital. After that, their attention would simply go back to the band. I'm not interested in spilling my life story to a bunch of strangers and sitting through one uncomfortable question after another.

"I liked that band, My Chemical Romance?" he says and I note the way he uses the word "liked" and not "like".

The girl who's hand he's holding then mumbles, "C'mon, let's just leave them alone." She tries to pull him away, but he stays put, only holding on tighter.

"Oh, yeah?" Is the only thing I can get to leave my mouth.

"Yeah." He nods. His gaze flits to Emerald and back so quickly I might've imagined it."But now that I know that guy has a daughter like... like you..."

At first I don't understand what he means.

But then I do.

My emotions go from nervous, to confused, to dawning, to anger, but Emerald is the one to act. She stands up and the legs of her chair screech on the wooden floor. People in the vicinity's heads shoot up. She might've scraped the floorboards. "Oh yeah?" She echoes me, only when I said it my voice was small and anxious sounding. Her's is laced with venom.

The man, who's a good twelve inches taller than her, laughs in her face. "Oh, I got her mad, babe."

"Yeah, now let's just leave." His girlfriend tries to pull him away again, but to no avail.

"I agree with her," Emerald says calmly. "I think you should just leave." Her jaw is set, her hands are balled into fists at her sides. It's not the first time she's had to stand up for herself in this way.

"Me?" The man laughs again. "You're the one going to Hell, you fucking fa—"

"Hey!" This time it's my turn to stand up, and when I do, my chair actually falls over. If people weren't staring before, they definitely are now. "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

He rounds on me. "What are you gonna do about it if I do?"

"I'll..." I've been privileged enough to have never been in a situation quite like this before, but I thought about what I might do if it arises. Now that it's happening, I've drawn a blank. All I know is I'm angry at this guy, and I know that maybe I shouldn't do it, but I have the power to piss him off even more.

Before I can completely think through my decision, I'm leaning over the table, cupping Emerald's cheeks in my hands, and kissing her on the lips.

I don't know what kind of reaction I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what I got. I gasp and pull away as the sensation of a cold, sticky, strawberry smoothie being dumped over my head makes a chill go up my spine.