I'll Show You Pretty

5. Bathroom Stalls

"I don't think I'm ready to go to my other classes yet... everyone's going to be so mean. Like, I know I'll have to face them eventually... but just not right now, please." He gave me a sympathetic look and stayed silent, probably contemplating what to do.

"That's fine. Here, follow me," and he took my hand unexpectedly, leading me out of the bathroom. Before I knew it, we were heading down the hallway and into his classroom. He shut the door behind us before smiling softly towards me. "Here, I'll email your teachers, and you can stay in the classroom for the rest of the day. I don't have any classes after lunch."

"Would they even allow that?" I asked, letting go of his hand and walking towards a desk that was pretty close to his. He walked over to his own desk and started typing up something on the computer.

"If I tell them that you have an assignment you have to finish, then yeah." I nodded before pulling out a piece of paper that I had from my journal, and started doodling on it.

At first it was only two spheres sitting adjacent to each other, and then I started adding more details. Eventually it was two boys sitting next to each other, and when more features were added, it became me and Mikey sitting outside our house.

I smiled down at the picture. Soon, I saw a shadow come over the desk and I looked up and saw Mr. Iero standing near me. "Woah Gee, that looks amazing." He ran a finger lightly over the lines, tracing them. His finger traced the lines over the outline of myself, and he asked, "thats you, right?" I nodded. He continued, until his finger ran over the outlines of Mikey. "Hey, that's the kid you were sitting with at lunch on Friday, right?"

"Yeah," I responded. "That's my brother, Mikey. He's my best friend, but he took psych last year, which is why you don't know him." He nodded and continued talking.

"Gerard do you... have many friends? I noticed you don't talk to many people," he kneeled down to where he was right beside me, and I sort of frowned at that question. I didn't really want people to feel bad for me. Life was okay, it's not like I'm suffering from anything too bad.

"Not really... but that's okay!" I reassured, putting a smile on my face. It may have very well been fake, but I didn't much care. "I have Mikey, and me and Pete are becoming pretty well acquainted. As long as I have those two, I'm fine. Everyone else is just sort of... in the background for me? I guess if I wanted more friends, I would go out of my way to make them."

"Do you ever get lonely, though? I don't want you to be lonely, you're such a good person too." He sounded sad in his tone, which made my smile fade again. He pitied me, and I really didn't want him to do that. I couldn't lie to him though, mostly because I'm an awful liar. I'd have to tell him the truth.

"I mean... yeah. Sometimes it gets pretty lonely, I'll admit. I just live with it, though." I shrugged it off, really wanting to move onto a happier topic.

"Well, Gerard I know I'm your teacher, but you can consider me a friend, you know that right? You're graduating soon anyway, so it wouldn't be weird for us to be friends I don't think." He gave me a small smile to which I returned. It was a nice feeling to have an actual friend for once, who wasn't my brother.

"You would really want to be my friend? Even though I'm... well," I motioned towards my clothes, "not exactly the most normal person around," I said while chuckling.

"Of course I'd want to be your friend. If you were normal, that would just make you boring. I want to be your friend because of your awesome personality." He had a bright smile on his face and I couldn't help but smile back. For a second, I almost felt this warm fluttery feeling in my stomach, and I couldn't quite tell what it was. I just ignored it and continued on as normal.