Take Me By The Hand

13 retpahC

"Eat it," Mikey commands, shoving the tray onto the table in front of me. My stomach has been upset all day and the sudden smell of Ranch that hits me causes my nose to crinkle up. I push the Styrofoam tray away, shaking my head.

"I'm not really hungry," I admit.

Josh appears to my right, sliding his own lunch tray into place before sitting down. "I don't care if you're hungry or not, pumpkin," He says sweetly, offering me a charming smile. "I will force feed you if I have to. Eat the damn salad."

I groan, crossing my arms on the table and letting my head fall into them. I hear noise as more people sit down but refuse to come up from my newfound hiding place until a hand taps on my shoulder. I narrow my eyes and peek up to meet Gerard's hazel eyes gazing back. "Morning sickness?" He guesses.

I groan again. "It's not just morning. I've been nauseous all fucking day."

He smiles half-heartedly. "You've still gotta eat, Frank. Baby Iero needs it's nutrients." My mouth twists up in disgust at just the thought of eating, but I know he's right. "Here," Gerard pulls out a Butterfinger and holds it out to me. My eyes light up and I reach for the candy, but he pulls it away. "Eat your salad first. Then you can have candy."

I roll my eyes-- he's acting like I'm a kid-- but pull the salad closer and grab the fork. I can feel all of their eyes on me as I eat, but ignore the looks and keep my gaze focused on the food in front of me. I'm pleasing them by feeding Baby Iero; That's all that matters.

A few bites in, I glance up. I don't know why really, it feels kind of involuntary. My eyes land on Zacky from across the cafeteria. He's sitting at another table, Synyster on one side, other various friends surrounding him on the other. But he's watching me already. At first, I almost smile; Three months ago, I would have fangirled if I saw Zacky Baker even looking in my direction. But then I remember everything; How he suggested I abort our child. That he was cheating on me. That he tried to kiss Gerard to keep it a secret. So I just drop the gaze and push the tray away. "I lost my appetite."

Josh looks up, turning around and craning his neck to see what I saw that made my sickness even worse. When he finds Zacky, he rolls his eyes and flips hair away from his face. "He's a cunt," He states. "Forget about him, Poptart. You don't need no man to make you happy."

I raise a questioning eyebrow. "Did you just call me Poptart?"

Josh nods easily before looking up and changing the topic. "I think I'm gonna get my nose pierced." Ignoring the fact that he's said something along these lines before, my mind fills with the image of a needle actually going through his face. It shouldn't gross me out-- I got my lip done a few months ago. I've never been the squeamish type. But the sudden thought of cartilage, metal, and blood hits me like a wave and I feel the nausea spring forward again. I jump up from the table in an instant, racing through the room to the boys bathroom.

I drop to my knees in front of the toilet just as the meager amount of lunch I'd eaten comes surging up and into the bowl. A second later, I feel hands on me, pulling my hair back and away from the excretion. I groan, managing to shake my head. "I'm fine, Mikey," I say, though my voice sounds far from it.

"Wrong brother." I look up over my shoulder to see Gerard is the one behind me. One hand pulls back on my hair while the other rests on my back. He grimaces. "And you don't look fine."

I spit into the toilet and let out another moan. It's kind of embarrassing to be seen like this, but I don't tell him to leave. It feels nice to have him here. "This morning sickness sucks," I say simply. "I feel like shit." I look down at my knees, picking absently at a loose string that hangs from the denim. Lowering my voice, I sigh. "And seeing Zacky isn't really helping my cause."