Gerard woke up in a cold sweat, screaming lowly and panting. His brother, Mikey, came running in.

"Gee? Are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Gerard wiped sweat from his forehead and nodded.

"Yeah... I'm fine." He smiled. Mikey sighed in relief.

Mikey sighed in relief. "Thank god. Did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Yeah. I have em all the time. This time I got run over in the middle of the night." He explained, then frowned. "Wait... you never usually care when I have nightmares."

"What are you talking about? Of course I do." Mikey mumbled, going over and hugging round Gerard's shoulders. "We're the closest brothers in the world, as you once said."

"We are? I thought we didn't really like each other all that much." The older brother mused. Mikey chuckled.

"Oh, Gee, did you knock your head or something when you shot up?" He ruffled his brother's hair. "Don't be stupid. There isn't one bit of bitterness between us."

"Yeah... I think you're right. I just remember you being really shy and introverted." Gerard sighed. Mikey's smile faded a little.

"Your nightmare was probably strong. Maybe that's the way I am in your dream world."

"Probably." Gerard stretched. "Oh well. I'm just being stupid. That nightmare was pretty real; I'm not thinking straight."

"Just get some coffee." The younger brother suggested. "That'll make you feel better. But you better start getting ready for school soon after, or you'll be late."

"School?" A now very aggravated Gerard groaned. "Oh, great."

"At least people like you. It could be worse." Mikey chuckled as he pranced away.

Gerard frowned heavily. "People like me?" he echoed. "Since when?" he shook it off. Mikey was right. It could be worse - and he did need some coffee. He meandered downstairs and made himself some strong coffee. "Get it together Gerard," he muttered to himself. "You're forgetting about your life because of some stupid nightmare." he sighed and laughed at himself. "You're so sad. Such a dork."

He rested back against the counter and sipped at his coffee, keeping an eye on the time. He expected his mother to be in the kitchen as usual, but she was not. He decided to ask his brother.

"Mikes?" Gerard called through the house. "Where is Mom?"

After a few seconds, Mikey's slightly confused voice shouted back. "At work, as well as Dad!"

"Work?" Gerard echoed. He knocked himself upside the head. "Stop it. You're being irrational."

He gulped down the rest of his coffee and bounded upstairs to get changed, attempting to stay in a happy yet ambivalent mood. Gerard changed into an Iron Maiden shirt and a black leather jacket along with tight, bright red jeans. He lashed his Batman belt on and applied his heavy eyeliner.

By the time he was ready to go, Mikey had joined him, placing a packed lunch in his bag. They left together, walking up to school. Ah, finally something normal, he thought to himself, smiling slightly. His smile diminished as he approached his school, his mindset immediately shifting. Another day of hell.

Gerard was surprised to see some people walking up to him; three teenage boys with similar attributes to his own. He didn't know whether to frown or smile. Usually there weren't any people like him here, but he was happy that there suddenly was.

"You're Gerard!" The tallest one exclaimed. Gerard nodded.

"Yeah. Who are you?" He inquired.

"I'm Ray. This is Bob and Frank." Ray introduced, looking a little hurt. Gerard couldn't help but smirk at the names. Well some people have the most boring names in the world. Kinda makes me appreciate mine.

"Yeah, hey." Bob mumbled, shuffling his feet shyly. Gerard cocked an eyebrow. Aren't you a fun one?

The short one named Frank, on the other hand, threw himself at Gerard, laughing. "Hey there Gerard! You look awesome! Can we hang out with you?"

Gerard blushed at the tiny teen's erratically charged comments and the hug. He pushed Frank off carefully. He didn't wanna seem like an asshole, but he hated hugs.

"Um, yeah, of course. Thanks for the compliment, I guess." He sighed. Then something clicked in his mind.

"Oh! I remember you now." Gerard smiled.

"Yeah. We met you before." Frank chuckled. "At the Belleville Music Festival."

"Yeah! I remember now. But... why are you here?"

"We all transferred for the new term." Ray explained.

"Oh. Well, welcome." Gerard grinned. They all nodded simultaneously and stepped in line beside a knowing Mikey. "You knew they were coming, didn't you? That was the comment about being liked."

Mikey nodded, smiling. "Yep. But no at the same time. You have other friends. A lot of them, actually. Well... maybe not friends as much as supporters."

"I... I do?" Gerard was utterly confused now. He thought he'd figured it out, but obviously not.

"Of course! You're so weird today. Come on, I'll show you!" Mikey started dragging his brother along. Fear and nerves struck at Gerard. What the fuck is going on this morning?