Chapter 41 – New Years Thoughts **Fast Forward 6 Years* (Gerard’s POV)

“5…4...3...2…1 Happy New Year” calls the TV.
“Woopie” I say taking another drag on my cigarette “Here come the calls”
I get up and walk to the phone. It rings and I answer it.
“Happy New Years” comes the voice of my mother.
“Happy New Years Mum” I reply to her.
“New Years Resolution?” she asks, I knew what she was hoping for she wanted me to quit smoking and drinking but no way was I going to.
“Umm get some sleep,” I say grabbing my beer and taking a swish of it.
“Okay fine not like you’re going to quit something, Anyways can you get hold of Mikey for us?” she asks.
“He isn’t here he has gone to a party” I say.
“Why didn’t you go?” Mum asks.
“The hostess is... well, a bitch doesn’t like me” I say taking another swish.
“Okay promise me you won’t get drunk out of your mind” Mum asks.
“I won’t Mum, I gotta make sure I can pick up Mikey,” I say.
“Okay bye honey” Mum says.
“Bye Mum” I say and hang up.
I turn off the TV and go to my drawing table. I needed to make some new ideas for comics. I wanted to make comics for ages but the comics I made didn’t appeal to many, so I stopped and began working as a comic book clerk but as a side project I would make comics and at the moment I was making a cartoon for TV called The Breakfast Monkey with Joe Boyle But things aren’t looking that great. All I know is I’m feeling worse then ever.

(Mikey’s POV)
“Did you say pizza or pissa?” Ray asks.
“I said pizza” I reply with a laugh.
“Yeah I could go for both” Ray says “Keep the pizza in mind I’m gonna go pissa”
I laugh and watch him make his way through the bodies of people dancing. Someone taps me on the shoulder and I turn around.
“Hi, another drink Mikes?” Ricki asks.
“Thanks dude” I say taking it from him.
“So when you leaving?” he asks.
“Umm 2” I say.
“Okay is Gerard picking you up?” he asks.
“Yeah” I say.
“Tell him I said hi” Ricki says “I haven’t seen him for a year”
“Yeah he has been working hard,” I say.
“Okay I’ll see ya later gotta go check on Rayanne” Ricki says and walks off towards the kitchen.
“Dude the toilets are full of retards” Ray says behind me.
I turn and look at him.
“Well what were they doing?” I ask.
“Oh you don’t wanna know eww,” Ray says.
“Did you ‘pissa’?” I ask.
“Yeah” he says with a laugh.
“I wonder what Gerard is doing,” I say.
“Stuff” Ray says.
“Yeah thats what I thought” I say sarcastically “When is Frankie playing?”
“Umm about…” Ray says looking at his watch “5 minutes”
“That is cool” I say “Finally a good break for him”
“Yeah” Ray replies, “He has worked so hard to get this band up and running”

(Frank’s POV)
“Okay you guys are on in 3 minutes” Janice says.
“Thanks” I reply.
“Dude this is major how did you get this anyway?” Hambone asks.
“Oh I asked” I reply.
“All you did was ask?” Hambone asks confused.
“Pretty much” I say.
“You didn’t…?” Tim asks.
“No” I reply with a laugh “Never fuck for a gig”
“Good” Tim replies.
“Anyone else nervous?” Neil asks.
“I think you know the answer to that” Hambone replies “Yes”
“Okay you're on in ten, I’ll introduce you” Janice says and walks onto the stage.
“Everything I’ve worked for” I say quietly “Happens tonight”
“Hello everyone, how you doing?” Janice says into the microphone “Here is Pencey Prep a relatively new band from New Jersey, so give it up for Pencey Prep”
The crowd roars as we walk onto stage.
“Good luck” Janice says to us as she walks off stage.
I take a big breath and I count us in and we begin to play.

1 hour later…
“Dude we were awesome tonight” Hambone says to Neil.
“I’m gonna see if I can find Mikey” I say “Before he leaves”
“Okay see ya soon” Hambone says.
I walk out through the bodies of people listening to the next band. How many people did Janice invite anyway?
I stop, Mikey and Ray are talking near the buffet so I walk over to them.
“Man you were awesome” Mikey says when he sees me.
“Thanks” I reply “But you're not just saying that?”
“I’m serious you were awesome” Mikey says.
“Yeah” Ray agrees “Fucken Awesome”
“That’s good,” I say, “I thought I sounded off”
“Nah you were great” Mikey says.
“So when you leaving?” I ask.
“At 2” Mikey says.
“No meaning to burst your bubble its 1:56, you better head for the exit it’s packed here” I say.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get another beer and leave” Mikey says “Ray coming with?”
“Yeah okay” he replies.
“I’ll see you guys … soon” I say and walk back to my band.

(Mikey POV)
Ray and I are in the gutters waiting for Gerard’s car to pull up.
“You wanna come with us?” I ask “I’m gonna see if we can get some pizza”
“The shops are closed” Ray says.
“True but we will get one of those frozen ones and heat it up,” I say.
“Okay sure” Ray replies.
I watch Gerard’s car pull up to us.
I open the door.
“Hey can we get a frozen pizza Ray and I are hungry for one,” I ask getting in.
Ray hops in the back.
“Ray is staying over?” Gerard asks.
“I don’t mind I’ll go home if you want” Ray says.
“You can stay, I just wanted to know if you were staying” Gerard says, “It means I gotta buy more beer”
“And pizza” I add.
“And pizza” Gerard agrees.
Ray and I close the doors and we drive off.
“So was Frankie good?” Gerard asks.
“Oh hell yeah” Mikey says.
“By the way Mum says Happy New Year” Gerard says.
“Cool I’ll call her when we get home” I say.
“She would be asleep” Gerard says “Call her in the morning”
“Okay” I say.
We hear a loud snore and both look behind us and see Ray had fallen asleep.
We both laugh and we pull up to a petrol station.
“This place has like, good pizza” Gerard says and hops out the car.
I hop out too and we go inside and walk to the frozen food area.
“Ham and pineapple or meat lovers?” I ask.
“Umm meat lovers” Gerard says.
I pull out a pizza and we go to the counter and pay for it.
We quickly walk back to the car and get in.
“Next stop the bottle-o” Gerard says and we drive off again.
“So have you called Jacquie yet?” I ask.
“Nah not yet” Gerard says.
“Okay I gotta call her too,” I say.
We pull up at the bottle-o and Gerard runs in and comes back with two large cartons of beer, I open his door for him and he passes them to me.
“These are going to squish you” Gerard says “Put them in the back”
I place them in the back avoiding the sleeping Ray, who’s snoring, was making me want to crack up laughing. It was a cross between a chainsaw and a goat.
We drive again going home this time.
“I saw Ricki while I was there” I say.
“Was he alright?” Gerard asks.
“Yeah, he told me to say hi and also told me he hasn’t seen your for a while” I say.
“Yeah I know, been busy as you know” he says.
“Yeah hows things going anyway?” I ask.
“Not great” he says.
“Damn” I reply I couldn’t really think of what to say.
We pull up in the driveway.
“Ray we are here” I say shaking him.
Ray opens his eyes and looks at me.
“Okay” he says and gets himself out the car.
Gerard and I get out the car I carry the pizza in and Gerard carries the beer, I use my key to open the door and we go inside.
“I’m gonna call Jacquie” Gerard says putting the beer down, takeing the phone and going in his room.

(Jacquie’s POV)
“So was that good or what?” I ask.
“The best sausages I have had in … 3 days” Tahlia says.
I laugh.
“Hell yeah” Mel says.
“So anyways Mel, hows Andrew?” I ask.
“Yeah he is alright, did I tell you he is getting married?” Mel says.
“Really when?” I ask, as usual Mel had forgotten to tell me about her brother.
“November” she replies with a smile.
“Whoa that’s a long time from now,” I say.
“Yeah, there was also something else he wanted me to tell you” Mel says trying to think “umm oh yeah did you want to go?”
“Sure it would be awesome,” I say.
It had been 3 years since me and Andrew parted ways. We felt more like best friends then lovers so we broke up. Mel was upset we weren’t going to be sister-in-laws but she got over it But Mel, Tahlia and I had gotten a house together because we were practically sisters anyway.
The phone rings so I get up and answer it.
“Hello” I say.
“Hi” Gerard says.
“Hi, how you going?” I ask
“I’m alright,” he says “Yourself?”
“Good” I say.
“By the way Happy New Years” he says.
“Thanks” I say with a laugh “Our New Years was a while back”
“I know but I didn’t call then, thought you would be out” he says.
“Well I wasn’t had a night in with my friends” I reply, “Did you go out?”
“Nah, Mikey and Ray went to a party” he says “Frankie and his band played there apparently they were really good”
“Awesome” I say, “How’s work been?”
“Fucken boring and bleh” he says.
“Why?” I ask.
“Well its so annoying trying to come up with idea’s” he says “The Breakfast Monkey cartoon isn’t going well everything has flopped”
“Don’t worry it will pick up” I say trying to encourage him.
“I seriously doubt it, Anyways how is work going for you?” he asks.
“You mean my boring job as a clerk for Dazzle that I hate because of all the plastic people that come in” I say “Oh it's dandy they want me to wear more colourful clothes to lighten up the atmosphere or some shit”
“Man that sounds like shit” he says, “Why don’t you quit?”
“Only job I can get” I reply “And its fucken torture”
“Oh Mikey wants to talk to ya, I’ll hand you to him” Gerard says.
“Okay” I say and wait for Mikey.
“Hi” Mikey says “Happy New Year”
“You too” I say.
“Did you do anything for it?” Mikey asks.
“Nope, but I heard you went to a party” I say “And Frankie played”
“Oh yeah, serious, Jacquie he was awesome, the whole band was awesome” Mikey says, “The crowd was rocking out, it was amazing. you should have been there”
“I wish I was,” I say
“Oh and if Ray was awake he would say happy new years but he has crashed” Mikey says with a laugh.
“When he wakes up tell him I said Happy New Year,” I say
“Sure” Mikey says “Bet you gotta go so I’ll leave you now”
“Okay” I say “I’ll talk to you guys later”
“Okay see ya” he says and hangs up.
I go back to Mel and Tahlia and sit down.
“Jersey friends?” Mel asks.
“Yeah” I reply.
“I want to meet them one day” she says.
“You will eventually” I say “One day”
I finish my dinner and take out the dishes.
‘I was so right about the comic book industry’ I think to myself and smile.

(Gerard’s POV)
“Dude that is …” I say turning away and covering my mouth “I think I’m gonna throw up, Mikey you're cleaning it up”
“Dude you're so childish” Mikey replies “Can you get like, stuff?”
“Okay” I say and walk out the room to the kitchen and get some cleaning stuff to clean up Ray’s liver hating him mess.
I walk back in and pass the stuff to Mikey I smirk at Ray.
“It’s not like you haven’t done this before” Ray says angrily “Plus you did it all over Jacquie”
“You what?” Mikey asks.
“I was real drunk and went over Ray’s with Jacquie and well … then threw up over her” I say awkwardly.
“Well I think she was very impressed by that” Mikey says cleaning up.
“Yep she was” Ray says with a laugh “She had to wear my dressing gown”
“When was this anyways?” Mikey asks.
“Last time she came over” Ray replies.
“That was ages ago” Mikey says “She has probably forgot”
“Doubt it” Ray says “It was everywhere”
“Shut it” I say, “How much did you drink anyway?”
“3 beers” Ray says.
I crack up laughing.
“What?” he asks.
“3 oh fuck you’re a pussy” I say and continue laughing.
“I think it was spiked” Ray says.
“Sure, Ray, sure” I say and walk to my room “I’m gonna get some sleep cause … I need sleep”
I collapse on the bed and begin thinking.
I was such an idiot last time Jacquie was over. Getting drunk, getting kicked outta my place and forcing her aunt to look after me for two weeks till finally my mum let me come back into my house, but most of all the thing I really hate that I did was pretending to be asleep just to get a little glimpse of her changing, I don’t care if I was drunk what I did was stupid and I hate myself so much for it. Even though it was like 6 years ago, that’s no excuse.
I breathe deeply and close my eyes.
Sleep finally finds me.