"It's in the water baby,

It's in the pills that bring you down,

It's in the water baby,

It's in your bag of golden brown,"

As I dragged myself unenthusiastically across the cobbles of the path leading it's way to my doorstep, I managed to catch my mum, taking bags of what seemed Mikey and I's food supply, from the car boot. The one who was deciding to leave me as baby-sitter for a week with my kid brother. I quickened my pace and flashed a forced smile in her direction as her head tilted in recognition of my presence.

"Hey, Gerard," she smiled back, holding her hand out to take my school bag, that with my slumped over pose must have appeared to be struggling with. I straightened up and gave her a courteous nod.

"Gerard, I'm your mum - and anyways, I might as well be nice to you now when I'm leaving you on such short notice," she sighed, resting the final bag onto the ground.

"Short notice, huh?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, we're leaving Wednesday thought that if I'd told you any sooner, you, or at least Mikes, would have tried something funny to avoid us from going," she gave a sarcastic laugh, "As if! I bet you're glad I'm gone," she tussled my hair like she used to ten years ago when I was seven. It's Monday today. I scrunched up my nose at her like some little creature leaving his nest for the first time.

"I'd better get inside, um, homework," I lied, hurrying inside.

Mikey was sitting on the couch, staring directly at me as I entered - it was as though he was waiting.

I paused, looking at him with one eyebrow raised in curiosity. A smirk played on his lips.

"Gerard, honey, you trying to avoid me?" My mum had caught up with me and now stood in the doorway, looking down with a pained expression.

"No, no-" I bowed my head, "I have homework," I lied again, managing to catch Mikey who was so obviously laughing to himself inside his head.

"You better not be so anti-social when Frank gets here," she sighed, closing over the door with the heel of her shoe as she dragged along the shopping bags. I looked up at her in confusion, throwing aside my bag and picking up two of the bags to ease her.

"He's my friend's son, you see, they're going to be gone too so I thought it'd be nice if he could come and join you guys," she informed. I turned around, Mikey had completely lost his smirk as this seemed to be new to him as well. Mikey's mouth gaped open as if he was going to argue but no words were heard, only a low displeased whimper.

So this Frank boy, whoever he was, was coming to stay. I wonder if he went to the same school as Mikey and I, I might have actually saw him before - caught him in the halls, managed to catch sight of him as I delivered a note or something to another class. I'd just have to find out tomorrow when he arrived. Mum said he was coming a day earlier just in case we didn't get along at all and all hell broke loose so she wanted to sort of, analyze how our 'relationship' with this boy seemed it was going to span out over the period she'd be gone. If we snapped into cannibals and tried to eat the poor boy or used him as a punching bag he was going home. Who knows? It might be him. He might actually be some evil mastermind who I haven't actually ever seen in school before because he's being held in Azkaban.

I gave a snicker at my thoughts and lay back on the couch I'd claimed my own for the last hour. I closed over my eyes and busied myself with my thoughts.

"Get the hell up, Gerard," Mikey groaned, prodding at me with bony fingers.

"Shut the hell up, Mikey," I grunted, flipping myself over from my comfy position.

"Gerard," he lowered his voice, speaking close to my ear, "that boy's here already."

I jumped up in surprise, aware eyes may be watching me.

"He sleeps on the couch?" I heard a voice asking in the background. I didn't actually sleep on the couch, it was vaguely familiar, so maybe I had met this guy already. Mikey blocked my view from him so I wasn't to be so sure yet.

"Mikey, move your ass," I ordered, shooing him aside and positioning myself so I was sitting rather than lying in front of our guest.

That's when I laid eyes on him, as Mikey navigated himself to the side, my eyes met with his.

He looked just as alarmed as I did.

"You're Gerard?" he asked in awe, taking timid steps forward.

"Yeah, I am," I snapped back, looking down at my bare feet awkwardly.

"Oh, okay then," Mikey laughed, "You two are going to get along," he joked, clapping his hands together sarcastically.

"Yeah," this Frank boy, if I had remembered his name correctly, gave a jittery laugh. "I'm going to step outside for a moment," he informed, retreating back.

"I'd watch this one," I mocked, "he might inhale more than the air outside."

Frank's pale face turned a dark shade of red, showing both embarrassment and anger. He furrowed his eyebrows just like he had done during our first meeting. Mikey's head turned back and forth, switching between my jeering smirk and Frank's tomato-like colour.

My mum had decided to show, she, likewise to my brother, appeared to be watching a tennis match as she tried to decipher Frank and I's expressions. She decided to ignore us after a few brief looks and simply announced she was making toast for us before leaving the room again. I gave a nod, it must be early then - a while to wait before heading to school anyway.

Great. I gave a sigh, standing up and wiping my sweaty palms on my t-shirt. Frank actually made his way outside, Mikey - like a puppy, a rather tall, skinny puppy - following him outside, babbling on to him about some new book or something that I'd never have taken the time to have a conversation with him about 'cause my damn mind seems to not want to give me the pleasure of letting me escape with the printed word. Frank wasn't paying attention anyway. He was muttering the occasional, "yeah," and "ooh, cool," - faking interest. He was shooting me icy glares, signalling I'd get what was coming for me as soon as the adults left. Mikey, like the charming host he was having to be due to the inconvenience Frank and I had already kind of collided before, he swung open the door. I watched as Frank dived into his back pocket taking from it a cigarette. He held his hand back for a second, holding the cigarette in such a way that it resembled another of his fingers - a rather rude one, saying that. I heard the faint snicker that escaped his lips before the door closed over with a clang, the noise not quite loud enough to

leave the impact our new guest just had.