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Chapter Five.

I called out to Frank and he looked up from underneath his hood before timidly stopping in front of me. I didn’t know what to say to him.

“Hey,” he said quietly, unsure of why I was talking to him.

“Um, was everything okay last night? I was- Mikey was worried.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, sure,” he shrugged.

“What happened?” I asked, throwing my hands nervously in my own pockets, mirroring Frank.

“Nothing! I just had to go home for dinner, that’s all,” he protested weakly.

I gave him a look that told him I didn’t believe a word of it, “No really, what happened?”

“It’s none of your business! Just leave me alone,” he said walking off, so I jogged after him.

“If something’s going on, you can tell me, you know that right?”

He scoffed loudly, “Yeah, right.”

He stopped when we reached the lockers inside and spun around to face me.

“Why do you even care?” he asked scathingly, “You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t like me.”

“I’m only asking for Mikey,” I said transparently.

“Mikey’s got a mouth and vocal chords hasn’t he? I’m pretty sure if he wanted to know he can ask me himself.”

“I’m just trying to be friendly,” I defended, just as Mikey had the day before.

“Yeah well don’t,” he replied, fumbling around with his locker key, “It doesn’t suit you”

I watched him shove some of his belongings in his locker and then lock it again while I fiddled with some loose threads on my sleeve. He stood there clutching his bag and looking somewhat pained.

“Why are you being like this?” I questioned.

“Like what? You’re the one making snide remarks at every opportunity,” he retorted, frustration evident in his voice.

“I don’t hate you, if that’s what you think,” I said quietly, watching his hoodie strings sway from the breeze coming through the door.

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” he replied. His body was facing me but his eyes were watching the school entrance and the students piling in through its doors.

The bell rang signalling first lesson. Frank cringed as the shrill sound rang through his eardrums. He glanced at me briefly before leaving for his first lesson without another word. I watched his back disappear into the crowd and suppressed the urge to run after him again.

_

Algebra.

x²+2x= I don’t fucking care

I stared out of the window at the vast amount of playing field before me, the lesson had long since become muted to my ears and the only problem my mind was working on was Frank.

“Gerard?”

Daydream over. Everyone in class was looking at me.

“Nice of you to rejoin us,” the teacher said as my mind returned to my body, “What’s the answer?”

Shit.

I blinked at the blackboard behind her head, having heard nothing of the lesson whatsoever. It doesn’t matter anyway…the day I get algebra equations right will be the day Frank declares his undying love for me.

“Um…” I wracked my brain for a number, any number would do, “Seven?” I asked nervously.

“Correct”

Fuck.

I stared at the blackboard in wide-eyed disbelief just as the bell rang again. I threw my unopened notebook and pen into my bag and hurried out of class, suddenly in desperate need of a cigarette. Thank God for mid-morning breaks.

Realising I’d left all my nicotine in my locker, I walked back along the corridor but my path was slowed by all the students walking the opposite direction to their next lesson. I finally got free but noticed that my locker was blocked by none other than Jason and his “gang” trying to beat up some kid. I rolled my eyes and started towards them but stopped when I recognised the poor kid they were pummelling against the lockers. That poor kid was Frank.

“Hey!” I shouted without thinking.

Jason stopped his fist in mid-air and let go of the fistful of Frank’s clothing he had hold of, making him fall to the floor clumsily.

“Well, look who it is,” he said smugly walking towards me, “Come to rescue the fag have you?”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” I said quietly, looking past him to the small body huddled up on the floor.

“Why not? That’s what he is!” Jason spat and I resisted all urges to smack him.

“Do you want me to break your fucking nose again?” I asked dangerously and his eyes looked like they went into a flashback for a moment.

Jason still looked far too nonchalant for his own good, but he called for the others and they left a few moments later, purposefully shoving me as they walked past.

I looked down at Frank’s miserable frame heaped at the foot of the lockers. He was actually crying. My need for a cigarette was suddenly dissolving into the floor faster than Frank’s tears.

“Frank?” I asked, timidly approaching him.

The corridor was becoming deserted by now, most people already in their next lesson.

“What is it? You wanna have a go at me too?!” he wailed, banging his head back hard against the lockers, “Go right ahead, this day couldn’t get any worse.”

When I didn’t say anything he started screaming at me.

“JUST FUCKING HIT ME ALREADY!”

“I’m not gonna hit you,” I said calmly and in slight disbelief, thankful that the corridor was now empty.

Frank brought his knees tightly up against his body and hugged them while shaking from his sobs. That sight was enough to break anyone’s heart.

I crouched down in front of him and gripped his knees tightly, hoping to regain his attention. He looked up at me from the tear stained fabric of his jeans.

Whatever happened in those three seconds we were staring at each other, we seemed to gain an understanding with one another…one that erased our short history with each other. I actually fucking smiled at him.

“Come on,” I said softly, standing up and holding my hand out to him.

He took it gingerly and hauled himself up from the floor. His tears were merely dampness on his cheeks by now and he feverishly wiped at them with his sleeve.

“What class are you supposed to be in?” I asked, absentmindedly brushing the hair out of his eyes that the tears had glued down.

“Um, Chemistry I think. I can’t go there like this though,” he said, gesturing to his puffy red eyes.

“I know, we’re not going there,” I told him while reattaching my hand to his and pulling so that he started walking with me.

“Where are we going then?” he asked, clutching at my hand almost desperately.

“Outside”

Description
Chapter Five.

I called out to Frank and he looked up from underneath his hood before timidly stopping in front of me. I didn’t know what to say to him.

“Hey,” he said quietly, unsure of why I was talking to him.

“Um, was everything okay last night? I was- Mikey was worried.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, sure,” he shrugged.

“What happened?” I asked, throwing my hands nervously in my own pockets, mirroring Frank.

“Nothing! I just had to go home for dinner, that’s all,” he protested weakly.

I gave him a look that told him I didn’t believe a word of it, “No really, what happened?”

“It’s none of your business! Just leave me alone,” he said walking off, so I jogged after him.

“If something’s going on, you can tell me, you know that right?”

He scoffed loudly, “Yeah, right.”

He stopped when we reached the lockers inside and spun around to face me.

“Why do you even care?” he asked scathingly, “You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t like me.”

“I’m only asking for Mikey,” I said transparently.

“Mikey’s got a mouth and vocal chords hasn’t he? I’m pretty sure if he wanted to know he can ask me himself.”

“I’m just trying to be friendly,” I defended, just as Mikey had the day before.

“Yeah well don’t,” he replied, fumbling around with his locker key, “It doesn’t suit you”

I watched him shove some of his belongings in his locker and then lock it again while I fiddled with some loose threads on my sleeve. He stood there clutching his bag and looking somewhat pained.

“Why are you being like this?” I questioned.

“Like what? You’re the one making snide remarks at every opportunity,” he retorted, frustration evident in his voice.

“I don’t hate you, if that’s what you think,” I said quietly, watching his hoodie strings sway from the breeze coming through the door.

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” he replied. His body was facing me but his eyes were watching the school entrance and the students piling in through its doors.

The bell rang signalling first lesson. Frank cringed as the shrill sound rang through his eardrums. He glanced at me briefly before leaving for his first lesson without another word. I watched his back disappear into the crowd and suppressed the urge to run after him again.

_

Algebra.

x²+2x= I don’t fucking care

I stared out of the window at the vast amount of playing field before me, the lesson had long since become muted to my ears and the only problem my mind was working on was Frank.

“Gerard?”

Daydream over. Everyone in class was looking at me.

“Nice of you to rejoin us,” the teacher said as my mind returned to my body, “What’s the answer?”

Shit.

I blinked at the blackboard behind her head, having heard nothing of the lesson whatsoever. It doesn’t matter anyway…the day I get algebra equations right will be the day Frank declares his undying love for me.

“Um…” I wracked my brain for a number, any number would do, “Seven?” I asked nervously.

“Correct”

Fuck.

I stared at the blackboard in wide-eyed disbelief just as the bell rang again. I threw my unopened notebook and pen into my bag and hurried out of class, suddenly in desperate need of a cigarette. Thank God for mid-morning breaks.

Realising I’d left all my nicotine in my locker, I walked back along the corridor but my path was slowed by all the students walking the opposite direction to their next lesson. I finally got free but noticed that my locker was blocked by none other than Jason and his “gang” trying to beat up some kid. I rolled my eyes and started towards them but stopped when I recognised the poor kid they were pummelling against the lockers. That poor kid was Frank.

“Hey!” I shouted without thinking.

Jason stopped his fist in mid-air and let go of the fistful of Frank’s clothing he had hold of, making him fall to the floor clumsily.

“Well, look who it is,” he said smugly walking towards me, “Come to rescue the fag have you?”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” I said quietly, looking past him to the small body huddled up on the floor.

“Why not? That’s what he is!” Jason spat and I resisted all urges to smack him.

“Do you want me to break your fucking nose again?” I asked dangerously and his eyes looked like they went into a flashback for a moment.

Jason still looked far too nonchalant for his own good, but he called for the others and they left a few moments later, purposefully shoving me as they walked past.

I looked down at Frank’s miserable frame heaped at the foot of the lockers. He was actually crying. My need for a cigarette was suddenly dissolving into the floor faster than Frank’s tears.

“Frank?” I asked, timidly approaching him.

The corridor was becoming deserted by now, most people already in their next lesson.

“What is it? You wanna have a go at me too?!” he wailed, banging his head back hard against the lockers, “Go right ahead, this day couldn’t get any worse.”

When I didn’t say anything he started screaming at me.

“JUST FUCKING HIT ME ALREADY!”

“I’m not gonna hit you,” I said calmly and in slight disbelief, thankful that the corridor was now empty.

Frank brought his knees tightly up against his body and hugged them while shaking from his sobs. That sight was enough to break anyone’s heart.

I crouched down in front of him and gripped his knees tightly, hoping to regain his attention. He looked up at me from the tear stained fabric of his jeans.

Whatever happened in those three seconds we were staring at each other, we seemed to gain an understanding with one another…one that erased our short history with each other. I actually fucking smiled at him.

“Come on,” I said softly, standing up and holding my hand out to him.

He took it gingerly and hauled himself up from the floor. His tears were merely dampness on his cheeks by now and he feverishly wiped at them with his sleeve.

“What class are you supposed to be in?” I asked, absentmindedly brushing the hair out of his eyes that the tears had glued down.

“Um, Chemistry I think. I can’t go there like this though,” he said, gesturing to his puffy red eyes.

“I know, we’re not going there,” I told him while reattaching my hand to his and pulling so that he started walking with me.

“Where are we going then?” he asked, clutching at my hand almost desperately.

“Outside”