Gerard tapped his fingers on the top of the table whilst he waited for his brother to pick up the phone. He hadn’t spoken to him in a while and he knew for a fact that he was friends with Frank. He’d seen him with him when he’d been watching Frank and sometimes he’d seen Mikey with Frank and that girl. That girl who he was going to be getting rid of very soon.
“Hello?” Mikey asked, his voice sounding a little pissed off.
“Hey Mikes,” Gerard greeted him smoothly.
“Gerard? You haven’t called in months! How are you?”
“Fine. How’re you holding up?”
“Okay I guess. How come you haven’t been to see us in so long?”
“I’ve been busy Mikey. I’ve uh, got a lot going on with work at the moment.”
“Really? That’s great! So the comics are going along well then?”
“Yeah, they are. Anyway, things are fine with me but they don’t sound so great with you. You sounded a little annoyed,” Gerard commented, quickly changing the subject.
He didn’t like talking about his work. He made comics because it was his thing, it was what he did. It didn’t mean he had to talk about it with everyone. It was kind of a private thing and although people obviously read the comics, it wasn’t the same. He didn’t know those people and they would never meet him and they were buying his comics because they liked them, so it didn’t matter what he made them about. But people he knew, people who were his friends and family… it was different. He just didn’t discuss it, that was all.
“Oh it’s nothing. I just kind of had an argument with Frank today, that’s all,” Mikey sighed.
Gerard tried to act like he vaguely remembered who Frank was. “Frank? He’s your friend, right?”
“Gerard, I’ve told you a million times! Frank’s my best friend. Or at least, he was.”
“Was?”
“Yeah. He’s leaving Jersey with his girlfriend, Jamia, on Friday. They’re just packing up and driving off. They’re going to California!”
“What?! Califronia?” Gerard managed to choke out.
No. Frank couldn’t just leave. Frank was supposed to stay in Jersey. With Gerard. Well, he hadn’t exactly gotten round to that part of the plan yet. He still had to meet Frank properly and then Frank could be his.
“I know! I can’t believe he’d just leave me like that!” Mikey agreed.
“Why are they leaving?”
“Frank said that somebody’s been watching Jamia and she wants to get away. He said this guy’s been stalking her for weeks and they don’t have a clue who he is or why he’s doing it.”
Gerard swallowed. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. How could he have let that stupid bitch see him? He’d thought he’d been so careful, just like he had with Frank. He thought he’d be able to do it with no problems at all seeing as he’d been watching Frank for nearly four years without him ever knowing. Maybe Jamia was just slightly paranoid and looked out for that kind of thing anyway, that’s why she’d seen him. But it didn’t matter. What did matter was that he might be losing Frank.
“Oh, that’s terrible Mikey. But maybe she’s just imagining it? I mean, people think up that kind of thing all the time. They get paranoid,” Gerard replied, trying to sound calm.
“I know, I’ve told him all of this! I’ve told him he should go to the police if he’s that worried, but he won’t listen.”
Gerard stiffened. “I think they should just forget about it. I mean, it’s probably nothing. Are they not even going to wait until graduation?”
“No. They’re leaving Friday night.”
Friday. That didn’t give him very long at all.
“Well, at least you tried to talk some sense into him. Look, I’ve got to go Mikes, but I’ll call you soon, yeah?”
“Sure,” he sighed. “When are we going to see you next Gerard?”
“I don’t know, I’m really busy with work at the moment Mikey. But I’ll try,” he answered and then hung up.
Slamming the phone down, Gerard got up. He had work to do. Work that involved getting rid of that whore who was trying to steal away his Frank. Work that involved finally making Frank his, once and for all.