The Ghost of You
Chapter 7
Gerard POV
Mrs. Lowrey assigned a project today in class. Each person will work on a catapult with their partner, and we are going to make formulas for the distance that it flings a marshmallow. It sounds kind of fun, but would be a lot more fun with a partner who was open to working with me. I’m still excited though, I love making things and I love marshmallows.
When our teacher announced the project, everyone in the class seemed excited for it except Frank. Today, it seemed like he wasn’t excited for anything. I’m not saying that I watch him, because I don’t, but every time I‘ve seen him today, he seems dead and lifeless, kind of like he did when we stopped talking. I shouldn’t be worried, right? Frank doesn’t need me anymore to survive.
This project requires a lot of out of school work, which poses a problem for the two of us. Honestly, I’m worried. Frank offered to work at his house any other night except tonight; he has family moving in today. I, being worried that just one night of laziness would set us back a lot. I proposed that we work at my house tonight and then figure the rest out later, and of course Frank agreed. He is supposed to meet me at my house at 4, and then we can get started. Frank looked hesitant at the least, so I can’t imagine what I looked like while making this deal. I also can’t imagine what Mikey will say when I tell him.
Mikey may be a lot younger than I, but he understands more than people twice his age. He was there when everything blew up back in 9th grade, and even though he didn’t understand everything that had went on at the time, he understood that I needed time. He gave me time and a shoulder to cry on, which is why I’m so worried about tonight. Mikey has grown to learn to hate Frank, because he knew that Frank was the reason that I was sad all the time. One mention of Frank in conversation with us all would sour his mood, and he would spat out reasons that we didn’t talk to him anymore. I just hope that Mikey will understand that this occasion is required for school.
Right now I am driving home from school in my car. It’s a very old car, black in color, and it smells like my grandfather’s house. For some reason, my dad thought it would be a good idea to trust me with the car he worked on for years, and he still hasn’t taken it away after years of me not knowing what kind it is. My father calls it his pride and joy, and he threatens me all the time about what he would do if I wrecked it. When I pull up to my house, I can already feel butterflies of nervousness in my stomach ready to explode. Its 3:36 when I slam the car door shut and run inside, but it feels like he should be here any second. When I run upstairs to my room, I pass Mikey’s door with caution. The last thing I need is for him to try to converse with me. I walk by the door lightly, and make a break for my room as soon as I am a safe distance away.
Would it be okay to work on the project in my room? Or would that make him uncomfortable to be in there after all these years? I know for a fact that we can’t go near the basement, so I guess that leaves the kitchen table. I pack up some pencils and such and head to the kitchen, carefully passing Mikey’s room in an attempt to keep him inside. Because only a few minutes have passed in the time I arrived, and the time I stocked the table, I decide to kill time by watching TV.
There isn’t much on television after school. I pass hundreds of low-budget cartoons and reruns of talk shows, until I finally settle on a news channel that seemed somewhat interesting. A woman in a horrid red blazer with huge shoulder pads presented news about random topics, and tried her best to look like a professional, tried. After an eternity of watching her station flip back and forth through commercials and actual news, the doorbell rang. I hopped up to open the door, and I could practically feel my heart against my chest.
I opened the door, awkwardly and stared at the figure that was standing there. He was short and timid, and obviously as nervous as I was.
“Hey, you remembered where I live. “ I said, automatically mentally slapping myself in the face for saying something so weird.
“Um, yeah. “ He said, scratching at the back of his head.
I welcomed him inside and showed him to the workspace, asking him if he wanted anything to drink or eat. After he denied food and thanked me for the offer, we began working on our catapult. We drew blueprints of what we thought it should look like, and worked on applying the distance formula to the project. Frank suggested we check out a book about catapults from the library, and he promised to pick it up the next day. After an hour or so of working, Mikey came down from his room to look for something to eat.
“Sup, Gerard?” he said casually without noticing Frank sitting across the table from me. His eyes widened when he noticed his presence, but he never looked at Frank for more than a second.
“Hey, Frank.” He said, swinging into the refrigerator and grabbing a can of soda, then quickly running back up the stairs.
Frank smiled at me awkwardly and kept working. I excused myself and run up to talk to Mikey. He greeted me at the top of the stairs, almost as if he knew I was coming. Mikey looked kind of angry, but mostly concerned.
“What the hell, man?”
Mrs. Lowrey assigned a project today in class. Each person will work on a catapult with their partner, and we are going to make formulas for the distance that it flings a marshmallow. It sounds kind of fun, but would be a lot more fun with a partner who was open to working with me. I’m still excited though, I love making things and I love marshmallows.
When our teacher announced the project, everyone in the class seemed excited for it except Frank. Today, it seemed like he wasn’t excited for anything. I’m not saying that I watch him, because I don’t, but every time I‘ve seen him today, he seems dead and lifeless, kind of like he did when we stopped talking. I shouldn’t be worried, right? Frank doesn’t need me anymore to survive.
This project requires a lot of out of school work, which poses a problem for the two of us. Honestly, I’m worried. Frank offered to work at his house any other night except tonight; he has family moving in today. I, being worried that just one night of laziness would set us back a lot. I proposed that we work at my house tonight and then figure the rest out later, and of course Frank agreed. He is supposed to meet me at my house at 4, and then we can get started. Frank looked hesitant at the least, so I can’t imagine what I looked like while making this deal. I also can’t imagine what Mikey will say when I tell him.
Mikey may be a lot younger than I, but he understands more than people twice his age. He was there when everything blew up back in 9th grade, and even though he didn’t understand everything that had went on at the time, he understood that I needed time. He gave me time and a shoulder to cry on, which is why I’m so worried about tonight. Mikey has grown to learn to hate Frank, because he knew that Frank was the reason that I was sad all the time. One mention of Frank in conversation with us all would sour his mood, and he would spat out reasons that we didn’t talk to him anymore. I just hope that Mikey will understand that this occasion is required for school.
Right now I am driving home from school in my car. It’s a very old car, black in color, and it smells like my grandfather’s house. For some reason, my dad thought it would be a good idea to trust me with the car he worked on for years, and he still hasn’t taken it away after years of me not knowing what kind it is. My father calls it his pride and joy, and he threatens me all the time about what he would do if I wrecked it. When I pull up to my house, I can already feel butterflies of nervousness in my stomach ready to explode. Its 3:36 when I slam the car door shut and run inside, but it feels like he should be here any second. When I run upstairs to my room, I pass Mikey’s door with caution. The last thing I need is for him to try to converse with me. I walk by the door lightly, and make a break for my room as soon as I am a safe distance away.
Would it be okay to work on the project in my room? Or would that make him uncomfortable to be in there after all these years? I know for a fact that we can’t go near the basement, so I guess that leaves the kitchen table. I pack up some pencils and such and head to the kitchen, carefully passing Mikey’s room in an attempt to keep him inside. Because only a few minutes have passed in the time I arrived, and the time I stocked the table, I decide to kill time by watching TV.
There isn’t much on television after school. I pass hundreds of low-budget cartoons and reruns of talk shows, until I finally settle on a news channel that seemed somewhat interesting. A woman in a horrid red blazer with huge shoulder pads presented news about random topics, and tried her best to look like a professional, tried. After an eternity of watching her station flip back and forth through commercials and actual news, the doorbell rang. I hopped up to open the door, and I could practically feel my heart against my chest.
I opened the door, awkwardly and stared at the figure that was standing there. He was short and timid, and obviously as nervous as I was.
“Hey, you remembered where I live. “ I said, automatically mentally slapping myself in the face for saying something so weird.
“Um, yeah. “ He said, scratching at the back of his head.
I welcomed him inside and showed him to the workspace, asking him if he wanted anything to drink or eat. After he denied food and thanked me for the offer, we began working on our catapult. We drew blueprints of what we thought it should look like, and worked on applying the distance formula to the project. Frank suggested we check out a book about catapults from the library, and he promised to pick it up the next day. After an hour or so of working, Mikey came down from his room to look for something to eat.
“Sup, Gerard?” he said casually without noticing Frank sitting across the table from me. His eyes widened when he noticed his presence, but he never looked at Frank for more than a second.
“Hey, Frank.” He said, swinging into the refrigerator and grabbing a can of soda, then quickly running back up the stairs.
Frank smiled at me awkwardly and kept working. I excused myself and run up to talk to Mikey. He greeted me at the top of the stairs, almost as if he knew I was coming. Mikey looked kind of angry, but mostly concerned.
“What the hell, man?”
Notes
Finally a new chapter, sorry for the wait.
Please write more!! I love it so far
2/14/14