Memories

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm, and my mom arguing with someone. It was a one-sided conversation, and there were a lot of pauses - I realized she was talking on the phone. I listened in, not feeling at all guilty. If something was bothering my mom, I wanted to know.

"N-no, you listen to me-"

Pause.

"Well, fine. Goodbye."

Pause.

"...Dickhead."

I chuckled slightly. I loved it when my mom swore. It mad her seem more human - more like a person, and not just 'mom.'

Sighing, I stood from my bed and headed towards my mom's bedroom door. I knocked quietly, two times, and opened it slighly. I poked my head around and smiled at her.

"You okay?" I asked, and she nodded, smiling back.

"As okay as I can be...I've been fired."

My smile faltered, and I muttered an; "Oh."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Ah well, I hated that job. At least now I can find one that I like," she added. I nodded.

"Hm, but how hard is that gonna' be?"

"Way to make me feel better!" She laughed, exaggerating the meaning in her words. I chuckled and walked back to my room to get ready for school.

"Frank, are you ready yet?" My mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs. I groaned and opened my door, starting down the stairs.

"Nope," I smirked, although she could see I was completely dressed.

"Stop messing and let's go," she fake-scolded, directing me outside to the car.

"Alright, alright..."

The journey to school was quiet, mainly because of how worried and sick I was beginning to feel.

"How are you feeling?" My mom asked me, the concern seeping through her words.

"Good, I guess," I muttered, violently scratching the back of my hand. She nodded her head towards me, tutting.

"Y'know, you shouldn't do that."

"I can't help it," I shrugged. "It's a nervous thing."

She sighed. "You have no reason to be nervous, Frank. Everything'll be okay."

I scoffed. "Sure."

After a few minutes of silence, my mom slowed the car. "There's Mikey," she muttered. "Why don't you go catch up with him?"

"Fine," I sighed. "Thanks for the half-a-ride to school," I laughed slightly, before kissing her on the cheek, exiting the car and running towards the awkward-kneed boy.

"Hey, Mikes." I spoke quietly, my stomach in knots. What if he was pissed with me? What if he didn't want to talk to me? I could apologise, but would be accept it?

My thoughts were cut short when he turned to face me. He was smiling, which was rare for him.
"Hey," he said back. "We still on for tonight?"

I sighed, relieved that things were back to normal. No apologies, no arguing, no groans of annoyance. We were how we used to be, yet it felt weird. I nodded my head and Mikey dragged me straight into a conversation that normally I wouldn't have been able to keep up. Most of the time, I just listened, and smiled. Mikey seemed pleased that I was making an effort and joining in.

"So, what happened with you and Gerard?" Mikey smirked at me slightly, his eyebrows raising.
"Nothing." I answered a little too quickly, which made him curious. "Why?" I added, trying to play it off cool.

"No reason." He acted oblivious. "Just, when he came home last night, it was pretty late, and he was acting strange."

"Strange...how?" Again, I tried to make myself seem curious, although I could imagine how he was acting.

"He was just happy, and he was up drawing most of the night. I caught a glimpse of one of his pictures."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow and he nodded smugly. "What was it?" I pressed.

"Who was it," he corrected me, and my stomach tied in knots. I felt a smile stretch across my face and the butterflies wouldn't seem to go away, yet I only had a hunch of who it might have been in Gerard's picture.

"Oh," I muttered.

"Yeah."

I glanced at Mikey, who was smirking. "Of course, nothing can happen between you two until you're eighteen-"

"Nothing will happen," I blurted out awkwardly. I knew my quick outbursts of protest weren't doing me any good, and Mikey wasn't buying any of it.

"Okay, okay," he laughed, rolling his eyes. I punched him not so playfully in the arm.

"Wait, what do we have this morning?" I stopped in my tracks, waiting for Mikey's reply. He raised his hand in front of his face to check - he always had his timetable written on it incase he forgot. Nerd.

"Uh, first and second lesson, double Chemistry-"

"Shit!" I yelled, slapping my forehead. "Guess who I have to sit next to for two hours?"

Mikey froze. "Oh no, Trev?"


"No, fucking Gandalf. Yes, Trev!" Well, I guess I'd be skipping first and second period.

"What are you gonna' do?" He gestured to the school that we were now stood in front of.

I sighed, then shrugged. "Skip?" I muttered, but Mikey grabbed my arm.

"You're not skipping again, Frank. You've already missed so much school." He looked at me disapprovingly, and I pulled my arm away.

"Okay, mom," I glared. "What should I do?"

He thought for a minute before shrugging. I sighed. "Do something that gets you sent out of class."

I stared at him. "Like what?"

"Uh, punch someone, piss on the equipment, drink the chemicals, I don't know."

"C'mon Mikes, this is serious."

"I am being serious!" He objected, and I laughed.

"Okay, whatever." The bell rang as I spoke, and I slowed up my pace.

"We're gonna' be late, hurry!" Mikey turned to look at me as he hurried ahead, and I rolled my eyes, walking slightly faster.

-

Double Chemistry was not what I expected, but it could not have been funnier. Trev turned up ten minutes late and got bitched at by Mr. Organ, our teacher, which was fun to watch but got him in a pissy mood. He then took that out on me in multiple ways.

"Fuck this," I muttered as I grabbed glass tube filled with mixed chemicals from Trev's hand. We were supposed to be doing an experiment, but Trev was just staring at it and laughing because "it looks like pee." I rolled my eyes, not bothering to even glance at him as I took a mouth full and downed it before I had the chance to know what it tasted like. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and pulled my safety goggles from my eyes to around my neck. Looking up at Mr. Organ, I saw he hadn't noticed, yet Trev was staring beside me, mouth agape.

"Did you just- holy shit," he muttered.

I grinned, feeling proud of myself, but I still hadn't been kicked out of class. Alright, time to take it up a notch.

"Frank Anthony Iero, get down from there- what are you doing?" Mr. Organ's infuriated words echoed through the classroom, and I laughed to myself as I climbed up onto the desk.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I drank the chemicals-"

"You did what?" He stood then, about to walk towards me, but stopped as I spoke again.

"Trev said it looked like piss, so I'll fill it back up for you."

"What are you-"

I fumbled with the button on my pants, casually standing over the glass tube I left on the desk.

"Everybody, out of the classroom," Mr. Organ ordered, his words coming out sharply. "Now," he added, before kind of glancing at me as I started to unzip my pants. "Frank, get down. Put your- put it away and get down from the desk."

"Can I leave the class?"

"After this, you're going to the principal's office," he told me. I looked at him; he seemed fucking mad.

"Okay," I shrugged, smirking at myself. "Works for me." I climbed down from the desk and Mr. Organ held the door open for me, escorting me out of the classroom and towards the principal's office. He sat me on a chair outside of it and told me to wait there while he spoke to her. Easily, I could listen in on their conversation.

"Mrs. Skullian, he drank the chemicals-" Mr. Organ argued.

"Well what have you brought him to me for? He should be at the nurses office!"

"And he tried to- to urinate in my classroom."

Mrs. Skullion sighed, and I imagined her crossing her arms. "They boy's been through a lot. You know that. Send him to the nurses office to get him checked out and then let him carry on with the school day."

"But-"

"Now," she scolded, and I heard footsteps coming towards the door. I instantly sat upright as Mr. Organ stomped out of the office, muttering a "Come with me."

"Where am I going?" I acted oblivious.

"To the nurse," he huffed. "How could you be so stupid as to-" he was cut short by the bell and I made a strange high pitched noise.

"Time for me to get to class. Bye." I waved at him as he stood awkwardly in the hallway, not really knowing what just happened.

-

I met Mikey outside of school and his face was a mixture of shock and amusement. "You pissed in the lab?" He screeched, and I shushed him. "I wasn't being serious!"

"No, you dipshit." I whispered, then hesitated. "I drank the chemicals though."

"Jesus Christ" Mikey muttered. "So why are people saying you pissed on the desk?"

"I almost did. I wasn't actually going to."

"You're fucking crazy," he laughed, and then motioned his elbow towards the car pulled up on the side of the road outside of school.

"Is that Gerard?" He muttered, and my stomach filled with the same butterflies I always get when his name is mentioned. I forced them to go away and murmured a reply.

"I think so. What's he doing here?"

"Picking us up, I guess? Hey, Gerard!" Mikey called out, waving an arm before running towards the black Mini convertible. Gerard waved back, opening his door and stepping out. He smiled at me before turning his attention to Mikey. As I approached them, Gerard was talking to him.

"Yeah, mom loaned me some money that I'll pay back when I get a job. She's cute, isn't she?" He motioned towards the car he was leaning on and smirked. Mikey laughed.

"Dude, you're a 21 year old guy, you don't say cars are cute."

"Well I do," he muttered, ruffling Mikey's hair. Mikey slapped his hand away and jumped slightly.

"Shotgun!" He yelled, and was about to run to the other side of the car when Gerard stopped him by grabbing his arm. He held a finger in the air, then turned to look at me.

"What about Frank? Do you want to sit in the front?"

I opened my mouth several times and murmured something incoherent, before giving up and shrugging.

"I'll take that as a yes," he smirked, and motioned for Mikey to sit in the back.

"No fair," he protested. "I'm your brother."

"And you're also a little shit," Gerard added, and Mikey laughed as he climbed into the back. "Watch your feet on the seats, please."

Mikey stuck his tongue out, and I laughed, before freezing. "Are you getting in, or?" Gerard asked from the drivers side. I hesitated, then nodded, walking around and climbing in next to him. I could have sworn he winked at me.

Notes

Crappy chapter I know and I'm sorry but life sucks