1st September 1998 - Tuesday


Gerard pulled the covers over his head as he woke up to the sound of his alarm clock, sneaking one arm out of the warmth to turn it off. He just lay there for a few seconds, lost in his thoughts about how he still had 2 years left at that shit hole people called high school, that was until Mikey started screaming up at him saying he didn't want to be late for his first day as a freshman. Of course he ignored him and stayed buried in the warmth of his blankets.

“Alright, alright. Jesus Mikes I'm getting up already, will you stop being so pissy.” Gerard all but yelled as his younger brother started throwing shoes at him.

He vaguely heard his mother yell something about watching his language and he rolled his eyes, but still cracked a smile, because of course him mom would think of 'pissy' as a swear word. He squeazed into some black skinny jeans, which to be fair were more faded to gray at this point after all his failed attempts at doing laundry. He also put on his motorhead T-shirt, a black hoodie and pulled on his navy blue converse. His eyeliner was smudged from the day before so he didn't have to do much and he never really bothered with his hair.

As he walked into the kitchen he poured himself a cup of freshly made coffee, courtesy of his mom, and stole a piece of buttered toast from Mikey, which he thought was also courtesy of his mom since Mikey was unable of making toast without there being a freak accident.

The two brothers washed up their plates after they finished and went to brush their teeth, coming back up from Gerard's bathroom in the basement shortly after. They kissed their mom goodbye and grabbed their school bags before they walked outside the door.

Gerard couldn't drive to school yet as he was only 16, it wouldn't do him much good anyways since he had no money to buy a car, although he was saving up, so he and Mikey had to walk.

Theoretically they could take the bus, but the school wasn't far from their home and Gerard was already bullied enough at school, he didn't need extra rounds with the same assholes that caught the bus. It was September so it was starting to get chilly in Belleville, not enough to be wrapped in scarves and hoodies, and the sky wasn't a dull gray yet, it was still sunny. However the light breeze had faded from a warm summery one to a slightly nippy pre-winter sort of breeze.

It took them about 20 minutes to get to the school gate so they weren't too early and while Mikey skipped ahead to go talk to his friends that he had known from middle school, Gerard dragged his feet along as slowly as possible, not wanting to reach the main entrance. He stopped a few meters away from it and looked up the sign that said 'Belleville High School, and when his gaze dropped down, he sighed deeply as he spotted Frank Iero and his friends, engaged in conversation.

“Yeah,” Gerard muttered depressingly to himself. “2 years down, 2 to go.”

---

Frank had arrived at school 15 minutes before the bell rang, it wasn't that he liked school, he was just eager to see his friends, since he had gone on holidays to Italy. He had a learner's permit and his car was pretty cool, he could only drive in the presence of an adult and since his mom had work he couldn't really drive to school. It was fine though, he'd be turning 17 in 2 months so he'd be able to get his license.

He was making his way through the main gate just as he spotted Andy, Pete, Bob and Gabe at the main entrance, all talking to each other, about what looked like something serious. Frank called out to them and they all turned and came up to Frank, each saying their hellos and bringing Frank into a maybe not so manly group hug.

“So what was that all about?” Frank started. “You seemed to be talking about something serious.”

Pete just chuckled slightly and shook his head. “Nah, just a heated discussion about music.”

Frank raised his eyebrow slightly about this, not only because the guys all pretty much had the same music taste, but also because Bob, Gabe and Andy had looked completely petrified for a second when Frank had asked. Pete started explaining just when Frank's mind had began going through the list of all the most horrifying things that they could have been talking about.

“Bob here decided to say that Black Flag beat Misfits, but I totally disagree. C'mon tell him I'm right Frankie.”

Frank looked at Bob and did a short mocking gasp.

“Robert Bryar I cannot believe you think that Black Flag is better than the Misfits. I mean yeah they're awesome but dude, the fucking Misfits. You can't beat that shit.” Frank argued and left his hands hanging in the air to emphasize his point.

Bob just laughed and ruffled his hair. “Yeah ok Frankie.” Just as Frank was about to turn around to look at the people arriving, Bob caught his attention. “And one more thing Iero, don't call me Robert again.”

Frank knew that bob had to be dead serious to be using his last name, so he nodded and then turned around and saw him.

Gerard Way, or as he liked to call him, fag, freak, pansy, princess, idiot, art loser, and among other things. There he was, just walking miserably towards the main entrance. Frank smirked slightly and waved his hand around to get the attention of the guys who were talking behind him. When he heard silence he started speaking.

“Hey dudes look, the freak's headed this way, we should totally get to be the first ones to give him shit this year.”

He turned around and looked at his friends with a shit eating evil grin, who all looked fairly uncertain.

“I don't know Frank,” Gabe spoke up. “I mean it's still pretty early in the morning and it's the first day back, can we not just like, drop it for now?”

The rest of the guys nodded in agreement and Frank rolled his eyes and scowled at them.
“Whatever, pussies.” He murmured as he walked towards Gerard. “Hey freak!” he said rather loudly. Gerard immediately snapped his head up in Frank's direction and frowned. Frank smirked slightly and continued with his torment. “How was your holiday princess? Did you get a lot of dick this summer? Oh, I almost forgot, who would want to fuck someone like you? Not everyone likes a disgusting faggot.”

The only name that Frank called Gerard that he winced at internally is faggot. Mainly because he didn't really have the right to call him so, considering he'd slept with all sorts of guys and girls.

Gerard just sighed. He almost looked bored. “What do you want Frank?”

Frank was getting really tired of Gerard's pissy diva attitude, no one had the right to be like that with Frank, except his mom. “Just wanted to remind you how much of a worthless piece of shit you are. How you're a disgusting idiot and a fucktard. Have a nice day Gerard Gay.”

He said as he walked back to his friends. He heard Gerard sigh again and say something along the lines of 'Yeah whatever you too Frank', but ignored him completely, instead smirking at his friends and proud of his torment.

Andy shook his head slightly and said that they should just go inside, that the bell was going to ring soon.

Frank had no idea why the hell his friends were acting so weird today, maybe they had to just get back into the rhythm of school. Yeah that was it, they were still used to not doing much all summer.

---

Gerard just kept walking ahead looking downward, trying desperately not to let the words Frank had said get to him, he was just lucky his friends didn't get involved this time. What had happened between him and Frank was weird, sad, but weird. Mikey hated Frank's guts considering Frank bullied Gerard even after their history.

The story went a little like this:
Gerard had met Frank back in Kindergarten, Gerard was the new boy and just sat doodling in a corner, because most of all the other kids were being mean to him. Not Frank though, Frank just sat by his side and watched him doodle. Gerard didn't even notice he was there until he spoke up and said Gerard made really pretty drawings. Gerard had kind of smiled and blushed and said thank you, that's when Frank invited Gerard to play with him and they had been inseparable ever since.

All through primary school, when one of them would get sick the other would mope all day. Whenever Frank would break a bone, which was a lot, Gerard would do little doodles of vampires and wolves on his cast, which Frank thought was so much cooler than getting random signatures. Whenever Gerard got bullied at school, Frank would stand up for him even though he was smaller than most of the other kids. They would spend most days at each others houses and weekends almost always ensured a sleepover. They were each others other half and they always promised they would be best friends forever.

Well that turned out real fucking great.

As soon as they left primary and started going to middle school, Frank started changing, growing up. He started saying that comic books were for nerds and superheroes were for kids. Visits to his house started becoming less frequent and sleepovers had stopped all together, Frank had said only children had sleepovers. Popularity and girlfriends became Frank's main goal, whilst Gerard just wanted to make it through the day without becoming a punching bag, because yeah, bullying in primary school may be harsh words that leave you in tears, but once you go to middle school it can be a hell of a lot more. Gerard was surprised it even lasted as long as it did, that they managed to get through about 1 or 2 years of middle school until they eventually lost contact all together. It wasn't like there was some big fight or anything, it's just that once Gerard and Frank started wanting different things, and Frank promptly ignored Gerard when he was speaking to listen to someone more interesting or ditching him to hang out with someone more popular, they drifted apart.

Then when they moved to middle school at age 14, Frank started bullying him. At first it was hard for Gerard considering his dad had died that year, and his mom was a mess and he had to get jobs babysitting to help out with bills, but then he just got used to it and made it through the day. At least frank and his friends never touched him apart from shoving him against lockers, they were mostly about the insults unlike the other jock assholes who used Gerard for boxing practice. Still, the emotional pain of Frank's tauntings probably hurt more than the physical pain the jocks gave him. He tried to hide it by pretending to be bored and fed up with the insults, but every time Frank would spit a name at him Gerard felt as if all his bones had been broken whilst his heart was being stabbed a few times. Frank had been his best friend, hell Frank was the only friend he ever had without counting Mikey.

He didn't even know why Frank started bullying, much less why he hadn't stopped and tried to be his friend again. Frank and his friend's weren't jocks, yeah insanely popular but at some point Frank must have realized that comics weren't for nerds and sleepovers and superheroes weren't for children because he and his friends seemed to like them. So he was pretty much like Gerard. Except he wasn't, because Gerard was a loser whose only friends were his brother and his mom, and Frank was popular and went to parties every weekend where he'd fuck someone. Girls and boys were falling at Frank's feet, and Frank took both. He had enough power in this school to be bi and not get shit for it. And that was saying something.

Anyway here they were 4 years after they stopped being friends and two years after Frank started bullying Gerard, and all Gerard could do was pray to God that these two years would pass quickly and then he'd hopefully get into art school and never have to see Frank again.

---

Frank had a few classes with Gerard, actually all of them except art, because you know Gerard was actually good at it. So naturally he taunted him in some way or another every time he saw Gerard making his way to his little secluded desk in the corner. He thought that maybe he could shove him against a locker later on, it was the beginning of the year so the opportunity called. Yeah, he thought. He was totally shoving Gerard against a locker at lunch break.

When he did find that the bell was ringing for lunch he and his friends went out for his search and spent 15 minutes roaming the halls looking for Gerard, he actually knew it was going to be hard because Gerard mostly hid during lunch time, trying to get away from the jocks and possibly Frank, however he did not expect it when Gerard came shuffling awkwardly towards them. He flicked his gaze between the group of friends and then his eyes landed on Frank.

“Um, could I maybe like, talk to you for a second Frank?” he muttered under his breath, so quiet that Frank had to strain to hear.

“What the fuck dude get the fuck away from me you freak, you're not my fucking friend” Frank immediately spat back.

Gerard flinched back a bit but carried on. “Um, I just need to tell you something and it might be important, I'm not sure.”

Frank glared at Gerard but just muttered out a fine in reply and he and Gerard shuffled away from the group a bit.

“I was just outside by the main entrance and I heard my name being called so I looked up and your mom was there and she said she was looking for you and if I could come find you. Yeah that's it. Sorry to bother you.”

Gerard just turned and walked away rather quickly after that, and what the fuck, because first of all that was the first time Gerard spoke to him in 4 years without it being a response to some insult Frank was spewing at him, second of all he didn't even get to shove him into a locker and third of all, what the fuck was his mom doing here?

As he made his way to the main entrance he considered that Gerard may be lying to him, but as he got there he saw his mom standing there smiling sadly at him.

“Hey mom, what are you doing here?” Frank asked, still slightly weary of the answer.

“Oh I've come to get you from school, we're moving house and I need help packing up.”

Frank stood there in shock. What in the goddamn fuck? They were moving house and his mom only decided to tell him now. Not that he wasn't happy that he got to leave school to pack up and you know, also leave that piece of shit home that just reminded him of his dad. But still, couldn't she have told him sooner?

“Mom, what the hell? Why didn't you tell me we were moving sooner?”

“Hun, I wasn't sure we'd be able to move into the new house until today and I know how much you hate our one, I just didn't want to bring your hopes up and then bring them crashing down again.” His moms voice was gentle, quiet. He knew she felt bad for not telling him sooner but he also knew that she had his best interests at mind.

Frank broke out in a big grin to his mom. “Okay let's go then, I have all my stuff so I don't need to go fetch anything.”

His mom smiled back and turned around gesturing for him to go with her, they walked to his mom's care and then they drove home, in peaceful silence.

As soon as his mom pulled up in front of their house, Frank all but ran up to his room and started blasting Misfits to keep him entertained whilst packing. He heard his mom come in and tell him to pack up the kitchen, his room and the dining room and she would pack up her room, the living room and the bathroom.

He was completely hyper, his mom had said if they could get everything packed by today that could move in by tomorrow, so naturally he packed as quickly as possible.

Notes

This story is also on AO3 but decided I'd post it here just because.
Hope you enjoy it.