Unknown Identities

It’s after school this time. The unknown student who wrote the first letter to Frank sits alone in an empty classroom. The room smells of paint and old paper, he finds it comforting. It’s familiar to him. When he first moved here last year, he spent hour’s afterschool drawing and painting with anything the art teacher would let him use. Which, after the months progressed became anything he could clean up and put away before he left.
However, this time he wasn’t doodling unicorns for his little brother or drawing out his own comics that he came up with during math class. No, this time he was writing, slowly. Putting a lot of effort into what he wanted to say. Frank hadn’t completely freaked out when he found the first letter, in fact the boy looked a sad happy, if that makes sense. Like he couldn’t believe someone cared for him the way this student who sat alone after school did. He wanted to make Frank happy more than anything and if writing a simple letter could make the teen feel loved then he would continue to write these letters until he could do it in person. But for now letters would have to suffice.
The black clad student finished writing out the message and pushed himself out of his spot at the table, grabbing his bag and shoving his sketchbook into it. He really wanted to sign the bottom of the letter, he knew Frank didn’t know his name. But Frank did know his little brother and knowing him he probably already recognized his handwriting, signing his name would just seal the deal. No, he would remain unnamed for now.
Walking out of the classroom, making sure to close the door and lock it as the art teacher always asked him to, he scanned the lockers looking for the familiar number. 336. He slipped the letter in the grating of the locker and took a deep breath. No turning back now. The teen brushed a lock of his inky black hair out of his eyes as he walked to his own locker only five away from Franks. Locker 324. Opening it, he sifted through the multiple text books and binders looking for the books he would need for homework. God, I hate school. He thought to himself as he slammed the locker, having retrieved the items necessary. At least one good thing came of today, He actually saw me today. And he seemed interested or at least I think he was. Did staring at someone for a long time count as someone being interested in you? God, do I sound like a love struck 13 year old girl. But even with that thought in mind, he couldn’t help the smile that graced his face when he thought of earlier today.
xXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
RRRRIIIIINNNGGG!
“God damn fucking alarm clock!” Mikey shouted as he proceeded to throw the clock across the room.
“Michael James Way, watch your language!” an angry voice shouted from outside his room.
“Sorry, Mom,” Mikey called back guiltily.
Throwing on some clothes that consisted of mainly black, he walked out into the kitchen where his mom already had a pot of coffee brewing.
“I’m going to head off to work, wake up your brother will you?” his mother said closing the front door leaving him in silence and impatiently waiting for the coffee to finish.
The silence didn’t last long for his front door swung open moments after his mom had left. In the doorway stood Ray, his hair frizzy as usual and a smile on his face.
“Did you know that it’s common courtesy to knock and wait to be let into someone else’s house?” Mikey asked taking the pot out of the slot and pouring himself a cup.
“Really? I thought we were past that,” Ray replied taking a seat at the kitchen table.
Mikey only rolled his eyes and walked over to the door in the corner of the room. Opening it, he yelled down the stairs:
“Gerard! Get your lazy ass out of bed, we’re leaving in fifteen minutes with or without you!” A few moments later, he emerged out of the basement fully dressed and hair somewhat not a mess. Though it was physically impossible for his hair not to be a mess.
“Uh, who’s we?” he questioned walking over and getting himself coffee and food to eat for breakfast. “Oh…never mind,” Gerard said looking over at Ray sitting down at the table waving slightly at him.
“Why do you let him in again?” he questioned taking his cereal and coffee and sitting across from Ray with Mikey next to him.
“There’s the problem, I don’t let him in,” Mikey replied scrolling through something on his phone.
“Remind me to change the locks on the door,” Gerard said and Mikey laughed as Ray frowned at him.
“No need to be so negative, Way. Mikey doesn’t mind me, right?”
“Sure,” He replied not even looking up from his phone.
“Love you too Mikey,” Ray said rolling his eyes.
Ten minutes later the three of them were walking down the street that would eventually lead them to their school. They stopped at a one of the streets many intersections to wait for Bob and Frank.
“I’m going on ahead,” Gerard said continuing to walk down the street without them.
“Hey! Why do you always leave us here, do you not like Frank or something?” Ray shouted at the retreating figure. He didn’t turn back, only continued walking down the busy street. Quite the opposite, actually. He thought smiling slightly to himself.
Frank woke up that morning feeling rather out of it. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that today was just not going to be a good day. The only thought that kept him going was that he was going to get to see that guy in his art class again today and that maybe he would get another one of those letters. He read the first one a total of five times last night and was no closer to finding the writer than he was when he first got the letter.
He walked down the busy streets sidewalk to the usual place he met up with him friends. As he approached the intersection however, he saw a head of familiar inky black hair. Hey, that’s the guy right? I think so at least. Does he live around here? Frank’s mind ran a mile a minute, he had to take a few deep breaths to clear his head before continuing his walk towards Mikey and Ray who stood on the street corner.
“Hey Frankie, we were just talking about you,” Ray said seeing him approach.
“Should I be worried?” Frank asked Mikey
“Of course, it is us we’re talking about,”
“Right, how silly of me,”
“What did you do this time, Frank?” Came Bob’s voice as he joined them on the street corner.
“Bob! So nice to see your face so early in the morning,” Frank said
“I know, I’m a blessing to all,”
“Doubtful,” Mikey coughed then changed the subject, “Hey, you’re all still coming on Friday right? To study for the exams coming up?”
“Yep, unless I somehow get hit by a fast moving truck,” Frank replied. It was doubtful that they would get any studying done at all. They always tried but it usually ended in a screaming fest and then a whole bunch of horror movies and video games. Nope, it was uncertain if any of their study plans actually stayed study plans.
Ray and Bob both confirmed that they were coming too.
“Unfortunately, my brother’s got nowhere to go on Friday so we’ll be stuck with him as well but we can always kick him out of the basement….” Mikey continued talking but Frank wasn’t paying any attention anymore. He was too distracted by thoughts of who was who in his life. There was this mysterious writer who he had no idea who they were. Nothing that was said in the letter could point him in any direction. Except for maybe the part about the person being in all of his classes and having a locker near his. He was sure that that could only be one person but who? And then there was the inky haired beauty in his art class. Who was that guy and how did he not noticed that he was in his class before? He was about as close to figuring out who that guy was as he was to figuring out who his secret admirer was. This is hopeless. One of them is an easy fix. All I have to do is walk up to the guy and ask what his name is. But would that be rude? I don’t want to seem ignorant. This is hopeless.
“See you guys during lunch,” Mikey said as he left the group walking down to the sophomore hallway. He was a year younger than the three of them so therefore had a locker in a different part of the school.
“Bye!” Ray called out walking down to his own locker.
“See you second period, Iero,” Bob called out as he walked away, purposely pronouncing his last name wrong.
“I hate you too, Bryar!” Frank called back going to his own locker around the corner. He was pretty early and very few students walked the halls. One in particular, though, caught his eye. The guy from his art class, I really need to figure out his name, stood at his locking shifting books around. As if he could tell someone was looking at him, the teen looked up and met Frank’s eyes, staring back at him. Frank slightly raised his hand and waved ever so slightly. The boy’s hazel eyes widened somewhat, like he couldn’t believe Frank was actually waving at him. His face then turned a shade of red as he waved shyly back at Frank. This guy is adorable, too bad I don’t know his fucking name!
Suddenly the hazel eyes that were looking at him moments before focused on something behind him and for a moment Frank could’ve sworn he saw fear flash through the beautiful irises. But then it was gone and so was the boy, he took off in the other direction down the hallway as fast as he could walk without running. Turning around Frank saw the cause for the inky haired teens retreat. A group of guys, obviously on the every sports team they could flatter their way in to. They saw the black clad student from Frank’s class and took off after him. What the Fuck? Frank wondered. What do those guys what with him? He didn’t even hesitate to follow a few feet behind the group of jocks.
Turning the corner, the group of guys found the black haired teen leaning against one of the lockers. What looked to be like the leader of the gang of dudes stepped forward and immediately shoved the boy hard against the lockers. He didn’t show any pain and looked at the other guy fearlessly as he shouted insults into his face. Frank watched from around the corner in horror. Too shocked to move from his spot. Why would someone want to bully this adorable guy? Sure he had his hair dyed black, wore all black and tight skinny jeans but what right did that give them to do this to the poor guy. As Frank watched the scene go down, hazel eyes met his own from across the hall and he could’ve sworn he saw the guy smile slightly to himself.
The guy let go of the black clad student calling him gay with numerous different insults. That probably would’ve been the end of it if the black haired boy didn’t throw a come-back at him,
“No shit! Congratulations you aren’t as big of an idiot as I thought you were!” He exclaimed. Obviously that wasn’t the right thing to say because the second he finished the sentence the other much bigger guy turned around and punched him straight in the nose. The inky haired boy collapsed on the ground a steady stream of blood flowing from his nose already. The group of guys walk away laughing, apparently satisfied with the condition that their victim was in.
Frank saw the blood and immediately rushed forward. The guy was already trying to stifle the blood flow with the sleeve of his shirt as he pushed himself off the ground. Maybe insulting his intelligence was a bad idea he thought to himself as Frank rushed towards him.
“Are you okay? Do you need any help?” The smaller black haired teen continued to rapidly spout of questions. How cute. Thought the teen, but I really just need a bathroom and a period alone.
“No, I don’t need any help,” the taller black haired teen started, Frank felt disappointment and a little worried. He couldn’t just let him leave with a possible broken nose and not give him any help. “And I’m never okay,” he finished and then he was gone.

Notes

Okay, so I want to apologize if I scared anyone with the complete sign that was sitting on this story for the night. This story is far from complete, the box just kind of checked itself and I forgot to uncheck it. So I apologize.
Anywho, thank you for reading and if you could do me a favor, tell me if you see any mistakes with in the piece. I triple check my pieces before I post them but that doesn't mean I fix every mistake.
Thanks to the people who commented, it gave me a much needed confidence boost to write the next chapter.
Thanks!