I Believe We're the Enemy

Frank walked beside Gerard. He looked up at Gee, meeting his eyes. Frank said, “You’re not hesitating? Ryan said Rogen doesn’t want to see us.”
Gerard replied, “I know, but it’s best if we patch things up…” Gerard looked away, and muttered, “Something I should’ve done a while ago.”
Frank had heard the other statement, but he shrugged it off. Frank was nervous, he’ll admit. But he knew there was no way he could stop Gerard from doing what he wanted to do, and he wanted to be by Gerard’s side through everything. Frank felt his heart skip a beat when Gerard’s hand held his. The two blushed lightly, without letting the other know. It was a new relationship that Frank was in, and this relationship was more fun-no, interesting than any other he had. Though, his last relationship was in middle school-but he could still feel like this high school experience was his best and worst.
He couldn’t decide.
“Here we are-I think.” Gerard faced a small but neat house. His eyes looked at the white front gate that reached its way around the back of the house. The front yard was neatly trimmed, a garden hose rested in a small kiddie pool. That was about it. Though, Gerard did notice a small cat curling up against the side of the house.
Frank looked up at the tinted windows, “I don’t think anyone’s home.”
“Well, it is a tuesday. Rogen’s little siblings are most likely at school-but I’m sure Rogen is cradling in a ball on the couch, watching TV.”
Frank replied, “How do you know he has siblings?”
Gerard didn’t look at him, “I told you we were best friends in middle school.” Gerard reached for the gate and pushed it open. Before Frank could call for Gerard as he walked up the front steps, Gerard had already knocked on the door.
Frank awkwardly stood in front of the gate, unsure whether or not to follow Gerard.
Gerard knocked again when no one answered the first time-but then he heard a scrapy voice call out from inside, “I’m coming!” It sounded like Rogen, but more intense, old, and weak.
The door swung open.
Rogen stared at Gerard. He didn’t scowl like he would. Gerard stared at Rogen from head to toe and spoke his mind, “You look...really bad.”
Rogen tucked in his chapped lips. His tan faded into a pale white. He had stopped shaving, exposing pricks of hairs around his mouth. His hair was a complete mess, and his clothes looked like it hadn’t be washed in weeks.
Rogen leaned against the frame of the door, “If you came to terrorize me, you can leave.”
Gerard frowned, “Actually, no. I came to apologize.”
Rogen smirked, “You came to apologize? Really?” When he realised Gerard wasn’t joking, he added, “Well, I don’t want an apology out of you.”
“Then what do you want?”
Rogen’s eyes looked past Gerard, to Frank. He finally said, “I want an apology from him.”
“Frank, why?”
“Why? Are you fucking kidding me? That kid caused me depression. He embarrassed the fuck out of me, and worsley, he made me think of things that I’ve never thought of-he made me rethink all of the shit I’ve done...and I feel terrible. I can’t get up in the morning, I barely eat-hell, going to the bathroom is a chore.”
Gerard smiled just a bit. Rogen was changing-but this change was making him depressed. Gerard was going to say that Rogen had terrorized Frank-and if anything, he should apologize to Frank. But Gerard held back his words and instead said, “Alright. I’ll get him. But he won’t like this.”

Notes