Early Sunsets over Monroeville

I go there every day the next week at four hours a day. Each day I paint another part to the baby’s mural. Frank is never there. I keep telling myself he is a busy professional but it soon becomes evident Katelyn sends him on errands. He’s either “picking up some groceries” or “just at the drycleaners” or “returning a library book.” Each of these little errands obviously don’t last the full four hours unless he’s shopping for an army, delivering dry cleaning to Texas and returning an entire library of books to itself. The fact that she’s lying and sending him away makes me want to paint all the sheep with massive and realistic dicks. I won’t do that to Frank’s poor kid though.
It’s Tuesday evening and I’ve been invited over to Ray’s so I only spend three hours painting fucking hills. Katelyn is reading a magazine on the couch when I walk out. “Oh, you’re finished early today.” I’m covered in paint and dying for a smoke so I really just want to get out of here. I need to change before dinner which I should get to in around forty minutes so I’m already pushing the time limits.
“I did three hours, and I have somewhere to be,” I put the paintbrushes in my pocket.
“You will be done by the time the baby comes, at this rate,” she hums.
“Unless you are currently in labour then yea.”
“I’m just saying four hours every now and then and I’m already two months.”
“At two months you don’t even have a baby in you, you have extra cells that make you look fatter. Now I’ve got to go I’m running late. See you tomorrow.” I can feel her scowl on my back as I stride out the door.
Okay that was dangerous. That was very fucking dangerous. She wouldn’t pay me less because socially that will look very bad. She’s paying me four thousand for this full wall painting. This will still help me afford things I need like coffee and band shirts. What she could do is much scarier. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to think of who she has connections to. I don’t want to think of all the ways she can probably destroy me. Possibly kill me just for not kissing her feet as she acts like a bitch.
When I tell Bob on the way to Ray’s he loses it. “Who the fuck does she think she is? How does earning more make her any better, I’ll fucking shove her out the window of her fucking castle. Fucking hell, giving out to you despite working every single day as well as at the bar as well!”
“I know. She’s a bitch,” I say, staring out the window.
“Not a strong enough word. She’s a, uh, yea okay a bitch. A fucking bitch.” When Bob gets pissy it effects his driving. He is hitting the accelerator like it will take him to Mars and hits on the breaks enough for the seatbelt to cut into my chest. “I just hate people like that. Can’t people just fucking realise that they are no better than anyone else? That when they act like a fucking asshole they are in fact worse than everyone else. Fuck it.” He swerves into the parking place behind Ray’s.
Ray has a freshly cooked chicken casserole just on the table by the time we appear in his kitchen. Bob and I both have keys for some reason.
“Hi! Oh no, what’s wrong?” Ray reads Bob’s expression instantly.
“Gerard’s working for an asshole,” he roughly pulls out his seat and flops into it.
“No need to insult yourself like that,” Ray smiles but Bob only looks up at him from beneath furrowed brows. “Okay sorry. What happened?”
“Gerard, retell the story.”
“Um, okay,” I sit down and give a quick version of the story while Ray serves up. I watch as his frown deepens as I directly quote Katelyn.
“Well that’s horrible,” Ray says, sitting down.
For some reason no matter what we talk about the whole meal, my mind will not move past the things Frank said the day of the skirting painting. And between each thought I hear him saying “I loved her”.
“Do I overthink things?” I say interrupting something Ray was saying on the rise of Applewood frames.
“You’re obviously overthinking something right now,” Ray says with a meek smile, “or else you wouldn’t have asked. What are you over thinking about?”
“I’m overthinking everything Frank has said to me.”
“Oh?”
“He’s said “I loved her” talking about his wife. Does that mean he no longer does or was he just explaining why he’d married her so young. Past tense and shit?”
“Um,” Ray puts down his fork. “I don’t know. What has overthinking told you?”
“That I really like Frank.”
“Good progress,” Bob grunts, “were you drunk.”
“Always.”
“Then maybe he doesn’t love her anymore, drunk people have no problem being that honest. When was this?”
“Just before we kissed,” I blush and look down.
“Definitely used to then.”
“Hmm.”
“Is that all you’ve been thinking about?”
“He also said that he really likes me but can’t because he’s going to be a dad.”
“Oh,” Ray says.
“Yea.”
“Well don’t have to overthink that at all. It’s kind of a “stay together for the kids” situation.”
“Maybe.”

Another week of painting that stupid fucking mural everyday four hours. Finally on Tuesday it’s Frank not fucking Katelyn. All she’d do is sit in her living room reading Women’s Weekly or some fucking tabloid. She’s never once offered me like a drink and only scowls when I leave the room to use the toilet. Does she honestly believe I’ll sit and paint without doing normal human stuff like pissing?
“Hi!” Frank beams. “I’m sorry it’s been so long! Katelyn either had me sent out or I was working. I had no idea that this was the time you came at. Or that you came every day. Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Um, can I help you with anything?”
“You could definitely keep me company. Four hours is a long time.”
We walk into the room together. Frank sits on the floor and happily chatters away as I paint stars onto the night sky. Realistic stars, this kid won’t grow up thinking stars are pointy. I’m so tempted to paint one as the satanic star but I think it might set the room on fire thanks to the gold trimmed crucifixes everywhere.
There’s only about two days’ work left. Tomorrow and the day after. “Um, Frank?”
“Yea?”
“I’m going to be finished in two days.”
“Well that’s great!”
“I guess.”
“What is not great about it?”
“Will we still hang out after? I mean we’re friends but y’know…”
“Well I’d like too. Katelyn doesn’t have a fucking say in who I hang out with, if that’s what you’re worried about. She doesn’t like you but that means nothing.”
“Oh.”
“Yea. So want to go to the bar when you’re finished? Celebratory. We can invite your Mikey and mine.”

The next day I’m disappointed to find Frank is “collecting dry cleaning”. Katelyn could be a little more creative with her excuses. I just go straight into the room and paint little stars. I’m almost finished and then I can deny the fact I’ve ever been in the same room as Katelyn Iero.
After about two hours I walk from the baby’s room into the kitchen to get some coffee. While I’m by the sink I can hear something through the wall. Like sobbing. I realise immediately that that wall is all that separates the kitchen and Katelyn’s study and inside it she’s crying.
I put down the water container and lean in to the wall. I can just about make out what she’s saying. She even cries annoyingly. “… I know Liza. LI know okay I’m not a simpleton… You’re not helping! ... No that’s all he said. He just said that it’s impossible… Yes even artificial insemination…” Oh. “No it’s nothing do with Frank, it’s my- our, fucking genes.” Oh. “I have to tell him… Obviously not till he’s gone! … He’s nearly finished… He’s a sinner and a faggot and I can’t…” Ouch. “No… Well maybe… Okay look I’ve got to go email the doctor back… Tomorrow then, bye.” I step back from the wall and run as silently back into the room, vision impaired by tears.

Notes

Salutations.
So i'm finally kinda back on track with the story. Like it's still longer than i thought but my main plot lines are finally in XD There is more to come. Two more chapters i think but possibly three. Oh and then i have this Jalex one to write if any are interested. I have like five OTPs but I only seem to write Frerard.
Today I managed to make a public fool of myself but atm i'm beyond caring. I told a boy in my year that his powerpoint was superb and then called a random guy in the queue in a shop a fucknipple. As well as shouting "ew hetero" at my ex and his girlfriend despite being straight myself. Oh well.
Thanks for reading and I will update tomorrow (or later today whatever) and make sure you let me know what you think :))