The Boy Next Door...

**Frank POV**

“Well if he does do you want to start a band?” after I said this Gerard spoke before anyone “Well Ray has been bitching that we should.” Mikey squealed out “Oh my gosh I need to call Ray right now.” as he said this he ran upstairs. Natalie stood up in excitement and hugged me I smiled thinking I should never let her go. “This is going to be so awesome!” Natalie says as she lets go of the hug but continues to have her arm around my back but turns to look at Gerard. Gerard looks at us and smiles “Well it’s definitely going to be something.” Then he takes a sip of his coffee. Natalie gives him a perplexed look as if she didn’t know what he was saying but I guess dismissed it and leads me to the couch to sit.

After we sit Natalie stays snuggled to my side and we three talk about the potential of the band. Some time later Mikey comes down the stairs with a smile on his face “So I talked to Ray and he said he will get on the ball with his drummer friend he would come over later and talk about all of this but him and his family have prior plans so he said we would all meet up at lunch tomorrow.” This made me smile and think that this is exactly what I need to get over everything and stay close to Natalie. This made me squeeze Natalie she just looked up at me and smiled.

**Natalie POV**

Frank squeezed me and I just looked up at him and smiled. I was so excited for this new adventure we would all be starting together. I decided to celebrate and keep the happiness going so I got on my feet and announced “let’s play some Nintendo64 and drink red bull.” Mikey was my backup and said “Fuck yeah let’s do this!” I walked over to Gerard’s refrigerator and got some red bulls and as I do Gerard spoke up and said “You know very well I don’t play unless I’m drunk.” I chunk one to him and told him to buck up buttercup because it’s on.

After a couple of hours of Mario Cart I look at my phone to see that its getting late and I probably should be getting home. Gerard notices and huffs “Getting to that time huh Nat?” I just sigh myself and say “Yup.” Gerard already knows the drill and gets up to hug me so does Mikey. Gerard’s hug was a bit tighter then normal and he followed up with a kiss on the cheek, Mikey on the other hand picked me up as he hugged me and twirled me in a circle telling me “I love you Natty bug,” I just laughed and told him “I love you too bub.” I could see Gerard and Frank shaking hands during my hug and exchanging some words and that made me feel so happy that they are getting along so well. Mikey just flat out hugged Frank and it didn’t seem to faze Frank at all I giggled at Mikey’s childish ways but was equally happy that they got along too. Everything seems like its falling into place.

As me and Frank walk up the stairs and toward the door I see momma Way in the kitchen so I call out to her “Bye Donna.” She looks toward me and says with a smile “Bye baby see you later.” And with that we walk out the door and toward home. As we are walking home we were silent for some time so I started to steal glances at Frank from time to time and I guess he finally noticed. He chuckles and asks “What?” I smile at him and say “Well what did you think of the guys?” he put his hands in his pant’s pockets and looked at me “Well they sure are different, but they seem like good people.” I’m ecstatic about his answer but Frank continued this time with a bit of a different tone “So Gerard he seems like he really likes you.”

I gave a awkward laugh “It’s not like that Gerard is just a friend he’s been there for me through a lot, at one point in my life I had hit rock bottom and I thought I was loosing it. If it weren’t for him my mom would know about it all, and I’m so grateful she doesn’t because she sure as hell doesn’t need anything else to worry about.” My mouth just blurts this out and it’s like I have no filter. Frank really doesn’t say anything he just listens and looks at me while we walk. I see the park up ahead I usually cut through instead of walking through town and when we reach it I sit on one of the empty swings. Frank follows my lead and sits at the other one beside me.

“Frank I just want you to know that my life has been one for the books, it has not been normal and I have so much emotional baggage and stories that follow me that if you hear any of them I don’t want you to think of me any other way then you do right now. The person I am now and the person I was a year or so ago is completely two different people.” I shed a couple of tears telling him all of this but I continue “I am ashamed of it all and the only thing I ask of you is please don’t believe what you are told.” I stop and cry a little bit more but am met with warm arms that envelope me in a hug, a hug that feels as if it has touched the core of my soul.

With my face in his chest he releases one of his hands to stroke my hair and he softly whispers to me “Natalie I know you are hurting and I know you want to say so much to me right now, but please don’t, not until you are ready to. I want you to know I am going to be here for you any way you need me to be. I am not going anywhere.” This small statement was enough for me to almost go weak at the knees but to also know he was not lying. Frank takes a step back and looks at me in the face he gently wiped away my tears and grins at me. “Want a piggy back ride?” This makes me smile a bit, but I answer with a soft “sure.” He turns around and I hop on making sure I secure my hands around his neck and we take off.

As he walks the rest of the way home with me in tow I had my face buried in his neck thinking about how stupid it was of me to cry like that and how awkward it was going to be when we get back to the house, but when we finally do get back he stops at the sidewalk and lets me down and he is the first one to talk. “Well Natalie here we are, are you going to be okay.” I was a bit embarrassed so I looked down and just gave a simple nod next thing I know Frank’s hands come to my cheeks and he makes me look at him “If you need anything Natalie let me know okay I’ll be right there.” My cheeks flush and he pulls my face to him and I instinctually close my eyes but I only feel lips on my forehead. He lets go then proceeds to hug me and say, “I’ll see you tomorrow make sure you text me later.” I answered with a quiet “Okay.” He let go smiled at me and started walking toward his house.

I watched his back all the way to his driveway and decided I should go in myself. Once inside I dash upstairs to my room and make sure my curtains are closed before I get into some comfortable clothes before I close them all the way I look out the window real quick and see Frank is on the phone with someone and it looks to be important because he has his hand to his face shaking his head maybe it’s that Jamia girl. I wonder who she is, wait I think I saw some pictures of her on Frank’s Facebook hmm I’ll have to check into that later, but for now I think I need to clean up the house and start dinner for mom.

**Frank POV**

As we start to walk out the door Natalie calls out to someone in the kitchen “Bye Donna.” She looks toward her and says with a smile “Bye baby see you later.” And with that we walk out the door and toward home. As we are walking home we were silent for some time due to me trying to put everything in order that has happened today and comprehend it and to maybe ask Natalie about Gerard. I saw that she would look at me from time to time and I finally chuckled and said “What?” she smiled at me and said “Well what did you think of the guys?” I put my hands in his pant’s pockets and looked at her not knowing how to put it really “Well they sure are different, but they seem like good people.” She seems excited about my answer but I finally make up my mind and decide to ask her about Gerard but in a indirect way “So Gerard he seems like he really likes you.”

She gives me a awkward laugh and replies “It’s not like that Gerard is just a friend he’s been there for me through a lot, at one point in my life I had hit rock bottom and I thought I was loosing it. If it weren’t for him my mom would know about it all, and I’m so grateful she doesn’t because she sure as hell doesn’t need anything else to worry about.” I’m amazed at what she has told me but I feel like she needs to get this off of her chest so I don’t say anything but I do look attentively at her to let her know I’m listening. We cut through a park and she sits at a swing I take the one beside her and let her continue.

“Frank I just want you to know that my life has been one for the books, it has not been normal and I have so much emotional baggage and stories that follow me that if you hear any of them I don’t want you to think of me any other way then you do right now. The person I am now and the person I was a year or so ago is completely two different people.” I see her shed some tears and my heart starts to break for her but she continues “I am ashamed of it all and the only thing I ask of you is please don’t believe what you are told.” She stops and I’m afraid she’s going to continue and I really don’t want her to bare her soul like this I want her to do it on her own time not because she feels like she has to beat someone to it so I get up quickly and just wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, my heart aches for her.

I remove one of my hands and stroke her hair and I softly whispers to her “Natalie I know you are hurting and I know you want to say so much to me right now, but please don’t, not until you are ready to. I want you to know I am going to be here for you any way you need me to be. I am not going anywhere.” I take a step back and look at her in the face and gently wipe away her tears and then I grin at her trying to lift her spirits knowing exactly what I should do to do that “Want a piggy back ride?” I say this makes her smile a bit, but she answers with a soft “sure.” I turn around and let her hop on making sure I secure my hands around her legs so I don’t drop her.

As I walked the rest of the way home she had buried her face in my neck, and it was the best feeling ever to have her soft skin touch me like that, but when we finally do get back to the house I stop at the sidewalk and I let her down but I speak first “Well Natalie here we are, are you going to be okay.” She looked a bit embarrassed, looked down, and gave me a simple nod. I didn’t except this I wanted to make sure she was fine and she knew for sure I was going to be there for her so I take my hands and cup her cheeks and I make her look at me “If you need anything Natalie let me know okay I’ll be right there.” Her cheeks take on a bit of color and I pull her face to me and she closes her eyes right away but I only kiss her forehead. I wasn’t going to put her though anything else tonight. I let go then proceed to hug her and say, “I’ll see you tomorrow make sure you text me later.” she answers with a quiet “Okay.” I let go smile at her and walk home.

Once inside my phone rings and I see who it is and it’s Jamia. I almost forgot all about her and I truly wish I did I didn’t have time for her drama, but I did promise I would talk to her later. So I answered the phone “Hello.” and she answered with a smooth “I thought you forgot about me.” I didn’t lie to her “I almost did I’ve been busy today.” She kept quite for a moment and as I walked into my room she said the most shocking thing ever “Frank I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t know how to say it and I didn’t know if I wanted to yet but the baby could be yours.” I start shaking my head and I’m trying to think of when this could have happened and then it hit me I put my hand to my face and shake my head even more “No, No, No, No, No this can’t be!”

Notes

I hope you all like this chapter it kind of just came out of me from no where I don't know if anyone knows this but I really don't have a story plot when I write this its just whatever I feel like writing when I pick up where I left off so there might be surprises in this story and there might be times its all just predictable you never know! i love writing its my me time. so if you like it too please Comment Rate and Subscribe. <3