FRANK

The worst thing in the world is seeing someone with sad eyes. When a person smiles and it still looks like World War III is going on inside their head. It’s the type of sad where you’re too sad to cry and too tired to sleep. It’s the type of sad that will fester for years without you knowing it. It’s the type of sad that eats you from the inside until you can’t stand the slow devouring of your mind and start to speed up the process by hurting yourself on the outside.

This was the type of sad I saw in Gerard’s eyes.

He was still Gerard, but at the same time, he wasn’t. He was still an annoying hipster, but at the same time, he was too disheveled, too run-down, to be the bubbly personality I’ve come to know and hate.

When he walked into science, his hair was all messed up and he looked very tired. He was quiet all period and while we did get a decent amount of work done for the first time all week, it was weird to see him so robotic.

I knew I had to get his sketchbook back to him. If Pete didn’t have it today, I was going to kill him.

The bell rang and Gerard left without a word, taking my heart with him.
*****
“Do you have it?” I asked Pete as I sat down at our lunch table.

“Have what?” He responded before taking a bite of his pizza.

“The sketchbook, dumbass!” I raged.

“Jeez Frank, calm down. He has it in his locker.” Patrick said in place of the full-mouthed Pete.

“Okay. Good. I don’t have any more classes with him, so we’ll stop by the record store afterschool and give it to him then. Got it?”

“Sure thing. But then you have to come to my house afterwards.” Pete bargained after he finally swallowed.

“Fine. Whatever.”

“As much as I would love to go with you guys, I can’t. So you’ll have to do it without me.” Patrick chimed in.

“What? Why?” I questioned.

“Because.”

“Because isn’t an answer.” Pete prompted.

“It’s totally an answer.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it-“

“Shut the fuck up!” I interrupted, not wanting to be forced to listen to the childishness that would otherwise pursue. That’s when I saw Gerard scurry past our table and into the library.

His red haired friend (Harriet? Hannah?) came up and whispered something into Pete’s ear.

“But Haaayleeey!” He whined and she shushed him. She whispered something to him again and he reluctantly agreed to whatever it was she had said.

“What was that about?” Patrick and I said as soon as she left for the library.

“She was letting me know she’s bringing one of her friends home today.” He shrugged.

“And why would she be telling you this?” I asked. Seriously, you can’t just have a random girl walk up and start talking to you and not expect your friends to ask you questions.

“Because she’s my step-sister?” He replied.

“Since when do you have a step-sister?” It was a fair question, after all, he’s never told me about any siblings.

“Uh, since last year when my dad married her mom. Remember, I was all bummed out about having to wear a suit?” I completely forgot about that.

“Yeah. I totally remembered. I don’t forget things. What are you talking about?” I joked.

“You forgot.”

“I forgot.”

“Fuck you, Iero. Doesn’t even remember my sister’s name.” Pete pretended to be upset

“Whatever, Wentz.”

“I’m here, too!” Patrick added in to our banter.

“We know, Stumpy.” Pete laughed.

*****

Pete and I walked into Rick’s and scanned the room. The only signs of life were the big guy at the counter and two girls giggling in the back corner.

“You back again so soon?” The guy said. I didn’t think he’d recognize us.

“I uh, um, we were, uh, is, um, Gerard, uh,-“ I forgot how to form a proper sentence and the sounds of laughing girls wasn’t helping.

“What he’s trying to say is, ‘is Gerard here?’ We have something of his.” Pete said for me.

“Sorry guys, he just called in sick.”

“Shit.” I muttered under my breath. I knew he wasn’t sick and he didn’t seem like the type of guy that would take a sick day just for the hell of it.

“Alright, thanks anyway.” Pete said and we walked out of the store to his house.

I pulled out my earbuds and handed one to Pete. He put it into his ear and I was very glad that we were the same height so that we could have an equal opportunity to listen to the sweet sounds of Good Charlotte and Blink-182.
*****
When I walked into Pete’s house, the first thing I noticed how neat it was. It looked like one of those homes in Better Living Magazine and I felt out of place standing there. This is not the kind of place I pegged Pete living in.

The next thing I noticed was a shirtless, very attractive, blond guy smoking with his back turned to me out on Pete’s back porch. His hair was obviously recently bleached and wet, and he desperately needed a haircut, but he was attractive nonetheless. Like honestly, had he seen himself? Broad shoulders and a cigarette in hand, he was enough to stop me in my tracks and wish for the life of me that he was cute on the front, too.

And that’s when he turned around.

And that’s when my heart stopped.

And that’s when I realized that yes, the person is indeed very attractive on the front, no matter how many times I denied it. There was no backing out now, this is just a beautiful human.

And that’s when I felt like throwing up, because this person was the one and only Gerard Way.

Notes

I'm just gonna leave this here with no explanation as to why we were gone so long or why I wrote this chapter and not my co-author.

Stay Alive, Sunshine
-Bluebell