Touch Him Again, And I'll Kill You

Frank had been staying at my house for two weeks now. His mother didn’t worry too much because he had told her that he and Max were going on a trip before graduation. Speaking of graduating, I wasn’t going to. I had missed too many days and was so far behind that the principal told me that showing up to school at all was pointless for me. I wasn’t going to make it. I would end up getting some dead end job where I’m not happy, and that terrified me.
I had tried to find something, anything, that would make my life mean anything from this day on.

I had been visiting Mikey again while Frank stayed with Lindsey. He had been too embarrassed about what happened to him for me to tell her, but I think she figured it out. She’s smart like that. Now, she never lets him out of her sight. He wanted to go to the store the other day, and she went with him. She told me that if she ever sees Max, she will rip his dick off of him and make him eat it. It would be difficult for her, though. She’s never seen him before, but I knew that it didn’t matter. She would figure it out.
Life was one big chaotic mess. I had been struggling to keep myself going, for Mikey, and now I had Frank to take care of. I wasn’t complaining, I love him. I don’t mind having him need me again. I know that soon he will have to go home, so that he will be able to graduate. He told me that it was the only thing he ever looked forward to anymore.

“He’s graduating in a week.” I said, staring Linda in the eye. “Yes, he is. He’s graduating, and he and Max are going to go to college together. You know who Max is, right? He’s Frank’s boyfriend.” She said, mocking me.
At the sound of his name, I cringed. I wanted to tell her so badly what he had done to Frankie. I wanted to shout it from the top of the fucking roof if that meant she would listen, but I knew it wasn’t my place. If Frank wanted her to know, she would.
I let out a long sigh. “Okay, Linda. Have a nice day. I’ll be back to visit Mikey soon.”
She gave me a tight smile, and I left the hospital.

Frank’s POV
“It’s kind of funny, huh? No matter what, Gerard and I always find our ways back to each other.” I said to no one in particular.
I glanced over at Lindsey, and she gave me a red lipsticked smile. She looked like she was going to say something, but my phone started ringing before she could. I put it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Frank?”
I felt my blood run cold.
“It’s Max.” He said.
“I know who it is.”
“Oh, Okay. I was hoping we could talk, maybe?”
“Okay. Talk.” I felt like I was talking to a murderer. He felt so low in my mind.
“Could we maybe meet up? I’d like to say it face to face?”
I let out a loud laugh.
“No chance in fucking hell that’s happening.”
The other line went dead and that was when I realized he had hung up on me.
“Who was that?” Lindsey asked.
“Oh, it was just Jamia.” I lied. I didn’t want her asking me questions I couldn’t answer.
“Oh.” She saw straight through my lie. She didn’t say anything, though. I was thankful for that.
I was about to put my phone away but it began ringing again.
Lindsey giggled. “Wow, Frankie. You’re famous.” I rolled my eyes at her.
“Hello?”
“Frank, when are you coming home? Graduation is in a week and you need to be here to get ready. Actually, I would like if you could come back tomorrow please. We have a lot to discuss.” It was my mother. I felt my heart pace pick up drastically and I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to go home. He knew I lived there. He would look for me. He would hurt me again. I couldn’t.
“Hello? Frank are you even listening?”
“Yeah, mom. I am. Why do I need to come back so soon? Why not a few days before graduation?”
“Frank, it’s not open for discussion. Be home tomorrow and don’t make me have to ground you a week before you graduate.”
I hung up the phone felt tears sting my eyes. I held my face in my hands and tried to calm myself down.
I heard the front door open, but didn’t look up. Soon there were hands on my back, rubbing soothing circles.
“It’s okay, Frankie.” I heard Gerard’s smooth voice, and instantly felt calmer.
I looked up at him with red rimmed eyes and he smiled down at me.
“What’s wrong, love?”
“She wants me to come home tomorrow.”
His smile faltered for a quick second before he recovered.
“We’ll figure it out, Frank. I told you I won’t leave you alone, and I won’t.” I felt reassured. I trusted Gerard, and I knew that he wanted to stay with me, and he always got what he wanted.
“Frank, can we go talk in my room?”
I nodded and followed him up the stairs to his room.
He closed the door lightly behind me, then sat down on his bed. I sat next to him and looked at him expectantly.
“I saw your mom briefly today.”
“And?” I asked, giving him indication to keep going.
“She told me all about how you and Max had plans to go to college together and stuff.” The sound of his name made me want to puke.
“That was our plan, but it’s far from happening.”
“I know, but it made me think about some things.”
“Like what?” I asked him.
“Frank, after you graduate, I think we should get a place together. Maybe in New York?”
I was shocked to say the least. Gerard never made plans like this. He never made plans period. He knew that his future could be ripped away from him at any second, so he never trusted plans. I think he had just been let down too many times by people he cared about too much. Gerard had a bad habit of putting too much faith in people who would always fail him.
I looked up into his big hazel eyes that his bright red hair made pop. His smile was wide and hopeful, showing all of his tiny teeth.
“Of course, Gerard.”

Notes