The sunrise was different this morning. To Frank, anyway. For the first time during his afterlife, when he woke up, he felt completely alone. There was no one else on his bed. There was no one to cuddle with him, stroke his hair, and call him beautiful. His body just shivered in response to his realization of feeling alone, and he dug himself deeper underneath the sheets.

Gerard wasn't feeling what Frank was. He was up before the sun was and his eyes were staring at the beetle that crawled on his shoe. He was slouching in his seat, watching as the beetle escaped, and squeezed in the crack between the house and the dirt. Gerard sighed before thinking back to the when Frank hit him. He could feel the sudden collision of Frank's palm on his cheek if he thought back to it.

Morning turned into noon, and the awkward tension between Gerard and Frank was noticeable. Frank was trying to avoid Gerard, and Gerard was trying to get Frank's attention. Frank wasn't taking the bait. He just wanted Gerard to get through this violent phase so he and Gerard could go back to the way things were.

Gerard eyed Frank as Frank headed out to the back, hoping to get some fresh air after helping Frey clean up the house. Gerard followed Frank out the door. Frank turned to Gerard, "What do you want?" He said, frustrated.

Gerard muttered, "Why won't you pay attention to me?"

Frank scoffed, "Oh, I don't know maybe because you tried raping me? Again." Frank rolled his eyes, "Just leave me alone, Gerard."

"I don't want to. I want to apologize-"

"Bullshit. Don't you dare say you're sorry because you're going to end up doing it again at some point. And I'm not letting that happen." Frank could feel his tears forming, "I'm so tired of being abused by you."

Gerard frowned. He tucked in his lips and reached out his hand in attempt to grab Frank's hand, "If there's anything I could do to make it right-"

Frank reeled his hand away from Gerard's grasp, "I said to leave me alone you-you-monster."

Gerard paused, "Monster .. ? That's a pretty cliche thing to say-"

"Well, I'm a pretty cliche guy." Frank whimpered.

Gerard could feel his chest tighten, "I don't recall you being a smartass." There was a burning sensation escaping his skin, and he had to hold back every urge not to hurt something-or someone. The more Frank was pushing him away, the more he felt violent. Gerard tightened his jaw, "A monster?" He grinned, "So, you think I'm some monster-oh, baby. I'll show you a fucking monster."

Before Frank could add on, Gerard already left the scene. Frank wiped his eyes and let out a weak cry.

---

Patrick laid his head against the passenger window, staring out at the people who were walking on the sidewalk in Summit. He paused and looked up to Davy, "Do you know where we're going?"

Davy kept his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road, "Yeah. There's a cabin in the Summit woods. We'll stay over there until Lindsey let's us know when we can go back."

Patrick sighed as he thought back to Lindsey's smile and soft voice, "I miss her so much. We've been driving for hours." He stared out the window again to the townspeople who minded their own businesses, "Wanna know something shitty, Davy?"

Davy shrugged, "Sure. I'm always interested in people's thoughts."

Patrick frowned, "I have not seen one Missing Person's flyer of me. Not one. I'm starting to think Lindsey cares more about me than my actual parents." He sighed, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They always neglected me."

Davy raised a brow as he drove out the town, "Neglected how?"

Patrick looked at Davy, "Well, my family is pretty .. rich. We have tons of money but because my parents have money and a job to keep them busy, they forget they have a son. It's weird. I go to them and they always stare at me as if they forgot I lived under the same roof as them." Patrick forced a smile to lighten up his mood, "one time I got so surprised when my mom called me to eat dinner."

Davy glanced at Patrick, "It's a sad world we live in." Davy stared down the road he was driving on, "when Jenna left me, there was something about me that changed. Instead of recognizing my faults in our relationship, I blamed her. But now, times have changed .. if I ever see her again-if there's any chance at all-I'd tell her I'm sorry. I shouldn't have killed her. I loved her-still do." Davy added in, "What I'm trying to say is, your parents will come to their senses. The realization that they've abandoned all love for you will rise and they'll look for you."

Patrick shrugged, "I'm happier with you guys. I hope they don't ever come looking for me."

Davy smiled a bit as he turned on a dirt road, "Five minutes and then we can stretch out our legs."

Patrick asked, "Have you ever been here before?"

"Dozens of times a couple years ago. It's abandoned now, but we can clean it up a bit and get settled in. The furniture should still be there, covered in plastic. Electricity is still efficient as well."

"Food?"

"Take-out." Davy said, "We're going to order pizza a lot, for sure." He grinned as he parked the car, "We're here."

Patrick opened the car door and stepped out onto the grass. He looked up to the cabin that looked pretty shitty from the outside, "Here? Looks .. rundown."

Davy walked toward the cabin, "Haven't you ever been told not to judge a book by its cover?"

Patrick mumbled as he followed Davy, "Yeah, well, this isn't a book." Patrick went up the steps before entering the front door. The wood underneath his shoes creaked as he entered deeper in the cabin. He looked around and saw that Davy was right. Sure, everything was dusty and there were cobwebs but overall, it was a nice place. On his right, there was the living room where the black furniture was covered in plastic, a small tv was against the wall, and there was a lamp that rested on a small desk by the couches. To his left was a large kitchen and a dining room area. He smiled a bit, "Wow. Big cabin."

"Yup. There's five bedrooms upstairs." Davy reeled off the plastic from the furniture, "let's clean up a bit so we can order pizza and relax."

Patrick took off his fedora and placed it on a coat rack near the front door, "Yeah, sure. Sounds like a plan."

Notes

I came home early :) xo