Lonely Hearts Club (Sequel comming in June/July)

Christmas Day wasn't a huge celebration in the Iero household. Just gift swapping and eating chocolate. Microwave dinners because Linda wasn't skilled enough to actually cook Christmas dinner. Countless Christmas movies and then some more chocolate and they'd start to back to spend the next couple of days at Franks grandparents house.

Frank and his mother would spend the 26th, 27th and 28th of December at his grandparents little house in Philadelphia. All the family went there. It was always great. Homemade food, presents and drunk charades. Also his cousins were probably the coolest people he'd ever known. They were from Baltimore and always brought their little Jack Russell with them called Howard. Dogs with human names are the best kind of dogs.

This year was no different. They'd have Christmas Day in New Jersey and then travel overnight to Philadelphia and then spend three days there and then be back in time for New Years. Frank was shamefully looking forward to this year. He always said he wasn't a Christmassy person, but this year something's different this year he appreciates it more.
He wakes up at 10 to the smell of waffles and syrup. He takes a moment to let his eyes adjust to the bright winter sun that is streaming through a gap in his curtain and illuminating the entire room. The room was ice cold. Frank was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and sleep and didn't feel extremely positive about the venture outside his little warm bubble. What provoked him from his little nest was his phone. It buzzed. Text message.
Hey! Merry Christmas Frankie. I hope you have a great day and I'll see you at Patricks! Xxx
It was from Gerard. Frank smiled. Bright and fully awake and kind of giddy he make his way to the kitchen for some breakfast and presents.

~~~~~~~~~

Christmas at the Way house was entirely different. Christmas was a yearly event with all the trimmings and everything was planned to the second. They would wake up at 8 for presents and breakfast at 10. Then their aunt and uncle would come around and then their grandparents from both sides. They would spend all day with each other. Christmas cheer and all. Then Christmas dinner was a family effort. Gerard usually got left with slicing the carrots as he couldn't cook without harming someone. Gerard had to be normal for a day. For his family and their irritating opinions and disapproving looks at his black hair or eyeliner.
Apart from the irritating family it was actually okay. Christmas was Christmas and there were presents and no need to even go outside. Yeah it was good. What was even better was Boxing Day. A day in New York City and then back the NJ for a takeaway and Christmas movies. They all got to pick one. His mum always went for the soppy romance one. His dad for the comedy. Mikey went for the cartoon or usually he made them all watch the muppets Christmas carol every year. Gerard, on the other hand, didn't really pick that a festive movie. The nightmare before Christmas. His mum said it wasn't a Christmassy film but it said Christmas in the title so they were watching it. Gerard knew all the words to the songs and could actually talk along with parts of it.

Gerard awoke on Christmas Day at 8. He made his way upstairs to find his brother sitting on his arm chair in the living room and his parents on the sofa talking about something and laughing. He moved to sit, crossed legged, by the tree and smiled up at them.
'Good Morning Gerard and Merry Christmas.' His mother says standing up and moving towards the tree. She hands him her present. This goes on like this for the next hour. Everyone handing out their presents and receiving their own. Gerard smiles remembering Franks present from the night at the arcade and remembers he has to use it before New year. Suddenly they had had breakfast and the family was beginning to arrive. Gerard stole a moment away to send a text. To Frank of course.

~~~~~~~

Frank and his mum exchanged gifts happily. Thanking each other and taking a moment to reflect on where they are now. Franks mum loved the scarf. She said it would be perfect for going to Philadelphia with. She asks what Gerard got him. So he shows her. He is still in shock himself.

That night at the arcade had been like any other day. They were all sat around a table at the diner area and Pete had just given everyone a demo from Fall Out Boy for Christmas. Only Pete. Though Patrick still blushed when he passed it to him and Pete still did that sly smile and the little wink. God they were insufferable. They both needed to just go make out somewhere. Frank announced he needed to go to the toilet and walked away from the embarrassment he called a friendship group. He loved them though. He walked away and went around the corner to the men's bathroom. But this was the plan. He walked in and sat atop one of the counter tops where the sinks were in bathrooms and waited. Suddenly Gerard ran in and without saying anything walked over to Frank and grabbed his face bringing it towards him. Gerard kissed Frank desperately. Frank didn't really return it. He was in shock. The kiss was cut short by Frank pushing him away and looking down at him with an amused look.

'In a bathroom? Really? Classy.' Frank remarked sarcastically, out of breath.

'If you want to keep....' Gerard thought for a second and then just gestured between their two bodies which were pressed up against each other. 'This a secret then you've got to stop being so damn attractive Frankie. It isn't good for me. I'm a teenage boy I have urges.' Frank laughed and then jumped down from the counter top he had been pinned onto.

'I am also a teenage boy and I can keep it in my pants.' Gerard followed Frank towards the discarded back pack next to the door.

'Nobody said anything about our trousers Frankie. I mean if you want to not keep it in your pants it would be perfectly...' He placed his hands on Franks hips pulling his back to his front. Frank swatted his hands away and shook his head.

'Keep your mind out of the gutter gee!' Frank laughed sitting down with his back against the door and picked up his back pack. Gerard joined him and pulled the flat present from the inside of his hoodie. 'I can't believe we are doing this sat on a toilet floor.' Frank looked disgustedly at their surroundings.

'It's okay, nobody uses this bathroom. It's haunted.' Gerard reassured Frank. Frank smiled widely.

'Haunted?' He was looking around in fascination. He loved ghosts and ghost stories and haunted houses. It was a hobby. A fucking weird hobby at that.

'Eh.' Gerard snapped his fingers in front of Franks face trying to grab his attention. 'Ghost hunting later okay? First presents.' Gerard smiled like a child. Frank didn't understand why he put up with him.

Gerard slowly moved the thin rectangular present towards Frank. He smiled and nodded down towards if. It was light but solid and dipped in places. The wrapping paper was silver and neatly folded with a gold bow on the top.

'Your mum wrapped this didn't she?' Frank smiles up at Gerard. Gerard shrugged and pulled the present back.

'Yes and it took a lot of persuasion to get her to do it. She kept asking who it was for and why the hell I was giving this as a present. She honestly is the nosiest woman.' Frank laughed and Gerard ranting on. He snatched the present back and began to unwrap it carefully.
Frank held it up to his mum now. She smiled down, obviously confused so he decided to explain it for her.

'About a month ago me and Gerard were talking about art and how sometimes a piece of art, whether it be his drawings or my lyrics, has too much meaning in it and too much emotion to ever let anyone see it. He spoke about his sketch book and how he would never show me the content because it was too dear to him and it exposed him in some way. I tried to reassure him telling him a felt the same way about songs and one certain song. It was about him. Mum. 'All I want is nothing' and I could never show anyone. Then the day before our first gig. Gerard kissed me. He exposed that part of him and I felt that I needed to show him how I felt. So I played the song and I gave it all I had and I played it to him, for him.' Frank was looking down at the little black object and was smiling. He looked up towards his mum who was grinding widely. 'He felt as if he owed me one. He felt he needed to show me his art so he made this.' Frank flicked through the pages of the black book. 'All his drawings of me. The ones he use to sketch at lunch and in class. Little ones of me at the arcade. This is what he didn't want to show anyone. He sketched my tattoos and even designed me my next one. He wouldn't show me this before because he felt weird about it. Like how I felt about the song. But now it's okay because....well because it's.... It's hard to explain.' His mums expression had changed. She was frowning. Her eyes wide and her mouth in a tight pout.

'Did I hear that correctly?' Frank eye brows shot up his forehead and eyes were wide. 'Another tattoo?' Oh. His mum shook her head smiling and pulling the book from his hands. He sighed in relief. She flicked through it lovingly. She was smiling. 'When you turn 18 okay?' Frank nodded watching her expression as she turned each page exposing another piece of art. Frank had already been through it meticulously, but was still in awe of the pure talent that radiated off of the pages. She stopped at a page which was a sketch of his 'Keep The Faith' tattoo. 'Frank?' He smiled at her. 'How has Gerard seen this tattoo?' She looked up at him curiously and innocently.

'Oh. Erm.' Frank thought quickly. 'Well. Gym class. Yeah' he sighed 'Gym class.' He smiled at her. She looked unconvincingly at the pages and then closed it passing it back to him. 'I'm gonna put it back in my room.' He said quickly standing up and making his way to the stair case. Just then he heard a parcel fall through the door.

'Post. On Christmas?' Franks mum looked over at him and stood up from next to the tree where they had been sat exchanging gifts. Frank shrugged and moved up the stairs as his mother loved towards the door. 'Oh' she turned back. Frank was at the top of the stairs. 'I know you don't take gym Frank.' She smiled at him. He blushed and stalked quickly into his room to hide his embarrassment.

Linda moved across the small hall area between the living area and the front door. She snuggled the scarf Frank had gotten her closer to her. She didn't know what to say when she opened the gift. It was a shock, but she understood straight away what it meant. He understood her pain. The fact she couldn't find the only part of their old life she had left. She felt empty without that scarf. But this it helped it filled a bit of the hole. It made her feel better. She had Frank that's all she needed. He was happy. She was happy. That didn't mean she wouldn't go back to New York in a heartbeat.

When she got to the front door she saw a flat parcel at the foot of the door. She picked it up. It was addressed to her. She smiled. It must be one of franks little games. She unwrapped it slowly.

Her whole body tensed. The colour drained from her cheeks which were once rosy from glee. It couldn't be. She began to breathe heavily.

'Oh mum, I totally forgot! Gerard did this drawing of you. It's so lovely mum.' When Frank didn't get any response from the living room he moved through the hall. 'Mum.' She wasn't there. But the unmistakably cold New Jersey air hit him. The door was wide open. His mum gone and on the floor. There lying sprawled out on the carpet was that unforgettable blue silk. There lying on their apartment floor. Was his mums old scarf.

~~~~~~

Gerard didn't hear from Frank for the next week. He didn't expect to though. He was in Philadelphia and probably didn't have any phone service. He missed him though. It had only been 5 days and he already missed everything about his little friend. He couldn't imagine what it would be life if they went to separate college or cities to study.

That was the stuff Gerard thought about now. The future. With Frank. Maybe Gerard would go to art school in New York City or Chicago or maybe even as far away as California. And maybe Frank would come to. Study music or English. They would have a little apartment and a dog and Frank would make coffee every morning for Gerard and Gerard would sketch Frank all the time to the point their walls were covered in little sketches. Maybe Franks band would take off. Maybe Gerard would open a gallery. Maybe they got married or didn't even make it through college. Maybe they end up friends. Maybe they grow old together.

Gerard smiled down at Franks caller ID photo. It was taken at the arcade about 3 weeks ago Frank had a moustache from the cream off of the milkshake. Gerard laughed so much and just had to get a picture. Frank happily posed as Gerard did a little photoshoot. After Frank wiped it off and from then on her used a straw for his milkshake. This one he used Frank didn't know he was taking the photo it was just after he had wiped it off and he was laughing. He looked perfect his little eyes crinkled and his grin spread across his face.

Gerard shook his head and muttered to himself 'God you're in deep ain't you?' He laughed and pushed his hair off his face.

~~~~~~~~

Franks week was hectic. Everything a once. All a blur of emotions and shock. No Philadelphia. No grandparents. No Christmas spirit. Just a bundle of crappiness and his mothers tears and confusion. And Mark. Mark and his stupid scarf. Mark and his stupid new start.

Notes

I'm listening to AFYCSO right now and I think I'm annoying the neighbours! Oh well!

-C