Don't say I'm better off dead

It was the next day and Gerard stood close to Mikey as they stood outside, waiting for the bell to ring. Gerard was desperately looking around. He kept thinking that he had seen Frank walking past but it was just his imagination. That was how much he wanted Frank to come back to school. But in his other eye he looked out for Darren whishing that he wouldn't see him, but how could you avoid someone for a whole day (for the rest of your school years) when they were desperately looking for you?
You'd probably go home, wouldn't you? But Gerard didn't want to get Mikey in trouble for his mistakes, not again.
Then out of the corner of his left eye he saw Darren, a white bit of tape stuck across his mushed up nose. Gerard gulped but he didn't seem to be heading towards him. In fact he seemed to be moving away. One of Mikey's friends came and joined them.
"Looks like you got lucky today then!" Mikey's friend said to Gerard, while adjusting his backpack.
"Um, why?" Gerard asked sleepily. He did look bad. The dark circles underneath his eyes had reappeared and red creeped around the edges of his barely opened eyes.
"Well, Darren's in isolation for today after what he did to your friend, um...Frank" he said looking up towards Gerard, "He's not getting out until tomorrow and anyway after that I think that he'll probably stay clear of you for a bit."
"Yeah, I hope so..." Gee said.
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It was in his second lesson which was maths when he was called out to go and talk to the pink-haired teacher. She smiled as he entered her room offering him a chair as she sat down opposite him.
"Now then Gerard. I think we both know why you're here, don't we?" she asked.
"Yes Miss. Its about what happened to Frank and about what I did to Darren isn't it? I swear that I didn't mean for the door to hit Darren, I wouldn't do that. I promise."
"I'm not trying to blame you for that Gerard. That was an accident." she replied. Gee sighed with relief , "But we do need to talk about what happened afterwards."
Gerard gulped.
"Why did you run away?"

"I-I wasn't sure what to do Miss. I was scared that Darren's friends might get me a-and I j-just ran!" He tapped his fingers on the table nervously.
"You know that the school could get in trouble if something had happened to you. And we don't want that to happen."
"Well, you didn't seem to care when Frank was beaten to unconsciousness and was laying in his own blood! They wouldn't let me stay with him! We needed each other! And they wouldn't let us stay together! If you care so much about me then why didn't you care about Frank too?!!" Gerard shouted, standing up from his chair.
"Hey, calm down Gerard. Please just sit back down" she pleaded.
Gerard's hands began to shake as the rage inside him grew.
"I just want him back! Where is he? Is he okay? For all I know he could be dead! He could never be coming back! I might never see him again!" tears began to roll down his face but he ignored them. He wanted answers. Where was Frank?
The teacher walked around to him, she wrapped her arms around him. "Frank's okay" she whispered reassuringly.
"Where is he?" Gerard asked.
"At home: safe." she replied stroking through his black hair.
"How do you know he is safe?"
She didn't know how to reply to that question. Instead she handed Gerard a tissue. "It'll be okay." she whispered through a cracked voice. Was she crying too?
He pulled away to see her eyes welling up.
"You... C-C-care?" he asked confused, "You actually care?"
She nodded.
"Why isn't he back Miss? Why isn't he here?" Gerard asked quietly.
"I don't know..." she replied, "I honestly don't. He it at home still. His parents said that he is okay." Gerard winced. It took him a while to pluck up the courage but he eventually asked her:
"Miss. I want to go and see him. Would that be okay?"
"You can't go by yourself, hunny."
"I'll take Mikey with me. Please let me go! I just want to know that he's okay."
She eventually gave in to him, "okay," she said softly, "But make sure that you take a parent with you."
"Yes Miss."

She turned on the computer and logged into the student database. She wrote the address down on a scrap of paper and handed it to him.

Mr. & Mrs. Iero
13 Cemetery Drive

"Stay safe." she whispered, opening the door for Gerard.
"I will do Miss. I promise."
And with that he left, tucking the slip of paper into his pocket. Tonight he would get to see Frank. And Frank would be okay, he told himself. Yes Frank would be just fine....

Notes