Don't say I'm better off dead

They sat on the school steps, Gerard trying to blink the sleep from his eyes, while trying to pay attention to his sketches. School was okay... He supposed. Like, he wasn't massively popular or looked up to, to be honest most of the time he spent hanging with his younger brother Mikey but he wasn't bothered really. Why should it matter anyway?
Mikey leaned over his shoulder, watching as he outlined his newly created cartoon. He was just about to compliment his older brother on his drawings when the bell interrupted him. Gerard quickly packed his books and pencils away hoping that nobody walking passed had peered at his drawings.
"Well, see you at break then Mikey." He said slinging his tattered backpack over his shoulder.
"Yeah, see you then..." Replied Mikey walking to meet his group of friends.
"Bye, then..."
Gerard walked to his class, pushing his way through the wave of people who spilled into the corridor as soon as the bell rang. He eventually reached his classroom and saw that it was actually quite busy so headed towards the back and dumped his bag onto the chair next to him and slumped onto his chair. No body usually sat there anyway. He reached over to take out his sketch book and began drawing before he had to actually pay attention to the teacher who was taking a phone call at the front of the class.
He supposed that this was his escape: school. Now to anybody else that might sound strange but it felt like it was the only place in which he could be left alone, not shouted at for doing nothing, feel comfortable, not have to constantly be worried at even speaking. It was just well, a whole lot better than home. And drawing was his best escape though he did have to hide his books when he went home because according to his dad: "Art's a waste of time. I don't want you wasting your time with it because let's face it: it's never going to even be useful, especially when the finished thing looks like what you did!"
He was in his own world focusing on one thing and one thing only, so it took him a while to realise that he was being asked a question. He snapped out of his trance and looked to his left.
"Um, excuse me.... Um, c-could I, um, please sit here? I-is that, um, okay?" said a quite voice.
"Yeah, 'course." He replied looking at the new face. He hadn't seen him before so he can't have been that local. He was quite small, but in an adorable kind of way, like I wanna cuddle you kind of way. He too wore ripped and threadbare uniform but he didn't seem to bothered. Instead he swept his brown fringe as it had crept over his face, hiding his deep green eyes. He looked kinda nervous thought Gerard, well he shouldn't be. He dragged his bag from the chair and kicked it underneath his own, smiling at the new kid at least trying to make him feel welcome. The new kid nodded in reply taking his seat. Gerard went back to his drawing deciding that he would probably mess up a conversation if he tried to start one.
"hey, um, those drawings are.., um, like really cool...." He whispered after a while, glancing at the half finished cartoon that lay open in front of Gerard.
"Oh, um... Thanks. I-it's not really that good..." He replied, snapping the book shut and shoving it into his bag. He didnt like people doing that. No. They shouldn't be watching him should they? But this sweet new kid wasn't to know, was he? It wasn't his fault." He smiled at him and then turned to face the front of the classroom. But eventually the awkwardness and lack of words pressured him into a conversation. He was just about to start talking to him when the green-eyed boy, thankfully, looked around before saying in a soft voice:
"um, hey, thanks. Um, my names Frank. Or you can just call me Frankie if you prefer. I'm not sure which you'd prefer, so I'll let you choose. So, um, yeah. Thanks. Yeah.... Um, what's your n-name?" He spoke quickly avoiding eye contact with Gerard.
"Hi Frank. My name's Gerard" he said holding out his hand. The other boy removed his hand from his chewn up sleeves, but quickly drew it back in when the purple and blue sploges on his arms had been exposed. Gerard noticed but instead decided to carry on speaking.
"You not from round here?" He asked politely, waiting patiently for an answer.
"No, we just moved here last week, got a new house. But I don't really like it...makes me sick of going home when home doesn't even feel like your own but, still, it's a, um...Fresh start, right?" Frank replied while tapping his fingers on the table nervously.
"Yeah, a brand new start. Nothing to worry about." He said reassuringly.
"Um, I'll try my best"
"yeah, you'll be okay. And if worst comes to worst you can always hang with me" he joked.
"Yeah, that woul...."
He was interrupted by the teacher telling everybody to 'sit down! Shut up! And listen!' Ahh. School. What a great thing... And that is how the day began.

Notes

So... Yeah. This is the second chapter. :) hope it was okay. Again, thanks for reading and I apologise about the fact that it takes me so long to write just one chapter. :) x