Don't say I'm better off dead

Frank stumbled down the stairs while Gerard carried their bags and at least half of his friends weight. They reached the bottom corridor and turned left towards the toilets. Gerard quickly pulled Frank through the door and scrambled to open up a toilet lid. Frank made, mostly.
He sat slumped against the wall quivering with fear. Gerard sat next to him with his arm around him hoping that it might provide a little bit of comfort.
"Hey, Frankie. You okay now?" he asked. Frank looked at him again with those sad green eyes. He shook his head.
"You gunna throw up again?"
He nodded his head.

Gerard held Frank's hair from his eyes as he leaned over the bowl. He could see the pain that it was causing him and it hurt Gerard as well. Franks eyes just seemed to have lost their light and he looked different this way. But the thing that worried him the most was that he could see almost every single bone in his back sticking through his shirt and the fact that Franks skin was going paler than his.
"It'll be okay Frank, yeah." He said hugging him when he slid back down the wall to the floor.
"Will it really Gee? Will it ever get better?" He spluttered.
"You're sick Frank. You'll probably have to stay at home for the next few days."
Frank shook his head.
"Why? I don't think they'll let you stay at school."
"I can't. I just Can't go home Gerard. Don't make me go!"
"Why? Usually to make things better you gotta do something about it Frank."
"I can't tell though. If I do they'll....." He trailed off as he felt a salty tear drip down his face.
"Frank! What's up? Is it me?"
"NO. No. It's not you. You are the reason that I'm still here Gee. It's their fault that I never used to want to be."
"Listen Frank. I don't know the full story, yeah. And you don't have to tell me if you don't want. But if you ever need any help...."
"I-I just couldn't take that class anymore. They were all just talking so casually about....it."

Gerard nodded. He was almost in tears too. He had tried to hold back his tears while he was sat next to Frank, not wanting him to know what happened at home. About the words that were used to abuse him and his brother. He rarely got hit though, most of it was words. But words can hurt too.
Frank took Gerard's hand in his, squeezing it tightly as his stomach danced.
"I should have told you before Gerard. If I was a real friend then I'd have let you know straight away. Its t-time you knew the truth about me."
"okay, if your sure that you want to tell me." He replied, squeezing Franks hand back.
"Well....M-my Ma a-and Da, they, um, t-they...." he stopped letting his head droop down to his chest were all the tears now rolled onto.
"What do they do Frank?" Gerard asked quietly.
Frank couldn't speak. He didn't think that he could even bring himself to say it. Instead he rolled up his sleeves showing them to Gerard. He closed his eyes not wanting to watch Gerard's reaction as he stared at the purple bruises and cuts that cloaked his bony arms. Gerard traced over them gently with his finger finding fresher bruises merged into older fading ones. But they might never leave his body.
"They did this to you?" He asked.
Frank nodded. He lifted up the bottom part of his shirt to show more of the same wrapping around his waist. His ribs stood out like a single star in the night sky. He breathed heavily, keeping his eyes shut.

Gerard didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He didn't really have anything to say. The baggy jumper had hidden such a massive problem from him and that was all it took to mask years of abuse. Years. He pulled Frank into a hug burying his friends head into his chest.
"I promise you that it will get better." he whispered into his friends ear, "Shall we start with getting you a glass of water?"
"Yes please." Frank replied. He felt a lot better now that he had told someone. He hadn't ever told anyone before. But in the back of his brain fear grew. What if his parents found out that he'd told someone? Well they wouldn't would they. Problem solved. But it wasn't that easy, was it?
"Okay, I'll be back in a minute then." Gerard said walking towards the door, "I'll just head to the dining hall."
"Okay." Frank said, relaxing a little. "Thank you Gerard."
"For what?"
"For not judging me because of this" He pointed to his arms, which he now pulled the chewn up sleeves back over.
"None of that's your fault though, Frank. I'm here for you. I promise I'll be back soon."
And with that he left. Frank sat on the floor pondering over what had just happened.

A face appeared against the small patterned glass window on the door. Gerard was back quickly, wasn't he? Was something wrong?
But this face didn't belong to Gerard. It laughed when it saw Frank slumped against the wall, helpless and pathetic.
It was Darren. And Gerard was no where to be seen....

Notes

Chapter 9 finally complete. yay! Again, thank you for reading. :) xxx