Gerard's POV

Aside from Lindsey inviting herself in and causing a scene, that was my best Thanksgiving yet. Everyone was in a good mood and enjoyed each others company. Your average family wouldn't appreciate our traditional booze and gamer filled antics, but it worked for us.

I laid back in my bed and fiddled with the ends of my hair. Though the night went fairly well, the memory of Frank trying to attack Lindsey replayed in my mind. The look in his eyes wasn't your normal angry one. They flashed a bright golden shade, one I had never seen before. If it wasn't for Bob and Ray, he would've killed her. You could see that he just wanted to rip her apart like a vicious animal. I always thought he'd stopped caring about what happened between us, but I guess I was sadly mistaken.

It kind of gave me a warm feeling. He still cared about me after all these years, I mean obviously we're best friends but it still meant more than that to him. Just like it does to me, but if it is meant to happen, it will. Right now just isn't the time.

My phone broke my concentration after awhile. I could hear it, but I had no fucking clue where it was. I finally found it hidden under my bed. Speak of the devil. It was Frankie asking me to meet him at the lake a few blocks down. I told him I'd see him in ten and started getting dressed.

Cold weather doesn't normally bother me, but tonight was ridiculous. The snow was half way up my calves when I walked out the door and wasn't stopping anytime soon. It was starting to make me regret my decision to walk. What the fuck would possess Frankie to meet in this shit?

I walked across the fresh slush and saw Frankie sitting on the same rusted merry go round we've met at for years. "Hey Frankie.", I hadn't called him that in forever. I must've scared him because he jumped when he saw me. He gave me the "what's up" nod as I sat down next to him. He laughed at me when I screamed from the frozen metal pressing against my body.

"That's exactly why I was going to tell you I brought a blanket for you to sit on.", he said snickering at me. I snatched the shit from his hands and placed it under my already frostbitten ass. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened. I have no fucking clue what came over me. I heard her voice and just blacked out completely." I could tell he was sincere because neither of us were good with apologizing and when we grew the balls to, we never looked the person in the eyes. We always found something to occupy ourselves with like fiddling our fingers or tapping our foot on the ground.

"Don't worry about it dude. I'm kind of disappointed Ray and Bob interrupted the fight of the century." We both laughed and I gave him a hug, "She had it coming anyway, you and Ri handled better than I ever could. " That was the truth. Whenever it came to Lindsey, no matter how much I hated her, I could never find it in myself to take it out on her. Probably because I'm the reason she is the way she is. She was head over heels for me and I just cut her off. I wasn't as into her as she was to me and I panicked. I told her I couldn't do it anymore and she broke down asking why and what did she do wrong. I gave her the whole "it's not you, it's me" spiel and that was it. I think the fact that I was so lifeless throughout all of it drove her crazy, but I couldn't help it. It didn't effect me nearly as much as it did her. I'm honestly surprised we were together for as long as we were. "So I'm pretty fucking hungry, Thanksgiving leftovers yeah?" Frankie's face lit up and we headed back to my house.

We heated up an assload of food and headed down to the basement where we watched the original Dawn of the Dead and laughed at how none of it made any fucking sense. "Oh there's a swarm of zombies coming after me, let me sit here and take my fucking blood pressure for no fucking reason. It's just a fucking zombie apocalypse.", I was in tears as Frankie mocked the movie, "And what significance does a fucking sombrero have!? Ten foot wide hats shouldn't appeal to anyone, they look like those dinner bowls that hold the chips and has the salsa in the middle."

After the movie, we spent the rest of the night playing Dungeons and Dragons. "Fuck your life Frankie!", I screamed at him as his Vlaakith completely annihilated my Warduke. He was the only person who could actually beat me in D&D and I hated it. We both jumped up when Mikey appeared out of nowhere.

"Why the fuck are you guys up? It's five o'clock in the morning." We both shrugged and he sat down in the tattered plaid chair across from us. We went back to our game and of course Frankie won. "You still can't beat him Gee? Here, watch me kick his ass.", Mikey said with his nose in the air. Surely enough Frankie wiped him out too.

"Reigning champion of the classic Dungeons and Dragons for what is 5 years now. Please ladies, hold your applause." Frankie stood up on the couch and flipped his hair to the side. Me and Mikey looked at each other and tackled him to the ground. He went red in the face from laughing as we beat the shit out of him. "You're...just sore bi-bitches!", he choked out as we finally let him up, "It's okay to be jealous you guys. Face it, you're never gonna beat me."

"Are you still talking shit Iero? Because I'll beat the rest out of you.", I said as I grabbed an old baseball bat. His eyes widened and he shook his head. Mikey called him a little bitch and threw a pillow at him. It was always nights like this where we had the most fun. Just three idiots in their moms basement playing nerd games and fucking each others shit up. Lord knows where I'd be right now if it wasn't for them. You only come across people like them once in a lifetime and I was lucky enough to call one of them my brother. Most people take their friends for granted.

As for me, I'll take mine to the grave with me.