The next week continued as normal. Students were glad when the next weekend rolled around even though the snow had begun to melt. On the Monday when they returned they left their happiness at the classroom door and slumped in their chairs, simply waiting for the bell to ring. When it did they rushed out as though they were a herd of wilder beast and emptied out onto the streets outside.

Gerard walked with Ray as the sun began to fall towards the earth in what seemed like slow motion. A golden light cast itself onto Gerard's face before the clouds took over the sunlight. As they walked further from the school more students turned down one street and the next until only a few remained.

"I still don't get it…" Gerard muttered to himself, not realising that he'd said it loud enough for Ray to hear.
"Get what?" Asked Ray, a hint of worry passing through his voice.
"Why would Frank commit suic-"
"I don't know Gee."
"But I don't think he did I mea-"
"You didn't even know him…" Ray interrupted for the second time, "and I didn't either so I think we should just leave it at that."

"But…" Gerard stuttered as he continued walking, "but when I met him in the music room for the second time…there were lyrics he'd written to a song. I didn't mean to find them, he left them and I couldn't help but go over and read them. They were mostly about not giving up…which is weird I know…but from that it didn't sound like he was the sorta guy who would shoot himself in the face and throw himself off a bridge. I mean how could he do all that and gauge his eyes out too. It just doesn't make sense Ray…"
"I don't know…Maybe he paid the seagulls to gauge his eyes out for him. Anyway, wanna come to my house?"
"No thanks Ray…I gotta get home…" Lied Gerard through his teeth.
"Okay…see you later then!" Ray called as he turned from the path, "and don't you start getting obsessed with Frank and everything that's gone on. It doesn't matter anyway…"
"Okay…" Gerard sighed to himself, "I won't…"

---

Gerard walked alone now, passing through the park, where the trees overlapped on the path and blocked out what little sunlight remained. He passed the lake and the falling oak tree and the bridge and walked over the fields that were bordered with giant trees that stood guard as if they were icy soldiers.

It was as thoughts of school that day were finally leaving his mind he caught a glimpse of something out of his right eye at the edge of the field. He stopped suddenly in his tracks and turned to face where the twigs on the ground had snapped.

In the distance stood a figure a little shorter than Gerard, dressed in a pair of black jeans with equally as black hair falling down from his head and concealing his pierced ears. Despite the distance Gerard could see the piercing greens and browns that fled through the boys eyes and the silver lip ring that glinted in the last drop of sunlight before the sun set and the air turned grey. With this newly turned grey air the figure seemed to blend into the background with his misty and corpse like skin.

Gerard stood rooted to the spot, their eyes interlocking for several minutes before Gerard took a step in the direction of the figure. Within an instant the ghost like figure had fallen into the shadows and could be seen no more. It didn't take a genius to work out who the figure was.

After a minute Gerard sprang back to his senses and began to run home as quick as he could, bursting in through the front door of his house out of breath and shaking and falling into his younger brother. For him there was no doubt about it:

Frank was alive.

Notes

Hello to the new subscribers: thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The dramas going to start happening soon. Thanks. :)
-lou