Never Coming Home // Frerard

Chapter 19

"Wake up," Mikey said as he poked my face. I replied with a tired growl and rolled over.

"Frank needs a ride," Mikey continued. At that, I climbed out of bed and grabbed a worn, grey pair of jeans from my bed. Mikey gave me a shit-faced grin, like he knew that the mention of Frank would get me up easy peasy pumpkin peasy pumpkin pie.

"Oh, shut up," I joked.

"I'm gonna go get dressed, you make us some coffee," Mikey instructed as he walked out of my room.

I hurriedly pulled on my jeans and a Blur T-shirt, and then walked into my bathroom to put on eyeliner. Then I grabbed my book bag off of my desk and ran up the stairs to the kitchen, quickly making coffee for the both of us.

"Gee, you ready to go?" Mikey asked as he walked downstairs, straightening his wrinkled Empire Strikes Back T-shirt.

"Yep, here's your coffee," I placed his cup on the kitchen counter and started chugging mine, feeling the burn of the hot drink running down my throat. After we both finished our drinks, we walked outside and climbed into my car. I started up the engine and began driving towards Frank's house.

~

Frank, Mikey and I all climbed out of the car after pulling into the school parking lot, and I stopped Mikey as we approached the doors. I looked over to Frank, first.

"I'm gonna talk to Mikey for a second, bit you can go on in," I smiled. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before entering the double doors. I looked at Mikey and received the most smug look I've ever seen in my life.

"He's not your boyfriend, huh?" Mikey gave me a shit-faced grin. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks before I could answer.

"Okay, that's not the point," I cleared my head. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I spent the entire night considering every worst possibility. I think I'm prepared for whatever happens," He laughed. I gave a nod, and we walked inside the doors together.

~

After exchanging my textbooks in my locker, I walked to the lunch room and sat down at our usual table. Nobody else was sitting yet, so I pulled out my sketchbook and started inking my graveyard picture.

After a couple minutes, Frank, Brendon, Mikey and Ray all sat down at the table with me, so I closed my book and started talking with everyone.

A minute later, Pete sat down opposite of Mikey.

"Holy shit, Mikey!" Pete exclaimed when he recognised my brother. "How's it going, man? I haven't heard from you in forever!"

"Geez, I wonder why..." Mikey mumbled. He was fidgeting, which told me he was stressed.

Did he have a bad history with Pete?

"Dude, how come you never talked to me after you moved?" Pete tried to keep a conversation going.

"Maybe because you were too busy making out with someone else the minute I left," He, again, mumbled.

"Mikes, don't be a downer," Pete frowned. "You're gonna make me kill myself if you keep this up." Mikey, Frank and I all tensed up, and a twisting feeling shot through my stomach. Brendon, Ray, Ryan and Patrick all looked at Mikey with worry, and I was looking back and forth between Frank and Mikey.

Frank had the first strong reaction. He knocked his journals onto the floor, stood up, and ran to the bathroom. Mikey didn't give a strong physical or emotional reaction, he just stood up and walked into the closest hallway. I went after Mikey first, catching up with him quickly and stopping him.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He shook his head no and hugged me, taking deep breaths as he did.

"Pete was the guy I told you about," Mikey said after a moment. "The one who I tried to keep in touch with after we moved, until he broke up with me because he met someone else." I felt a couple of tears pool onto my shirt, and my anger swelled up inside me.

"Let's go," I told Mikey simply. He wiped his eyes and followed me back into the cafeteria. After Mikey sat down, I grabbed Pete by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into the same hallway. When we were out of site, I turned to face Pete,  and quickly grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt, forcefully slamming him against the hall, and knocking over a Drama club poster in the process.

"Listen here, you cocky little shit," I started, my voice laced with anger and venom. "My little brother just got out of the hospital, and this is his first day back at school. He doesn't need stress, and he sure as hell doesn't need your smug ass here reminding him of his past with you. Got it?"

Pete nodded with surrender in his eyes.

"Those little suicide jokes aren't funny either, so you'd be doing yourself a favour by restraining from those. And last but not least, keep your toxic self away from Frank. Are we fucking clear?"

He nodded again, and I let go of his shirt, turned around, and went looking for Frank.

A moment later, I walked into the bathroom he had ran too, and I heard distinct crying coming from the biggest stall. I tried the door, only to see that it was locked.

Putting my ninja skills to the test, I jumped up and grabbed hold of the top of the stall, lifting myself over and dropping down on the other side.

Frank was curled up in the corner of the stall, crying into the sleeves of his shirt. I sat down beside him and wrapped my arms around his torso, rubbing his back soothingly. As soon as he realized it was me, he wrapped his arms around me and cried into my shirt. He didn't say anything, he didn't do anything. He simply cried, and I realized, in that moment, how much a simple word could do, and I pledged to make all of my words positive, because I wished Frank's pain on nobody else.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I deserve a reward right now tbh

Also Three Cheers for somebody getting borderline beaten up

And three more for Ninja Gerard

~XoxoSpark