What's the word?
Petrified. I was petrified.
I stood in front of my locker in the high school hallways where people pushed and shoved, not necessarily eager to get to their next class, but eager to get the day over and done with. A photo of Gerard and I kissing plastered on every single locker was the last thing I wanted today. Or really, any day.
"I guess I was right all along. Huh Iero."
I turned around to see a jock smirking with his friend behind him. "Why are you smirking, like what you see?" I snapped, using the attitude I adapted from Gerard.
"You little fucker!" He rammed me into a locker.
"Where did you get the picture?" I glared.
"None of your shitty business."
The fact that the picture of Gerard and me spread around school left me in a funk.
"Babe, it's gonna be okay." Gerard rubbed my back as I sat on his bed. I sighed and just nodded.
Then there was a knock at the door, leaving me to get up and answer it. Damon was standing outside in a sweater looking distressed.
"What's wrong?" I stood in the open doorway, worried.
"Can I talk to you outside?" She looked anywhere but at me.
I knew it was something serious so I closed the door so it was just the two of us.
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
Damon hesitated for a little bit, shuffling her T.U.K. adorned feet. "I may or may not have been the cause of the photo leak of you and Gerard..."
"WHAT?!" My eyes felt like they were going to bulge out of their sockets.
"I was texting one of my friends, Anika, and I accidentally sent the wrong image. I didn't realize it until I got to school and saw all of the pictures. She must've acted like it was nothing."
I felt my head go numb. I knew part of it was true, Damon had taken that picture. And there was no way in hell that Damon would lie about something like this, she was one of my best friends.
"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Anika. She's been kind of bitchy lately since I've opened up to her." Damon sighed. "I'm so sorry Frank. I'll do anything to help." She grabbed a hold of my shoulders.
But I just stood there for a minute, trying to process what I'd just been told and then tried to figure out what to do now. "Go tell Gerard."
"Well at least we know it was a partial accident." Gerard sighed as he sat in his desk chair. "Are you sure it was Anika?"
"I looked back in my text history and it's there." She sighed.
Gerard nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well I guess we can just accept the truth and be open at school."
I felt my body go tense as Gerard stated the only clear option. We couldn't deny it, the proof was right there in the picture. If we were to deny it, we'd just look like bigger fools. "I agree." I muttered.
