FicWad

For the first time since his visit, Gerard had the house to himself. His parents were always out for work if they weren't driving around the city together. Mikey usually stuck around until Mae came over. But it was a school day and much too late for Mae to pay a visit and Mikey was out on a date. Yes, finally his brother had gathered up the guts to ask Lilly out. The boy had only been talking about her for the past couple of weeks. Gerard wasn't sure whether to be proud of him for making his move or surprised about his ability to move on so fast.

The house was getting eerily quiet and Gerard's paranoia began to kick in. For some reason, extended periods of silence made him nervous. Sometimes, he felt like a patient in a mental institution listening for some sign of an escape. This was one of the many reasons why he feared dying alone. He had called his old friend, Ray Toro, over since they had so much to catch up on. They went to high school together, but it wasn't after they graduated that they formed a more solid friendship. Unfortunately, Gerard's departure to art college got in the way of them keeping in touch.

When the doorbell rang, Gerard jumped to his feet. He opened the door to find a slightly changed Ray Toro. He used to wear thick glasses that, Gerard had to admit, did not compliment him in any way, but he seemed to have traded them in for contacts. He also let his hair grow into a big fro which brought a smirk to Gerard's face.

"Hey man," Ray gave him a one-armed hug.

"Hey," Gerard had forgotten how much taller Ray was. "Come in and make yourself at home."

They sat on the sofa of the livingroom and Ray immediately asked about Gerard's progress in the arts. After a half hour of Ray flipping through his portfolio and praising him for his work, Gerard was ready to the shift the discussion.

"So what have you been up to?" Gerard began.

"Nothing much," Ray shrugged. "Working, taking some classes, driving the younger sister everywhere."

"Sounds like a lot of things are going on," Gerard laughed.

"You know, my sister is actually hanging out with Mae all the time now," Ray mentioned. "From what I hear, they're becoming pretty good friends."

"Aww. . . our sisters are best friends," Gerard joked.

"Yeah, definitely," Ray agreed. "I love Lydia and all but I swear sometimes I wish she would just shut up."

"Tell me about it," Gerard shook his head. "Mae's new boyfriend took her to some party and they both got wasted out of their minds."

"And she's still with that dude?" Ray asked.

"Probably," Gerard admitted. "I just try to limit their contact to school hours."

"Who is the guy?" Ray wondered.

"Some kid that just moved here named Frank Iero," Gerard replied.

"Frank Iero?" Ray mused.

"You heard of him?" Gerard could see a look of familiarization on Ray's face.

"I think someone might have mentioned that name to me before," Ray dug through his thoughts. "I just can't remember when, but I definitely heard that name."

"Did it come attached with the words 'dealer,' 'convict,' or 'cheat?'" Gerard asked.

"I don't think so," Ray laughed. "I'll get back to you if it crosses my mind, again."

Gerard couldn't help but to feel a tinge of worry in his gut. Somehow, he didn't think that whatever Ray heard about Frank was something good. It was just how our minds worked. What's a stronger memory: riding your first bike or the first time you fell off of one? Bad things always stick easier to the brain. Why else would people pay more attention to tragedies on the news rather than the deeds of a good Samaritan? Gerard figured Frank must have done something wrong for Ray to remember his name also considering that Ray didn't have the best memory for storing people's names. Gerard needed to find out who this Frank Iero was because he knew it would be the only thing that would keep Mae away from him.

*

Frank's home was the only place Mae could see him outside of school and just getting there was such a big task that it was practically a mission. She wasn't sure how many excuses she had given, but she knew she couldn't fool Gerard. She knew he was well aware of where she was going and who she was seeing. Why he hadn't stopped her, yet, she didn't understand. Maybe he knew that he could only control her life so much before she rebelled against him as if he were her parent.

Mae didn't mind staying indoors since she never was much of an outdoors-type. Frank's mother was more than welcoming, always offering snacks and wanting to know more about Mae. She even met his mom's boyfriend, Bill, who was just as friendly even though Frank couldn't help but to throw scornful looks at him. Mae had actually convinced Frank to talk to his mother and let her know that it was okay for her to start seeing Bill, again. They compromised with taking slow steps until Frank was fully comfortable with the whole situation.

Mostly, Mae loved being in Frank's room where random items were thrown together in an unintentionally creative fashion. It was messy, but for some reason it all made sense. The crooked posters of his favorite bands on one wall, his guitar on its stand in the corner, a mountain stack of CDs and an even higher stack of cassette tapes, and not to the mention the numerous items of clothing splayed across the floor.

"I'm sorry we have to be stuck here," Frank apologized as he watched Bill's car pull out of their driveway from his bedroom window.

"I like it here," Mae took a seat on his unmade bed. "Sometimes, I'd rather be here than anywhere else."

"Yeah?" Frank asked, sitting next to her.

"Yeah," Mae smiled. "Can I look through some of your photo albums?"

"If you must," Frank sighed, putting a stack of books filled with embarrassing snap shots on her lap.

Mae loved going through other people's albums. It was as if she could watch them grow up before her eyes. Frank's mom had got her hooked on their old pictures. She particularly loved the section of Frank's baby pictures which he unsuccessfully tried to keep her from seeing.

"Aww," Mae flipped pages upon pages of Frank's many band practices from age eleven to the present. "I still haven't heard you play."

"Maybe for your birthday," Frank winked.

"Jerk," Mae joked. "Is this your sister?"

Frank's smile dropped as soon as his eyes fell to the girl in the picture and Mae suddenly knew.

"That's her?" Mae asked softly, no longer implying his sister.

"Yeah," Frank admitted.

Just as Mae imagined her, Heather was beyond gorgeous. Her long chestnut brown hair hung to her waist as she smiled a bright smile with shining blue eyes in the photo. Her perfectly manicured hands rested on her hips in a pose that screamed confidence. She was wearing a pink tank top, showing off her naturally large chest, and her short shorts flashed her flawless legs. Upon closer look, Mae realized that this girl clearly couldn't have been Frank's sister. Mae finally fully understood why the kids at Steve's party all commented on how lovely a couple Frank and Heather made. Mae couldn't say she disagreed. They were both beautiful people. A perfect pair.

"I forgot that was in there," Frank muttered as he took the picture out of the clear plastic slot and stuffed it into a random drawer.

Mae wondered if he would take it out after she left and stare at what he once had. There was no way she could compare to Heather. Heather looked like a movie star and Mae felt like a nobody. Mae didn't realize that she left the silence hanging for too long.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, snapping her out of it.

"Yeah," Mae lied.

"It's okay to say you're not," Frank offered.

"She's so pretty," Mae sighed, wistfully.

"So are you," Frank kissed her for assurance.

"Not like her," Mae told Frank straight in the eyes, waiting for him to lie to her.

"And that's what makes you even more beautiful," he whispered, silencing her counter argument with his lips.

Mae knew she was being rude by bringing up his past, but just the mention of Heather made her feel even more doubt about their relationship. She wasn't really sure where they were going or why he even bothered to pick her out of the dozens of girls at school who wanted him. She scanned her eyes around the room until she caught sight of his old baby shoes. They were baby blue with bright yellow stars scattered around and they rested atop the rest of his baby things. Mae had not seen these items before and she figured it must have been the result of Frank's mother's attempt to clean through his closet.

"Aww . . . I see you still have a pair of your old booties in your room," Mae grinned as she picked up the tiny pair that fit perfectly onto the palm of her hand.

"Yeah, my mom refuses to throw any of my stuff away," Frank blushed. "No matter how old."

"And your little pacifier and stuffed bunny?" Mae giggled at the corner of baby stuff. "Or is the bunny just something you bought this year?"

"Oh yeah," Frank nodded, sarcastically. "I can't sleep at night without it."

Mae realized that the reason Frank meant so much to her was because he had a youthful touch along with his intelligence and laid back attitude. He never forgot to smile daily and that one smile took her along with him, making her forget anything she was stressing about. Mae had noticed the dark circles around her eyes long before. She noticed how her lips, for the most part, rested in a thin line of indifference if they weren't curving into a deep frown. She knew she was already aging from the stress of staying up doing whatever homework for whatever advanced class. But ever since Frank came into the picture, her eyes were much more alert and she smiled at the mere thought of him. She perked up at the mention of anything related to Frank. Whether it was a movie he loved or a CD he wanted, it made her stomach do a back flip in celebration of what she was so lucky to have.

"I have to go in half an hour," Mae checked his wall clock.

"Already?" Frank whined. "I wish we had more time."

"I don't think staying here for a week straight is enough time," Mae sighed.

"I know," Frank chuckled. "What are we studying tonight?"

"First of all, we hardly ever study on the phone," Mae grinned. "And second, thanks to Mr. Betterby wasting time again, I have no clue what a 'Squeeze Theorem' is."

"Well, since we never get anything done on the phone," Frank began, taking out his Calculus book. "Let's figure it out right now."

Mae loved his sudden work ethic. Not many boyfriends would just pull out a math book volunteering to explain what the teacher had failed to for homework. Frank read a few lines from the book and Mae could see how his eyes lit up in fascination.

"Hey," Frank motioned for Mae to come closer. "Look at this graph."

There were two curves sloping so smoothly and perfectly mirrored each other as they touched in an interception near the origin. But in the middle lay a more chaotic third curve rising up and down sharply creating multiple slopes between the two beautiful curves. The Squeeze Theorem, Frank explained to her, was an argument that when two functions approached the same limit on a certain point and a third function lies between them, then that third function will approach the same limit at that point. Mae noticed how harmonious the first two curves seemed. They were equal opposites, yin and yang, but between laid some sort of chaotic disturbance interrupting their union. It was the Ashley to every Mikey and Mae. As Frank closed the book and kissed her goodbye, Mae tried hard not to think too much of the Squeeze Theorem, fearing it may be another omen of her complicated love life.

*

Mae's heart leapt as she bumped into Ray before she could get to her front door. He recognized her right away even though they had not seen each other in years and he knew exactly where she was coming from. Mae begged him with her eyes not to say a word to Gerard, but he just stood there solemnly without a hint of what course of action he was going to take.

"Coming back from Frank's?" Ray crossed his arms.

"Ray, please don't tell Gerard," Mae said in a rushed whisper, afraid Gerard might see her from his window.

"What were you guys up to?" Ray questioned.

"We were just hanging out," Mae explained. "Look, I really like Frank and Gerard doesn't understand that now, but if I give him time, maybe I can get him to see the good in Frank."

"How long have you known that guy, Mae?" Ray reasoned.

Mae stayed silent, ashamed of the short couple of months she had spent with Frank. Even if it felt like forever in her mind. She wished she could somehow stretch those months into years just to prove to everyone that she knew Frank and they could trust her with that knowledge.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Mae asked again.

"No, but only if you don't tell him that I knew about this," Ray promised.

Mae couldn't help but to get on her tiptoes and engulf Ray into her arms. She was glad he was on her side and that she had one less obstacle to get through while defending her relationship. She said her thanks and her goodbye as she rushed back into her home, giddy as a schoolgirl. Ray chuckled at the sight as he got into his car. He couldn't remember the last time he felt that way for a girl or maybe it's just because he hadn't felt that strongly for a girl before. He had his few girlfriends, but they were mostly just puppy love. As he drove, he couldn't help but compare Mae's old stressed out, 'work first, play later,' self to her bubbly, giggling present self. It had been a couple years since they were introduced and the first thing he noticed was her dangerous habit of spreading herself too thin. He was surprised at all she was trying to accomplish at one time and it really took a toll on her health. He just saw it in her tired eyes and emotionless facade. Maybe, he wondered, Frank was a good thing for her. She was much more relaxed now. As he parked his car in the garage, he froze in the midst of pulling his emergency brake. Lydia was screaming at him to get inside to do the dishes, but all he could think about was driving back to Mae's house. It wasn't until that moment, that he realized where he heard the name, Frank Iero, from.