FicWad

It's two weeks after Grace and Ray got together and all is great. They both have permanent smiles on their faces, ( not that Grace didn't beforehand) and they seem so happy. I'm happy too. When we're all together we're a proper group of friends. Something I've wanted to be a part of for a long time.
I'm wandering around the quad one activity, alone. Grace is at a drama rehearsal and I have nothing better to do. I sit down on one of the weathered benches as start doodling in my planner on the "Strictly no doodling in this homework planner" page. Someone throws themself down next to me and I start gathering up my things ready to move away from them. "Hey! Where are you off to?" I stop putting my stuff in my bag and realise it's Gerard.
"Oh hi!"
" Didn't mean to scare you off there Frank!" he laughs "So, you okay? How's life?"
"It's pretty good thanks, and this time I'm not lying." I reply, grinning and leaning back against the uncomfortable wood.
"Really?" Gerard looks surprised. He pushes his long hair out of his face, his eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. I made a friend, her name's Grace. She's awesome, likes really good music, wears glasses sometimes, awesome clothes, really funny..." I ramble on about her for about five minutes, Gerard sits and listens to me, I can see the concentration in his eyes. I finish up with "...and she just makes me feel great. I don't feel so alone anymore." I finally pause for breath and Gerard looks me in the eye.
"You like her."
"What? No I don't! She's my friend!" I protest, my face burning. What is he talking about? I don't like Grace in that way, she's my best friend. Nothing else.
"Anyway, she's dating my friend Ray, I set them up together. It's been two weeks now" I stick my tongue out at him to prove a point.
"Wow, that's adorable. How can Grace resist that?" Gerard laughs and stands up "Whatever you say Frank. See you around." He walks off laughing to himself, leaving me sat on the very edge of the bench, my face red and doubt flying all around my brain.

It's Saturday again, and Grace, Ray and me are sat together in the children's climbing frame-castle thing. We sent most weekends either here or at eachother's houses now. "So basicaly this week I've been non-stop. I'm so tired..." Grace says, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "And it's so cold!" She shivers even though she's wrapped up in a thick,black coat and a the biggest scarf I've ever seen in my life. Ray puts his arm around her and she leans into him. Something stabs at my chest as I watch, and for some strange reason I want to tear them apart. " How can you possibly be cold? You've got more layers on than me and Frank put together" Ray laughs, tugging gently on a strand of her honey-brown hair. She's wearing it loose today, I never really realise how long it is when we're at school and she has it tied up.It looks lovely, slightly messy and her fringe slightly falling over her right eye, so she has to keep brushing it away or to tuck it behind her ear, only for it to fall back again. "I think I'm cold blooded like a lizard." Grace says, "I'm a freak, deal with it." She wraps her spindly fingers around Rays and he squeezes them tightly. Another stab hits me. What's wrong with me? Stupid Gerard, getting stupid ideas into my head, making me think I like her more than a friend. But as I sit there watching them, their hands locked together and their eyes so bright when they look at eachother, I start to wonder if he's right.
"Frank are you okay? You're really quiet today. What's wrong?" Ray asks, looking concerned.
"Mm? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just spacing a little that's all. Where were we?" I reply, that fake smile creeping back onto my face. The fake smile I thought I'd said goodbye to.