FicWad

After storming back from his band sectional (and happily outplaying poor confused Mallory), Sid bumped into Frankie right as he was leaving.
“S-s-sorry!” Frankie stammered, and tried to step around him. Sid cut him off, eyes dark and unreadable.
“Siddown, junior, I wanna talk to you,” Sid pushed Frankie back, and gestured towards a chair. Frankie felt sick to his stomach. This boy was the sort his mum had warned him about. He was here to learn about Jesus, not to be bullied. Where was his mum when he needed her?!
Sid languidly pulled up a rolly chair from a desk and sat across from Frank. When the younger boy started fidgeting in the uncomfortable silence, Sidney finally said something.
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” Sid quoted, and Frankie immediately leapt to it, like a person on a burning building would leap for a rope off.
“That’s from The Dark Knight!” he blurts, and then clamps his hand over his mouth.
“Ooh. That’s a scary movie for a kid like you. Mommy let you watch that, hmmm? Or did you sneak up and watch it on Pay Per View?” Sid cocks his head to one side. Frankie doesn’t know what to do. He decides to just be honest and nods.
“Snuck up?”
“Uh....yeah.”
Sidney laughs, and Frankie starts in his chair. “Good job! Frankie, right? You like Superheroes?” he asks, friendly. Frankie is relieved, too relieved to notice the character switch. “Yeah! I really do, but my mum won’t let me watch a lot of the movies, violence, y’know, Catholics and stuff,” Frankie explains, gesturing with his hands.
“Ahh, I know the feeling. Eventually you’ve got to realize that you’re gonna be a disappointment and watch yourself some Superman. Personally, I can’t stand Superman. Conceited prick with all the powers in the world?” Sid exhales, Tcch. “I know! Superman’s stupid. I like Spider-Man. He’s cooler, and his girlfriend’s kind of...uh...” Frankie trails off, blushing.
“Totally and utterly bangable?”
Frankie laughs, and nods. “Yes.”
Sid changes the subject. “Ever read Harry Potter?”
“No. Magic and Catholic parents don’t mix well,” Frankie says, staring at the dingy carpeting. “Do you want to?” Sidney asks, and Frankie’s eyes snap up. “Really? You have them?” he asks, excited. Harry Potter! Hooray for boarding school!
“Oh yeah! Hell, I’ll even read them to you if you want. Here,” Sid pushes himself backwards, and starts rummaging under his bed. Pulling out three much-abused hardcovers, Sidney nonchalantly tosses them to an ecstatic eleven year old one by one.
“Thank you!” Frankie yells as he fumbles the books.
“No problemo. Knock yourself out, and don’t tell your parents, okay?” Sid says over his shoulder, leaving the boy to his literature.
“I won’t! I promise!”

Hearing the click of the door behind him, Sidney smirks. He’s officially bought off two boys into not telling on him. Frankie’s been sated with forbidden literature, and Dark Haired Waifish One feels like he’s got something special because he knows a little bit of the backstory. Two more to go.
Feeling satisfied, Sidney leans against the dorm building and reaches inside his blazer pocket for a cigarette.
No. No smoking. Sid reluctantly draws his hands out of his blazer. He had to quit. Both for his lungs and for his new plan.

~*~

Gerard hopped up and down at the back of the group. The callback lists were up already, and he had to know if he got in, as impossible as it seemed. I mean, he just got up there and sang Why should I worry from Oliver and Company, there’s no way he could just get a part like that, right?
Tired of ducking and weaving, Gerard suddenly shoved his way to the front of the group.
“Hey! Don’t push!” a pudgy girl snapped.
“Shut your face!” Gerard snapped.
Whoa. What was that? Why did he do that?
Gerard quickly scanned the list for his name, and....THERE IT WAS!
He was competing against four other boys, but still! He had a shot! He had to practice!

Gerard leaped away from the group and ran back to Dorm five.
“Mikes! Mikey! I’m gonna be Peter Pan!” he shouted as he neared the Dorm. Sidney was leaning against the wall, and Gerard stopped.
“You’re doing what now?”
“I-I I’m auditioning for the lead in the musical....?” Gerard tried to state it, but it sounded like a question.
Sid sighed, then whirled off the building to scream.
“YOU STUPID LITTLE FUCK!”
Gerard jumped back. What? Why?
“You don’t fit in by getting noticed! When your pansy-ass gets beaten up for being a queer-as-folk art fag, don’t cry to me, okay? Nobody is here to help you. You don’t have a mommy anymore. Jesus Christ, that’s like saying you want to fit in then joining an anime club. Get outta my way, twerp. You’re not worth my time.”
Sid pushed past Gerard and left.

Gerard stared at the ground, wishing that he could disappear. Why did he try out for the musical in the first place? Sid was right, he was just a stupid kid.
“You okay?”
Gerard hadn’t heard the door open. Frankie was standing there, looking befuddled. “He was nice, like, two seconds ago...” he said, staring after Sid. Gerard rubbed his eyes on his sleeve. “Don’t cry. I heard you shouting about the musical, it’ll be okay, Sidney’s just in a bad mood. And he’s a homophobe. That’s saying something, because I live with my all-gays-are-sinners mum and my dad who thinks that my lesbian aunts are bad influences. Typical Catholic family,” Frankie explaining, trying to talk with his hands, even though one of them was marking a spot in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
“I like Harry Potter,” Gerard hiccuped.
“Me too! It’s really good so far, even if Harry complains a bit too much. Get your Bible work done yet?” Frankie asked brightly.
Gerard deflated further.
“Err...No? Here, I’ll help you. This Jesus fellow isn’t too hard to write about once you embrace the stop-being-a-jerk policy and the keep-your-purity-vacuum-sealed law. How’s the Bible verse coming?” Frankie stopped chattering, and Gerard noted that he actually wanted an answer. Unfortunately, Gerard had no idea what he was talking about.
“What?”
“You have to memorize Bible verses. We write on Wednesdays.”
“That’s stupid.”
“It’s school policy. Don’t like it, go to St. Joel’s. Need help?”
Gerard nodded, feeling a bit better since Sidney decided to ruin everything. “Yeah. I don’t get this religion-y stuff at all. My dad calls it Opiate for the Masses.”
“What’s an Opiate?”
“No idea.”
Frankie laughed, and held the door open for Gerard.

~*~

Sidney stormed through the quad, hands jammed into his pockets and scowling at everyone. The portrait of a moody teenage.
He let his mind wander. It went to the same place it always went. Nina and Leslie. Bros before hos. Especially if the Ho is his. You don’t share Hos.
Nina...God. Why? Nina was the prettiest damn girl ever. He wanted her, Leslie wanted her, Nina wanted both of them. She dated Leslie, but then she cheated on Leslie with him.
Sid grinned. Mint gum. She tasted like mint gum.
Leslie didn’t take that too well. He told everybody fucking everything, the drunken ramblings, the dark secrets, all the big awful things. So, naturally, he had to kick his ass.
Yeah. Shit.
Then there was Gerard, poor kid who didn't deserve a word of it. Damn. That bridge was burned beyond repair.

“Fuck off,” he muttered when John fell into step beside him. John smirked-God, did he look like that when he smirked?-and hummed some Fratellis lyrics.
“No. Shut up.”
John sucked in air. “Grouchy. You smoked lately?” he asked, reaching into his blazer for a pack of cigarettes. “No! I’m quitting. Cut the shit, alright?” Sid snapped.
“Wow. How long?”
Sidney did some mental math. “Three hours.”
“Ha Ha Ha Ha! Oh my God, there’s no way you’ll quit!” John doubled over laughing.
Sid scowled and walked faster.
John stayed a step behind him, dogging his heels. “I’ve been thinking about names for the club thing. How about The Midnight Troupe, because we’re all meeting after dark?” John asked, skipping from foot to foot.
“That’s stupid. I’ll keep it, it fits the theme.”
“Yowza! Where’d you steal that one?” John asked, walking backwards. Sidney rolled his eyes, being a perfectly sardonic teenager.
“Listen,” John said, hopping in front of his little bro and grabbing his shoulders. “Whatthefuckgetoff!”
“Hush. There’s a girl who can get you tarot cards and candles. She’s a year younger than you, and a lesbian.”
“Why is the lesbian part important?” Sid asked, tilting his face. “You think love is a verb. You’ll hit on her. I’m saving your ass. She’s also a Wiccan, so be polite,” John requested.
“What the hell is a Wiccan?”
“It’s a modern day pagan. Be nice.”
“Ooh. Sexy. I don’t even know what she looks like, but I’d do her.”
John sighed and let go of his brother. “See, that’s what happens with you. You want all the girls. Then, you get hooked on a girl, and you ruin her life until she breaks up with you. Then you go on a drunken bender and spend a week in you underwear. After that, you wake her up at three in the morning blasting ‘Good Will Hunting By Myself’. You’re just like your dad.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I just won’t breed. And it’s OUR dad, got it?” Sidney snapped, nearly reaching for his cigarettes.
“Listen, about Nina-”
“Shuddup. Nina was perfect. She’s gone. Shut up.”
John stopped walking, and watched Sid leave. He worried about Sidney, so much. Mostly, he worried what was going on in his head. Well, as long as he’s got his friends, he’ll be okay, right?