FicWad

The day was still young when Frank decided he was going to go out. He was tired of hearing his parents argue over which horse they thought was going to win and who needed to tidy what, so he grabbed his bag and left the house leaving nothing but a note. He knew they wouldn't worry because, hello, in their eyes he was the son sent from heaven.

As he walked down the slightly chilly streets of New Jersey, he gave a small, happy sigh, watching the white tendrils float up into the dull grey sky above. He loved this season. Autumn was his favorite for so many reasons he was afraid if he were to write them down, it would turn into a book. So he just stuck with the three main ones. The trees looked amazing when I leaves turned orange and brown, he loved that the air was becoming colder and he could start wearing his jumpers again and his birthday was in October. He felt everything just looked beautiful this time of the year.

The more he looked around his neighbor hood, the more his smile faltered. It was always the same thing. Boring houses, dogs, families, laughing children and trouble makers hanging out on corners. There was never anything new. No one new moved in, no one old left. It was as if the neighbor hood was on pause and Frank was the only one left to play.

Before he knew it, he had walked into town, where everything is alive and busy. There were groups of teens walking around, laughing and shoving as they happily shuffled down the main street. Old couples sat sipping coffee outside of the old coffee pot coffee shop and mothers and fathers dragging their annoyingly hyperactive children along. Everyone was in a rush all the time. It was as if the clocks had been put forward an hour, making everybody late.

Smiling softly at the child that had walked past with an ice cream melting in her hands, Frank started hunting through his bag for the book he was yet to return to the library. He thought while he was in town he might as well do it.

"Hey! Frank, right?" he heard a slightly enthusiastic girl say. He looked up from his bag to find the blonde girl from his class. He still couldn't remember her name. "It's Cara!"

"Uh, yeah, hey" he said with a small forced smile. She was in town with the people that, for some strange reason, didn't particularly like him.

"We were going to go to the game center and play lazer tag. Did you want to come? The more the merrier, right?" Cara grinned as the group behind her muttered quiet mhm's and sure's.

Frank shook his head gently and pulled his book from his bag. "I have things to do today, sorry" He got ready to start walking again, but Cara stopped him.

"Like what? Anything important?"

He panicked. He had been so set on just walking away that he hadn't thought this far ahead. It didn't actually have things planned to do today, he just didn't want to go with them. He looked down at his book and smiled. "I'm going to the library, to um, study a little" he said with a nod, frowning when Cara's group snickered behind her.

She frowned and nodded gently. "Maybe next time then?" she looked at him hopefully, a small smile coming back on her face as he gave in with a small nod. Lying of course. "Cool! See you on Monday then!" she gave a small, happy wave and skipped off with her followers behind her.

Rolling his eyes with a sigh, he carried on his way to the library, book in hand. He didn't hate those people, not in the way they hated him. He just didn't particularly like them and would rather not associate with them. He was happy not having friends than having to be fake like everyone else. It was always the same.

If you're weird, or even different in the slightest, you're going to make it. Trust me yesterdays guide, Gerard's voice said in his head. Make a difference by being different.

Smiling to himself, he looked up the steps of the library. When was the historic center beside the library? he thought as he stared at the beautiful building. He hadn't noticed it before and, considering he had lived in New Jersey his whole life, you'd think he would have. He had been to the library millions of times and not once had he seen it. Now ignoring the presence of the library and the book in his hand, he pulled open the glass door of the historic center and stepped inside the slightly busy building. He smiled and looked around, just like he had the day before and just stood there, completely intrigued in the buildings details and architecture. He easily loses himself in here.

"Hi, can I help you?" a man asked, snapping Frank out of his dreamy trance. He blinked hard and turned, finding his guide from the yesterday looking at him with a small smile.

'Um, well..." he shrugged gently and held his book at his chest, suddenly shy. He didn't even know why he had walked in here to begin with, but he knew it was his new favorite place.

The man nodded gently, slightly amused as he straightened his name tag, drawing Franks eyes to his name. Sure he had learnt it yesterday and still remembered it. He remembered his face too, so of course he was going to know his name. But yesterday he didn't have any time to actually admire it and notice the slightly strange spelling. It was quite uncommon to see Gerard actually spelled as Gerard. It was always the stupid Jersey spelling; Gerrerd. What kind of stupid human being created that one?

"Are you here to look around or just checking it out?" Gerard asked in a cool collected voice.

Frank looked up at him from his name tag, pushing away the thoughts of insults he could throw at who ever came up with Gerrerd and said "I don't even know why I'm here" and mentally shot himself in the face. That could have been one of the stupidest things he had ever said. Period.

"You get drawn in here no matter what. Everyone ends up here" he smiled. "I'm a guide here, actually. My names-"

"Gerard. Yeah, I know, I was here yesterday with my school" Frank said with a blush. "You were our guide"

Gerard squinted his emerald eyes at him, like he was in thought or trying to make him look better. Then he smiled and his eyes lit up, getting him ready for his enthusiastic "You were the quite one in the front, right? I was with your teacher and you were in the front of the group, in front of that girl... blonde I think. I don't know her name"

Smiling slightly at the face Gerard didn't remember Cara's name either, he nodded gently. "Yeah. That was me. I tend to not talk often" he gave a small shrug. "I liked what you said about being different though. I thought that was really cool"

He watched Gerard's smile widen, showing his slightly small, white teeth. Everything seemed to excite him. Just remembering who Frank was made him grin and throw his hands about as he tried to explain where Frank knew fine well where he was standing. It was amazing watching how happy he was because people in New Jersey just, well, weren't. Everyone was boring and dull. The whole place black and white, and here Gerard was, the only color in this place hiding in a magnificent building working as a guide. It really stumped Frank as to why he wasn't doing something better with his life.

"I just think that people need to acknowledge the fact that being different is a good thing. Who wants to live in shades of gray when you can live in all the colors you can imagine?" He smiled and glanced over at the desk. "I should probably get back to work before my boss comes about. If you end up having another tour of the place I might see you again. See ya!"

Frank watched him stalk off into the crowd after a small wave, being taken away by a group into the depths of the building. He desperately wanted to take another tour just to hear him talk some more, but he couldn't. He didn't have the money on him at that moment and plus, he had only seen it yesterday, what possibly could have changed?

Sighing, he gave the place one final look and dragged his feet out the door and over to the library, where he was originally going. Maybe he'd go next week. He'd get a job in that time and save up some money, instead of asking his parents so he could go whenever he wanted how many times he wanted. It wasn't that he was obsessed with this Gerard character, he genuinely liked the place. The marble tiles, the large colorful signs that hung from the ceiling and the tall, thick sandstone pillars that helped hold the roof up. He loved the detailed carvings in the wooden front desks, the different pieces of history you could see. Like the mummified person he had seen yesterday. Tutan Karman was it?

As he reached the libraries door, a small sign caught his eye and as convienient as this sign was, it made him happy. Jobs wanted.