FicWad

Frank Iero knew something was wrong as soon as he woke up that morning.
“Hello?” he asked groggily into the battered phone.
His hair was mussed, his hazel eyes blurred and blinking as he tried to adjust to the early morning light. That was how he knew there was something wrong; no one who knew him would ever call him this early, not if they valued their life. He checked the neon letters on his alarm clock and groaned.
“Frank,” his father`s usual calm and collected voice urged for him to be quiet and listen, “You have to come home. Right now.”
Frank fumbled for the bedside lamp, resulting in knocking it off of the rickety nightstand and cursed under his breath. It was then that he noticed the other side of the bed was empty and cold. A hastily scrawled note left in the place of his girlfriend of four months, Kodi.
“Frank, do you hear me? Get dressed, get in your car and come straight home. Tell no one.”
Frank blinked once in confusion, “Are you insane?! It`s six in the morning!”
“Frank, please just come home.”
“Is Mom alright?” his mother, forty three year old Hollie Iero was a computer consultant and had just left two days ago for a job in London. London, England. Frank suddenly had the horrific vision of a plane hurtling down to the ground, bursting into orange flames as it went.
“What`s happened, Dad? Tell me. Now.”
“Look, nothing’s wrong I just need you here, alright? Please.” The frightening neediness to his voice- a tone that Frank had never heard before in his father`s voice-made him sound almost like a stranger to him. A crazed, terrified stranger.
“I`ll be there in a hour.” the scared tone helped him make up his mind.
“Okay, good. And Frank?”
“Yes?”
“Bring your laptop. I need you to download a file for me.”
“Alright I love you.” it sounded more like a question.
His dad answered after a brief pause. “Love you too.”
So it looked like today wasn`t the best time to mention to his dad that he and Kodi were in love. Like Jack and Sally, Romeo and Juliet kind of love.
He rolled out of bed, forgetting all about the note until it fluttered down off the bed.
Sorry something came up at work, see you later. Xoxo kodes
Sighing, Frank crumples the note up and throws it in the trash, wondering what had possessed him tell the last night while to two of them lay exhausted under the sheets. That was why she wasn`t here today, she obviously thought he was lying and was now mad. But after she had kissed him again and told him, “Don`t love me.”
“Why ever not?”
Kodi had sighed and tucked a soft lock of chestnut brown behind his ear, “Because I`m trouble.”
Frank dressed in a hurry, tugging a clean The Cure shirt over his head and sliding a pair of baggy light blue jeans on.
“This was so not the day I had planned,” he mumbles, grabbing his car keys from downstairs and locks up the house, saying a cheery goodbye to his dogs, a retired greyhound called Chase and Border collie called Lulu.
“Hey Kodi. Listen I`ve gotta go see dad today so would you mind checking the dogs later when you finish work? Erm call me back when you can or text me or something. Bye.” He says awkwardly and dials a second number, the one of him mother`s hotel in England.
“Hello Thames River Hotel, may we help you?” An overly friendly voice answers.
“Yes my mother, Hollie Iero is staying in room thirteen; can you please put me through to her room?”
On the other side the receptionist frowns, and rechecks their database. “I`m sorry sir, there is no Hollie Iero staying in room thirteen. In fact we have no guests with that name.”
Frank hangs up and throws the mobile down onto the dashboard in a brief fit or worry. The hotel had gotten it wrong, that was all.
He fights his way through the busy Jersey traffic, honking and flipping off several other cars, the simmer heat only adding to frustration. He tapped his tattooed fingers on the steering wheel to the radio, waiting for his mom, dad or Kodi to get in touch, but the handheld device stays agonisingly silent for the whole drive.