Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Hybrid Moments
Seven
Frank spotted Gerard standing outside the cafeteria with Mikey in between first and second periods. He walked over, trying to look as amicable as possible. He smiled and waved and Mikey scoffed at him, making a rude gesture with his hands - Mikey was just the right age (freshman) where this behavior was not only acceptable but expected. He gave a warm, toothy smile in return to Mikey's obscenity, and altered his course ever so slightly so that he stopped directly in front of Gerard. "Hey, Gerard." He said, unable to conceal a genuine smile despite the worries that plagued him.
"Hey Frank." It was almost as though they each took secret pleasure in saying one another's names, an informality they had slouched into by default.
"How was class?" Gerard asked.
Frank hesitated. "It was.. good. Really good. But I'm glad it's over. Although there are six more to go.. Yours?"
The conversation melted into petty chitchat, until it had gone on for so long that Frank couldn't stand it and Mikey was looking like he was going to blow his brains out.
"Gerard, why don't we go somewhere, er, private?" His sentence came out weirdly sexual sounding, but in reality, he just wanted to smoke and knew Mikey didn't approve.
Gerard nodded rather hesitantly, and bid Mikey goodbye.
Mikey's response to their farewell was a huffy sigh and, "God, you guys are gay." Before he kicked his weight off the wall on which he'd been leaning and went in another direction. Gerard and Frank laughed, nervously.
"I just wanted to smoke, I know Mikey doesn't like it and I couldn't think of a not weird way to ask in front of him..." Frank's explanation came out quickly and high pitched, it was obvious he was feeling insecure about Mikey's comment. Gerard brushed it off. "I figured. I'll show you the spot we go to. It's still possible we'll get caught, but all they give you is a detention and call your parents."
Frank shrugged. His mom knew he smoked and didn't give a fuck. ("If you want to kill yourself, be my guest") To be fair, she smoked as well.
They walked to the outskirts of the school's grounds, where a small thicket sprouted. On the other side of it, Gerard said, there was a golf course. They entered the thicket, and Gerard located a well-worn trio of stumps, presumably left intact for the sole purpose of indulging high school smokers.
Frank and Gerard sat down, lit their cigarettes, and breathed twin sighs of relief. "So are we skipping, then?" Frank asked curiously.
"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?" Gerard smiled his secret little smile.
The weather that day was breezy, but not freezing. The sky was overcast and loudly threatening to rain. Frank hugged his coat a bit closer in order to keep warm and took a drag of his cigarette.
"So, Nina told me you have a class with her." Gerard said conversationally.
Well that was fast. Frank thought, wondering how in the hell she'd gotten to him first. "Yeah, we do. She's quite the note passer."
Gerard looked a little concerned. "She passed you notes?" Frank nodded slowly, hesitantly, wondering if telling Gerard what Nina had said was a bad move. "She said you have a custom of taking the new kids under your wing, that's really nice of you to do that for me too." This sentence was all it took for Gerard to realise what Nina had said. The way Frank avoided Gerard's gaze, and in the false cheery tone he used. Gerard ashed his cigarette and placed his hand gently under Frank's chin, forcing the other boy to meet his eyes.
"Yeah, we help people out. But you're not like them, I hope you know that. We want you to hang out with us, really. I want you to hang out with us."
Frank wouldn't have been surprised if he had to be hospitalized for having a heart the shape and consistency of a Cadbury Egg left in the car for too long.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to gossip or pass along what people said, it just made me worry that you were only hanging out with me to help me adjust, and not because you actually liked me." Frank stammered, feeling extremely unintelligent and overwhelmed by the physical contact.
Gerard removed his hand from beneath Frank's chin, fixing him with a tender expression. "I know what you thought, and I'm sorry. Nina's insane."
Frank nodded, feeling rather like a child.
Gerard's expression changed suddenly, and he leaned in to Frank, so close Frank could smell his breath - Altoids and cigarettes. Beautiful.
"So what else did she say? You know she used to write me passionate, erotic love letters?" He laughed loudly, and Frank couldn't help but laugh, too.
"What a psycho. And she dated Mikey? How old is she?"
"She's a sophomore. I don't understand what would possess a person to act that way." Gerard sighed, taking the last drag of his cigarette and lighting another one almost immediately.
"So you're really not interested, then?" Frank looked casually at his fingernails while he asked this, in a vain attempt not to seem too intrigued.
"Of course not. I mean, she is a girl." Gerard said this all in a rush, and then his expression appeared guilty, like he had spilled someone else's secrets.
"Oh. So. Are you gay?" Frank asked, unable to keep from betraying his intrigue this time.
"Well, yeah. I mean, I think so.." Gerard appeared sheepish, meanwhile, Frank was having trouble concealing his utter joy.
"I think I might be, too." He said, even though he truly had no idea, he was having feelings for a man, and he was happy to say or do anything to comfort his friend.
Gerard looked up from his shoes, his hazel eyes lit up with surprise and happiness. "You don't say."
Frank shrugged - now it was his turn to feel sheepish. "Have you come out to your parents?" He asked, wondering if it was too personal a question immediately after.
"No. My parents are never around. I haven't told anyone. You're actually the first." Gerard refused to make eye contact, clearly feeling silly again. In a moment of pure instinct, Frank reached his hand over and cupped it around Gerard's, causing Gerard to finally meet his eyes. Frank smiled, and Gerard smiled, and all the things they felt silly about disappeared. They were completely comfortable again. The tingle of their touching hands was far too overwhelming for their attention to remain fixed on anything else.
They decided it would be best to go in after checking the time. As much as they wanted to skip third period too, they knew they had to draw the line somewhere, so they went to class, promising eachother a saved seat at lunch.
---
The two met up again after school, Frank had to make certain that Gerard was able to locate his car and get himself and his brother home. They offered him a ride which he politely declined, instead opting to take himself home and sit by the phone in case a certain raven-haired young man decided to call.
Sure enough, after an hour or two of sitting by himself, the phone rang. Frank grabbed it immediately, "Hello?"
"Hey Frank, it's Gerard. I was wondering if you wanted to get drunk with me later. I've decided to break into my parents' liquor cabinet."
Frank laughed. "I'd really enjoy that."
"Cool, pick you up at eight."
Click.
Frank spent the remainder of his time until eight wondering a small list of things:
1. Where the fuck were Gerard and Mikey's parents?
2. Were the rest of the guys going to be there?
3. How was it possible for one person to be so lovely?
Frank spotted Gerard standing outside the cafeteria with Mikey in between first and second periods. He walked over, trying to look as amicable as possible. He smiled and waved and Mikey scoffed at him, making a rude gesture with his hands - Mikey was just the right age (freshman) where this behavior was not only acceptable but expected. He gave a warm, toothy smile in return to Mikey's obscenity, and altered his course ever so slightly so that he stopped directly in front of Gerard. "Hey, Gerard." He said, unable to conceal a genuine smile despite the worries that plagued him.
"Hey Frank." It was almost as though they each took secret pleasure in saying one another's names, an informality they had slouched into by default.
"How was class?" Gerard asked.
Frank hesitated. "It was.. good. Really good. But I'm glad it's over. Although there are six more to go.. Yours?"
The conversation melted into petty chitchat, until it had gone on for so long that Frank couldn't stand it and Mikey was looking like he was going to blow his brains out.
"Gerard, why don't we go somewhere, er, private?" His sentence came out weirdly sexual sounding, but in reality, he just wanted to smoke and knew Mikey didn't approve.
Gerard nodded rather hesitantly, and bid Mikey goodbye.
Mikey's response to their farewell was a huffy sigh and, "God, you guys are gay." Before he kicked his weight off the wall on which he'd been leaning and went in another direction. Gerard and Frank laughed, nervously.
"I just wanted to smoke, I know Mikey doesn't like it and I couldn't think of a not weird way to ask in front of him..." Frank's explanation came out quickly and high pitched, it was obvious he was feeling insecure about Mikey's comment. Gerard brushed it off. "I figured. I'll show you the spot we go to. It's still possible we'll get caught, but all they give you is a detention and call your parents."
Frank shrugged. His mom knew he smoked and didn't give a fuck. ("If you want to kill yourself, be my guest") To be fair, she smoked as well.
They walked to the outskirts of the school's grounds, where a small thicket sprouted. On the other side of it, Gerard said, there was a golf course. They entered the thicket, and Gerard located a well-worn trio of stumps, presumably left intact for the sole purpose of indulging high school smokers.
Frank and Gerard sat down, lit their cigarettes, and breathed twin sighs of relief. "So are we skipping, then?" Frank asked curiously.
"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?" Gerard smiled his secret little smile.
The weather that day was breezy, but not freezing. The sky was overcast and loudly threatening to rain. Frank hugged his coat a bit closer in order to keep warm and took a drag of his cigarette.
"So, Nina told me you have a class with her." Gerard said conversationally.
Well that was fast. Frank thought, wondering how in the hell she'd gotten to him first. "Yeah, we do. She's quite the note passer."
Gerard looked a little concerned. "She passed you notes?" Frank nodded slowly, hesitantly, wondering if telling Gerard what Nina had said was a bad move. "She said you have a custom of taking the new kids under your wing, that's really nice of you to do that for me too." This sentence was all it took for Gerard to realise what Nina had said. The way Frank avoided Gerard's gaze, and in the false cheery tone he used. Gerard ashed his cigarette and placed his hand gently under Frank's chin, forcing the other boy to meet his eyes.
"Yeah, we help people out. But you're not like them, I hope you know that. We want you to hang out with us, really. I want you to hang out with us."
Frank wouldn't have been surprised if he had to be hospitalized for having a heart the shape and consistency of a Cadbury Egg left in the car for too long.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to gossip or pass along what people said, it just made me worry that you were only hanging out with me to help me adjust, and not because you actually liked me." Frank stammered, feeling extremely unintelligent and overwhelmed by the physical contact.
Gerard removed his hand from beneath Frank's chin, fixing him with a tender expression. "I know what you thought, and I'm sorry. Nina's insane."
Frank nodded, feeling rather like a child.
Gerard's expression changed suddenly, and he leaned in to Frank, so close Frank could smell his breath - Altoids and cigarettes. Beautiful.
"So what else did she say? You know she used to write me passionate, erotic love letters?" He laughed loudly, and Frank couldn't help but laugh, too.
"What a psycho. And she dated Mikey? How old is she?"
"She's a sophomore. I don't understand what would possess a person to act that way." Gerard sighed, taking the last drag of his cigarette and lighting another one almost immediately.
"So you're really not interested, then?" Frank looked casually at his fingernails while he asked this, in a vain attempt not to seem too intrigued.
"Of course not. I mean, she is a girl." Gerard said this all in a rush, and then his expression appeared guilty, like he had spilled someone else's secrets.
"Oh. So. Are you gay?" Frank asked, unable to keep from betraying his intrigue this time.
"Well, yeah. I mean, I think so.." Gerard appeared sheepish, meanwhile, Frank was having trouble concealing his utter joy.
"I think I might be, too." He said, even though he truly had no idea, he was having feelings for a man, and he was happy to say or do anything to comfort his friend.
Gerard looked up from his shoes, his hazel eyes lit up with surprise and happiness. "You don't say."
Frank shrugged - now it was his turn to feel sheepish. "Have you come out to your parents?" He asked, wondering if it was too personal a question immediately after.
"No. My parents are never around. I haven't told anyone. You're actually the first." Gerard refused to make eye contact, clearly feeling silly again. In a moment of pure instinct, Frank reached his hand over and cupped it around Gerard's, causing Gerard to finally meet his eyes. Frank smiled, and Gerard smiled, and all the things they felt silly about disappeared. They were completely comfortable again. The tingle of their touching hands was far too overwhelming for their attention to remain fixed on anything else.
They decided it would be best to go in after checking the time. As much as they wanted to skip third period too, they knew they had to draw the line somewhere, so they went to class, promising eachother a saved seat at lunch.
---
The two met up again after school, Frank had to make certain that Gerard was able to locate his car and get himself and his brother home. They offered him a ride which he politely declined, instead opting to take himself home and sit by the phone in case a certain raven-haired young man decided to call.
Sure enough, after an hour or two of sitting by himself, the phone rang. Frank grabbed it immediately, "Hello?"
"Hey Frank, it's Gerard. I was wondering if you wanted to get drunk with me later. I've decided to break into my parents' liquor cabinet."
Frank laughed. "I'd really enjoy that."
"Cool, pick you up at eight."
Click.
Frank spent the remainder of his time until eight wondering a small list of things:
1. Where the fuck were Gerard and Mikey's parents?
2. Were the rest of the guys going to be there?
3. How was it possible for one person to be so lovely?
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