Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Twenty-One Letters Ending in T
Chapter 5.
3 reviews“Well, well, Frank Iero. Twenty-one letters ending in T” She breathed. Frank cocked his eyebrow. “Who,” She began, as she took the beer offered by the redhead, “would have guessed it?...
1Original
Escher was enjoying her grande Americano with a hazelnut shot immensely, and had just lit a cigarette when a shadow fell across her outside the Starbucks across from her office. She looked up at Frank’s face and smiled warily.
“Frank”
“Escher,” He replied in cool greeting.
He was wearing his traditional uniform, a pair of obscenely tight black jeans and a black hoodie printed with a skeleton and festering green lungs, the hood flipped up.
“How can I help?” She asked genially.
“Oh I’m just admiring the morning,”
Escher cocked one eyebrow but didn’t reply.
“I went to a great restaurant last night,” He went on, almost conversationally, and Escher looked up at him searchingly from her seat.
“Oh yes?”
He pulled out the seat across from her with a clatter and sat down abruptly.
“Yeah, Masa, on the upper west side,”
Escher choked on her coffee.
“I’m guessing you’ve heard of it,” Frank continued, a smirk marring his lips.
Escher swiped at her mouth and smiled wanly.
“I’ve heard of it”
He groaned.
“Why were you there with Gerard?” He asked bluntly.
“Business” Escher replied, not missing a beat.
“Wearing a disgustingly expensive looking silk dress? I don’t think so”
“Well not everyone can use the excuse of being a rock star to traipse around the hottest night spots in town in a pair of stovepipe pants and a hoodie Frank”
“Bullshit Escher. What’s going on? Are you having an affair with him? I deserve to know”
Escher laughed out loud and inhaled heavily against her cigarette, imagining that she could hear the crackle of the tobacco in the hectic city street.
“Oh really Frank? And please tell me what qualifies you as deserving to know anything about me?”
That seemed to floor him for a moment but he recovered quickly.
“Gerard is my bandmate and you are our /employee/, it would be a conflict of interest if you guys were fucking”
Escher tried not to wince at his crassness.
“Not to mention,” Frank continued, “that Gee is engaged to Eliza”
“You think I don’t know that?” Escher hissed, “You think I haven’t been working my ass off to keep that from the teenyboppers?”
“Well what the fuck is going on?” Frank roared, standing up, his chair clattering away, drawing wary glances from passing businessmen. Escher stood to her feet as well, just as furious as the man before her.
“Mind your own fucking business Frank” With that, Escher swung her heavy satchel over her shoulder and stormed towards the office.
Frank found Gerard in the recording studio, he had timed it so that he knew Gee would be alone. Gee looked up when the door to the studio slammed quietly.
“Hey Frankie”
Frank didn't bother with niceties.
“Are you fucking Escher?”
Gee resisted the urge to burst out laughing, especially when he realized how furiour Frank looked.
“What the fuck?”
“Just answer the question Gerard”
“No, I’m not Ifucking Escher, I’m engaged to Eliza if you’ll remember”
“Yeah, you are! So what the fuck were you doing on a date with Escher last night at Masa?”
“You were there?”
“Yeah I was there Gee, what the fuck?”
Gerard sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“We weren’t on a date per se, it was business”
Frank snorted.
“Fucking whatever Gee,” He muttered, “She hasn’t fucking changed, still the same spoiled fucking princess going after anyone she thinks will keep her in the lifestyle to which she’s become accustomed”
Gerard felt an anger bubbling away in him.
“What the fuck is your problem with Escher, Frank?”
“I don’t have one” The shorter male, Gerard had always thought he knew so well, snapped.
“Right. Did something happen between you guys? You know, at school?”
“No! Nothing except for her being a fucking bitch”
“Why do you think she’s a princess then? Because I can assure that she hasn’t had it easy”
Frank snorted again.
“Please Gerard, you’ve known her for what? A month? I’ve known her for years, flaunting her perfect parents and her nice couch and her neat clothes, she’s a bitch”
“Frank, with all due respect, you only knew E for a couple of years. Did you ever even meet her parents?”
“I met her mom,”
“What was she like?”
“What does it matter?”
“What was she like Frank?”
“She was beautiful, she was stand offish…like with us kids, the ones from school”
“Frank have you ever asked Escher about her home life?”
“Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because you don’t know everything about her”
Gerard scuffed his toe against the floor of the studio, remembering all of the conversations he’d had with Escher over endless pots of coffee and cigarettes.
“Look Frank, nothing’s going on between Escher and I. I can appreciate how it must have looked to you last night, but were there on business, that’s all. I love Eliza, ok? But Escher is a great girl and I think you need to be asking yourself why you’re really so upset about seeing us out together.”
With that he left the studio calmly, leaving Frank fuming.
Why did he care so much? Surely it was just because of the impropriety tied to Escher and Gee possibly having an affair. But when he closed his eyes he could see her as he’d seen her back then.
- Flasback -
Frank wandered aimlessly through the party, it was a typical Belleville party, thrown in a parentless house on a Friday night. He pulled his beanie closer down over his head as he scanned the kitchen for people he knew.
Suddenly his eyes were covered with two soft hands and he found himself smiling as he turned in the half-embrace.
“Um…Carmen Electra?” He questioned, knowing this game.
“Getting warmer” Came a giggling voice.
“Er…Lady Godiva?”
“Well I am naked…”
His eyes flew open at that comment to find Escher Green standing in front of him. She stood in a pair of tight jeans and a plain, pale blue tank top, her dark hair spiraling down her back, smirking at him.
“Well that got your attention”
He grinned and blushed.
“Drink?” He asked.
She nodded.
“Uh huh, sounds good”
He handed her a beer.
“So anyone we know here?” He asked her as they wandered out to the front yard and lit cigarettes.
“Um, Brad Delaware and his group,” Escher mused, noticing Frank’s grimace. “A couple of kids from my Calculus class, but apart from that it’s just us. Is Jamia here?”
Frank grimaced again and it didn’t go unnoticed by Escher.
“Frank?”
“No”
“Right, is this something we’re not talking about then?”
“Jamia and I are on a break”
“Right…I’m sorry”
He liked that she didn’t look at him with that pitiful sympathetic look. He’d be fine, damn fine.
A couple of hours later Frank stood by, cheering as Escher chugged a yard glass of beer. When she finished it she fell into his arms giggling.
“I did it!” She screamed, before turning on Luke Jane, “I told all you fucker’s I’d do it!”
Frank laughed with her until the shadow of Brad Delaware fell across them.
“Hey Esch” He said.
Escher giggled up at her sometimes boyfriend from where her head rested on Frank’s shoulder.
“Hey Bradley”
“What’s going on?”
“Oh me? I just chugged an entire yard glass on my own!”
“I was more wondering what you’re doing with Faggie here?”
The crowd seemed to go silent, traditionally anticipating a fight.
An electric charge seemed to ripple through Escher and the diminutive girl that had been a giggling drunk a few moments before suddenly seemed to tower over the basketball jock.
“What did you call Frank?” She demanded, vitriole spitting from between her chapped lips.
“It’s okay E,” Frank whispered gently, touching her hip, a tender gesture not missed by Brad who moved towards him. Escher got between them.
“You are a grade A asshole Brad, you know one day you won’t have high school and basketball to fall back on and everyone else will see how pathetic you are, just like I do”
She turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen, with Frank on her heels.
When he found her outside she was sitting on a tire swing, her head resting against her hands on the rope.
“Are you okay?” He asked quietly from behind her.
She stiffened momentarily but then the tension, the fight, melted from her.
“Hey Frankie, I’m fine”
“You didn’t need to do that back there”
“Come around in front of me, it’s uncomfortable talking to you when you’re behind me”.
He moved to stand in front of her.
“You didn’t need to do that for me,” He repeated.
“I didn’t do that for you Frank, I did it because people like Brad need to realized they can’t go through life like they do”
Frank felt a sweet smile spread across his lips. Barely knowing what he was doing he leant forward, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. She smiled up at him as his palm cupped her face, tilting it up towards him.
He shook his head quickly to clear that image. That wasn’t the real Escher Green, or Drake, or whoever the hell she was anyway. She proved that a few weeks later.
“Frank”
“Escher,” He replied in cool greeting.
He was wearing his traditional uniform, a pair of obscenely tight black jeans and a black hoodie printed with a skeleton and festering green lungs, the hood flipped up.
“How can I help?” She asked genially.
“Oh I’m just admiring the morning,”
Escher cocked one eyebrow but didn’t reply.
“I went to a great restaurant last night,” He went on, almost conversationally, and Escher looked up at him searchingly from her seat.
“Oh yes?”
He pulled out the seat across from her with a clatter and sat down abruptly.
“Yeah, Masa, on the upper west side,”
Escher choked on her coffee.
“I’m guessing you’ve heard of it,” Frank continued, a smirk marring his lips.
Escher swiped at her mouth and smiled wanly.
“I’ve heard of it”
He groaned.
“Why were you there with Gerard?” He asked bluntly.
“Business” Escher replied, not missing a beat.
“Wearing a disgustingly expensive looking silk dress? I don’t think so”
“Well not everyone can use the excuse of being a rock star to traipse around the hottest night spots in town in a pair of stovepipe pants and a hoodie Frank”
“Bullshit Escher. What’s going on? Are you having an affair with him? I deserve to know”
Escher laughed out loud and inhaled heavily against her cigarette, imagining that she could hear the crackle of the tobacco in the hectic city street.
“Oh really Frank? And please tell me what qualifies you as deserving to know anything about me?”
That seemed to floor him for a moment but he recovered quickly.
“Gerard is my bandmate and you are our /employee/, it would be a conflict of interest if you guys were fucking”
Escher tried not to wince at his crassness.
“Not to mention,” Frank continued, “that Gee is engaged to Eliza”
“You think I don’t know that?” Escher hissed, “You think I haven’t been working my ass off to keep that from the teenyboppers?”
“Well what the fuck is going on?” Frank roared, standing up, his chair clattering away, drawing wary glances from passing businessmen. Escher stood to her feet as well, just as furious as the man before her.
“Mind your own fucking business Frank” With that, Escher swung her heavy satchel over her shoulder and stormed towards the office.
Frank found Gerard in the recording studio, he had timed it so that he knew Gee would be alone. Gee looked up when the door to the studio slammed quietly.
“Hey Frankie”
Frank didn't bother with niceties.
“Are you fucking Escher?”
Gee resisted the urge to burst out laughing, especially when he realized how furiour Frank looked.
“What the fuck?”
“Just answer the question Gerard”
“No, I’m not Ifucking Escher, I’m engaged to Eliza if you’ll remember”
“Yeah, you are! So what the fuck were you doing on a date with Escher last night at Masa?”
“You were there?”
“Yeah I was there Gee, what the fuck?”
Gerard sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“We weren’t on a date per se, it was business”
Frank snorted.
“Fucking whatever Gee,” He muttered, “She hasn’t fucking changed, still the same spoiled fucking princess going after anyone she thinks will keep her in the lifestyle to which she’s become accustomed”
Gerard felt an anger bubbling away in him.
“What the fuck is your problem with Escher, Frank?”
“I don’t have one” The shorter male, Gerard had always thought he knew so well, snapped.
“Right. Did something happen between you guys? You know, at school?”
“No! Nothing except for her being a fucking bitch”
“Why do you think she’s a princess then? Because I can assure that she hasn’t had it easy”
Frank snorted again.
“Please Gerard, you’ve known her for what? A month? I’ve known her for years, flaunting her perfect parents and her nice couch and her neat clothes, she’s a bitch”
“Frank, with all due respect, you only knew E for a couple of years. Did you ever even meet her parents?”
“I met her mom,”
“What was she like?”
“What does it matter?”
“What was she like Frank?”
“She was beautiful, she was stand offish…like with us kids, the ones from school”
“Frank have you ever asked Escher about her home life?”
“Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because you don’t know everything about her”
Gerard scuffed his toe against the floor of the studio, remembering all of the conversations he’d had with Escher over endless pots of coffee and cigarettes.
“Look Frank, nothing’s going on between Escher and I. I can appreciate how it must have looked to you last night, but were there on business, that’s all. I love Eliza, ok? But Escher is a great girl and I think you need to be asking yourself why you’re really so upset about seeing us out together.”
With that he left the studio calmly, leaving Frank fuming.
Why did he care so much? Surely it was just because of the impropriety tied to Escher and Gee possibly having an affair. But when he closed his eyes he could see her as he’d seen her back then.
- Flasback -
Frank wandered aimlessly through the party, it was a typical Belleville party, thrown in a parentless house on a Friday night. He pulled his beanie closer down over his head as he scanned the kitchen for people he knew.
Suddenly his eyes were covered with two soft hands and he found himself smiling as he turned in the half-embrace.
“Um…Carmen Electra?” He questioned, knowing this game.
“Getting warmer” Came a giggling voice.
“Er…Lady Godiva?”
“Well I am naked…”
His eyes flew open at that comment to find Escher Green standing in front of him. She stood in a pair of tight jeans and a plain, pale blue tank top, her dark hair spiraling down her back, smirking at him.
“Well that got your attention”
He grinned and blushed.
“Drink?” He asked.
She nodded.
“Uh huh, sounds good”
He handed her a beer.
“So anyone we know here?” He asked her as they wandered out to the front yard and lit cigarettes.
“Um, Brad Delaware and his group,” Escher mused, noticing Frank’s grimace. “A couple of kids from my Calculus class, but apart from that it’s just us. Is Jamia here?”
Frank grimaced again and it didn’t go unnoticed by Escher.
“Frank?”
“No”
“Right, is this something we’re not talking about then?”
“Jamia and I are on a break”
“Right…I’m sorry”
He liked that she didn’t look at him with that pitiful sympathetic look. He’d be fine, damn fine.
A couple of hours later Frank stood by, cheering as Escher chugged a yard glass of beer. When she finished it she fell into his arms giggling.
“I did it!” She screamed, before turning on Luke Jane, “I told all you fucker’s I’d do it!”
Frank laughed with her until the shadow of Brad Delaware fell across them.
“Hey Esch” He said.
Escher giggled up at her sometimes boyfriend from where her head rested on Frank’s shoulder.
“Hey Bradley”
“What’s going on?”
“Oh me? I just chugged an entire yard glass on my own!”
“I was more wondering what you’re doing with Faggie here?”
The crowd seemed to go silent, traditionally anticipating a fight.
An electric charge seemed to ripple through Escher and the diminutive girl that had been a giggling drunk a few moments before suddenly seemed to tower over the basketball jock.
“What did you call Frank?” She demanded, vitriole spitting from between her chapped lips.
“It’s okay E,” Frank whispered gently, touching her hip, a tender gesture not missed by Brad who moved towards him. Escher got between them.
“You are a grade A asshole Brad, you know one day you won’t have high school and basketball to fall back on and everyone else will see how pathetic you are, just like I do”
She turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen, with Frank on her heels.
When he found her outside she was sitting on a tire swing, her head resting against her hands on the rope.
“Are you okay?” He asked quietly from behind her.
She stiffened momentarily but then the tension, the fight, melted from her.
“Hey Frankie, I’m fine”
“You didn’t need to do that back there”
“Come around in front of me, it’s uncomfortable talking to you when you’re behind me”.
He moved to stand in front of her.
“You didn’t need to do that for me,” He repeated.
“I didn’t do that for you Frank, I did it because people like Brad need to realized they can’t go through life like they do”
Frank felt a sweet smile spread across his lips. Barely knowing what he was doing he leant forward, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. She smiled up at him as his palm cupped her face, tilting it up towards him.
He shook his head quickly to clear that image. That wasn’t the real Escher Green, or Drake, or whoever the hell she was anyway. She proved that a few weeks later.
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