Hate, Love, and Sex Appeal

I only smiled in response to his remark. I lazily trudged over to the awaiting dresser that had been holding away all my clothing in it’s sleek little body and instantly whipped out my favorite pair of jet black and purely white striped pajama bottoms. I quickly pulled them over the flaming red boxers that had been claiming the middle section of my body. I hadn’t bothered taking them off and changing completely because that would be a total waste of energy.
“You’re not gunna take those off?”
Gerard nudged his head in my direction as I spun around to greedily snatch his questioning glance down at my pj bottoms. I inhaled deeply to offer a snide response, however, I was rudely interrupted by:

“Brianna! Gerard!”
“Wha-”

I smirked before purposely launching a mushy pillow into his face before he had the pleasure of finishing his word. He tightly held the pillow in his strong clutch as he cocked a thick eyebrow at where I was comfortably sitting.
“They’re not going to answer you, first of all, and second, asking ‘what’ is bound to get you into more trouble, duh.”

A playful grin whisked it’s grace upon the lower half of his jaw as he light-heartedly shook his head in laughter.
“You’re so weird.”
“Get used to it. Now, get off of your fat ass and go see what they want before they have a fit.” I demandingly ordered as I lazily laid on the bed’s welcoming surface..

“They called you too, Hun.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean I have to go, now does it? No. Now go.”
“So why d--”
“Gerard and Brianna!”
“They said you too.” He continued to mindlessly argue with every intention of winning.
“No, they didn’t.”
“What the fuck? Yeah, they did.”
I lightly giggled as I hastily responded, “Why are you arguing? You idiot.”
I looked up at his bemused appearance as that smile of his spread like wildfire.
“But I just--”
“You’re such an idiot.” I lamely removed myself from the comfortable hold the bed had lured me so discreetly into and continued my trail to where the shouting had originated.
“Am not.”
He gave me a shove as I stepped in front of him inconspicuously.
I smiled at his reverberating response.
“Are too.”
I wondered on down the prehistoric wooden stairs with Gerard close behind and bumped into a steady rush of what looked like a feeding frenzy.

“Wha-”

A tender hand clasped itself against my face.
“Don’t ask what.”
I peeled his fingers away from my mouth like the skin to an orange.
“I’m not screaming it pointlessly, duh.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses. Keep moving.”
“What’s every--”

“Here’s your chore list, split it, no, and I mean absolutely, no arguments or fights while we’re gone.”
A scrappy piece of crumpled paper was thrusted into my palm by my mother.
“Wait, gone? What?”
“We’re all going to a carnival that’s in the next town. We’ll be back later.”
“Hold on!” Infuriation seeped up through my insides and the thick blood that strained itself within my coursing veins began to boil out of sheer frustration.
I continued, “Whose going?”
She was aimlessly and frantically rushing around as was everyone else, gathering pointless junk to take with them. What I couldn’t understand was why they were rushing around. Whichever carnival they were taking part in wasn’t going to leave.
“What? Oh, we’re all going.”
“Hold on, wh--” Gerard began.
“Gotta go. Behave. I mean it.” She said as she dashed in a different direction
I agitatedly placed the list into Gerard’s grip as I rushed off in her pursuit when I accidentally bumped into a flashing red and gray blur.
“Wha--Oh sorry, Frankie. Wait, wait, what’s going…on…Frank, are you alright?”
I had been in such an outrageous rush that I hadn’t even bothered to take notice of how unusually pale Frankie looked. He strongly had the complexion of a skeleton looming around his face. His eyes had faded into the shallow depths of his skull. I looked for the traces of residue or stickiness that was usually left behind by make-up. However, nothing could be found. Nonetheless, he had the appearance of a vampire.

“Yeah, it’s…it’s nothing. Don’t worry about me. Uh, they hooked us into going to the carnival that’s forever away. But-”
“Hey Frank, hear you miserably fail at the attempt of performing the female gender, huh?” Asked Gerard as he crossed our path, obviously oblivious to Frank’s facial appearance as he walked back out of the room.
“That’s obvious.”

He sounded ridiculously strange, not at all like himself. It wasn’t even as though he was going through puberty or anything like that, that ship had sailed. It was gritty and harshly coarse as if he had lost it and was gradually gaining it back. The apparent weariness had woven itself through ever syllable.
He expressed a shallowed-out grin, not at all his famous Frank Iero grin.
I faintly heard the distinct crinkling of paper as I felt a hand nudge itself into my back pocket..
“Frank! Come on, we’re leaving!”

A distant voice that had the hint of Mikey to it, screeched from the waiting van.
Frank shot a quick glance out at the bustling van before enveloping me in a secured hug.
“Read it. Good luck, I’ll see you later, Bri Bri.” He gently whispered in a rasping whisper.
“Frank, wait, I--”
“I gotta go, babe. I’ll talk to you later, you can count on it.”
“Wait, before you go, thank you.” I stuttered out in persistence.
A small grin peaked through his faded lips.
“No problem, gorgeous.”

He crept out the back door and headed over towards the van.
“…dishes need to be cleaned, cabinets and cupboards need to be cleaned out and dusted, fridge needs to be organized and washed thoroughly, floors need to be washed and waxed that should be fun, bathrooms washed out. Laundry, ironing, vacuuming, windows. Now for the outdoors. Mow the lawn, tend to the pool, windows, weed the garden what the hell? We have a garden? Paint the fence, wash the actual house. Goddamn.” Gerard walked in reciting the immensely long list in a slightly agitated tone.
I chuckled at his bewildered expression that splashed across his face.

“What are laughin’ at? You have to do it too!” He joked, looking up from the paper to my laughing face.
“ I know,” I admitted, “You’re just so shocked, it’s amusing.”
“Well, I’m glad that being tortured is of amusement to you.”
“Good, you should be.” I stated as I heard the car door slam with an effortlessly loud ‘ca-clunk’.

The nagging feeling plummeted back into my stomach as I was reminded of the conversation that had just taken place with Frank.
I tugged the paper out of my lose back pocket.

Wait…Bri Bri? The deepening feeling intensified by landslide. Bri Bri? There’s definitely something wrong He only called me that a few times…ever. Only when he was afraid did he use ‘Bri Bri’ when speaking with me.
I carefully unfolded his intricately folded paper, not wanting to rip it, and read the words scrawled across the lightly tainted blue lines.

bri-

Yeah, I’m stuck into going to the carnival. I really hope you had fun on your date w/ Gee. He really wanted you to have fun.
Anyway, I won’t have time to explain. I really can’t it explain it. But you have to listen to me. Logan’s no good. Don’t do or start anything w/ him and believe me, it’s not just because I’d rather you be Gee’s gf than Logan’s. He isn’t a good guy. Trust me.

<3Frank

[a/n: Yes, this is short. BUT. there's a chapter coming tomorrow or possibly the next day. But within those two days. I'm really sorry I haven't been able to update as often. I've been having a hard time not only with school but with everything else. This chapter was also later then it should have been because I was waiting for a picture to be sent of the letter that Frank wrote at the end. But it never came so I couldn't use it. So sorry again, this chapter really isn't so dandy...but it'll get better :] Thanks guys for your patience.]