Demolition Lovers

Frank winced in pain as he limped towards school. It was a short walk and he thought he could do it. He was beginning to think he had been wrong. He heard someone pulling up beside him.
“Frank? Are you okay?” Frank whirled around, wincing at the pain of such a fast movement, and saw the horrified face of Luna.
Oh great, he thought bitterly.
“I’m fine,” He snapped. Luna continued to drive beside him as he walked.
“What happened to you?” She asked so softly he barely heard her. He stopped walking.
“It was…nothing. I just…fell,” He lied. She snorted.
“Yeah and a door hit me in the face,” She replied sarcastically. Frank took another look at her and gasped at the apple sized bruise taking up a good part of her face.
“Yeah, so don’t think I’ll believe you,” She warned. She leaned over and opened the passenger door. He hesitated a moment before he climbed in, wincing even more in pain.

“So, what’s the story?” Frank asked. Luna stared ahead.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” She said. Frank nodded. He felt the same way. Some of the things he’d been through…
His own childhood had been snatched away.
“I understand,” He mumbled as she pulled into the school parking lot. She turned her car off and rested her head on the wheel.
“My dad died…two years ago. At first, my mom was okay with it. But gradually, things started to get worse. She started drinking and then all the other shit started happening,” She sighed.
Frank put a hand on her back, as weird as it felt; it seemed like the right thing to do.
“I understand,” He whispered. Why was that the only thing he could say? Why couldn’t her tell her that he knew all too well, that his dad was an alcoholic, that he raped him and hit him?
The thoughts were bringing the tears and he wouldn’t cry here.
“C’mon, we need to get to class,” Frank said. He opened my door and stepped out. She did the same.

“Oh, my god!” Gerard screeched when he saw the two of them, “What the fuck happened to the two of you?”
Frank stared at the linoleum of the hallway floor and swallowed the lump in his throat. Gerard was so worried all the time. He knew what was happening. Ninety per cent of the time he crashed at Gee’s house.
“It was nothing,” He muttered. Gerard pulled them into a hug.
“Look, it was just some more shit with my dad and it didn’t end well,” He explained wearily. Frank was tired. He was tired of everything.
Luna remained still, letting Gerard suffocate them in his hug.
Finally, he pulled away and grinned.
“Sorry, you just look so sad,” He said. Frank frowned when he saw the silent tears spill down Luna’s face.
“Sugar, don’t cry,” Gerard pleaded. Luna shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” She said hoarsely.
Frank turned to Gerard.
“Can we stay with you for a little while?” He asked Gerard. Gerard shrugged.
“Sure, my mom never cares,” He said.

The day progressed slowly. Frank was in constant pain as he tried to get around and Luna was struggling to sell that she had been hit by a swinging door. The worst part was that Frank just wanted to be with Luna. He wanted to hold her and tell her he’d protect her.
But he knew that wouldn’t happen now. He couldn’t be with her. How could he protect her if he couldn’t protect himself? Besides, he was as damaged as her. That didn’t seem like the makings of a stable relationship.
He snuck into a bathroom during seventh period and sat in a stall. He cried for the whole period. There was nothing here for him. Gerard was his best friend, but he didn’t understand. It was the same with the other guys. Luna could understand, but he didn’t want to cause her anymore pain than she was already enduring.
He had to do something. He was just pathetic. That was all he was to everyone. Maybe Luna felt the same way as the rest of him.

Luna sat at her desk in seventh period and stared at the carvings on the wooden top. Stupid little sayings stared back at her.
She wondered what Frank was doing right then. She swallowed another lump in her throat as she thought about his limp. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to be with him. But she also just wanted him to leave her alone. Of course, she had picked him up this morning.
When the bell finally rang she decided to ditch eighth. She texted Gerard and Frank to let them know.

K. That’s cool. Gerard texted back. But after ten minutes there was nothing from Frank.
Where’s Frank? She texted. Gerard sent back a picture of smiley face with a question mark over his head.
She sighed and grabbed her things. That was fine. She would just meet up with him that night at Gerard’s.

She walked past the boys’ restroom and stopped in her tracks. She thought she saw…no! That couldn’t be what she thought. She raced into the bathroom and screamed. Lying on the bathroom floor was Frank, his body pale, his wrist staining red.
She knelt down beside him and checked his pulse. It was faint but it was there. She started to rip up his shirt and wrap it around his wrists.
“Frank, stay with me!” She pleaded. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed nine one one.
Frank groaned faintly and Luna’s vision was clouded with tears.
“L-Luna…I’m….I…” But he couldn’t finish. He had lost consciousness.
Luna hurriedly told the operator what her emergency was.
“We’ll be there in five minutes,” They promised. Luna held Frank’s head in her lap. She leaned over and gently pressed her lips to his forehead.
“Don’t die,” She cried.