‹ Prequel: Home Alone
Status: Might be handing this off to someone else..
You Gave Me Butterflies At The Mailbox
The Call.
So that weekend, Frank keeps his cell phone by his side like he does every time Gerard goes to his father’s house, and it happens. His phone rings, it’s Gerard, and Frank’s stomach drops to his knees in a mixture of excitement and nerves.
He sets down the sandwich he’s eating and flips open his phone with a nervous, “Hello?”
“Frank?” he hears from the other line, in a tone that causes the nerves to take over.
“Gerard. What – What’s going on?”
“My dad,” Gerard starts, sounding like he’s maybe chocking on his words a little, “He uh.”
“He what?” Frank interrupts, a little forcefully.
Gerard clears his throat and says “He pushed me. Against the wall, and, and then into this cabinet thing.”
Frank takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and asks “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Gerard says, not very convincingly. “Yeah, I just. It’s not that big of a deal. I mean, it hurt, but yeah.”
“Why?” Frank asks simply, because it’s all he can get out without screaming.
“I tried to tell him. About me, about us.” Gerard pauses, but Frank doesn’t say anything. “He wasn’t happy, needless to say.”
Frank clenches his jaw, and he gets that burning feeling in his throat and behind his eyes, but he’s pretty sure he wants to cry from anger, not anything else. “I’ll kill him.”
“Frank,” Gerard says quickly. “Relax. It’s just a few bruises.”
“Just a few bruises?!” Frank all but yells, squeezing his eyes shut to get rid of that annoying burn. “Gerard. Gee, come home. Please, come home.”
“I can’t Frank.”
“Why not?!”
“He’s drunk,” Gerard mumbles, sighing at the end. “I can’t leave him. He’ll hurt himself.”
“Better him than you!” Frank says, throwing his other arm into the air.
“He’s still my dad, Frank.”
Frank just grunts, and throws his forgotten sandwich into the trash. He slumps down onto the couch and places his hand over his eyes. He shakes his head, even though no one’s there to see it, then stares at the ceiling. Both boys are quiet for a long time, until Frank finally says, “When are you coming home?”
“Tomorrow,” Gerard answers, to Frank’s relief.
“Okay.” Frank takes another deep breath, tries to talk himself out of driving up to Gerard’s dad’s house himself and bringing Gee home now. He nods his head to himself, reassures himself that Gerard is strong, certainly stronger than Frank, but that doesn’t change the fact that Frank wants to protect Gerard. He takes one last deep breath before adding, “You’ll call me if anything else happens, right? Stay in touch and everything. Just. Stay safe?”
“Of course,” Gerard says softly. “I’ll be fine, Frank. I just wanted to let you know. I just. I just wanted to talk to you.”
Frank smiles a little, and says, “Okay. I’m glad you did. Call me, I mean. G’night.”
“See you tomorrow, Frankie.”
And that’s it, they hang up, and Frank sits on his couch staring at the ceiling for another half hour. When his mom and Tony come home, and his mom asks what’s wrong, he just shakes his head, dismissing the question without answering it. It takes another fifteen minutes for him to make it upstairs to his room, and a whole other hour for him to fall asleep, Gerard and his new bruises consuming his thoughts.
He sets down the sandwich he’s eating and flips open his phone with a nervous, “Hello?”
“Frank?” he hears from the other line, in a tone that causes the nerves to take over.
“Gerard. What – What’s going on?”
“My dad,” Gerard starts, sounding like he’s maybe chocking on his words a little, “He uh.”
“He what?” Frank interrupts, a little forcefully.
Gerard clears his throat and says “He pushed me. Against the wall, and, and then into this cabinet thing.”
Frank takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and asks “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Gerard says, not very convincingly. “Yeah, I just. It’s not that big of a deal. I mean, it hurt, but yeah.”
“Why?” Frank asks simply, because it’s all he can get out without screaming.
“I tried to tell him. About me, about us.” Gerard pauses, but Frank doesn’t say anything. “He wasn’t happy, needless to say.”
Frank clenches his jaw, and he gets that burning feeling in his throat and behind his eyes, but he’s pretty sure he wants to cry from anger, not anything else. “I’ll kill him.”
“Frank,” Gerard says quickly. “Relax. It’s just a few bruises.”
“Just a few bruises?!” Frank all but yells, squeezing his eyes shut to get rid of that annoying burn. “Gerard. Gee, come home. Please, come home.”
“I can’t Frank.”
“Why not?!”
“He’s drunk,” Gerard mumbles, sighing at the end. “I can’t leave him. He’ll hurt himself.”
“Better him than you!” Frank says, throwing his other arm into the air.
“He’s still my dad, Frank.”
Frank just grunts, and throws his forgotten sandwich into the trash. He slumps down onto the couch and places his hand over his eyes. He shakes his head, even though no one’s there to see it, then stares at the ceiling. Both boys are quiet for a long time, until Frank finally says, “When are you coming home?”
“Tomorrow,” Gerard answers, to Frank’s relief.
“Okay.” Frank takes another deep breath, tries to talk himself out of driving up to Gerard’s dad’s house himself and bringing Gee home now. He nods his head to himself, reassures himself that Gerard is strong, certainly stronger than Frank, but that doesn’t change the fact that Frank wants to protect Gerard. He takes one last deep breath before adding, “You’ll call me if anything else happens, right? Stay in touch and everything. Just. Stay safe?”
“Of course,” Gerard says softly. “I’ll be fine, Frank. I just wanted to let you know. I just. I just wanted to talk to you.”
Frank smiles a little, and says, “Okay. I’m glad you did. Call me, I mean. G’night.”
“See you tomorrow, Frankie.”
And that’s it, they hang up, and Frank sits on his couch staring at the ceiling for another half hour. When his mom and Tony come home, and his mom asks what’s wrong, he just shakes his head, dismissing the question without answering it. It takes another fifteen minutes for him to make it upstairs to his room, and a whole other hour for him to fall asleep, Gerard and his new bruises consuming his thoughts.