But You're Worth It

Gerard sighed.

He shook his head as he lazily walked home, and searched his pockets for a cig and some light. He hadn’t realized it, but his hands were shaking already, from the nicotine shortage.

As he exhaled his first fix of the toxic, he looked up at the sky and thought.

Gerard wasn’t a thinker. He liked to do, not think. That’s why it was so hard for him to talk with Frank. He couldn’t say just anything to the brat. Frank was still like a child, Gerard felt like he couldn’t even swear before the kid.
For some reason, he was afraid he’d hurt Frank. He had to choose his words with care.

It’s not that he was bad with words or anything, he was the king of them! Gerard could do a fucking poem when he was told, starting at the second. The words were just flowing.
But Frank wasn’t a poem.

Gerard thought he had used just the right words with Frank. He really believed Frank would understand, but Frank was somehow different this time. It was like he grew up ten years in one night.
Frank was a teenager.
And you know how hard it is to talk to a rebellious teenager, yeah?

-

The next morning, Gerard didn’t see Frank in the school bus. He told himself the funny feeling he got then, was because he didn’t eat anything that morning, not because he was worried about Frank. Why the hell would he be worried about Frank? It’s not like he cared, right?

Anyway, Gerard didn’t have to “not-worry” about Frank much longer. Frank was standing by his locker when he turned the corner.
He walked up to his locker like there was nothing out of ordinary, like a Frank Iero standing a few feet from him. Not that that was so much out of ordinary recently…
Frank stood there silently, and because he still hadn’t said a word when Gerard had gotten his things, he decided to do something about it.

“Did you have something you wanted to say to me?” He asked as he looked down at Frank.

“Um. Yeah.” Frank said and looked up from behind his fringe. “I wanted to apologize.” He said and nodded to himself.

“Apologize? You? Why?” Gerard was really mixed up. Why would Frank want to apologize? It’d be more like Gerard’s chore to do. But Gerard doesn’t apologize. Only his mother can make him do that. And just for her.

“’Cause. I feel really bad about yesterday. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I don’t know what got to me, that there wasn’t me. I’m sorry.” Frank said and looked down again.

“Uh… Yeah. You’re, uh.. forgiven?” Gerard said, feeling uncomfortable. No one actually apologized to him. He was never worth it, or then he had just deserved everything done to him.

Frank watched up at him, and slowly a smile spread across his face. “Thank you!” He squealed and jumped to hug Gerard, dropping both of their books on the floor.

Now Gerard was really uncomfortable. His face was beyond red as he stood there like a statue, being hugged by Frank. A pleasant warmness spread inside Gerard, but he told himself it was just the blushing, which he shouldn’t by the way be doing.
When he finally got some sense into himself, he pushed Frank away and squeaked a hurried “You’re welcome”, before collecting his books from the floor and making his way to class.

On his way to class, he passed Quinn, who almost walked on a freshman when he saw Gerard.

“Woah! “What happened man?” He asked with an amused expression.

“Shut up.” Gerard grumbled and hurried to class, which was almost empty still.

Everyone looked at him shocked. Gerard Way never came to class before the bell rang.

He glared at everyone and shouted “Sorry I’m not late!” before storming to his place at the back.