Strangers in the Rain

I sat in my new apartment, I was catching up on the vlogbrothers, I haven’t been able to watch some of their videos in some time. And I am always behind on this sort of thing, always the last to know sort of person. I had popped out to get some cereal, puffed wheat with sweetner, sultanas and as always plenty of milk. I had left my laptop on the floor on top of a pillow with my headphones resting over the top. I have become quite the hermit since I got a place I could lock myself in all day long. And since I once again have no friends. I haven’t spoken to Gerard since I spent a nice big lump some of a taxi back to New Jersey from New York. And I don’t count my boss as a friend. Apart from work I don’t leave my apartment anymore. Oh and to buy food and stuff. But that’s it. The outside world and I are no longer on speaking terms. We only interact when absolutely necessary. When I came back into my front room, returning to watch Hank Green make a fool of himself, someone was buzzing on my buzzer. I picked up the phone and waited for the voice. Nothing. There wasn’t even any weird heavy breathing. I had decided someone had hit mine by mistake as I went to put the phone down but Frank’s voice stopped me.

“Lex, can I talk to you, face to face?” One thing I have learnt over the years, you want to keep your job, be nice to your boss. I could give a pretty good guess as to why he was here. To talk about yesterday. To explain some more. About why Gerard Way is psycho who becomes attached to girls who look the love of his life, whose dead. Just to compare her with them. I think that’s weird. I'm not comfortable with it. Before you know it, he’ll be calling me by her name and thinking I am her and trying to bring her back or something. I'm not comfortable with that. When Frank walked through my front door I showed him to my living room and offered refreshments, he turned my offers down and didn’t even take off his wet coat. This was going to be a quick visit. “I know what happened yesterday. And I understand your reaction. I think it’s the natural one to have. Gerard was wrong to do this to you. But I also think you may have a slight wrong impression.”

“Did he tell you what he said to me exactly?” I asked. How could I have the wrong impression? Gerard was the one who had the wrong impression about how I felt about replacing peoples dead exes.

“Yes, he gave me a detail by detail account while he cried on my sofa last night. Not like a baby but there were tears and he was devastated. I didn’t let him leave, he’s still there, with his brother, no being alone while he’s in this state. But then I remembered that there's another person involved. So I wanted to make sure you were ok.” Frank was seated next to me and he placed a hand on my shoulder, “I told him all along, tell her, don’t just drop it on her. When he went away for those weeks, I called him every day and told him to call you. To tell you. Stop stringing you on like this. Then when I saw the night when you’re ex was in your car, I was working late that night and I snuck out when I saw someone with you. I told him again, tell her, you can’t keep lying to a nice innocent girl, you’re perfect for him. Everything he needs. But he’s not perfect for you. I just want you to talk to him and let him get together his head. Let him tell you that he’s not a mental case, so you can hear it from him and believe it.” It was hard to say no to that. So I said yes. Frank left after he gave me a hug. And asked me repeatedly if I was ok. I think Frank’s seen a lot of splits and break downs. And I must have become known for my break downs. Especially brake downs in the rain. Right now there's a nice big storm outside.