Sleeping Beauty
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“Hey, Frank! Frank!”
Gerard called out Frank’s name but the boy didn’t turn around, so Gerard ran to him.
“Hey, man! Didn’t you hear me?”
“What? No, I’m sorry. I guess, I didn’t” Frank answered.
“So, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. The usual, you know. Boring day at school and then I thought I’d stop by at your house?”
“Yeah, sure. I just bought a new movie, we can watch it?”
“Sounds cool.”
“So, umm, where were you last night? I thought you were supposed to come to dinner at my place?” Gerard asked.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I fell asleep. Guess I was a little tired” Frank said smiling, but Gerard sensed something was wrong.
“Frank, everything’s alright, right?”
“Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t?”
“I don’t know. You just seem a little... distracked” Gerard said.
“It’s nothing, really. I’m okay. But thanks for your concern” Frank smiled and Gerard punched Frank’s shoulder playfully.
Frank walked down the street, heading to Gerard and Mikey’s house.
“Hey, Frank”
“Hey, Donna” Frank greeted Mrs. Way, who smiled warmly.
“The boys are upstairs. Probably playing some videogames”
“Thanks” Frank said and hurried up the stairs.
“Frankieeee!” Mikey yelled and jumped on Frank. Both of the boys fell down and for a while Frank couldn’t breathe.
“Mikey! What the fuck? You almost killed me!” Frank said when Mikey stood up. Frank still had some troubles breathing.
“Sorry” Mikey said.
“Mikey got in the college he wanted, so he’s a little hyper now” Gerard said smirking and pulled Frank up from the floor.
“Really? Aww, congrats, Mikey! That’s awesome!” Frank said and hugged Mikey.
“Thanks.”
Frank was truly happy for Mikey. Mikey didn’t enjoy high school, ‘cause everyone bullied him, but he liked school, so college seemed like a new start for him.
“Hey, guess what, guys?” Frank said.
“When I got home today, after school, in my room, there was this awesome guitar waiting for me and a note that said, ‘Happy birthday, Frank!’ “
“I thought your birthday isn’t until next week?” Gerard said, amazed.
“It is, but my parents are going for a vacation. They’re be gone for three weeks, so I guess they wanted to give me my present now” Frank smirked.
“So things are better with your parents now?” Gerard asked while Mikey was in the bathroom.
“I guess, you could say that too. I don’t know” Frank answered.
“Well, it’s good that you worked things out” Gerard smiled.
“Yeah, it’s great” Frank said quietly, but Gerard didn’t hear that.
When Frank got home, the empty house greeted him with a smell of loneliness. Frank sighed and threw his messenger bag on the floor and went to the kitchen to make him some coffee. He took a sip of his coffee and walked to the living room and switched on the TV. Some new music video was playing, but Frank didn’t like those kinds of videos where girls are half naked and some guy is singing about some stupid breakup or something. So Frank switched off the TV and decided to take a shower. He turned on the shower upstairs and took his clothes off and stepped under the warm water. He washed his hair with a shampoo that smelled like apples.
After taking the shower Frank put on an old t-shirt and some jeans. He went back in the bathroom and took out the bottle of pills. He took two pills on his hand and looked at them. They were so small. And white. He took one more out of the bottle and sighed. He swallowed them with a swig of water.
“Frank? Frank, are you here?”
Gerard let himself in the house and called once more for Frank.
“Frank?!”
Where could he be?
Gerard walked in the living room and found Frank lying on the sofa, sleeping. Gerard took a blanket and set it on Frank. It was a cold night.
Frank stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
“Gee?”
“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you” Gerard said quietly. Frank yawned.
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost ten o’clock” Gerard replied.
“Fuck, I didn’t mean to sleep this long” Frank said getting up. Gerard sat next to Frank, who looked tired.
“Frank, I’m sorry to ask this again, but I have to. You sure, everything’s okay? I’m really worried, you know?” Gerard asked. Frank looked uncomfortable.
“Gerard, I’m as okay as possible”
“And how okay is that?”
Frank didn’t answer.
“Frank, I’m sorry! I don’t want to push you, but... Man, I’m worried about you. You sleep all the time, but you still look tired. When was the last time you ate something?”
“I made some coffee-“
“I didn’t ask you when was the last you had coffee. We both know you’re addicted to that stuff. I asked you when was the last time you ate anything? Something else than just noodles” Gerard said and Frank was afraid of the angry tone in Gerard’s voice.
“I’m sorry Frank, but look at yourself. You look like a ghost” Gerard said in a soft tone.
“Yeah, well, I am a little hungry...”
“Well, good. I can make us something. Macaroni and cheese?”
“Yeah, sounds good” Frank said smiling.
Gerard said goodbye to Frank and left his house. While walking to his own house he thought about Frank. The boy had changed into a ghost of what he had once been. Seeing Frank like that scared the hell out of Gerard. The shadows under Frank’s eyes were darker than they had ever been. The boy had lost weight. And he slept all the time. So many times Gerard had walked in Frank’s house and found the boy sleeping. Something was wrong, Gerard felt it in his guts.
“Gerard?”
“Yes, Frankie?”
“Stop calling me Frankie.”
“Sorry.”
“You think dying hurts?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think you’ll feel a thing when you take your last breath, ‘cause your soul kind of lets go of your body. Why you ask?”
“No reason. Just wondering.”
“Really?”
“Really really.”
“Hey, Gee. What are you doing?” Frank asked Gerard when the other boy picked up.
“Drawing. You?”
Nothing much. Playing guitar. I was just wondering. My parents aren’t gonna be home in two weeks, so you wanna come over tonight?”
“Sure! But I thought your parents were suppose come home tomorrow?”
“Yeah, well, they called me and told me they’re gonna fly to Tokio and spent two weeks there”
“That sucks.”
“Not really. I like when the house is all mine. So I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Frank hung up.
“Hey, Frank! Frank!”
Gerard called out Frank’s name but the boy didn’t turn around, so Gerard ran to him.
“Hey, man! Didn’t you hear me?”
“What? No, I’m sorry. I guess, I didn’t” Frank answered.
“So, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. The usual, you know. Boring day at school and then I thought I’d stop by at your house?”
“Yeah, sure. I just bought a new movie, we can watch it?”
“Sounds cool.”
“So, umm, where were you last night? I thought you were supposed to come to dinner at my place?” Gerard asked.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I fell asleep. Guess I was a little tired” Frank said smiling, but Gerard sensed something was wrong.
“Frank, everything’s alright, right?”
“Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t?”
“I don’t know. You just seem a little... distracked” Gerard said.
“It’s nothing, really. I’m okay. But thanks for your concern” Frank smiled and Gerard punched Frank’s shoulder playfully.
Frank walked down the street, heading to Gerard and Mikey’s house.
“Hey, Frank”
“Hey, Donna” Frank greeted Mrs. Way, who smiled warmly.
“The boys are upstairs. Probably playing some videogames”
“Thanks” Frank said and hurried up the stairs.
“Frankieeee!” Mikey yelled and jumped on Frank. Both of the boys fell down and for a while Frank couldn’t breathe.
“Mikey! What the fuck? You almost killed me!” Frank said when Mikey stood up. Frank still had some troubles breathing.
“Sorry” Mikey said.
“Mikey got in the college he wanted, so he’s a little hyper now” Gerard said smirking and pulled Frank up from the floor.
“Really? Aww, congrats, Mikey! That’s awesome!” Frank said and hugged Mikey.
“Thanks.”
Frank was truly happy for Mikey. Mikey didn’t enjoy high school, ‘cause everyone bullied him, but he liked school, so college seemed like a new start for him.
“Hey, guess what, guys?” Frank said.
“When I got home today, after school, in my room, there was this awesome guitar waiting for me and a note that said, ‘Happy birthday, Frank!’ “
“I thought your birthday isn’t until next week?” Gerard said, amazed.
“It is, but my parents are going for a vacation. They’re be gone for three weeks, so I guess they wanted to give me my present now” Frank smirked.
“So things are better with your parents now?” Gerard asked while Mikey was in the bathroom.
“I guess, you could say that too. I don’t know” Frank answered.
“Well, it’s good that you worked things out” Gerard smiled.
“Yeah, it’s great” Frank said quietly, but Gerard didn’t hear that.
When Frank got home, the empty house greeted him with a smell of loneliness. Frank sighed and threw his messenger bag on the floor and went to the kitchen to make him some coffee. He took a sip of his coffee and walked to the living room and switched on the TV. Some new music video was playing, but Frank didn’t like those kinds of videos where girls are half naked and some guy is singing about some stupid breakup or something. So Frank switched off the TV and decided to take a shower. He turned on the shower upstairs and took his clothes off and stepped under the warm water. He washed his hair with a shampoo that smelled like apples.
After taking the shower Frank put on an old t-shirt and some jeans. He went back in the bathroom and took out the bottle of pills. He took two pills on his hand and looked at them. They were so small. And white. He took one more out of the bottle and sighed. He swallowed them with a swig of water.
“Frank? Frank, are you here?”
Gerard let himself in the house and called once more for Frank.
“Frank?!”
Where could he be?
Gerard walked in the living room and found Frank lying on the sofa, sleeping. Gerard took a blanket and set it on Frank. It was a cold night.
Frank stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
“Gee?”
“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you” Gerard said quietly. Frank yawned.
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost ten o’clock” Gerard replied.
“Fuck, I didn’t mean to sleep this long” Frank said getting up. Gerard sat next to Frank, who looked tired.
“Frank, I’m sorry to ask this again, but I have to. You sure, everything’s okay? I’m really worried, you know?” Gerard asked. Frank looked uncomfortable.
“Gerard, I’m as okay as possible”
“And how okay is that?”
Frank didn’t answer.
“Frank, I’m sorry! I don’t want to push you, but... Man, I’m worried about you. You sleep all the time, but you still look tired. When was the last time you ate something?”
“I made some coffee-“
“I didn’t ask you when was the last you had coffee. We both know you’re addicted to that stuff. I asked you when was the last time you ate anything? Something else than just noodles” Gerard said and Frank was afraid of the angry tone in Gerard’s voice.
“I’m sorry Frank, but look at yourself. You look like a ghost” Gerard said in a soft tone.
“Yeah, well, I am a little hungry...”
“Well, good. I can make us something. Macaroni and cheese?”
“Yeah, sounds good” Frank said smiling.
Gerard said goodbye to Frank and left his house. While walking to his own house he thought about Frank. The boy had changed into a ghost of what he had once been. Seeing Frank like that scared the hell out of Gerard. The shadows under Frank’s eyes were darker than they had ever been. The boy had lost weight. And he slept all the time. So many times Gerard had walked in Frank’s house and found the boy sleeping. Something was wrong, Gerard felt it in his guts.
“Gerard?”
“Yes, Frankie?”
“Stop calling me Frankie.”
“Sorry.”
“You think dying hurts?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think you’ll feel a thing when you take your last breath, ‘cause your soul kind of lets go of your body. Why you ask?”
“No reason. Just wondering.”
“Really?”
“Really really.”
“Hey, Gee. What are you doing?” Frank asked Gerard when the other boy picked up.
“Drawing. You?”
Nothing much. Playing guitar. I was just wondering. My parents aren’t gonna be home in two weeks, so you wanna come over tonight?”
“Sure! But I thought your parents were suppose come home tomorrow?”
“Yeah, well, they called me and told me they’re gonna fly to Tokio and spent two weeks there”
“That sucks.”
“Not really. I like when the house is all mine. So I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Frank hung up.