I Can Transform You

POV: Frank

“How do I look?” Gerard asked shyly, edging back into the room after leaving 15 minutes ago to go and get ready in the bathroom.

I was busy putting the finishing touches to my own outfit so I almost ignored Gerard completely. But then I saw him in the mirror, standing in the doorway on the other side of the room, and I stopped paying attention to myself and focused on him for a moment.

His hair was parted differently, giving him a side fringe that was the perfect length; not too long that it hides his green eyes, like it used to, but not too short that it looks stupid. The rest of his hair was casually styled the way he always has it, but this time there was no grease and it wasn’t matted, so it looked a lot better.

He was wearing one of the shirts that I had made him buy earlier, with his new leather jacket that made him look hardcore and his skinny jeans that showed off his figure nicely. He had also jazzed up the outfit with a silver-studded belt that I didn’t see him buy earlier, so I assumed he already owned it.

I turned to face him properly, instead of checking him out in the mirror, and indiscreetly looked him up and down a few times.

“You look different,” I replied to his question that he seemed to ask about ten minutes ago.

He’s certainly transformed his appearance. I like his new style… It suits him.

“Good, different?” Gerard persisted, desperate for my approval.
“Yeah,” I answered readily.

I don’t hand out empty compliments; I mean it when I say he looks good.

He sighed in relief and gave me a grateful smile.
“Good. Are you ready to go?”

I didn’t answer immediately; I turned back to the mirror for one final check, making sure my hair was still spiked up and my outfit looked alright. I felt self-conscious now because I didn’t look as good as Gerard.

“C’mon, man. You look fine,” Gerard encouraged me when I hesitated.

I finally tore my eyes away from my own reflection and tried to hide my insecurity from Gerard.

“I know,” I scoffed, forcing arrogance.

He smirked and rolled his eyes at me, then he lead the way out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out of his front door, to my car.

Soon enough, we were sitting side by side in my car and I was pulling out of the driveway.

It was only this morning that Gerard was in my car complaining about how fast I was driving and how loud my music was, but it felt like weeks ago. Gerard was making no complaints this time. He was saying nothing actually.

“You alright?” I asked gruffly, glancing sideways at him briefly as I drove.

He continued to stare out the window rather than looking at me.
“I’m nervous.”

It’s obvious that while his appearance may have transformed, his shy personality has not…

“Why? It’s just a party,” I pointed out, raising my eyebrows at him.
He shrugged and mumbled something that sounded like “well, I’ve never been to one before.”

It seemed insane, so I had to clarify that was in fact what he said.
“You’ve never been to a party before? Ever?”

He shook his head in response. My eyebrows climbed even higher in disbelief.

There were a few harsh things I could have said, but I refrained. Gerard doesn’t need to constantly be told by me how much of a loser he is... Just every once in a while.

But Gerard seemed to read my expression and hear my silent insult.
“Yes, I know I’m a loser,” he snapped. “So, what should I do to fit in? What are the ‘rules of popularity’ at parties?”

He looked at me desperately as if he was waiting for me to tell him the secrets of the universe. I stared blankly at him for a moment. Then, I sighed and began to share my wisdom.

“Well, the first rule is you have to look great, so everyone wants a piece of you. All eyes should be on you as soon as you walk in. You have to work the room… You know, you gotta own it.”

Being the most popular kid in school, I’ve just about mastered this skill. All eyes are on me when I walk in any room.

“The last room that I owned you came and moved into,” Gerard grumbled, making me screw my face up in confusion.

Excuse me?

It took me a while to realise he was talking about the literal meaning of “owned” and referring to his bedroom.

“Dude, I’m speaking metaphorically. You’re not literally going to own Matty’s house tonight, are you?” I scoffed. I wasn’t looking for an actual answer; I was fairly sure Gerard wasn’t secretly planning on buying Matty’s house.

“I know, but it just proves that I can’t own a room in any way, shape or form,” he muttered, clearly doubting his ability to pull off the first ‘rule’.

“You just need to work at it. You’ll be fine,” I assured him, feeling confident that he’ll learn how to build his confidence soon, or at least fake it, like me. “Just have a drink and have a good time.”

Maybe if he gets some alcohol in his system he’ll be oozing self-confidence…

“Uh… I’ve never drank alcohol before,” he revealed hesitantly, and I saw him rubbing his neck awkwardly out of the corner of my eye.

Oh come on!

“What? Seriously, Gerard, have you done anything?” I demanded in incredulity, finding it insane that he’d never been to a party or drank alcohol ever in his 17 years of living.

Has he been living under a rock or what? He has clearly lead the complete opposite lifestyle to me…

“No, I’m lame,” he admitted, averting his eyes in embarrassment.

True. But I can transform you.

“You’ll be cool when I’m done with you,” I smirked, sounding slightly more threatening than I intended.

I caught a glimpse of the sceptical expression on Gerard’s face before he turned to look out the window, focusing on Matty’s house which we had just arrived at.

I pulled up outside and killed the engine.

Right, let’s get this party started.