Goody, Like Two Shoes

"Where are they? They're late."

Julie glanced up at me from her desk, where she was putting her hair up in a messy bun, "That's the fourth time you've asked me that, Sash. My answer, for the fourth time, is still the same : they won't be long; Gerard's apartment is just around the block."

"But--"

"Why are you so worried about them anyway? They're big boys now." she laughed.

"I'm just concerned that Frank might've gone off to join a travelling circus, to avoid me." I sighed, flattening down my dress.

"Why would he avoid you of all people? You're his best friend. Wait, did you have an argument or something?"

I pulled myself up onto the windowsill, "Not as such. It was just really awkward that's all. Didn't you notice that he was squashed up against the arm of the couch, when we were at Gerard's? I mean, usually he's trying to sit on my lap."

"What's this awkward thing that happened, then?" Julie asked, dropping her hairbrush and picking up her eyeliner.

"Promise not to laugh or anything?"

'Promise.'

"Okay, well there's a possibility that Frank and I slept together when we were drunk. Then, in Gerard's kitchen, he gave me back my bra that I'd left at his place."

"You two,' she shook her head smiling, 'It's about damn time that you tell each other how you feel."

'He doesn't li--' I began.

"He was pining over you this morning when you didn't turn up." Julie said matter-of-factly, 'And Frank Iero does not pine over people; but he was pining over you. Go figure.'

I grumbled curses under my breath, "You and Gerard are exactly the same. "He loves you, Sasha. You love him, too." "Oh, he'd die for you. Blah blah fucking blah"."

Julie grinned, "Frankie and Sashie sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G. First comes love, second comes marriage, then comes a baby in a golden carriage ... and loads of sex and blow jobs."

"Perv, I wouldn't put any part of his being in my mouth."

"Prude."

"And proud." I smiled weakly.

"Well, if Frank is avoiding you, he won't be when he sees you; you look really stunning, you know." Julie grinned, looking at my red and black dress and black, knee-high boots.

We sat around for a little while longer, finishing up our make-up until Ray shouted up the stairs, "Girls, the guys are here! Time to leave!"

"Be down in one second, Ray!" Julie yelled, grabbing her purse, and then she turned to me, "Don't worry about the Frank-issue. He won't hurt you. Ever. He's just obviously just a little embarrassed if he's avoiding you."

"Repulsed, more like." I grunted.

"Nu-uh, Frank's not like that." Julie smiled, linking her arm in mine, "C'mon then, our friends await."

The guys were waiting on the porch, sharing a cigarette, when we got downstairs.

"Ready to go, you two?" Matt asked, flicking the white, fluffy ear of his rabbit costume over his shoulder.

Julie and I nodded and the guys clambered to their feet, Mikey instantly sidling over to Julie.

"Well hello there,' he grinned at her, "Is the fairy-princess in need of a date?"

I smiled to myself as Julie blushed and took his outstretched hand, and they made googly-eyes at each other.

"Revolting..." Ray shuddered, "Absolutely revolting."

I laughed quietly and glanced down the garden, my eyes landing on Frank - dressed as Dracula - leaning against the wall with a stump of a cigarette between his lips.

I never knew that Dracula wore Converse. But Frank really did make a cute, I mean scary Dracula.

I walked over to him, the gravel crunching under my boots, and he looked up - his mouth opening and closing, his eyes practically bugging out of his head.

"Fuck me." he whispered, dropping the cigarette onto the pavement, "You, you look beautiful."

He didn't realise what he was saying until he'd actually said it, and his cheeks turned a bright red, even though he'd obviously used a lot of his mom's face powder to make himself look deathly pale.

I giggled, "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself, Dracula."

He smiled and his fake, pointed teeth came into view, "Dracula's Bride, huh?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Forgot my vampire teeth, though."

"I think I can fix that little problem." Frank's smile got bigger and we followed the rest of the gang as they walked out onto the street, "Lucky I always bring two sets of teeth with me, huh? Just in case I'm talking and the teeth fall out of my mouth; s'happened before."

"Thanks." I smiled at him when he reached into the top pocket of his shirt, pulled out some vampire teeth and placed them in my hand.

"No problem." he replied, swinging the plastic, jack-o'-lantern candy holder at his side, "Gotta come prepared in case of an emergency, right?"

"Right." I grinned, and the awkwardness between us seemed to be ebbing away as he knocked his hand against mine, hinting.
The next time his hand hit mine, I twined my fingers in his, "If you want to hold my hand, just hold it, Iero."

He chuckled and our walking slowed, the others up ahead turning to the right and walking up a driveway, Mikey already knocking on the front door full force and screaming "trick-or-treat!"

"Hey," Frank said quietly, coming to an abrupt halt, "I want to talk to you for a second."

"Okay?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for the whole bra-incident, you know. I make a fool of myself in situations like that - not that I've been in many - but I could've been a lot more suave. In simple terms : I'm a prat, a stupid prat at tha--"

"Frankie, shut up. Yes, you could've been a lot more cool about it, but, seriously, I bet I looked like a tetraodontidae, too."

"What did you say?" Frank raised an eyebrow.

"Tetraodontidae; it's a type of fish. You know the ones with the big eyes and pouty lips?"

"Eh, no?"

"Blowfish. Have you heard of them?"

"Yeaaah?"

"Well tetraodontidae are basically blowfish." I told him, and patted his arm when he looked like he was about to have a seizure.

"Oh, okay. -- Wait! Are you saying that I looked like a blowfish?! Sasha Marie Rowlands, I am offended!"

"Frank Anthony Thomas Iero, don't take that tone with me."

He glared at me before bursting out laughing, "That was a nice bra, though. Hello Kitty ... very unique.'

"Shut up, you turd-sandwich!" I hissed quietly as a group of little kids ran by us, "I'm not the one who wears Buzz Lightyear briefs that look like they're designed to fit six year olds."

"Don't you dare diss my underwear." Frank pointed at me, his finger millimetres away from my left eye.
He then lowered it and prodded my cheek playfully, "C'mon, dollface, let's go get some candy."

When we arrived at the dance a couple of hours later, the school was decorated with all things orange and black - tinsel, balloons, table cloths, everything you could think of.
Even the fake skeletons from the science labs had been dressed up with wigs and glasses.

Gerard, who had been hiding behind a curtain at the entrance, jumped out, screaming "boo!", but none of us so much as raised an eyebrow.

"That was pathetic, Gee." Mikey shook his head before walking away with Julie.

"Hmm," Gerard pulled his hairy werewolf mask off and scratched his chin, "I have to work on my technique. Is "rawr" better than "boo"? Or, possibly, "ooga-ooga!"? What do you think, Frank?"

"I'd stick with the good ol' roaring if I were you, Gee." Frank smiled, "More effective."

Gerard grinned, "Good choice! So, anywho, how was the trick-or-treating?"

"It was fun." I replied, "Until dipshit here threatened to pee through this man's letter box when he yelled at us to get lost."

"Well he's lucky that I didn't get my pants open before he came out with those eggs." Frank pouted, and Gerard patted his hair.

"Never put Frankie Junior in a letter box," Gerard advised, "He could get stuck; and I bet that that'd be painful."

I rolled my eyes, "Please, Gerard, don't talk about this while I'm here."

"Why-- Ooooh! We don't know where Frankie Junior has been, do we?" Gerard coughed, slapping his chest dramatically.

Frank glanced back and forth between Gerard and I, his eyes widening as his brain put the puzzle pieces together, and all he could say was, "Oh."

"Thank you,Gerard." I muttered, "Excuse me; I'm going to drown myself in the toilets."

I walked as fast as I could across the room, my boots slowing me down.

"Sash, come back!" Frank yelled, his voice barely audible over the loud music.

And everything had been going great.
Frank and I had been getting along fine; no awkwardness whatsoever.
I'd managed to shove the thoughts of what could've happened last night out of my head.
But then Gerard goes and says something that he shouldn't.
Trust him to do that.

I looked back, out of curiosity, when I reached the bathroom door and I could see Frank shouting at Gerard - but I couldn't hear him - and he pulled his cloak off, throwing it to the floor before storming in the opposite direction.

I pushed the bathroom door open and walked inside, wiping away the few tears that had began to fall.