Our Lady of Sorrows.
Two.
Frank’s POV
“Gerard, how did you talk us into coming to this party again?” I asked for about the tenth time. Sure, they had good booze, but the music sucked and everyone in the room was giving us funny looks.
“I just wanted to see if their parties were any good. Besides, what else would we be doing tonight, playing video games in my basement?” my best friend, Gerard, said. He had a point.
“I could think of something better to do,” Gerard’s brother, Mikey, said, nudging the girl sitting next to him who happened to be his girlfriend.
“Oh really?” she countered, eyebrows raised.
“You bet Katie,” Mikey said, throwing his arm around her.
“Okay, will you two just get a room or something?” Ray sighed, running a hand through his big red hair. Poor Ray, he just got out of a sticky relationship and their public displays of attention annoyed him quickly.
That’s when I saw her--Aria Jones. To say I had a crush on her would be putting it mildly. I’ve been in love with that girl since middle school. She barely gave me the time of day, walking around school with her bad girl attitude. She was always so mysterious to me, how she was so different yet she surrounded herself with fake people. And the fact that she was dating the quarterback of the football team was enough to make my blood boil with jealousy.
“Staring at your dream girl again?” Gerard nudged me. I nodded in reply.
“Dude, watching from a distance is going to get you nowhere. You gotta make your move. Talk to her.”
“But she’s got a boyfriend. I don’t stand a chance,” I let out a sigh, putting my head in my hands.
“It doesn’t look that way,” he said, pointing into the kitchen where everyone could clearly see John Stephens making out with one of the cheerleading whores.
I looked across the room again in time to see Aria walking out the back door.
“Go,” Gerard said, motioning to the door.
I stood up and made my way across the room, ignoring the stares and the snide remarks from my classmates. There wasn’t a trace of her on the patio, just a group of guys playing beer pong. I walked further through the bushes, ignoring couples making out. The yard turned into sand and led right out to the ocean. I proceeded, slipping my feet out of my Converse and rolling up my jeans, and waded into the warm water.
“It’s pretty out here,” a voice behind me spoke, making me jump out of my skin. I turned quickly and saw Aria sitting in the sand a few feet back, how I didn’t see her in the first place was a mystery to me. I regained my composure and walked back towards her, carefully sitting a foot away from her.
“It is pretty,” I mumbled, mentally kicking myself for not having anything wittier to say.
“You’re Frank Iero,” she said, her eyes focused out on the ocean.
“You’re Aria Jones,” I replied. Giving into the urge, I turned and looked at her face, only to see that there were tears rolling down her cheeks. I reached my finger out to wipe them away, but she flinched at my touch.
“Trouble in paradise?”
“What do you know,” she said in a harsh tone.
Taken aback and unsure how to reply, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my carton of cigarettes. Tapping the bottom a few times, I slid one out and lit it with my lighter. I stuck it between my lips and inhaled deeply, letting the noxious fumes down my throat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Aria giving me a funny look.
“Problem?” I asked.
“How about you give me one of those and there won’t be,” she said. I chuckled and handed her one, which she lit up with a smile.
“So what’s your story?” I asked her, exhaling a billow of smoke.
She sent me a glare, “I don’t have a story.”
I rolled my eyes, “Don’t we all wish that.”
She gave me a puzzled look but was soon distracted by yelling behind us.
“Aria!” a large stumbling figure was making their way towards us.
Aria sighed and stood up, walking towards him. “What do you want John?”
“Let’s get out of here, you promised me some fun tonight,” John slurred, pulling her towards him.
“Fine, let’s go,” she sighed, giving me a wave. I half-smiled and waved back.
“Bye loser,” John said, attempting to spit at my feet.
I watched them walk away, an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. Just before they walked around the corner, Aria looked over her shoulder and smiled, causing butterflies to fill that empty spot.
Boy, what a hot mess I am.
“Gerard, how did you talk us into coming to this party again?” I asked for about the tenth time. Sure, they had good booze, but the music sucked and everyone in the room was giving us funny looks.
“I just wanted to see if their parties were any good. Besides, what else would we be doing tonight, playing video games in my basement?” my best friend, Gerard, said. He had a point.
“I could think of something better to do,” Gerard’s brother, Mikey, said, nudging the girl sitting next to him who happened to be his girlfriend.
“Oh really?” she countered, eyebrows raised.
“You bet Katie,” Mikey said, throwing his arm around her.
“Okay, will you two just get a room or something?” Ray sighed, running a hand through his big red hair. Poor Ray, he just got out of a sticky relationship and their public displays of attention annoyed him quickly.
That’s when I saw her--Aria Jones. To say I had a crush on her would be putting it mildly. I’ve been in love with that girl since middle school. She barely gave me the time of day, walking around school with her bad girl attitude. She was always so mysterious to me, how she was so different yet she surrounded herself with fake people. And the fact that she was dating the quarterback of the football team was enough to make my blood boil with jealousy.
“Staring at your dream girl again?” Gerard nudged me. I nodded in reply.
“Dude, watching from a distance is going to get you nowhere. You gotta make your move. Talk to her.”
“But she’s got a boyfriend. I don’t stand a chance,” I let out a sigh, putting my head in my hands.
“It doesn’t look that way,” he said, pointing into the kitchen where everyone could clearly see John Stephens making out with one of the cheerleading whores.
I looked across the room again in time to see Aria walking out the back door.
“Go,” Gerard said, motioning to the door.
I stood up and made my way across the room, ignoring the stares and the snide remarks from my classmates. There wasn’t a trace of her on the patio, just a group of guys playing beer pong. I walked further through the bushes, ignoring couples making out. The yard turned into sand and led right out to the ocean. I proceeded, slipping my feet out of my Converse and rolling up my jeans, and waded into the warm water.
“It’s pretty out here,” a voice behind me spoke, making me jump out of my skin. I turned quickly and saw Aria sitting in the sand a few feet back, how I didn’t see her in the first place was a mystery to me. I regained my composure and walked back towards her, carefully sitting a foot away from her.
“It is pretty,” I mumbled, mentally kicking myself for not having anything wittier to say.
“You’re Frank Iero,” she said, her eyes focused out on the ocean.
“You’re Aria Jones,” I replied. Giving into the urge, I turned and looked at her face, only to see that there were tears rolling down her cheeks. I reached my finger out to wipe them away, but she flinched at my touch.
“Trouble in paradise?”
“What do you know,” she said in a harsh tone.
Taken aback and unsure how to reply, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my carton of cigarettes. Tapping the bottom a few times, I slid one out and lit it with my lighter. I stuck it between my lips and inhaled deeply, letting the noxious fumes down my throat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Aria giving me a funny look.
“Problem?” I asked.
“How about you give me one of those and there won’t be,” she said. I chuckled and handed her one, which she lit up with a smile.
“So what’s your story?” I asked her, exhaling a billow of smoke.
She sent me a glare, “I don’t have a story.”
I rolled my eyes, “Don’t we all wish that.”
She gave me a puzzled look but was soon distracted by yelling behind us.
“Aria!” a large stumbling figure was making their way towards us.
Aria sighed and stood up, walking towards him. “What do you want John?”
“Let’s get out of here, you promised me some fun tonight,” John slurred, pulling her towards him.
“Fine, let’s go,” she sighed, giving me a wave. I half-smiled and waved back.
“Bye loser,” John said, attempting to spit at my feet.
I watched them walk away, an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. Just before they walked around the corner, Aria looked over her shoulder and smiled, causing butterflies to fill that empty spot.
Boy, what a hot mess I am.