Status: Finished
Coffee and Cigarettes
March
"What do you want to do with your life?" Frank asked, lying back on the hood of Gerard's car. He cracked an eye open against the sun and waited for an answer.
Gerard shrugged. "I don't know. Art school maybe; if I can get in." He paused. "I never thought about it all that much."
"You know you graduate soon," Frank noted, putting his hands behind his head.
Gerard frowned. "Yeah, what about it?"
Frank shrugged as best he could from his position on the car. He could feel Gerard's eyes on him, cold and angry. "I don't know. I was just pointing it out. You don't seem to have anything figured out yet; you're drifting."
"Yeah, Frank, I am," Gerard stated. "But you don't have to be such a dick about it, okay?"
Frank sat up. "I'm not being a dick about anything. I was just stating a fact and asking a question."
"But you are, Frank," Gerard retorted. "You're going off to NYU and you're going to grow up and do some amazing shit. I'm just not like that. I do what I want and I get by, plain and simple. Just because you're going off to some hot shot university doesn't make me any less motivated."
"You smoke cigarettes, Gerard. You smoke cigarettes and you talk shit."
Gerard furrowed his brow, his lips tightening into a considerably tighter frown. "Then why do you fucking talk to me, Frank? If I'm so low on the god damned totem pole why are we friends. Why do you like me?"
Frank grinned, leaning back on his palms. He looked up at the sky and really saw it for the first time. Sure, he'd seen clouds before and he'd felt the sun on his skin, but he'd never noticed it. That was what he liked about Gerard. He finally was able to live and enjoy things without thinking about homework and grades.
"Because my parents don't," he said, looking toward Gerard with a smile.
Gerard cocked his head to the side. "What the hell does that mean?"
"I like that you drift, Gerard," Frank explained as he sat up all the way. He looked away from Gerard, instead choosing to focus on the dried up gum on the pavement of the school parking lot. "I think... You make life fun for me, you know?"
He glanced over at Gerard. "My parents want me to be a doctor or a lawyer and make a shit load of money. They want me to have the trophy wife and the big house and kids and... I don't know..."
Gerard waited for Frank to finish his sentence, but soon realized his friend had nothing more to say on the subject. It was hard to figure Frank out sometimes. Sure, Gerard had his obscurities, but Frank, he had layers.
"You're a complex individual, you know that?" He stated.
Frank chuckled, his head tilted back toward the sky. He shifted his gaze to the left, so it landed on Gerard. "As are you, Gerard. As are you." He looked back at the clouds, drawing in a breath.
"I want you to be okay," he said.
Gerard raised his brow. "Meaning?"
Frank sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He looked over at Gerard whose eyes were till planted on him. He laughed, lightheartedly, and shook his head. "I don't know. I just want you to be good in life."
Gerard nodded, still not completely understanding what Frank meant. He simply nodded and laid back on the car. He closed his eyes and put his hands beneath head.
"I want you to be okay too."
Gerard shrugged. "I don't know. Art school maybe; if I can get in." He paused. "I never thought about it all that much."
"You know you graduate soon," Frank noted, putting his hands behind his head.
Gerard frowned. "Yeah, what about it?"
Frank shrugged as best he could from his position on the car. He could feel Gerard's eyes on him, cold and angry. "I don't know. I was just pointing it out. You don't seem to have anything figured out yet; you're drifting."
"Yeah, Frank, I am," Gerard stated. "But you don't have to be such a dick about it, okay?"
Frank sat up. "I'm not being a dick about anything. I was just stating a fact and asking a question."
"But you are, Frank," Gerard retorted. "You're going off to NYU and you're going to grow up and do some amazing shit. I'm just not like that. I do what I want and I get by, plain and simple. Just because you're going off to some hot shot university doesn't make me any less motivated."
"You smoke cigarettes, Gerard. You smoke cigarettes and you talk shit."
Gerard furrowed his brow, his lips tightening into a considerably tighter frown. "Then why do you fucking talk to me, Frank? If I'm so low on the god damned totem pole why are we friends. Why do you like me?"
Frank grinned, leaning back on his palms. He looked up at the sky and really saw it for the first time. Sure, he'd seen clouds before and he'd felt the sun on his skin, but he'd never noticed it. That was what he liked about Gerard. He finally was able to live and enjoy things without thinking about homework and grades.
"Because my parents don't," he said, looking toward Gerard with a smile.
Gerard cocked his head to the side. "What the hell does that mean?"
"I like that you drift, Gerard," Frank explained as he sat up all the way. He looked away from Gerard, instead choosing to focus on the dried up gum on the pavement of the school parking lot. "I think... You make life fun for me, you know?"
He glanced over at Gerard. "My parents want me to be a doctor or a lawyer and make a shit load of money. They want me to have the trophy wife and the big house and kids and... I don't know..."
Gerard waited for Frank to finish his sentence, but soon realized his friend had nothing more to say on the subject. It was hard to figure Frank out sometimes. Sure, Gerard had his obscurities, but Frank, he had layers.
"You're a complex individual, you know that?" He stated.
Frank chuckled, his head tilted back toward the sky. He shifted his gaze to the left, so it landed on Gerard. "As are you, Gerard. As are you." He looked back at the clouds, drawing in a breath.
"I want you to be okay," he said.
Gerard raised his brow. "Meaning?"
Frank sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He looked over at Gerard whose eyes were till planted on him. He laughed, lightheartedly, and shook his head. "I don't know. I just want you to be good in life."
Gerard nodded, still not completely understanding what Frank meant. He simply nodded and laid back on the car. He closed his eyes and put his hands beneath head.
"I want you to be okay too."