Into Your Icy Blues
Twenty.
A fear-injected Jade hesitantly followed Gerard into the now silent den. A majority of its occupants appeared perplexed, aside from the small, dark haired one cowering behind a couch and the much larger, light haired one that towered over him.
“Let’s go,” he grunted, grabbing his band mate by the wrist. Both men were gone and the front door shut behind them before anyone was able to get a word in otherwise.
Glances were exchanged around the room before most eyes landed on the two that had just entered the room. Most appeared confused, a few borderline suspicious. No one seemed able to conjure up a proper response.
“Well,” Jade chirped. “I think I’m about ready for bed.” That said, she spun around and headed back in the direction of her bedroom.
Her friends knew better then to follow. Their questions could wait until morning. Only, the next morning their troubled friend was not in her bed, and her companions had not returned.
A few blocks away, three individuals sat mutely at a picnic table – two blondes on one side, a brunette on the other. All three sets of eyes were glues to the table, each with a set of elbows in their line of vision.
“So,” a gruff voice startled away the silence. Bob wrung his hands together before looking up at the man across from him. He licked his licked his bottom lip before continuing. “Frankie.”
“We screwed up.”
“Well-”
“I’m going to tell her.”
Jade glanced up in horror.
“No!”
Frank blinked. Blinked again.
“Yes?”
“Why?!” Jade stood up as far as she could with her legs underneath the table.
“She deserves to know,” Frank spoke slowly.
“Now she does?”
Frank shook his head sadly. He gazed at her for a minute, and then glanced at her brother, and back to her. “I’m tired of lying.”
“To every one around you, or to yourself?” Bob spoke dryly.
Frank winced and rubbed his neck self-consciously.
“I just want to make things right. With both of you, too.”
Jade lowered herself back onto the bench. Her eyes were aimed at her brother when she spoke. “You and I are fine, Frank.” Amusingly, her brother didn’t look the least bit surprised to hear this.
“You two,” he shook his head tiredly before breaking into a soft chuckle. “How did I not see this coming?” He rose from his seat, extracting a pack of cigarettes from his hoodie pocket as he went. “Let’s go home,” he grumbled, knocking the pack against his palm.
“Dude?” Frank remained behind as the siblings took a few steps away from the table.
“C’mon munchkin,” Bob grinned sadly. “You’ve got some stuff to sort out. And they probably think we’re dead at this point.”
Jade was sure she had never seen Frank look so relieved. With a badly-contained smile on his face, he jogged up to them, snatching the small box out of his band mate’s pocket. “Gimme,” he maneuvered himself so that he was standing in front of Jade, stopping her in her tracks. He leaned forward, pressing the tip of his unlit cigarette against her lit one, pulling away a moment later. With a sigh of smoke out of the side of his mouth, he stepped between the siblings and they began walking. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze without breaking his stare ahead of him before somehow launching himself onto Bob’s back.
“You’re pushing your luck, Iero,” he grunted, but wrapped his hands around the backs of his companion’s knees. Jade laughed as Frank grinned and leaned foreword, allowing his hair to sweep across Bob’s face, before removing the man’s cigarette from his mouth, replacing it when a large puff of smoke was blown out of Bob's mouth.
“Goddamn!” Gerard exclaimed, jumping up from his seat on the sofa when the three entered the apartment, fifteen minutes and two cigarettes each later. “You better have both of them with you,” he scolded Bob, who was the first through the door.
“Both intact,” Bob assured cheerfully. Gerard, along with every other occupant of the room, eyed his smiling face wearily. “We talked,” he said vaguely, flapping his hand toward Frank, who was heading down the hallway to the back rooms. Jade dropped down to sit at Gerard’s feet. She leaned her head tiredly against his left leg. A hand came to rest on her shoulder. She glanced at the purple fingernails before sliding her hand under Eliza’s and gripping it lightly. As her brother wandered into the kitchen, Frank re-emerged with Jamia at his heels. The two exited out the front door without so much as looking at anyone else.
“So are we ecstatic or terrified that Frank’s finally grown some balls?” Mikey wondered out loud.
“Let’s go,” he grunted, grabbing his band mate by the wrist. Both men were gone and the front door shut behind them before anyone was able to get a word in otherwise.
Glances were exchanged around the room before most eyes landed on the two that had just entered the room. Most appeared confused, a few borderline suspicious. No one seemed able to conjure up a proper response.
“Well,” Jade chirped. “I think I’m about ready for bed.” That said, she spun around and headed back in the direction of her bedroom.
Her friends knew better then to follow. Their questions could wait until morning. Only, the next morning their troubled friend was not in her bed, and her companions had not returned.
A few blocks away, three individuals sat mutely at a picnic table – two blondes on one side, a brunette on the other. All three sets of eyes were glues to the table, each with a set of elbows in their line of vision.
“So,” a gruff voice startled away the silence. Bob wrung his hands together before looking up at the man across from him. He licked his licked his bottom lip before continuing. “Frankie.”
“We screwed up.”
“Well-”
“I’m going to tell her.”
Jade glanced up in horror.
“No!”
Frank blinked. Blinked again.
“Yes?”
“Why?!” Jade stood up as far as she could with her legs underneath the table.
“She deserves to know,” Frank spoke slowly.
“Now she does?”
Frank shook his head sadly. He gazed at her for a minute, and then glanced at her brother, and back to her. “I’m tired of lying.”
“To every one around you, or to yourself?” Bob spoke dryly.
Frank winced and rubbed his neck self-consciously.
“I just want to make things right. With both of you, too.”
Jade lowered herself back onto the bench. Her eyes were aimed at her brother when she spoke. “You and I are fine, Frank.” Amusingly, her brother didn’t look the least bit surprised to hear this.
“You two,” he shook his head tiredly before breaking into a soft chuckle. “How did I not see this coming?” He rose from his seat, extracting a pack of cigarettes from his hoodie pocket as he went. “Let’s go home,” he grumbled, knocking the pack against his palm.
“Dude?” Frank remained behind as the siblings took a few steps away from the table.
“C’mon munchkin,” Bob grinned sadly. “You’ve got some stuff to sort out. And they probably think we’re dead at this point.”
Jade was sure she had never seen Frank look so relieved. With a badly-contained smile on his face, he jogged up to them, snatching the small box out of his band mate’s pocket. “Gimme,” he maneuvered himself so that he was standing in front of Jade, stopping her in her tracks. He leaned forward, pressing the tip of his unlit cigarette against her lit one, pulling away a moment later. With a sigh of smoke out of the side of his mouth, he stepped between the siblings and they began walking. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze without breaking his stare ahead of him before somehow launching himself onto Bob’s back.
“You’re pushing your luck, Iero,” he grunted, but wrapped his hands around the backs of his companion’s knees. Jade laughed as Frank grinned and leaned foreword, allowing his hair to sweep across Bob’s face, before removing the man’s cigarette from his mouth, replacing it when a large puff of smoke was blown out of Bob's mouth.
“Goddamn!” Gerard exclaimed, jumping up from his seat on the sofa when the three entered the apartment, fifteen minutes and two cigarettes each later. “You better have both of them with you,” he scolded Bob, who was the first through the door.
“Both intact,” Bob assured cheerfully. Gerard, along with every other occupant of the room, eyed his smiling face wearily. “We talked,” he said vaguely, flapping his hand toward Frank, who was heading down the hallway to the back rooms. Jade dropped down to sit at Gerard’s feet. She leaned her head tiredly against his left leg. A hand came to rest on her shoulder. She glanced at the purple fingernails before sliding her hand under Eliza’s and gripping it lightly. As her brother wandered into the kitchen, Frank re-emerged with Jamia at his heels. The two exited out the front door without so much as looking at anyone else.
“So are we ecstatic or terrified that Frank’s finally grown some balls?” Mikey wondered out loud.