Absolution
Chapter Eleven
Two weeks pass by extremely quickly, especially when you’re enjoying yourself. Those two weeks were gone with almost the blink of an eye, though. After spending nearly 24 hours a day together, it was the last night before Frank’s parents return.
We knew we would have to spend less time together after his parent’s arrival. They would be suspicious enough that I was giving him rides to and from school. What were Frank and I doing, then, on this last night alone together? We were lying in his room, on his bed, watching The Nightmare before Christmas. Hands linked, his head on my chest, he was watching the screen and singing along quietly at intervals, and laughing all throughout it.
“Frank.” I whispered into the darkness of his room. The only light was from his television.
“Yeah?” he looked up at me.
“We aren’t going to drift apart now that your parents are coming back, are we?” I finally voiced the question that had been on my mind the better part of the last few days. I was becoming worried he’d get distant, and I did not want that. Not at all.
“Of course not.” He sat up, facing me.
“I don’t want your uncle to find out you’re gay, is all.” I admitted. “I know that some people –especially someone like him—don’t take it well. What if he kicks you out? Or you don’t get that money?”
“I have other places to go.” Was all he said, shrugging. He bit his lip and looked at me. “Before I found anyone I was always terrified that he’d find out. And he’d take everything away, make a mockery of me… I was afraid of the things he would say or do to me… but now that I’m with you, I don’t care. As long as I know you’re here with me, he can do whatever he wants. He can kick me out, give all of my money to kidnapping Egyptian kids. I don’t care what he does with it as long as I have you.”
I felt myself smiling. I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared at him and smiled in a way that I’m sure appeared very goofy.
“Does your mom know you’re gay?”
“Oh yeah. How could she not, Frank? I’ve got like a billboard up above me pointing at me. It says ‘I’M A FAG!’” I joked.
“Don’t say fag.” He frowned, sitting up all the way. “I want to take you somewhere. Do you trust me?”
I looked at him, arching my eyebrow. “Of course I trust you… you aren’t forcing me into a sex change operation, are you?”
Frankie threw his head back, laughing, as he stood. “We can walk there.”
I stood up, curious. I didn’t want to be bothersome and ask where we were going, though, so I followed him out of his house without a word. It was dark outside now, and cold. We stuck close to each other, but not solely for the warmth. His hand squeezed mine as we walked down a street.
“It’s here.” He whispered, leading me up a driveway that went into a small but not too shabby town home. It could use a paintjob, had about 5 cars in the driveway, and was scary. Very scary.
“Frank?” I hissed, now nervous.
“You said you trust me.” He pointed out, giving me a look.
“Where is this?” I asked nervously.
“Neil’s place.” He answered as we reached the large wooden door. He knocked on it several times and a young blond girl answered.
“FRANK!” she squealed, throwing her arms around him. He let go of my hand, hugging the small girl back happily. “How are you? We’ve all missed you so much lately, it’s like you don’t even live here anymore!” she trailed off seeing me and her eyes lit up curiously. “Oh, is this your friend?”
She and Frank shared a look and both of them giggled, before Frank cleared his throat. “This is Gerard, Mel. Gerard, this is Neil’s younger sister Melanie.”
“Hi.” Melanie said cheerfully, holding out her hand and giving me a kind smile.
“H-Hello.” I said shakily, grasping her hand in a shake. I was sure my palm was sweaty but she didn’t appear disgusted or anything. She return the shake, the smile never leaving her face, and then pushed the door open wider.
“Come on in.” Melanie said, stepping aside. She was in a pair of flannel pajama pants and had on a blue tank top. “The guys are here, but I think Shaun and Hambone are asleep.”
“Already?” Frank laced our fingers together, leading me into the house and squeezing my hand reassuringly.
“I can’t believe you did this.” I whispered. I was too shocked to be angry. I was not a people person at all, mainly because I’d learned early on that people didn’t like me. At least, all people excluding Frank and my family members. “You could have given me some warning.”
“If I warned you, you would have bailed. Plus, I really want you to meet my friends.”
“This wasn’t the way to—.”
“So this is the infamous Gerard who has stolen our ickle Frankie’s heart!” a voice said from behind us. We both turned. A guy with blonde dreads and bright blue eyes was standing in the doorway, and he was carrying in an amp. “My names Tim, man. Nice to meet you.” He had a drawl to his voice, making him sound almost a little bit countryish.
“I’m Gerard.” I said, holding out my hand and shaking his as he came up.
“I’m Frank! Not that you both don’t know that… but I feel left out. I don’t get to meet anyone new today.” Frank pouted a little, and Tim draped an arm around him casually. “Why do you have the amp?”
“Neil got that new guitar finally and he wanted to try it out. But for some reason he just had to have this one.” Tim shrugged, removing his hand from Frankie’s shoulders. “Who am I to keep the Queen Bee from his wishes?”
“I heard that!” the first familiar voice I’d heard all night yelled from another room. “I am not a Queen Bee. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, that was for Halloween. When I was five!”
Frank immediately went into a fit of giggles and covered his mouth. I laughed. I didn’t know the story, but those two statements were enough for me to fill in the blanks.
“Okay, okay—.” A disheveled Neil walked in. “Oh, hello Gerard. Anyway, Frank! Go get your guitar now, its upstairs. I’ve got this new song and you are the only one who has missed thje last 5 band meetings and you need to learn a part now.”
“But—.” Frank began.
“No buts, mister. You can give me butts when you start attending practices again. I’m sure Gerard will be fine without your attention for two minutes, right?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“I’ll show you to the living room when Frank gets his guitar.” The guy named Tim told me, gesturing for me to follow him. I followed him into the living room. Neil, who had defied all laws of gravity and was already back in there, was kneeling down and hooking his guitar up to the amp Tim had brought.
“I just want him to at least learn the chorus. If I have to, I’ll kidnap him from his house tomorrow night.” Neil was saying to a brunette boy who had sunglasses on and a backwards hat. He looked up at me. “I’m not being mean to him, honest. You gotta be firm with the kid. He’s spoiled rotten, much as he hates to admit it.”
“Am not!” Frank whined, coming in with a beautiful white guitar he called Pansy. “Am not, am not, am nottt!”
Neil urgently thrust a notebook into Frank’s arms. “Are so. Here’s the lyrics. Now get singing. We’re singing it at the show tomorrow.”
“Show tomorrow?!”
“If you’d been to the last five practices,” the boy who must be Hambone said, “You would have known that.”
“Oh boy.” Frank muttered, giving me a pitiful look….
We knew we would have to spend less time together after his parent’s arrival. They would be suspicious enough that I was giving him rides to and from school. What were Frank and I doing, then, on this last night alone together? We were lying in his room, on his bed, watching The Nightmare before Christmas. Hands linked, his head on my chest, he was watching the screen and singing along quietly at intervals, and laughing all throughout it.
“Frank.” I whispered into the darkness of his room. The only light was from his television.
“Yeah?” he looked up at me.
“We aren’t going to drift apart now that your parents are coming back, are we?” I finally voiced the question that had been on my mind the better part of the last few days. I was becoming worried he’d get distant, and I did not want that. Not at all.
“Of course not.” He sat up, facing me.
“I don’t want your uncle to find out you’re gay, is all.” I admitted. “I know that some people –especially someone like him—don’t take it well. What if he kicks you out? Or you don’t get that money?”
“I have other places to go.” Was all he said, shrugging. He bit his lip and looked at me. “Before I found anyone I was always terrified that he’d find out. And he’d take everything away, make a mockery of me… I was afraid of the things he would say or do to me… but now that I’m with you, I don’t care. As long as I know you’re here with me, he can do whatever he wants. He can kick me out, give all of my money to kidnapping Egyptian kids. I don’t care what he does with it as long as I have you.”
I felt myself smiling. I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared at him and smiled in a way that I’m sure appeared very goofy.
“Does your mom know you’re gay?”
“Oh yeah. How could she not, Frank? I’ve got like a billboard up above me pointing at me. It says ‘I’M A FAG!’” I joked.
“Don’t say fag.” He frowned, sitting up all the way. “I want to take you somewhere. Do you trust me?”
I looked at him, arching my eyebrow. “Of course I trust you… you aren’t forcing me into a sex change operation, are you?”
Frankie threw his head back, laughing, as he stood. “We can walk there.”
I stood up, curious. I didn’t want to be bothersome and ask where we were going, though, so I followed him out of his house without a word. It was dark outside now, and cold. We stuck close to each other, but not solely for the warmth. His hand squeezed mine as we walked down a street.
“It’s here.” He whispered, leading me up a driveway that went into a small but not too shabby town home. It could use a paintjob, had about 5 cars in the driveway, and was scary. Very scary.
“Frank?” I hissed, now nervous.
“You said you trust me.” He pointed out, giving me a look.
“Where is this?” I asked nervously.
“Neil’s place.” He answered as we reached the large wooden door. He knocked on it several times and a young blond girl answered.
“FRANK!” she squealed, throwing her arms around him. He let go of my hand, hugging the small girl back happily. “How are you? We’ve all missed you so much lately, it’s like you don’t even live here anymore!” she trailed off seeing me and her eyes lit up curiously. “Oh, is this your friend?”
She and Frank shared a look and both of them giggled, before Frank cleared his throat. “This is Gerard, Mel. Gerard, this is Neil’s younger sister Melanie.”
“Hi.” Melanie said cheerfully, holding out her hand and giving me a kind smile.
“H-Hello.” I said shakily, grasping her hand in a shake. I was sure my palm was sweaty but she didn’t appear disgusted or anything. She return the shake, the smile never leaving her face, and then pushed the door open wider.
“Come on in.” Melanie said, stepping aside. She was in a pair of flannel pajama pants and had on a blue tank top. “The guys are here, but I think Shaun and Hambone are asleep.”
“Already?” Frank laced our fingers together, leading me into the house and squeezing my hand reassuringly.
“I can’t believe you did this.” I whispered. I was too shocked to be angry. I was not a people person at all, mainly because I’d learned early on that people didn’t like me. At least, all people excluding Frank and my family members. “You could have given me some warning.”
“If I warned you, you would have bailed. Plus, I really want you to meet my friends.”
“This wasn’t the way to—.”
“So this is the infamous Gerard who has stolen our ickle Frankie’s heart!” a voice said from behind us. We both turned. A guy with blonde dreads and bright blue eyes was standing in the doorway, and he was carrying in an amp. “My names Tim, man. Nice to meet you.” He had a drawl to his voice, making him sound almost a little bit countryish.
“I’m Gerard.” I said, holding out my hand and shaking his as he came up.
“I’m Frank! Not that you both don’t know that… but I feel left out. I don’t get to meet anyone new today.” Frank pouted a little, and Tim draped an arm around him casually. “Why do you have the amp?”
“Neil got that new guitar finally and he wanted to try it out. But for some reason he just had to have this one.” Tim shrugged, removing his hand from Frankie’s shoulders. “Who am I to keep the Queen Bee from his wishes?”
“I heard that!” the first familiar voice I’d heard all night yelled from another room. “I am not a Queen Bee. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, that was for Halloween. When I was five!”
Frank immediately went into a fit of giggles and covered his mouth. I laughed. I didn’t know the story, but those two statements were enough for me to fill in the blanks.
“Okay, okay—.” A disheveled Neil walked in. “Oh, hello Gerard. Anyway, Frank! Go get your guitar now, its upstairs. I’ve got this new song and you are the only one who has missed thje last 5 band meetings and you need to learn a part now.”
“But—.” Frank began.
“No buts, mister. You can give me butts when you start attending practices again. I’m sure Gerard will be fine without your attention for two minutes, right?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“I’ll show you to the living room when Frank gets his guitar.” The guy named Tim told me, gesturing for me to follow him. I followed him into the living room. Neil, who had defied all laws of gravity and was already back in there, was kneeling down and hooking his guitar up to the amp Tim had brought.
“I just want him to at least learn the chorus. If I have to, I’ll kidnap him from his house tomorrow night.” Neil was saying to a brunette boy who had sunglasses on and a backwards hat. He looked up at me. “I’m not being mean to him, honest. You gotta be firm with the kid. He’s spoiled rotten, much as he hates to admit it.”
“Am not!” Frank whined, coming in with a beautiful white guitar he called Pansy. “Am not, am not, am nottt!”
Neil urgently thrust a notebook into Frank’s arms. “Are so. Here’s the lyrics. Now get singing. We’re singing it at the show tomorrow.”
“Show tomorrow?!”
“If you’d been to the last five practices,” the boy who must be Hambone said, “You would have known that.”
“Oh boy.” Frank muttered, giving me a pitiful look….
♠ ♠ ♠
This needs work, but I just wanted to get back into the flow of writing so I can get more updates up for you all. What'd you think? And sorry about messaging you all, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that I'd updated again!I'm excited about updating again now, and I hope everyone will read my updates because I'd really like to get into the story again. Just let me know if you all want more so I know not to bother if you don't.
Thanks for the comments on the last chapter! More to come soon! =]