Telegraph Avenue Kiss

I was crying again. The second...maybe third time I've cried in the last two weeks, I've lost count and really didn't care to know for sure. The last time I cried it was because of Gerard. This time, I was curled up in the floor inside one of the stalls with my knees pulled up to my chest, crying about Kali. Mostly for Kali, at least. A little for the fact that she was still my girlfriend and Mikey knew it, and more for....just the way Kali looked today. Her face was drained of all it's colour, pale and lifeless, a permanent tremble to her lips as she held on to me for dear life when she saw me this morning. And I just sat there on the school steps holding her tightly, rocking her back and forth as she sobbed. I didn't even want to hear what had happened to make the situation worse, and didn't ask. She only said one thing to me the whole morning.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Frank." she had said, face pressed against my neck so I could feel her ragged breath. It broke my heart to hear that, it really did. I was an asshole. I had no one to blame but myself. I had two perfect people who cared about me, and who I in turn cared about, and when this is through....fuck, all I want is for me and Gerard to be okay. Honestly, I'd rather break Kali down even more than risk losing Gerard, but I was too much of a pussy to do anything about either of them.

I eventually dragged myself up from the ground, wiped my face off with the back of my sleeve, and wondered what to do. This class period was almost over, and then there was lunch, where I would have to face the depressed Kali and the judgemental Mikey. I stood hovered over the sink, clutching each side of it's marble base tight enough to cause my knuckles to turn white. I thought I was going to be sick with all the thinking I was forcing myself to do. The sound of the door opening interrupted my gagging momentarily, and I looked in the mirror to see the reflection of a blonde guy walking slowly into one of the stalls. He looked so familiar...

Of course, I had more than likely seen him passing through the halls on a daily basis, but there was more to it... The cocky way that he looked over at me while he was washing his hands, and ran his hand through his hair vainly, even though he knew damn well the that his hair was perfect. He offered me a smirk, and suddenly it hit me.

He was the guy that upset Mikey!

"Hey, who are you?" I asked bluntly, putting my hand on my hip. The smirk slid off of his face, turning into a near scowl.

"Well, you're a real rude boy. I suppose you know what happened between me and Mikey, then?" he asked, sounding unnecessarily casual. He turned to tear off a piece of the tough brown paper towels the school provides for us, the kind that leaves your hands feeling chapped and still a little damp.

Wait, what? What the fuck did you do to Mikey? Am I about to have to put the smack down on some motherfucker? Cause I will, even if I'm a little less than pleased with Mikey right now.

"No. What happened?" I asked, just barely controlling my voice. He noticed the edge to my voice and threw up his hands a little in defense. Like that's going to stop me from lunging out and killing him!

"I didn't hurt him, I swear! It's nothing like that! So I guess he didn't tell you..." He seemed a bit put out at the revelation, his shoulders sinking slightly. He put on a bitter smile and shook his head. "Of course he didn't..." he sighed.

"Well, you could tell me, if you would be so kind." I said sarcastically. He smiled brightly and shook his head, my distress obviously entertaining him. It's times like these when I wish Gerard was with me the most. He can just look at someone and make them talk. He didn't have to go through the dirty mess of threatening people.

"Tell me, or I'll sic my boyfriend on you." I said, knowing full and well that I was labeling myself gay. I was hoping the news would reach Kali and she breaks up with me. Even if I did have to be beaten up everyday after this. He did seem surprised at the mention of the word boyfriend.

"You...you're gay? Hm, I never would have known. Who is your boyfriend? Mikey's brother?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"How the fuck do you know about Gerard? And....wait, Mikey told you! He wouldn't even tell me! What are you to him? Who are you, anyway? What's your name?" I demanded. This guy had just pissed me off. Why would Mikey tell him about Gerard when he went to such great lengths to keep me from knowing? It wasn't fair.

"My name's Dexter. And....if Mikey didn't tell you about me, which I'm slightly disappointed about, then he obviously doesn't want you to know, and you don't need to know any more. Bye..." He slowly backed away, inching to the door. I didn't make a move to stop him, so he went, leaving me severely confused.

Mikey has a secret fucking life. One he doesn't want me to know about. He's my best friend, it's my right to know. I stomped out of the bathroom and made my way to the lunchroom, where I knew Mikey and Kali should both be sitting at the table in the corner waiting for me. I nearly fell down into my seat, and, once seated, glared at Mikey as nastily as I could. He shrunk down from the intensity of my gaze.

"W-what's wrong, Frankenstein?" he asked, obviously hoping that the use of my nickname would remedy things.

"Who. The fuck. Is Dexter?" I growled. His face paled, and really, that told me the most. The look of complete surprise, then comprehension of the question, followed closely by a 'holy shit' look. He looked down at the table, biting on his lip hard enough to draw blood and make it drip down onto his chin in a thin red line.

"Well?" I demanded, waiting for an answer.