You Taught Me Love

Gerard's P.O.V.

Wednesday
Lunchtime

I made my way to the teachers' lounge to eat and saw my friend sitting at our usual table.

”Krysta! Where were you yesterday?”

”Oh hey, Gerard. I was at a meeting about this year's final world history exams.”

”Boring?”

”You have NO freaking idea. I swear I almost fell asleep twice. Urh! It made me wanna shoot a bullet though my head” she said jokingly as she made the movement of a firing gun with her hand.
I tried so hard not to get bothered by this harmless joke, but I just had to look away as my mind filled momentarily with awful remembrances. When would I finally forget? Would I ever?

”Gerard? Gerard! Are you okay?”

”Y-yeah, I was just wondering, uh...if I remembered to lock the door this morning” I lied.

”Okay... Well anyways, I met an old friend at the conference so it wasn't that bad at the end. Did you eat alone while I was gone?”

”No. Actually, I had lunch in my class with one of my students. Franklin Iero. Do you know him?”

”Iero? Of course, I taught him last year.”

”I just had his group at the first period. The project was a written appreciation and he chose «Le Radeau de la Meduse» from Theodore Gericault; it's one of my favorite paintings! We have a lot in common and he's really a nice guy.”

”You might have a chance, he's gay” she said with a mocking smile.
I choked on my bread and my eyes widened at the implications in her sentence.

”Excuse me?!?!?!?!?” I exclaimed.

”Come on, don't give me that face, I can see you like him...”

”What?! No, not like that! Krystelle!”
Despite that I was outraged at the moment, a strange feeling washed over me. What if...

”I'm kidding!” she laughed. “I know you wouldn't even think about it: you'd be fired guaranteed. But I gotta say, Iero's kinda cute.”

”Weren't you married? ” I asked sarcastically.

”Not yet. In four months!” she said, excited, before explaining every detail of the wedding.
I listened with half an ear, a disturbing thought still haunted me:

What if I was really developing feelings for Frank?????

* * * * * * *

Thursday
Evening

I went home and dropped my vest on the coffee table as I closed my apartment door behind me. I noticed one of my sketchbooks on the metallic surface and opened it as I sat down on my leather couch. I took out a pencil from my work bag and started drawing mindlessly.

I sighed and brought my left hand up to massage my temples; it had been a tough day. To say the truth, since my conversation with Krysta on Wednesday, I couldn't get Frank out of my head and it was driving me crazy. Did I really like him... «like that»? I mean, if we had met under other circumstances, I would've probably flirted with him or asked him out; he is not bad looking at all and he's quite my type. But for Christ's sake, he's my student!!! And he's what?... 16 years old? Am I some sort of pedophile?

No. Frank would stay a friend, at the most, and I just had to stop thinking about it.

I let go of my pencil and took a look at what was on my sheet. I had drawn my student in his most beautiful details: the strands of chocolate hair that cascaded down the side of his face, the light reflecting on his shiny lip ring, his starry eyes...
It was one of my best sketches ever.
Fuck!

I ripped the paper to shreds and threw away every single piece out the window, angry at myself to have fallen for Frank.
I walked over to the kitchen. I really needed a cup of steaming coffee.