Adolescent Suicide

The chilly Greek air whipped at her hair, making it cross over her face and fly behind her. Her entire body was wrapped in a large blanket as she sat, huddled on the balcony. The wet lines where tears had passed over her cheeks were icy from the wind, but she made no move to wipe them away. Mercy felt like she was on the edge of a deep, dark precipice, about to fall to who knows what. She had never seen Frank look at her like that. He had never been angry with her before. She wasn’t sure how to deal with it. If he had grabbed her heart from her chest and stomped on it, it would’ve hurt less than what she was feeling at the moment.

Her knees were tucked up her chest, her thin arms wrapped around them. Her blue eyes looked over the city below her, lit up by the sunny afternoon air. In the distance, dark clouds were starting to roll. A storm was coming. It only made her feel more apprehensive about the situation she was in. Mercy fully believed that things happened for a reason, and she couldn’t help but feel the storm ahead was a bad omen. It made goose bumps cover her flesh and a shiver to run down her spine.

In the far distance, she could hear seagulls over the choppy waters of the Athens coast. Every now and then, a deep bellow from one of the fishing ships would break through the relative silence. It did nothing to improve her mood except irritate her even more. She was not only irritated with the world around her, but with herself. She had done something so stupid, so juvenile. And because of that, she was paying for it. Every action has an equal reaction, right? She had done something so idiotic, and the reaction had been Frank’s raging anger.

The sliding glass door behind her slid open, the wheels squeaking slightly as they moved in the frame. Mercy looked up briefly to see Gerard standing there, then went back to looking back out at the city. The sound of the wheels sliding back into place reached her ears, then she felt Gee’s presence sitting down next to her, mimicking her position. She heard the sound of rustling, then the flicking of a lighter. Mercy narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. She wasn’t downwind from him, so she could deal with it. He inhaled deeply and her vision was momentarily blurred by the hazy white smoke that emitted from his lips when he let out the breath of air.

“Mercy, are you okay? You’ve been sitting out here for two hours and it’s fucking cold,” Gerard said, his body shivering when a particularly rough wind hit them.

Sighing, she opened her blanket, beckoning him to join her. He kept a safe distance, but huddled beneath the green plaid comforter with her.

“Gee, do you think it’s possible to go from loving someone to hating someone in one day?” she asked softly, looking at him with her brows furrowed.

He stared at her intensely, his wrists placed on his knees, his lit cigarette dangling between two of his thin fingers. “Merc, Frank doesn’t hate you. Why on earth would you think that?”

Mercy shrugged and turned her eyes back in front of her. “You didn’t see the way he looked at me. It was like I murdered his mom or something. I did something stupid. I betrayed him, and I’ve never felt shittier in my life. He would have every reason to hate me, Gerard.”

“That’s stupid, Merc. You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistake. He’ll forgive you, I’m sure. He doesn’t hate you. He’s madly in love with you, but he’s just upset right now. He’ll come around.”

“How can you be so sure?” she whispered.

For what felt like the thousandth time that day, tears sprung into her eyes, blurring her vision. Mercy clenched her teeth together, willing herself to not let them fall down her rosy cheeks. The lump in her throat grew to a massive size, and she suddenly felt like she was choking. She let out a small, strangled noise, her hand going to her throat. The tears exploded, cascading down her cheeks, making the wind feel all the more brutal. Gerard flicked his cigarette over the railing and moved closer to her, wrapping her small body in his arms. She didn’t push him away. She didn’t have the strength to. Instead, she fell against his chest, her body shaking with the sobs that were now emitting from her lips. One of his hands soothingly rubbed her back, while the other ran over her dark locks.

They sat there for a full hour, Gerard comforting the young woman who was usually so strong, who usually had a emotionless façade. But now, she was the fallen. Her resolve was crushed, and all he saw was the face of a broken-hearted woman.

**********Time Elapse/Gerard’s POV**********

After he left Mercy in the care of Bob, he left the hotel room and strode down the hallway, his chin jutted out, the look on his face full of purpose. He was going to knock some fucking sense into Frank. He knew that the guy had a right to be upset, but he was taking it too far. It had been a joke. He needed to get over it. Gerard feared for Mercy, in all honesty. Since she was diagnosed with cancer, he had always thought that she was on the verge of breaking. He was scared shitless that she would do something, that she would harm herself. Or that she would leave again. And he wouldn’t have that. It had broken every single one of their hearts when she had done it the first time, and he wouldn’t have them going through that again. Not for Frank’s stubborn ass.

Gerard pulled the room key out of his pocket, flipping it through his fingers a few times. He had managed to snag it from Mercy when she hadn’t been looking, when it had been resting on one of the side tables, begging for someone to take it. And he had. Of course he had. Frank was going to talk to him, whether he liked it or not. Clenching his jaw, he slid the key in. The light flashed green as he pulled it back out and pushed it deep into his back pocket. Before the door could lock again, he tilted the handle down and pushed it open.

The hotel room was dark. All the shades were drawn on the windows, and none of the lights were on. Shaking his head, he reached out and flicked the first one, making the shadows disappear in the small living room. From the couch, he heard a groan, then Frank’s sleepy face appeared from in behind the back of the couch. He’s eyes were swollen and red as he stared at Gerard, his hazel hues in slits.

“Gee? What are you doing? Turn that light back out,” he muttered before laying back down. His arm peeped over the top of the couch, bringing his blanket up over his head.

“No, Frank. We’re going to have a little talk,” Gerard replied, marching over to the couch and yanking the cover off of his small body.

Frank instinctively curled up tighter, clenching his eyes shut. Gerard smacked him on the leg, making him sit up. Letting out a groan, Frank obliged, but only enough to give Gerard enough sitting room. He narrowed his eyes as he sat at the man’s feet, leaning forward with his elbows on his upper legs.

“Frank, you’re letting this get out of hand. You’re fucking up, you know. It was a fucking joke, and you’re acting like she fucking attempted to kill you,” Gerard exclaimed, waving his hands around as he spoke, clearly frustrated.

“I’m not letting this get out of hand. I’m upset and pissed off. She’s supposed to be on my side,” Frank mumbled, looking anywhere but at Gerard.

The older Way let out a frustrated growl and leaned over, slapping Frank in the face with the tips of his fingers. Frank’s eyes went wide, as did his mouth as he stared at Gerard, who merely narrowed his eyes.

“Snap out of it Frank! You’re fucking killing Mercy with your stubbornness! Do you want her to run away again?! Do you want her to leave you?! Huh? Is that what you want?!”

By this time, Gerard was yelling, his voice cracking with the intensity of his words. He cared so much about Mercy. She was like his kid sister, and they had been fairly close from the beginning. He would do anything for her. Anything. And if that meant roughing up her stupid boyfriend, then so be it. As long as he saw the fucking light, Gerard didn’t care.

Frank shook his head, saying nothing. Gerard took that as a hint to continue his rampage, and he did so with renewed vigor.

“She thinks you hate her, Frank! She thinks you want nothing to do with her! I’ve seen her cry more time today than the entire time I’ve known her! You better get your act together before you lose the one good thing in your life, Frank. Again.”

With that, Gerard stood. He fumbled around in his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He tossed it at Frank before turning and leaving the hotel room, slamming the door behind him.

*****

Frank watched him go, then tentatively picked up the piece of paper that had hit him square in the face. He unfolded it and stared at the picture within, something that Gerard had obviously drawn. Though it wasn’t his usual kind of work, it was enough to show the emotion that he wanted portrayed. It was of Mercy sitting out on the balcony, wrapped in a blanket. A single tear was rolling down her cheek, another one clinging perilously to her jaw. Her eyes showed intense sadness as she looked out at the horizon, the wind whipping her hair around her round face.

He sighed and tossed the picture onto the small coffee table before running his hands over his face. He knew he had to fix this. He knew that he had made a mistake. But how does one fix a broken heart?