‹ Prequel: Savior
All Around Me
Three
" Who are you? Can you really see me?"
My head was spinning. I thought I was going crazy. This boy had appeared again, right in front of me. He had just appeared, and his face was so full of anger and fear. I couldn't even speak. I just stared at him, my heart thumping wildly. My mouth was hanging open and my eyes were wide.
"Hey! Answer me!" He shouted into my face, just centimeters away. "Can you see me?"
"Y-yes!" I replied loudly, my voice shaking.
A woman walking past me turned and gave me a strange look before clutching her bag and walking away hurriedly.
The boy with the olive eyes shut his mouth, his lips set in a hard line, his eyebrows furrowed. Why did he look so familiar? "Why? Why can you see me?"
I stared at him. Why was he asking me this? How the hell should I know? "I don't know." I said honestly. "Sh-shouldn't I be able to?"
"Ha." The boy smirked, folding his arms. "Not really."
"Why?" I whispered, afraid of the answer.
"Because." He said in a low voice, staring at me. "I'm dead."
I was expecting that. I'm not exactly the superstitious type, but fuck, this boy could appear and disappear, and Vinny hadn't seen him when I pointed him out. That Chester guy had been shouting about books and CDs flying off the shelves by themselves. But just because I believed him didn't make it any less scary.
"What do you want from me?" I whispered, taking a step back warily.
The boy's smirk left his face and he frowned slightly. "What do I want? I don't want anything."
I didn't say anything, just stared at him. But then his face took on a look of what can only be described as pure hope.
"Wait! You you can talk to people, right? I mean, they can see you?"
"Obviously." I muttered, flushing red as two girls walked past me giggling about the crazy woman talking to herself. "But they can't see you."
"Okay." The black haired boy replied, his olive eyes lit up. "I need your help. Please."
My help? Why would he need me for anything?
"Please." He said, and for a minute he just looked like an ordinary boy needing a favor. His eyes were wide and his fists were clenched, and he never took his eyes off me.
"Okay." I whispered. "What do you need?"
"I need Frank." He said, and then I remembered exactly who he was.
Fuck, I think everyone in Jersey knew this kid. He was Gerard Way, and his name was everywhere for a while after he died- his and his friend Franks. Just because his death was such a tragedy, and could have so easily been avoided, and because they were both so young. The guys who had beaten up the other kid, Frank, got a long time in Prison for assault on a minor and since that attack led to the death of Gerard Way, they got even longer.
I remember reading about that, and hearing it on the news, and I will admit that I cried hearing about it. It just wasn't fair- they were my age at the time. I still had my best friend and we had an ordinary life at college, studying, partying- and Gerard was dead and Frank's life had been ruined. I knew I needed to do this.
I nodded, my fists clenching. "Whatever you want, Gerard."
My head was spinning. I thought I was going crazy. This boy had appeared again, right in front of me. He had just appeared, and his face was so full of anger and fear. I couldn't even speak. I just stared at him, my heart thumping wildly. My mouth was hanging open and my eyes were wide.
"Hey! Answer me!" He shouted into my face, just centimeters away. "Can you see me?"
"Y-yes!" I replied loudly, my voice shaking.
A woman walking past me turned and gave me a strange look before clutching her bag and walking away hurriedly.
The boy with the olive eyes shut his mouth, his lips set in a hard line, his eyebrows furrowed. Why did he look so familiar? "Why? Why can you see me?"
I stared at him. Why was he asking me this? How the hell should I know? "I don't know." I said honestly. "Sh-shouldn't I be able to?"
"Ha." The boy smirked, folding his arms. "Not really."
"Why?" I whispered, afraid of the answer.
"Because." He said in a low voice, staring at me. "I'm dead."
I was expecting that. I'm not exactly the superstitious type, but fuck, this boy could appear and disappear, and Vinny hadn't seen him when I pointed him out. That Chester guy had been shouting about books and CDs flying off the shelves by themselves. But just because I believed him didn't make it any less scary.
"What do you want from me?" I whispered, taking a step back warily.
The boy's smirk left his face and he frowned slightly. "What do I want? I don't want anything."
I didn't say anything, just stared at him. But then his face took on a look of what can only be described as pure hope.
"Wait! You you can talk to people, right? I mean, they can see you?"
"Obviously." I muttered, flushing red as two girls walked past me giggling about the crazy woman talking to herself. "But they can't see you."
"Okay." The black haired boy replied, his olive eyes lit up. "I need your help. Please."
My help? Why would he need me for anything?
"Please." He said, and for a minute he just looked like an ordinary boy needing a favor. His eyes were wide and his fists were clenched, and he never took his eyes off me.
"Okay." I whispered. "What do you need?"
"I need Frank." He said, and then I remembered exactly who he was.
Fuck, I think everyone in Jersey knew this kid. He was Gerard Way, and his name was everywhere for a while after he died- his and his friend Franks. Just because his death was such a tragedy, and could have so easily been avoided, and because they were both so young. The guys who had beaten up the other kid, Frank, got a long time in Prison for assault on a minor and since that attack led to the death of Gerard Way, they got even longer.
I remember reading about that, and hearing it on the news, and I will admit that I cried hearing about it. It just wasn't fair- they were my age at the time. I still had my best friend and we had an ordinary life at college, studying, partying- and Gerard was dead and Frank's life had been ruined. I knew I needed to do this.
I nodded, my fists clenching. "Whatever you want, Gerard."