All the Smiles That Are Ever Gonna Haunt Me
Chapter Three
Frank awoke the next day, but he didn't feel right.
"Frank!" his mother exclaimed from the room over, "you're going to be late to school!"
"But I feel sick," he groaned as loudly as he could.
"What was that?" he heard his mother coming over to his room.
"I said I feel sick." Frank's mum came over to his bed and felt his forehead.
"Oh," she scowled, "you have a fever. You should probably just stay in bed for the day. I'll call up the school and tell them you won't be able to make it. If you need anything, just ask." Frank didn't acknowledge this with an answer, as he felt as though his voicebox had burnt out. He closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.
***
The only thing that awoke him was his phone's message tone going off, almost right next to him. Frank picked up the phone and saw that it was already 11.
"why arent you at school today?" was what Gerard had asked. Slowly, Frank typed, "i have a fever. Ill be there tomorrow hopefully."
Frank, knowing he might get more messages from either one of the brothers, put his phone right next to him, knowing he probably wouldn't get anymore sleep anyway.
A few minutes later, there was another message.
"i hope you get better," Frank read, "it already feels weird without you here, even though weve only known each other for one day." He smiled, happy that he already had friends that cared about him so much.
"yeah, id rather be there than be sick. tell mikey i said hi."
It felt weird to Frank, having friends that cared about him so much. He wondered why Gerard already cared so much for him. After all, didn't it take a while for people to warm up to each other?
He figured that Gerard was probably just one of those really friendly people that made friends easily. And, just as he was thinking of Gerard, he received another message.
"mikey said hi & sorry that he cant text you cus he has no credit." And then it hit Frank that the best person to ask was Gerard's best friend and brother.
Flicking through the contacts in his phone (which wasn't many since he only had friends outside of his old school), Frank found Mikey's and opened a new message.
"hey Mikey i know you cant talk to me right now cus you have no credit, but could you please ring me after school?" hitting send, he realised that calling was probably a bad idea, since Gerard would be able to hear what the two were talking about. Frank realised it probably didn't matter anyway, though, and fell asleep again, waiting for the phone call.
***
"Frank," he heard his mother's voice calling.
"Mmm?" he replied lazily.
"Your friend wants to speak to you," Frank opened his eyes to see his mother holding the phone out to him, "I told him that you were sick and asleep, but he told me that you wanted to speak to him."
As soon as his mother left the room, Frank put the receiver to his ear and said, "hey Mikey."
"Whoa, Frank," Mikey said, somewhat surprised, "you sound like a dying frog."
"What?" Frank asked, confused. He knew that it was true; his voice was croaky and he was still half asleep, "anyway, I just wanna ask you some stuff about Gerard."
"Stuff like what?"
"Like, I don't know," Frank pondered, "is he always that friendly to people?"
"How friendly?"
"Asking people why they're not at school, hoping they get better, stuff like that."
"Well," began Mikey, "we're both kinda loners, we don't really have any other friends, so we don't really get much time to test out our socialising skills on other people. Not saying he's a bad person," he hurried in, "he's great when it comes to talking to other people, but I'm pretty sure the only person he's ever worried about that much is me." Mikey made a quiet noise that sounded something like a laugh, "he must think pretty highly of you already." Frank attempted a little smile and a laugh, too, but it sounded more like a cat without a voicebox.
"Thanks, Mikey, that's all I wanted to know."
"Why, though?"
"I don't know, I guess I've just never had somebody care about me that much before."
"I should probably let you rest now. See ya, Frank."
"Bye." Frank pressed the hang up button and put the phone on the ground beside him, knowing that his mother would come and get it. He fell asleep once more, thinking only of what Mikey had told him.
***
When Frank awoke, he checked his phone. It was 7:30 in the morning and he had a new message from Gerard.
"r u comin 2 school 2day?" Frank hit the reply button.
"i dont think so, i still feel sick. Worse, probably. And dont type like that, its annoying." The moment Frank pressed the send button, his mum popped her around the corner.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"No," Frank said as loudly as he could, which was just a whisper anyway, "I feel worse."
"Do you want any food?"
"I'm not hungry." His phone buzzed, and he picked it up.
"Well, tell me if you do."
"Okay," he said as he opened the message.
"sorry, it was early and id just woken up, i couldnt be bothered finding all the letters. I hope youre better tomorrow." Before Frank could answer, he received another message with the question, "can i visit you after school?" Frank thought about it for a few seconds.
"sure" was his reply, and he typed out his address.
"thats not too far away," was Gerard's reply, "ill see you then."
And, until Gerard got to Frank's house, there was only one thing he wanted to do; sleep.
"Frank!" his mother exclaimed from the room over, "you're going to be late to school!"
"But I feel sick," he groaned as loudly as he could.
"What was that?" he heard his mother coming over to his room.
"I said I feel sick." Frank's mum came over to his bed and felt his forehead.
"Oh," she scowled, "you have a fever. You should probably just stay in bed for the day. I'll call up the school and tell them you won't be able to make it. If you need anything, just ask." Frank didn't acknowledge this with an answer, as he felt as though his voicebox had burnt out. He closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.
***
The only thing that awoke him was his phone's message tone going off, almost right next to him. Frank picked up the phone and saw that it was already 11.
"why arent you at school today?" was what Gerard had asked. Slowly, Frank typed, "i have a fever. Ill be there tomorrow hopefully."
Frank, knowing he might get more messages from either one of the brothers, put his phone right next to him, knowing he probably wouldn't get anymore sleep anyway.
A few minutes later, there was another message.
"i hope you get better," Frank read, "it already feels weird without you here, even though weve only known each other for one day." He smiled, happy that he already had friends that cared about him so much.
"yeah, id rather be there than be sick. tell mikey i said hi."
It felt weird to Frank, having friends that cared about him so much. He wondered why Gerard already cared so much for him. After all, didn't it take a while for people to warm up to each other?
He figured that Gerard was probably just one of those really friendly people that made friends easily. And, just as he was thinking of Gerard, he received another message.
"mikey said hi & sorry that he cant text you cus he has no credit." And then it hit Frank that the best person to ask was Gerard's best friend and brother.
Flicking through the contacts in his phone (which wasn't many since he only had friends outside of his old school), Frank found Mikey's and opened a new message.
"hey Mikey i know you cant talk to me right now cus you have no credit, but could you please ring me after school?" hitting send, he realised that calling was probably a bad idea, since Gerard would be able to hear what the two were talking about. Frank realised it probably didn't matter anyway, though, and fell asleep again, waiting for the phone call.
***
"Frank," he heard his mother's voice calling.
"Mmm?" he replied lazily.
"Your friend wants to speak to you," Frank opened his eyes to see his mother holding the phone out to him, "I told him that you were sick and asleep, but he told me that you wanted to speak to him."
As soon as his mother left the room, Frank put the receiver to his ear and said, "hey Mikey."
"Whoa, Frank," Mikey said, somewhat surprised, "you sound like a dying frog."
"What?" Frank asked, confused. He knew that it was true; his voice was croaky and he was still half asleep, "anyway, I just wanna ask you some stuff about Gerard."
"Stuff like what?"
"Like, I don't know," Frank pondered, "is he always that friendly to people?"
"How friendly?"
"Asking people why they're not at school, hoping they get better, stuff like that."
"Well," began Mikey, "we're both kinda loners, we don't really have any other friends, so we don't really get much time to test out our socialising skills on other people. Not saying he's a bad person," he hurried in, "he's great when it comes to talking to other people, but I'm pretty sure the only person he's ever worried about that much is me." Mikey made a quiet noise that sounded something like a laugh, "he must think pretty highly of you already." Frank attempted a little smile and a laugh, too, but it sounded more like a cat without a voicebox.
"Thanks, Mikey, that's all I wanted to know."
"Why, though?"
"I don't know, I guess I've just never had somebody care about me that much before."
"I should probably let you rest now. See ya, Frank."
"Bye." Frank pressed the hang up button and put the phone on the ground beside him, knowing that his mother would come and get it. He fell asleep once more, thinking only of what Mikey had told him.
***
When Frank awoke, he checked his phone. It was 7:30 in the morning and he had a new message from Gerard.
"r u comin 2 school 2day?" Frank hit the reply button.
"i dont think so, i still feel sick. Worse, probably. And dont type like that, its annoying." The moment Frank pressed the send button, his mum popped her around the corner.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"No," Frank said as loudly as he could, which was just a whisper anyway, "I feel worse."
"Do you want any food?"
"I'm not hungry." His phone buzzed, and he picked it up.
"Well, tell me if you do."
"Okay," he said as he opened the message.
"sorry, it was early and id just woken up, i couldnt be bothered finding all the letters. I hope youre better tomorrow." Before Frank could answer, he received another message with the question, "can i visit you after school?" Frank thought about it for a few seconds.
"sure" was his reply, and he typed out his address.
"thats not too far away," was Gerard's reply, "ill see you then."
And, until Gerard got to Frank's house, there was only one thing he wanted to do; sleep.