You Give Love a Bad Name
The Dance
Frank sighed and stepped away from me, turning his head to face his enraged girlfriend.
Manda had her red hair up in a messy bun and was dressed in a short nurse uniform that would make Mother Theresa jump in her grave. Her pretty face was twisted in rage as she eyed me and Frank like she'd just caught us having wild, monkey sex on the refreshments table.
Someone had some paranoia issues around here...
Even though I knew that I have done nothing wrong, her glare still made uncomfortable shivers go up my back.
"What is it?" Frank demanded, obviously annoyed.
I remembered how a couple of days ago Gerard told me that the two of them were having problems. It sure as hell looked that way to me.
Instead of answering him, Manda strode up to Frank and slapped him hard across the face. And then, to my absolute horror, turned to me, pointing an accusing finger to my chest. "You!"
My throat was dry. Has she found out about my feelings for Frank? "Me?"
"You're the slut he's been cheating on me with, aren't you?" She thundered, making half of the people stop dancing and turn to examine the source of noise.
My mouth fell open. Why the fuck was I always in the middle of these things? Why did it feel like my life was a badly written, teenage drama on HBO.
I guess Manda took as my stunned silence as confirmation, because she strode up to me and raised her right hand to hit me as well.
I closed my eyes and waited for the blow, but it never came.
When I opened my eyes again, Frank held Manda's hand in his firm grasp, and she was hitting him on the chest with her other one, crying hysterically.
Now there was a circle of students formed around us, watching with eager interest. I had no doubt in my mind that by the time this fiasco was going to be over, Manda and I were going to beating the shit out of each other in the rumors that were going to be spread in school tomorrow like some sort of a plague.
"I fucking hate you, Frank!" Manda screamed, trying to plant her one-armed punches anywhere that was in her reach. "I hate you and your - your whore!"
Normally, by now I would be in her face, giving Manda a piece of my mind. But I was still recovering from the sheer shock and bizarreness of the whole situation.
"Lena has nothing to do with this," Frank said sternly, ignoring the whispers that flew all around us. "Leave her out of our problems."
Can you stay away from Frank and Manda for a couple of days? Gerard's request ran through my head.
Then I got it.
He knew. He knew that this was going to happen and was trying to protect me in a discreet way.
With a swelling heart, I realized exactly how much Gerard meant to me. Even if he did hog the bathroom in the morning.
"Manda," I started with a shaking tone, hoping to calm her down. "Honestly, I had -"
With a growl, she whipped around and spat in the direction of my face. Thankfully, my body regained control and I leaped away at the last moment.
"Enough is enough," Frank said calmly and started to drag Manda towards the exit. "We need to talk."
I watched them leave, fully aware that everyone else in the gym was staring at me.
All of a sudden Logan was by my side and was holding me by the shoulders. "Lena! What the hell just happened?"
I blinked and turned on my heel. "I don't know, but I want to get the hell out of here."
As soon as I got to my house - which was already full to the brim with people for Frank's party - I went straight to the kitchen to get myself a beer. After taking a sip of Heineken, I changed my mind and drowned two shots of vodka instead.
"What are you doing?"
I ignored Logan's voice and poured myself another shot. Time to get wasted.
"Lena?" The bottle was snatched away from me, and I turned my head in annoyance.
"Taking a leaf out of Gerard's book, that's what. Now if you would so kindly give me back the bottle, it would be greatly appreciated."
I tried to snatch it away from him, but Logan rose the bottle over his head. Jerk. Not exactly fair for a 5'11 or 5'12 foot guy to do it to a 5'3 foot girl.
"You don't need to get wasted, Lena. You need to talk about it. Let it all out," Logan tried to reason with me, holding the bottle up higher. His gray eyes were watching me wearily as I jumped up to try and get the liquor.
I stopped my attempts and turned away bitterly. "I don't have anything to say."
"Did you sleep with Frank?"
My eyes shot up to his face in rage. "What? No! Of course not!"
"Did you kiss him?" Logan continued calmly.
"No!"
"Then I don't see why the whole situation is getting to you so much."
"Logan," I sighed, and began to rub my temples. "I've been just accused of sleeping with my best friend by his very angry girlfriend. Further more, the whole thing was done in front of the whole school. So excuse me if you think I'm over reacting, because I sure as hell don't."
"You know why I think you're freaking out?"
I stopped moving and waited for his explanation.
Logan looked at me with complete and utter seriousness and I was beginning to feel nauseous. It always happened whenever I was scared or anxious.
"I think," he started quietly, leaning in so only I could hear, "I think you're beginning to realize exactly how much Frank means to you. And how much you like him."
Manda had her red hair up in a messy bun and was dressed in a short nurse uniform that would make Mother Theresa jump in her grave. Her pretty face was twisted in rage as she eyed me and Frank like she'd just caught us having wild, monkey sex on the refreshments table.
Someone had some paranoia issues around here...
Even though I knew that I have done nothing wrong, her glare still made uncomfortable shivers go up my back.
"What is it?" Frank demanded, obviously annoyed.
I remembered how a couple of days ago Gerard told me that the two of them were having problems. It sure as hell looked that way to me.
Instead of answering him, Manda strode up to Frank and slapped him hard across the face. And then, to my absolute horror, turned to me, pointing an accusing finger to my chest. "You!"
My throat was dry. Has she found out about my feelings for Frank? "Me?"
"You're the slut he's been cheating on me with, aren't you?" She thundered, making half of the people stop dancing and turn to examine the source of noise.
My mouth fell open. Why the fuck was I always in the middle of these things? Why did it feel like my life was a badly written, teenage drama on HBO.
I guess Manda took as my stunned silence as confirmation, because she strode up to me and raised her right hand to hit me as well.
I closed my eyes and waited for the blow, but it never came.
When I opened my eyes again, Frank held Manda's hand in his firm grasp, and she was hitting him on the chest with her other one, crying hysterically.
Now there was a circle of students formed around us, watching with eager interest. I had no doubt in my mind that by the time this fiasco was going to be over, Manda and I were going to beating the shit out of each other in the rumors that were going to be spread in school tomorrow like some sort of a plague.
"I fucking hate you, Frank!" Manda screamed, trying to plant her one-armed punches anywhere that was in her reach. "I hate you and your - your whore!"
Normally, by now I would be in her face, giving Manda a piece of my mind. But I was still recovering from the sheer shock and bizarreness of the whole situation.
"Lena has nothing to do with this," Frank said sternly, ignoring the whispers that flew all around us. "Leave her out of our problems."
Can you stay away from Frank and Manda for a couple of days? Gerard's request ran through my head.
Then I got it.
He knew. He knew that this was going to happen and was trying to protect me in a discreet way.
With a swelling heart, I realized exactly how much Gerard meant to me. Even if he did hog the bathroom in the morning.
"Manda," I started with a shaking tone, hoping to calm her down. "Honestly, I had -"
With a growl, she whipped around and spat in the direction of my face. Thankfully, my body regained control and I leaped away at the last moment.
"Enough is enough," Frank said calmly and started to drag Manda towards the exit. "We need to talk."
I watched them leave, fully aware that everyone else in the gym was staring at me.
All of a sudden Logan was by my side and was holding me by the shoulders. "Lena! What the hell just happened?"
I blinked and turned on my heel. "I don't know, but I want to get the hell out of here."
As soon as I got to my house - which was already full to the brim with people for Frank's party - I went straight to the kitchen to get myself a beer. After taking a sip of Heineken, I changed my mind and drowned two shots of vodka instead.
"What are you doing?"
I ignored Logan's voice and poured myself another shot. Time to get wasted.
"Lena?" The bottle was snatched away from me, and I turned my head in annoyance.
"Taking a leaf out of Gerard's book, that's what. Now if you would so kindly give me back the bottle, it would be greatly appreciated."
I tried to snatch it away from him, but Logan rose the bottle over his head. Jerk. Not exactly fair for a 5'11 or 5'12 foot guy to do it to a 5'3 foot girl.
"You don't need to get wasted, Lena. You need to talk about it. Let it all out," Logan tried to reason with me, holding the bottle up higher. His gray eyes were watching me wearily as I jumped up to try and get the liquor.
I stopped my attempts and turned away bitterly. "I don't have anything to say."
"Did you sleep with Frank?"
My eyes shot up to his face in rage. "What? No! Of course not!"
"Did you kiss him?" Logan continued calmly.
"No!"
"Then I don't see why the whole situation is getting to you so much."
"Logan," I sighed, and began to rub my temples. "I've been just accused of sleeping with my best friend by his very angry girlfriend. Further more, the whole thing was done in front of the whole school. So excuse me if you think I'm over reacting, because I sure as hell don't."
"You know why I think you're freaking out?"
I stopped moving and waited for his explanation.
Logan looked at me with complete and utter seriousness and I was beginning to feel nauseous. It always happened whenever I was scared or anxious.
"I think," he started quietly, leaning in so only I could hear, "I think you're beginning to realize exactly how much Frank means to you. And how much you like him."