Fences

The next morning, I woke up to my mom yelling into the phone. She was yelling at Mrs. Romero, it made my stomach knot uneasily.

“…I don’t care if they’re friends! You keep that dirty daughter of yours away from my son!” The phone made a clang noise when she slammed it down.

I flinched, hearing her trudge up the stairs. I stayed still in my bed, hoping she wouldn’t come in, but she did. She pushed my door open, leaned against my door frame.

“Frank, wake up.” She said gruffly.

I opened my eyes a bit, looking at her. She was still angry, and I could see she had taken her pills.

“Your friend is alright.” She spoke havily, “Too bad.”

My breath hitched quietly and I kept my composure, “What happened?” I asked softly.

“She’s allergic to whatever was in my sleeping pills.” My mom had a smirk now.

“I didn’t know.”

My mom leaned up, “I shouldn’t be so mad at you, Frank. You did, after all, almost kill her. Too bad her throat didn’t swell up enough.” My mom shook her head and turned, “Your father will be home next week, so don’t get to comfortable.”

I swallowed thickly as my mom left.

I got up out of my bed and went to my dresser, where my stash of money was. Since my dad left my mom, he has always been trying to buy my love by giving me money or buying me things. Money couldn’t replace having a father, but the money could help me escape.

I counted out the bills I had…$730. I needed to get out of this place…but I didn’t want to leave without Lily. It sounds selfish, but she needed to come with me. We could go anywhere, and we could be happy. We could go somewhere, where no one knew who we were.

I just hope that she won’t turn me down.

3 days had passed, and I had been locked down in my house. My mom refused to let me out, to even take the trash out, I wasn’t allowed to. I sat in the living room, watching TV until she left, then I would step out into the backyard. On the third day, that’s when I knew Lily was home.

I could see her pacing her backyard, humming sadly to Redundant by Green Day. I looked through the slits of the fence and saw her fully; her hair hung over her face and her shoulders slumped. Why was she sad?

“Lil?” I called out to her, but she didn’t hear me. I swallowed thickly, ready to call out again, until the back door opened.

Mrs. Romero came out, Lily stopped, “Come on sweetie, Dr. Brickman is here.”

I exhaled heavily as Lily went inside; I had missed my chance to talk to her, but at least I saw her.

Later that night, I saw her bedroom light on, and her silhouette at the window and she opened it. I saw her smile when she saw me, she waved at me, and I waved back. I opened my window and climbed onto the roof. Lily did the same, but sat on her open sill.

“I’m sorry about the pills.” I told her.

“I’m okay. They gave me a shot, and I was better. But, I got these weird blemishes on my neck,” She twisted her next towards the moon light so I could see them; but I could barely make them out, “Dr. Brickman says they should go away in the next few weeks.” She faced me again, “How have you been?”

“I’m okay.” I murmured, “My mom was royally pissed when she found out we’re friends.”

Lily frowned, “I’m sorry…I know being friends with me is a big risk.”

“She’s sending me to live my dad upstate.”

“Oh.” Lily looked down, “I’m really, really sorry Frankie.”

“I’m not going.” I told her quickly, “I’m thinking of running away…go somewhere new.”

“Well, that’s crazy.” Lily said with a slight humorous tone in her voice.

“You wanna know something even crazier?” Lily hummed, “I want you to come with me.”

Lily’s green eyes bulged and I just gave her my serious look. She raised her brow then, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“But…but, we’re only teenagers! We can’t do that. Plus, I’m sick.”

I cursed to myself, “So? You can take your pills with you, we can find a doctor—“

“Frankie, I think you shot the gun on this one.”

“C’mon, Lil!” I stood slightly, “When are you ever gonna do something crazy? You’re gonna be 15 in two days, and you haven’t done anything worth while!”

She smirked at me, “You’re talking as if I’m turning 40.”

“Can’t we just go away for a while? Just until, y’know, your pills run out or something?”

She frowned, “Frankie, I can’t worry my mom like that. And, when you come back—“

I cut her off, “I’m not gonna come back. I’ll just…send you back.”

“You wouldn’t dare send me home alone, would you?” She pointed her finger at me, angrily.

I tweaked my lips, thinking it over, “No. I wouldn’t, sorry.”

She was silent, then she looked at me seriously, “You think we could go away?”

I nodded, “Yeah.”

She sighed, “I don’t want my mom to worry…I don’t want to get sick. I just want to have a small vacation, where I don’t have to worry about my health…I want to live.” She seemed to be talking and praying to herself.

“We can do that for a little while.” I spoke softly, I was unsure she heard me.

Lily exhaled heavily, “Where would we go?”

I smiled, “Anywhere you want.”

“I haven’t really thought of where I wanted to go.” Lily spoke quietly, “I want to see something…amazing…majestic.”

“Like a garden or something?”

She shook her head, “When I was 6, I remember I wanted to go on the school field trip so badly, but I wasn’t allowed to…it was to the zoo. All I wanted was to see was the Sea Lions. That’s it, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“I can take you to the zoo in New York.” I told her.

She looked up at me hopefully, “Really?” her eyes lit up and I knew I had to fulfill this obligation.

“I will, Lil, I promise.”

She smiled, “I’m holding you to it. Now or later, you will take me to the zoo, Frank Iero.”

I chuckled, “Sure thing.”