On Top of the World

Earlier that same afternoon - from Frank's POV

"I can't believe you still have glow in the dark stars and planets hanging from your ceiling," I mumbled, not realizing I'd done so out loud until I earned a light punch in the stomach from Mikey. I made an 'oomf' sound and continued staring up at my best friend's ceiling, trying to get away from the topic of me and Martin that had been the hot debate of the afternoon.

School had been over for hours, and we have been hanging out in his room ever since. He and I were laying head to toe, my head facing the door and his the other way. We always laid like this, whether it was my room, his room, on the grass outside... it was our special thing, today was no different. I peeked at my cell phone and noticed that it was almost six. My mom said she'd be by to get me after work so she'd probably be making an appearance pretty soon...

"Yeah, well I can't believe you're being such a pansy, Frank. You should just call him," Mikey said to me for about the tenth time in the past half hour, and yet he still had the nerve to wonder why I had been throwing pillows at him all afternoon.

"NO!" I cried out, hurling yet another pillow his way, sulking and burying my face in the only pillow that I had left. "He is in the frickin' hospital, all because of me. Why would he want to talk to me?"

"Um, maybe because he gave you his number?"

I lifted my head very slowly to see the very satisfied grin Mikey had on his face, which only made me want to hit him even harder with a pillow that I had armed and ready to launch in my hand, until I realized he might actually be right. In fact, he was right.

I sighed deeply, before sitting up on the bed and thinking for a second. Mikey flinched, mainly because I still had the pillow in hand and perhaps he figured now was the time for me to attack. But, instead of beating my friend with that pillow, I put it under my head and laid back down, sticking my tongue out at him as I did so.

"You know Mikey, you're actually-"

The doorbell rang literally one second later, resulting in me jumping nearly ten feet in the air because the sound startled me and came as quite a surprise. I then realized that I was about to admit that Mikey was right, and I could do nothing but smirk at him as I quickly changed the subject. "That must be my mom-"

"Oooh no, Frankie," Mikey cut me off, a huge grin covering his face as he threw one of the pillows I'd assaulted him with earlier at me. "Please, continue what you were saying, that I was absolutely-"

"FRANK! Your mom's here!"

Score! I thought to myself, giggling as Mikey began assaulting me with the pillows once again. I always had so much fun with him, and the lazy day we spent lounging around was certainly no different.

"I'll quit being a pansy and call him when I get home," I assured him, then jumped yet again as his mother once again yelled for me to come downstairs because my mother was waiting. I scrambled to get off the bed, stretching because I'd been lying there for quite awhile and my limbs were pretty stiff.

"You do that, I'll be online later if you want to talk okay?" he asked, also standing up from his bed so he could give me a hug.

"Eh, I'll probably be online later," I replied, squeezing him extra tight before I let him go. "And you were definitely right... so thank you."

He gasped. I never admitted when he was right, so this was quite an occasion. "You're very welcome! Thank you for realizing that!"

"See you tomorrow, dude," I replied, waving for the final time before I headed downstairs, grinning as I saw my mom and Ms. Donna chatting and laughing with each other. They were good friends, so it wasn't a shock that she came in to say hello to her.

"Hey Frankie! How did things go at school today?"

Of course my mother had to inquire about my day the second she saw me, which I'm sure made all of the color drain from my face. I really didn't feel like talking about it, well, not at the moment anyway.

"It was great!" I piped up, cheerful as I possibly could be because yes, it was great... very great.

"Oh, I bet. I can't wait to hear all about it," she replied, giggling as she put her arm around my shoulder and began to escort us toward the front door.

"See you later, Ms. Donna," I said, managing a smile and waving at her, as my mother also bid her farewell.

"Bye guys, come by again soon," Mikey's mom replied, also waving from the front steps as my mother and I disappeared into her SUV. I'm still not completely sure if I'll be able to drive this big ass thing when the time comes for it, maybe I can convince her into buying me my own car...

"So, did the Martini taste as good as you thought he was going to?"

I nearly choked, her question took me completely by surprise, and that smirk she gave me made me burn a bright, brilliant shade of red.

"Mooom," I began to whine, but then a devious smirk flashed across my own face, as I replied, "Actually, he tasted even better than I could have imagined.."

"That's my Frankie," she beamed, smiling widely from ear to ear. "How does pizza for dinner sound?"

We spent the rest of the ride home in a comfortable silence, which relieved the hell out of me considering I didn't want to actually go into detail exactly how I was able to see if Martin "tasted good" or not.

We swung by my favorite pizza place that made the most amazing four-cheese pizza, and even made a detour to stop at the video place to pick up a movie. I picked Death Proof by Quentin Tarantino, because I needed to add that to my collection of Tarantino movies. He was my favorite director, and I'd missed out on seeing it when it was in the theaters.

We made it home within the hour, which made me excited as hell when we finally pulled into the driveway. I was a good mixture of sleepy and hungry, but most of all I was excited, because of that amazing little Martin cloud that I had been floating on since we kissed this afternoon.

So, I helped my mom bring in the pizza and bags full of skittles and Coke we had stocked up on, then pretty much collapsed in one of the kitchen chairs, setting my head against the table gently as I groaned out from the exhaustion that was my day.

"Okay sweetie pie, I'm going to my room with this," my mom said, as I felt something tingling my scalp. I peeked out of the corner of my eye and realized that she was massaging my head, to which I smiled and mumbled an "okay, 'night mom."

I took a deep breath and eventually got up from my spot on the table, and grabbed two slices of my own out of the box, and decided to head to my room as well; my plate, my drink, and my movie all in hand.

I set the plate and the drink down on the table next to my bed, and tossed the movie on my dresser next to my TV. I was far too tired to watch this right now, but I had a weird feeling in my tummy that I assumed must be hunger, so I decided it'd be best to hurry and eat my dinner before it got cold.

I got settled in on my bed and turned my television on, finally settling on a re-run of Family Guy because there appeared to be nothing else worth watching on. I sighed contently, and finally took that first bite of my pizza.

It did no good, considering it did nothing to calm that funny feeling in my tummy. I set the plate on the table and took a big swig of my Coke, before placing that on the table as well. I then allowed myself to collapse against my pillow, figuring I was just tired, but even that didn't do any good to settle my nerves.

I kicked off my shoes, which is something I normally did the second I walked through the front door. It was actually a pretty amazing thing that they were still somehow strangely attached to my feet.

I pulled off my jeans and let them hit the floor as well as my hoodie, and laid in bed in just my boxers and Clash t-shirt. But even that was kind of binding, so I took the t-shirt off as well, allowing it to land on top of the other items of clothing I had just discarded.

I then snuggled deeply under my covers, for the first time allowing my eyes to drift shut but even that was no use, as my cell phone began to ring from the deep abyss of my pants pocket. How I heard it over the television was beyond me, but perhaps "Astro Zombies" had the tendency to make my ears perk up no matter where my phone was hidden. I sighed, and got up from my extremely comfortable position under my covers, and reached over for my jeans and fished around in the pocket for my phone.

I retrieved the stupid thing, and of course it was no longer ringing. I sighed again, and noticed that it was a call from Mikey that I'd missed, and he usually never called unless there was a good reason because he normally texted me. So with that in mind, I decided to call him back. He picked up pretty quickly, I'm not even aware of how many times the phone had rung but decided that didn't matter.

"So did you call Martin yet?"

"Hello, Mikey," I greeted him, rather unenthused because he didn't even answer me with a 'hello'. I hated when he did that.

"Hello Frank," he replied, giving an exasperated sigh. "Did you call Martin yet?"

"No, Mikey, I didn't," I said, giving him the exact answer I knew he wanted to hear.

"I bet I know why you didn't,'' he replied, and I could almost picture the smirk that was gracing that cute little face of his.

''Ha ha,'' I fake laughed, rolling my eyes. ''There's no reason, I just got home and I haven't had time to.''

That of course, was only partially the reason, but he didn't need to know that.

''Oh, I know there's a reason,'' he repeated again. ''And I bet I know what that reason is. In fact, I bet I know exactly what it is. And I bet you, if I can figure it out, you have to be my slave for the day.''

''What? Mikey, there's no reason, I just haven't gotten around to it. Geez, what's the big deal if I've called him or not?''

''Oh, nothing...'' he replied, giggling a bit. ''Just let me know when you do, okay?''

''Actually, I'll call him right now," I said, sitting up on my bed, suddenly feeling a bit bold.

"Alright, Frankie!" Mikey exclaimed, "Talk to you later then..."

"Okay, bye," I muttered, rolling my eyes yet again because that boy was incredibly silly sometimes. I couldn't help but wonder what he was up to, but casually shrugged it off and thought nothing of it as I once again picked up my discarded pants from earlier, and began to rummage around for Martin's phone number.

I frowned for a second, when I realized it wasn't in either of the front pockets, nor the back pockets. I emptied the entire contents of everything out, watching as everything but the little piece of paper with the beautifully messy hand-writing that contained the phone number that belonged to the most beautiful boy I've ever seen fell out and on to the floor.

I began to panic, because this couldn't be happening. I couldn't have lost his number, that would be the dumbest thing I'd ever done... and Mikey and I have done some really stupid shit in the past.

A whimper slipped from my lips as I got up and tried searching here, there, and everywhere for the number, when my phone began to make that beeping noise it always makes when it wants to inform me that I had a text message. I scooped it up, and noticed it was one from Mikey.

"Now what does that boy want...?" I muttered out loud, before reading what it said.

"In order to call Martin, you might need this..."

I was a bit confused, before my phone made another beeping noise thus revealing that Mikey had proceeded to text me once more, this time with the phone number and a ridiculous "=P" that meant he was sticking his tongue out at me.

Underneath that, it said, "You left it at my house, genius."

I stared at that message, dumbfounded because I can't believe that I'd searched so frantically for it that I actually built up a sweat, and it had been by Mikey's the entire time. It must have slipped out of my pocket or something, thankfully it landed in Mikey's hands otherwise I may never have seen it again.

And then it made sense!

That's why Mikey was being so silly on the phone earlier. I made a mental note to smack him tomorrow, and flew over to my full-length mirror so I could write Martin's number down so I could be sure not to lose it this time, and of course I couldn't find anything to frickin' write with. I searched everywhere for something to write with, until my gaze finally landed on a stick of red eye-liner that was strewn randomly on the floor.

"Ahh," I smiled, because I was finally able to write his number down.

I added a little heart underneath it, then scribbled in the insides of it, grinning at my handy-work when I was done with it because the red eyeliner made it look really cute.

My eyes then drifted from the number to my reflection, and I was actually really happy with what I saw. The red eyeshadow that prettied up my eyelids, in addition to the black eyeliner that also rimmed my lids had worked out quite nicely, and my hair for once cooperated even when I wasn't expecting it to.

I ran my fingers over my lips, the feeling in my tummy getting more and more crazy as I realized, those were butterflies that were dancing around so crazily inside, therefore making me go insane because they had Martin's name written all over them. I could still feel the feeling of his lips upon mine... the tingles that I felt, the goosebumps that adorned my arms, the hair that stood up on the back of my neck, the toes that curled because that first kiss was everything I hoped it would be, and more.

My eyes then trailed down from my face to my bare chest, and noticed that I didn't look half bad when I was kneeling in front of the mirror like this. By some crazy chance, if I ever got the opportunity, maybe Martin wouldn't be disappointed by seeing me this way. Something about being shirtless with him in nothing but my boxers was really exhilarating, I had to actually close my eyes because I could actually picture it happening.

When they opened a minute or so later, his phone number written in the red eyeliner was what caught my eye, and I knew that no matter how nervous I was... I was finally ready to call him.

So, I dialed his number on my ridiculous pink Razr phone that I hated with a passion, because even though the color was what I had wanted, the phone itself sucked. It wasn't worth it, even though it was pink and it was free with a mail-in rebate, I hated it and couldn't wait for my birthday so I could get a new one.

"Dammit," I mumbled, realizing I was thinking the most random thoughts as I prepared to talk to the one boy that made my heart beat faster than it ever has before.

With that in mind, for some ridiculous reason, I hesitated. I mean, Martin was more than likely still in the hospital, and it was getting later and later by the minute (obviously).

What if he was asleep, or couldn't talk, or didn't even have his phone on him?

I let out a sigh as I let myself fall from my kneeling position so I could sprawl myself out on my floor, covering my face with my arm as I attempted to figure out a way for me to get in touch with him without having to actually disturb him.

My eyes opened as a stroke of genius hit me, and I mumbled out loud, "Why not text him, stupid?"

So I did just that, leaving a very simple message for him, letting him know that he could call me whenever he wanted. That way, I don't have to worry about inconveniencing him and will know that if he does call me, it will mean that yes, of course he wants to talk with me. No more worries.

As I laid there, still sprawled out on the floor, I flipped my phone shut and let my arm once again drag across my face, thus shutting out the light from the lamp on my bedside table.

My phone slipped out of my fingers, and the second I heard it thump ever so silently next to my ear, I heard the amazing melody of my favorite Misfits song singing to me.

I scrambled on my side so I could pick it up, in complete and utter shock that it was ringing and it could be Martin. I didn't even check to make sure, I just took a deep breath, opened my flip-phone and screeched out a very frazzled-sounding, "H-Hello?"

My voice was frantic. It must have sounded so unappealing...

''Hey Frankie, it's Martin,'' I heard his voice from the other end, and I swear my heart melted and my lips curled into the biggest smile imaginable at the mere mention of him calling me 'Frankie' again.

''Frank...? Hello?''

Oh my goodness, I am spacing out! Answer him, stupid!

''Oh! I'm so sorry, hey!" I managed to say, after fighting the inner battle going on between the voices in my head. "What's up? How are you feeling?''

Thank goodness my voice managed to sound semi-normal, because I was really mentally slapping myself for almost ruining the conversation because I had forgotten how to speak.

''I'm okay, my arm is really killing me but other than that, I'm good! Thank you for asking,'' he replied, and I could literally feel myself getting more and more hooked on him with every word that he spoke. I was officially in love with that voice of his...

''That's so awesome, I'm really happy that you're feeling okay," I said, literally beaming because his words were magical. I found myself quickly smiling again, all previous thoughts of souring the conversation leaving me the second I knew that he was okay. "I'm sorry about your arm though, I really wish there was something I could do to help..''

''Oh trust me, you've done enough,'' he assured me, his voice trailing off.

''I'm sorry?'' I replied, completely unaware of what he meant by that, so my response came out sounding more like a question than a reply.

''Noo! God, Frankie no, that's not at all what I meant at all, trust me,'' he assured me, finally realizing the choice of words he'd used probably were a bit deceptive from what he actually meant.

''Oh...''

A small smile tugged at my lips, making me wonder exactly what it was that he meant, although I have a pretty good feeling about what was going through his mind at that very moment, hoping that he was reliving the moments under the bleachers that we were able to share earlier just like I was at that very moment.

''You know, there is one thing you can do," his gorgeous voice said, making me open the eyes that had peacefully drifted shut as I once again remembered the feeling of his lips against mine. I am definitely sure that's a feeling that I will remember for a long, long time...

''Oh yeah?" I inquired, excited to see what it was that he was about to ask of me. "And what can that be?''

Martin cleared his throat, and sighed. ''Well... I'm going to be in this stupid hospital for at least another day, possibly two..''

"Aww, really?" I was genuinely saddened by this news, and could literally feel my happy bubble bursting, because Martin being in the hospital for a day or two meant that I wouldn't get to see him. "That really sucks...''

''Do you think... that you can come by and keep me company?''

''Really?!" I cried out, my heart nearly skipping a beat, as I felt my pulse speed up even quicker than before. I was in complete and utter disbelief that he wanted to see me! "You mean it, you really want to see me tomorrow even after what happened today?''

''Are you kidding?! Of course I want to see you... especially after what happened today," he replied, giggling a little, which actually sent a fucking tingle down my spine.

"I need you to kiss me the way you did earlier. I'm afraid that's the only way I'll feel completely better..''

More tingles.

''Oh really now?'' I replied, grinning from ear to ear. This boy honestly held me in the palm of his hand, and my goodness, I was loving every single minute of it.

''Oh, definitely. I've got the sickness and you've got the cure, Frankie,'' he replied, giggling even more as the words rolled off his tongue. "I'd really, really love to see you tomorrow..."

''Well then, I guess Dr. Frankie better come by and pay you a visit then,'' I said, before actually slapping myself because of how ridiculous that last comment was.

"Yayyy," he replied, giggling even more until it almost seemed uncontrollable, and I could feel myself getting lost in those beautiful sounds. "I'm sorry... they gave me my meds a few minutes before I called you, they must be kicking in..."

"Oh, it's no problem," I replied, giggling a little myself because Martin was probably flying high as a kite right now, and still undeniably cute as can be. "I really like the way you laugh.."

"I like the way you laugh, Frankie..."

"I like the way you call me 'Frankie'," I admitted, suddenly feeling a bit brave.

I don't think it had anything to do with the butterflies dancing in my stomach, the tingles that I felt every time he spoke a word or let out another fresh batch of giggles, or even the fact that he probably wouldn't remember the words coming out of my mouth because of the drugs they had him on, none of it mattered. I was having a conversation with Martin, and I was loving every minute of it. That was all that seemed to matter...

"I like the way... you... me... everything about you... fuck, I'm tired, Frankie.."

Judging by the way his words were now slurring, I think it was official that the medication he was given had finally kicked in. Still, the high he was feeling was absolutely no match for the high that I was feeling.

"Why don't you go to bed, then?" I asked, instantly regretting the words as soon as they escaped from my lips. I really didn't want this conversation to end.

"Nooo," he whined, just as cute as ever. "...want... Frankie..."

"Okay, how about I make you a deal then?" I asked, finally realizing maybe it was best for him to get off the phone so he could go to sleep. "How about, if you go to bed right now, I'll skip school tomorrow and come hang out with you all day?"

Suddenly, the end of his line went completely silent, as he answered, "Promise?"

"I pinky promise," I replied, actually sticking my pinky finger up in the air, giggling a little as I did so. "But only if you go to bed right now, since you're tired!"

"Okay... call me in the morning, okay?" he replied, hesitating a bit before adding, "I... I can't wait to see you..."

"I can't wait to see you either," I breathed out, my own eyes fluttering shut as I whispered, "Sweet dreams, Martin..."