Closer to the Edge

Frank's POV

I sat at the lunch table I usually sat at. My friends Bob and Ray didn't show me as much sympathy as others did. They both treated me as if I wasn't dying tomorrow. But they were still scared for me. They didn't rough house with me like they did each other in fear of hurting me.

"Hey..." A voice said behind me. I turned to see Mikey who was holding his binder to his chest. "Can I sit with you? I don't know much people." He asked. I nodded my head and I picked my back pack out of the chair next to me and I threw it on the floor beside me. He smiled and sat next to me.

"Where's your brother?" I asked.

"Probably fucking some guy... If not that he's doing something stupid." Mikey said rolling his eyes.

"Oh..." I sighed closing my lips and looking down.

"Frank who's this?" Bob asked looking at Mikey. Ray hit Bob upside his head making it obvious they were play fighting before Bob asked the question.

"You guys this is Mikey, Mikey this is Bob and Ray." I said pointing to them. Mikey smiled and waved at the as they started to play fight again.

The obnoxious giggle from Eleanor, the schools bitch if you may ask sounded throughout the cafeteria. I turned around and saw Gerard walking down the aisles with her following him. His face was hard as a stone and he look as if he wanted her to back off.

She poked at his shoulder making his face turn red. He turned around and asked her what she wanted. She giggled and twisted one of feet and she looked up at him with her slutty supposedly seductive face. I rolled my eyes and I turned back around.

"Does little Fwankie have a crush on the new guys brother?" Bob asked leaning over the table and he grabbed my cheek as if I were a child.

"No grandma, I don't. Now let go of my cheek it's starting to hurt." I said glaring at Bob.

"Aw lemme give you a kiss to make it better." Bob said leaning over the table. He grabbed my head making me lean over a little. He then placed a big sloppy wet kiss on my cheek before pushing me back and he sat back down in his seat. I glared at him before sticking my tongue out.

“Oh honey… You know I’m not afraid to cut that pretty little tongue of yours.” Bob laughed leaning back in his chair.

“Whatever.” I said rolling my eyes. One of the reasons Bob and I were friends because he was actually my first boyfriend. And when he had found out I had cancer we decided it’d be best to be friends. We both agreed that there wasn’t really anything there to begin with it was more like friends with benefits. And I love that he’s here for me now.

“You know I looooooooooove you!” He exclaimed out making me smile.

“So… Um Frank I talked to this one guy in my Algebra class… Do you really have cancer?” Mikey asked. My eyes widened and I looked at my friends telling them not to tell the truth. And with the look in their eyes they got the hidden message.

“No, why would you think that?” I asked.

“Well because everyone butted into the conversation…” Mikey said looking down into his lap.

“Well I don’t maybe there’s another Frankie in school.” I gestured.

“Oh, well then I was just askin’.” He muttered.

I turned around to see Gerard walking away from Eleanor quickly. He came to our table and sat down beside Mikey without asking to sit there. “So you must be Gerard?” Ray said observantly. Gerard nodded his head in response.

“Well I’m Ray and this is Bob,” Ray said pointing at the blonde that looked strangely like a puffy white polar bear. “And you must already know Frank.” Ray said pointing at me.

“I do.” He spoke in his velvety voice. Right then Eleanor sat down on top of the table.

“Oh c’mon Gee just one night?” She asked.

“Unless you somehow grow a dick and you like being fucked in the ass… I’d rather not.” Gerard said.

“But I’m better than any guy out there.” She whined. I rolled my eyes and looked down.

“I’m fucking gay it ain’t gonna change honey.” He said calmly. “Now if you’d please I would like to talk to these wonderful people sitting at this table here.” He said motioning his hands around the table. She got off of the table and walked away. “God she’s an egotistical bitch.” Gerard muttered. I giggled and shook my head before taking a bite of my salad.

“Nah, she’s just a blue waffle.” Bob muffled with food in his mouth.

“Blue waffle?” Gerard asked.

Bob swallowed his food and he answered. “Blue waffle is a girl with a whole bunch of STD’s trust me never and I mean never look it up on Google, some nasty vagina there.” Bob said before putting another French fry in his mouth.

“Ah, must be nasty.” Gerard muttered before grabbing marshmallows out of his bag.

“Aw why do I have to eat this nasty ass school french-fries when he gets marshmallows?” Bob asked while stuffing yet another fry in his mouth.

“Then why are you eating it dumbass?” Ray asked.

“Well ‘cause I feel like it.” Bob shot back; some of the potato treat shooting all over Ray’s face making me giggle.

“Ass face.” Ray said.

“You mean head ass.” Bob snapped back. Ray rolled his eyes and picked at his burger that looked like fake meat with about as equal fake meat.

“Frank… How the fuck was you able to date this stupid ass?” Ray asked as Bob shoved a whole hand full of fries in his mouth.

“Well he isn’t that bad… And we were more friends than boyfriends.” I stated chunking a tomato at him.

---

After school I waited for my mom to come and pick me up. I sat on the last stair of the stair case outside breathing in the cool fall weather. I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and looked at the time the third time since I had taken a seat I was used to it. But my pain medication was starting to wear off and I was starting to get uncomfortable.

It has been about an hour since school had ended and the only thing that was happening right now was football practice. The doors to the school busted open and I looked back to see who it was. It was Gerard and he had his sunglasses perched on the top of his head. It was the first time I had seen him like that. And he spotted me making him smile and walk down the steps. He sat down beside me and he took out a pack of his cigarettes.

“Yah don’t mind do you?” Gerard asked pulling out a cigarette. I shook my head and took a breath.

“Why were you in the school?” I asked curiously.

“Eh, serving a detention because I cussed that one girl, that wouldn’t quit bugging me, out.” He said putting the cigarette in his mouth. He lit the cigarette and he took a puff before holding the cigarette in-between his middle and index finger. He rested his arm on his knee and he let the smoke escape his nostrils.

“Yeah, out of all people I hate her a lot. I think she has a fetish for gay or bi guys… Something like that.” I said.

“I have the same feeling. Is Ray bi or somethin’?” Gerard asked before taking in another breath of smoke. My heart dropped at the mention of Ray.

Why couldn’t someone like me?