I'm Not Retarded, Just Unique

Gerard, Marie, Mikey, Melissa, and Elizabeth Wool all began to search the school after the day was over for Frank. They each took a section of school and began their search. Gerard took the empty corridors of the west side of school. Mikey took the east, Marie had the North, and Melissa and Elizabeth had the Gymnasium and band room. Gerard opened up every room and asked if any of the teachers saw a small boy with black hair and big hazel eyes. He came up empty but still continued to look in every closet and hidden corner. Gerard finally came across one bathroom and he began to wonder if someone else had found Frank already. Melissa had given each of them one of the schools walkie-talkie's but lucky for Gerard, his was broken. He could send a message to the others but he could hear nothing from anyone else.

He vowed that this was his last door he'd search before he'd head back to the others. He opened the bathroom door and checked every stall, under the sinks, even on the ceiling. He came up empty. He sighed as his heart tugged at the thought of Frank being stuck somewhere, scared and confused like a puppy. God, he hoped someone found him.

Gerard left the bathroom and turned to head back when he heard a soft sound of something being knocked over. He paused and looked around the hallway. His eyes locked on a janitors closet he swore he already checked. He crept closer to it and slowly gripped onto the door handle. He opened it up and noticed that a mop had fallen over. Gerard pursed his lips and looked around. He flicked on the lights and spotted a red converse connected to an ankle. Gerard's eyes widened as he stood over the small object hidden behind buckets and mops.

“Holy-fucking-shit,” Gerard breathed out as he saw Frank there. He would have just died of happiness as he saw Frank's sleeping and slightly stained face on the ground. Gerard pushed the items away from him as he got to Frank.

“Frankie, hey come on,” Frank just whimpered and snuggled into himself. Any other day, Gerard would have thought that was adorable, but right now he had a mission. Gerard got out his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “Found him, I'll met you back at the classroom.” He shoved it back into his pocket before he maneuvered Frank around a bit.

“Stop, tired,” Frank whined as Gerard picked him up. Frank was a bit heavier than Gerard had originally thought, but Gerard could manage. Gerard cradled Frank in his arms as he fled the room.

Frank snuggled into Gerard, his hair covering his sleeping face. Gerard felt so relieve that he found Frank and that he was okay. He even felt a little special that he found him first. He wanted to kiss Frank and shout at him at the same time but he knew he'd do neither. He'd leave that up to Marie. Gerard turned the corner, heading to the classroom as Frank stirred a bit. His hands fisted Gerard's leather jacket, as if insuring that Gerard wouldn't let go of him. Frank face was buried in Gerard's neck his sleeping breath ghosting over him the slightly sensitive skin of his neck. Gerard let out a sigh as he opened the classroom door with his knee and foot. Everyone's head snapped to the door as Gerard entered with Frank.

“Oh Frankie,” Marie cried rushing over to Frank. Gerard tried to set Frank down on the bean bag the room had but his grip on his jacket was tight.

“Stop, sleep,” Frank whined as Gerard tried to shake Frank off.

“Frank, come on lay down on the bean bag.” Gerard told him but Frank just started crying.

“I'm tired. I want to sleep. Stop it, so tired.” He whimpered causing everyone in the room to have a pang of guilt shoot up their spines.

“Okay, okay, sleep.” Gerard told Frank as he held him. Frank let out one last little whimper before snuggling into Gerard once more.

“Let's take him to my car, okay?” Marie asked Gerard who nodded. The three thank the teachers for all their help before leaving. Frank nuzzled into Gerard's neck again as he carried him to the car.

“Is Frank okay?” Mikey asked and Gerard nodded.

“Yes, he's okay Mikey. He's just really tired.” Mikey nodded and stared worried at Frank. Marie unlocked her car and opened up the door for Gerard to slid Frank in. Gerard tried to drop Frank but the boy had a death grip on his jacket.

“Noo, Gerard,” Frank opened his tired eyes and stared up at him with half lid eyes. “Gerard stays,” Frank said closing his eyes again.

“Frankie, Gerard needs to go home.” Marie said from the front seat.

“No he doesn't,” Frank mumbled causing Marie and Gerard to let out a small, tired laugh. Gerard just gave Frank one last hug before he cautiously slipped his jacket off. He wrapped the jacket around Frank and he calmed down once Gerard's comforting scent was around him. Gerard closed the door and waved as Marie backed up and drove home. Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard's leather jacket and inhaled his scent mumbling his name to himself.

When Marie got home after the exhausting day, Frank grunted and managed to make it up to his room before he fell asleep in his own bed, using Gerard's jacket as a blanket and kicking all the other ones away.

"Get it out of the fucking house!" Frank poked his head out of the bathroom when he heard the shouting grow louder. His fathers voice was echoing off the walls of the foul apartment as his mothers shrieked followed after his.

"What the fuck do you want me to do with it? I can't just give it to someone. Who wants a fucking retarded child?!"

"Mommy?" Frank asked, stepping out of the bathroom with caution. Frank knew better than to interrupt his parents conversations. They were mainly about him or drugs. Most of the time it result in Frank's father abusing Frank in some way.

"Put him out on the street, let the drug dealer get to him. It's Jersey, he won't last a fucking second out in the street without freezing to death or getting shot. Who knows, maybe a pedophile will come around and have the time of his life." Frank's father hissed, tossing his empty bottle in the trash then pausing.

"I don't want him Frank, but we have to be at least a little humain with this. What if your fucking street bum friends call the cops?"

"Shut the fuck up woman, no one going to know shit. I want him out of here." Frank's father took the garbage bag out the container and set it down onto the floor.

"Mommy?" Frank asked again, standing in front of his mother. He was about to tug at her worn sweatpants when his father picked him up. He carried him under his arm and Frank stared up at him frowning. "Where we going?"

Frank's dad just dropped him inside of the bag and began pulling it up.

"The fuck do you think you are doing?" Linda shouted storming into the kitchen. Frank was confused. Was this a game, a hide and seek type of game? Was Frank hiding and his parents were seeking?

They played this type of game before. Frank's dad would lock him in the closet most of the time. One time he managed to fit him into the refridgerator. Frank didn't like this game a lot. He would get hungry or thirsty, something he'd have to go to the bathroom but he couldn't leave because the door was locked.

"This is the only way he'd be gone and no one will know. You want to say goodbye?" Frank's fingers were poking out of the hole at the top of the bag. He stood on his tippy-toes to peek out and stare at his mom.

"Mom, we playing...a game?" Linda bit her bottom lip and frowned deeply.

"Poke a hole in it at least." She turned away and Frank's father just closed Frank up in the bag and didn't bother to poke a hole in it. Frank's small heart began to race as the garbage shifted around him as he felt this father carry the bag.

"Dad?" Frank asked poking at the garbage bag. "Daddy, what going on? Where mom? I don't like the game." Frank whined trying to claw out of the bag but he felt the arms leave the outside of the bag for a spit second before he landed in a pile of squishy things. The bag began to rustle and Frank looked up to see his father glare down at him.

"Fucking retarded," Frank's dad spat at him before sealed the bag once more. Frank wiped the split away and waited for a sound. It was dark and empty in the bag, and the smell of rotten foot and dead carcasses was surrounding him. After he heard me sound he began to poke around the bag.

"Mommy? Dad?" Frank called out. "I no want to play!" Frank pinched the black bag and tore a small hole in it but it did no good for him. It only provided more foul air. "Mommy!" Frank screamed his eyes filling up with tears. "Smells! Gross!" Frank shifted his foot but a broken bottle cut his knee and he began to cry.

Frank was scared and he had to use the bathroom again. He cried out for anyone, mainly his mother, but he got no help.

For days he was alone and scared. He tested thing on his tongue but he could never find anything extremely eatable. He found a pieces of pizza crust and fruit loops, but nothing safe. The broken bottle his managed to cut Frank's legs up every time he moved around. Frank cried almost hourly and only shrieked when something soft brushed against his toes or when a rat bit his fingers.

By the end of it all, Frank just awaited the garbage man. He knew he came once a week and he was his only chance of survival.

However, Frank never got to see the garbage man.

He was napping on his garbage bed, when he heard the garbage door open. He squirmed a bit, still to tired to do much about the sound. But, apparently his shuffling caught the attention of an elderly couple.

"Harold! I found him!" The elderly woman called out and Frank listened in on it. He felt the bag he was in, be lifted up and he tried to find his hole but it was lost. Frank was panicking, acting like a stray cat that was slowly being cornered in. When the bag opened up Frank screamed and closed his eyes not knowing what to expect. When he felt a par of arms wrap around him and hug him, he paused. A familiar scent came to him and he opened his eyes to see his Grandmother crying tears of joy.

"Oh Frankie," she cried. She pulled away in order to stare back at Frank and the filth that covered him. Frank continued to stare at his grandmother. His didn't want to believe that he was actually rescued. He feared that it would be a dream. He looked at his grandfather before looking back at his grandma and finally deciding that this wasn't a dream. His eyes filled were once filled with feared, became glassy and his bottom lip began to quiver.

"Grandma!"



"Grandma!!!!" Frank screamed as he shot up. He wrestled with his blankets, feeling trapped and held down. He kept screaming and calling out for his beloved Marie before she flung the door open and rushed to his grandsons aid. Frank clung onto her like a koala and shook uncontrollably. Frank attached and reattached his hands to Marie's pajamas, trying to bring her closer so he could listen to her heartbeat.

"Shh Frankie, come here, calm down." Marie hushed him as he held her against her chest, letting his body relax and grow limp.

"Grandma," Frank called once he settled down.

"Yes Frankie?" Grandmother Iero replied, petting Frank's head.

"Are we going to see Anna today?"

"Yea baby, we are gonna see Anna."