I'm Not Retarded, Just Unique

By the end of the school day, both Mikey and Frank could not stop talking. Marie and Gerard were both walking down the school hallway and Frank and Mikey were clinging to their sides. Mikey was attacking Gerard with questions about his first friend. Frank was blabbering away about having a friend. Both Marie and Gerard laughed at the situation causing both boys to wonder what was so funny.

“Maybe you two should hang out this weekend.” Marie suggested and both boys paused. Mikey looked at Gerard and Frank stared down at the ground, biting his lip.

“I, no,” Frank mumbled.

“Yes, I don't know,” Mikey rubbed his arm. The lack of social skill in both of the boys mental curse was showing.

“You both are friends right? Friend hang out with each other,” Gerard pointed out. Frank and Mikey exchanged a look before letting their nerves control them.

“How about you boys think about it?” Marie smiled and they nodded. “Come on Frank, let's go home.”

The two families separated and drove off.

When Gerard and Mikey returned home, the elder brother found that he had a message on his phone. He quickly set his jacket down and took his shoes off before listening to it.

“Hello Gerard, it's mom. I wanted to call to check in and see how Mikey was doing. I'm sorry to bother you with him but, do you mind watching him again? I don't get home from work until midnight all week. Next week is fine though, I will pick it up on Saturday if he wants. Love you both, and make sure Mikey takes his medicine.”

Gerard deleted the message and looked up to find Mikey staring at some cartoon show on the TV.

“Mikey, you are going home with mom on Saturday.” Gerard said and Mikey looked a bit, hopeful?

“Then, Frank can't come over?” Mikey asked and Gerard pursed his lips.

“Well, he could come over Friday?” Mikey tensed at this whimpering out a 'noo'. “Do you not like Frank?” Gerard asked Mikey, wondering why he was acting so odd..

“No, I liked Frank. Frank is my friend. But, um, he'll be here. What if he gets upset? What if he doesn't like it? What will I say? Gerard, worried.” Mikey moaned and Gerard bit his lip. He wondered if Frank was stressing as badly as Mikey was.

“Mikey, Frank is your friend. He will like anything you do with him. You two can play games and color. Maybe he likes the guitar like you do.” Mikey looked a bit more happy now.

“Maybe,” he mumbled.

“Do you want him to come over still?”

“Think about it.”

xoxoxoxo

Frank was slowly picking away at his vegetarian lasagna. He was puzzled by Mikey and the visit his grandma had planned for him.

He was worried about it. This was his first friend. What if he messed it up? What if he said something and Mikey didn't like it? What if Mikey spoke to fast and Frank didn't understand him? Frank hadn't realized he'd stopped eating in general until his grandmother gently place her hand over his. He jumped a bit, snatching his hand away and nearly falling out of his chair.

“Frank, are you okay?” The elder woman asked and Frank shook his head.

“Worried,” he sighed, “what if Mikey does not like, hanging out with me? What if, if I can't under-under, understand him?”

“Frankie baby, you and Mikey are friends right?” Frank nodded, “then there is nothing to worry about! You two will understand each other more than I do with you. You two are both very special. He will like you no matter what.” Marie smiled as she poked Frank's nose. He crinkled it up and let out a little giggle.

“He, he will like me? Yes?”

“He will love you, but not as much as me.” Marie kissed Frank's cheek causing the boy to let out another girlish giggle.

“I like love. Love makes my tummy warm and my, my heart-” Frank made hand motions showing how his heart was growing.

“Swell?”

“Swell, yes, my heart swells. Swells with love, yes.” Frank smiled as he continued to eat once more. His mind was clear and he was happy.

Frank's new found joy only grew with each day of school he had with Mikey. Mikey and Frank both learned how to speak properly in their speech classes they had together. That was one of the only classes the two shared though. Mikey was at a higher math level than Frank, but Frank was at a better at sports. Frank could ride a bike, Mikey couldn't. Mikey claimed that his knees were too weirdly shaped to handle the bike.

Currently, Frank and Mikey had free time. They ate their lunch already and were spending the remainder of the time coloring. Mikey was drawling his own comic. He had stick figures and explosions everywhere. Frank thought the picture was very cool. Frank didn't like that Mikey took all the red, orange, yellow, and black crayons though. He needed the black crayon. Frank was drawling a less violent picture of a flower. The purple flower was huge and took up a good portion of the page. Around the flower was Gerard, Mikey, and Frank. They were all standing by each other with smiles on their faces. Frank's picture was almost done, but Mikey used all the black.

“Mikey,” Frank whined to the boy. “Gerard has black hair, there's no black.” Frank frowned and Mikey looked guilty.

“Red, Gerard likes red.” Mikey quickly thrusted the crayon at Frank. Frank frowned, not liking how Gerard's hair was red. He colored it though, and he did like how it turned out. He finished the picture off, by grabbing the green crayon and writing the word 'friends' at the top of the page. Frank's picture was very childish and looked like a five year old had drawn it. Frank loved it though, he knew he wasn't born with the creative gene of coloring.

“Mikey, I made you a photo.” Frank handed Mikey the picture and he picked it up. Mikey grinned down at it and turned to face Frank.

“Frank, it's pretty. Gerard can draw too, you draw nice,” Mikey smiled holding onto the paper.

“Gerard can do everything!” Frank exclaimed and Mikey laughed.

“Gerard's superman! Frank! We draw superman!”

“You boys can draw superman later, it's time to learn.” Melissa and Miss Wool entered the room smiling down at the boys. Frank and Mikey whined but obeyed their command.

By the end of the day Frank and Mikey created Super-Gerard in the spare time they managed to find. They gave him the doodle when he picked Mikey up and he laughed a bit at the childish drawling.

“Mikey said, Gerard draw good.” Frank looked up at Gerard, staring at his forehead.

“Draw superman, Gerard draw superman for Frank!” Mikey gasped and Gerard ruffled his brothers hair.

“Tomorrow,” he smiled and Mikey pouted a bit before remembering his other doodle.

“Frank made this,” he said as he showed Gerard the drawling. Frank blushed a bit, feeling a bit uneasy about Gerard seeing his doodle.

“Red hair, huh?” He smirked at Frank who pointed to Mikey.

“He used all the black.”

“I like it, maybe I'll dye my hair red just for you, Frankie.” Gerard smiled and Frank's faced flushed as he nodded.

Frank really liked Gerard. Gerard didn't treat Frank as nicely as Marie or Melissa did. He treated Frank as if Frank wasn't special but equ. This confused Frank. It made him wonder why Gerard was so friendly. Frank liked being treated differently to Gerard. It made him feel like Gerard was very special.

“Gerard you are special.” Frank said and Gerard looked down at him a bit puzzled.

“You are special too Frank, one of a kind.” Gerard poked Frank nose just like Marie had done before and Frank reacted the same way with his crinkled nose. Frank wasn't so worried now about being with Gerard and Mikey. He really liked both of the boys. They made him laugh and feel warm and fuzzy.

Frank loved feeling warm and fuzzy.