College For the Utterly Confused and the Fabulously Drag

Gerard had been sitting in Frank’s car for a little over an hour and a half now. The windows were all the way rolled down and the cool breeze had felt nice on Gerard’s once hot skin. His hair was blowing in his face just a little bit, but he hadn’t minded it. But one thing that he did mind however, was how quiet everything was. When Gerard had agreed to go on this ride with Frank he did not suspect it to be so uncomfortable.

Frank was just sitting there, being completely silent and non responsive as he drove his car down the highway. The only sounds that were really present were the soft idle of the engine and the squeaking of the tires and breaks as they moved. The radio was not on, and apparently, neither was Frank’s voice box.

So here Gerard sat, in this small car with nothing to do until they got to Frank’s house. Gerard had already tried to talk to Frank about something, anything, really. But everything that Gerard had brought up had been shot down all over again with these one- worded responses that were really not thought through at all. It just seemed like Frank was too busy with his own mind to talk to Gerard. And Gerard, did not like it one bit.

“You do anything when your home?” Gerard inquired, turning his body towards Frank, watching him as he moved his hands on the wheel. Frank shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess,” Frank shrugged, tossing his hair out of his eyes as he stared out at the road, focusing on the road signs as he passed them. He still wasn’t familiar with going from college to home yet, and he did not want to get lost somewhere out here. New Jersey wasn’t that much of a friendly state. And it didn’t matter that Frank had lived in Jersey all of his life, you sometimes still didn’t get used to all of the assholes.

The answer wasn’t much, and Gerard was suspecting just that. So he just decided to do something that he hadn’t really liked to do. He decided to pry. Gerard never really liked to pry, that was exactly how his own mother had acted, she always needed to know everything, so growing up with it, Gerard despised it. But, you need to do what you need to do to save yourself from boredom.

“Do you hang out with friends?” Gerard questioned.

“Sometimes,” responded Frank while he turned his head to look back at the sign that he had just passed. There was only an hour left till he was finally home, and he could finally see his mom.

“Oh that’s awesome, you have a lot of friends?”

“One, Jamia.”

Gerard tilted his head to the side in confusion. “You only have one friend?”

“Well, yeah I guess so.” Frank spoke as if it was not that big of a deal. And to him, it really wasn’t. Frank was used to not having any friends. He didn’t really enjoy hanging out with people on his spare time, well people apart from his family. He only ever stayed home with his mother and sometimes his father, whenever he was home.

Gerard, on the other hand, had sat there with his jaw slack and his eyes wide. Frank didn’t have any friends? None at all but one? Gerard could not see himself living without his friends and his girlfriend. Things were just a little different for Frank. He just couldn’t live without his mother. So Gerard being Gerard, he just needed to voice out his opinions.

“How can you be okay with having one friend? Gerard questioned. “I would die,” Frank sighed at Gerard and rolled his eyes.

“You wouldn’t die.” Frank laughed at Gerard’s reaction. “ You would have your family.” Gerard made an over exaggerative noise and shook his head.

“What family? I have a brother. That’s my family.” Frank’s face dropped as he turned back to focus on the road once more. He had really felt bad with bringing up the family thing. He hadn’t really thought that it would be a touchy subject, but now as he sees Gerard’s slumped figure in his passenger side seat, he realized now that it was.

“Sorry,” Frank says after just a few moments of awkward silence. “About not having a family. I wouldn’t be able to make it without mine.”

Gerard shrugs his shoulders and looks out the side window. His face is slumped and coated red with embarrassment. It wasn’t that he did have a family. Gerard had a lot of family. His mother and father, along with both of his grandparents were still living. But the term family did not specifically categorize them. They were more like relatives, per say. They had not liked Gerard. They didn’t like him for reasons that Gerard didn’t really know, nor was he capable of changing them. So he was stuck with no one excluding his little brother Mikey. But really, Gerard wouldn’t tell Frank that.

“Eh, its beyond my control really.” Gerard shrugged. “But enough of this sappy, depressing junk.” Gerard said, flapping his hand around, almost hitting Frank dab in the face. Frank just shrugged and let out a small laugh before focusing back on the drive.

“Tell me more about this Jamia chick then.”

Laughing, Frank turned his focus onto Gerard yet again. “She is my best friend. She is one of the most important people in my life right now.”

“Not your girlfriend then, I take it?” Gerard cocked his head to the side in question.

“No,” Frank huffed.

“Alright, alright” Gerard kicked his stilettos down on the floor matt, scuffing the heel as he kicked his feet back and forth. Frank would say that Gerard looked like a love struck gossip chick, but then that would be sort of mean to say.

Frank left Gerard to his scuffing as he kept on with the drive. The quiet was somewhat nice, but it had also made Frank feel just the slightest bit bad. Gerard had wanted to go in this little car trip with him so that they could talk about their day and all, yet Frank was being as he would describe himself, a jackass. So, Frank sucked up his bad feelings and decided to attempt to be the social little butterfly that he really wasn’t.

“How was your day?” Frank found himself asking. And as soon as the words had left his mouth, there was Gerard, smiling and starring at Frank like he just came back to life.

“Great, actually! I mean the teachers aren’t like great but the kids here are really open minded. I haven’t got punched in the face at all today!” Gerard beamed, like it was an accomplishment. “Well in the stomach, but that was only once.” Gerard paused for a moment, a smirk on his face. “Guys even hit on me. It was kind of weird, cause you know, they’re guys but some girls asked me where I got my skirt so I told them Victoria’s.” he gushed.

Frank began to think that Gerard might actually turn out to be a woman. Only woman and very gay men gushed and gossiped like Gerard did. Not that Frank was complaining, because really in that aspect it had reminded him of his mother. That thought alone had made Frank smile.

“How was your day?” Gerard asked, seemingly interested. Frank shrugged his shoulders lightly and gripped the wheel.

“Could have been a lot better, actually.” Gerard frowned. “Kids here you know? They just don’t have anything in common with me. They’re all whores.” Frank attempted to explain which made Gerard burst out with laughter.

“I get you man,” he laughed. “I saw this one chick making out with the real ugly dude behind the C wing stairs.”

Frank visibly shuttered. “Gross.”

“Oh come on,” Gerard giggled. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t mind getting some action during school hours.”

Frank shook his head. “Nope, sounds gross.” Gerard’s mouth dropped open.

“Really? Dude why!” Gerard questioned. “You got to be pulling my leg.”

“No, I wouldn’t want to. I’ve never even kissed anyone before.” If it was possible for Gerard’s eyes to pop out of his head and his jaw to fall off, then that is what would be happening right now.

“You’re kidding me.” Frank shook his head. “Your like nineteen! And it’s not like your gross; I know Lyn thinks you’re hot. You shower too, I think. Girls should be swooning all over you!”

Frank sighed. “Yeah I guess.” He pulled down his road and sped up just that little bit more. Awkward conversation would almost be done for. “If I was even really into girls.”

Gerard starred at Frank confused. He had not seen that one coming. But since he found out that he hadn’t kissed anyone, at all before, then he supposed that there had to be some stupid reason. Not that being gay was stupid. But uh, well its just he hadn’t suspected it. He was about to say something back, but really what do you really say to some guy that just came out to you as being gay?

“Here we are.” Frank broke Gerard’s thoughts and snapped his head forward. A women stood at the door, smiling and waving frantically at the car, before she ran out to greet them. Gerard sat and swallowed, straightened his skirt and hair before he finally got out of the car.