Don't Try to Save Me

"Wow," I said under my breath. "This is... Yeah." 

"I know." 

We were stood on the side of a small mountain, looking over the town beneath us. We'd trekked through miles of fields and woods to reach our destination, but it was worth it. 

It was kind of the classic make-out point where teenagers came on dates to make out in their cars at the viewpoint of the town. We were stood on the edge of the cliff, the clearing behind us empty. 

The town looked bigger than I'd imagined, but still not even a fraction on the cities I'd lived in my entire life. The light pollution was oddly beautiful, a small glowing aura lingering in the sky above the town. 

There was pretty much nothing but fields and forest surrounding the town, but a particular part of the forest was so much thicker and more dense than the rest of the trees. 

"That's where Gerard supposedly lives," Bert told me, pointing towards the thicker part of the woods. 

"Why doesn't he just leave? Why would he put up with all the shit they put him through?" I asked, struggling to understand. 

"I think that's kind of why he doesn't live. Because of the other people in this town and what they've done. He's kind of still here because he's trying to make a point. This town is just as much his as it is theirs and he's not going to leave just because they want him to," Bert explained. "I've never spoken to him before, but I've seen him a few times. I think that's why he stays. I admire his bravery though." 

"I guess that's why he lives out in the forest, away from everyone. I couldn't imagine the other people here allowing him to in the actual town." 

"He's kind of a hermit I suppose. I feel sorry for him," Bert sighed, sitting down on the ground, his legs hanging over the side of the cliff. 

I joined him, our arms pressed against each other. It was a little chilly and I shivered as the wind brushed through the clearing, shifting closer to Bert. 

"Cold?" he asked with a soft smile. 

"A little bit," I replied. 

He didn't look away from me, our eyes locked on each other. The setting sun cast shadows across his face and brought out colours and highlights in his hair that made him even more attractive and I found myself leaning in at the same time as him. 

Our faces were inches apart. 

"I think I'm going to kiss you now if that's ok," Bert whispered, his breath warm against my cheek. 

"Yeah," I breathed."That's really, really ok." 

His lips met mine softly, our mouths melting together and moving slowly. Bert cupped my face in his hands and I ran my hands over his shoulders. He pulled away briefly to look at me, his eyes shining. 

"That was..." 

"You should kiss me again," I told him, not letting go. "Like, maybe right now." 

"Yeah. I think I should." 

So he did. 

*********************

"Where have you been?" Linda asked when I got home, not looking up from her laptop as she sat cross legged on the living room floor in front of her laptop. 

Her hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun on her head and her face was bare of make up, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. She was dressed in an old pair jogging pants and a New Order t-shirt. 

"To the viewpoint. You can see the whole town. It's kind of really pretty." 

"Really? I though you'd be upstairs in your room moping and writing about what a bitch I am in your diary," she commented, tapping away at her laptop.

 "I don't have a diary-" 

"You may as well, you act like a stroppy brat so much. Who did you go with?" 

"What makes you think I was with anyone?" 

"Frank, you don't know anything about this town. How would you know there was a viewpoint in the first place, never mind how to get to it?" 

"Just a friend." 

"Uh-huh. Is he a good kisser?" 

"Linda!" 

"What? Just taking interest in your love life, I'm allowed to do that aren't I?" 

"No you're not!" I cried, throwing my arms up. "We have a rule, remember? I don't ask you about your relationships and you don't ask about mine! We only talk about each other's love lives if I end up with an STD or you get pregnant!" 

"Oh yeah," she said blankly. "Forgot about that agreement. So, was he a good kisser or not?" 

"Jesus, you're so nosy!" I muttered, storming upstairs. "And yes, he was a fucking fantastic kisser!" 

I could hear her laughing downstairs as I shut my bedroom door, not being able to help the small smile on my lips. I liked it when she was like this, when she was my friend and not just the woman - who happened to also be my mother - I lived with. 

I slept a little better that night, knowing that things were going be better now I'd met Bert. I still had strange dreams though, about fires and empty houses in the woods, crucifixes burning over graves and a dark shadow stood watching over the blazing mounds of dirt. 

I woke up in a cold sweat, the burning flames and hazy figure in the distance flashing in my head. 

******************

Bert had nearly the exact same timetable as me, which suited us both fine. Bert was on speaking terms with about three other people in the school, but the rest of the students steered clear of him, acting like he wasn't there. 

That was until they saw I'd befriended him. 

"I'm sorry," I apologised awkwardly as we sat and smoked at lunch. 

"Hey, it's fine. I don't care Frank, really," Bert insisted, waving me off. 

People had been staring and whispering about him all day because he was with me. 

"You know, I'm surprised the girls haven't been throwing themselves at you," Bert told me. "They're all talking about you. You're the most exciting thing that's ever happened at this school. " 

"Why would they be talking about me?" I asked, confused. "Aren't they all convinced I'm going to burn in hell for listening to music of devil and wearing eyeliner?" 

Bert snorted, biting into an apple. "Nah, they're fucking raving about you. You're the new shiny toy, remember? You're from a big city and you've travelled round your whole life. You've seen things and done stuff they can only ever dream of. " 

"Oh wow," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes."I've always wanted to be a heartthrob. Imagine that, leaving the town you were born in. Crazy." 

"Frank, none of these people have ever left this town, never mind this state. You've been out of the country. That's something fucking special to them." 

I just grinned. "It sounds like I'll just have to fight off all of these swooning girls then." 

Bert grinned. "Yeah, but when they figure out you're gay they'll be fighting over you even more. They'll want you to give them make overs and do their hair." 

"I'm not gay," I confessed. 

"What?" Bert asked, frowning. "But the other night..." 

I shrugged. "I like guys and I like girls. I'm bi." 

Bert's face relaxed and his tense shoulders dropped. "Oh, sorry. I didn't... I just thought, when you said-" 

"Hey, it's whatever. It doesn't matter," I told him. "And anyway, I don't see much that I like the looks of at this school." 

"Oh yeah?" Bert smirked. "Nothing at all?" 

"Well. Maybe just one guy," I teased him. 

The bell rang then and we stood up, walking side by side into our next class. 

A week managed to pass and I found myself free from school for two days. I was occupying myself with the task of painting my bedroom, stood in the middle of the room, cans of paint and brushes at my feet. 

"Frank! The weird dude with the hair is here!" Linda shouted upstairs, startling me. 

I groaned and quickly went downstairs, finding an amused looking Bert stood in the doorway and Linda interrogating him. 

"Seriously, does it not bother you having all that hair?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "You look like-" 

"Linda," I muttered under my breath, stepping forwards and dragging Bert past her by the wrist, glaring. "Leave Bert alone." 

"It's fine Frank," Bert smiled. 

"Have fun painting!" Linda called up the stairs as we went up. 

"God, I'm sorry you had to meet her," I mumbled as we went inside my room. 

"She's cool," Bert grinned, shrugging out of his oversized Metallica hoodie. "I didn't really get what you meant when you said she wasn't like a parent, but I see what you mean now. She's..." 

"She's just Linda," I finished for him, rolling my sleeves up and turning to the cans of paint. 

"Right. So you want to paint your room...white and red?" Bert asked, reading the labels on the cans. "That's... Different." 

"I like those colours." 

"What colour was your last room?" 

"Yellow." 

Bert just looked at me, shaking his head and grabbing a brush. 

*********************

By the time we'd managed to finish the whole room, it was dark and the owl was outside, hooting. Dookie had finished playing on my iPod and we were both exhausted. Bert had ended up tying his hair back from his face with a bobble. I liked how it looked on him. 

"Well, at least I can say my weekend was a productive one," Bert smiled as he stretched his legs out in front of him on my bed. 

I crawled up next to him, leaning against his side. "Thank you for helping me out. You're awesome." 

"I'm wondering whether I'm going to get any sort of payment though..." 

"Oh?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow up. "What sort of payment are we talking about here?" 

Bert bit his lip, grinning. "I think we both know." 

With that he leant forwards and closed the gap between us, his lips warm and chapped against mine. He pulled me close and I shifted myself into his lap, looping my arms round his neck. His hands found my waist and settled there, his thumbs rubbing over the worn out fabric of my t-shirt. 

We stayed like that with our lips locked for a while, before Linda decided it was a good time to burst in unannounced. 

"Frank, I'm going-" 

"Linda!" I yelled, springing apart from Bert and off the bed. "Don't fucking do that!" 

She looked slightly embarrassed and amused at the same time. "Sorry. I was jus going to say I was going to get pizza, but I can see you're still busy." 

"Yeah, we are, now get out," I snapped, pushing her out of the room and slamming the door. 

I thumped my head against the door, keeping my back to Bert. "I'm sorry." 

A pair of arms wrapped round me and I felt the weight of his head rest against my shoulder, his chin digging in. 

"It's fine Frank," he murmured. 

I turned round in his arms to face him, biting my lip. "Can you stay? I don't want you to go." 

His face softened. "Yeah, of course I'll stay." 

I hugged him tightly, pressing my lips against his scratchy cheek. "Thank you."