Lock the Door

Gerard P.O.V
That kid was frikin’ hyper. Short little kid, but good taste in music. Seemed pretty decent and my type of guy. I hadn’t had a good look at him though, he’d been practically vibrating.
“Was that Frank Iero talking? Man, You’ve gotta be a magician or something.”
I jumped, startled by the voice right beside my ear. Behind me stood a tall, stocky kid with a total Jewfro. It was a pretty awesome Jewfro.
“Oops, sorry to startle you. But seriously, how’d you get him to talk? I’ve known him for like two years and not heard him speak that much in a month!”
“S’okay I was just a little dazed. And what are you talking about? He was hyperactive and chattering away like crazy after he saw my Misfits shirt.”
The face under the Jewfro looked at me strangely. Then shrugged.
“I never knew he liked the Misfits. I guess I’ve never really talked to him about them. Him being silent and all. Anyway, the names Ray. You should sit with us at lunch.”
I stared at him after he walked away, he was a pretty nice guy. Whatever, at least I had someone to sit with. And with that I turned away to find either Mikey or my class. Whichever turned up first.

--X--

Frank P.O.V
Class was painful. The faded bruise on my cheek hurt from speaking so much this morning, and I’d stayed up all night reviewing the paper I had due in. I’d doze, but I needed a scholarship for college. At last the bell finally rang for lunch and I began to gather my stuff. Slowly, I might add. Today was hamburgers and I had no need to brave the rush for a lunch I wouldn’t even eat. Being a vegetarian in this school was sometimes good, as all the people who were normally architects of my living hell got distracted by that thing called meat. I laughed quietly at the picture of all the cheerleaders stuffing themselves on those nameless lumps of matter. Then I frowned.

There was something wrong at my lunch table. It was almost filled up. normally it was me, Ray and Bob. Just us freaks sitting all alone. But today there was a girl. And the two boys from next door; Gerard and his bro. I sat down slowly, a little offset by the presence of these new people. Sure, Gerard was cool, but I didn’t know about the others. Bob, who’s this hulking blonde skater kid, glanced at the girl anxiously then leaned across Ray so he could speak to me.
“That’s Kaitlin. She’s my girlfriend, she’s gonna sit with us from now on, kay?”
I nodded, and he took this for some reason as an incentive to talk more.
“You know the other two right? Ray said so. he said you talked to Gerard!”
I shrugged. My mouth was worn out whether or not I wanted to talk more. Bob seemed to be hoping for a little more, but he eventually shrugged and sat down. I noticed Gerard staring, but I didn’t want to be dragged into a conversation, even if it was about the Misfits. So instead I looked at his brother, who was actually eating the school lunch. He was so skinny I figured him to be the type that hardly ate. The brother glanced at me, but he seemed kinda nervous, probably ‘cuz of my outburst this morning. Poor kid.
“Sorry.”
The whole table looked at me. I shrugged and spoke more pointedly to the brother.
“About this morning. Sorry. Try not to get beaten up.”
“Th-thats alright. Gerard told me wh-what you were trying to say.”
He had quite a magnificent stutter, but that may have been because of the table looking at us. I felt kind of annoyed with myself. I had been trying to avoid a conversation. Now my bruise hurt. I turned away from them all, hating myself for being a hypocrite. Hating myself for not talking to Gerard more.

Gerard P.O.V
The Frank at lunch was not the same excited kid I’d met this morning. He was quiet, and his gaze didn’t even flicker as it passed over my t-shirt. He said sorry to Mikey and that was it. He was still hyper, some part of him moving every two milliseconds, but he seemed down. There was a fading bruise on his cheek I hadn’t noticed this morning. The guys had seemed excited when he had spoken but shrugged when he had shut up. This was normal behaviour, apparently. I didn’t like it but at least now I could look at him. He had a black ruffled/mohawk/fringe thing going on. and a lip-ring and several ear piercings. And that lean, semi-muscled small bod? I could totally hit that. Yeah, I’m gay, and yeah I think he was kinda hot. He seemed a bit younger than me though and I felt a bit creeperish. After all, he was probably straight. I’d seen him this morning I think. He’d been running really late for school, and had run out of that dead-beat sort of house next to us. Now I looked closer, his shirt and jeans were pretty far gone. And his shoes looked like they’d risen from the grave. But I guess its not exactly something I can ask about. It was only when lunch had ended that I realized neither him nor I had eaten.

I was still thinking about him after lunch ended. The more I thought about it, The more skinny I realized Frank looked. The more beaten down. I wished I could talk to him again, but I was a junior and he was a freshman. I wanted to see that inane grin again. It was as contradictory as the rest of him, too large for his face but suiting him perfectly. So hyper but so quiet.

I think I might have fallen in love with those contradictions. With him.