From Sunsets to Monroeville

Frank, Gerard, and Bob sat sprawled out on the bench. Bob eventually fell off in a fit of giggles, his high overtaking his body. Frank was leaning back on Gerard who was staring up at the sky with a blank expression.

Why did he do this when his friends came to town? Why did he smoke pot? Frank knew part of it was because of the stress from his parents and the feeling of not belonging. But Allison was definitely not happy about it at all. She hated the smell, how it was done, everything. He shuddered. If there was one person he didn't want to hurt, it was Allison. She had taken him in when he moved, had stopped him from cutting and was his safe haven from his father.

Speaking of Allison, she appeared with Mikey, along with bags of Wendy's. Mikey held the drink container and Allison had a huge bag with the food. She stopped in front of Bob, stepped over him and sat next to Frank and Gerard.

"Eee! Ahahahaha," Gerard squealed happily, snatching the drink holder from his brother. "What'dya get?"

"Fries and drinks," Allison answered, taking her containers of fries and handing the bag over to Frank, who ended up dropping it onto his own lap. He picked it up again and pulled out his own fries and started eating. Sometimes even missing his mouth completely.

"I can't eat, I'm so fucked," he cried and started to laugh, leaning his head backwards.

Allison moved his head forward and made him look at her, "Concentrate," she ordered. She took a fry and popped open his mouth, stuck the fry in. "Chew." And then she fed herself.

After they finished eating and threw out their garbage, the group just sat there. The guys high were fizzing out now, all four on the bench now. Allison was on Frank's lap and partially on Gerard's who sat next to Mikey, Bob on the other side of Frank again. Gerard picked up his half empty drink and chucked it into the lake.

"AHH!" Frank squealed.

"Kiddies, I have to...take you...home," Gerard announced, standing up.

"No!" Frank exclaimed. "I wanna…stay here. I can't go home like this again."

"Right..." Gerard replied, and sat back down.

The group sat in the park, joking and talking for about an hour or so when sirens rang out.

"Shit!" Bob cursed. "The cops!"

"They aren't going to come here," Allison explained. "This park is like...halfway deserted."

"That doesn't mean they won't come here!" Bob reasoned.

"Watch, then," Allison said, folding her arms and looked at the blond.

The five of them looked around for the cops, still hearing the sirens blaring through the air. Then a cop car with flashing lights appeared on Frank and Allison’s street and turned towards the park.

"Run for it!" Gerard yelled and him and Bob bolted for a hiding place. Frank shrugged and pushed Allison off of his lap to chase after his friends who darted for the clearing in the woods.

Allison sighed and turned to Mikey, "How do you deal with this?"

"I don't know..." Mikey admitted. "I just do cause he's my brother and those are his idiot best friends."

"Yeah..." She muttered in response and the cop car stopped not too far off from them, two officers stepping out.

"You two!" The cop yelled out. "Don't move."

Allison and Mikey looked around for Gerard and the guys but they weren't around, so they must've meant them. They turned to watch the cop walk towards them, his keys and his cuffs jingling with each step. He stopped next to the bench and folded his arms, looking down on Allison and Mikey.

"What are you two doing out here so late?" He asked.

"Just hanging out," Allison answered.

"At..." He checked his watch. "8:30?"

"Yeah," Mikey said.

The cop looked up at Gerard's car parked on the grass not too far off from where they were.

"That your car?" he asked Mikey.

"Yeah," Mikey gulped.

"How old are you, son?"

"Eighteen, sir."

"All right well you can't park that car on the grass like that so I'd appreciate it if you moved it."

"Sure," Mikey said, nodding his head.

"We got a call about a disturbance, kids smoking and drinking and throwing things in the lake. Any idea what I'm talking about?" The cop continued.

"'Fraid not," said Allison.

"It was probably a mistake," he decided. "Well anyway, thanks for your help. You guys ought to get home soon, it's getting pretty dark and cold out here."

"Yes officer," Mikey said and the cop walked away, back towards his car and he went back inside, his partner doing the same and they drove off in the same direction they came.

"Stupid Baldwin cops," Allison muttered under her breath and Mikey chuckled.

Frank, Bob, and Gerard shuffled out of the clearing in the woods again, toppling all over each other to get to the bench. When they finally reached it, Frank collapsed on the sidewalk and Bob sat there kicking him, Gerard sitting next to his brother again.

"What'd they want?" Gerard asked.

"Oh nothing," Allison snapped. "Just that someone called because of a disturbance, bunch of kids DRINKING and SMOKING and chucking shit into the lake. Nothing serious."

"Oh, okay," Bob said, sitting next to her. "I thought they had found the bodies Gerard's got in his car."

"I don't have bodies in my car!" Gerard defended. "They're in my closet..."

"Same difference," Bob shrugged and Frank rose from the ground to sit on his girlfriend’s lap.

"I think we should go home now," Frank suggested. "I'm not so high anymore and it's getting late."

"Sure!" Gerard exclaimed and they all got back into his car and drove back to Frank and Allison's.

When they reached Frank's house, Allison, Frank, and Mikey got out. Mikey went to the trunk to get his backpack with his clothes out and they said goodbye to Bob and Gerard and went inside.

"Frank!" A voice called after they closed the door. "Where have you been?"