The Hurt You Sold

The next morning Frank woke around 7am. It was bittersweet being back in his old room. Felling like a teenager with his band posters and goofy drawings. It had been about 8 years since he had stepped foot in this room. When he moved out and started his music career with the guys he never so much as slept at his mothers house. Too many painful memories live within these four walls.

Truth be told, once he graduated he spent the next 10 years trying to fill that emptiness in his heart. He's lost count as to how many girls he's been with over the years. He never lost hope that he would see Lyla again though. That ounce of hope is what has kept him alive. The drugs and the drinking consumed him during their first album. Their 'I brought you my bullets, you brought me your love' album was released 14 months after it was completed. During that gap Gerard had temporarily put the band on halt until Frank was 100% clean. The guys were very supportive along with Franks mother at getting him back to a stable state. The only thing he struggles with now is women. He can't keep a serious relationship longer than a few months. He just craves the sexual attention.

Frank looked around his room, feeling like his old 16 year old self. Rummaging through his closet, Frank knocked a notebook off the top shelf. "Goodness." He sighed seeing a photo of him, Gerard, Mikey, and Lyla dressed up for the Valentine's day dance. He shook his head and gazed at the rest of the pictures stuffed through the pages. Lyla made his heart melt. Seeing her smile in these pictures made him fall in love with her memory even more. "God I miss you." He fought back tears before placing the pictures on his desk. Those piercing green eyes followed by the sandy blonde hair was something he couldn't find in another woman. He stepped out on the front step to smoke.

"Come on Mason!" Lyla called walking down her driveway to fetch the paper.

"Good morning!" Frank waved.

"Oh...Uh Hi! Good morning." Lyla quickly responded.

"Hey Frank! That's my mom! She's a super fan!" Mason shouted coming outside proud of himself.

"Good morning little man!" Frank chuckled watching Mason's mother's shocked expression.

"Mason! Car now!" Lyla ordered shielding behind her hair and sunglasses.

"Miss Linda is going to pick me up from school will you be here?"

"I can be."

"Great! I can't wait." Mason cheered getting in the car.

Lyla quietly drove Mason to school and kissed him goodbye. She had a few hours before having to go to work so she went to an out of town Walmart to pick up her groceries.

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Back at home, Frank was helping his mother clean out the shed.

"Mason made sure I'd be here when you picked him up from school today." Frank broke the silence.

"Well thats nice. He's an only child with no father I'm sure he's going to want to get to know you and be your friend. After all there aren't any children on this street his age to play with like you had." Linda expressed.

"I guess I didn't think of it that way. He seems eager. He just reminds me of someone. I just can't figure it out. I don't know if its in his eyes or the way he talks."

"Maybe you just relate to him a bit."

"Yeah that may be it. Goodness more pictures." Frank groaned dropping a box.

"I'm sorry I forgot this box was out here." Linda explained picking the box up.

"It's alright mom. It helps to at least see her face."

Linda watched as her son was mentally reminiscing his first love. She was beginning to feel guilty at the fact that she knew Lyla was back in her old home next door. She felt as if she was lying to Frank. But it wasn't her place to tell him. But she was hoping that they would met already so she didn't have to worry anymore.

"Mom, when does Mason get out of school?" Frank asked after spending hours going through old boxes.

"2:30."

"Its 2:10."

"Goodness where has the day gone!?" She gasped quickly getting out of the chair.

"Chill, I can go get him."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Why? I'll bring him straight here."

"I'm not sure his mother would be to happy. She's entrusted me in making sure her son is brought here."

"I think we'll be fine." Frank chuckled shaking his keys.

Before Linda could object any further he was gone. He drove to the house and picked Gerard and Mikey up. "So soccer mom now?" Gerard laughed as Frank pulled into the carpool lane at the Elementary school.

"Not at all, My mom watches this kid sometimes so I offered to pick him up." Frank defended.

"Does he know who you are?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah I met him yesterday. He's pretty cool. Seems to like me for some reason."

"Maybe it's the tattoos." Mikey suggested.

"And the fact that you're famous." Gerard added.

"He doesn't care about that." Frank shot back scratching the back of his neck. "Here he comes." He pointed getting out of the car.

"Frank! Wow!" Mason cheered starstruck. He ran over and embraced Frank.

"I figured your friends wouldn't believe you and I were pals." Frank chuckled scanning the swarm of 5th graders.

"See! I told you!" Mason gushed in love with the extra attention from his classmates.

"Alright lets get going." Gerard interjected as him and Mikey approached.

"Oh my gosh! Gerard and Mikey Way!? This is amazing! This is a dream come true!" Mason gasped meeting more of the band. Mason has seen the band on Tv and is familiar with the posters of them in his mothers room. "Wow my mom is never gonna believe this! She loves all of you! She has your cd plus she has a few of your posters! She's like your number one fan!"

"Good lord how old is she?" Mikey raised his eyebrows imagining a 40 year old woman with a weird smell.

"Like 26 or 27. I'm not sure, my mom says it's never polite to ask a woman her age or weight."

"That's for sure." Gerard agreed remembering asking Patty Carmichael in the 9th grade how much she weighed. She smacked him so hard his face still stings thinking about it.

"Your mom single?" Mikey joked.

"Yes. As long as I can remember Ive never seen her go on a date. But she says that's ok because she gets to focus on making me happy. She is the best mommy in the world. Although I do wish I had of met my dad. I wonder If I look like him. But I'm sure he was amazing because she loved him so much to have me. She say's I'm her miracle." Mason enthused.

"What happened to him?" Gerard asked.

"Well mommy says he's out there somewhere but she said she'd tell me when I was older to understand."

"At least she's honest with you." Frank complimented. Frank pulled in the driveway and killed the ignition. "Go on in buddy, we'll be in, in a second. Linda's making Chili."

"Oh wow!" Mason smiled running inside.

"What's up?" Gerard asked noticing Frank lost in thought.

"I'm thinking of going to this class reunion. What if Lyla shows?"

"Where did that come from?" Gerard asked, surprised to hear that name again.

"Being back here in my old room and finding old pictures of all of us brought her back to mind."

"Frank you have to let her go." Mikey stated.

"She didn't graduate with us." Gerard added.

"I called the school. She's on the guest list."

"Wow. Did they say where they sent the invite?" Mikey asked hopefully.

"They wouldn't tell me." Frank admitted, disappointed.

"Can't blame her if she doesn't show though. I mean they didn't do to you what they did to her." Mikey concluded lowly.

"I had to watch." Frank shot back anger rolling in his voice.

"I know, I'm sorry." Mikey apologized regretting his statement.

"Great." Frank sighed seeing Amy's name pop up on his phone.

"Y'all fighting?" Gerard asked as they were walking in the house.

"No, just don't feel like talking to her."

"Frank! Come look at my Pokemon cards!" Mason requested.

"Pokemon?" Mikey grinned taken aback that a young boy in 2016 would know about Pokemon especially the original ones.

"Wow this is something!" Gerard cheered thumbing through Mason's completed album.

"You really like it? I just finished my first generation collection! My mom collected some too when she was my age. Ive got a few second generation ones. But I've got to collect them all before I unveil them!" Mason explained.

"Yeah Mase, you're really something." Frank complimented.

Linda snuck away to leave Lyla a message that Frank and the boys were over here.

"Mom, who are you talking to?" Frank asked walking into the kitchen.

"Oh, I was just letting Mason's mother know he was here safe." She responded immediately.

"Ok. Hey Mason?"

"Yeah?"

"Why doesn't your mom want to meet me if she's a big fan?"

"She says true fans never meet their idols, ruins the fandom or something like that."

"Your mom is rather different." Mikey snickered finding what Mason said to be a little odd.

The next few hours they enthused about interests and ate dinner. Lyla arrived home around 7:30pm. So she called Linda's house phone to have Mason sent home.

"Hello?" Frank answered the phone. Lyla froze up hearing his voice. "Hello? Anyone there?"

"Uhm..Hi this is Mason's mom."

"Oh hey!"

"Hello, uhm...could you send Mason on home please? I'll watch him from the porch."

"Sure no problem...Mason!" Frank spoke hanging up. "Hey champ your mom wants you home. She's waiting on the porch."

"Lets see what she looks like!" Gerard suggested racing Mikey to the front door.

"You boys stay right on this porch! Don't bombard that girl." Linda ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Gerard and Mikey obeyed lowly.

"Buy guys! I had so much fun. Bye Miss Linda!" Mason said before leaving.

"Bye Mason!" Everyone chorused.

"Can you see what she looks like?" Gerard asked trying to peak over.

"Medium length brown or black hair. She's pretty petite but I can't see her face." Mikey sighed in defeat.

"Good, now get in here and let her alone. She likes to keep to herself.

"Well I'm going to meet her eventually." Frank promised before shutting the front door.