The Hurt You Sold

Just 3 days shy of the reunion Frank was still thinking about MAson's mother. He didn't even know her name. How was it that Mason kept such a cheerful and optimistic personality living with a flighty emotional woman?

"Hello?" Gerard answered as Frank dialed his number.

"Hey, I need to do something. Can you ride with me?"

"Sure, I'll be right over."

Frank quickly got in the shower and got dressed. As he was putting his shoes on a knock came at the door.

"Hey what's up?" Gerard asked, confused as to why Frank phoned him over so early.

"Before you say I'm crazy." Frank began.

"Oh lord."

"Just listen, I wanna follow Mason's mom around." Frank blurted out sounding just as crazy as he was trying to avoid.

"Have you lost your mind? Frank seriously what are you on?"

"I'm fine, look come on. I'm never going to get to know her she awkwardly keeps to herself. I'm just curious."

"Maybe she's afraid of men. I mean she does fine with your mom doesn't come in contact with us." Gerard suggested. Wait, why am I even entertaining this? Frank let it go. She's not interested in us. Or you for that matter. You are a fucking celebrity for fucks sake. You want to go around stalking someone? God! I'm beginning to question your sanity. You want me to commit a felon with you, this isn't Miami Vice. We can't just follow people around and have stake outs. We aren't the Winchesters." Gerard blurted out, outraged by Frank's craziness he was beginning to feel crazy himself.

"Gerard, calm down. Too many analogies thrown at me this morning. Although both pretty badass but beside the point. I can always ask Mikey."

"No, God no." Gerard objected, giving up and following his hands through his thick black hair. He followed suit and walked out of the house with his friend. Lyla was just pulling out of her driveway as they hopped off the porch.

"Come on Gerard you're losing her." Frank rushed 10 minutes into the drive.

"Shut up. You have me as an accessory to a crime. We run this show my way."

"Jesus. We'll be cell mates."

"Looks like she's stopping." Gerard pointed pulling into a crowded parking lot.

"Where are we?" Frank thought out loud scanning his surroundings. "Go see the name on that office building." Frank ordered watching the glass double doors close behind Lyla.

"Yeah ok, let me just run on in there and sit down with her!" He laughed sarcastically.

"Just look at the door and see what it says and come back."

"Christ." Gerard groaned throwing a hat and shades on. He ran across the parking lot to the office door and slowly looked back. Contemplating wether or not to tell Frank the truth but he shook the idea and ran back to the car.

"Well?" Frank asked growing impatient.

"Therapist office."

"For?"

"PTSD and self harm." Gerard informed, feeling dirty for even retrieving this information about Mason's mother.

"That explains a lot."

"Yeah I guess. Are we done spying on this poor woman?" Gerard asked quickly.

"No we wait until she leaves."

"Now that's ridiculous. Frank what would Amy say?"

"I don't care. She doesn't own me and I don't have to explain to her what I do with my free time. I'm not married to her."

"No and you never will be if you keep treating women like this!" Gerard explained to his stubborn friend.

"Gerard please save the lecture." Frank waved him off before turning to look out the window and wait for who he believes to just be Mason's mom to come out.

"Here she comes." Gerard pointed. Stretching after sitting over an hour.

"Good let's see where she goes." Frank insisted setting his chair back upwards.

Gerard didn't protest since it would just cause a no win argument. They drove 20 minutes until they left the town limits. "Damn where is she going?" Gerard asked trying to figure out possibilities.

"Walmart?" Frank questioned. "We passed like 2 why is she going here?"

"Maybe she knows someone here. Or maybe she ordered something and it came to this one."

"I don't know, I guess we'll wait and see."

They waited about 30 minutes and Lyla had come out alone with a few groceries. She loaded her car quickly put the cart back and jumped in her vehicle. Gerard drove in silence as they made their way back to Linda's.

"Hey Mason's mom!" Gerard greeted.

"Oh hello!" She jumped at the echoed voice.

"Do you need help?" Frank offered.

"Oh no thank you I can manage."

"Well alright."

"Hey Mason's mom!" Mikey cheered pulling up in the driveway.

"Hi." Lyla spoke, with a shaky panicked tone. She turned n her heal and rushed into the house.

"Good going Mikey." Gerard teased.

"What I do?" He asked throwing his hands in the air.

The guys just laughed at Mikey's confusion. I twas always funny to them when Mikey was confused because of how smart he actually was. "Well is Mason planning on coming over today?" Mikey asked.

"Yes his mother is about to go to work I'm picking him up from school." Linda answered.

"Great! I've got just a couple Pokemon cards for him." Mikey smiled.

"Mikey, you got a date for the reunion?" Gerard asked spinning in Frank's computer chair.

"No, don't remind me."

"How do you not have a date?" Frank snickered.

"Well because I don't have a girlfriend." He shot back sarcastically.

"Why don't you ask Mason's mom. She's about our age." Gerard suggested. Figuring what he saw today she really could use some adult conversation.

"Yeah right! She damn near called the cops on me she I said hello to her!" Mikey objected.

"It's a masquerade ball she keeps her face covered up anyways. That'll be in her comfort zone." Frank added.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll get Mason to set me up."

"When she gets home tonight grow a set and ask her. Shit you can't be the 5th wheel!" Gerard explained.

"Why are you so worried about me? I don't even want to go."

"You RSVP'd, you can't back out. It's considered rude." Frank added.

"God. Fine." Mikey gave up, annoyed at their pestering. "I'm Facebooking!"

"Do you boo boo." Frank waved off. "You know maybe I've been a dick to Amy." Frank spoke to Gerard.

"Ya think?"

"Shut up. I mean...I don't know. I obviously like her. But sometimes I don't. And...I don't know. Sometimes she just speaks to me at the wrong times and I don't know how to control my moods with her. I just go off without a second thought."

"You want a relationship with her. She makes you happy and she sticks around even though you treat her like shit." Gerard finished.

"I don't know why I'm like that though. It's like I'm another person sometimes."

"You just have commitment issues is all. Maybe if you explained to her how your feeling then she can work around it. You going off on her isn't fair because she doesn't know what your feeling. She comes in blind everyday with you. You have emotions like a woman."

"You're right G. As crazy as it sounds, you're right. I'm going to go call her." Frank smiled pulling out his phone and exiting the room.

"Miguel." Gerard called for his brother as he reached for his phone that fell behind the bed. "Michael!" He hollered shooting his head up, scanning the room for Mikey. "So help me if I have to call you a third time!" Gerard threatened before locking eyes with him.

"G. Come here." Mikey had lost all color in his face, he was almost trembling.

"What's wrong with you weirdo?"

"Look." Mikey gulped pushing the phone in Gerard's face.

"Is that?" Gerard wide eyed looked at his brother.

"Lyla." Mikey whispered almost afraid to say her name. "G, I swear I literally typed her name in as a random thing. There she is!"

"Oh my God, well where does it say she's at?"

"Charlotte, North Carolina. She just has the one picture. Her page is blocked so I can't see anything else."

"Jesus Christ." Gerard leaned back in his seat running his hands down his face.

"What do we do?"

"Nothing. She's been gone this long. She's obviously adapted to life down there. It wouldn't be fair to just bombard her.

"Well we must tell Frank. He's been trying to find her forever."

"Did you just hear him? He's about to actually try to make things work with Amy! You can't go ruining that for him!"

"This isn't fair! But I miss her." Mikey confessed.

"I miss her to. But she seems happy in that picture. She would have reached out to us by now. She's just a ghost now."

"Yeah. I guess." Mikey replaced his phone in his pocket, defeated at the attempt to speak to his former best friend.

"Who died?" Frank snickered reentering his bedroom.

"Noone." Mikey sighed lowly.

Mikey walked to the bathroom and pulled Lyla's page back up. Although he could only see this one picture it was comforting to see her smile. The scar just below her left eye instantly reminded him of how he found her body all those years ago. The pleading in her voice to just let her die. No he couldn't bare to relive that. He shook the thought from his head. He gave another smile to her picture before returning to Frank's room. They spent the afternoon playing video games until Linda returned home with a very enthusiastic Mason.

"Mason! Come here I've waited all day to give these to you!" Mikey smiled patting a spot beside him on Frank's bed.

"What is it?" Mason asked bouncing up and down. "Oh wow! Yes!" He enthused receiving a Mew and Mew 2 card.

"I'd say you've made his day." Gerard chuckled admiring Mason's happiness.

"Man, my 2nd generation book is going to be amazing!"

"So Mase, Do you think your mom would go on a date with Mikey?" Frank asked.

"Oh no. She doesn't go on dates. She likes to keep to herself and spend time with me." Mason objected.

"Well it's our class reunion. It's a themed even to where she can dress up plus wear a mask. So it's not like she would be exposed." Mikey added.

"I'm not sure. I mean I guess you could call her." Mason responded feeling uncomfortable. Being told by his mother to not talk about her with the guys made him nervous he didn't want to disobey her. He went along and did his homework. He was cleaning his books up when Linda's phone rang.

"Mason sweetie, your mothers home." Linda announced.

"Ok Miss Linda. Thank you."

"Mase, have your mom call the house for Mikey. It doesn't hurt to just ask." Frank requested. Mason lowly nodded his head and ran off to his house.

"Hey Mase." Lyla embraced her son as he reached the porch. She gave a small wave to Frank before shutting the door.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he started to his room without enlightening her about his day.

"Mikey wants you to go to his class reunion with him."

"How did that come up? What did you tell him?"

"He just randomly asked. I said no you wouldn't be interested.

"Ok baby, go get washed up for bed." Lyla paced back and forth for a moment before going to her room to jump in the shower. She stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body and another around her head. She applied a black sea salt face mask on before pacing around her room again. Her cheeks burned red noticing the guys staring at her from the window but she didn't wan them to know she knew. She made up her mind and dialed Linda's house phone.

"Hello?" Frank answered.

"You must like what you see." Lyla spoke.

"What? Oh guys she see's us." Frank stated lowering the phone.

"May I speak to Mikey?" She requested, letting out a small chuckle seeing the guys scramble away from the window.

"Uh, hello?" Mikey spoke nervously.

"Hello this is Mason's mother. I understand you wanted to ask me something."

"I..uh..yes. It's a bit short notice, so I'd understand if you say no. But I have this silly 10 year class reunion to go to and I was wondering if you'd accompany me?"

"I'd love to." She answered with a bit of confidence in her voice.

"Really? Oh wow! Ok, it's a masquerade themed thing. So ball gown and a mask would be appropriate attire."

"No problem. When is it?" She asked to throw him off.

"It's this Saturday at 8pm. It's being held at Bellville High."

"Ok shall I meet you there?"

"Oh no, I'll drive us."

"That sounds lovely. I'd be delighted. But please, don't think I'm strange. I haven't been on a date in a very long time." She explained.

"No worries. Let's just call this a hang out rather than a date then."

"Fine with me. I can't wait."

"Oh my God!" Mikey gasped hanging up.

"Well?" Gerard and Frank asked in unison.

"She wants to go with me! She actually spoke to me and agreed to go out with me!"

"Damn Mikey, pulling the mom's." Gerard teased.

"Oh shut up. You make her sound like she's 52." Mikey defended not wanting his moment of happiness ruined. "What the hell is her name?"

"That's for you to find out, hot shot." Frank teased throwing a pillow at him.