Butterfly Kisses
Chapter 4
When Gerard went to the library after school that day, he found Frank already waiting for him. He frowned; this time he had gone straight there. Unless the boy had English as his last subject of the day, he couldn’t have gotten there that quickly. Gerard went and sat next to him, looking a little confused.
“Hey, how did you get here so fast?” he asked. The boy motioned to a stack of library books next to him. “You wanted to read?”
“Mmhm,” Frank answered. Gerard thought it sounded more like he was humming a song than anything else, but decided not to say anything. He glanced at the stack of books and saw that each one of them was about butterflies.
“So, what do you have for your English homework?” he asked quietly. Frank simply shook his head. “Nothing?”
“N-n-not today.” Gerard felt himself start to get annoyed at the constant repetition of sounds whenever Frank spoke, but he knew it wasn’t the kid’s fault. He wished there was something he could do to make it stop.
“You have it tomorrow, then,” he stated. Frank nodded. “What do you want to do?”
Frank reached into his backpack and pulled out a math book with a single sheet of slightly crumpled paper stuck inside. He opened it to that page. Gerard glanced over at the numbers neatly written all over the sheet, expecting to see some kind of simple version of algebra or whatever it was he had taken in sixth grade, but when he looked at the name of the class written at the top of the paper, his eyes widened.
“Math II… Isn’t that only for eighth graders?” he said mostly to himself. “Only the really smart ones?”
Frank glanced at him with what appeared to be a glare, as if he had heard this one too many times already. Gerard suddenly felt guilty for insulting him. The sixth grader opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to say something, but the words refused to make themselves known. He sighed and took a piece of paper out of his backpack, scribbling a few words on it, and gave it to Gerard.
Im not stupid. I just cant talk right.
‘He can’t exactly write either,’ Gerard thought to himself. He said nothing, though, and watched as Frank took one of the books and opened it to a specific page. He pointed to a specific picture.
“C-cairns Birdw-wing. L-largest in Austr-r-ralia.” He flipped forward a few pages and indicated another page. “Xerc-c-ces Blue. Ext-t-tinct…because of hum-m-mans.” He skipped yet another set of page to point out a photograph of a dark gray butterfly with blue and orange dashes outlining its wings. He paused a moment before trying to pronounce its name.
“Ast- astya-”
“Astyanax,” Gerard offered, not having a clue what he was talking about. Frank nodded, though he looked extremely embarrassed about not being able to say the word.
“N-n-native to J-jersey.”
“That’s interesting,” Gerard said quietly. An awkward silence came between them, and when he realized Frank wouldn’t be the one to start a conversation, he continued. “…so…if you don’t have English today, there’s nothing you really need me for, right?”
Frank shook his head. “You…l-l-leave…w-want to…”
Gerard stood up gratefully and walked towards the exit, glancing back over his shoulder once. Frank had become absorbed in the book again, so he continued without a second thought and headed home with an enormous sense of relief.
-
“What do you mean no one’s noticed?” Ray asked in confusion. “Noticed what?”
“How smart he is,” Gerard said slowly, incredulous at his own statement. Ray laughed until he realized it wasn’t a joke.
“What are you talking about? Isn’t he-”
“Retarded, yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Gerard continued. “But he’s two grades ahead in math, and he knows a ton about science.”
“He should help us with Chemistry. Maybe he can name off the elements so we don’t have to use the sheet.”
Gerard glared at him. “You don’t have to make fun of him.”
“Why do you care?” Ray asked, frowning. “He’s not our friend or anything.”
“Yeah, but still-”
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Bob broke in, stepping into the room. “Practice ran late. Regionals tomorrow.”
“Oh, save it, Bryar,” Ray said jokingly. “Are you going to help me force Gerard to do his homework?”
“Why else would I be here?” Bob said with a laugh. Gerard made a whining noise, causing Bob to throw a drumstick at him with surprising accuracy. He tossed it back listlessly.
“It’s not fair,” he complained. “You get to miss the entire day tomorrow for a band trip.”
“It’s not band. It’s drumline,” Bob corrected. Gerard rolled his eyes, resulting in him getting pelted by the other drumstick.
“Why do you always have to do that?” he asked, glaring at the freshman. Bob smirked.
“Because you always deserve it.”
“Hey, how did you get here so fast?” he asked. The boy motioned to a stack of library books next to him. “You wanted to read?”
“Mmhm,” Frank answered. Gerard thought it sounded more like he was humming a song than anything else, but decided not to say anything. He glanced at the stack of books and saw that each one of them was about butterflies.
“So, what do you have for your English homework?” he asked quietly. Frank simply shook his head. “Nothing?”
“N-n-not today.” Gerard felt himself start to get annoyed at the constant repetition of sounds whenever Frank spoke, but he knew it wasn’t the kid’s fault. He wished there was something he could do to make it stop.
“You have it tomorrow, then,” he stated. Frank nodded. “What do you want to do?”
Frank reached into his backpack and pulled out a math book with a single sheet of slightly crumpled paper stuck inside. He opened it to that page. Gerard glanced over at the numbers neatly written all over the sheet, expecting to see some kind of simple version of algebra or whatever it was he had taken in sixth grade, but when he looked at the name of the class written at the top of the paper, his eyes widened.
“Math II… Isn’t that only for eighth graders?” he said mostly to himself. “Only the really smart ones?”
Frank glanced at him with what appeared to be a glare, as if he had heard this one too many times already. Gerard suddenly felt guilty for insulting him. The sixth grader opened and closed his mouth a few times as if trying to say something, but the words refused to make themselves known. He sighed and took a piece of paper out of his backpack, scribbling a few words on it, and gave it to Gerard.
Im not stupid. I just cant talk right.
‘He can’t exactly write either,’ Gerard thought to himself. He said nothing, though, and watched as Frank took one of the books and opened it to a specific page. He pointed to a specific picture.
“C-cairns Birdw-wing. L-largest in Austr-r-ralia.” He flipped forward a few pages and indicated another page. “Xerc-c-ces Blue. Ext-t-tinct…because of hum-m-mans.” He skipped yet another set of page to point out a photograph of a dark gray butterfly with blue and orange dashes outlining its wings. He paused a moment before trying to pronounce its name.
“Ast- astya-”
“Astyanax,” Gerard offered, not having a clue what he was talking about. Frank nodded, though he looked extremely embarrassed about not being able to say the word.
“N-n-native to J-jersey.”
“That’s interesting,” Gerard said quietly. An awkward silence came between them, and when he realized Frank wouldn’t be the one to start a conversation, he continued. “…so…if you don’t have English today, there’s nothing you really need me for, right?”
Frank shook his head. “You…l-l-leave…w-want to…”
Gerard stood up gratefully and walked towards the exit, glancing back over his shoulder once. Frank had become absorbed in the book again, so he continued without a second thought and headed home with an enormous sense of relief.
-
“What do you mean no one’s noticed?” Ray asked in confusion. “Noticed what?”
“How smart he is,” Gerard said slowly, incredulous at his own statement. Ray laughed until he realized it wasn’t a joke.
“What are you talking about? Isn’t he-”
“Retarded, yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Gerard continued. “But he’s two grades ahead in math, and he knows a ton about science.”
“He should help us with Chemistry. Maybe he can name off the elements so we don’t have to use the sheet.”
Gerard glared at him. “You don’t have to make fun of him.”
“Why do you care?” Ray asked, frowning. “He’s not our friend or anything.”
“Yeah, but still-”
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Bob broke in, stepping into the room. “Practice ran late. Regionals tomorrow.”
“Oh, save it, Bryar,” Ray said jokingly. “Are you going to help me force Gerard to do his homework?”
“Why else would I be here?” Bob said with a laugh. Gerard made a whining noise, causing Bob to throw a drumstick at him with surprising accuracy. He tossed it back listlessly.
“It’s not fair,” he complained. “You get to miss the entire day tomorrow for a band trip.”
“It’s not band. It’s drumline,” Bob corrected. Gerard rolled his eyes, resulting in him getting pelted by the other drumstick.
“Why do you always have to do that?” he asked, glaring at the freshman. Bob smirked.
“Because you always deserve it.”