Butterfly Kisses
Chapter 6
Gerard had been eagerly looking forward to sleeping in the next morning, so he was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see the clock reading that it was only seven.
“Come on, get up. You’re going to be late.”
“Late for what, mom?” he asked sleepily.
“Oh, you remember. You’re going to the park with your little friend, like I told you yesterday,” she said with so much joy he thought he would be sick. He sat straight up, staring at her with wide eyes.
“What are you talking about?” he asked more slowly.
“I called your friend Frank’s mom and set up a little playdate for you!” she practically squealed.
“Mom, I’m not a little kid!” Gerard said, trying not to whine too much. She simply rolled her eyes and walked away. He buried his face in the pillow for a few more minutes before he heard his mom yelling again.
Ten minutes later he found himself standing next to the tallest oak tree in the park, which was no real feat since there was a grand total of three such trees. He looked around at the field of tall grass dotted with purple and pink flowers and visibly cringed. He couldn’t wait to go home and hang out with his friends.
“Hi.”
Gerard turned around and saw Frank standing there with two mesh boxes in his arms. They looked homemade, and it took Gerard a moment to realize a small butterfly resided within each one. Frank set them on the ground, still smiling as if it was the happiest day of his life. Gerard felt himself smiling a little. The boy’s happiness seemed to be contagious.
“…so…what do you want to do?” Gerard asked, feeling a little less awkward. Frank looked like he was about to answer, but he suddenly gasped and stepped as close to Gerard as possible, quivering in fear. Gerard raised an eyebrow in question, then realized whatever had startled Frank was behind him and turned around.
He recognized the leader of the three eighth graders instantly.
“Matt?”
“Oh, hi…Gerald, was it?” the kid asked with surprising arrogance. Gerard’s face remained as emotionless as he could keep it.
“Gerard, actually,” he answered, glancing over his shoulder to see if Frank was okay. The younger boy was cowering behind him, but he still wasn’t sure why.
“What are you doing around him?” one of the other kids asked.
“Does it really matter?” Gerard asked with a darker tone. Two of them backed up a step, but Matt merely smirked.
“Of course not. I mean, it’s not like you’d ever be friends with him, right?” He took a few steps forward. “So you wouldn’t mind if we…talked to him.”
Frank mumbled something incoherent. Gerard looked at him, confused, so he said it again, just a little louder.
“They…hurt m-m-me.”
Matt tried to walk around Gerard and grab Frank’s shoulder, but Gerard caught his arm and quickly bent it backwards, shoving him away in the process. For once, Matt had nothing to say and merely glared at them for a few seconds before briskly turning and walking away, closely flanked by his friends. Gerard had to smirk after they left.
“Th-thank you,” Frank said slowly, looking surprised. Gerard just gave a small smile, but the boy still looked reasonably scared. He picked up the mesh boxes and, quite suddenly, climbed up into the nearby tree. Gerard watched, amused, as he sat on a tree branch, precariously balancing the cages on his lap, and opened one of them. The butterfly eagerly fluttered out and landed on another branch. Frank smiled and set the cage aside, opening the other one. He reached one hand inside and let the creature climb onto his fingers, giggling a little at the feeling, then gingerly placed it on the branch as well.
Gerard continued to watch as a squawk caught Frank’s attention. The boy deftly stood and climbed onto one of the higher branches, most of them too flimsy to hold anything heavier than a few leaves.
“Frank, be caref-”
“Shh.”
He reached up one hand and swatted at a large blackbird perched on top of the tree. The thing tried to snap at him before giving up and flapping over to the other side of the park. Frank smirked triumphantly, then kicked the two soft cages down to the ground and hopped down as if he were just as light. Gerard simply shook his head.
“You’re crazy.”
Frank just smiled, picked up and collapsed the two cages, then turned and walked away from him. Gerard skipped a few steps to catch up.
“Where are we going?”
“H-home.”
“Come on, get up. You’re going to be late.”
“Late for what, mom?” he asked sleepily.
“Oh, you remember. You’re going to the park with your little friend, like I told you yesterday,” she said with so much joy he thought he would be sick. He sat straight up, staring at her with wide eyes.
“What are you talking about?” he asked more slowly.
“I called your friend Frank’s mom and set up a little playdate for you!” she practically squealed.
“Mom, I’m not a little kid!” Gerard said, trying not to whine too much. She simply rolled her eyes and walked away. He buried his face in the pillow for a few more minutes before he heard his mom yelling again.
Ten minutes later he found himself standing next to the tallest oak tree in the park, which was no real feat since there was a grand total of three such trees. He looked around at the field of tall grass dotted with purple and pink flowers and visibly cringed. He couldn’t wait to go home and hang out with his friends.
“Hi.”
Gerard turned around and saw Frank standing there with two mesh boxes in his arms. They looked homemade, and it took Gerard a moment to realize a small butterfly resided within each one. Frank set them on the ground, still smiling as if it was the happiest day of his life. Gerard felt himself smiling a little. The boy’s happiness seemed to be contagious.
“…so…what do you want to do?” Gerard asked, feeling a little less awkward. Frank looked like he was about to answer, but he suddenly gasped and stepped as close to Gerard as possible, quivering in fear. Gerard raised an eyebrow in question, then realized whatever had startled Frank was behind him and turned around.
He recognized the leader of the three eighth graders instantly.
“Matt?”
“Oh, hi…Gerald, was it?” the kid asked with surprising arrogance. Gerard’s face remained as emotionless as he could keep it.
“Gerard, actually,” he answered, glancing over his shoulder to see if Frank was okay. The younger boy was cowering behind him, but he still wasn’t sure why.
“What are you doing around him?” one of the other kids asked.
“Does it really matter?” Gerard asked with a darker tone. Two of them backed up a step, but Matt merely smirked.
“Of course not. I mean, it’s not like you’d ever be friends with him, right?” He took a few steps forward. “So you wouldn’t mind if we…talked to him.”
Frank mumbled something incoherent. Gerard looked at him, confused, so he said it again, just a little louder.
“They…hurt m-m-me.”
Matt tried to walk around Gerard and grab Frank’s shoulder, but Gerard caught his arm and quickly bent it backwards, shoving him away in the process. For once, Matt had nothing to say and merely glared at them for a few seconds before briskly turning and walking away, closely flanked by his friends. Gerard had to smirk after they left.
“Th-thank you,” Frank said slowly, looking surprised. Gerard just gave a small smile, but the boy still looked reasonably scared. He picked up the mesh boxes and, quite suddenly, climbed up into the nearby tree. Gerard watched, amused, as he sat on a tree branch, precariously balancing the cages on his lap, and opened one of them. The butterfly eagerly fluttered out and landed on another branch. Frank smiled and set the cage aside, opening the other one. He reached one hand inside and let the creature climb onto his fingers, giggling a little at the feeling, then gingerly placed it on the branch as well.
Gerard continued to watch as a squawk caught Frank’s attention. The boy deftly stood and climbed onto one of the higher branches, most of them too flimsy to hold anything heavier than a few leaves.
“Frank, be caref-”
“Shh.”
He reached up one hand and swatted at a large blackbird perched on top of the tree. The thing tried to snap at him before giving up and flapping over to the other side of the park. Frank smirked triumphantly, then kicked the two soft cages down to the ground and hopped down as if he were just as light. Gerard simply shook his head.
“You’re crazy.”
Frank just smiled, picked up and collapsed the two cages, then turned and walked away from him. Gerard skipped a few steps to catch up.
“Where are we going?”
“H-home.”