Insert Romantic Title Here

“We are so fucking happy to be with you guys tonight!” Gerard yelled into his microphone. “Now tell me! ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY TO BE WITH US TONIGHT?”

The crowd roared back at the band. They were truly performing their best tonight. The best I’ve seen them do in a while.

I wonder what caused this sudden change in show…? Maybe it was just the new atmosphere that gave them a new energy boost. I know it certainly did that with Melissa, me, and Jackie.

Jackie and Bob’s relationship was defiantly heating up. More passion and lust was going into their affection. You could tell in the way they held each other. And you could really tell when you saw them slip a little tongue into their kisses.

Mikey and Melissa were defiantly close to a big revelation in their relationship. In other words, I think they’re pretty close to having sex soon. Which scares the shit out of me. I don’t know how Melissa was feeling about it.

“And here it is! CEMETARY DRIVE!”

Our hands flew into the air and we cheered for one of our favorite songs.

The Ireland fans jumped up and down to the beat of the music and formed quite a few mosh pits for that song. They sang along with every word and screamed louder than ever when the guitars sang their solo.

“THANK YOU! WE’RE MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE AND THIS IS GONNA BE OUR LAST SONG!”

It’s Not A Fashion Statement It’s A Fucking Deathwish blasted at us from all angles. Even though the crowd was disappointed about the concert ending they still cheered their hearts out and sang to their lungs content.

“Good night, everyone!” Gerard yelled before exiting the stage.

The lights came up and I turned around to look at my friends. Their bright smiles were looking back at me.

“Ready to head backstage?” Jackie asked.

I smiled and lead the way.
-----
That night was defiantly one of the greater nights we’ve had on the bus. We were so energized and on sugar highs from Pepsi that anything was funny. A bomb could be strapped to someone’s chest and we would roll on the floor peeing our pants.

But that sugar rush wasn’t really enough to get the thrill some of us really wanted. Jackie, Mel, Bob, Mikey, Ray, and Frank and a few beers just to boost their fun level, while Gerard went crazy and chugged one once every two minutes. Chad and I were the only ones that remained sober.

“Oh my god!” A dreary Frank yelled after slamming down his can. “Can we play spin the bottle?”

He leaned his head to one side and plastered a toothy smile on his face. Everyone looked at him like he was fucking Einstein or something. I think it’s been about ten years since I played that game.

Yeah, it was ten years. I was thirteen and it was Erin O’Roak’s birthday party.

“LET’S DO IT!” Gerard threw his hands in the air and hit the cabinet behind him. Only instead of groaning in pain he burst out in laughter and looked like he was going to wet himself. “Damn that hurt!” He continued laughing.

“Okay!” Frank laughed along with him. “I’ll get the bottle!”

Frank jumped from the table and fumbled to the fridge to get another beer, even though there was an empty bottle sitting in front of him. He chugged it and sat back down with a look of great victory in his eyes.

“Who’s going first?” He burped in between his words.

“I WILL!” Jackie raised her hand and reached for the bottle. She vigorously spun it and waited patiently for it to come to a stop. When it finally did, it stopped on Melissa.

Everyone “oohed” and laughed at the result. I took another sip of Pepsi and told her that she had to do it because she seemed a little hesitant.

Jackie and Melissa leaned across the table and gave each other a little peck.

We all laughed and Mel and Jackie turn bright red.

“Melissa’s turn!” Melissa yelled, referring to herself in third-person.

The game continued on until we got all the way around to my first turn.

I gave a devious smile and spun the bottle as hard as I could.

“Why’d you do that?” Bob whined. “Now I’m gonna get dizzy!” His head was spinning in circles, following the pattern of the bottle.

Soon enough it slowed to a stop and was pointing straight across from me at Frank.

I looked at him and his half open eyes become fully opened ones. His head sprung up and he laughed evilly.

“Sorry, buddy,” Frank looked at Gerard and Gerard just kind of sat up in his chair.

Frank went into the chair that we decided would be the persons chair for who got chosen, so we could avoid kissing over tables, and I followed him to it. He sat down and smiled up and me.

As seductively as I could I straddled his lap and stared him down. Frank played along and growled a little bit. I rolled my eyes and placed one finger to his lips to make him stop.

Then I grabbed his face and our lips touched each other’s. We continued for a while, I wanted to try and make Gerard as jealous as possible. It went on for so long that Frank began to run his one hand over my thigh and the other tangling my hair.

In between breaths he laughed a little bit and so did I.

I decided to get a little more playful and I placed my hands around his hips. They ran back and forth around his waist. When I got to the middle of his stomach I moved down a little bit. Frank jumped and I felt his smile on my lips.

When I reached my destination I found something that I should’ve expected, but didn’t so it came as quite a surprise.

Frank was having an erection. I laughed even harder and moved my hands up to his head where I tangled his hair just as much as he was tangling mine.

“Come on you two!” Gerard shoot up from his chair and Frank and I disconnected our lips.

I looked back at Frank and his eyes were filled with worry, and I knew mine were filled with regret.

“Some best friend!” Gerard pushed Frank over in the chair and I went tumbling down with him. “Fuck this.” And he stormed off into the back of the bus.
-----
The next morning was filled with awkward silences, a few sour looks, and seriously terrible hangovers.

Gerard must not have been that drunk because he remembered everything that had happened, in great detail too. Everyone else was a little hazy on the details. Which was strange because he drank more than anyone else.

Oh, God, why did I have to be so immature about that whole thing? Why couldn’t I have just left it alone and given Frank a peck like Jackie did for Melissa?

This whole incident got me back to thinking about what Gerard had said. But if he didn’t love me then why did he care so much? And if he was lying did I totally blow it by doing this with Frank?

All this thinking was beginning to give me a headache.

I stumbled into the front of the bus, which was vacant. Everyone was in their bunks, either sleeping, or trying to.

It was two in the afternoon and there was still a bunch of empty bottles and old wrappers all over the place.

After Gerard went to bed last night everyone just sat around drinking silently, taking in what just happened, even though I’m sure the others were thinking about other things.

“Would you mind cleaning that up?” Chad asked.

“No problem,” I sighed and began grabbing empty bottles.

Frank came emerging from the bunk still in his pajamas. Well, more like his underwear.

“God! Not the light!” He held one hand up to his eyes and sat down at the table.

“Morning, Frank,” I sighed as I dropped the empty drinks into the garbage can.

The clatter made him jump and face the sunlight.

“Good morning, Katie. How was your sleep?”

“I didn’t really get that much. Yourself?”

“Fine, fine.”

There was another awkward silence while I continued cleaning the mess from last night.

“Shit…” Frank murmured.

My heart jumped. Was he going to bring up last night?

“I think I sat in something sticky…”

I laughed from relief and walked over to Frank with a wet washcloth. He smiled and scooted over on the bench. He wasn’t lying; he seemed to sit down in some spilt beer from last night.

I took the cloth and wiped it up.

“Thanks,” He murmured.

“No problem,” I tucked some hair behind my ear and looked Frank in the eye.

Quickly turning away I changed the subject.

“So that show tonight’s going to be hard.”

“Why?” He asked resuming his usual seat.

“You’re all so tired. And hangovers are hell when it comes to loud noises.”

“Oh… Yeah.”

Silence again. God I hated it so much. We needed to get this over with before it looms into tomorrow.

“Listen, Frank,” I turned around and sat down across from Frank. “We need to talk about some things.”

Frank sighed. “Last night?”

I half smiled and leaned my head on a fist.

“So… What about it?” He continued on in fear I didn’t know what to say next.

“Well, I just wanted to make it clear that we’re just friends. You know that, right? Last night was crazy, and it was really fun, but we’re friends. Are you okay?”

Frank was looking down at his hands. He wouldn’t look me in the eye.

“Frank? Are you alright?”

He turned his head away from me for a moment then came back into view, smiled a little smile and took my hands.

“Katie? I have to tell you something. But please, don’t say anything until I’m done.”

I gave him a nervous smile and nodded.

“You see-,” But someone interrupted him.

All at once everyone came through the curtain and began making lunch for themselves. They completely ignored Frank and me.

Gerard who was the last one in took one look at us holding hands and looked away with a “humph”.

When I saw Gerard’s reaction I pulled my hands out of Frank’s.

“Can we talk later?” I asked him.

He sadly nodded and went into the back.
-----
“Melissa, can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course.”

Melissa stopped straightening her hair and sat down on the bed.

It was an hour before the concert and everyone was at the arena. Jackie came back and sat down too.

“What’s going on, guys?” She asked cheerfully.

“Katie was about to talk to me about something…”

“Oh! Do you want me to leave?” She got up to leave.

“No, no, it’s fine. You can stay.”

“Okay!” She smiled at sat back down.

I then explained to Jackie and Melissa my little suspicions about Frank. I had quite a few theories. But they both agreed that only one would fit what I described and how I described it.

“He loves you,” Melissa said plainly.

“I agree.”

“You really think so?” I asked.

I probably should have seen this, after what happened this morning. But sometimes I’m just too blind for my own good.

“Everyone loves Katie!” Melissa teased as she got up from the bed and went back to straightening your hair. “But seriously. They do. What’s with that?”

“Yeah, well, you have your perfect man,” I reminded her.

“He is perfect isn’t he?” She sighed dreamily while Jackie and I exchanged eye rollings.

“And you and Bob,” Melissa continued. “You’re pretty much a match made in heaven aren’t cha?”

Jackie smiled and collapsed onto the bed.

“I guess so yeah.”

“Yeah, Jackie likes a guy who can bang!” I made a sexually gesture and the others laughed.

“Shut up, Katie. Bob’s a real sweetie and you know it!”

I shrugged and joined Melissa in the bathroom.

“Speaking of banging…” I nudged Melissa. “You and Mikey…”

“AH! No Katie! Having sex with Mikey in the bus! Ew!”

“But do you want to have sex. I think that’s the real question,” Jackie popped up.

Melissa gave a tiny little smile.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” She smirked.

“Oh you little liar!” Jackie poked her sides.

“Ow! Don’t! But fine, yes I have.”

“Has he thought about it?” I asked.

“Can I read thoughts? How should I know?”

We all laughed together and finished up getting ready. We were a little late to the show and the opening act was already on stage by the time we entered the arena.
-----
After the show and meeting some fans we all had to board onto another plane for a short hour flight to Edinburgh in Scotland.

Ray and Mikey were a little more at ease since it was such a short flight. I wish I could say the same.

Every time I was around Frank I seemed to tense up and get nervous. So when he asked me if we could talk in private during the flight I was a little more than hesitant to accept his offer.

He took my hand and led me through the plane past everyone. The only thing I was grateful for at this moment was the fact that Gerard was sleeping. That way he couldn’t see us going into the back together.

Frank looked around when we got to the shadowy area of the back of the plane. Biting his lip he took me into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

“What are you doing Frank?”

“I need to talk to you. I just can’t take it anymore!”

This got me worried.

“Well, what’s wrong?”

“Listen,” He took my hands again and told me the same thing he did this morning; not to interrupt him until he finished. I vigorously nodded my head and urged him to continue.

“Katie, I’m just gonna say it. I love you!”

“Wh-?”

“No interrupting. Remember? Anyway. I love you! You are beautiful and talented and funny! How Gerard can be an idiot and not sweep you away is beyond me! And how you haven’t seen the fact that I love you is also beyond me! I must’ve been better at hiding my feelings than I thought. And last night, when you- and I- so I thought that maybe there was a tiny flicker of hope for- for- for us! So, in the end, I love you!”

“You done?” I asked, still in shock.

“No, actually.”

In one quick movement he swooped me into a kiss. At first I was tense, but it really did take a while for me ease into it.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. He was an amazing kisser. It was full of passion and lust, but at the same time sweet and gentle.

What was this? This feeling inside of me. Was I beginning to feel something for Frank? Or was it nerves about what would happen if Gerard found out?

Frank must’ve sense this feeling of ease about me so he pulled me by my waist closer to him. He took his fingers and played with my shirt. Letting out a moan he pushed me against the wall and slipped his tongue into my mouth. I played back and returned the erotic favor.

Without warning I moaned softly into his mouth and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist.

“So,” He said between breaths. “Does this mean-?”

“Please, not now,” And I pressed out lips back together.

We played with each other’s hair and wrapped our arms around each other. Nothing could stop us from going to each new level. Sometimes we even skipped some and I almost thought he wanted to have sex with me.

Oh, God! What was this strange feeling?! It was as strong as the one I had for Gerard but it had the same sensation as the feeling I had after we left New York. This could either mean one of two things. One, something bad was about to happen. Or two, I was in love with Frank, my best friend.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, breaking away from me, but still close enough for our noses to touch.

I couldn’t find my words, so I merely shook my head.

“You sure.”

I nodded.

Frank gave me a devious smile and we continued out passionate kissing. Only this time, it seemed to skip a few levels and went to something I didn’t feel like touching upon at this moment.

With a great boost of confidence Frank put his hands underneath my shirt and yanked it off over my head. He laughed and took his shirt of next. I ran my hands over his chest and held him closer than I thought to be possible.

He touched my stomach and ran his hands around my waist, mocking my actions of yesterday. I slightly smiled as he lowered himself down to eyelevel with my bellybutton. My hands spread out like a wings trying to grasp onto something for support as he kissed his way up from my navel to my neck. Then he began kissing at that too.

“I love you,” He whispered in my ear.

“You’ve already said that.”

“That’s because I mean it. I mean it so fucking much.”

I smiled and kissed his ear.

Frank immediately went back to kissing at my neck. But kissing came to nibbling and soon he was completely in his own world, feasting on the flesh of my neck.

I moaned louder than I did before as his hands slowly slid to my back where he tried to unhook my bra.

Then, I almost died.

When Frank closed the bathroom door he’d forgotten to lock it. So when the handle jiggled my stomach dropped. But when I saw who it was, my heart stopped beating.

“Gerard?” I gasped.

Frank immediately stopped messing with my bra and spun around to face Gerard.

Gerard was standing there with his mouth agate and his eyes filling with more tears with every moment of passing silence.

I wanted anything to say something. But what was there to say? “Gerard I’m sorry I was about to fuck your friend?” And what was I really feeling? Did I love Frank or Gerard? Or both?

“Gerard listen,” Frank started but Gerard turned away and left the bathroom.

Not even bothering to put his shirt back on he stormed off after Gerard. I could hear their arguing.

“How could you possibly be mad at me?” Frank demanded.

I grabbed my shirt off the floor and pulled it on over my head again.

“She’s not even you’re girlfriend! So, you should’ve known that if you didn’t take her, someone else was gonna!”

“But having that someone be you?” Gerard yelled.

I tried to fix my hair in front of the mirror, but it didn’t work.

“Why not? I’m just as good as you are!”

“Sure! Of course you are!”

“Wait… Are you saying that she’s too good for me?”

“No, not at all!”

I stumbled into the main section of the plane, right into the middle of the storm.

“Actually!” Gerard yelled even louder. “I should be mad at you!” He pointed at me and narrowed his eyes. “You knew how I felt!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think you know what I mean!”

“No actually, I don’t. Oh! You mean the fact that you don’t love me?”

“No! I-,”

“I heard you Gerard! You were talking to Ray! I was in the bathroom! I HEARD YOU!”

“I know that! But-!”

That was it. Gerard is just not for me after all. I did love Frank. I do love Frank.

“You know what? No! Don’t talk. This has all made me realize that really care for Frank more than I care for you. More than I ever cared for you! So just…” I looked over at Frank. He had a giant smile on his face. He took my hand into his and I smiled back at him. “So just leave me alone.”

Gerard was now letting all the tears out. But before he left, he took a deep breath and gulped.

Then with a shaky voice he managed to get out these five words: “I hope you’re happy together.”

Gerard pushed passed me and Frank, breaking our hand’s embrace, and closed the bathroom door. Making sure to lock it.
-----
We landed in Scotland not a minute too soon. When we got off the plane Frank respectably gave me some space to gather my thoughts, and a few other things.

Melissa, Jackie, and the others also respected my space. And they let me spend some time alone while they ate dinner and went for drinks.

While I was alone I looked through all my things for that sketchbook Gerard gave me.

Finally, I found it wrapped in an old scarf. It was actually the scarf I wore to the concert. The first one.

I began to cry when I saw that. I got back to thinking of those less complicated times. The times when we spent our days hanging out at Barnes and Nobles or playing tag in the park.

The sketchbook was shaking in my hands; it took all my strength just to open it. But when I did, I started crying even more.

On the inside of the front cover there was a letter Gerard wrote and stuck to it. And the first line said, “I’m sorry.”

It went on for two pages. I couldn’t bring myself to read any more of it. Or even look through the rest of the pictures.

I threw it down back into my bad and cried onto the bed.

“How could a simple game change the course of everything?” I cried into my pillow, and eventually sobbed myself to sleep.
-----
The rest of the days continued the same. Frank was the only one that really sad much of anything to me. Its like they didn’t like me anymore. Just because of what I did to Gerard.

And honestly, I hated myself for it to.

That note in the sketchbook was dangling in my mind. I just couldn’t seem to shake it. But if I knew I read it I’d just end up hurting myself again because of the unstable Gerard. Or was I hurting myself more by staying with Frank?

God I’m so confused!

It was a Monday when we landed in Scotland and we were in London by Thursday.

“You guys can go wherever you want this afternoon, I’ve got some business to take care of,” Chad said when we arrived at our London hotel.

“I’m pretty sure we would’ve done that anyways,” Bob laughed.

Chad rolled his eyes with a smile and motioned us to leave.

We were walking the windy streets of London when Mikey got the sudden urge for coffee.

“Do you think they have Starbucks in London?” He hopefully asked Melissa.

“Probably not.”

He hung his head and so did Gerard who apparently wanted coffee too.

“Well, here’s a place that looks like they would have coffee,” Ray pointed up at a sign that said “Fresh Coffee and Hot Chocolate”.

“Yes, that looks very promising,” Mikey smiled and walked into the place. Everyone followed.

It was a quaint little coffee house with lots of small individual tables. There was a menu written on a chalkboard sitting on the countertop. Hanging on the walls were candles that were flickering, even though there were small lights in the ceiling.

We moved three tables together, but there still wasn’t enough room for everyone.

Ray, being the nice person that he is, offered to sit down at the next closest table. There was a girl with a laptop sitting at it, but she let him sit down anyway. She seemed a little taken aback by Ray’s presence. She must’ve heard of the band before.

The girl and Ray continued talking, and we did the same. Though, we all got sick of Ray sitting separately from us and we offered the girl to sit with us. She smiled, agreed and Ray helped her move her table so it was connected with ours.

“Guys, this is Amber Leigh,” Ray pointed at the girl. “Amber Leigh, this is Gerard, Mikey, Frank, and Bob.”

“Thanks for introducing us, Ray,” Jackie sarcastically smirked.

“Oh, sorry. And this is Jackie, Melissa and Katie.”

“Hey,” We all greeted.

She awkwardly waved at us and sat back down.

“So Amber Leigh,” Mikey began. “How’s it goin’?”

“Oh,” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.

Amber Leigh seemed pretty normal as she began settling down and talking more casually with my friends.

She was really very pretty, even though you could tell she didn’t think so. She had a full face and wavy strawberry blonde hair that framed it. Her stunning turquoise eyes were hidden partly behind glasses and partly behind side bangs. Amber Leigh was a little on the short side, but so was Frank, she was about his height actually.

We talked with her for about forty minutes with her until she had to leave. But before she left Gerard had a little surprise for her.

“Here, we all want you to have these.”

He took two pieces of paper out of his bag and handed them to her. It was one ticket to the concert tonight, and another was a backstage pass.

“Meet us after the show, we can go out to a club or something.”

Her mouth was open and she reluctantly took the ticket and pass from him.

“I can’t accept these,” She stammered.

“You just did,” Ray said into her ear.

She looked at him and slightly smiled.

We got up from the table, paid our bill and left with her outside. Each of us gave her a hug, and Ray added a little peck on the cheek.

“See you tonight,” He said.

“See ya,” She smiled and turned around, her cheeks bright red. As she walked away I saw her put a hand to the cheek he kissed. That reminded me of when Melissa kissed Mikey the day after the concert.

We turned back in the direction of the hotel. Melissa and Mikey holding hands. Jackie and Bob holding hands. And Frank and me were holding hands. I looked over my shoulder at Gerard tagging along in the back of the group. He gave me a sad look and I immediately looked away.

My head dropped and we continued walking.

What am I doing? I thought.
-----
That night at the show Jackie, Melissa and I met Amber Leigh in the audience. We greeted her with hugs and lots of questions. Mostly about if she had a crush on Ray or not.

“I only met him today, isn’t it hard to have a crush on someone you’ve only met for one day?”

“No,” We all answered together.

Amber Leigh blushed and shrugged her shoulders.

Luckily for her, though, that’s when the show started.

It was a great one, too. So it went by very fast, and before we knew it, we were headed backstage.

“Are you excited?” I asked her.

She nodded.

When we got backstage the band was sitting on a couch laughing about something that we missed.

“What’s so funny?” Jackie asked sitting down on Bob’s lap.

“Nothing,” He chuckled.

Jackie gave him a serious look and he regained composure. They all did.

“Amber Leigh!” Ray shot up. “You came!”

“Well, you invited me.”

“Oh,” He laughed nervously. “So where do you wanna go?”

Frank shot up. “I saw this place that looked good while we were driving here!”

“Do you remember where it is?”

He nodded confidently.
-----
“Frank you’re such an ass!” Ray yelled. “I thought you said you remembered where it was!”

“I thought I did!”

We all shot Frank exasperated looks.

“I think it’s this way!” He pointed in the direction we’d just come from.

“Why don’t we just go back to the hotel?” Gerard suggested.

“I’m getting a little tired myself,” Amber Leigh piped up.

“I’ll take you home!” Ray took her hand and started to walk in front of us.

“Um, Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“My apartment’s that way.” She pointed to the direction Frank and previously pointed and headed off that way.

“Oh… Ha.”

We watched as the sweet new couple walked away and turned the corner out of our sight.

“Should we be heading off now?” Melissa asked.

“Yeah,” Gerard grumbled. “Let’s go.”

The walk back to the hotel wasn’t a very pleasant one. At least, from my point of view it wasn’t. There were really long silences and every now and then someone would say something to try and break it but failed. Which only made the silence a little more uncomfortable.

When we finally made it back to the hotel, I lied and said I was exhausted. So Frank kissed me goodnight and I trudged off to my room.
-----
I laid on my bed for a while. Just staring at my ceiling. This was seriously the most confusing week of my life. Confusing as fuck.

The sketchbook was lying out of the scarf just enough for my to see Gerard’s signature on the front cover. I’d never noticed before but it had something else written underneath it too.

I skeptically got up and removed it once again from my bag.

Tears came down my face again.

Underneath Gerard’s signature was something that said, “To: Katie” and after my name was a little black heart he drew.

“God damn it!” I yelled and put it back in my bag. “What the hell have I done?”

~-~-~-~-~-~-

There's the exciting chapter I promised! Haha.. Yeah.

*waits for heavy objects to start flying my way*