And Then We Will Destroy Our Bodies

Frank Iero sat slumped over his desk, his head resting on his arms, he hated Mrs. Kent’s English class the most. For fucks sake! Whose idea was it to assign poetry to 16 year olds anyway? God this was awful shit these kids were writing! God his head hurt! It had been another late night for him, missed his curfew by a few minutes and had gotten an hours worth of yelling from his parents. Not at him though, an hours worth of them yelling at eachother, maybe one last knock down fight before-

“Frank? Would you like to read your poem to the class? …Frank?”

Mrs. Kent’s authoritative voice broke his thoughts Frank lifted his head sleepily acknowledging he’d heard his name.

“Your poem, would you please read it?”

“Oh… yeah,” this is the part where he had decided to wing it on the poetry piece he was supposed to write. Frank slid out of his seat and shuffled up to the front of the class. He cleared his throat and paused for a moment…

“Frank, you did do the assignment didn’t you?” Mrs. Kent asked kindly in a quite voice, which made him feel a little badly for what he was about to do…he had nothing against Mrs. Kent, except her passion for poetry.

“Uh, no, yeah, I did it, make up a poem, that was it right? Okay…”

Frank cleared his throat and started, the eyes of the class on him…

Oh little busy bumble bee
It hurts like a bitch when you sting me
But I can’t help but admire how you give your life
Just to annoy the shit out of me.

He emphasized shit loudly, and got some smirks and applause out of the jocks in the back, which he really didn’t care about,

Fuck you little bumble bee – he continued

“Franklin Iero, That’s enough, see me after class, now who’s next, and I’d like real ones this time please- anyone- yes, June you go next.”

Frank moved back to his seat, resuming his previous position slumped over his desk with is eyes closed…he though the rhyming was pretty good for just thinking it up on the spot! Whatever, He told himself, only two more days and he’d be free from this place, his parents were splitting up and he was moving to Florida with his dad. At least that’s what he’d begged his dad to agree to. His best friend Jimmy had moved to Oklahoma a few months before, he and Jimmy had owned this school, they were the loners, but the popular loners, if that’s possible, The sort of loners that everyone wanted to be a loner with. Not now though, now the school felt empty, He no longer needed this place, and his mom would be fine here. She loved it here…
He swallowed the tears that welled up in his throat and willed away that achy feeling he’d had ever since last week when his parents had told him about their split.

As the students filed out of the class room, Frank slung his black canvas bag over his shoulder and once again shuffled to the front of the classroom.

“Yes, Mrs. Kent?”

“Franklin…you didn’t do the assignment I handed out on Friday did you?”

“Sure, I made up my poem and read it out loud.”

“The assignment was to write a poem Frank,” She sighed “Why is it you don’t take any of this seriously?”

Frank shrugged “I…don’t like poetry? It’s gay, Mrs. Kent!” He burst out.

“It is not gay, it is a different language, and you’ll watch your mouth in my classroom, understand?”

Frank nodded and his teacher collected herself

“Now you’ll redo your assignment only this time it will be more specific since you can’t handle the freedom of your mind. Hmm? 14 line prose that tells about your life so far.”

“What?! That-”

“That’s all Frank,” she said firmly but ever polite as she sifted through some papers in front of her, “Have it on my desk tomorrow please.”

Frank stalked from his teacher’s desk and out the classroom door just in time for the class rooms to fill and the hallways empty, if he didn’t run he’d be late for Math and Mr. Steinsen was always a bitch about it. Mr. Steinsen was a bitch to him no matter what though, ‘he must have a whole bag of gay slurs behind his desk there huh? Thinks they’re all so funny too’

Frank was fuming to himself at the injustice of it all when he ran headlong into someone. His jaw jarred by a shoulder and his corners of his books hit angrily into his thigh through his bag as his back hit a locker.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he heard as he was hauled up straight and his hair and shirt was smoothed by a kid in all black. As Frank got his bearings he realized he could be called a guy rather then a kid, maybe a even senior. Whoever he was paused and pushed his own dark hair from his face, smiling a little as he saw Frank for the first time.

“You okay? I was in a hurry and-“

“Yeah,” Frank just stared; this guy had 100% written on him….literally, on the right side of his neck marked in black.

“Good, okay,” He seemed torn between introducing himself, the polite thing to do, and making his appointment on time, the other polite thing to do.

“I’m Gerard,” the guy held out his hand for a shake, obviously at the awkward age of adult but not too adult, therefore awkward about things like shaking hands.

Instead of shaking back, his composure regained, Frank reached up to rearrange his messy skunk tail, longer in the middle then at the sides it was always in his face but now it was fairly ruined.

“Frank.” He introduced himself coolly “aren’t you too old to be running through that halls?”

Gerard laughed at this, a little embarrassed before seeming to remember his appointment …

“Yeah, well, in a hurry, hey, sorry again…”

“Not a problem, see you around.” Frank let him off the hook, and gave a wave of his hand before turning and walking purposefully the way he had been headed. It was a moment before he audibly heard Gerard turn and walk hurriedly on his own way, only then did Frank turned to watch him with more then mild interest. Till Fuck! Math class!

Frank sprinted the rest of the way there…