There's a New Psycho on the Block

Gabby

For a while, Frank just drove around. He didn't speak at all, and when any of us talked, his knuckles burned white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. I sat up against my seat, staring down at my knees. I was way too scared to look out of the window. What if she was out there? She could have been following us that moment.

"Are you hungry, Gabby?" Gerard asked me as we passed by a small diner.

I shrugged. At that moment, my mind was way too busy to be thinking about food. Gerard told Frank to pull over, though.

"You need to eat," Gerard said. "It'll help calm you down."

Frank met me on the other side of the car and gave me the tiniest smile. With one hand, he gripped my own and with the other, he fixed his hat upon his head. We all we guided to a table by an older woman who's lips were painted burgundy. She smelled of smoke and cat food, almost to the point of making me puke. Luckily, she walked off to grab our drinks.

"What do we do if Ray, Bob, or our parents call?" Mikey asked.

"We have to lie and say we're just going on a little trip," Frank replied sullenly.

Gerard nodded. "And what if they ask where we are?"

"Just say we're on a road trip and we're not sure where," Frank answered as he gazed over his shoulder.

The old woman set a glass of water before me. I didn't even object and tell her that I had ordered a Coke. Instead, I grabbed the glass and took a small sip before resting my head against the cool condensation upon the side.

We all ate very slowly and very quietly. Around us, country music played and bikers chatted happily, clanging their glasses together. One ended up fainting right beside Mikey. At that time, we decided that it was best to hit the road once more.

For hours, we drove on the endless highways. Gerard turned on some music, but kept it down so some of us could sleep. Despite my arguing, Mikey requested that I sleep. So, I propped my head up upon his scronny shoulder and listened to the quiet music that buzzed around Frank's old car.

"Oh crap," Gerard groaned.

Mikey fidgeted beside me, but made sure he didn't move too much. "What?"

"It's Bob," Gerard said.

I listened in silence as Gerard flipped open his phone. Frank turned off the music, listening closely, I guessed, to what Bob was saying on the phone.

"We're on a road trip," Gerard said, trying to sound cheerful. "I was gonna invite you and Ray, but things got kinda busy and, BOOM, we were on the road."

"Don't tell him," Frank mumbled.

"I don't know when we'll back. Hopefully soon," Gerard explained, his voice cracking.

After Gerard said goodbye into his phone, he clicked it shut and tossed it onto the dashboard with a loud thump. He groaned and let out a large sigh.

"It's for the best, Gee," Mikey said, resting his hand on his big brother's shoulder.

I looked up at Mikey, whose face was glowing from the racing lights of cars outside. Noticing me, he gazed down at me and smiled. I sent one back, but then looked over to the front. Frank's face was emotionless. There were dark shadows under his eyes and his skin was an unhealthy shade of white. I sat up and rested my head on the shoulder of his chair.

"Maybe we should get a hotel room," I mentioned.

"No, we need to keep driving," Frank said.

"Frank, you're tired. It would be wiser to get a hotel room rather than die because of you falling asleep at the wheel," I retorted, my annoyance showing.

"Can't stop."

"Stop!" I yelled, my anger finally reaching me fully.

Frank's eyes met my own, studying my face for a second. Finally, he sighed and looked back at the front of the car.

"Fine, we'll stop," he mumbled, running a hand through his black hair.

Eventually, we found a modest looking hotel to stay at for the night. We got two rooms and quickly grabbed our keys, ready to get into a secure room. Mikey and Gerard each hugged us both before heading into their room, rubbing their eyes. I lazily set my bag upon my bed before falling down on it, shutting my eyes.

"You should probably get some sleep, Gabs," Frank suggested, sitting down on his own bed.

"You too," I replied.

I opened my eyes and looked across the room to Frank. He was sitting at the edge of his bed, staring out of the window like some sort of watch dog. I carefully sat up and moved over to him, biting my lip. Resting one hand on shoulder, I spoke quietly.

"Frankie?" I called out.

"Huh?" he answered.

"You know, you don't need to keep watching out like this. You just need to take a break. I don't like seeing you all worked up over this," I replied.

"But I have to," he said.

I shook my head.

"No, no you don't, Frank."