Three

One Week Later.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you want me to send over after you get there?" my mom asked me for the tenth time, her voice becoming more annoying with each word to pass through her lips. "It's no trouble-"

"I don't need your pity packages" I snapped, moving past her towards the door with my suitcase in tow "the only good thing i get out of this is not having to see you guys." Maybe i was being a little harsh, but i wanted them to feel hurt. I wanted them to know that i hated what they were doing and that consequently i hated them too.

"Frank Iero don't you dare speak to us that way" my dad growled from where he was standing in the doorway, my passport in his hand.

This was the day. The day they stuck me on a plane and got rid of me. My last week in Belleville had been filled with going through my stuff, finding what i'd need and what could stay. I'd only seen Pete twice, both times he had been apologetic about the whole thing. I managed to divert him off topic by mentioning Patrick though, that normally got him to lighten up. All the same, he was gutted to see me go, as was I.

"I'll talk to you however i please, i don't owe you anything" I ignored his outstretched hand and pulled my own suitcase down the drive, towards the car. I didn't look back at the house - instead i just shoved it in the back and climbed inside. I had about an hour left in my parents presence to annoy the hell out of them before i was gone.

"I know you're angry, but this will be good for you" my mom tried to start a conversation as we pulled out of the driveway and started along the road "Your aunt Isabel's doing us a massive favour here - she's even got you into the local sixth form college."

"Great" i muttered with sarcasm under my breath, before speaking more loudly "She hates me anyway. They all do. Even Ray."

"They don't hate you - they're taking you in for gods sakes!" I bit my tongue so i didn't tell her that they'd probably consider that cussing. They were stricter than strict, especially when it came to the church. I bet they'd be forcing me to go every sunday, so i could kiss my lie-in's goodbye.

I didn't have a problem with church. What i did have problem with is when people tried to shove their religion down your throat and then expect you to just go along with it like you've been brainwashed or something.

"Please don't leave without even speaking to me" my mom's voice pulled me out of my thoughts "i know why you're doing this but i don't want to end on bad terms. We love you, that's why we're doing this. We want you to have a fresh chance, an opportunity to start again where nobody knows you."

"Don't make me speak to you right now because if i do i'll end up speaking my mind, and trust me you won't like what i'm thinking right now" i snapped back before turning to glare outside the window. My parents exchanged a look before the car turned silent.

Both of them tried to make conversation with me at different points on the way to the airport, but i was having none of it. I just blanked them out, and in the end i shoved my headphones in just so the message was crystal clear.

Eventually they gave up, like they always did when it came to me.

That day i reached a number of conclusions:

1. Trying to get away from your parents before they can hug you is hard. In fact, getting away from your parents full stop is hard, especially when they're insistent to make doubly sure you get on your plane and don't fuck off somewhere else or try to escape back home. Not that i had anywhere to go anyway.

2. Duty free chocolate is expensive to buy and quick to consume.

3. The airport always insist on making you travel to a gate on the other side of the airport just to irritate you.

4. Take-off is fun.

5. screaming children on a plane is not.

Seriously. If you're child is young enough to throw a tantrum on a trans-atlantic flight then it shouldn't be on it in the first place. Just stay at home until the kid is old enough to travel without the tears, for everyone's sake.

And finally, i concluded that trying to sleep on an aeroplane is not graceful or comfortable. I tried nonetheless, and got a couple of hours of dozing in, but woke up with a stiff neck and heavy eyes. Luckily the people i was sitting next to weren't so bad, just a woman who was reading quietly and a guy who slept for the whole flight.

We flew in over London and landed smoothly. Take off and landing were always great for me and my love of all things that triggered adrenaline, but once that was over and i was left in an airport to collect my bag, the negativity of my situation kicked in. Especially when i saw my uncle James waiting for me by the exit.

"Frank!" he called out, taking long strides over to me. He didn't hug me, just shook my hand briefly before taking my bag out of my hands "okay flight?"

"Yeah" I nodded groggily.

"Come on, the cars this way" we walked out into the reasonably warm spring air, which was refreshing to me after being cooped up in a plane for so long. He walked ahead of me, and i followed behind on purpose, not wanting to have to converse with him any more than necessary. Of course, i knew it would be unavoidable now that i was living with him.

"Here" we stopped outside his navy blue four-by-four, and i climbed into the front seat as he shoved my bags in the boot of the car. By the time he climbed in i already had my phone out and was turning it off airplane mode. At least my mom had upgraded my contract for me out of pity so i could still text from the UK.

"So" He tapped on the steering wheel in an attempt to distract us from the awkwardness of the situation "i hear you're in need of a fresh start."

"I guess you could say that" i shrugged, not making eye contact. I didn't know why he was bothering to talk about why i was there when it was apparent to the both of us exactly what the situation was. 

"Listen Frank, i'll say this now before we get back home" It must have been important to him because he hadn't started the car yet, meaning he was giving me his full attention "i know you're trouble. I know you like to mess around and provoke people and we've agreed to take you on in order to help you change that, for your sake and your parents. But don't bring our son down with you. Stay away from Ray, understood?"

His tone was hard and powerful, it was obvious that he felt passionately about the distance being kept between me and his son. He probably shouldn't have worried seeing as i hated the little shit anyways, but that inner part of me that loved to stir up trouble couldn't help but raise it's head when he talked like that. It made me want to defy him, to taint his son and make him so angry he just kicks me back across the atlantic.

I could already see a challenge forming in my eyes as i wondered how long it would take before they got sick enough of me that they finally caved and chucked me like my parents had.

I didn't share this plan aloud though, instead i just shrugged and have a 'whatever' that had uncle James tightening his grip on the steering wheel in agitation.

"I mean it Frank. I don't want to fall out over this, especially when you just arrived. But if you interfere with him then you will face the consequences." Little did he know that the more he warned me away, the more desperately i wanted to disobey his wishes.

"Right" I allowed myself a small smirk when he wasn't looking. "So er, how long till we get there?"

"Oh not long, about twenty minutes" he seemed to perk up when i didn't argue over his rule "your aunt's cooking dinner for us. Hey - did you want the radio on?" I grimaced and shook my head in reply.

"No thanks. I don't think you'd like my music taste" i didn't add that most of it was too explicit for the radio to play on air anyway. Unless we listened to Kerrang or something, but i doubted that would go down very well.

"Oh right, no i probably wouldn't" he glanced at my Slipknot t-shirt.

"I think i'll just listen on my headphones though" i knew i was being rude by plugging in to my music right after he'd just driven to the airport to pick me up. He'd probably wanted to talk more, maybe lay down some more ground rules about living with them, but he couldn't exactly refuse me the right to listen to my music, so he just turned back to the road without another word. I shoved my headphones on before he could change his mind and set my metal playlist on shuffle.

After that i just sank back into my seat and watched the british scenery fly by, from the busy London streets and then when they started to thin out, to the towns we passed through. Eventually we turned off into what i would now have to call home.

I remembered the house from our last visit. There was a long driveway with garden on either side, and a few tall oak trees surrounding the house itself. The front that i could see when we parked outside had a large front door and bay windows either side. I didn't know which room would be mine, but i hoped it would be one near the oak trees so i could sneak out, or maybe one over the conservatory roof that jutted out from the side.

We hadn't even stepped inside and i was already planning my escape.

"Frank" My aunt smiled when i reached the door "how was your trip?"

"Okay thanks" I gave a half smile, feeling too tired to get sassy with her already. Might as well let her think she had some sort of chance with me before i crushed her hopes.

We all stepped inside, my uncle still carrying my suitcase for me. The house didn't look like it had changed, except maybe the odd repaint of some of the walls. I could easily recall the layout of the place though, and vaguely remembered where everything was.

"I expect you're tired" Aunt Isabel tried desperately to pick a conversation with me "I've made us all dinner and then you can go sleep off the jet lag if you like. You'll want to be awake for church tomorrow, after all."

"I have to go tomorrow?' That got me a warning look from my uncle, and one of disappointment from Isabel.

"Of course. It's Sunday." She replied curtly, stopping in her tracks to glance me up and down "don't you attend church back in Belleville?"

"Sometimes. I just figured since i just got here and i'm jet lagged and whatnot you wouldn't mind if i missed this one" I cocked an eyebrow ever so slightly, trying to contain my already growing irritation to the couple. They pretended too hard to be the perfect family, probably to make up for all the problems they were trying to hide. If they thought i was just going to go along with that lifestyle then they had another thing coming.

"Don't be obscured, you'll be fine" James crossed his arms in a dominant pose, as if trying to prove his alpha male status. "It's church, not the 800m race. It's this sort of attitude that got you sent here in the first place."

"Excuse me?" I stepped forward and kept his gaze, the two of us staring each other down as if the staring contest would determine who was more of a man. Isabel wiped her hands on her clothes, looking slightly nervous about where the conversation was going. It was probably a good job that Ray walked downstairs then, distracting us all. 

"Hey" He sent me a brief glance, not even bothering to look me in the eye before he turned to his mum "I didn't think they'd be back until later on." He wasn't being rude per se, but he wasn't exactly welcoming me either. He seemed the same as when i last saw him - his hair was maybe a little longer but he hadn't grown much (of course he was still taller than me though- everyone was these days). I wondered if he still played guitar so religiously. It had been one of the few things we'd had in common growing up. I was past caring by that point though - my eyelids were heavy and the thought of a bed waiting for me after dinner was enough to calm me down.

"Which ones mine?" I didn't bother replying to him, instead nodding towards the stairs. Isabel seemed glad that i'd decided to drop it, and so eagerly stepped in to show me to my room before i could change my mind.

"I'll show you, follow me" She forced a smile and headed up the stairs. I took once glance back at where James was still watching me, and then past him into the kitchen where Ray appeared to be fixing himself a sandwich. He looked up from where he was buttering the bread to give me a blank look before retuning to the mundane task, not seeming to care that his cousin had just moved in until further notice.

"You've got the room on the left" Isabel pointed to the door next to the bathroom. I noticed that it was on the opposite side of the house to Ray's room, and a considerable distance from her and my uncle's bedroom too. They'd given me the corner room, furthest away from everyone else, as if that would keep me out of their hair.

I liked it that way through. The less they interfered or tried to show control the better. 

"Ok" I walked into the room, which was a similar size to my old bedroom back in NJ, only this one had navy blue walls, as opposed to the ones i had back home which were covered in various rock band posters to the extent that you could no longer see the wall itself. There was a double bed, which beat my single one back home, and by the looks of things it was perfectly clean and tidy. There was even a matching dark oak wardrobe and chest of drawers for me to shove my clothes in. 

"I'll leave you to unpack - dinner will be about twenty minutes" she scurried away after that, leaving me to sort through all my things in relative peace. It didn't take long for me to unpack - i just threw my clothes into the wardrobe and then placed anything else in the drawers, stacking my CD's on the top. I wondered if they'd mind if i stuck up my posters, and then decided that i didn't really care either way, so grabbed the box that i had brought with me and started to tack them up. Of course, i'd only brought a few, but it was enough to cover the area above my bed and make it feel more like home to me. 

I sighed when i thought about my posters back home, and hoped that my parents wouldn't touch them whilst i was away. In fact i hoped they wouldn't go in my room in general. I wondered about Pete too, and how he was going to cope at school without me. I knew Patrick went to a different school to us, but there were a few good people in our year that he could sit with. There was with Joe Trohnman kid who was always in the music room, and his best friend Josh Franceschi who was a bit of a joker, much like Pete himself. 

I was sure he'd be fine without me, and although i felt a little guilty for thinking it, it made me kind of annoyed that he was going to be able to move on so quickly whilst i was stuck here. The only person i knew within my age group was Ray, and he'd made it clear that he didn't want to spend any time with me whatsoever. Not that i cared - i'd always hated the kid anyway. 

Hopefully i'd find people at my new school that would be able to keep me somewhat sane during my stay.  Preferably someone with decent music taste and a taste for stirring up trouble. Although someone who just wanted to talk to me in general would do just fine. Anything else would be a plus. 

Dinner that night was somewhat awkward. I said very little, no matter how much Isabel and James tried to start a conversation. Ray answered when spoken too but was mostly concentrating on his food, whilst I gave short, one word answers to each of their questions. As soon as everyone had finished i denied pudding and went straight to bed. 

They put it down to tiredness, but the truth was i simply couldn't be bothered to talk to them about such idle topics. Instead i stayed up on my phone for an hour or so before passing out, exhausted, in my new bed which smelt a little too clean and sterile for my liking. 

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Don't fear! Gerard's coming in next chapter! Woo!