"Gerard, have any ideas for our group project?" Frank asked as he walked into the classroom the following day.

"I finished it." He mumbled, not looking up from his book.

"You what?" Frank asked with raised eyebrows.

Gerard sighed, lifting his head up to look at a smokey-eyed Frank.

"I finished it." He said again with a strong tone.

"Fucking- I didn't want to sing but this is still a group project, you dick." The Punk exclaimed, plopping down next to the tired red head.

"Y-You told me to do something, so I did! Besides, I still don't have any of the music figured out... Just the lyrics." Gerard murmured, taking his notebook out of his bag and passing it to Frank.

The boy grumbled and read over it, soon nodding. "Okay, it's good. I play guitar so I can do that, and... we can just use GarageBand or some shit for the drums."

Gerard nodded slowly, "Did you really like it? Or are you just saying that?" He asked quietly.

Frank laughed, "Yes, it's good. Give yourself some credit."

The red head blushed softly and nodded again out of habit. The other laughed quietly, turning back around in his seat.

The two were quiet until a loud voice interrupted the two.

"Hey, Geetard! I saw you run into a pole this morning- you looked like an idiot." Tim belly laughed, shoving Gerard's back.

The pale boy grunted and looked down, not responding. Frank looked at him expectantly but he said nothing.

"What? Cat's got your tongue?" The boy continued to tease, fully aware that he was probably the biggest dick in the whole tristate area.

"Fuck off, Timothy." Frank mumbled in annoyance.

Tim merely laughed, ruffling Gerard's bright hair before walking off.

"Okay, what the fuck was that?" Frank asked once the boy was out of sight.

"What?" The red murmured, rubbing a hand through his messy hair.

"'What?'- you just fucking let Tim piss all over you!" He exclaimed, staring at Gerard unwaveringly.

"What do you want from me?" The pale boy asked with a void tone.

"How do you always act like this weak little fucking- horse baby... around those shitheads? And then when you're with me you act all snappy and badass?" Frank asked in disbelief, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"It's not like that... I just talk back when I want to... and I didn't want to." The red head defended weakly, staring down at his hands.

"Bullshit," Frank groaned before laughing, "you're just a pussy."

"I'm n-not-"

"Then why are you so different around people?" The Punk prodded, leaning in.

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" The shorter boy snapped.

"J-Just fucking- mind your own business for once!" Gerard screamed, screwing his eyes shut.

The room fell silent, everyone having stopped talking when they heard the usually quiet Gerard scream.

"Calm down... Jeez." Frank mumbled, looking over Gerard's tense and angry looking form.

"I-... leave me alone, Frank." The red head whispered, his eyes watering up for practically no reason at all.

"Are you crying?" The other asked with a surprised face.

"I said fucking leave me alone." Gerard spat, shoving Frank before getting up and leaving for what seemed the hundredth time that week.

- -

Gerard didn't know what it was about Frank that got under his skin.

Gerard wasn't usually bothered by people constantly pointing out his spineless, stupid life decisions. Well, he was bothered by it but not to a point of smoking stolen weed in an abandoned school bathroom.

Which is exactly what the boy found himself doing roughly twenty minutes after he had stormed out of class.

He wasn't rebellious, nowhere near actually, but something about doing drugs that he normally wouldn't; spiked his interest. And funnily enough, decreased his interest in other people and their annoying opinions.

So what if he was a bit of a pussy? It's not like it really mattered, he could do what he wanted to.

Personally, Gerard thought being a bit of a pushover was an endearing quality. Even though Pete and Mikey had both told him on multiple occasions that it wasn't not.

He just couldn't help it, he was just wired to be this ridiculously stupid, butthurt guy, that rarely stood up for himself. And maybe if Frank wasn't okay with that, he should just fuck off.

Although, it was a bit embarrassing that this was the third time he'd stormed away from the boy. But he just couldn't help it- Frank got under his skin.

- -

"Gerard, why're you so down today? Did something happen at school?" Mikey asked as they drove home.

The red head didn't say anything, he just looked out the cool window, focusing on the road solely. He didn't really feel up to talking about how much of a pussy he was at the moment. Nor did he feel like being lectured for being one.

"Gee?" The boy tried again, his full gaze on his brother.

"It's nothing, Mikes." Gerard finally answered with a sigh, "How was your day?"

"It was cool, Pete wrote me a poem about a bunny and a pig. He said I was the bunny and he was the pig because he was so unhygienic and liked leftovers."

Gerard couldn't help but laugh at that, "Man, that boy." He shook his head with a smile.

"Tell me about it." Mikey sighed, and Gerard made note of the fact it seemed more of a lovesick sigh than anything.

The car was silent for a few minutes, the silence now becoming comfortable. It wasn't until they were a few meters from their house that Gerard piped up again.

"So, are you and Pete dating?" He blurted out.

Mikey fell into a coughing fit, aggressively spluttering and attempting to cover his mouth.

"No!" He screeched, much like a velociraptor, "What made you think that?"

"Huh, I don't know. Just the fact that you're both like in love with each other but.. Yeah I don't know where that came from." Gerard shrugged sarcastically with a confused face, he was trying his best to bite back the cocky grin threatening to show.

"N-No! We're not- you're- you're in love! Shut up." The younger boy chocked out, dashing out of the car the first chance he got.

The red head let out a little laugh once his brother was gone. He got out of the car and ended tripping over his own to feet, but recovered quickly before anyone could see him fail such a menial task.

When Gerard entered his house he grabbed a red apple before heading to his room. He took a bite out of it as he plopped on his bed, staring up at the poster-littered ceiling.

The longer his eyes bored into the black glossy paper, the sleepier he became. Gerard was about to shut his eyes when his phone started ringing.

He groaned loudly and got up, stopping in his tracks almost immediately.

Who the fuck would call him?

He has no friends, something that had been so wonderfully established. He had only five contacts, three of which are family members.

He hesitantly picked up the phone, seeing the label of 'unknown caller' across the screen.

The red head answered it and put it to his ear slowly, "Hello?"

"Hey, Gerard." A familiar voice belonging to a certain Frank Iero greeted.

"Fr-Frank? What the fuck-" Gerard gasped, feeling his heart pick up in nerves. "How did you get my number?"

"Lindsey gave it to me- or I think that's her name? I didn't check, to be honest." Frank said in a bored tone, clearly only half interested in the conversation.

"Well... okay." The boy mumbled quietly, "What did you need?"

"I'm tryna work on our project that's due in like a few days. I don't have any idea how this song goes, so... Can you come over tomorrow?" The Punk asked in a quiet voice. He didn't seem nervous, but more like he could be doing things. Way more interesting things than taking to a stupid Gerard.

"Oh- oh right!" The boy squeaked, feeling his cheeks heat up. He hadn't been to anyone's house in over four years. Well, in like a 'friend's hanging out way'. Sure he'd went over to his mother's friend's houses to clean up or babysit, but that was about it.

"Yeah..." Frank mumbled with a confused tone. "Is that a problem?"

"Um no- no not at all. Are we going to yours straight after school.. or?" Gerard was trying his hardest to form coherent sentences, but it was proving to be a challenge.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Well, I'll see you tomorrow in English, Gerard." The shorter boy practically whispered, and the red head could practically feel the boy's smirk through the phone.

"Wait, we have English tog-" Gerard didn't have time to finish his question because Frank had already hung up.

That little shit.