The next day at school was surprisingly pleasant for Frank - well, maybe that was too strong a word, but it wasn't half bad at least. In fact, most of the time he spent here had been nowhere near as awful as it used to be.

Frank wasn't sure what had changed, but it seemed that the people who had always enjoyed cajoling him had finally given him a respite. Perhaps they simply didn't have the energy left to bully him while applying to colleges and all the other stresses that came with their senior year, but whatever the case was, he could now walk down the hallways without one rude remark being tossed his way.

The classes were still boring of course, but even those had improved slightly. Frank was making more of an effort to pay attention and finish his work as well as he could despite his doubts about ever attending college. All higher education goals aside, he did want to pass his senior year with vaguely decent grades. He had even made a few vague acquaintances lately since his teachers apparently loved group projects, and having other people to chat with made the process of school so much better.

In his English class, he had met Simon, a quiet dark-haired boy that had a random smattering of tattoos that the teachers were always telling him to keep covered. Frank had never spoken to him before this year, although he vaguely recognized him, and he had come to find out that he was oddly brilliant behind the silent shield he kept up most of the time.

Frank's grades in class skyrocketed thanks to Simon. He was a genius with words, and he analyzed books and poems in ways that Frank's mind could barely comprehend. He shared his work with him eagerly, and Frank hypothesized that he was just as thrilled as he was to finally have a friend. They rarely talked outside of English, but he was still grateful that he had started speaking with him.

His closest friend was actually the transfer student he'd been forced to work with on the first day of school in his economics class. Her name was Jamia, not Jamie like he had initially assumed, and she was lovely. Frank clicked with her in a way he rarely did with people, and they had even gone so far as to exchange phone numbers, although they only texted each other when they were stuck on their homework or they had missed a lesson.

Jamia was similar to him in some ways, she seemed to be a bit of an outcast too despite her kind nature. She had switched school during her senior year, meaning she had very few friends, and she didn't seem all that interested in making new ones.

Frank learned that she had moved here because her mother had gotten a better job opportunity, which meant that Jamia was ripped away from the town and people she had known all of her life, leaving her uninterested in making new bonds since she planned to return to her old city once she graduated.

Frank seemed to be the exception though, he assumed Jamia had pitied him at first after the embarrassing things that had been said about him during their original meeting, so she hadn't pushed him away like she did with everyone else. Their friendship had grown from there even if neither of them had intended for it to exist.

Jamia also shared Frank's lunch period, which he hadn't known until recently since he had a lot of practice in disappearing from the crowded cafeteria as soon as he got his food - if he even bought any that day - and hiding either outside or in the library if the weather was bad. That had changed when he'd run into Jamia in the lunch line one afternoon and she had asked him to sit with her, which had quickly become his new routine.

They had chosen to eat outside today since the weather was vaguely nice for once. Spring was attempting to push winter away, and although it hadn't succeeded entirely, the sun was out and the air wasn't so frigid as to drive them back inside just yet.

Frank had actually brought a lunch that had been lovingly packed by Pete's mother, and so had Jamia. Since they didn't need to purchase their food, they had mutually decided they didn't want to face the chaos of the lunchroom today, which had led them here.

They ate their meals mostly in silence, their backs pressed up against the brick wall that separated the school grounds from what lay beyond them, their hands quickly going numb as a cold breeze whisked by, but neither of them voiced a complaint.

Frank had been lost in his thoughts for most of the day, his brain swirling with thoughts of his father, and the future, and also excitement since he had Gerard's class later on and he always looked forward to seeing him even in that setting. Still - he wasn't completely oblivious to the world around him, and he noticed that Jamia seemed off as well.

She was usually quite bubbly, which Frank liked. She always initiated conversations between them after she realized that he needed that since he wasn't a big talker, especially not in school. She was almost somber today though, which meant something had to be bothering her. Her lips were pressed into a firm line and she was tearing apart her sandwich more than she was eating it.

Frank wasn't sure if he should ask her about it. They had gotten closer over the last few months, but he didn't feel that it was his place. He knew he wouldn't react kindly if Jamia had begun prying into his life out of the blue, so he kept his mouth shut as well, enjoying the quiet that he so rarely got to experience anymore and doing his best to ignore his worries about his friend.

"Hey, do you mind if I smoke?" Jamia spoke up suddenly, her voice startling Frank a bit since he hadn't been expecting it.

"Oh yeah - go for it," Frank nodded belatedly. His heart picked up speed when Jamia discarded her ruined sandwich so she could reach into her bag for a pack of cigarettes, reminding him of how long it had been since he'd had one.

Frank wasn't trying to quit or anything, and he did still smoke during his breaks at the restaurant if he had any or he could snag one from his coworkers, but he had cut down quite a bit, mostly because if he wasn't at school he was almost always with Pete or Gerard. He was also tight on funds lately, he couldn't work nearly as many hours now that the winter holidays were over, and the two shifts he was given on the weekends weren't nearly enough to afford the number of cigarettes he had been smoking in the past.

Jamia must have seen Frank's craving in his eyes, either that or she was just being polite. Once she had the pack open, she tilted it in his direction, raising her eyebrow in a questioning manner when he hesitated slightly.

"You sure?" Frank asked when he noticed she only had three left in the pack. "I don't want to bum your last few smokes."

"I have a whole new one at home, don't worry about it," Jamia waved him off. "You look like you need it as much as I do anyway."

"Yeah, thanks, it's been a hell of a week," Frank sighed as he gave in to his desire, snagging one of the orange-tipped sticks before searching in his bag for his lighter, which luckily was still there.

"Same here," Jamia replied, not pressing Frank for more information like so many people would have, which was just one of the many reasons he got along with her so well. "So - this is random, but do you have a date for prom?"

"Uh...no?" Frank answered in a confused fashion, not quite expecting the subject to shift to a dance of all things, but it was coming up soon he realized, it just hadn't been on his mind at all.

"Did you want one?"

"Jamia - I'm..." Frank paused for a moment as he decided if he wanted to share his sexuality with her, but he decided it didn't really matter since everyone already assumed he was gay anyway. "Well, you know all those rumors about me being gay, well, I am."

"Oh," Jamia exhaled slightly, blowing out a cloud of smoke in the process. She didn't look disappointed, just a bit surprised. "That's cool, well not the rumors, but you know what I mean. I can't believe people are giving you shit for who you like, it's not the nineteen-fifties anymore."

"Yeah, but this is a very catholic school, so it's not that much of a shock," Frank laughed nervously. He hadn't really ever come out to anyone before, Gerard already knew since he'd been trying to pick Mikey up at a bar, and he and Pete had discovered their sexualities together, so this was actually a first for him. "Sorry though, I didn't mean to confuse you or anything."

"No, you're fine, I promise," Jamia assured him. "I think I'm the one being confusing, but it doesn't have to be a date or anything. It would be amazing to go as just friends if you are okay with that?"

"Um..." Frank hedged, staring down at the burning end of his cigarette as he tried to decide what to say. Honestly, he hadn't had any urge to go to prom before now. He knew it was supposed to be a high school experience that no one wanted to miss, but he couldn't take his boyfriend, and he didn't particularly want to spend any more time at school then he already did, so the idea had never appealed to him. "I wouldn't be opposed to it," Frank finally finished his thought. "I guess I never thought about it before, but as long as my boyfriend is fine with it, then yeah why not?"

"Oh shit, I didn't know you weren't single," Jamia cringed. "If you were planning on going with him, please do."

"Nah, he hates dances, and he's going to be out of town then anyway," Frank lied speedily. "I've never been to something like this anyway, so I might as well before I graduate."

"Really?" Jamia smiled widely, her grin warming Frank up more than the jacket he had wrapped tightly around his body.

"Yeah, sure, it could be fun." Frank froze suddenly when he remembered that prom tickets cost money, usually quite a bit of it, which he did not have at the moment. "When do I have to buy the tickets by? I am a bit broke, but I am sure I could scrounge something up."

"You don't have to worry about that, I already have two." Frank was about to ask her why she had purchased them before she'd known if he could make it or not, but Jamia answered his question before he could voice it. "I was going to go with my boyfriend, he's from my old school. He swore he'd drive down here and take me, so I bought the tickets. Then my best friend from back home phoned me a few days ago and said she'd seen him kissing someone else. I called him on it, which turned into a huge fight that ended with us breaking up. So now I don't have anyone to go with but I already have a dress and I am going to have a good time at prom with or without him."

"What a dick," Frank scoffed, making Jamia laugh in the process even though she seemed on the verge of tears. "You don't deserve that shit."

"I mean - I should have expected it honestly. I know long distance relationships typically don't work out at this age, but I thought we could make it. He only lives two hours away, and I saw him pretty regularly, everything seemed to be going good you know? Well - maybe it wasn't, he might have been cheating on me from the moment I left, but at least I know now."

"Still, that's really awful of him, he should have just called things off before he moved on. I never get why people don't do that."

"Yeah, me either, but fuck him. I'm not going to cry over his cheating ass." Jamia actually did look like she was seconds away from breaking into tears, but Frank related to her coping methods since he used very similar ones. "You really don't have to go though, I just know it would be more fun if you were there, but I don't want to make you, especially if your boyfriend would be upset over it."

"I'm sure he won't mind, and I do want to go. Might as well try and have one good high school moment. Spike the punch and all that."

"Oh don't bother with that, the teachers guard it, but I just bring my own flask and mix it in my cup when they aren't looking," Jamia informed him casually.

"Wow, you just get more awesome by the day," he giggled, earning himself another grin from Jamia. Her eyes even seemed drier now, and Frank felt quite accomplished at managing to cheer her up even slightly.

Frank wasn't entirely sure how Gerard would react to his request to go, but he couldn't see him being opposed to it. He was just doing a favor for a friend, nothing more, and of course Gerard knew that he was gay, so there was no way anything would happen between them.

Frank made a mental note to ask Gerard after school if he got the chance, that way he could let Jamia know as soon as possible. Prom was in two weeks, or something like that, so he would have to start figuring out how to get a suit and whatever else he had to do soon if he was going to be ready in time.

The bell rang just then, interrupting their private moment. Frank was almost tempted to stay out here for the rest of the day, he really didn't want to listen to another lecture right now, but if he did that, he wouldn't get to see Gerard, so that wasn't an option.

"Ready for another exciting economics lesson?" Jamia grimaced as she got to her feet, holding out a hand for Frank which he took as soon as stubbed out the butt of his cigarette.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

~~~

Frank made it through economics without incident. He even managed to finish most of his homework in the time their teacher had given them after the lesson, which he was very satisfied with. That meant he didn't have to waste too much of his afternoon on it, and perhaps he could spend those hours at Gerard's instead.

He hadn't been to his place in two days, which wasn't long at all, but Frank already missed their private time together. He had texted him during that time of course, but since he'd been with Pete yesterday he hadn't had a chance to call him, which they usually did on the nights they spent apart.

Speaking of Gerard, Frank was currently in his classroom at his usual seat all the way in the back. He loved that he had gotten this spot, it let him observe his teacher without being caught by anyone else, and he took full advantage of that.

It might sound weird, but something about Gerard explaining music theory was sort of hot. It could also be his fitted button-up shirt and his tight pants which accentuated all of his best features, but either way, Frank was fascinated by this side of Gerard which was quite a contrast from the other parts of him that only he got to see.

Gerard seemed so confident in his position, he commanded the front of the room, using his hands and presence to keep people involved in what he was saying even when the topic was boring enough to put almost everyone to sleep. He rarely stayed still, moving from his desk, to the blackboard, to the students in the front row, keeping them alert and off their phones since Gerard had an uncanny ability of being able to call people out when they weren't paying attention.

Gerard had a real talent at this, and a part of Frank felt envious of his skill. He knew this wasn't Gerard's dream job, and that he'd been in a band before falling back on this, but still, he was amazing at what he did. He wasn't a frontman anymore, but he was still helping kids and sharing a message with them, so it was similar in certain aspects.

Frank had never considered it before, but maybe he could succeed at teaching as well. He had always held a passion for music just like Gerard, and although he doubted he'd be able to emulate his manner and persona, he thought he could learn. As far as a job went, being a teacher wouldn't be all that bad. Frank could spend the day with others who liked music, maybe he could even teach the actual band, that appealed to him more than something like music theory.

The more Frank thought about it, it seemed like a path he could definitely pursue if he wanted to. It would take schooling of course, which meant that he would have to figure out a college plan and soon if he wanted to be accepted for the upcoming semester. He was getting ahead of himself though, he had only just gotten this idea, and he might hate the thought of it in a week or two.

Somehow Frank didn't think that would happen though. He wasn't saying that he would be able to make this happen, but for once, he had found a career path that didn't sound appalling to him. It gave him another burst of hope for the future, and even if it didn't work out right away, it could be something that he kept in the back of his mind when he felt like he had no other options.

While Frank had been distracted by his newfound plans, the class had somehow drawn to a close. He had missed if they had any homework to do or not, but one perk of dating the teacher was that he could easily find out whatever information he had missed.

By the time Frank had packed away his things, most of the other students had already vacated the room in the frantic way that always seemed to ensure after the last class of the day.

Frank was in no hurry to leave though, not that he ever was. A few months into their relationship, Gerard had finally stopped panicking so much about them being seen together. They were both still very careful of course, but Gerard allowed Frank to spend more time in his classroom, especially after school was let out.

"Have I ever told you that you look hot as fuck teaching?" Frank smirked as he walked closer to the front of the room, keeping his voice down just in case anyone was outside, not that they could hear them anyway through the closed door.

"Hmm...I don't think you have," Gerard hummed. He wasn't looking in Frank's direction, he had his back turned to him as he wiped away the notes he had written in chalk earlier, but Frank could tell he was biting back a grin.

"Well, you are."

"You want me to wear this at home huh?" Gerard suggested in a tone that sounded half joking and half hopeful. "Maybe let me gag you with my tie this time instead of blindfold you?"

"Oh god - you need to shut up now before I get hard," Frank groaned.

"You started this sugar," Gerard chuckled, finally moving toward his desk, allowing Frank to catch a glimpse of his cheeky grin, "so don't be surprised if I finish it." Frank noticed that Gerard's eyes were a bit swollen and bloodshot when he got a closer look at him, but his smile was genuine, so he told himself not to get concerned over what could easily be nothing.

"Wish you would finish me right here," Frank pouted, although he knew that wasn't an option. This wasn't like the movies where a teacher could fuck their student over their desk and no one would see them, and as hot as that would be, Frank would never risk their relationship for one good orgasm.

"Well get your ass over to my place and maybe I will."

"You better not be kidding or I will be very disappointed," Frank huffed, because now he actually was very horny.

"I'm not, but I do have another parent/teacher conference scheduled for this afternoon, but I expect you on my bed when you get back," Gerard ordered softly, which didn't help Frank's goal of not getting a boner right before he had to walk to Gerard's apartment.

"See you soon then, and oh - question," Frank spoke up as Gerard began stuffing loose papers into his messenger bag. "I got asked to prom by a friend, Jamia - I know I've talked about her before. Her boyfriend just dumped her and she has an extra ticket. I said I had to talk to you first, but if you don't mind, I'd like to go."

"Wait...you told her about us?" Gerard asked, panic leeching into his voice as he stared up at Frank questioningly.

"No - god no, I would never tell anyone. I just said my boyfriend, not even a name. She has no idea about us, I swear."

"Okay, good - sorry, I just freaked out for a second there," Gerard exhaled heavily.

"I'm the one who is sorry, I should have worded that better," Frank apologized, "but you know I'd never do that. I want this secret to be kept safe just as much as you do."

"I know, I trust you," Gerard brushed his fingers over Frank's knuckles in a physical form of his sincerity. "I just get nervous. We have gotten away with this so far, and it almost seems too good to be true at times. I guess I'm just afraid it's all going to fall down on our heads when we least expect it."

"I get that you're scared, I am too when I allow myself to think about it, but we won't be caught. We never do anything on school grounds, most people don't give enough of a fuck about me to pay attention to what I do anyway, and everyone loves you so much they are too busy trying to figure out how to get with you to think you would ever be with someone else."

"Shut up, they are not," Gerard laughed weakly, the storm behind his eyes calming slightly as he listened to Frank's reasoning.

"They so are," Frank snorted, "but either way, we can do this. It's only for three more months, and then I graduate. We have made it this far, so we won't fuck up now."

"Okay - yeah, thank you. We can do this, and soon all of this hiding will be over."

"I can't wait for that day," Frank grinned, just the thought of being able to walk around in public holding Gerard's hand sending sparks of happiness fizzling through his bloodstream. "You need to get going though or you won't make it to the bank before they close," Frank reminded Gerard when he caught sight of the clock. "I'll see you when you get home."

"Ugh I do," Gerard groaned, "I shouldn't be long, but feel free to raid the house of food and whatever. I went shopping the other day, so there is actually something in the fridge besides beer this time." Gerard was halfway out the door when he stopped suddenly. "Oh, and Mikey is home, or should be...he came in this morning pretty fucked up, so if it's not too much trouble, can you check on him and see how he is doing? You don't have to of course, but I'm worried about him."

"No problem, I'll make sure he's okay, I haven't seen him much anyway so it'll be nice to catch up," Frank nodded, wondering how bad Mikey was if even Gerard was worried. Mikey had come home high, drunk, or both numerous times, and Gerard had treated it as a very normal occurrence, so this must have been worse than usual if he had asked this of Frank.

"And you can go with your friend to prom, sorry I got distracted, but that sounds like a lot of fun."

"Thank you," Frank smiled, "we can talk later though okay? You need to get going remember."

"Fuck me, I do, stupid banker's hours," Gerard cursed under his breath as he squeezed Frank's hand briefly in place of the kiss that Frank was truly craving. "Text me when you get home okay, key is in the same place as always."

"I will, see you soon," Frank waved as Gerard finally darted out of the door, his heart swelling in his chest as he watched Gerard glance back at him numerous times before he finally disappeared out of sight.

Frank took his time exiting the building, knowing that he would beat Gerard back to his apartment with time to spare no matter how long he took since the bank was usually packed at this time, which he had found out after trying to cash his paycheck when school let out. He had learned to go on Saturday mornings if he could, the lines were much shorter then.

He pulled out his phone as he walked, locating Jamia's number and sending her a quick text letting her know that his boyfriend was totally fine with him going to prom with her. He didn't receive a response right away, not that he expected to. Frank was about to put the device back in his pocket, but just then, he saw the number he had recently added to his phone, the one he had found on the letter from his father.

Frank stopped moving completely as his thumb hovered over the contact which he had saved as Frank Sr. instead of Dad since he hadn't earned that title back. Frank had no intentions of contacting him anytime soon, but for some reason, the urge to at least see if the number was in service hit him full force.

Frank didn't dare call it though, it brought back memories of the hours he'd spend with the house phone pressed against his ear as he called his father's number over and over again, begging for an answer that never came.

A text though, that he could manage, and Frank knew that the longer he put this off the harder it would be. So he followed his instincts, allowing the positive trend his life had been going in to imbue him with hope, forcing his pessimistic nature away as he shakily typed out the words that he prayed his dad would actually receive.

"Hey...it's Frank. I found your letter before Mom could hide it from me. If you're serious about wanting to be in my life again, text me back."

Frank turned off his phone the second it said the message had been sent, not willing to torture himself by waiting for an answer that might never come. He felt nervous now that it was out there, now that his father might actually reply to him for the first time in years, but he also felt relieved.

The worst that could happen would be that his father wouldn't respond, and as hurtful as that would be, it really wasn't any different than the situation that Frank was currently in, so he had nothing to lose and potentially a father to regain.

Another chapter down.

I love this story so much but I also sort of hate myself for how I planned this. I dragged it out so much and it is all necessary for the story but holy shit I have a long way to go before it is finished.

I will get there though, one step at a time, no matter how long it takes me.

Also if any of you like Gryles - which I highly doubt you do - I am just throwing it out there that I have a story up called Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know that I am insanely proud of.

Thank you so much for all of your support and patience. It means the world to me and I really appreciate the 150k reads on this story.

I'm sending you all the love xxx

Chapter dedicated to patdtopmcrfob

You're caught between a dream and a movie scene

- starr