I haven't talked to Ray since I kissed him and punched him, that was over a week ago now.

"A-and you're sure he's not hurt?" I asked.

"Gee, I saw him yesterday, he had a bit of a bruise but it's fading now, he's fine," Pete said.

I bit my lip nervously, hugging my blankie to my chest.

"Why'd you even punch him in the first place?" Mikey asked.

"He said Frankie wasn't real," I said.

Mikey furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know what that sentence means, he was real."

"Is," I corrected.

He sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Gee, you're gonna be late," Mikey said.

I grabbed my backpack and got out of the car, heading into the school. I went to my cubby before sitting down at my desk.

"You get an invitation to my birthday party," a kid said. "And you do, and you do too."

I looked over as the kid passed out party invitations. He got to my table and handed invitations to Suzy, Chris and Joey while I looked at him hopefully.

"My mommy says I'm not allowed to invite you," he said.

He walked off to pass out more invitations as my eyes watered.

"I think his party's gonna be stupid anyways," Suzy said.

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "Maybe I'll give him a dead rat for a present."

Miss Sarah walked into the classroom and immediately noticed me crying. She hurried over, kneeling beside me.

"What's wrong, Gee?" She asked.

"Nothing," I whimpered, wiping my eyes.

She held my arm gently and lead me out to the hallway.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Tommy invited everyone to his party except me," I mumbled.

She called Tommy out into the hallway.

"Tom, you know there's a rule that you have to invite the entire class," Miss Sarah said.

"I wanted to invite him, Gee is so cool," Tommy said. "But my mommy said I wasn't allowed to invite him."

And that's how soon both his mom and my dad came to the school to sort the situation out. Another teacher was filling in for Miss Sarah as we talked.

"You're not allowed to only disclude one kid from a birthday party," Miss Sarah said.

"He's not a kid," Tommy's mom said. "He's a grown man, that'd be creepy."

My dad sighed, pulling her to the side.

"He's been through a lot," my dad said quietly. "He was kidnapped when he was a baby and kept in a basement until he was found when he was seventeen. And his boyfriend that he had been dating for a while was killed in a car accident three months ago and now he's had to change schools and he isn't talking to his friends anymore. Please, let him go to this party."

The lady sighed, coming back over.

"Guess you're not having a birthday party then, Tommy," his mom said.

My lip quivered as he started crying.

"N-no, I don't have to go, you can still have your party," I whimpered.

My dad sighed as they walked away.

"I'm sorry, Gee, maybe we can do something else fun that day," my dad said. "We can go bowling or something."

I sniffled and shook my head, going back into the classroom. But soon enough it was recess and I played with some of the other kids in my class. Some of the others were meaner and I didn't like them.

After a while, I noticed someone peeking around the building. I hurried over and saw my Mama standing there. I gasped, wrapping my arms around her as she hugged me tight.

"Mama! I missed you so much!" I exclaimed.

"Come on, baby, let's go quickly, we can't miss our train," she said.

"Train?" I asked. "We get to go on a real life train?!"

She smiled and nodded, holding my hand. We got to the train station just in time as we got on.

"Mama, where are we going?" I asked.

"We're gonna go to New York," she stated. "I know someone who can give us a house."

"Oh Mama, I'm so excited," I said.

"Get off this train before it starts moving, Gerard," Frank said.

"No, I don't wanna," I denied.

"What?" My mom asked.

"Gee, please, you need to get off and run back home," Frank stated.

I hit the side of my head, trying to get him to stop talking but he wouldn't.

"Get some rest, Gee," my mom said softly.

I smiled and nodded, laying down and resting my head on her lap as I fell asleep.

-+-

We walked through the city as I kept myself pressed as close to Mama as I possibly could. I've already started crying twice already that day and it wasn't even noon yet. Everything was just so big and scary.

Frank never stepped telling me to go home either. Even when I was sleeping he told me to go home in my dream. I tried my best to ignore him, I wanted to stay with my Mama.

"Here we are," she said excitedly.

She lead me down some stairs on the sidewalk and opened the door, scooting me in. The place was tiny and dirty. There was an old rug, a dirty, ripped up couch, a tiny kitchen and a bed.

"Is this our new home?" I asked.

"It is," she said, sitting down on the couch.

I looked around nervously, hugging my blankie to my chest.

"Oh, we need to get you new clothes," she said, looking at my plain pink dress. "Come on, I have some cash."

She went to pull me outside but I shook my head.

"I'm not allowed outside when it's sunny unless I have sunscreen on," I said. "I'm so pale so I get burnt weally quickly."

"Alright, I'll go out and buy you some stuff and you make yourself at home," she said.

I nodded my head as she went out. I didn't wanna turn around, I already knew who was behind me.

"Gee, you need to go home," Frank stated.

"No I don't," I denied. "I'm here with my Mama, it's perfect. I've got both you and Mama."

"Gee, I love you, I want what's best for you," he said.

"This is best for me," I said. "It's perfect here."

"You don't like it," Frank stated. "I know you don't, Gee, I'm in your mind. It scares you here, you want to be back home with your family."

"No I don't," I denied. "I wanna be here, I like it here."

"Why don't you wanna go back home?" He asked.

"Because I ruined Tommy's birthday party and he even shared his gummy bears with me last week," I said.

"Baby, that's not that big of a deal," Frank said. "What's really the matter?"

"I kissed Ray," I said quietly. "Don't you hate me?"

"Of course I don't," Frank said. "I told you before, Ray's a nice guy and he likes you, he'll take care of you."

"But what if he hates me because I punched him?" I asked.

"He doesn't hate you," Frank reassured me. "Come on, let's go get on a train and we can head back home and you can see Ray."

I nodded softly, heading towards the door when it opened suddenly. My mom walked in and smiled at me.

"I got some clothes for you," she said. "And then maybe later I can go grab some food."

"Can we go out to eat?" I asked.

"No, you're not allowed out," she said. "It's dangerous out there. There's monsters, Gee, it's not safe, you can't go out there."

I whimpered quietly as she held me hand, sitting down next to me on the couch.

"Monsters?" I asked.

"Yes, Gee, they're everywhere, I can't let you get hurt," she said. "What if someone were to take you?"

I whimpered in fear, shaking my head.

"I don't wanna be took," I said.

"Then you need to be a good boy and stay here," she said.

I nodded my head quickly and she smiled, kissing my cheek.

"I wanna be a really good boy for you, Mama," I said.

She smiled, caressing my cheek gently.

"I missed you so much, Mama," I whispered.

"I missed you too, baby," she said.

I Wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight as I felt my eyes water.

"Mama, it was so scary when they took me," I cried. "A-and everything was so scary. I didn't know anything."

"I've got you now, baby, you don't have to worry about that stuff anymore," she said.

"Thank you, Mama," I mumbled.

I pulled away, sniffling as I wiped my eyes.

"Gee, please, you need to leave," Frank begged. "I love you, I want you safe. Just go home, you'll be fine. Ask to borrow someone's phone and call your dad. He won't be mad at you, no one will be mad at you. I promise that everything will be okay."

"Frankie doesn't want me to stay," I said. "Frankie wants me to go home."

"You aren't going to listen to him, are you?" Mama asked.

I shook my head quickly and she smiled.

"Good," she said. "I'm going to have to go get some food. Why don't you clean up a bit around here and put your clothes away?"

She kissed my forehead before walking out and I heard the door lock. I went to the closet and found some cleaning supplies. I scrubbed the dirt off the floors and threw away all the trash. I even went over and made the bed. As I was putting the clothes in the dresser, I noticed some of Mama's clothes already in there.

"Gee, you can't stay here forever," Frank said.

I turned to him and smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. I gave him a soft kiss as he held my hips.

"Frankie?" I asked quietly and he hummed, our foreheads resting against each other's. "I don't know why but I feel the same way kissing Ray as I feel kissing you. He makes me feel happy and safe and special."

"That's good, baby," Frank said. "You're moving on. Soon you won't need me anymore."

"N-no, daddy, please don't leave me," I begged. "I need you, you can't leave me."

"Don't worry, princess, I won't," Frank promised.

I giggled, hugging him tight as I never wanted to let go.