I awoke to my alarm clock blaring loudly, waking me up quite violently. I sit up sharply, reaching over to shut it off.

"Gerard get yer ass down here! " my dads gravelly voice shouts from what would be considered the family room. So much for the name.

I sigh and stand, running a hand through my red hair. I glance in the mirror before grabbing a black tee shirt and a dark blue pair of jeans. I pull them on, grabbing my black combat boots and lace them tightly onto my feet before going down to the family room.

My dad (as usual) is lounged out on our old brown sofa, beer in hand. As soon as he sees me, he heaves himself to his feet with a nasty scowl on his face.

"Where the hell do you think you're goin'? " he growls.

"Um...school. " I say sarcastically, grabbing my messenger bag. Big mistake.

Next thing I knew, I was on the floor, head pounding like a motherfucker while my dad glared at me.

"Don't you fucking talk to me like that! " he shouts. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mikey smirking before slipping out the door and leaving me alone with the old man in front of me.

I flinch and bring my hands up to cover my face, and my dad takes the opportunity to kick my stomach and ribs repeatedly before punching me across the face. Pain flashed across my body and I coughed.

"Get outta here, and don't bother coming back! " my dad gripped my wrist and dragged me outside, whirling and storming inside before slamming and locking the door.

"Whoa... Brutal. Are you okay, man? " a voice said from behind me.

I turn around, wincing at the pain in my head. "Y-yeah.... Thanks for asking... You are...? "

The boy blinks and shakes his head. "I'm Ray. Ray Toro. You new around here? " he tries and fails to flatten his curly and fuzzy brown hair while studying me.

"I'm Gerard, and yeah... Just moved in, but I guess I'm homeless now... " I say tiredly.

"I think I know someone who can help ya... " Ray murmurs. "C'mon I'll walk with ya to school. "

I nod and follow silently as Ray starts walking. We walked in silence for a few blocks.

"Where are you from...? " Ray asks softly, breaking the silence.

I glance over at him. He was studying me with some sort of expression: pity, sadness, or just plain worry.

I didn't need him worrying about me, and I didn't want to reply, but I found myself telling him where I was from, how my grandma had lived here, but she passed away a while ago, my mom leaving us, my dad and brother hating me. By the end, I was trembling. Not from fear or anger, but from shame.

Ray nodded. He swallowed and readjusted the guitar case strapped across his back. "Wow... I'm sorry to hear that... " he says softly.

I shrug. "I don't need to your apology. I'll probably just wind up whoring myself out and getting drunk every night. Gotta do what I can to survive, I guess. " I pull a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, removing a single cigarette and lighting it expertly.

Ray watches me. "You're not really in high school, are you?" He asks.

I sigh. "I am...i just got held back, so I'm 18 in my junior year..."

Ray nods. "Well, come watch me teach my music class. I have a friend you would love to meet, he just might be able to help you out... " his voice trails off as we approach the massive brick building in front of us.

"Wait.... How old are you? " I ask.

"I'm 22." He replies.

With a bewildered look on my face, I followed the man who I had recently just met into the large school. Right as we walked in, the bell rang and Ray dragged me into his classroom.

The one thing that stood out to me was the short male tuning a guitar in the center of the room. His black hair hung in his eyes and concentration tightened his lips into a thin line.

"Frank... Frank! "

The man -Frank- jolted upright, giving me a good look at his face. His hazel eyes looked at me before focusing on Ray. "Hey, Mr. Toro... " he says softly.

I sit down at a desk as students stream in and sigh. This was gonna be a long day.

*****
OMG I can't believe that I'm already two chapters in. I honestly don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try and see what I can figure out. Thank you to those who support me on so many things, you make my world. This is dedicated to my beautiful girlfriend, Abigail, and without her, I probably wouldn't be here today. Despite the distance between us, we have a strong relationship. I love you, baby panda, and if you're reading this, you know it's true. Thank you. ❤❤❤