I am sorry guys, I didn't mean to make you wait so long for an update!

I got really distracted writing TMIAA, and I have been neglecting this story, but anyway - here is the next chapter!

Even after I had parted ways with Mikey and Frank, I still maintained my joyful mood. With the addition of Frank into my life, even something as routine as the walk to school had become exhilarating.

Unfortunately I didn't share any classes with them since I was three - well four in Frank's case - years older than them.

I knew for a fact that school wouldn't be so hellish if I could spend all day with Frank's infectious smile. Speaking of smiles, I couldn't seem to hide the grin that was plastered across my face. For the first time in years, I felt truly happy.

"Hey Way!"

Wouldn't you know it, my day was going to go to shit before I even reached my first class.

I turned around slowly, and came eye to eye with Thomas...also known as the quarterback of the football team, and my own personal bully. I had run into him in the hallway by accident last year, causing him to spill his Gatorade all over himself, and ever since then, he had decided to make my life a living hell as often as he could.

I tried to turn around and continue walking to my class, but Thomas had other ideas. He grabbed the strap of my backpack, keeping me trapped unless I wanted to leave my bag behind for him to rummage through, and I would never abandon my precious sketchbook in his hands.

"What are you grinning about fag boy? Did you finally get laid last night?" I kept my eyes peeled to the floor and clenched my fists in anger.

"Let me go..." I snarled softly.

Usually I tried not to antagonize them, but the gay jabs really got me riled up. I could sit through emo boy, cutter, loser...all the usual ones, but for some reason, being called gay as if it was this horrendous dirty thing drove me insane.

Just because I had never had a girlfriend, this asshole thought it was okay to make assumptions about me and hurl them back in my face. I wasn't even sure if I was gay or not, but it shouldn't matter, and I couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Have you finally grown a spine Way? Well let me knock you down a few pegs before you go getting a big head."

Before I could react, his fist collided with my face, and I fell to the floor like a sack of flour. Just then - I was saved by the ringing of the bell signaling class had started. With one finally kick to my ribs, Thomas left, taking his little entourage with him.

With a muffled groan of pain, I dragged myself to my feet and headed toward the closest bathroom...once again - I was going to be skipping my first class of the day to clean myself up.

I examined myself in the mirror and winced when I caught sight of my face. My eye was puffy, and already a dark bruise was forming around it. As if I wasn't ugly enough to begin with, now I had to walk around with a shiner for the next few days...I probably was going to have a bruise on my side too, but at least I could hide that.

I sank down dejectedly on the floor and tried my best to hold back my tears. I despised myself...I hated being so weak and pathetic. I basically carried a neon sign around with me that said "PICK ON ME I'M AN EASY TARGET", and if I attempted to stand up for myself, I just get a worse beating than I usually would.

Mikey had tried to convince me to tell someone when he had caught sight of my bruises a few weeks ago, but I had refused. Unless the school actually expelled Thomas, telling someone would just make him even angrier, and I couldn't risk that, so I suffered in silence because I didn't know what else to do.

Once I had regained control of myself, I made my way to my second class which was art - the one subject I truly loved. As usual, I took a seat as far in the back as I could, trying my best to hide my black eye with my shaggy hair.

Today our assignment was to work on our sketching skills, which just happened to be my specialty. I pulled out my worn sketchbook and flipped to a blank page. As my pencil moved over the paper, I began to daydream about Frank - what a surprise.

Almost unintentionally, I began to draw Frank the best I could. I tried to capture the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed, and the exact shape of his lips.

Before I knew it, an hour had flown by, and the lunch bell was shattering my concentration. Hastily shoving my half-finished drawing of Frank into my bag, I rushed off to meet Mikey, and hopefully Frank as well.

"Hey bro - over here!"

Mikey was waving me down excitedly from a table on the other side of the cafeteria. Luckily all grades had the same lunch because the school wasn't that large, so I didn't have to make it through the whole day completely alone. I gratefully slid into the empty seat beside him, making sure to sit so that my black eye was facing away from his gaze.

"Is Frank going to sit with us today or did he make some new friends?" I tried to feign nonchalance, but I heard the nervous tremor in my voice.

"He will be here soon, he is just trying to decide what to eat. He was being all picky because he is a vegetarian, so I snagged this empty table for us."

"Speak of the devil." I smiled as Frank came walking up with a bowl of salad that looked like it had sat out for far too long.

"I can't believe they actually consider this edible, at my old school - we had a whole salad bar!" Frank whined.

"Here at Belleville High - we eat real food, not that rabbit shit," Mikey joked.

"I have been meaning to ask you Frank, why did you move here anyway?" I leaned in closer to hear his answer over the chatter of the other students.

"Oh um...well - my mom get remarried, and she wanted to move closer to my stepdad's work, so I got yanked down here." He tried to grin, but it fell flat, I knew something else was bugging him, but I didn't want to pry.

"Oh my god - Gerard, what happened to your face?" Before I could yank away, Frank reached out and brushed my hair away from my wounded eye.

"Oh um - that...it was nothing." I looked away, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes.

"That isn't nothing! You need to put some ice on that."

I tried to protest, but Frank wouldn't take no for an answer. In record time, he dragged me to my feet, and after retrieving some ice wrapped in paper towels from the drink dispenser, he had me sitting on the bathroom sink while he pressed the cold compress against my bruised face.

"Can you tell me what happened Gee?" The way he said my nickname caused butterflies to erupt in my stomach. There was no teasing lilt to it this time; instead it was laced with worry, as if he actually cared.

"I got hit..." I mumbled unintelligibly, but of course Frank still understood me.

"No shit Sherlock. Tell me who did it."

When I met Frank eyes, I didn't see the pity or loathing that I was expecting. Instead - his features were filled with anger, and I was astounded that he felt this way all because someone hit me.

"Just some asshole I pissed off. It really isn't a big deal."

"It is to me! I don't want to see you hurt Gerard. No one deserves that, but especially not you."

"Why do you even care?" It came out harsher than I intended, but I needed to know why the fact that someone had hit me had Frank so riled up. He had barely even known me for two days, so it shouldn't bother him this much.

"Because you are my friend Gerard. I know I haven't known you for very long, but meeting you was the best thing to happen to me since I moved here."

"Really?" I gasped in surprise.

"You don't understand what it's like having to leave the only home you have ever known and all of your friends for a new place - well I assume you don't. I was terrified, and scared, and alone, but then you came over and cheered me up, and I began to think that living here might not be so bad after all. So it pisses me off when someone does this to someone I care about, and what really makes me mad is that you seem like you are used to it."

I didn't have a verbal response to that, so I did the only thing I could think of and pulled Frank into a hug. With me sitting on the counter and him being so short, it should have been awkward, but it wasn't. Frank relaxed into my arms, and I could feel his breath tickling my neck.

The fact that he allowed me to embrace him shocked me, and I was forced to admit that I was crushing on Frank. He felt like he was made to be held by me, and I never wanted to let him go.

Just for a second, all my doubts about myself and our age gap flew out the window, and I allowed myself to just enjoy the sensation of being content for once in my life.

Aww Frankie and Gee hugged!

So this was kind of just a filler chapter since I am still setting up the story, but it should start getting exciting in the next few chapters.

Thanks for reading my lovely killjoys.

<3 star