I was about to head downstairs but I heard a faint thud against my shutters that made me freeze and frown. Two seconds later, I heard that noise again. I opened the shutters and the windows, revealing Frank looking up at me, little rocks in hand.

"Romeo, oh Romeo, could you quit throwing pebbles at my fucking window?" I said annoyedly, adding an ounce of drama in my voice.

Frank snickered, his warm breath creating a mist in the cool night air. "Doing verses now?"

"Do you want the whole neighborhood to know you're here?" I yelled as silently as I could, looking around worriedly.

"Shut up and get your ass down here, Juliet," Frank replied with his usual amused smirk.

I rolled my eyes and crawled outside by the window. I jumped from the second floor. The landing hurt a bit, but it was okay. Frank offered me his hand and hoisted me on my feet.

"You could've gone for the front door, you know?"

"Nah, not romantic enough. I'm ripping you from your cruel household." Frank wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me. "I'm, like, the fiery dragon rescuing the prince," he giggled. I arched an eyebrow at the quirky, short punk in front of me.

"What happened with your old man anyway?" Frank asked as we walked away from my house.

"My Dad. He bitch-slapped me," I chuckled contemptfully to conceal my shock. Dad has never been violent with me before, has he?

I focused on my memories and remembered that he had started getting violent last year when I met Frank. And of course, it was all repeating itself.

"You should stay away from your Dad," Frank advised. "He's a homophobic prick, I'm telling you. He used to hit you before the accident too because we were dating. Be careful Gee, I don't want you to get hurt. Actually, he's one of the reasons why we decided to leave."

"Yeah? I remember. We wanted to run away."

"Hey... Things don't seem to be changing much and now that you're back, maybe we could..." Frank pondered his words. "Maybe we could run away together. Our plans have been on hold for too long. We could finally leave."

I chewed on my lower lip as I thought. The idea was tempting but also very frightening. "I- I don't know, Frank... I need time to think about it. I'm not sure."

Frank put a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, no pressure. Take your time. I've waited for months, I can wait a few more."

I brought myself to smile. "Where are we going, by the way?" I laughed, realizing I had just been following him for a little while.

"Well, if you're okay with it, there's a friend of mine who's throwing a nice party. You've had a shitty evening so I figured that would clear your head."

"Sure, sounds great," I said softly. "Do you have a cigarette? No one smokes at my home so..."

"Sure," Frank handed me a cigarette and lit it for me. I had missed the feeling of that smoke burning my throat in such a soothing way.

"Oh, and don't call me Juliet," I mumbled at Frank, shoving my hands at the bottom of my pockets - referring to when he called me that.

"Aww," he giggled and kissed my cheek. "Alright, Juliet."

Frank led me to a house out of town, pretty isolated from the rest of the suburbs. We could hear music blasting and smell the stench from the street. Frank grabbed my hand to help me walk throughout the crowd.

He saluted a guy who I reckoned was the friend he had told me about. There were all types of people in that party, but mainly people who looked older by a few years and dressed like Frank - I mean, Frank and me.

Sometimes, I forgot how much I had changed compared to my previous self. The thought that I was once that person made me cringe.

I tossed my used cigarette aside and brought the drink Frank had given me to my lips. The atmosphere was heavy, noisy and smoky. The vibrating music and people bouncing on the ground almost seemed to be making the house tremble.

Frank dragged me in a circle. It was actually more of a vaguely circular crowd with some bottle at the center of it than a well-defined circle.

"Come here, they're playing truth or dare !" Frank said excitedly. I arched an eyebrow. "It's the adult version of it. You'll see, it's cool," he said.

"Alright, alright," some guy said, spinning an empty bottle of vodka. A girl got dared to show her breasts.

Then some guy had to confess that he had kissed another girl when he was drunk, and we witnessed his girlfriend yell at him and break up with him. She got kicked out of the game. It was entertaining, although I wasn't participating at all.

Someone poked my side and I looked on my left at a pretty short, tanned guy handing me a joint. He was a... smiley emo. "You look like you're dying inside. I'll help you relax," he said while the game was still going. "First time here?"

"Yeah," I said softly and hoped he had heard me over the blasting music. I found myself with a cup of some doubtful beverage in one hand, and a joint in the other. I brought it to my lips and took a long drag.

"Huh? You'll see, people are a bit crazy here but they're rad. Frank's a regular. You came with him, didn't you? He's a cool guy."

I smiled to myself cheesily. "I know," I said softly." I handed him back his joint.

Eventually, the spinning bottle landed on Frank. "Hey, Frankie, give Ryan a lap dance !" a girl said. My smile dropped a little. I wasn't a possessive, or even jealous person. The thought of Frank giving someone a lap dance simply made me a little sad.

"Nah, sorry guys but I'm gonna bail. I'm with my boyfriend here." Frank shrugged, wrapping an arm around me. "Sorry Ryan, you know I still love you, my guy," he joked, putting a hand on his heart. The man named Ryan gave him a thumbs up.

"Give him a lap dance then," a guy said, pointing at me. I paled under my makeup and widened my eyes a little. The alcohol and other toxins hadn't fully disinhibited me yet and I didn't know how to feel about it.

"Aw, he looks so scared," a girl awed, poking at my cheek gently. I looked at Frank, squeezing my legs together. I wasn't sure of what I should be begging for.

Frank took his hoodie off, leaving him in a t-shirt. "Bailing," he said and kissed my cheek, provoking a few boo's and aww's around us. I blushed and smiled at him. I took his hand and squeezed gently.

"I gotta go to the bathroom," Frank confided after a while. "I'll be back soon, stay here. If they give you a dare you're not comfortable with, just take your clothes off one by one to bail."

I nodded and Frank left. I followed him with my gaze. I saw him talk with a girl, look around, and enter another room that didn't seem to be the bathroom. I frowned but decided to trust him and dismiss what I had seen.

I swear that the people in this circle wanted me naked because they gave me impossible dares or overly embarrassing truths. I found myself stripping until all I had left on were my jeans and my underwear.

Luckily, it was warm inside compared to outside, and I wasn't the only one half naked in this house. I didn't doubt that there must have been fully naked people in some places here - in bedrooms, for example.

After a couple of minutes, I decided to go look for Frank, firstly because things weren't as funny without him despite all the substances getting up to my head, and secondly because I couldn't get what I'd seen out of my head. I headed where Frank had gone.

Right before I had the chance to grab the doorknob, the door opened, and a girl exited what seemed to be a bedroom.

My heart leaped in my chest, and I looked inside silently, expecting the worst - which for me would be finding Frank either badly hurt or putting his boxers back on. In both cases, I would lose him.

However, what I saw as I glanced inside was Frank putting something in his mouth and drinking a glass of water.

"What was that?" I asked, stepping in the bedroom. Frank jumped, gasping softly. He let out an awkward laugh and slid something inside his pocket.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. They really stripped you the most they could, huh?" he said with a smile, referring to my lack of clothing. "Sorry I kept you waiting, buttercup. Let's go back to the party."

I closed the door behind me and stood in his way. "You didn't answer my question."

I wasn't suspicious or angry at him, not even vexed, just a bit sad that he had dodged my question. That confirmed my hypothesis that it was worth asking it.

"I... Gerard, are you having fun here?" he asked.

I pouted a little as I thought. "Yeah, it's nice."

"But 'nice' is not enough, is it? Pot and booze are cool, but we want more, don't we? We always want more. We want to forget; we want to be happy. We want everything." he said eloquently, with a certain passion. I wondered about the meaning of his little speech and where he was going with that.

Frank stared at me intensely. "I didn't just come for these games of truth or dare," he stated, a little smirk played on his lips, and he took a small plastic back full of pills out of his pocket.

My eyebrows rose in surprise. I wasn't expecting that. Then, I remembered that one time at Lindsey's place when my ex-girlfriend told me about the rumors that Frank was doing drugs. 'Heavy stuff, as she said. Looks like it wasn't just a rumor.

Frank sighed, running a hand in his hair. "I know, I know. You must be disappointed in me right now. You're probably thinking-"

"-I want the same," I interrupted, not completely sure of the words my mouth was uttering.

"I... I beg your pardon?" Frank blinked confusedly.

"You heard me," I said boldly, stepping toward Frank. "I want the same thing you just took."

I grew more confident about my choice in a matter of seconds. I wanted to show Frank that I was a part of his world. I wanted to have fun like he did. Be happy like he was. Frank was right ; we wanted everything.

Frank bit his lower lip thoughtfully and looked away. "I don't know, Gee. I don't know if that's good for you," he said. I saw red at his words.

"Damn it, I'm tired of people telling me what's good for me !" I snapped. "Now, the choice is yours, Frank." I poked his chest angrily. "Do you want to be one of them? Do you really wanna lose me like they lost me?"

I could take care of my goddamn self and didn't need all these people in my life to belittle me. Frank hesitated, rubbing his lower face as he was pondering things. I waited, but no answer came quick enough so I scoffed at him and turned away. He didn't trust me.

"Wait," Frank spoke up.

I stopped and span on my heels to face him again. "Yes?"

Frank let out a little sigh in defeat. He approached me and, wrapping his arms around my waist, he kissed me gently.

"You know I love you, right?" he said, not much louder than a whisper. Fortunately, this bedroom happened to be quite soundproof, so we didn't need to speak loudly.

"I know, and I love you too. That's why we gotta trust each other..." I gingerly grabbed Frank's angel wings necklace and rubbed the pad of my thumb on the silvery item, giving him doe eyes. "...Blindly."

With that, I knew that I had convinced him. He smiled at me tenderly and took a pill out of the bag.

Frank showed me a small, pink, round pill with a smiley face carved on it. He hooked his gaze on mine, giving me an adoring gaze. He stuck out his tongue and put the pill on it. I bit my lower lip sensually. He placed his hands behind my neck and began kissing me deeply, passionately.

I receded until Frank had me pressed against a wall. I loved the feeling of his lip ring pressing against my own lower lip. I granted access to his tongue and, as it danced with mine, I felt it push the pill inside my mouth. I welcomed the pill gladly and let out a muffled moan against Frank's lips.

Frank pulled back. "Swallow it, baby," he purred, tracing my wet lower lip with his thumb. I complied and kissed Frank again, passionately.

"What is it?" I asked softly.

"This... This is pure happiness, my love," he said - slightly theatrically - before he began kissing down my neck. I let out a soft noise as he sucked on my skin gently.

"Happiness?" I smiled confusedly.

"Ecstasy. You're gonna love it," Frank purred against my skin. "Don't worry, It's not the strongest thing you can take. I tested it a little while ago."

"How much did all that cost?" I asked and Frank laughed against my neck, his hands roaming on my naked torso.

"Why so many questions? You're overthinking again. Take my advice ; just relax and enjoy the moment. Wait for it to kick in and you'll see."

Frank tried to kiss my lips, but I put my hand on his mouth teasingly. He pulled back and sighed. "Sorry. I know all the shit I've taken is no excuse for being all gropey but I'm kinda out of it."

"It's okay." I smiled. We both decided that we'd stay in the bedroom, at least for now. After roughly twenty minutes, I started feeling the effects of the pill I had ingested. Frank began behaving differently and I soon followed.

I felt an infinite joy invest my heart and I didn't doubt that Frank was feeling the same. We fell into each other's arms, giggling like kids. Frank receded; his arms wrapped around my neck tightly. We collapsed on the bed with me on top of him and we rolled on the mattress until we fell off it, provoking a fit of laughter.

"I love you," Frank said once he had caught his breath, looking down at me in the eye.

"I love you too," I replied, and our lips collided. Frank stood up and picked me up from the floor, making me yelp and giggle. He set me on the bed, and we cuddled overly tightly.

"This pill is amazing !" I gloated. "I feel like I could run a marathon and eat the whole wide world."

"Same ! Let's go back over there, I wanna dance. We could dance together." Frank hopped off the bed and we went back into the main room.

The lights and music attacked me. I was feeling things much more intensely, but these sensations only provoked more elation in me.

Frank and I started bouncing around and 'dancing' - if you could call it that. After half an hour though, Frank patted my shoulder to tell me something.

"I got a text from my uncle," he yelled over the noise. "My aunt is at the hospital. Nothing too serious but I gotta go see her."

"Sure !" I giggled. My head was completely clouded by all the substances I had been absorbing since we stepped inside the house. Frank left.

I started dancing, alone, but I couldn't care less. I was having the time of my life. I jumped around and bounced energetically. I had never felt so well and in such good shape. I was feeling a bit thirsty and warm, so I snatched some random bottle from the bar.

Bottle of Jack' in hand, I was wandering like a zombie between sweaty and high people, drowning in euphoria. I started spinning around, feeling as though the sky was opening to me and pouring its bless on me.

Someone grabbed my shoulder, ripping me out of my ecstatic trance. "Gerard? What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd ever see you in a place like that."

"Bert?! What are the odds !" I exclaimed happily, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure it was you since you changed so much, but I gave it a shot." Bert smiled.

"Yeah? It's so great seeing you here ! You're such a rad guy !!" I gloated, hugging him again. Bert pulled back at me, frowning a little. He put his hand in my forehead, making me giggle softly. What an affectionate dude !

"Gerard, you're burning. You're literally as hot as a fucking heater." He looked at me carefully. "I know these kinds of parties. What the heck did you take ?"

Out of nowhere, I placed my hands on each side of Bert's head and kissed his lips, the kind of overjoyed, spontaneous kiss that uttered an audible 'muah'.

Bert took a step back and looked at me with wide eyes. "I think that answers my question. Gerard, are you actually gay or are you just completely stoned?" he asked.

"Both, Sir !" I laughed doing a military salute and bounced on the spot excitedly. "I've never felt so fucking good !" I pulled Bert in yet another hug.

I pouted amusingly at him. "C'mon Bert, I wanna dance !" I tugged on his arm, trying to get him to move in rhythm like I was doing. I felt my heart beating faster and things started spinning a little.

"Okay, I think you should take it easy. Your face is fucking red. Sit down, get some rest. Even better : go home."

I frowned. "You're not funny," I stated, hitting lightly his chest. I escaped Boring Bert by losing him in the crowd.

Somebody bumped into my shoulder, and I lost balance. I caught myself just in time. I started dancing messily, jumping around frantically. I could keep going for hours, all night long if I wanted !

I could feel the blood pumping in my temples and my blood felt as though it was boiling inside my veins. Even though I wasn't out of breath or tired at all, the heat forced me to stop moving around. I felt as dry as a desert.

I had to admit that it wasn't just due to the overly crowded room. It came from me. My throat was completely, painfully dry and my heartbeats seemed to be hammering in my head rather than my chest.

Somebody else lightly bumped into me - it was a crowded party after all. Although that didn't make me fall, it somehow increased my headache. I felt even less in control of what was happening around and within me.

Then I completely lost balance out of the blue and helplessly collapsed on the floor. I was so happy and full of energy, yet my body shut down.

So lonely in this crowded room, I passed out in the middle of the dancefloor.

______