PETRICHOR ━ pope heyward

- TWO -

Frankie didn't sleep a wink the night of the storm.

He could hear trees being knocked down by the high winds outside, his bedroom windows rattling with each gust. Trying to fall asleep with Agatha raging outside would've been fruitless, anyway, especially since Frankie was a light sleeper to begin with. So to pass the time, he curled up on his bed under his favorite blanket and picked up Pope's book, Island. And when the electricity went out and his lights were cut off, he grabbed his camping lantern from the closet and read with that.

At what point the storm started to slow, Frankie didn't know. He woke up the next day with less sunlight than usual streaming through his bedroom window. One closer look at it told him that the tree outside of it was tilted to the side from the wind, but luckily it hadn't uprooted and the window was still intact.

Island laid next to him on the bed, facedown and opened on the first page of a chapter halfway through the book. Frankie decided to dog-ear the page, saving it to finish later. It wasn't like he would have anything better to do, anyway. The electricity was still off and neither of his parents were home, so he needed to call them to let them know about the storm first.

It took roughly ten minutes for Frankie to realize cell phone towers were down, so it would be impossible for him to call his parents. Fortunately for him, he knew exactly where the backup generator was located in the storage building in his backyard and how to get it hooked up to his house. He left his pajamas on, a pair of basketball shorts and an old t-shirt on, when he went outside as he knew he'd be taking a shower once everything was running.

Getting the generator hooked up was a fairly easy process, albeit sweaty. The rainwater pooled all over the ground was evaporating back into the air, making the island even more humid than usual. The moisture clung to Frankie's skin as he worked, plugging the wires in and yanking on the cord to get the generator actually running.

Once the house had power, Frankie immediately showered and changed into a Patagonia t-shirt and pair of navy shorts. Before heading out of the house, he grabbed two bags from one of the many, many boxes of Pop-Tart Bites in his pantry. He was alone with limited electricity, but he still had a stocked fridge and pantry, all thanks to his crush on Pope Heyward.

He didn't allow himself to dwell on the thought of Pope, though. He wasn't going to spend the day wallowing in self-hatred, not when he would have time later as he laid in bed.

Sliding on a pair of flip flops, Frankie left his house, not bothering to lock the door behind him. He munched on the strawberry flavored Bites as he shut off the generator and began his walk toward River's house, his mind not focussing on anything at all as he ate his pathetic excuse for a lunch. Eventually he passed Margot's house as it was located halfway between his and River's, and he sent the girl a wave to where she sat on her patio.

"Hi, Francis!" Her mother called, seated next to Margot with her husband and other children. Frankie internally cringed at the use of his full name, but he'd corrected her enough times to know she wasn't going to change how she addressed him.

"Hey, Mrs. Turnbow! Everything alright from the storm?" He asked as he walked up to them. Margot's little twin brothers, Ryder and Ramsey, argued over who got to sit where at the patio table for lunch.

"Not everything but... We'll manage." She smiled in return. There was something so warm about Margot's mother, something maternal, even to those who weren't her children. "Have you heard from your parents, dear?"

"No, ma'am," He sighed. "My phone doesn't have reception, I think the cell phone towers were knocked down."

"Oh, no." Mrs. Turnbow groaned. "How will you get in touch with them?" Frankie shrugged.