Give Me All Your Hopeless Hearts

(8) Frank Is Having His Midlife Crisis At Eighteen and Gerard Goes MIA

I feel bad that these chapters have been short and because part of this was written during the day, my word choice and grammar is more efficient. Whoops
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"Is it true?" Frank asked in a soft voice.

"Is what true, my darling?" Linda breathed, taking Frank's chin in her hand to lift his head for him to meet her eyes.

"That you were really losing it when you died." Frank replied, licking his chapped lips.

"My baby... I didn't mean any of what I did to you... they took me. They took over me and I didn't wanna hurt you. Baby, Frankie, I love you so much." Linda said, moving her hands to Frank's own clasped ones.

"Who was it? Was it the spirits who take me?" Frank asked,  feeling the fogginess of the dream beginning to lift as he woke.

"No. It was stronger... wake up baby... Frankie, it's time to wake up." Linda said, her voice becoming distorted and sounding as if it were crossed with someone else's.

Someone... different

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Frank sat up with a gasp, chest rising and falling rapidly as the feathers of his dream tickled and flew from his mind. Mikey stood next to him, a bag in hand before grimacing. The spot next to Frank was empty and the fading energy told him that Gerard his side a while ago.

"Come on, it's time for school. Mom said you can't miss anymore days unless... unless it's a fit or your sick or something happens. It's cold out so I set out your The Cure hoodie and some jeans. Be downstairs in ten, we're taking the car." Mikey said, his heart stings pulling for his best friend who's had been muttering his mother's name in his slumber. Mikey left Frank to his own devices for ten minutes as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Something felt off about the house. Frank couldn't feel or even sense Gerard's presence in the household which brought worry to him. A biting sting brought his attention though to his forearm where a centimeter deep cut was horizontally positioned on his arm only an inch from the major artery. Blood surrounded the cut, but none seemed to be found in it or crusted; only a newly pinkish red scar was left in the place where a gash was made that night because Frank knew it wasn't there when he went to bed.

"Five minutes!" Mikey yelled from downstairs which is what it took for Frank to finally move out of bed, pulling on his hoodie and a pair of grey sweatpants before lacing up his ratty red converse. He quickly swiped deodorant on his underarms and threw a pack of stick gum in his pocket before grabbing his black book bag covered in doodles in silver sharpie and going down the steps. Mikey simply handed him a coffee in a to go mug and the two boys left the house without a word.

Frank only studied the house once more as they were leaving, an unnerving feeling settling in his stomach as he continued to not feel Gerard's presence inside the house. Frank fiddled with the bottom of his hoodie before daintily picking up his coffee, taking a sip of the burning liquid that he welcomed into his body.

"I hate it there. I'm still going to be the laughingstock of everyone's demented jokes  about my mother and father. How my mother was found dead, wrists slit but organs around her and her heart gone. That "mommy and daddy purposefully died so they don't have to be around a creep, Iero,". I hate it so much..." Frank whispered, occupying himself once more by sipping the scalding hot coffee.

"I know... mom is working on seeing if she can afford a homeschool online course. She hates seeing you so broken and not going for days because of those kids. She just can't have them on her for you not going because they can put you in the system if she isn't doing her job. Unless you're sick, you can't stay anymore during school hours. You have to be there." Mikey said, index finger mindlessly picking at the worn leather of the steering wheel. It didn't seem like a long ride when they were pulling up to the school, Mikey backing into a parking space.