If These Walls Could Talk [Frerard]

16: Anywhere But Here.

"So, where are we going to put these?" He said, gesturing to a pile of tee shirts and pants by him. I pointed to the dresser, then proceeding to grab one of the piles and place it in the top drawer neatly.

Matt came in about halfway through the process of unpacking and sorting each article of clothing or small figurine from the several bags. He handed me the picture, automatically making me smile and gasp slightly. Matt made a confused expression, but said nothing on the topic. He most likely figured I was happy, and that was more important. I pinned it to an area right above the desk, which was now filled with books and papers, my phone resting neatly on the top of it as a few of my DC character action figures lined the top.

On the other end of the room, on the dresser to be exact, all of my varieties of gloves and few scarfs were laying peacefully. Above it, another painting was placed, one that I'd done a long while before I'd even met Frank. Next to it, however, was a copy of the drawing I'd taken just after I'd finished the actual drawing of Frank, but I had my paint supplies somewhere in the unfinished bag if I needed them to paint. I knew I'd end up painting the piece at some point during my time at GateWay, but it was undetermined at the time.

Soon enough, Mikey had to leave after giving me a warming hug and wave, retreating to the elevator with Matt. Just after they did so, a man knocked on my door. I expected it to be Matt or Mikey, thinking that they forgot something in my room or whatever. Instead, it was a stranger, who waved and said in a quiet voice, "Are you the new guy?"

"Yea, who are you?"

"James Dewees. But, everyone just calls me Dewees."

"Oh, I'm Gerard. What do you want?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"I just wanted to stop by, welcome you and all of that."

"Thanks, Dewees. When is dinner served around here?" I asked, and James gestured down the hall.

"Right now, if you really want."

"Really?"

He nodded, humming a yes. We began to walk down the hall together, small and comfortable conversation budding between the two of us. The topics and questions asked ranged from family life, favorite hobbies, and how long he had been in the program. He'd been there for a few months, and hadn't seen his full family in a few weeks. His mom was usually the one to come to visit, and he told me that he was quite thankful.

By the time we'd gotten our food and settled to a table in the back, I'd already begun to tell the many stories of Frank, and how Mikey had been the person in my family I'd been the closest to for the longest time. I would tell him stories of Mikey and I when we were little, the way we would always play. On a bigger focus in the conversation, while I was talking about Mikey's talent with bass, Dewees piped up with his own musical abilities. The topic progressed from there, and we were soon talking about favorite albums, artists, or bands.

Dinner ended not long after, and my plate of curry(my favorite) was empty. I bid my goodbyes to Dewees for the night, and headed back to my room. Matt informed me beforehand that the electronic privileges would be provided after dinner and before shut off time, so I gladly took the opportunity. I called Mikey briefly to let him know that I was alright and inform him about how great of a guy Dewees was. Then, I quickly headed to Skype, my lips twisting into a grin when I saw Frank's icon held the online, green dot. I clicked the video call button, waiting patiently as it rang.

"Heyo!" Frank eventually chimed from the screen with a wave.

"Frank, finally," I said, waving back.

"How's your," he yawned, blinking a few times afterward, "first day?"

I shrugged, crossing my legs in front of me, "Okay. You seem tired."