The Infamy of Frank Iero (frerard)

Chapter 7

I snuck out of the school, walking over to sit on a bench in a nearby field. I pulled out my packet of cigarettes, which someone else buys for me. I'm only fifteen so I wasn't actually able to get them yet and I can't really pass as being older.

I skipped class a lot, it's pointless anyways. Why waste my time sitting behind a desk when I can be doing real stuff out in the real world?

I noticed some other teenagers were skipping class, getting high in the field. They were older than me, probably seniors. I walked over to them.

"Can I have some?" I asked.

They looked up at me and laughed.

"Go back to class, kid," one of the guys said, who I recognized was on the football team.

"Give it to me," I ordered.

They laughed at me again. The three boys and one girl I all recognized. They were more popular than me, they basically ran half the school.

"Beat it, kid, go back to your mommy," another boy said.

I scowled at them, pressing my cigarette bud against the forehead of the girl. She screamed in pain from the burn as I reached down, taking their weed and walking away.

-+-

I walked into the kitchen bright and early the next morning. The sun was shining bright through the curtains as I walked into the kitchen.

"Daddy!" Gee called. "Daddy!"

Whenever Gee hears my footsteps in the mornings, he always calls for me to let me know he's awake. I grabbed a sippy cup and filled it with water before going downstairs. The gloomy lights flickered on as I reached him. Gee smiled up at me, taking the cup from my hand. I unlocked his chain and sat in the chair beside him, taking a picture while he drank.

"Why do you only use Polaroids?" Gee asked. "There's newer cameras with better quality."

"I don't want to go to the stores to get them developed," I stated. "And I don't want to do it myself, that takes too much work when I'm only photographing you. You've already asked me this before."

Gee shrugged while I unlocked the chain around his ankle.

"Are we going out today, daddy?" Gee asked. "Pretty please?"

"If you be good then we can later," I said.

Gee pouted while I just smirked.

"C'mon, you want fruity pebbles?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded happily. I took his hand and led him out of the basement. I poured him a bowl of cereal and one for me too as we sat together.

"While we're out can I please get a new stuffie?" Gee asked. "Puppy is getting so lonely I think he needs a friend."

I looked at him in confusion. "Who is...who is Puppy?"

"My stuffie," Gee said.

"Your kangaroo is named Puppy?" I asked

He nodded, a smile on his face.

"But that doesn't make any sense," I stated.

"It doesn't have to make sense," he said. "I was little when I named him. I got him for my second birthday and I thought it was a puppy. It wasn't until later that I actually learned it was a kangaroo. Did you know that kangaroos have little pouches to carry their little babies in? I think that's so cute. The little Joey gets to ride around in their mommy's pouches. I like all the baby animals so much, they're so cute. Especially little kittens. Ooh, I love it when little kittens act tough! It's so cute because they aren't scary at all. I love animals so much, they're so adorable. I want a pet but I've never had one. Well, I had a goldfish that I won at the fair when I was eight but he didn't live very long. I named him Spike. I had to share him with my little brother but he was only six and didn't know any better. He fed Spike a bunch of cereal because he didn't know he was only little."