"Francine, wake up and get ready."
Frank groaned in confusion and rolled over to face his mom, who was peeking her head into his room.
"C'mon, get up." She demanded in a stern voice and left, keeping his door open just a crack.
"Blah blah blah get up, let's go praise Jesus." Frank mocked and stuck his tongue out at his mom, even though she wasn't there to see it and thankfully she didn't hear him mumbling, "Man, fuck Jesus."
Frank was slightly aggravated. He was every Sunday that he was forced to get out of bed at 7:30 in the morning, to go praise a God he doesn't have faith in. And those angry feelings were even more intensified due him having to bleed through a uterus that he wasn't even supposed to have. And now that he was awake, he could feel the pain in his lower region, like his bones were twisting up and rubbing against one another at the same time.
He got out of bed and adjusted his pants and then walked to the bathroom.
He got his business out of the way and then brushed his teeth, getting lost in his thoughts. After two minutes though, he was done and went back into his room to get changed.
One of the reasons why he hated going to church was because of the way he had to dress there.Frank's mother is Roman Catholic, and the church they attend is really old-fashion-Roman Catholic. Which means he is forced to wear what is believed to be 'appropriate' and 'modest' for going to church; a skirt and something to cover his head.
Every. Single. Sunday.
It's not necessarily required to wear a skirt, but his mom will get beyond pissed if he were to wear just a pair of jeans. He's never really tried to wear anything other than a skirt to mass though, he's been too scared of what his mom would do.
She wasn't abusive, but she always said an open hand slap wasn't child abuse. And she wouldn't hesitate to give him a hard slap on the cheek if he were to do that, sadly.
So he just had to tough it out until he was able to stop going to church and just wear the longest black skirt, with black leggings underneath. The things that the women usually cover their heads with were veils, but they can also wear hats if they want, which Frank was really thankful for. Instead of wearing a hideous veil, he got to wear a comfy beanie- a black one though. He hated bringing attention to himself at that place, although people would stare at him like he was Satan himself, due to all of the black clothing.
He would just wear a plain black hoodie, not even trying to look presentable, which his mom was disappointed in, but couldn't do much about otherwise she wanted to hear his bitching and moaning about wearing ugly shirts she suggested to him. But Frank just thought that she should be happy he attends church with her in the first place and wears the constricting leggings and skirt.
The church they went to was in Cedar Grove, about a 20 minute drive from their house in Belleville. No one he knew from school- or anywhere else really- went to that church, thankfully. It was too far from where he lived. Plus, the church and his school were in different directions.He finished getting dressed then went out to put his shoes on. He just wore his plain black Converse since his mom would always yell and get mad if he even thought of wearing the ones he's vandalized with Sharpie.
His mom was still putting her makeup on, so he sat on the couch and played on his phone while he waited. About five minutes later though, she was done and came out of her room with her purse around her shoulder. She slipped on her flats then they both left the house after Frank gave Sweet Pea a hug.
They both got into the car and put their seatbelts on. Frank pulled his headphones out and plugged them into his phone, turning on the playlist with the most hardcore and angry songs he knows. He loved listening to that playlist on the way to church because he loved getting lost in the harsh words they were singing and screaming out. As cliché as it sounded, he could really feel the lyrics personally, especially since he was off to a place he didn't enjoy going to, and to where lies of bullshit were preached. It made the drive to church a little better.
He had to stop his music and pocket his phone and headphones once they pulled into the church's parking lot.
"The lot is packed. We might have to find a spot downstairs." Linda said as she pulled into one of the last spots.
Frank looked away from his mom and hid his smile. He hated actually sitting in the chapel of the church, and preferred the basement for a few reasons: Frank wouldn't have to do all the kneeling and standing (he especially loved being able to skip those parts during high mass), he wouldn't get stared down by everyone for not going to communion, and he just wouldn't have to sit in the small and cramped pews.
What did still suck about being in the basement was that he still had to hear the bullshit that the priest was spewing out because of the speaker in the ceiling. And it was a little harder to get away with sleeping because of his mom right there.
At least his grandma was out of town, otherwise he would have to stay even longer after mass because his mom loved talking to her after the service. They could go home right after mass and he would be able to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
Frank was happy when the service ended. He asked his mom for the keys to the car right after she mentioned she had to use the restroom first. He did not want to stay and risk having to talk to the priest.
That guy was always on Frank's ass any time he could talk to him. He always asked Frank questions he didn't know how to answer; if he told the truth, it would probably get out to his mom and she would get angry. Sometimes he wanted to just tell him straight up that no, in fact Frank did not watch The Passion of the Christ like he had suggested. And no, Frank did not study the hymns to try and get into the choir. Plus, he had to address him as Father. And Frank cringed every time he had to call him that. Frank didn't even want to be in there in the first place.
Frank found his way to the car, managing to dodge every old lady that wanted to have a conversation with him about where his grandparents were up to. They always went to him when the older couple weren't there, as if he knew everything. He opened his door, climbed in, then let out a sigh as he was finally in with the door closed.
He took his phone out of his pocket and saw that Gerard and Jamia had messaged him. He opened the message from Jamia first because bros before hoes.
She just asked if he wanted to hangout after he was out of church, to which he replied with, 'i'll ask my mom when she gets in da car'. Then he opened Gerard's messages.
g.weezy: baby boo frnkie
g.weezy: wanna hang out at the park again?
g.weezy: fraaaaank answer ):
g.weezy: frankieromustdie please answer
g.weezy: i actually don't like your username
g.weezy: frank iero must not die
g.weezy: frankie bb don't tell me ur still sleeping
Frank giggled and blushed at the silly nickname Gerard gave him. He started typing then heard the car door open.
"Sorry it took so long, hun. There were so many people down there it was terrible getting through them. They all wanted to talk to me about your grandma and grandpa." His mom said as he looked up at him.
"It's alright." He said simply, and turned back to his phone, typing the rest of what he was going to say.
frankieromustdie: sorry lol i was in church & i can't have it in there
frankieromustdie: i can't hang out tho cuz i'm going to jamia's
frankieromustdie: but i like my username :(
"Who're you talking to?" Frank internally groaned at his mom's question.
"Just a friend." He responded.
"What's their name? And where'd you meet them? It wasn't online was it?" She asked more. His mom always wanted to know everything about who he was talking to. Not even in a genuinely curious way, she just wanted to know if it was someone she could tell him to stop talking to.
"His name's Gerard and he goes to my school, mom."
"Oh, okay." She dropped the conversation, then Frank put his headphones in and turned back to his phone.
g.weezy: aww frankie the little church boy
g.weezy: hey did u know jesus was circumcised
frankieromustdie: yeah my grandma told me when i was like 10
frankieromustdie: she was like "every good catholic must know of the circumcision of jesus christ"
frankieromustdie: it was the worst lecture she ever gave me. i'm still scarred
g.weezy: omg
g.weezy: i'm sorry but that's like the funniest thing i've ever heard
frankieromustdie: shut up. it was terrifying ):
"Can I go to Jamia's today?" Frank suddenly asked his mom before he could forget.
"How're you going to get there?" Linda responded with.
Knowing she won't drive him, he shrugged and said, "I'll just walk there."
"Yeah, I suppose you can go, then."
Frank notified Jamia, letting her know he'd be over there after he gets home and changes out of his church clothes.
g.weezy: lmao omg i can just imagine u as a kid learning about circumcisions
frankieromustdie: like i said, it was terrifying ): she got way into detail
frankieromustdie: anyway i just want 2 forget that horrid day
g.weezy: i don't blame u tbh
g.weezy: wanna see a pic of a cat i found on tumblr
frankieromustdie: u have a tumblr?
frankieromustdie: oh and yes i would love to see it
g.weezy: ik, kinda gay that i have a tumblr right
g.weezy: nah i'm just playin, even if it was considered gay to have a tumblr i wouldn't care. cuz tumblr is fun and fresh. and there's good quality pics of cats on tumblr
Frank smiled at that comment Gerard had made. He didn't know why it made his heart swell with joy. Everyone knows that Gerard's openly bisexual, and he's openly flirted with men at school. Maybe it was because he was such an open book, and he wasn't afraid of just being him. And maybe it was because Frank really admired that about Gerard. And in some way, Gerard gave Frank some hope that maybe one day he wouldn't feel so bad about who he is, and someday be able to fully embrace who he is.
Or it was the fact that Gerard likes going on Tumblr for pictures of cats.
frankieromustdie: yeah, i like the cat side of tumblr
frankieromustdie: but the lana del rey blogs... man those are just- *chef's kiss*
g.weezy: u really love lana del rey, don't u frankie
frankieromustdie: yeah lol
frankieromustdie: i love her with all of my heart. she is my mother effin queen
g.weezy: i listened to her yesterday
Frank got really excited, but saw he arrived at home, so he quickly typed before he got out of the car.
frankieromustdie: really? which songs did u listen to??
He quickly took the keys from where his mom had placed them and hopped out of the car. He walked up to the door and unlocked it, walking in and taking his shoes off. He threw the keys onto the table then went into his room, shut his door, and checked his phone once more.
g.weezy: i think it was video games and salvatore and radio
g.weezy: there were more but those were the only titles i could remember
frankieromustdie: radio is so fricken good man
g.weezy: yeah, i honestly really enjoyed the songs i heard
g.weezy: really glad u told me to listen to her frankie (;
frankieromustdie: good. now i have someone to fanboy over her with
frankieromustdie: since jamia refuses to get into her for some reason
frankieromustdie: speaking of which, i need to get ready. sooo adios gee, i'll talk to u later
g.weezy: bye bye frankie <3 have fun at jamias
It didn't take long for Frank to get changed and get to Jamia's. He decided to ride his skateboard instead of just walking since it's usually a 25 minute walk, and he was feeling lazy that day. He was just thankful that the snow had melted, there wasn't any ice on the side walks, and it was warmer than usual.
He knocked on the front door with numb fingertips, and a few moments later Jamia opened the door and Frank welcomed himself in, as he always does.
"Is your mom home?" He asked as he took his shoes off.
"Nope, we have the whole place to ourselves for the whole day. She's at my grandma's house with Evan too, so he won't be bothering us at all." She explained then asked, "How long is your mom letting you stay over?"
Frank shrugged and said, "I dunno, my mom never gave me a specific time. So I assume she'll just text me when she wants me back."
"Sweet," Jamia smiled.
The two teenagers walked into Jamia's room, and Frank went to sit on her bed while Jamia sat on the soft carpet next to her dresser.
"I heard that Insidious is on Netflix now, wanna watch it?" Jamia asked, grabbing the remote to the TV.
"Hell yeah, dude." Frank said.
Jamia climbed onto the bed next to Frank and the two got themselves situated and comfortable to watch the movie. The movie finally started after the beginning credits and they snuggled closer to their own blankets.
Throughout the movie, Frank and Jamia would try to make jokes out of their fear and laugh when the Red Demon showed up.
As the end credits started though, Frank said, "That movie fucking sucked. It wasn't even that scary."
Jamia laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "How? You about shit yourself a few times."
"Okay well- there just weren't enough scary parts. And the ending, dude. It was a terrible ending. Like what the fuck happened to Josh?"
"Frank, it's supposed to be a cliffhanger. There's like two more movies." Jamia said, trying to suppress her giggles.
"Well, it still sucks. Plus, it seemed like such a short movie." He crossed his arms and fell onto his back, his head landing on the pillow in a crooked way.
"Whatever, crybaby." Jamia got up from her bed and walked towards her door, "Do you want any pop? Or food?"
"Anything with chocolate."
Jamia rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, and went to raid her kitchen.
She came back with a box of chocolate chip cookies and Frank's face lit up. He loved cookies.
The two friends ate cookies, talked, and just hung out for a few more hours until Frank received a text from his mom, telling him that she wanted him back home. He also checked the time and was surprised to see that it was already 5:45 pm. He'd been at Jamia's for almost eight hours. He really didn't want to leave, and he knew Jamia would totally let him sleep over. But his mom wouldn't. Even though they both went to the same school, she never allowed sleepovers on school nights.
So Frank said his goodbye's to Jamia and her family, since they arrived back home not too long before his mom had messaged. He quickly slipped on his shoes, gave Jamia a hug and then walked out the door, grabbing his skateboard.
As he walked down the driveway, he noticed leaves and sticks covering the sidewalks. He groaned in frustration because he absolutely hated skating on sticks especially. Sometimes he would just get through it and risk falling and scraping his skin against the pavement, but he wasn't in the mood to risk it. He was cramping and cold, and he just wanted to get home from the moment he stepped out of Jamia's. He settled for walking though, and pulled his headphones and phone out. He plugged in his music, and made his way back to his house, clutching the pepper spray in his pocket out of habit.
Soon enough, he was back home and walked through the front door with Sweet Pea greeting him.
He went into his room and changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, then laid down in his bed and opened up his phone.
But before he could open any messages, he heard his mom yell out to him.
"Francine, dinner's ready!"
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hi guys ! i'm super sorry it took like a month to finish and publish this chapter. it was really hard writing it because i had lost motivation during it so many times. and i said i would post it like almost a week ago, but i didn't finish it till now & i ended up getting sick lmao. but it's here !! it's one of the longest i've written, it's 2985 words & i'm really surprised with how long it is. i'm sorry that not a lot happened in it lmao, it's a really big filler & i think that's why it was one of the hardest to write. but i'm just really glad i'm done with it. i hope u enjoyed it !! xøj
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Bitter and the Sweetness ☥ Frerard
FanfictionFrank Iero intrigued Gerard Way, and Gerard was going to do everything he could to get close to the sweet, little choir boy. (honestly the prologue is much better than this shitty description lmao) !TW: use of slurs, bullying, mentions of suicide, s...
