Frank and Gerard had just moved into their senior year at a high school in California together and they planned to end it that way, too. Gerard was excited and nervous about the new school and new people, but Frank was dreading the first day. He didn't mind being tortured by upperclassmen all through high school and he certainly wouldn't care now, as long as he was with Gerard. They had been best friends since Gerard took Frank under his wing in their second-to-last year of middle school. Frank, at that time, was deeply enveloped in his chronic depression and the constant isolation from all the other students only contributed to his pain. Gerard, who was slightly older then Frank, had just moved there from New Jersey and ended up a year behind his old school with Frank. The first thing they had in common was that they were both from New Jersey.
Frank spent most of his time in school crying or running from bullies, but when he wasn't doing that he was thinking about Gerard. At first, he only thought of him as a brother and guardian, but as they got closer he felt differently. He looked forward to every class because he sat next to him and he couldn't wait until the end so that they could walk home together. Once they reached Frank's house, Gerard would come inside and corral Frank up to his room as quickly as he could, knowing his parent's habits of abuse. Once Frank was safely inside his house and away from his parents, Gerard would leave for the day. As he walked down the driveway and across the street, Frank would watch from his window, discretely making sure that his angel flew home safely. Gerard would turn the corner to his street and turn towards Frank's house, pull out his phone, and wave the light back and forth in the dark sky letting Frank know he was home. Frank would watch as he walked off, straining his eyes to see his tall figure in the dark. Shutting his curtains, he'd flop onto his bed, turn on the radio and the lights above his bed and then flip out the overhead light. He wrote in his journal everything that Gerard had done for him that day and how he would one day thank him.
Two years later they were in college and Gerard was, of course, still Frank's best friend. He'd had lots of opportunities to get rid of Frank, but he had somehow shown up to save Frank from himself each and every time despite the consequences. No matter what the situation or consequences were, Frank always knew that Gerard would be there; maybe not right away, but he'd be there. The last time, when Frank's parents had broken a kitchen chair over his head, he had run out of the house and down the street to Gerard's. Gerard opened the door and saw Frank's bloody lip and black eye, pulled him in the house and into his room where he took care of him for two weeks, until his parents had gotten drunk enough to forget what had happened. All Frank had done was spill a can of soda. He returned home to find both his parents gone and all their stuff gone with them, only Frank's clothes and furniture remained in the house. Gerard walked into the house, seeing that they had left, and lifted Frank up off the floor where he had collapsed in tears and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Just breathe," he whispered.
"Everything's gonna be okay as long as I'm here."