throughout the whole of history, balls of paper flew at his head, whispers about him circling like voices in his head, he didn't use to mind the name calling, the fear and hatred in peoples eyes when they looked at the school's "faggot," then again, it used to be worth it, he used to drown them out to the sound of Frank's guitar. He missed Frank so much, he felt his heart physically ache, it had been six months since Frank had left, six months since the two boys said goodbye to each other for the last time, gave each other their last kiss and last tearful embrace.

He felt the leg of his chair give as one of Patrick's friends kicked it one too many times. His whole world was flipped on its side and he fell off his chair. The already sore side of his skull was bashed in again.

"BOYS, quit messing around," the teacher shouted as forty sets of eyes stared at Gerard gripping his long red hair, lying on his side.

"All of you, OUTSIDE, NOW."

Gerard slowly pushed himself to his knees and made his way with seven of Patrick's friends into the school corridors.

"Now just what do you think you're doing, interrupting my class," the teacher said, waiting for any of the cowardly boys to reply, but none did.

"Well, just what happened?" he asked again.

"see," brad, Patricks best friend said," Gerard was messing about, swinging on his chair, and it broke. we had already told him to stop, be he didn't listen, then when he fell, we found ironic and funny."

"Gerard! Is this true?" the teacher glared at Gerard as well as every other kid that was out with them, telling him if he told on them, he would beat him to a pulp.

"yes," Gerard said with his head dipped.

"Okay boys, you can go, but not you Gerard!" the boys entered the classroom and erupted into a fit of laughter that was quickly drowned out by the door.

"this is unacceptable behavior, those lovely boys tried to warn you, and you kept of swinging, you have now wasted ten minutes of my lesson, so I will waste an hour of yours, in detention."

Gerard let out a sigh, wondering how he was supposed to get through today, explain why he was late to his parents and have to listen to his goody-two-shoes brother lecture him in the importance of school in front of their parents.

"Don't you huff and puff at me, this is for your own good," Gerard found that hard to believe.

He sulked back into the classroom, every single student slowly panned to stare at Gerard, their faces turning red from holding back a laugh.

He sat hunched in his seat and bowed his head down, trying to drown out the voices, his own and those of the people around him.

"God, he should just kill himself," Gerard heard one of the girls from the other end of the classroom. He hadn't noticed it before, but he had run out of people who cared about him.

He could do it now, get it over with, just run off and do it. At least he could do it alone.

"Umm sir, can I go to the bathroom?" Gerard said with his lanky arm raised in the air.

"Uhh yes but be very, very quick."

Gerard slowly walked out of the room which quickly became a run. He headed to the locker rooms to be alone. He knew no one would be there, he could do it, get it over with, have some poor soul find him and be forgotten in a month.