Frank

"Come on Gee! How hard can it be?"

"Ok! Ok! Um…fence?" he guessed.

"Yes! Finally! We've only been stuck next to it for half a fucking hour!" I groaned, rolling my eyes. Gerard smirked.

"Yeah, you chose the worst time to get released from hospital,"

"Cheers, baby. I told you you should've taken the 42," I nagged.

"No you didn't dear, you said to take the 43, which you know fully well was blocked back up to Hicksville!" joined in Gerard, us playing the part of the holidaying couple who could barely stand the sight of each other.

"Hey, call Mikey and Ray, tell them you're alive," said Gerard, suddenly reminding both of us they were still clueless. We had decided the only way to spring it on Sapphire was to literally spring it (being me) on her. It was now quite late in the evening, we'd been stuck all fucking afternoon and thoroughly sick of it.

I dialled the numbers.

"Hello, Gee?"

"No, it's Frank,"

"Oh hey Frank…wait a minute, WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?" screamed Mikey down the phone. Even Gerard glanced at the phone then.

"Holy shit…" he muttered.

"Mikey-"

"WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO?!"

"Mikey-"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH SHIT YOU'VE PUT US THROUGH?!"

"Mikey!"

"SAPPHIRE'S BEEN GOING FUCKING INSANE! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"MIKEY!"

"Yes?"

"Shut up,"

"Whatever,"

"I got hurt, went to hospital. Gerard just picked me up. Now we've completely stuck in traffic. Please, please, please don't tell Sapphire, I wanna explain to her myself," I told him.

"Hurt how?"

"Nothing extensive…"I said casually, causing Gerard to make a noise of disbelief.

"Well Sapphire got hurt too y'know. She went skating and we all know how that ends,"

"Yeah, Gee told me. How badly?" I said guiltily.

"Enough to make Vampire boy over there go visibly paler,"

"Hey, that's an exaggeration!" interjected Gerard.

"Oh fuck,"

"Yeah, she's actually going mental,"

"Fuck. I'll see you tomorrow mate, bye,"

"Bye you fucking retard,"

"Man, your brother's nice!" I commented, hanging up the phone. Gerard smirked.

"Yeah, he's the best little brother in the world- overly protective, sarcastic as fuck and a good cook. What a catch,"

"Awww, you love him really," I teased, dialling Ray's number.

"Especially when he make doughnuts…" said Gerard quietly.

"Shut up," I said as Ray picked up.

"Frank?"

"No, Anne Rice,"

"FRANK!"

"Yes, I'm alive and I'm well enough. I was at hospital if you really need to know, because I didn't look to see what I fell asleep on. Please don't tell Blue Babe," I rushed.

"Good thing you didn't call ten minutes earlier then," said Ray, chuckling.

"Why?"

"Blue Babe just left, my dad gave her a lift home because she was so weird. Crying and calling herself a slut and basically creeping my parents out. They let her stay here most of the afternoon because she was so fucked up,"

The hard, putrid hole in the bottom of my stomach I dimly recognised as guilt, sorrow and shittiness grew heavier.

"She's that bad?"

"You haven't seen the grazes,"

"Yeah, I heard she went skating. That's just bad news,"

"So what happened to you?"

"Well, you'd really have to see it to believe it, but the important part is I won't be playing a guitar in a while…"

I hung up the phone after talking to Ray and Gee and I talked some more about Sapphire.

"So should I or shouldn't I?"

"I say do it as soon as humanly possible. You heard Ray, he said she was calling herself a slut because she saw Vince again. If you don't do something, she'll go with him,"

"Too late, I'm guessing," I said miserably.

"Fuck no!" yelled Gerard, making me jump as he whacked the steering wheel. The traffic finally started to move and we made for the home stretch. Gerard was yelling at me the entire way, telling me how much Sapphire and I were meant to be together and we just didn't know it yet and if I loved her I had to do something about it. He went all cryptic on me again and all tortured-soul but when he parked outside my house he reached over and grabbed both sides of my head.

"Go get her you pussy," he said, before kicking me out of the car. Wow. Feel the love in that car, I thought as he drove off. I wondered if Sapphire's parents were in, as I silently let myself in the kitchen door. It was empty and I couldn't hear anything. I saw a note pinned on the fridge and grinned when I saw her mom would be out for few nights. That meant Sapphire was alone tonight and tomorrow night. Instantly the word party sprang to mind.

I pulled off my shoes, leaving them hidden in the multitudes of her boots and went upstairs, listening for her. As I stood outside her door, touching the wood like it was the wood of the Cross. I listened close and heard the soft beat of Fall Out Boy playing.

What are you waiting for? Kiss her kiss her

Sapphire loved music, even when she was asleep. I quietly opened the door, my hands sore and bloody. I hoped I didn't get blood on her door. I closed it, shoving that annoying brick back. I guessed Stud was asleep in her parent's room because I didn't get bombarded with fur attached to a rough tongue. Inside, the soft melding lights coloured me purple and blue. I looked and saw her lying on her bed. She looked beautiful, like goddess you picture in your mind. She was more beautiful than I remembered her, that hair shining in the changing light. Her face was towards her, her neck turned in a gentle curve. Her face was serene but lined with tears tracks. Even in her sleep, tears fell into her pillow. She lay free of her duvet, one arm held near her face, the other across her bare stomach. She wore only a tiny top and short shorts to sleep, her long legs graceful and smooth in the darkness. As I drew closer, hardly daring to breath I saw what the guys meant. The hand by her face was so many shades darker than the skin of her face, and swollen. White plasters covered her arms and bandages on her knees and across her ribs, I could just see them under her top. Bruises looked black in the stark contrast of night and her arms, shoulders and legs were completely covered in circles of bruising. My beautiful goddess, in so much pain.

I knelt by her head, touching the graze on the side of her head, running my fingers down her soft cheek to smooth away the tear that lingered by her adorable mole. My touch made her stir, but she refused to wake up. Instead, I stood up and pulled off my hoodie. My hands seared with pain, but still I gently edged into the bed behind her, lying between her and the window. I wrapped my arm over her stomach, avoiding her bruised and cut arms and the bandages on her ribs. Her skin was warm against my cold, tender fingers and I wriggled as close to her warmth as I could.

Again, she muttered and stirred and I swear I heard her mutter my name. I leaned forward and kissed the back of her neck with my lips, rubbing the side of my face without the bandage on it against her soft hair. I breathed in slowly, savouring that smell of strawberries and Sapphire. I couldn't stop myself from gently burying my head in her hair, breathing in and out, kissing her neck again. The hairs rose on her flesh, and I pressed against her, whispering to her that I was finally with her.