"I'm not psycho… I just like psychotic things," Gerard justified.
"Likely story," replied Frank with an irrepressible smile, "coming from the guy who just described – in excruciating detail – a movie where someone gets their toes cut off with a wire."
"Yeah, your case isn't looking too good," Gerard's 15-year-old little brother added.
"Shut up, Mikey," giggled Gerard as he chucked a throw pillow at his sibling.
Frank was at Gerard's apartment for the first time, and he was feeling surprisingly comfortable. He got the impression that he would feel at home anywhere Gerard was. It was the end of the summer, probably the last time they would get to see each other before Frank went back to high school and Gerard, who was most definitely going to attend art school, would leave for New York with promises to visit often. The night would inevitably be a sad one, but both of the boys were willing to push those melancholy feelings aside for as long as possible.
Presently, everyone was sitting the Way's living room. Way, it turns out, was Gerard's last name, and that was only one of a profuse amount of things the boys had learned about each other over the summer. Frank, though young, was more than bright enough to keep up with Gerard as a perfect companion. Gerard felt like he had acquired a second little brother and not crap kind, the kind that was a best friend. He loved Mikey to death, and now he felt similarly about Frank.
"Alright," announced Gerard, "you don't have to complain about anything incredibly psychotic because we, very unfortunately I might add, have no Japanese slashers in the house. Instead, we shall watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
"Right, because Leather Face is just a regular Mr. Rogers," quipped Frank as Gerard set up the VCR.
Mikey sprawled out in his enormous, cushioned chair that engulfed his scrawny body. Frank had seen him at school, and though Mikey gaveFrank a few strange looks when Gerard made introductions, he thankfully made no comments about it. It was Frank's preference that Gerard didn't know his age if it wasn't necessary. People tend to back away when they find out how much younger than themselves the person they are with is, so Frank had no intentions of letting that number slip.
Meanwhile, Gerard plopped himself onto the opposite end of the couch as Frank. The gang watched in silence to appreciate creepy atmosphere and gore for all of five minutes before they began to make humorous remarks. There was too much social chemistry between the three for them not to construct the silly running commentary that they did.
"And what is the moral of this story?" added Gerard as he stretched out horizontally so that his back was against Frank.
"Middle-America is terrifying?" Frank suggested.
"No, no, no. Clearly, the lesson to be had here is that the heavier you are, the faster you will run, and if that is so, there was a time when I could have been a damn track star."
"Aw," Mikey sarcastically sympathized, "you missed your calling."
As the warm back settled onto his side, Frank became acutely aware of every flex of Gerard's muscles, every twitch of his shoulder blades. It wasn't just his age that Frank was hiding from Gerard. Moments like this had been coming up all summer, and Frank was past the point of wondering what they meant. He was without a doubt crazy about Gerard; nonetheless, he could never tell him. As if the age difference wouldn't be uncomfortable enough, the odds were slim that Gerard would want to hear about a male friend having a crush on him. It wasn't even advisable to tell your friend of the same age and opposite sex that you were into them, so letting anything be known to Gerard was out of the question.
When Gerard was close to Frank like this, though, the more-than-friendly feelings were difficult to ignore. Frank was aware that he had begun to talk less because all his concentration was going toward ensuring that he did not in any way betray his hormone-driven thoughts. He found it fairly pathetic, really. Anytime he and Gerard made extended contact, Frank would dwell on for days what it felt like to touch him, and having one of these moments now was only going to make it more difficult for Frank later when he had to reveal the even bigger information he had been sitting on all day.
"Gah! Jesus!" shouted Frank following Gerard's warm hands closing around his neck. He then burst into laughter.
"Welcome back, Frankie," joked Gerard through equal amusement.
There wasn't much left to the movie after that, and the boys kept up their antics through to the end. Frank allowed himself to get lost in the fun, but he found himself lost with a pensive expression shortly after the credits rolled. He had to crush the lighthearted atmosphere; determining the exact way in which he would do it was consuming his mental power to the point at which he barely noticed the younger Way brother leave the room.
Gerard crouched down once again to eject the tape from the VCR. Frank was thankful for this distraction because it kept Gerard from seeing him make two false starts at his first sentence, opening his mouth and slamming it shut. As if it weren't hard enough making his statement, Frank found a distraction of his own in the subtle motion of Gerard's back through his shirt.
"You know how we were going to meet up even after you went away to school?" Frank began.
"Yeah?" Gerard replied.
"I don't think it can happen."
Gerard turned around, concern plastered throughout his countenance, and sat down in the oversized chair Mikey had just vacated.
Frank continued, stumbling over his explanation, "Well, uh, my cousins and aunts and stuff have been getting out of our house since summer is ending, so my parents have been paying a little more attention. They've noticed that I'm out all the time, and they saw you dropping me off…"
"Ah, they're worried about you spending time in some unknown place with older strangers. Makes sense, I guess."
"Yeah."
"So we can't meet up…"
"They want to keep a better eye on me, and they have no intentions of letting me hang out with you, especially… God, why do they have to start caring now? They don't even know what they're worried about."
Gerard's concerned face fell into genuine sadness. He simply whispered, "Shit."
"I don't want to go back to fucking high school. Not if I can't even have you as one friend."
Gerard sighed. "Don't worry. I survived. You will too. Just… be yourself. Don't take anything from anything from anyone. And never let them take you alive."
"I like that," Frank said with half a smile flashing across his doleful face.
"Yeah, I'll have to remember it."
Frank frowned. "I should be getting home."
"Do you need a ride?"
"It's not a good idea."
Gerard pulled him into a hug and murmured, "You're going to be alright."
In the moment that the door to Gerard's home closed, obscuring his 18-year-old face for the last time, Frank wasn't entirely convinced of those last words.