Ironically, I'm actually a good student. I work pretty quickly in class so I rarely have any homework, considering I finish it all before school ends. Plus, I have study hall first so in the event I don't finish in class, I will the next morning. Typically, my Sundays involved sleeping in until 9 and then going for a walk. I try to enjoy the day before the week starts up again. However, today is untypical.

I stayed up late texting Jenna last night. It was around 3 in the morning when she told me she was heading to bed. I didn't see too much of it as a problem, figuring I could just sleep in. But I was awake at 7:30 am when my parents burst into WWIII. You know, I always thought WWIII was an everyday occurrence but today was different. It was actually hell.

In my sleepy haze, I try ignoring the yelling. I roll over, burying head under my pillow and do my best to shut out the screaming. After an agonizing amount of time, they yelling hasn't ceased, perhaps gotten louder. I throw myself out of bed and stumble to find my earbuds. Even with a closed door, it's still ridiculous. With less than three hours of sleep, I manage to find them on my desk. Hastily connecting it to my phone, I frantically turn on my music. Paradise Fears. They're soothing. I turn up the volume loud enough to drown out the sounds but low enough for me to fall back asleep. I'm so tired I don't have the strength to contemplate my family crisis. Lying back down, I try drifting off. The thing about falling asleep is you feel like you can't until you wake up. I only recall listening to three songs but before I knew it, I was halfway through listening to a different album.

My door slams open and I bolt out of bed, taking my earbuds out. "Let's go, Frank," my father growls at me.

"W-What?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"You fucking won't!" my mother screams in the hall. I hear her running up the stairs.

"We're leaving, get your shit," he says. I don't move, which makes him angry. "LET'S GO!" He grabs my arms and yanks my ass out of bed

"Alright!" I cry out, pulling away from him

My mother storms into to my room. "You're not taking him away from me!" she screams at him.

"You don't know how to be a good parent," my dad hollers back at her.

"You're not taking my baby away from me!" She looks at me. "Frank, I-"

"He's not yours anymore." My dad grabs my mothers and pulls her away from me. I stand still, biting my lip. They've gotten into brawls before. My father doesn't believe in hitting women unless they strike you first. But I know my mother has no problem in punching my dad though, meaning if she hits him, all bets are off.

"Son of a bitch, let me go."

"You're the one who dragged him into this mess. You don't love him."

"He's my child, of course, I love him!"

My dad wraps his arms around my mother's waist and pulls her away from me. "Frank," he says, looking in my direction. "Get your things, I'm taking you away."

"Where?" I ask.

"You're not taking him anywhere," my mother screams.

"Far away, you'll be better there. No more fighting. It'll be okay. You can start over again, isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yeah! But I got it already. I wanted to start over when we were in Jersey but I like it here."

"Things are changing and you've been here for less than a month. It won't be bad."

"SHUT UP! You're not taking him away!"

"Yes, I am!" he screams. "It's for his betterment."

"You guys don't care about me!" I scream, shutting them both up. I've never argued back at them before, let alone raised my own voice at them. They look at me confused. "You guys don't give a shit about me! All you do is fight and use me as leverage against each other. I'm not your son, I'm your status quo."

"Frank, sweetie, don't say that. I love you," my mother says. "You're my baby, my only child."

"You're my son," my father says but he looks back at my mom. "You make him feel unappreciated!"

"Don't put your faults on me like that!" my mother screams, clocking my dad in the head. He slaps her in return. I can't take this anymore. I don't have time to find my earbuds or even my phone, I just run. I run past them and they don't even notice me fleeing into the hall, bounding down the stairs. I hate this. I hate them. I hate everything. I grab my jacket as I storm down the hallway and throw it on, slipping on my shoes. I run out the back door and leave, barely feeling my feet touching the ground and I didn't know it was possible for me to sprint this fast.

I'm not leaving. I love it here. The only problems in my life are my parents and having to worry about my friend's health. Other than that, I'm finally happy. They can't take me away, I finally found people I love. Jenna and Cody and Gerard and everyone else. I don't want to leave them. I don't want to start over again because chances are, I won't find people half as decent anywhere other than here.

People are out mowing their lawn, elementary school kids are running around on their driveway with colored chalks and their bicycles. Dog walkers stroll by and mother's push their babies in strollers. It's a beautiful day in the suburbs and then there's me, an emotional wreck teenager on the verge of having a mental break down. I make it to the end of my street before I can't breathe anymore. I never realized how long this road is until now. Thinking about it, it takes like 4 minutes to drive all the way down to the end of my street.

I stop running but I don't stop moving. I keep going forward, walking at a quick pace, desperately catching my breath. They don't even realize I'm gone. They didn't notice me run out and they didn't say anything to me when I ran out of the room. They really don't care.

"Frankie?" I look up and see Gerard walking toward me down one of the driveways.

"What are you doing here?" I ask defensively.

A smile curls on his lips. "I live here, remember?" he says. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just going for a walk. I always do on Sundays."

"Yeah, I know, I see you pass my house but what's wrong?"

"I said nothing," I reply. Gerard's now walking with me as we pass his house. I don't stop and he doesn't leave me alone.

"I don't think it's nothing considering you were running for your life earlier and kept looking over your shoulder," he says. "Besides, you look upset. What's wrong?" he asks again.

"Why is it when I ask you what's wrong, you can ignore me but if I'm having a bad day, you won't leave me alone?" I snap at him. I'm not angry at Gerard, I'm just angry in general. He looks at me hurt and I realize he's done nothing wrong. "I'm sorry, Gee," I say with a softer voice.

"No, you have a fair point. If I can drop it, you don't have to tell me since you don't want to."

"Thank you," I whisper.

"So, where are we headed then?"

"Away."

"How away are we talking?"

"Just, anywhere but here." There's a car driving up to us. I quickly turn around but it's neither of my parents.

Gerard places a heavy hand on my shoulder and stops walking, pulling me to a halt. "Are you okay? Like, are you safe or are you running from someone?"

"I'm good," I say.

Gerard purses his lip to the side and looks at me. "Who are you hiding from?" he asks. I don't say anything but he seems to understand well enough. "Come here, Frankie," he says, taking hold of my hand. I tense up and look at out fingers as he turns me around and leads me back.

"NO! Stop!" I yank my hand away. Anticipating him to resist, I overcompensate how much force I really needed to use to break free. Considering Gerard was holding my hand gently, I yanked too harshly and stumbled backward, practically smacking my head on the sidewalk when I fell on my ass. "Don't...don't take me back home!" I whisper, getting up slowly.

Gerard stares at me in shock. "I-I...I wasn't. I was going to take you to my house."

"Oh," I sigh.

"Frank?" Gerard walks over to me slowly and kneels down in front of me. "Hey, what happened?" he asks. I shake my head, avoiding his eyes. I know if I look at him, seeing the genuine concern in his soft eyes, I'll break. "I hope you know you can talk to me, okay?"

"I hate it..." I murmur.

"Hate what?" He puts his hand on my back.

"Everything."

"You hate everything?" he asks and I nod. "So you hate me and the sky and-"

"No," I whisper.

"So what do you hate?"

I look up at him. I never realized there's a bit of green in his eyes until now. Then again, I haven't been this close to Gerard before. "The screaming. The fighting." Gerard stares at me sympathetically, willing me with his eyes to tell him. "They ignore me," I finally say. "They don't notice when I leave the house or hear me when I talk. They just fight...." Gerard pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly. That's when I can't take it anymore. I cry.

"It's okay, I've got you," he whispers. A car starts driving up to us and I pull away from Gerard looking down the road. Not them. "Come on, can I take you to my house?"

"I'd like that," I reply. Gerard looks at me, giving a soft smile. He cups my face and wipes my tears away with his thumbs. I can't help but laugh softly at his gesture. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Gerard leads me to his house and by the time we step inside, I've stopped crying for the most part. "Elena!" he calls out. "I have a friend over."

"Cody?" a woman's voice responds from a different room.

"No, Frankie."

"Ah, okay!" she responds.

"Alright, let's go," he says, kicking off his shoes and leading me upstairs.

"You call your mom by her first name?" I ask.

When we get to the top of the stairs. "No, she's my grandma. She hates being called that though, it makes her feel old." There are only five rooms upstairs, one of them being the bathroom. There is a small bedroom neatly cleaned with comic books and action figures on the shelves. The twin bed is made with a Spider-Man comforter laid over the mattress. The other I assume is his parents' room but the door is shut and the room adjacent is also shut. And at the end of the hall is Gerard's. His desk has a few stacks of papers spread around his laptop and he also has a shelf of comic books except he has a hell of a lot more. It's filled with what has to be hundreds of comics. Band posts litter his wall. Iron Maiden, Smashing Pumpkins, and Bruce Springsteen posters mostly, a few D.C. superhero ones here and there. Between the posters are small, framed pieces of artwork. In the bottom corner, it's all signed G.W. so I assume these are Gerard's projects.

"I really like your room," I finally say.

Gerard smiles at me and takes a seat at his desk. "Thanks, considering I spend all my time surrounded by these four walls, I try to make it homey."

"Mission accomplished," I laugh while admiring a watercolor. "Can you tell me about this?"

Gerard leans forward in his chair, trying to figure out what I'm referring to. "Oh, that's a weird thing I did, kind of like, abstract tree. I don't know. I would have taken it down but Elena likes it so." He gestures his hand to his bed and I gently sit down on the edge of his mattress. He then kicks his door closed and looks at me. "So," he whispers.

"So?"

"So what's going on?" A small grin spreads, welcoming me to open up to him.

"I don't know anymore," I mutter. There's a small silence, Gee doesn't say anything; he's just looking at me and I feel the need to fill the silence. "Am I selfish?"

"No," he answers.

"Okay." I bite my lip, looking down at him. "I just want to matter, is that too much to ask for?"

"You do matter, Frankie," he says. "Look, I know what you mean. You want them to appreciate you, to make them proud. All the things they try to do to make up for what they've missed mean nothing. They think if they buy us stuff, if they make a promise to us, everything will be alright. But you don't want any of that, you just want their love. And it's the one thing they never offer." It's my turn to stare at Gerard and not say anything. "Sorry if I'm rambling."

"No, actually, you read me like a book," I say between impressed and concerned. "Are you intuitive or do I wear it on my sleeve?"

"Eh, more like I relate," he says. Before I could ask him about it, he returns the focus back to me. "Listen, though. Parents, just because they're your parents doesn't mean they love you the way you want them to. You can find what you need in other people. Like-" he stops himself and thinks for a moment how to word his sentences. "Elena, she's always there for me. Not my parents but she's the person who never fails to help me when I'm in need."

"You're lucky you have someone," I say. "My family is all back in Jersey. I'm alone out here."

"You're not alone, you got us."

"Thanks," I smile. "You know, you're really nice, Gerard."

He shrugs. "Eh, I try." He glances at my watch. "Did you eat anything?" he asks.

"I'm okay."

"No, come one," he says, walking over to me. "Are you always up this early?"

I sigh. "I was planning on sleeping in. I crashed around 3 in the morning texting Jenna."

"Yeah, that's around when I stopped texting Cody," Gerard comments.

"Do you usually wake up the crack of dawn?"

"Basically," he says, "who else is going to let my grandmother?"

"Parents or do they work weekends?"

Gerard shuffles his feet against the floor. "No, not really." Giving another shrug, he looks up at me. "But that doesn't matter, they're out anyways getting things done and they're not leaving me home by myself anymore so I get to hang out with her."

"Aren't you 16?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'll be 17 in like half a year though." He shrugs again. "It's cool, I've always enjoyed her company, even as a little kid." I smile warmly at Gerard, listening to him talk. "Yeah, she always buys me new comics and art supplies. She even finds me these rad posters." There's a faint knock on the door. "Come in," Gerard calls out.

His door opens and his grandmother comes in. "Hi, Frank is it?" she asks.

"Yes, hello," I say politely to her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Elena." She looks at Gerard. "I made breakfast, let's go eat. And there's plenty to go around so you'll have some too," she says. Gerard sits in his chair unmoving, shifting his jaw side to side, his eyes fixated on the ground. "Gerard?"

"It's still early, I'm not very hungry right now," he mutters.

"I know but you're going to have some, okay?" She waits until Gerard sighs and finally gets up. "Thank you."

I walk with him down to the kitchen. Elena made apple bread with strawberry jam filling along with assorted nuts. I've relieved it's something I can eat and it's also really good. Gerard takes slow bites of his food, chewing thoroughly. He looks upset right now, his eyes glazed over, staring distantly and chewing his food robotically.

"So, Frank. I hear you are our neighbor?" she asks.

"Oh, yeah, I moved almost a month ago," I say.

She smiles. "You're a junior, too, yes?" I nod in response. "What classes do you have?"

"Uh, I have guitar class."

"Oh, you play? That's cool. One of my grandsons plays guitar too. I think bass, is it, Gerard?" He nods, taking another bite of his food.

When we finish eating, the two of us retreat back upstairs to Gerard's room. "Elena's really nice," I say when Gerard shuts the door.

He smiles. "Yeah, I love her." He sits back in his chair. "Got anything on your mind?" he asks. "Or anything you want off?"

"Oh, too much to begin," I sigh and then cover with a laugh. I notice in the corner of his room video game console. "You think you could teach me how you beat the others?" I ask, gesturing to the console.

Gerard follows my line of sight. "Oh, with pleasure.

"Fr-Frankie, you need to stay on the road," Gerard says.

"The road needs to stop turning," I say, crashing into a passing car.

"Oh my god, you're worse than Cody," he laughs. I crash into a tree. "Easy, man. Don't drive angry."

"Hey, I got my driver's license so I'm not all bad," I joke.

"Yeah, but you don't have a car. Oh...now the police are after you. Go faster!"

I start pressing random buttons. "Wouldn't going faster be speeding?"

"Yeah, but at this point, you just got to ditch the cops not drive in the ditch." I reach over and start tapping Gerard's controller. "What are you doing?" he laughs, moving away and trying to correct his driving course. "Sending me off the road, huh?"

"Just trying to make it even," I laugh.

"Too late, Frankie," he says as the game ends with Gerard winning. My car is surrounded by police cars. "Well, looks like you weren't getting anywhere this anyway."

"Hey, I'm getting better though. This time, I stayed on the road a third of the time." Gerard snickers at me. "Well, it's better than not at all!" Gerard rolls backward, his feet coming over his head and then thudding to the ground when he flips over. "What are you doing?"

"Phh, beats me," he says, lying flat on his back. "Hey, we never officially said anything and if we did, I clearly don't remember but you do want to be my partner, right?" I fumble with the controller and look up at him. Gerard sits up, adjusting his jacket. "Frankie?"

"Uh, I mean, well, yeah but like how?" I ask unsure.

"For history?"

"Oh!" I snap to realization. "Yeah, definitely."

Gerard tilts his head to the side, staring at me quizzically with a smirk. "What did you think I meant?" he asks.

"Eh, you got me there," I laugh awkwardly. Wow, I'm an idiot.

"It's okay, I didn't really specify." He gets up and walks over to me, taking the controller out of my hands and neatly putting them away, shutting off the game. He extends his hand to me and I take it, standing up to my feet. "So, you're into guitar?" he asks.

"Yeah, that seems about right," I laugh. "The same way you like drawing I guess."

"I heard you were wanting to save up for an electric?" I nod along. "Do you know what kind?"

Chuckling lightly, I take out my phone. "I have it bookmarked," I say, unlocking it and going to Chrome. "Epiphone Wilshire Phant‑o‑matic. In ivory." I hold out my phone and show Gee. He rests his hand on mine holding the phone and tilts the screen to see better.

"Beautiful," he comments. "What would you name it or do you not do that?"