Here's to the Heartache (Frerard) *Discontinued*

44: Glitz And Gold

Frank inhaled deeply as he knocked on the door of Jamia's home, his feet already beginning to ache slightly in the fancy shoes he rarely wore. Although the last thing Frank wanted to do at the moment was go to the prom, he had promised his friend that he would be her date, and he didn't want to go back on his word. If he didn't go, he'd most likely stay at home moping, so he might as well spend his time with someone who might be able to keep his mind off of all the horrific things that had occurred lately.

He hadn't heard from Gerard in days. Pete was still in the hospital, and honestly...Frank wasn't sure how much worse things could get. All he could hope was that everything was going to go up from here. This was his attempt at pretending things were normal and that the tragedies surrounding him weren't insurmountable. At the very least, he would do his best to make sure that Jamia had a good night out, she deserved that.

"Well, don't you clean up nicely?" Jamia greeted him as she opened the door, a wide smile stretching her painted lips upwards.

"You're one to talk, seriously - wow," Frank retorted, and he meant it too. He might not be attracted to women, but Jamia looked stunning in her ruffled purple dress accentuated by strappy black heels and glittering earrings. "Jams, you look amazing."

"Aw, thank you. So do you! Thanks for agreeing to match. Even if it's not a real date, I think we look pretty damn cute."

"Of course. As you're gay best friend, I'm always down to match with you," Frank joked the best he could, smoothing down his purple tie that complemented the shade of her dress exactly. "So...you ready to go, or does your mom want to take some pictures first?" He gestured to the woman hovering near the staircase that he could glimpse over his friend's shoulder who was a mirror image of Jamia in twenty years.

"Ugh...yeah I guess she does. I told her we are only going as friends, but you know how parents are."

"Uh...yeah," Frank mumbled, trying to ignore the fact that he'd literally had to beg his mother to eat tonight before he left, and she hadn't once asked why he was wearing a suit or where he was going, even when he told her he was borrowing the car. At least Jamia seemed to have a caring mother. She was kind to Frank when he introduced himself, and she didn't keep them too long. After they posed for a few pictures, they were on their way.

The two of them had decided not to go out to eat beforehand like most of their classmates planned on doing. Frank was glad for this mutual agreement since he had spent the last of his money on groceries yesterday, not that he had let Jamia know that. Jamia hadn't wanted to go out either, wanting to go straight to the dance and not risk spilling anything on her new dress.

Frank opened her door when they arrived at the hotel that the dance was taking place at, doing his best to act the part of a gentleman, making Jamia laugh in the process. They linked their arms together as they walked into the building, following the trail of other students that had just arrived as well. When they entered the main foyer, Frank's breath was taking away. It was gorgeous inside; the decorating committee had really outdone themselves. The theme was glitz and gold, and the room truly looked like they had walked into a palace decked out in gold wallpaper and crystal hangings, offset by white flowers gracing the tables that held the punch and snack provided for them.

"Wow," Jamia echoed Frank's thoughts, "I didn't know it was going to be this fancy."

"Me either," Frank murmured. "I'm in a suit and I feel underdressed."

"Look, they're taking photos over there. Do you want to go take some before we get all sweaty dancing," Jamia suggested.

"Yeah that sounds good," Frank agreed, letting Jamia lead them in the direction of the photographer the school had hired.