MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE ONESHOTS

new neighbor

(trigger warning for death/mentions of death and ghosts/demons/supernatural creatures)

(i've been watching sally face play throughs on youtube)

(here is the result)

I placed my small suitcase on the floor next to my spanking new front door. Uh... well, not totally spanking new. Actually, it looks pretty grody. I think I saw a rat downstairs, too — at least my cat Mitch'll have something to entertain himself with. Me, on the other hand? This place has the zest of a cardboard box. I seriously doubt anything interesting happens here. My parents say it'll be a good change for me. Maybe they're right, but I'm not too excited.

"Go ahead and talk to your new neighbors while we unpack our bags," my dad said as he and Mom inspected the dusty kitchen. This town is pathetically populated and in the middle of Pennsylvania; we drove here from New Jersey. It's clear that nobody's lived in this apartment for a while now.

I nodded 'okay' and slipped out the door. The sound of my sneakers tapping on the hardwood floors cut through the silence. It was actually really nice, having time to myself to think in the quiet. As I wandered, I glanced around the hall. I padded up to the apartment next door and knocked. I stood, staring at the faded sage green of the door. The door cracked open, and a middle-aged woman's eye peeked at me from behind.

"Whaddya want, kid?" she asked in a Jersey accent. She sounded like my grouchy social studies teacher, and her breath smelled like sour milk. I could even whiff it from here.

I rocked back on my heels. "I was just saying hi to my new neighbors. I just moved in here from New Jersey," I explained.

"Oh, that's great, kid! Go away," she monotoned. The door slammed in front of my face. Whatever. I couldn't let one rude neighbor discourage me. I'd just remember not to come back to her apartment.

After speaking with a nice elderly couple, a horror movie enthusiast, and a burnt-out-looking mom, I was ready to complete my quest by introducing myself to whoever lived in the last room down the hall. Right as I lifted my knuckles to knock, I took note of the song sounding through the thin walls and paused. I'd never heard it before, but it sounded awesome. Good to know my neighbors had good music taste.

I knocked and almost immediately after a man with a square face and smile lines opened the door. He was slightly shorter than me.

"Hey there," he greeted, "you need something?"

"Uh, actually, I'm saying hi to my new neighbors. I just moved here from New Jersey," I said. I wiped my hand awkwardly on my jeans before holding it out for him to shake. "I'm Gerard."

"Oh, we moved here from New Jersey, too," the man said with a smile, and shook my hand warmly. "I'm Frank." He suddenly looked like he'd just remembered something. "You should meet the other Frank, my son."

"Frank!" he hollered over his shoulder.

Then the music stopped and I realized I could hear the raw buzzing of an amp since the door was open. A door opened behind Frank Sr., and out stumbled Frank Jr.. He ran up the front door and grinned energetically.

Woah. He looked way cooler than me.

"Hey," he greeted. "I'm Frank."

"Gerard," I returned.

Frank Sr. turned to Frank and caught him up to speed: "Gerard here just moved in from New Jersey."

Frank turned back to me. "Us too!"

Now I was out of conversation, so the one-moment-too-long silence was my cue to head back to my own living space. Just as I was about to say, "Alright, see you later," Frank budged in. "Hey, do you like Tumor Necrosis Factor?"