So Long, Not Goodnight

Chapter Twenty-Five

The alarm clock on the bedside table's siren struck 7am. It was finally Friday. Frank lay staring up into the dark of his room, not able to sleep all night. So much anticipation was roiling inside of him, bubbling over in his stomach. He decided that he would take it all the way with Bobby tonight. See if that changed something inside him. His thoughts kept playing tug of war from the night that they talked on the phone last, was this something real or was it something that needed to get out of his system? He slid his feet from his mattress to the floor, stretching and trying to collect himself as he made his way to the closet. He pulled out his best black skinny jeans, a black v-neck long sleeved tee, thick black crew socks, and pulled his matte Doc Martens out from under his bed which added an inch to his height. 

The shower steamed in the cool of the morning as Frank scrubbed every inch of his body twice over. After he toweled off, he wiped a ring in the mirror and looked over his face for acne or ingrown hairs, but his skin looked smooth in his reflection. Rushing back to his room in just his black briefs, he pulled on his outfit and stared at himself in the mirror. Not model status, but good enough. He paused at his door and turned around and rummaged through his underwear drawer until he found a small black pouch which he extracted a condom and a small tube of lubricant. Tonight he would give himself to Bobby and his hands began to sweat as he pushed them both down into his front pocket. Feet stomping fast down the stairs, Frank steered into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge to grab something to eat on his walk to school. His mom was already up, a mug of fresh coffee in her hand. "Someone's in a hurry this morning," she watched her son scurrying around the kitchen. "I baked cinnamon rolls and poured you a tumbler of coffee. Just a splash of cream, just how you like it."

Frank spun around on his heels, careful not to leave a mark on the floor, to find a roll wrapped in wax paper beside a thermos of coffee. He leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek as he collected his breakfast and headed towards the door, balancing his food in one hand and pulling his backpack onto him with the other. "Thanks, Ma," he took a large gulp of coffee that immediately perked him up. "You're the fucking best."

"Language!" She called after him, but the door clicked shut before it reached him. 

Frank pocketed the cinnamon roll and rolled a cigarette out from his pack, catching the tip with his lighter. He took a sip of coffee and a drag of tobacco evenly. By the time he reached school grounds, he flicked the butt down the drain and finished the last of his coffee before taking in a deep breath and walking into the mouth of the New Jersey public school system.

The day crawled past, the hands of the clocks in each classroom ticked like there were cogs in their gears, until three o'clock finally hit, fucking finally. Hordes of bodies ran through the halls, excited for the weekend. Frank took his time getting to his locker, depositing everything back inside to wait for Monday. An outline of a body grew in shape against the wall of lockers. Frank spun around thinking that it was Jamia, only to be lifted by his neck and shoved awkwardly against a corner of metal. His temple dimpled and began to weep, as Frank saw Jake the star athlete at the other end of the arm holding him up and in place. "Why the fuck were you at our practice the other day, Iero?" His grip strengthened, choking Frank as he fought the urge to gasp for a breath.

"You get off on watching guys tackle each other?"

His gaggle of guys behind him snickered and shoved each other, all long shapes and sound as he tried to focus, keeping his face neutral. Jake pushed Frank's neck against the protruding frame as more blood spilled from his head, feeling metal poke into the back of his neck in promise of another wound. "You're such a fucking pansy, you know that?"

"Hey!" An angelic voice ripped through the air. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Jake's grip slackened just a bit as Jamia tore through the group. Her hand fell atop of Jake's and clawed open the top of his hand, bright red scales of skin broken open and starting to seep. Frank felt his throat open as he gasped for breath. Jake twisted around and shoved Jamia, startling her as she fell onto her hands and knees. Smirking down at her, he bent down and flicked a finger over her bottom lip. "Just how I like you, on your knees."