I Drew You Once in Art Class

Fourteen

Frank flipped through records, running his fingers over the paper and reading each. Gerard did the same on the other side of the shelf. Every few minutes, one of them would look up and make eye contact with the other over the shelves. Every time, Gerard would smile at him.

It was sort of... exhilarating? That probably wasn't the right word but it definitely raised both their adrenaline levels.

Suddenly, a new song came on, tangy strumming over the speakers. Gerard's eyes widened in recognition and he let out a shriek. "Oh my god, I love this song!" he shouted, like a moron, putting back whatever record he had been holding. The guitar kept strumming. The singer, whoever it was, began to sing.

And so Gerard danced.

He danced in the middle of the record store, having the time of his life, mouthing along to the words, his eyes closing. He's a weird guy, what can you do?

Frank stood looking at him, dumbfounded, when Gerard outstretched a hand toward Frank, wordlessly asking him to join him. Frank's eyes darted around, watching the onlookers staring at Gerard.

Please God, no, that would be the most embarrassing thing I've ever done in my life.

"I don't know the-" he started, before Gerard grabbed him anyway and pulled him into his dance. He got funny with it, twirling Frank and dipping him. At first, Frank was worried about what the random people around them were thinking, his eyes scanning the small crowd that had gathered before falling into the rhythm of the dance and going along with Gerard, who was quietly singing the words. The music got louder. Someone must have turned up the volume.

Great.

Gerard spun him again, and Frank outstretched his arm with a flourish, smiling bigger than he had in years. He could feel the music pounding in his ears, he could feel Gerard's graphite-gloved hands gripping Frank's, the papery-smelling air of the store, his Converse squeaking on the smooth concrete floor. He could see Gerard's eyes, lit with joy, his skin folded where his smile stretched across his face. They continued like this for a minute longer, until the song ended. The crowd around them clapped while Frank caught his breath, and Gerard bowed exaggeratedly to the onlookers.

From where he was bent over, Frank looked up at Gerard.

Frank couldn't decide if he felt completely mortified or completely euphoric, maybe a little bit of both, but one thing was for sure: it had been maybe a half an hour since they'd met, and Frank was pretty sure that Gerard was his best friend.