You're a Mind Fuck, Babe

Chapter 64: The Bite of the Teeth of that Ring On My Finger

A few weeks go by and we're now beginning April. April first past by with the usual assholes at school taping "kick me" onto my back then doing what was instructed. A few people muttered obscenities but most ignored me as I ignored them.

As April second rolls on, the day couldn't pass by any slower. I have to work tonight from 5 to 10 pm and seeing as how this day is going, it will be an annoyingly slow shift. I had gotten a job since the funeral at the convenience store alongside Ryan to give him some sort of support as well as have some cash for Gerard's birthday. Since the funeral, Ryan has apologized countless times to which I forgave him before he even apologized for the first time. People do crazy things under pressure and when they're in pain; it's why torture is a way to get information but it's also pretty useless because people will say what you want to hear to stop the pain. Speaking of pain, Bert's burnt body was discovered a week after the funeral however it soon became a cold case because of the amount of time the fire had to annihilate the building and the contents. The car had exploded due to the gas in the tank and his body was burnt to a crisp but teeth don't exactly burn so they were able to identify him. I just hope they never get a link to me. For all I know, the dude had a shrine of me and my whereabouts in his apartment.

-

My thoughts wander as the clock ticks by my head, the second hand moving glacially as my teacher speaks, though I've already zoned her out. She's a nice woman, I just don't understand the majority of what she says. I still have another few minutes before my lunch hour and my teacher is purposely making this agonizingly painful. Her attempts at witty jokes are painful to hear and her voice is slightly too high pitch to be natural. I bury my face in my hands as I patiently await lunch time. Eventually, the bell rings loudly, echoing through my ears. I throw my bag over my shoulder and race out of there as quickly as possible. I pull out my pay-as-you-go phone I bought a few weeks ago and check for messages. Only one and it's from Gerard asking me to meet him for coffee.

-

I walk into the coffee shop across the street and see the man with black hair that long overgrew the white sitting with his legs crossed, his back towards the entrance. I approach him excitedly and sit across from him.
"So," he starts, taking a sip from his cup of steaming coffee. "We have a wedding to plan." My mind jolts with a sudden fear. I had forgotten. My eyes wander towards the ring on my finger and I freeze. I thought that was a dream but sure enough, with the bite of the teeth of that ring on my finger, I'm bound to him.
"Frank?" His voice breaks me out of my trance.
"Yeah, sorry, uh, maybe a summer wedding, or fall?" I suggest, trying not to sound as disinterested as I truly am.
"How about right after graduation?" He offers, glee bubbling out of him.
"Sounds great," I reply, forcing a smile.
"Is something wrong? You seem distracted."
"I just had a long morning, that's all," I mumble, lifting my thumb to my mouth and chewing helplessly at the nail.
"I know, it's weird to think about, isn't it?" He admits, sitting back in his chair, his feet kicking mine.
"It's fucking terrifying," I say with a chuckle.
"It's not so bad. It's just saying that legally, we're together and that we have each others backs. It's just a stressful way to bind us, through thick and thin and all that shit," Gerard reasons, a dreamy smile on his lips as he muses about the wedding.
"You know, I would do anything for you," I whisper, not intending for that thought to be spoken. He looks at me seriously.
"What did you say?" He asks, sitting up.
"Oh, nothing," I reply bashfully.
"You're adorable when your cheeks are flaming red," Gerard mocks me. I cover my face and mumble for him to shut up to which he simply laughs.

We spend the rest of our lunch hour laughing and talking, to which we return to the halls of which we frequent on a daily basis. I have two periods left of the day, then I have to head to the convenience store. Sigh.

-

The school bell rings, announcing that school is over and I make my way down the familiar hall towards where my psychology class was last semester.

I walk into Gerard's classroom only to see him packing some things into a box. I approach him cautiously, my mind unsure of how to process what is happening.
"Babe, what's going on?" I ask, making my way towards him and noticing the tears that cloud his eyes. I slink my arm around his waist and stand on my tiptoes to kiss his shoulder. He sets the papers he has in his hands down in the box in front of him. He turns around in my arms, his shirt grazing against my skin and making a noise that resonates throughout the room. He looks into my eyes and swallows hard, trying to stop the crying.
"I got fired," he chokes out, his voice hoarse and nasally. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion as to why.
"What happened?" I ask.
"A student said I sexually harassed her," Gerard replies, shame in his voice though I know he didn't do any of it.
"We both know that never happened," I comment, turning away from his dagger eyes. 
"Well the principal doesn't know that and so I got fired. I can finish out the week but then I'm out of here. The only reason I'm not fighting it is because the principal promised if I chose to go quietly, the sexual assault would be forgotten in case I wanted to get a job at a different school."
"Aren't you gonna do something about it?"
"No. It doesn't matter anyway. I hate it here, you're gonna graduate anyway and I'll look for a job at other schools around here for this September."
"Are you sure?" I ask, approaching him, placing my hands on either side of his chest and looking up into his eyes. I slide my hands towards his tie and pull him closer to me, leaning him down. I lift myself onto the tips of my toes and place my lips against his as gently as I can as though he could break if I'm too rough. His hand touches my cheek before sliding behind my head.

There's a knock on the door and I let go of his tie, letting it slither out from my grasp as he backs away from me. I turn towards the back of the room and duck down to "tie" my shoelaces. The door creaks open slowly as someone's high heels click against the floors, entering the room.
"Mr. Way..." A girl begins, that girl, the one who got him fired, her voice calm and sweet.
"What do you want?" Gerard snaps at her, with reason.
"It didn't have to end this way," she mentions, approaching his desk even more. At this moment, I stand up and she rolls her eyes as she notices my presence.
"What are you doing here?" She asks, anger rising in her voice as she realizes Gerard isn't alone.
"I'm just helping Mr. Way pack up because of you," I snarl, spit flying from my mouth onto her face. She shakes her face and wipes off what little saliva was transfered.
"It's no use defending a sexual predator," she giggles wolfishly, as though it were some big joke.
"The only sexual predator I see is you," I bark sardonically, looking her up and down and laughing at how pathetic she is.
"What do you mean?" She asks, genuine curiosity present on her face.
"You were the one trying to force yourself on him and then got pissed when he didn't want you back. Sorry, he's just not that into you," I laugh, my anger bubbling into insane laughter as she looks confused.
"How would you know if he was into me or not?" She purses her lips and places her hands on her hips. I turn to Gerard who just looks stunned.
"Not my business to say," I shrug, turning away from her.
"I could tell you horror stories about this man and what he did to me!" She shouts at me, though I try to ignore her.
"The way his gross hands touched my thighs and the way his tongue felt on my breast!" She yells and before I have the chance to reply anything, my train of thought is broken by laughter, Gerard's laughter.
"First of all, I've been told by many people that my hands are delicate and soft like a flower. Second of all, you're a girl, the only reason I would want to see a naked woman's body would be to paint or draw it, so my tongue on your breast is probably the farthest place it'll ever be," Gerard speaks up, laughing and pissed at the same time though they both seem to mix. As he spoke, her face morphed to utter disgust and embarrassment.
"So that's why you're always here," she says to me finally, after taking a moment to compose herself.
"You're his bitch," she laughs dryly.
"At least I'm not you."

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