Living in a Frog World (Male OC x Anne Boonchuy)

Part 2: Chapter 5: Newtopia's Gate

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Flashback - May 16th

When Frank opened the door to Abuela Rachel's thrift store after coming back from school, the first thing he did was lean over the counter and kiss his sleeping grandmother on the cheek. "Hey, grandma."

"Oh!" Startled, the little old lady opened her eyes and adjusted her glasses to see her grandson. "Hola mi precioso nieto (Hello, my precious grandson)," she said in Spanish, alerting Frank's beagle Roger. The dog barked with joy as he ran over to Frank and jumped on his hind legs.

"Hey, Roger! Sorry for being away," he said, kneeling down and petting his loyal companion.

"How was school today," the elderly woman asked after jumping down from her stool. She walked out from behind the counter and saw Frank heading for the breakroom. The room was small, with a table and two chairs against the wall, a counter with a microwave, cabinets, and a refrigerator.

"Eh, I don't know," Frank said, taking off his backpack and placing it in a chair. "Pretty average. Uh, Hersel and RJ said hello."

"How nice," she said, walking into the room and petting Roger on his back. She turned back to her grandson, who stripped off his school uniform and grabbed his grandfather's army jacket. "Could you please watch the shop? I've got a full tank that needs to be released."

"Could have just said you're going 'number one', abuela," Frank said, meaning it playfully. His grandmother chuckled and strolled to the employee restroom.

Walking out of the breakroom, Frank thought about how lucky he was to have a grandmother like Rachel and how much he didn't deserve her. There hadn't been a day within the past month that Frank thanked his grandmother for the kindness she'd shown him. Abuelita Rachel was the only person to show Frank kindness that didn't make him question her intentions. Something that even the kids he hung out with didn't have from him.

Juvenile detention, and the ordeal he's gone through, left Frank with a warped sense of putting his trust in people. It's not that Frank didn't want to give people his trust. He didn't want to risk handing it out. Not even to friends and family, with the exception of Rachel. His trust was a treasure to Frank, and he was the vicious dragon guarding it from little dwarves wanting to have it.

Walking behind the counter, Frank pulled out the book he was reading, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. It was a book that he'd started reading in prison. Having never gotten around to finishing it because of his release, Frank could catch up on where he left off.

That is until Marcy pushed the door open, making the bell ring, and rushed in. "FRANK!" Marcy called out, only for her bookbag's strap to get caught on the handle. "Waah!" Tripping the young girl and sending her on her back. "Ow...I did it again."

As Roger barked at the girl who had just burst into the shop yelling his owner's name, Frank was left stunned and confused by it. He didn't even get to see her face before Marcy went down. Placing his book on the counter, Frank leaned over the counter and looked down at the girl with swirling eyes. "Hey, what the hell are you..." Frank trailed off when he saw the green barrette.

The same one that he gave her.

"Marcy?" At that moment, he instantly recognized his former friend. "Marcy Wu?"