Frerard - Null (Null Trilogy Part 1)

Part 2

Mom was all flowers and sunshine when Mikey and I arrived home. She hugged us and offered us coffee and even said she'd give us money to buy the things we kept asking for. I soon discovered that the reasoning behind this wasn't good. At all.

"Mom, why are you doing this?" I signed, confused. She tried to avoid my question, but we pressed her, and it brought her to tears.

"Your father and I are getting a divorce," she signed slowly, her hands trembling. I gasped and hugged her close, tears in my eyes. I refused to let any escape, just for her sake. Mikey seemed as solemn-faced as ever, but his bottom lip quivered occasionally.

I leaned back after her body-racking sobs had reduced to small convulsions and I could tell the worst of her crying was over. I kissed her on the cheek in apology and comfort, then retired to my bedroom. Even when I was alone, I refused to cry. I had to stay strong, for Mikey, and for Mom.

After rocking back and forth for a little while, I got changed into a Misfits shirt and black skinny jeans. I wanted to impress my new friend with my music choices, and he'd shown up in a Misfits shirt at school.

Mom entered a few minutes later and sat on the edge of the bed. Her crying had ceased, but the areas around her eyes were red and sore. She offered me a weak smile which made my heart sink.

"We have a new neighbour," she informed me. I nodded in approval and her smile dropped. "His name is Frank, I think. He was wearing a Green Day shirt when he was loading his things in."

I smiled, brightening a little. "Did he have black hair? Shaved at the sides?"

She paused for a moment to think, then nodded. "Yes. The shaved parts were dyed red."

"Mom, I know him," I explained, my hands almost moving too fast out of excitement. "He's my new translator at school."

"Oh, honey, how wonderful." Mom's smile returned, and it seemed more genuine. "Is he your friend? Or does he not like you?"

"I think he's my friend. He said he liked my Black Flag shirt."

I watched her giggle and sign, "you should go round and see if he needs any help with unpacking."

"I will. Thank you Mom." I hugged her quickly and grabbed my jacket, slipping it on along with my shoes before making my way round. I knocked on the door shyly. I was met by the soft gaze of a young woman, probably in her thirties. She said something and I bit my lip. I realised that I had been expecting Frank to open the door, not someone who didn't know I was deaf. I began to sign in hope that she knew what I was asking.

"Hello, I'm looking for your son," I signed slowly, hoping it was her son. Amazingly, she smiled and signed back to me.

"Oh, of course. Come in, I'll just fetch him."

I stepped in nervously and wiped my feet on the carpet, smiling when I saw Frank's Mom lead Frank downstairs.

"Hello Gerard," Frank signed, a shy smile on his face.

"Hello," I returned.

"You boys go upstairs. Make yourself comfortable, Gerard. Call me if you need anything," his Mom signed.

"Thank you," I replied, following Frank as he led me up to his bedroom. A broad grin came to my face when I saw his room laden with Misfits, Black Flag, Green Day, and Blink-182 posters.

"Awesome!" I signed happily. Frank beamed, showing off rows of clean white teeth.

"I owe a lot to them," he admitted. "They all helped me through rough times. For example, when I lost my-"

Frank was cut off but the buzzing of his phone that signalled he had a text message. He sighed and apologised, picking up his phone and scanning through the text. While he was gazing at his phone screen, I bit my lip. What had he been about to say? What had he lost? A family member perhaps? That seemed most likely, as music tended to help many people through the death of their relatives or loved ones. I then remembered that I had not seen Frank's father, nor had he been mentioned by him or his mother. Had Frank lost his father?

Frank chucked his phone back down onto the bed and informed me that Ray and Bob had asked us to meet them and Mikey at the park. I followed him out. He did not bring the topic we were discussing prior to the interruption back up, and I was reluctant to bring it back up. I didn't want to upset him.

We made our way to the park slowly. I scuffed my feet on the ground every so often and Frank kept frowning over at me every time I did. After the umpteenth time, he signed, "is something wrong?"

I sighed and replied, "my mother and father are getting a divorce."

"Oh..." His hands seemed to drop slightly for a moment, almost portraying his sadness. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I stared ahead until I felt a pair of arms around my body, forcing me to a halt. It took me a second to register that I was being hugged by Frank, who I only just realised was incredibly short. I smiled warmly and embraced him. He pulled away after a few seconds and said nothing more. Well, signed.

Our friends looked happy to see us. Mikey hadn't arrived yet, but I could see the outline of his figure in the distance. I sat on a swing next to the bench they were sat on and swung absentmindedly.

Ray threw something at me gently to get my attention. The guys had a tendency to do that. I met his gaze carefully, and he looked sympathetic, which was rare for Ray. "Are you okay?" He signed when no one else was looking. Bob and Frank seemed to once again be locked in a signing conversation about Mistfits.

"Yes," I responded after gorming out. "I'm okay. Don't worry."

"Alright. But I'm here if you want to talk," he reminded me. Nodding, I turned to Mikey, who had just shown up.

"Where did you go?" He inquired.

"To Frank's house. He's our new neighbour."

"Oh, that's awesome," Mikey replied before going over to sit next to Bob. Bob kept the solemn face he mostly always had, but I swore I saw a blush creep into his cheeks, and he began shuffling his feet, which he did a lot, but I knew there had to be another reason behind it this time. Frank had stopped chatting to Bob and came to sit on the swing beside me. I turned my whole body to face him to hide my signs so only Ray and Frank could see.

"Look at Bob," I signed with a smirk. "He's blushing."

Ray and Frank shot discreet looks their way and snickered. "So is Mikey," Ray pointed out.

"We should totally try and get them together," I suggested, and my two friends nodded. With Bob and Mikey oblivious to our conversation, we began to hatch the perfect plan.