The Chasing of Moons

Vulnerability

Frank decided a long time ago that thinking is done best when upside down. His logic may be faulty, but his hearts in the right place.

This is how he finds himself with his head lolling off the side of his bed looking at Brendon whose forehead looks, if it's possible, larger when you're upside down than it does right side up.

"You okay?" Brendon asks.

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Toads."

"Toads?" Brendon asks, looking confused. "Really?"

"No not really, I just wanted to see your reaction," Frank says.

"Okay well what are you actually thinking about then?" Pete asks, he's sitting in Frank's desk chair, but he's got it turned around with his notebook resting on his knee, and that officially makes him taller than the other two because Brendon's sitting on the ground.

"I'm just thinking about how it's possible to know two people who have the exact same face only one of them is nearly ten years older than the other."

"Oh no, not this again," Brendon sighs, shaking his head.

"What? It's confusing!"

"No, it really isn't, Frank. You're delusional, because that Gerard guy was literally just a regular person. He was not some clone or whatever of whoever the hell you think he was. And besides, the guy you say he looked like, the guy from the bar, you got a look at him for what, like three minutes? You really think that you can have that great a picture of someone you barely even knew and barely even talked to? I think your head is just making things up."

Frank would really like to correct Brendon and say that he definitely got a longer look at 'the guy from the bar' and that he knows without a doubt that they had the same face, right down to the same tiny teeth. He would like to say that he knows the man's name to start with the letter G, because he called himself Gee. He wants to say that the guy was really mysterious about who he was, which even further proves that he was Gerard somehow.

"It was him, I swear it."

"Yeah, and my goldfish is George Clooney."

"You don't even have a goldfish," Pete retorts.

"Well if I did, he would be as much George Clooney as the guy Frank thinks is one of our classmates."

"Do you even know that kid?" Pete asks, Frank doesn't know if he's asking either of them in particular.

"Not really," Brendon shakes his head, "I mean I've seen the guy around, and I think he's in my gym class, but I've never talked with him much. He seems like a bit of a loser."

"Don't say that," Frank snaps, lifting himself upright to scowl at Brendon. He gets a head rush when he's right side up and his eyes feel weird for a moment before the world starts to fall back into place, and he finds himself being stared at by the both of them.

"What do you care?"

"Well, I mean, that's just rude," Frank says.

"You are going crazy," Pete shakes his head.

"No I just don't think it's very polite to talk behind people's backs."

"You don't even know him, Frank."

"But it's still mean."

"Okay, whatever," Brendon shakes his head, looking down at his textbook. Brendon starts talking math which is what they are trying to be studying for in the first place, but that's when Frank starts to tune out.