Frerard-Complicated

Chapter 1: Meeting

Intro:

It was a cold November morning in New Jersey. Rain beat down on the sidewalk and a fierce wind blew, carrying empty plastic bags and other trash with it. The few trees that dotted the street were bare, and bent almost double from the force of the wind. The street was deserted, apart from a small figure, head bowed against the wind, dressed in a black hoodie and jeans. He walked with a fast, determined stride, as though he was always angry. Finally, he came to the end of the street, where a small, battered looking record store stood. The paint on the store walls was peeling and one of the front windows had a crack in it a mile wide . Tattered posters for old bands were stuck in the windows, which were covered in the thin, grey film of dirt that seemed to be ever-present in New Jersey. The boy sighed, kicked the door open and stamped his way in.

Frank:

Frank sighed and entered the shop, slamming the door with a little more force than was strictly necessary. He had been dreading coming here since his mother suggested he look for a job here. However, he really didn't have a choice, his father having made it clear that he would be getting no money from him until he sorted both his temper and his life out. Frank saw his father's lectures about anger as a sort of bad joke, given the rage Frank Sr displayed when he argued with his wife. The fighting had got so bad in recent months that he couldn't bear to be at home anymore. Another reason to take this job. It would get him out of the house and would help him earn enough money to get the hell away from his family for good. Maybe he would ask his girlfriend, Jamia, to move in with him. Although Frank was only eighteen, he knew he was right about Jamia. She was smart, funny and put up with his frequent rages. She was his dream girl, he was sure of it. And if he sometimes felt that there was something missing, a lack of passion in his heart when he kissed her, well he was sure that would come later. The main thing was, she was there for him. Frank looked around the grimy, badly lit shop. Christ, it was even more depressing inside the shop than it looked  from the outside. He hadn't thought that would be possible. He walked to the counter, and stood there. The shop appeared deserted. "Hello?" he called. Suddenly he heard a crash from behind a door to the side of the shop. "Ah SHIT!"  came a yell, followed by even more crashes. The door flew open, bouncing off its hinges, and a  man, dressed all in black came flying through. He was laughing slightly, but stopped abruptly when he saw Frank. "Um hi there. Can I help you with anything?" he said in a breathy voice, brushing his black hair out of his eyes and smiling nervously. 

Gerard:

Gerard hadn't been having a great day. He had spent the whole day in this fucking freezing shop, stacking boxes in the dark back room. And then to make things worse, he had just dropped a whole full box of old CDs, probably scratching them all. However, his day had just taken a definite turn for the better. Possibly the most gorgeous guy he had ever seen stood in the shop, shuffling from foot to foot, dressed in a Misfits T-shirt and fingerless gloves. He had a piercing in his nose, and another in his lip. His features were almost exactly proportional, and his hair was dyed black, with a long fringe and spiked up at the back. Gerard felt a fluttering in his stomach, and a rush of desire.  "Um hi there. Can I help you with anything?" he asked, smiling despite himself. "Yeah, I saw you were looking for someone to work here, and i was wondering if, um, I could do that." The beautiful stranger looked at him questioningly. "I mean, as a Saturday and afternoon job. I'm in high school at the moment." He continued to stare at Gerard, who stared back, reflecting that his eyes were almost completely round, with about a thousand different shades of brown and green in them. Then he realised that the stranger was waiting for a response. "Oh right, sure you can. Well its not actually up to me, I'll have to ring my boss, but if I could, I would let you."  What the hell Gerard? Even for you, that sentence was embarassing. Gerard flushed a deep red, and rushed to cover the pause: "I'm Gerard", he said, walking over to the boy. "I'm Frank" he replied. 

Frank:

Gerard walked over to him, blushing for some reason. He smiled at him, and suddenly it felt like the room was a whole load warmer. Gerard's smile lit him up, from the inside out, and something in it made him feel strangely giddy. It was impossible not to smile back. Gerard took down his details, using the stub of an eyeliner pencil to scribble them down on the wood of the counter. When he had finished, he looked up from under his eyelashes at Frank.  Suddenly it was as if Frank was rooted to the spot. Something in the look Gerard was giving him made his stomach start doing backflips. Gerard smiled hesitantly. "Well then, I'll call my boss this afternoon and ring you sometime this evening, OK?" Frank was temporarily struck dumb, so he just nodded slowly. "See ya then Frank" Gerard said, giving him another glowing smile. Frank shook himself out of his trance and walked out of the shop.