The Kids Aren't Alright

-10-

"This really isn't something we should be laughing about." Frank pointed out as he walked through the gates of hell with his boyfriend.

Gerard continued to chuckle. "C'mon Frank, it's kinda funny, don't you think?"

"What's kinda funny?" Brendon asked from his slouched position in the waiting room chair, letting the reality magazine he had previously been reading fall onto his chest and raising his eyebrows.

"The fact that Dallon has to sit in on my therapy session today." Gerard grinned, plopping himself down beside Brendon. "That guy is so far from straight it's not even fun-"

Brendon shoved a hand over his friends mouth, glaring at him. "His mother is right in there." He warns. Then what Gerard's saying actually registers in his head and his eyes widen. "Wait, you mean he's not straight?"

"Jared Way." The receptionist called, lazily gesturing to his designated room.

"See you on the other side, gays." Gerard muttered under his breath, shooting Brendon a wink before getting to his feet and trudging past the receptionist and into Mrs Weekes' office. Brendon groaned in frustration, annoyed at the lack of answer Gerard had provided, dropping his head back to hit the chair and gazing up at the ceiling wordlessly.

Frank took his spot beside Brendon, sighing as Mikey and Pete entered the building, hands linked. "You just missed him." They had been holding hands quite a lot recently.

"Darn." Mikey said sarcastically. Pete appeared to be doing his best not to burst into laughter, biting his lip and suppressing a smile as he leaned into his best friend.

"What's up with the little emo dude?" Brendon asked Mikey, refusing to acknowledge Pete as a human being until he gave up that ridiculous eye liner. Sure, Brendon had his eyeliner phase a few years earlier, but he has still refused to consider Pete as a human and not an emo.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "It's not that funny, Pete!"

Pete's laughter slipped through. "Yes it is." He broke into a full grin. "Just think for a second about how awkward it's gotta be in there. Like, Dallon's an awkward guy to begin with-"

"He's not that bad." Brendon cut in, earning a look from Frank.

"Yeah, but not in such a bad way." Pete clarified carefully. "I just mean that in an unfamiliar environment he has a tendency to blush a lot and not say much. Like the first time he came to the mall, he was so quiet and awkward."

Brendon allowed the remark, closing his eyes with a small sigh.

Frank rolled his eyes and grabbed the magazine off Brendon's chest, slouching slightly in his seat as he read over the fake gossip the printing company couldn't help but publish. He was too busy reading about fake eyelashes and concealer to notice the two younger boys holding hands.

Brendon smiled knowingly at Mikey.

--

"I feel like I've made some real progress." Gerard said truthfully, glancing up hopefully at the woman's strict face. Her eyebrows were furrowed in what seemed like a permanent glare as she glanced from her clipboard to her patient.

"Don't lie to me Gerard." She warned. Dallon sat in the corner of the room, absolutely mortified from just being in the room. He realized now just how much he hated what his mother did to people.

He had been picked up by Brendon every week day of the last two weeks, all thanks to the boy who sat playing with his hands as his mother interrogated him. He had made actual, human connections with people. Dallon found friends. He'd never actually had a friend before, and this was a big step in his life. His behaviour around the house had changed too, which was why he was stuck in his mother's office on the friday afternoon.

Dallon had learned a lot in the past fourteen days. He talked to Mikey about bass guitar, an instrument both happened to play, and exchanged music ideas a lot. Pete was like a hyperactive little puppy, but Dallon came to realize how protective he was of everyone in the group. He also gave him all his notes from old math classes, which Pete was ever grateful for.

Frank was the most restrained member of the little group. Sometimes it felt like he was the only normal person there, and he was the guy to thank for no spontaneous days away from school. And then there was Brendon, the easy going brown haired boy who kept Dallon company even after the school bell rung. Brendon was a confusing topic in Dallon's mind. He couldn't quite file his name under 'friend', but there didn't seem to be any better label. He meant a lot to Dallon, that much was blatantly obvious. Everything he did had a purpose, and Dallon admired that so much.

"I'm not." Gerard said quietly. "I'm telling the truth. I don't feel that way about anyone anymore."

Dallon's heart just about stopped. Gerard was being too quiet. The spark his eyes always seemed to hold had faded to a dull glow, and he looked ready to give in to the awful conversion therapy his mother was forcing him to take. Just seeing him be so quiet, so serious and composed, scared the hell out of Dallon.

In the short time he had known the platinum haired boy he had come to realize that Gerard was an incredibly extroverted person. He was a performer at heart, that much was obvious to anyone. But he still took the time to talk to Dallon, invite him to the mall every morning before school and ask how he was doing. It was the little things that made Dallon feel wanted.

"You're serious?"

If it weren't for Gerard Dallon would have friends. He wouldn't have any confidence, and he wouldn't have met the boy he was crushing on.

"I'm serious."

---

"What's up with you, Dall?" Gerard asked easily as the two began to walk out of the building. The others had become bored with waiting for the two hours of therapy to end and decided to head to the park instead.

"You don't actually...this shit isn't working, right? You're not actually becoming straight, you don't actually hate Frank, right?" His words rushed out, jumbling together as he tugged on the bottom of his shirt.

Gerard chuckled as they stepped out of the building and into the cool autumn air. "Nah. How could I ever hate Frank?" Dallon nodded, mostly to himself. The idea of conversion therapy had always been bad, but now he was seeing firsthand how bad it could be.

"Yeah, of course." He tried to shrug it off.

Gerard put his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Dallon. Your mother may not be the kindest woman in the world, but I can take just about anything she throws at me." He grinned that crooked grin he had become known for. "You coming to the park?"

Dallon shook his head, feeling the disappointment wash over him. He was looking forward to spending some time with Brendon and the others. "I can't. Mum wants to drive me home."

"Next time." Gerard nods, the smile still on his lips as he starts to walk away. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Dallon's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's happening tomorrow morning? It's a Saturday!" Gerard didn't seem to hear his calls, or he ignored them. Before Dallon had a chance to repeat himself, his mother was there, calling him over to her car.

He slowly walked over, his hands falling limply by his sides. He climbed wordlessly into the passenger seat, hearing his mother's complaints about her receptionist but not really caring. The car starts and she pulls out onto the road.

"Well I hope you learnt a thing or two." She said curtly, her lips pressed thinly together.

"Yeah." Dallon said quietly, knowing that he had to word his answer carefully to avoid suspicion. "I certainly did."

I'll be honest right now, this was partially written at three am, and partially written at 9:40 pm. Not my best, but it'll do.

This chapter was my attempt in showing that Dallon had become a part of the group, as well as putting stress on how bad his mother's business is. Idk if it worked or not, but i tried.

This book's probably not gonna be as long as my other ones. Idk how to feel about that

-Saffron <3