What a catch Donnie

Growing Up

"Mikey's the only family I have left, so we're very close. What about you, Frank? Do you have any siblings?" I had finally finished telling Frank about my life story, and started pushing him to tell me more. He looked up at me, his eyes red from holding back tears.

"No, but I don't mind. Family isn't important to me."

"Yeah, your dad's a douchebag."

"I agree. Sorry about last night."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. Does he hurt you?" I questioned, concerned for his health. Frank was very small compared to his dad. I saw anger blaze in his eyes.

"No, but he forced me to propose to some spoilt brat! She isn't even pretty!"

"Seriously, dude, that's messed up. Do you love her or not?" I asked, not really sure of what to say. His cheeks flushed for a moment, and his eyes studied the floor. He seemed to be ignoring my question.

"Frank?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love her?"

"Just... just leave me alone."

Panicking, I grabbed his arm. Big mistake. Frank spun around and slapped me. Pain coursed through my face, making me wince and curse. His dark eyes dropped to the floor as he started to walk away. Unwillingly, I let him. As I watched him leave, I realised I could have messed up our friendship for good. A sense of sadness drifted over me. He had been, other than Mikey and Kellin, my only friend on this ship. However, the sadness was quickly replaced with an overwhelming amount of joy as he stopped, turned, and slowly walked back towards me. In all this time, I hadn't moved an inch. Once he came within a yard of me, he stopped. He then looked at me sadly.

"Sorry for hitting you, Gee." He muttered, starting to admire the floor again. I noticed his eyes starting to water. I quickly rushed forward and pulled him into a tight hug. I leaned my head on top of his, while stroking his back soothingly.

"Hey, it's okay. What about we look at some of my drawings?" I murmured to him, hoping to calm him down. He looked up at me, his eyes searching my face.

"Really?"

"Really." I pulled him closer, and pressed my forehead to his. He wriggled a little, but he soon relaxed. He smiled meekly before letting out a shy laugh. I smiled at him. How adorable.

"You okay with this?"

"Yeah... But you did say I could look at your drawings!" He giggled softly. I rolled my eyes at him and tugged him towards the nearest bench, but not before hearing a hiss from one of the upper-class men.

It sounded like "Dirty faggot." 

I quickly checked on Frank to see if he heard it. Luckily, he didn't, or he was hiding it well. I gave him a slight shove, hoping that he would walk in front of me so I could deal with whoever insulted us. Luckily, he carried on walking, so I could flip them off. As I followed Frank to the bench, I watched him carefully. When he walked, it was a fluid motion, almost as if he was gliding. He brushed the bench gently before carefully sitting down on the very edge. He grasped the armrest tightly, his knuckles turning white. He sat perfectly upright, as if a pole had been stuck up his back. I slumped down next to him, causing him to jump slightly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Comfortable there, Frank?" I teased, watching him squirm uncomfortably. He glanced upwards and nodded quickly before returning his eyes to the ground. I pulled my sketchbook out of my satchel and gently prodded his arm. He jolted, quickly casting a glance at me. I pointed at my sketchbook, causing him to perk up considerably. First, I skipped to the page where I had done a rough copy of the picture of Kellin and Copeland Quinn. His eyes widened and he looked up at me.

"Gee, that's amazing! How did you do it?" 

I smiled at him, "Practice. Lots of practice." He started to flick through, his eyes widening with every turn of a page. I watched him study each picture. I watched him turn each page carefully, so not to rip it. When he found an unused sheet, he stopped and looked up at me.

"Do you like them?" I asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, Gee, they're great."

"But?" I raised an eyebrow at him. I must of caused him to panic, as he started shaking his head roughly.

"No! No buts, Gee, they're great!" He seemed more certain this time. Maybe he had been lost in thought, I often am. He looked at me shyly,

"Thanks for showing me the pictures, but I should go for lunch, my family are expecting me." He muttered sadly. I smiled at him, he's always so formal. Then I remembered his dad's invitation.

"Am I supposed to be there?" I asked. Frank laughed at me and shook his head.

"No, Gee, you were invited to dinner. That's later on, in the evening." With that he stood up. I decided to follow suit. He held out his hand for me to shake, but I flipped it over and gently kissed the back.

"M'lady" I sniggered, before sauntering away. After a few yards, I cast a glance over my shoulder to see Frank in the same place I left him. He's bright red and tries to smile at me as he sends a quick wave. Damn, he was easy to embarrass. I quickly blew him a kiss, enjoying watching the colour drain out of his face. Then I continued towards my spot, at the bow of the ship.