Lifeline (Frerard)

Chapter 4

[A/N:

Hey, guys! I'm back! Sorry it's been so long. I've been really supre ultra mega busy, plus I'm juggling this fic, The Tints and Shades, plus side stories like one shots, so it's hard to balence.

I'd also like to thank @ChemicalSorrow for the cover art. <3

So, since I've kept you waiting so long I don't want to make you wait for any longer.

-Dani xoxo]

The front door shut with a thud and was followed by voices and laughter. I could recognize the voice as Pete and the laughter as Mikey's and Bob's. The sound of their voices was drowning out the soft pitter-patter of the rain outside.

Great. All three of them are here.

Again. I have no problem with any of them, it's just that I like silence. And silence likes me. What can I say? It's natural.

Their footsteps boomed up the stairs, nearly matching the volume of the thunder.

Tap tap tap.

A knock on my door.

Go away. I'm enjoying the rain.

"Gee, wanna run out to the coffee shop with us," Mikey said in an inviting tone.

Let's see.

I like coffee. I like rain.

I also like watching the rain from the safety of my home. I have coffee here.

But they have better coffee.

Coffee.

Mmm.

After taking a brief moment to weigh out my options I decided to agree to go with them.

"I'll be out in a minute," I called out to them. As I stood up to get my sweatshirt from the hook I had put it on when I got home there was a crash of thunder and the bright flicker of lightning. Next think I knew, the lamp on my desk went out and all the clocks in my room began to blink in confusion.

Shit.

I heard a girlish shriek from downstairs and hurried to investigate. Hoping nobody was hurt, I flew down the stairs and rushed to the kitchen.

There, I saw Mikey and Pete being squeezed tightly by Bob, who had his eyes tightly shut and looked to be shivering in fear. Mikey looked as if he were trying to laugh, but Bob was squeezing all the air out of him. Pete was squirming and thrashing around violently trying to free himself from Bob's tight grip.

"Uh... Is everyone okay," I asked, holding back a girlish giggle.

"Bobbert, you little shit," Mikey shouted, laughing as he pushed Bob away. Pete was gasping for air.

"The fuck just happened?"

"This fucktard," Mikey began to explain, gesturing to Bob. "Decided to flip shit when the lights went out."

"Bobness," Pete gasped. "You idiot."

The storm began to lighten up and the rain gradually slowed to a gentle drizzle.

"Well, we have no power. What now," Mikey complained.

"Do you guys wanna go for a walk around town and see what's going on," I offered.

Say yes.

Please!

I wanna see the damage!

"Well, there's nothing else to do," Pete said as he rolled his eyes. Bob let out a sigh of relief as all of them adorned their hoods and exited the building.

_______________________________________

Almost the whole neighborhood was examining the damage all around town. Nothig too serious. A few lawns had branches of various shapes and sizes scattered about it. Others looked to be muddy. Some families obviously had flooded yards because they were wearing rain boots and running long hoses to the watery streets.

I lead the group of idiots down by the public library, where people were slowly milling around the building and many were leaving the area.

Gerard caught sight of a short girl with a backpack on her back and a coffee in her hand. She had her earbuds in and her ipod was tucked away in the pocket of her Nightmare Before Christmas sweatshirt. She wore a pair of black leggings and maroon colored combat boots. Her black, damaged, obviously over straightened hair was blowing in the wind and revealing the deep, dark purple underside of her hair.

I could have sworn I've seen her before, but I couldn't quite recall where. I never really pay attention to girls. My interest was always more focused on guys. There was something about them that just made more sense to me than girls.

She looked up from her feet to reveal her heavy winged eyeliner and pale, white skin.

Where have I seen her?

I decided it didn't matter and went back to walking around the damp town. I don't know about the other guys who were chatting away behind me, but I was people watching. You could learn a lot about a person from watching them. Their mannerisms and lifestyle. Their sexual orientation. Their heritage. It's actually quite shocking.

_______________________________________

The next day

The walk to school in the early morning haze went faster than usual. My earbuds blasted Smashing Pumpkins in my ears, filling my mind with the sensational sounds of the music.

I got to the school and today, I was alone, for sure. Nobody was lurking the halls searching for "the faggot." Good. I got to be completely alone in the calming silence of morning.

I unpacked my things into my locker and rushed to my first period science class. I couldn't be late again. Mr. Fisher would chew me out in front of the whole class. I didn't want to deal with the embarrassment. Nope. I mean… haven’t I dealt with enough embarrassment in my life? I think I have.