Fever Dream || Frank Iero

.12.

MELISSA

A large circle of us crowded the FOB bus as the sun was setting, a drink in each hand and a smile on each face. Despite my grave fear of having the conversation I had with Gerard, it surprisingly did lift some pressure off of my shoulders. For the first time since the tour began, I felt comfortable around everyone to crack a few jokes and let myself have fun. Though the alcohol helped, admittedly. A heavy buzz was creeping on, but it felt good. Perhaps it was the most relaxed I've been in the last few months.

I kept an eye on Gerard for the first hour or so, in hopes that his actions would give away the intentions of our conversation, but he didn't seem bothered by the time we were all together. I did my best to let it go for the time being, not wanting to spoil the halfway decent mood I found myself in. Jessica and Pete were also back to normal; and by normal, I mean all over each other.

A couple of hours in, everyone was drunk, if not close to, and insisted on playing high school party games; Truth or Dare, specifically. Normally I would roll my eyes at the idea, but I was in such a good mood that I had happily agreed. I did remain very slightly on guard however, Frank sitting the opposite of me. Considering how unpredictable he has proven to be, I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with some terrible dare to plant on me.

Things started off light and childlike of course- Mikey being dared to eat an entire cup of horseradish, which he was unsuccessful in completing. Patrick was forced to prank call a pizza place demanding they let him speak to Papa John, causing me to laugh so hard I almost spit my drink out. Gerard chose truth at one point, and eventually had to fess up about the time his mom caught him watching porn for the first time.

The easy stage of the game came and went, however. Things evolved to become a little more serious and conniving, but the drunker I grew the less I had worried. Jessica, on the other hand was even drunker than I was, her intoxicated cackling getting loud enough to wake an entire city up. At that point, I wasn't sure she would pass up anything they tried to throw at her.

"Okay, who will be my next victim," Pete said, now his turn as he wiggled his fingers together in a cheesy villain-type way. "Frank!" He turned abruptly and pointed at him, Frank struggling not to laugh.

"Great," He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. The faint tune of Brand New enveloped the room, the pause in Frank's sentence allowing my ear to pick up a lyric here and there. "Dare."

Pete had an impish smirk painted across his face, and I nearly braced myself for the ridiculous thing he was about to have Frank do. Impatiently waiting for the incoming dare, Pete suddenly shifted his gaze to me and looked me dead in the eye, catching me off guard.

"I dare you to have Melissa sit on your lap until my next turn."

Although a small dare, I felt I was being plotted against. Studying Pete's face, there was fire in his eyes. He knew what he was doing. I didn't know if Frank put him up to the dare or not, but what I did know is that it was another game they were playing. If Pete really wanted to hook Frank and I up, he would have sent us into a closet together, or somewhere private. This felt personal, like a dirty move during a chess game. He wanted to see how I reacted in front of everyone.

I looked at Frank, and although he remained confident, he still seemed to be trying to hide his surprise. Maybe he didn't put Pete up to this, I thought. The room remained silent, waiting for my response.

"Guys, she doesn't have t-" Gerard began, but stopped when I stood. In my drunken stupor, I decided it was all or nothing. If they wanted to play this game, I was going to play it harder. I maintained eye contact with Frank, a soft expression on my face, refusing to convey anything other than control. Jessica could be seen in the corner of my eye, her mouth slightly open as she watched it all unfold.

I wondered if I would have been so eager to prove dominance if I were sober, but quickly glossed over the hesitation. Remaining silent, I walked toward Frank, malice radiating off of my body. I felt good, abnormally. The courage felt satisfying, feeling a peak into my more carefree past make an appearance for the first time in a long time.

I could tell Frank was suppressing an expression of curiosity- he didn't expect me to accept the dare, and it was written all over his face. Making my way to him, I turned and gently sat on his lap, scooting all the way back to find a comfortable position. The rest of the room looked at me silently, my serious smirk not faltering. Pete sputtered in acceptance for a moment, surprised at my enthusiasm. Soon the game continued as if nothing happened, and I knew I did the right thing.

My hands remained on the sides of the chair next to his legs, doing my best to stay still. Head swimming, I was embarrassed to think for a moment that it felt good to have physical contact with another human being for the first time in a while. Telling myself it was Frank I was sitting on, I quickly tried to shake it off, remembering that the only reason I was sitting on his lap was to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Minutes passed as we surveyed the game progressing, when I felt Frank's hands slowly raise from his sides, inch by inch. I stayed aloof, his palms making their way to the side of my thighs. No one seemed to notice, laughing among themselves. The touch drowned the sounds of everyone around me out- intoxicated enough to take the feeling in. Among the muffle of voices, the faint "Do you believe you're missing out, everything good is happening somewhere else" of Brand New floated around me as his hands finally rested on the top on my thighs, his arms now slightly craned around mine. Frank's expression was a mystery to me, but the motion felt almost delicate. For a brief moment it felt like we were alone in the room.

"Mel."

Feeling a flush of warmth run through my stomach, I let his hands rest on my thighs.

"Melissa!"

"Ah! Sorry, what?" I jumped, Frank quickly dropping his hands back down to his sides. Everyone was looking at me now, and I could feel my cheeks heating up. Gerard was leaned over on his knees looking at me, pointing at the seat I was previously in.

"The turn is over, you doof. You can go back to your seat now."

"Oh yeah right," I laughed nervously, the fleeting comfort suddenly vanishing. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Moving back to my seat, I avoided eye contact with Frank, hoping he hadn't noticed my unexpected reaction. The game promptly restored to a light-hearted mood, everyone again, too drunk to pay mind. Now that it was Pete's turn again, I had only hoped it wouldn't have anything to do with me. I did my best to shake off the bizarre feelings I had just experienced, acting as casual as possible while still dodging Frank's gaze.

"Jessica," He smirked, crossing his legs. "Truth or dare?"

Jessica was completely plastered at this point, giggling relentlessly at every little thing. Mid laugh, she managed a hiccuped "dare" before putting her hand on Pete's knee. I smiled, at least happy she was having fun.

"Okay, I dare you to call the last person you slept with before me and tell them you're in love with them."

Everyone erupted in a mixture of laughter and "Ooohh"s, including Jessica. Rolling my eyes, I chuckled at the terrible request, knowing she didn't care. I flipped through Jessica's past boy-toys in my head, attempting to remember which one she had been with before Pete, but couldn't remember. The room patiently waited for the outcome as she clumsily dialed a phone number, having to hit the delete button every few clicks. She was swaying a bit, and I knew she was past the "Do and then think" stage, and all the way into the "just do" stage.

Placed on speaker, the phone began to ring, anticipation growing. Jessica was giggling uncontrollably at the suspense, trying to stifle it with a hand over her mouth. I rolled my eyes with a grin, leaning back into my chair. She is definitely going to regret this tomorrow, I thought, laughing.

The room was silent. It was then, that I heard that voice.