The next week was difficult, to say the least. Everyone around me seemed to be excited for my birthday and for Halloween, except for me. I can't blame my bad mood entirely on Mr. Way, of course, part of it was that my birthday was coming up and I wasn't in the least excited. My Mom, for one, was definitely upset, and was constantly crying because her 'baby' was growing up. I tried to console her as best as I could, but to be honest, I was shit-scared of growing up, too. This wasn't just another birthday, it was a milestone, and I wasn't sure if I was mature enough to be considered an adult. The only thing that really made me excited was my friends and I making plans for the Halloween party. The way things looked, we were going to have an awesome time. It was a masquerade party, so the guys were making plans on how they were going to pick up chicks using their disguises, and then leave, so the girls didn't get 'clingy'. As much as I abhorred their objectification, I had to admit – it was a smart plan.
I already knew that Mr. Way wasn't going. One of the girls had asked him earlier in the week and he had laughed and said that he was far too respectable for something like that, but hoped that we all had a good time. I suppose it was better that way. For the most part, we'd been good at keeping our distance from each other. He started sitting intentionally facing away from me during lunch, and we both paid each other as little attention as possible during our lessons, him instead favoring to spend long periods of time talking to the girls, while I chatted with Chris (who I had intentionally moved closer to for that purpose). As much as it was difficult, I knew that it was definitely for the best. I felt less weighed down by him, and it made it easier to actually enjoy his company. When he made a joke, I didn't have to pretend to not find it funny anymore – I could just laugh. If I knew the answer to a question in class, I didn't have to pretend to not know the answer, I could just put my hand up and answer.
Not only that, but it made it a hell of a lot easier to pay attention to what he was actually teaching.
The morning of my birthday, my Mom woke me up with eggs and bacon in bed, with a skull-shaped cupcake on the side. I beamed up at her and wolfed down my food.
"Thanks, Mom." I said between mouthfuls. It was rare that I had time to eat before school, but on my birthday my Mom always insisted that I took the time to treat myself, and I loved her for it. She rocked backwards onto her heels, smiling at me wistfully.
"What?" I asked, suspiciously.
"You got a letter in the mail." She said simply. I raised my eyebrow.
"It's probably just another card. I'll open it with the others when I get home." I said dismissively. She chewed her lip.
"I'd agree...but it says that, and I quote, 'this card must be read by Frank Iero on the date of his 18th birthday before he comes into school. Failure to do so will ruin everything ever.'" She said, laughing and tossing me the envelope. I thanked her for breakfast again, and put the letter next to me, forgetting for a moment that it was even there. In fact, it was only when I stood up to get ready and it fell on the floor that I remembered it was there. I tore open the paper and looked at the words scrawled messily across the paper.
"Frank. I hope this doesn't ruin our truce. Just wanted to say happy birthday, and to wish you all the happiness in the world. You truly are one in a million. Yours, as always, G."
I must have read the note a thousand times before I shakily placed it next to me. If the words didn't give it away, the handwriting definitely did – I'd seen his messy handwriting a thousand times before. There was no stamp, so I guessed that he must have hand delivered it...meaning that he was outside my house. My breath caught and I snatched the note up again, reading it over and over, trying to memorise the curve of each letter. That little fuck. I chuckled to myself and managed to tear myself away from the note for long enough to get ready, and to lay my masquerade costume on my bed, ready for when I came home.
