Mikey pushes his glasses up on his nose. “And you haven’t asked him out yet because…?” he says while tipping his lunch out on to the grass. Gerard picks up an apple and rubs it against his trousers, shrugging before handing it back to his younger brother. “You’re an idiot? Yes, I think that’s it.” Mikey answers for him.
“I don’t know,” Gerard grumps, folding his arms on top of his raised knees. “It’s hard.”
Mikey bites in to the apple. “He’s been tutoring you in biology for two months, without pay. He blushes every time you speak to him, dropped his damn glasses when you told him he looked cute and he invited you to his house this weekend to watch his Star Wars box set so you can both sigh hopelessly over Ewan McGregor before making sweet underage love.” Gerard raises his eyebrows at his obviously insane brother. “Ok, so maybe not the last part – but probably something along those lines.” Gerard rolls his eyes. “What I’m trying to say, dipshit, is that it’s so unbelievably obvious you two are in to each other the drama club will be acting out your ridiculous story in this year’s Christmas play.” He pauses thoughtfully for a moment. “Weirdo & The Geek. Yes, I like it.”
“Did mom ever tell you you’re adopted?”
“Yeah, right after she told me they chose to raise you as a boy.”
“Oh, zing!” says Ray as he drops his bag and self down beside them. He rolls up his shirt sleeves and reclines back in to the sunlight a little. “That was quick for you, Mikeyway. What calls for such a genius come back?”
“Gerard won’t ask Frank out,” Mikey replies. Ray punches Gerard’s shoulder.
“We still on that? Christ, Way, grow a pair.”
“Hey,” Gerard scowls, “it’s not that easy, ok?”
“It really is,” says Ray as-a-matter-of-fact-ly. “You walk up to him and say, would you like to go out with me sometime? And then he gives you an answer.”
“It’s the answer I’m afraid of,” he mumbles to which Ray promptly punches his shoulder again. “What was that for?”
“Being a douche.”
-
Frank tutor’s Gerard every Wednesday after school, and today just happens to be Wednesday. Frank’s been on star pupil terms with everyone in the science department since the day he started, so getting an empty science room is no problem. He arrives early, as always, and throws down his books on to a bench. He pulls off his black beanie and defogs his glasses before taking a seat. Gerard’s not due to arrive for another three or four minutes, so he pulls out his Game Boy and continues with lunch’s games of Tetris.
Gerard stops at the door when he arrives. He’s a little late, as usual, but Frank never seems to mind. Frank’s sat at the back of the room, mouth and chin covered with what appears to be two scarves. Gerard smiles. When it’s a little nippy out Frank dresses like it’s the Arctic, burying his small frame in multiple woollen things and a huge dark green duffel coat. Gerard finds it somehow adorable though and often wonders how long it would take to remove every layer.
Frank looks up suddenly. “Oh, you’re here,” he smiles as he slips his Game Boy back in to his backpack. “You ready for the magical world of brain cells?”
“Ok, only you would say that and actually mean it,” Gerard laughs as he tosses his bag on to the table. “Sure, let’s do it.” Frank blushes and flips open the textbook.
If either of them would notice the way the other person stares hopelessly at them whilst they’re working then this could have been sorted over a month ago. But instead they insist on being self conscious and doubted, and so it goes on for yet another tutoring session. They answer most of the questions in silence and Frank talks like a teacher when he explains things, which does things to Gerard that it probably shouldn’t.
