The Masqueraders (previous chapter 4)
“Frankie?”
It seemed like ages since what Gerard had said. In fact, it was only about three minutes, but still, Frank stood gaping at his companion.
“Uh, you know your face will get stuck like that if the winds change?” Gerard snorted at his weak attempt of humour and stepped a bit closer.
“Frank, wake up, you idiot.”
The smaller boy clamped his mouth shut in annoyance, his narrowed eyes following the taller as he moved. Gerard looked a bit awkward, but his body language was still the same- the arms folded over the chest, leaning back on one leg to show pointy hips underneath his jeans. Confident. Definitely a bit arrogant. And human.
“I don’t know what… what you mean.” Frank croaked.
Gerard frowned slightly, standing up straight.
“What I mean by what? The winds changing?”
Frank shot him a sharp look.
“No, you dumbass. By what you said just now. About the… human… thing.”
Realisation spread over Gerard’s face.
“Well, I meant what I said. I’m not like you are, I’m not one hundred percent human,”
Frank scowled.
“So what are you then? A vampire or something?”
Gerard smirked.
“Nah, not quite that cool.”
The boys stared at each other for a long moment, Frank thinking of what to say next, Gerard waiting for his response.
“So… what? Are you just gonna make me guess? Are you just gonna stand there?”
Gerard tipped his head from side to side.
“Uh… yeah, I think I might just do that.”
Frank’s face darkened and Gerard could tell the mood was less light.
“Frankie, I can’t just tell you. It’s very important, and Ash thinks that… oh, shit.”
Frank’s eyes had doubled in size at the word Ash.
“Ash? You know who Ash is? Is that where you were earlier, at that meeting?”
Gerard looked slightly pained.
“Oh my god!” Frank gasped. “You’re one of them! You’re a Masquerader, whatever the fuck one of them is! Oh my god, I can’t believe this…” He started breathing heavily, doubling over slightly.
“Frank, you’re hyperventilating. Calm down, just breath.”
Frank attempted scowling, but his face was being contorted as he half choked, half died (in his opinion) in the street. After a minute, he managed to control his breathing, and he looked back up at Gerard.
“So all along, what is this? You planning to kidnap me or something?”
Gerard looked surprised.
“Kidnap you?”
Frank squealed.
“You were! Oh my fucking god, I can’t believe I put myself in this position…”
“Frank, you know we aren’t dangerous!” Gerard took a step forward, attempting to put his arms around Frank’s shoulders, but he growled and stepped away.
“You keep the fuck away from me.” He hissed. Gerard was hurt by the venom in his voice, and tried to hold him again.
“I mean it, Gerard! Just fuck off! Go and hang out with your little crew, I am not going to be kidnapped.”
Still the taller boy attempted to get closer, until Frank pushed him in the chest and ran off.
“Just keep away, you freak!” He yelled over his shoulder as he went.
Gerard gulped, trying to swallow the huge lump in his throat that was threatening to produce sobs. But he couldn’t do it. Tears fell quickly as he moaned to himself. This had happened before- not everyone wanted to become a Masquerader. Not everyone got it straight away, and Frank obviously hadn’t. And every person did the same thing- every person who ran away hurt Gerard, because they had become friends. And every time, they used the same words.
“Just keep away, you freak!”
“You freak!”
Frank’s words echoed loudly through his ears as he collapsed onto a nearby bench, body still shaking with cries that wrenched themselves out his chest like bullets. Gerard dug his phone out of his coat pocket and dialled a number with shaking hands.
----
“Amy, for fuck’s sake, if you smoke that in my house I am going to destroy you.”
Amy-Lynn grinned at the cigarette in her hands.
“What, smoke this?” She waved it in the air in front of Jasmine’s nose.
“Yes, smoke that.” Amy’s face snapped into a look of pleasure.
“Aha! So you do want me to smoke it.” She grinned.
“No- what the hell, what makes you think that?”
“You said smoke that!”
“No, you responded to me saying not to smoke that by saying ‘smoke this?’, to which I said, ‘yes, smoke that’.”
“Exactly! So you want me to smoke it!”
“NO!”
Amy cackled as she flicked her lighter into life. Michelle watched in amusement as Jasmine glared at the flame.
“I swear, Amy, I will kill you if you light-”
“Whoops! Too late!” Amy scoffed, putting the cigarette between her smiling lips. Jasmine growled obscenities under her breath as she went to get the air spray.
“You really are a bitch, you know?” Michelle informed her friend. Amy nodded majestically and exhaled more smoke than Michelle thought possible. Jasmine stomped back into her living room, glaring at everything.
“When you’re finished with that, you’re gonna be the one who sprays everything in this room with the air freshener, not me.”
“Ooh, big punishment, mommy.”
The arguing girls scowled at one another for a minute, before Jasmine sighed.
“Oh, I give up. Give that to me.” Amy squealed in delight.
“I beat you, you idiot! Ahh, never underestimate my extraordinary powers of persuasion.”
“You didn’t persuade me, I changed my mind.”
“Yes, and I’m the one who changed your mind!”
“No! I changed my own mind, you little-”
“Would you shut the fuck up?” Michelle yelled. “It’s like watching my sisters fight! Remind me how old they are again, Jasmine?”
The girl looked down sulkily.
“Six.” She huffed.
“Exactly.”
A long silence followed. Amy finished her cigarette and went to throw it in the garden.
“She started it.” Jasmine growled under her breath.
“Oh my god.” Michelle whined. All of a sudden, a sound broke the silence.
“Is that… the Macarena?” Michelle hummed, puzzled.
“Yes, it’s Amy’s ring tone.” Jasmine sighed. Michelle burst out laughing as Jasmine threw the little silver phone at the girl coming back through the door.
“Hello?” She trilled.
“Oh, hey, Gerard, what’s up? We went back to Jasmine’s for a sleepover, you can- what?”
Her face dropped as her friends strained to listen to the voice on the other end of the line.
“Gerard, honey, tell me what’s wrong. Stop crying.”
Michelle and Jasmine looked at each other, worried.
A few heavy breaths came down the line, as Gerard fought the tears.
“It’s Frank.”
“What about Frank, Gerard?”
“I told him.”
Amy looked up from her lap in sudden alarm.
“You told him? Please god Gerard, say you didn’t tell him what we are.”
A second of silence through the phone.
“Well, not exactly…”
“Shit!” Amy gasped.
“Amy, what’s wrong? What’s going on with Gerard?”
“He told Frank.” Amy sighed.
“Are you serious?” Jasmine shrieked. Amy ignored her and spoke into the phone.
“Gerard, it’s alright. Just tell me where you are and we’ll come get you.”
As Gerard reeled off his location, Jasmine started hurrying around, getting more flustered with every step she took. And she took a lot of steps.
“Oh shit, oh shit, Ash is going to fucking murder us…” She wailed, pulling on a pair of wrecked DC’s.
“He’s not gonna kill us, he’s gonna kill Gerard.” Michelle reminded her. She stopped to glare at the other girl.
“Well now, that makes everything just peachy-keen then, huh?”
Michelle scowled back as Amy hung up the phone.
“Ok, now shut up, you dweebs. We have to go get Gerard. If we don’t find Frank soon, something will have happened.”
The girls all nodded grimly and headed out the house..