Frerard: Summer School chapter 2

Class passed quickly (I was sketching most of the time) and everyone was leaving...except for me. Once everyone had left the room, Gerard pulled up a chair at my desk. "Listen to me. You do NOT deserve to get bullied for being gay. You don't deserve to be bullied for anything, much less something you can't control. It seems like you've just given in to their sharp words. You've listened to them for so long that you can't tell how remarkable you are. You think you're just some emo faggot who can't do anything, but I know that's not true. Look at your sketchbook. It's filled with drawings; I saw you working on it today. They're amazing. I bet that's not your only talent either. Do you get where I'm going with this? You're human just like everyone else. Don't be ashamed of who you are, even for a second. And listen to me when I say this: gay people are the best kind. We put up with a lot of shit from other people, from the media, and even from the courthouse. We can't get married yet. But just keep fighting, and one day, we'll be equal. I can promise you that. Got it?" He asked, summing up his speech. I nodded, too surprised to say anything else. Wait...had he said "We" when referring to gay people? "Did you say 'We'?" I asked him. He smiled. "You bet I did. I've been in exactly your shoes before. Who they pick on hasn't changed much, has it?" He said. "YOU'RE GAY!?" I blurted out. Oops. He started laughing. "That's about how my parents took it, too." He said, smiling. I couldn't help but laugh a bit. I glanced at the clock. "Oh shi-...crap, I'm going to be late for my next class. I'd better get going." I said. He nodded. "Wouldn't want to be late on the first day." He agreed. "See ya tomorrow, Mr. Way." I said. "Y'know, you can just call me Gerard if we're not in class." He said. I smiled. "Bye, Gerard." I said, leaving the room.

I'd been through all my classes (I only had four), and was getting in the car to go home. "How was school?" My mom asked. I grinned, thinking of Gerard. "Pretty good, actually." She looked surprised. "Well, that's good." She replied. God. I mean...he was my teacher. That was pretty much the biggest no-no on the planet. Dating a co-worker? It could get complicated. Dating a friend? Meh, that was weird to a lot of people, especially if you were gay. Dating a teacher? Weird, looked down upon, and usually illegal. Well, we weren't actually dating, so did that make it ok? No, I couldn't think about this right now. "So...how was your day?" I asked my mom, trying to get my mind off Gerard. She talked for a bit about her day, and I listened intently, trying to think of anything but Gerard.

10:30 PM. I was trying to fall asleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about how bad it was I had crush on my teacher. My. Fucking. Teacher. For God's sake. I could like ANYONE I wanted. But no. It was the teacher. I'd tell someone how I felt, but there was the fact that I had no friends. If I told my mom, she'd freak out. Yup. No one to talk to. I sighed, and eventually fell asleep.

I arrived in the art room the next morning tired, out of breath, late, and holding coffee. Gera- 'Mr. Way' was in the middle of saying something. "Frank, would you please take your seat?" He asked with a smirk on his face. "Sorry, I just-" He cut me off. "Save it for after class, Mr. Iero." He said, now trying not to smile. I quickly took my seat. "After class again? Wow, you're getting into more trouble than us, Iero." John said. Nate glared at him, I suppose not wanting me to know I was more trouble then the two of them. I rolled my eyes. Like I really cared. I wondered why he was keeping me after class. Yesterday, two people walked in late, and he never said a word to them. They were even more late than me! Meh, whatever. I'd find out what he wanted soon enough.

"So, why did you show up late to my class today, Frank?" Gerard asked me. "Um...I don't know. I guess because I couldn't fine m-" I stopped. I couldn't find my eyeliner, and I didn't want him to know I wore a bit of makeup. "Couldn't find your what?" He asked. "My eyeliner." I said, sighing. He smiled. "It looks good on you, Iero. That's a proper excuse." He said. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. "Thank you, Ger-...Is it still ok if I call you by your first name?" I ask, knowing I'd gotten into a bit of trouble today. "It's 100% ok with me." He said. "Well in that case, thanks Gerard." "No problem. Hey, have those boys been picking on you lately?" Gerard asked. "No...but I'm scared they might." I replied. "Yeah...hey, if you ever need to talk and we're not at school, you can call me or text me or whatever." He said. I suspected that was his way of giving me his number without it being too obvious that was what he was doing. I smiled. "That would be great. What's your number?" I asked. He got out of piece of paper, wrote it down, and handed it to me. "Here ya go. If you need to talk about...whatever." He said awkwardly. "Sounds good," I replied. "Bye, Gerard. See you tomorrow!" I finished, walking out the door. "Bye, Frankie!" He yelled after me. Frankie. Did he just...? I grinned to myself. It was the second day of school, and I'd already gotten a pet name and the phone number of the hottest teacher ever.