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"Okay, you got everything ready?"
"Yep."
Frank presented the oversized duffel bag that looked almost bigger than himself and smirked.
"And Mikey you're ABSOLUTELY SURE you have the CD?"
He sighed and pulled it from his pocket.
"Yep."
Ray patted his skirt down and picked a bit of lint off of his uniform.
"Dude I know you want us to blend in but all we had to do was cheer and dance and smile, you didn't have to go all out."
"I'm just getting into character." He said, applying lip gloss and fixing his pigtails in the mirror.
"Yeah... we've all seen Mrs. Doubtfire but you didn't have to get a whole makeover and go out and buy like hundreds of dollars of girly shit."
"What girly shit?"
"Gee, I dunno." Frank said. "The perfume, the outfits you've been wearing outside of school for the past two weeks, the bras... The teddy bears and flowers and chocolates I got you."
He walked up behind him and peered at his relection over his shoulder.
"Damn, Jenny sure cleans up nicely."
He smirked and put his lip gloss back in it's bag.
"Ya think so?"
"I thought she was just a dumb fat bitch with stupid pigtails when I first met her but-"
He made a fake, dainty, shocked gasp and hit Frank in the side with the makeup bag surprisingly hard.
"A dumb fat bitch with stupid pigtails?!" He asked in his high pitched girly voice.
They all burst up laughing.
"Frankie, I'm shocked you have the audacity to say something like that straight to my face!"
"Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" He chuckled.
"Yeah right, that's it, we're THROUGH!"
"Yeah, you've said that the past 29 other times we were 'through' but you always come around."
Mikey and Ray were equally amused and weirded out at the same time. Over the past month Frank and Gerard would joke around 'roleplaying' and 'getting into character'. It usually consisted of an overdramatic Mexican telanovella like monologue and slightly creepy instances where'd they'd fake make out or fake slap each other or fake call each other pet names or Gerard 'fake' sat on Frank's lap and he 'fake' trailed kisses down his neck and ""FAKE"" whispered naughty things into his ear.
They both knew there was probably something not fake about it all deep down but they decided not to break it to them and spoil their little 'secret'.
"Cara mia..." Frank muttered, getting down on his knees like they were Morticia and Gomez.
Gerard hysterically giggled in response but let him take his freshly manicured hand and kiss it.
"Okay okay, the rally's in ten minutes guys." Ray said. "Break it up, we should both be in the other lockeroom with the team by now."
"Right, coming."
Gerard wiped his hand on his skirt and cleared his throat.
"How do I look?"
"You're still a dumb fat bitch with stupid pigtails, you're absolutely repulsive. I can't even look at you, you're an utter disgrace." Frank said trying to sound as snobby and serious as possible.
"Thank you daddy."
Oh no. They both knew when that word was used some really serious shit was about to be thrown down.
Ray and Mikey both gagged and cringed until it was all out of their system.
"Ew ew ew, save it for after! Get a room! Ya know what? Just come with me already."
They split up and pulled the two away from each other out two separate exits.
"Bye Frankie!" He called in that ridiculous voice. "See you real soon!"
"No, don't take me away from her!"
He laughed, slipped out of Mikey's grip and ran over to Gerard.
"That slimy little punk!" Mikey scoffed in disbelief.
"Frankie!"
Ray hid Gerard behind him and stretched out his arms so he was trapped with no escape in the corner.
"Uh uh uh, don't come any further pal. Uh, Jenny needs to get... in the cheer zone for the rally and I don't want you screwing that up for her." He said in a girly voice, trying to play along with their game.
"Why are you talking like that Ray? We all know you're not really a chick."
Oh, so it was only appealing to him if Gerard did it.
"Just knock it off guys! You can make out under the bleachers or do whatever after the rally but we have an actual show to put on. So stop playing around like little kids and go get in position!"
"You're right, you're right."
Frank cleared his throat and fiddled with a lose button on his jacket.
"We're being stupid and immature, we should be acting like professional grown ups for the rally."
He quickly dove under Ray's arm, slapped Gerard's ass, and bolted out the door past Mikey.
"Good luck everybody!"
Gerard found himself blushing and giggling in an incredibly adolescent female way as he was dragged down the hall into the girl's lockeroom.
"What's the matter with Genevieve? Why's her face all dopey like that?" Some perky blonde asked the second they entered.
"Uuuummmmm... her boyfriend gave her a good luck kiss just like she gives him before one of his football games?"
The girls stared with judging piercing eyes straight into his soul for a few seconds and then squealed in adoration.
"Awww!!! That's so romantic! Omigod, all Chris does for me is drop me off to practice but he always his friends with him and they're always burping or laughing or eating some disgusting fast food or they're drunk and call me some dirty things."
"That's uh, that isn't very nice. Chris sounds like a total dick, he should learn how to have respect for a girl." Ray said, getting more into his drag voice.
"Yeah, I'm only with him cos Daddy wants me to be with some preppy smartie valedictorian nerd guy and the last one I was with was a downright bore."
"Oh, well um Jenny really only got with Frank to piss her dad off too since he's such a bad boy, but he turned out to be really sweet, isn't that right?"
Gerard drunkenly nodded and giggled.
"Girls! Girls! We're on in five minutes!" The coach said, dashing into the locker room.
Everyone toned down the chatter and pretended to be stretching and applying make up until she left.
"Ya know, that Frank guy always seemed like a total pathetic gay loser to me but now that Jenny's dating him and Jenny's like a good cheerleader and all, he seems like totally kind of hot!"
"Yeah!" All the other girls chimed in.
"Yeah...." Gerard hummed in a singsongey voice.
"Okay girls, Jenny, Rosa, are you sure you're ready to take the front?"
"Yes. Affirmative. Totally, RIGHT Jenny?"
He grabbed Gerard's lower jaw and lifted it up and down to make him nod.
"Okay, let's do this guys!"
"Yaaaaaay!!!!" They all cheered.
Ray and Gerard joined in one of their pre-cheer rituals and then ran out onto the field, taking position.
Okay, Mikey gave the signal from the soundbooth, Frank was hiding behind the bleachers with the dummy, and Gerard was about to give a cheer completely different from the one they all practiced as a team. Everything was going smoothly.
"Hey there Pencey Prep!" The lead cheerleader called out to everyone on the bleachers.
The crowd roared and Gerard nervously looked down at his pom poms, trying to get back in the game.
"We're gonna get you rallied up for the big game this Friday! Who's ready?!"
"Not me!" Frank yelled from under the bleachers.
"We'd like to introduce you to the two newest editions to the team: Rosa..."
Ray smiled and threw up one of his pom poms in the air, shaking it and jumping a little. The crowd cheered and he looked up at Mikey giving a little nod.
"And Jenny!"
Gerard did a little twirl and jumped up in the air, shaking his pom poms for everyone to see.
He'd always thought cheerleaders were stuck up, rude, and didn't have much going on upstairs. They went around advertising to everyone that girls were just there to stand around, look pretty, and please the guys. They were always pencil thin with muscular legs, a ridiculous amount of makeup on, and ponytails so tight they caused their hairline to recede. Plus their skirts were so short you could see their underwear peeking out whenever they did a jump or something.
Who even cared about football anyway? Why'd they'd need to get everyone excited for it? Well, most of what he thought about cheerleaders ended up being true but he found he kind of liked being one.
He was kind of secretly longing to be one...
With all the time they spent flying through the air looking pretty, nobody gave them any trouble. No people judging you on your body or geeky interests, no awkwardly sitting alone together with your friends at lunch, you were a goddess. You were apart of the team, the team was a singular being. It had a hive mind and was one body. If you were apart of the team you did everything together. You went to the mall together, bought all your clothes together, went to the spa together, did sleepovers together, talked about all your drama together...
"JENNY!" Savannah or whatever her name was hissed.
He snapped back into reality and looked over at her.
"H-huh?"
"You're supposed to lead us in a cheer now."
"O-oh yeah..."
Since Gerard couldn't do any fancy tricks and was about as flexible as a rock, they gladly gave him the role of leading the cheer.
It was perfect, they were like putty in his hands.
"Give me an L!" He yelled, throwing his arms into the shape.
"L!" The audience called back.
"Give me a U!"
"U!"
"Give me a C!"
"C!"
"Give me a K!"
"K!"
"What's that spell?!"
"LUCK!!!"
He nodded up to Mikey who started playing the original pep rally music. They all new the dance and had worked hard on it, he wasn't gonna screw that up for them. He decided to at least give them a few minutes to shine before things went sideways.
"What's that spell?!"
"Luck!"
"That's right, you're gonna need it cos you guys completely SUCK!!!"
He thrust his pom poms in the air and lunged instead of splitting because that was just virtually impossible.
There were some laughs and also confused faces from the crowd and Karen C. or whatever her name was turned to face him and gritted her teeth.
"Heheh, Jenny?" She said behind her plastic smile, still carrying out the dance. "That's not what we practiced, stick to the script please."
Oh but dear sweet Karen, what would be the fun in that?
"Now give me an F!" He called out, stepping and clapping with the music.
"F!"
"Give me a U!"
"U!"
"Give me a C!"
"C!"
"Give me a K!"
"k???"
"Fuck you and your stupid sport, it's useless anyway!"
Several other girls turned their heads and gasped.
"JENNY!" Savannah hissed again.
During all the confusion, Ray managed to slip away to the bleachers and help Frank carry the bag over to the flagpole.
"F-U-C-K the system, we're the ones who pay for the damage you cause and the things you say! What's so wrong if someone's black or gay, we're all just humans anyway!"
All the other cheerleaders ceased their activity and turned all eyes onto him.
"JENNY! STOP IT! PUT THOSE POM POMS DOWN AND GET OFF OF OUR FIELD YOU FUCKING PIG!!!" She whisper shouted, flashing the crowd a big toothy fake smile immediately after.
"I said F-U-C-K is the only thing you bring to this hell of a school! Like Monique's hookin' up with Jason after football games, not cool! You're gonna end up as some friendless faaatty, sitting next to Maaaury, binging ice cream, changing diapers, seachin' for your baby's daaaddy!"
He stepped and clapped his pom poms together on his own, all the cheerleaders not daring to move or speak.
Both Monique and Jason did not seem very happy about his most recent cheer but at least he got their attention.
"Uh huh, oh yeah, 2-4-6-8 I can tell you what I hate! When you guys insult and humiliate us who always show up late to the party of teenage drama, social hierarchy, and angst!"
He spent a moment catching his breath while Mikey changed out CDs, blasting out his awesome rocky music to dance to.
He jumped around, shook his hair, and cheered.
"Alright, alright that's ENOUGH!" The coach said, pushing her way out onto the field. "Genevieve Way, you're off the squad!"
He giggled and twirled one of his pigtails around with his finger.
"Did you like my cheer?"
She grumbled and held out her hand.
"No, not my pom poms! You can't take those, I payed for them myself!"
"Go straight to the lockeroom and change out of your uniform immediately, after that you're gonna give me it, take your bag, and go straight home."
"Aaaaand, what if I don't?"
The woman practically growled at him.
"WOULD SOMEONE TURN OFF THAT HORRIBLE MUSIC?!"
She looked up to the soundbooth where it haulted and squinted a little.
"Michael Way? Is that you?"
He didn't seem too happy to be recognized by his Gym coach.
"Wait a minute, where'd that other new girl run off too?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?"
She looked down at him and opened her mouth slightly.
"Wait a minute..."
He smiled and removed his pigtails, tossing his hair around a little.
Still no recognition.
"It's me guys!" He called out to the crowd.
"Huh?"
"Gerard!"
Everyone was still very confused.
"Um, the guy behind the whole vandalizing the Principal's office gig the other week?"
"Huh?"
He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"The greasy dark haired loser you all push around in the halls and call fat, nerdy, and gay?"
"Aaaaah..." Everyone collectively said.
Savannah gasped and walked straight up to him.
"Wait a minute, you're that guy?! Y-you're a boy?! You mean all this time in the lockeroom you got changed in the stall because..."
She gagged and shook her hands around with a disgusted expression.
"Ew ew ew, I can't believe I traded eyeliner tips and had a pillow fight with a boy!"
She ran off into the locker room screaming in disgust, as did all of the others.
The coach shot him a nasty look and narrowed her eyes.
"Impersonating a cheerleader, lounging around in the girls lockeroom, masquerading the halls in skirts, using vulgar language at a public event..."
She shook her head and gritted her teeth, almost snarling.
"Ooh, you're in big trouble missy."
He pretend gulped at that.
"I mean... mister. I'm very disappointed in you Way, I'm giving this three months detention and 100 laps around the school and 50 pushups during the game on Friday. Oh, while we're at it you can clean the whole gym with your brother and little friends. They're hiding somewhere right now, I can feel it..."
He brushed his hair out of his face and smiled a little.
"Yeah, sure, I'll see myself out Coach."
With a giddy smile on his face, he whistled and skipped over to the soundbooth.
"The rally's over everybody, you can all go home now!"
Just when they were all starting to leave, Gerard turned on the microphone and tapped it a few times.
"Everyone, I'd like you all to direct your attention over to the flagpole."
Everyone screamed and gasped as they saw a body fly through the air and dangle down from the pole from a rope around the neck.
Hiding behind a bush, Ray let go of the rope and let the dummy come crashing to the ground. While they were all distracted they quickly switched it out with Frank, who lay on the grass limp pretending to be dead.
"My brother gave me a note from a student here named Frank Anthony Iero shortly before the rally today. He said he didn't want me reading it until it was over. I see why now."
All of the cheerleaders crept out of the locker room to see what was going on and immediately felt like they had to throw up.
"I'll read the note now."
He cleared his throat and tried to sound as dramatic and grave as he could.
"Dear students of Pencey Prep, this is a letter from someone you thought didn't matter. You all have ridiculed me, humiliated me, ignored me, and made me feel totally and utterly useless. Of course there were my friends, the other people you bully, namely Gerard and Mikey Way and Ray Toro. You guys were like the brothers I never had. No matter what you had my back and stuck with me through thick and thin. I love you guys deeply but unfortunately I have to go. Everything's built up over the years, the stress, the depression, the anxiety, all the names I've been called and the things that have been done to me. By the time you've read this, I have hung myself over the flagpole and dropped dead. This is a message to you all. To show how messed up this school is. I chose this specific occasion to really drill it in to you and make sure my death sticks with you all throughout your life. You did this. Every one of you. I've been nothing more than someone you laugh at and tease for fun to hide all of your own problems because it makes you feel better about your pathetic lives. Perhaps if you'd been kinder, or been as nice to me as my friends, I could've spared you this. But unfortunately I can't. When I die I'm gonna come back and haunt each and every one of you who's ever wronged me. I'm gonna make your lives just as if not more miserable than you made mine. I'll see you all very soon. Yours, Frank."
Nobody knew what to think. Was this one of their sick, twisted practical jokes or did that kid really just hang himself?
It couldn't be, could it?
Everyone had to see this for themselves.
Gerard ran out of the sound booth, pushed past everyone in his way, and knelt down next to Frank's 'dead' body. He pretended to check his pulse and despite actually feeling something in his wrist, he worked up some fake tears.
"He's dead."
Ray and Mikey both stood there, frowning down at him and fake mourning his loss.
"HE'S DE-EH-EEEEEEAED!!!!!!" He sobbed dramatically, loudly fake crying into Frank's chest.
"Oh my god, I can't believe it."
He shook his head and sniffed.
"I don't believe it, there has to be some way. There HAS to."
He shook Frank a little and slapped his cheek.
"Comeon Frankie, wake up!"
Frank was trying his best not to burst up laughing at this and ruin the whole prank.
"WAKE U-UH-UUUUUUPPPUH!!!!!" He sobbed, sounding like a gremlin.
"He's not gonna wake up bro." Mikey said, bending down and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"He's in a better place now." Ray said. "One where you can see the sun even deep into the night and there's a warm gentle breeze blowing all the time. Also where he can play in a field of flowers with a bunch of puppies."
He sniffed and looked up at him with teary eyes.
"And kittens too?"
He nodded and bit his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing.
"WHY-Y-YYYYYYYYYYUUUUHHH!!!!!! FRANKIEEEEEEEE!!!! I thought you were happy! I thought we were happy! Didn't you love me?!"
Frank decided he couldn't take anymore of his fake grieving and shot upright, turning his head around eerily to face Gerard.
"F-frank?"
"Oh my god..." A girl said from behind.
Frank growled and trying to embody his best zombie, moved his hands over to grab Gerard's arm.
"Rauuuuuuughhhhh..."
"Frank?"
"RAAAAAUGHHHH!!!!!!!!"
He pulled him close and fake bit him on the neck, causing Gerard to produce a high pitched, feminine, blood curdling scream.
"HELP ME!!! HE'S BACK FROM THE DEAD!!! HE'S GONNA EAT MY BRAINS!!!"
He struggled and squirmed but nobody dared move closer, not even Ray or Mikey.
"STOP IIIIIIT!!!!!!! I DON'T WANNA DIE I'M TOO YOUNG! AND I'M TOO PRETTY I MAKE ONE HELL OF A CHEERLEADER!!!!"
Frank growled and slowly continued to fake bite him.
"STOP IT!!!!! HE'S EATING ME!!!!!! DON'T JUST STAND THERE SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
"We'll help you bro!" Ray and Mikey said in unison, grabbing either one of his arms and trying to pull him away.
"STP YOU'RE GONNA RIP MY ARMS OUT OF THEIR STOCKETS!!!!!"
Frank pulled him back and took another fake bite out of his flesh. All the fake blood on his face getting onto Gerard's skin was convincing enough from a distance and everyone was both too stupid and too cowardly to do anything but run away.
"WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING?!!! HE'S FUCKING EATING ME! I'M GONNA DIE HERE! PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He threw himself onto the grass, staining his uniform, and clawed at it while being pulled back.
Ray and Mikey pretended to watch in horror until the area was clear and then burst up laughing.
Gerard layed down on his back defeated and dramatically threw his arms limp onto the ground.
"Bleeehhhhh..."
All four of them laughed for a good hard minute until they ran out of breath.
"Okay, that was officially awesome." Frank said, wiping some fake blood off of his mouth.
"We totally killed it out there guys." Mikey said high fiving Ray.
"Yeah, I mean we freaked out the whole school, I fake died and fake came back as a zombie fake trying to eat Gerard, and you two made pretty good cheerleaders."
"And you made a pretty good zombie." Gerard said looking up at him from the ground.
"The school's gonna figure out it was all a joke in an hour or so so we should probably get out of here." Ray said.
"Ooh, can we get ice cream?!"
"Sure Frank."
"This is the best day ever!!!"
Gerard stood up and picked the grass out of his hair and uniform, patting down his skirt.
"Uh, we should probably change out of the cheerleader outfits first though."
"Yeah, you can go ahead if you want, we'll just wait here."
Gerard seemed a little too comfortable in that cheerleader uniform of his...
"Um, kay I'll be back in a few then."
As he walked off to the locker room, a mischievous grins spread across Frank and Gerard's faces.
"So is this it for Jenny? Is she going into retirement?"
"Well I don't know about that I kinda like her. And I also kinda like the dress, it looks good on me."
He played with his skirt a little and spun around.
"Well I kinda like it too..."
His cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink and Mikey awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Uh, I need some air I'm just gonna... yeah."
They waited until he was gone then Gerard burst into a giggle fit.
"I can't believe we just did that man, that was crazy."
"Heh, yeah..."
"So, do you maybe wanna like... hang out after we get ice cream?"
"Hang out?"
"Y'know like go for a walk or something?"
"Oh, you mean like... a date?"
His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink and he felt a rush of heat build up in his chest.
"Um, no not like a date, it doesn't have to be. Just two guys who are really good friends hanging out and stuff."
"So it's totally a date then."
"Oh my god, do you wanna go or not?!"
"Yeah I wanna go!"
"Then shut up and stop making such a big deal about it, we're just friends we don't have to turn this into anything!"
"Fine then!"
"Fine!"
They both huffed and turned away from each other until Frank found himself looking at Gerard's skirt.
"You know, not many guys could pull off a skirt, you gotta have the right legs for it."
"O-oh, really?"
"Yeah I mean the whole outfits really kind of flattering on you."
"You think so?"
He tucked his hair behind his ear and glanced at Frank.
"Mhm."
"Th-thanks."
"Yeah."
They both cleared their throats and stood up straight when Ray and Mikey started walking back.
"So uh, you guys ready for some ice cream?"
"Fuck yeah." Gerard said, licking the corner of his lip.
"You're going to the ice cream place wearing that?"
"Fuck yeah I am."
"Eh, whatever."
Ray shrugged and started walking off of the field. Everyone followed including Gerard who was bouncing and skipping and mumbling a little song he made to himself the whole way there.
And the best part about it all is none of his friends judged him.