Chapter 7
FRANK’S P.O.V.
Frank sat on his bed playing the song he and Erin had written, or began writing anyway they still had quite a bit left. She was a wonderful lyricist, had a pretty, and though she could not read notes, was very musically talented, or that’s what he thought anyway. Frank stopped playing, he didn’t know why, he’d just had this odd feeling, he had to call Erin. Therefore, he picked up his phone and began to dial her number, then waited until her ruffled sounding mother answered the phone. “he-hello?” “hey Mrs. Hurt, is Erin around?” he said cheerfully “yea, hold on Frank” she said back. “hey” Erin said, her voice was quiet and sad. “something wrong baby?” Frank asked trying his hardest not to sound pushy, so she didn’t have to tell him if she didn’t want to. “well…yea” she sniffled, Frank knew she crying “my…umm … my brother, ya know, he er, he was reported missing, we don’t know where he is” Erin sobbed into the receiver “he was here last night but… now he’s… he’s…….. gone!” she cried some more, and breathed heavily. “oh, Erin. I’m so sorry.” Frank said sympathetically “do you want me to come over?” he asked, he longed to hold her in his arms, comfort her, let her cry until she’s ready to stop, then wipe the tears away and help her smile come back. “I’d love it if you would… but I’m kind of a mess right now, I don’t know if you want to see me like this” Erin sounded so sad, and full of grief. “mess or not, I love you Erin, and I’d really like to help.”
ERIN’S P.O.V.
Erin sat on bed with her face in her pillow, despite the fact she could barley breath. If I’m lucky, I might accidentally smuggle my self. She thought as she lay on bed crying her eyes out . Then she heard a knock on her door. “what do you want!?!?!” she screamed. “baby? It’s me Frank, you said you wanted me to come over” “oh, I’m so sorry” she said trying to stop crying, but the tears refused to stop falling. “it’s okay, I understand” her boyfriend said in a calm, deep, steady, understanding voice. He sat down on Erin’s bed next to her still laying body, and put his hand on her back, then began to stroke her hair and scratch at her head. He must have heard her sniffle, and coke as she held back tears. Because he suddenly pulled at her arm so she’d sit up and wrapped his big guy arms around her, incasing her in a big, warm Frankie-arm cocoon that seemed, for that moment, to be protecting her from the harsh harsh world around her and from the harsh harsh truth that lingered in the air. Her brother had run away. She couldn’t fight it back any longer, Erin began to bawl, crying tears that could fill oceans………easily. They drenched one sleeve of Frank’s short sleeve shirt, but he didn’t care. He sat there holding this crying girl, he held the back of her head swaying, gently back and forth, and occasionally he’d kiss her the top of her head. After a long, long time of not saying a word, Erin raised her head and said “Thank you Frank” still crying but not as hard “I love you” and she meant it “with all my heart.” “I love you too” He said back, he had a look of sadness and hope in his beautiful hazel eyes. “I’m………… I’m sorry I’m so emotional about this, I can imagine it’s hard for you…………………… to……………… to see me like this.” Erin said her voice was shaky.
“hard for me?” Frank said with a slight chuckle “my brother didn’t go missing!” Erin smiled, laughing at how cute Frank was and crying about her brother at the very same time. “I saw that” Frank said “It looked like smile to me” he said in his best effort to make his weeping girlfriend feel better. Erin kissed his lips for a few brief moments, then Frank stood up, taking Erin by the hands into her own living room. He led her to the living room couch, looked through the collection of DVDs on a shelf, and picked out (I’m putting this here to build suspense so don’t just skip over it because it’s in parenthesis it could be very important to the current section of the story……) and picked out Monty Python and the Holy Grail the one movie that could make everyone laugh…………………….the entire time. After setting up the movie up, he laid down next to Erin, “Hey” he said, ’He-OH MY GOD!!! FRANK!!!” Erin said sounding the least bit annoyed “this? Now? Why?” “you need it, look at you, you’re a mess! This will help cheer you up, and I am gonna go make you some Ramen Noodles right now, and you and me will share them, cause I’m Starving!” Erin smiled as she watched Frank (or more like Frank‘s hot ass) walk into her small, dusty kitchen, almost perplexed by Frank’s sudden knowledge things that had always, and always would make her feel better. He came back into the living room and sat down with the ramen and two forks, then theA few minutes later they began the movie. Erin laughed at the first joke, and looked up at Frank who looked back, obviously pleased by his success at comforting Erin.
Liz’s P.O.V.
“
hey Ray!” Liz yelled across campus that Monday afternoon. “Hey!” he said walking over “what was wrong with Erin?” he asked appearing concerned “dunno but it’s none of your business anyway so………….” “babe, you didn’t need to freak out I was just wondering………she seemed so sad, just sulking around all day, I felt sorry for her. That’s all”
“okay” Liz said a bit uneasily. She’d been worried about him ever since that awful night at the Halloween dance. “I love you! Why don’t you understand that?”
“maybe I’d ’’understand’ if someone hadn’t been all up in Samantha’s grill. And don’t even pretend I’m over reacting, you know damn well why I’ve been edgy lately, I’m positive you know” Liz said her face getting more and more hot as Ray’s ignorance slowly crept up on her “I’m sorry I know I…………………………can I come over?” “yea, sure.” she replied.
Kaylana’s P.O.V
.
Kaylana walked down the hall perfectly content with her life, boyfriend, best friends, grades, and I’m not going to list them all cause that could take a while. Anyway, she was perfectly content UNTIL she saw one of her best friends, Erin, walking down the hallway head down ,hair in face, silent, and she had that pale face with red lines running down it like when you’ve been crying. what’s wrong? Kaylana wondered I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this…… She thought about asking what was wrong, but decided against it considering the fact that asking usually just made it worse. So as an alternative she simply watched her obviously troubled friend walk sadly down the crowded hallway.
Kaylana thought about Erin almost all day what was wrong? she asked herself again and again, as well as came up with a million, kagillion reasons. That afternoon she decided to call Liz and ask. Liz and Erin were closer than close, not that she wasn’t close to them too, she just hadn’t been in the group as long. “Hey, what’s up?” Liz asked when she answered her phone. “nothing really… hey do you know what was wrong with Erin?”
“for the millionth time no!” oh, I’m sorry, I just, well saw her in the hallway and wondered if she’d kept it from you too”
“oh, yeah”
“so…how are you?” Their conversation dragged on for (or so it seemed) ever, going absolutely no where until Gerard called on the other line. “gotta go k?”
“alright bye” Liz said, she sounded some what relieved.
“Hey!”
Frank’s P.O.V.
Three weeks had passed since Erin’s brother had disappeared and she was still sulking and crying all the time as if he’d went just the day before. Frank was beginning to bother Frank. Don’t depressions such as this usually lead to suicide? She has a right to be upset, but she needs to let it go. I don’t want her wind up dead.
Erin’s P.O.V.
Erin sat on her couch watching soap operas, those poor people always had way worse problems than her. Erin waited for Frank , he said he’d come over but wasn’t there yet.
“you’re not crying again are you?” Frank said as he walked into the living room. “Those things aren’t even sad!
“It’s not the soap Frank!, and you know that” Erin said surprised by his rudeness and arrogance. Frank sat down with her and they continued to watch, then Erin began to cry even harder.
“why are you crying?!?” Frank asked obviously annoyed.
“don’t you suppose you’d be crying to if your brother-”
“not three weeks after he’d run away, no! I’d have gotten over by then, but not you whose so worried about being a good sister, you couldn’t possibly let it go and have some fun with the people who are so worried about you, like your friends and boyfriend. OFCOARSE NOT! You sit at home trying to be a good sister and worry. Get over it!” Frank yelled and stood up.
“I just so happen to be one of the worst sisters around, because I’m to worried about being a good girlfriend! Maybe you’d realize that if you loved, or even cared about me! Instead of just hanging out with me and waiting to have sex! You‘d have realized that and we wouldn’t even be yelling right now!” Erin retorted totally blown away by her own hurtful words, and what she truly feared was the truth.
“I love you more than anyone I’ve ever loved how long will it take you to realize that!?!?!?!” Frank screamed, threw down the pillow he’d been holding, then angrily stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Erin was tempted to run after Frank, jump into his arms and say she was sorry, but she wasn’t. She was just mad that he would say things like that, and upset about his last words. Had he really meant that? She hoped so.
Frank’s P.O.V.
Frank had fell for Erin, but all along he knew she wasn’t strong enough. Her emotions jumped around like a ping-pong ball. She wouldn’t be able to participate a real long term relationship. He knew she’d have to go eventually, but it was just so hard to let go. Tired from all the stressful thoughts Frank turned out his lights, laid down his head and closed his eyes. He would call Erin and brake up with her tomorrow.
The next day, Frank woke up with a heavy heart, and a heavy-heavy thirst for alcohol. He ate some breakfast, watched cheesy Saturday cartoons, and thought about what he might say in his call to Erin. ring ring ring!!!!! Frank almost jumped out of his boxers ! He leaped up to answer the phone.
“hello?”
“hey Frank”
“Erin?….oh, I-I-I was..er I was just about to umm call you”
“really? Frank? Are you okay?”
“yea”
“and ummm why, why were you gonna call?” Frank was silent, he didn’t know what to say. “to umm… to tell you…” he paused in thought about how to explain “to er to tell you sorry.” he said failing to get the words out
“oh good!” Erin said somehow sighing at the very same time “I thought you’d brake up with me” “Erin?” Frank asked sounding unsure
“yea?”
“ honestly, wow how do I say this?… originally I was going to well brake up with you …at first, but when I hear your voice, I’m…..I’m just not ready to let go…not yet,” Frank paused
“oh and Erin, I’m nothing without you…I love you” Frank was not sure if that’s what Erin wanted to hear the day after a big fight, she probably didn’t even want to be talking, but they were. “I love you to Frankie but I’ve to go, see you later… oh and love you” click and like that the conversation was over. Frank sat and thought about the past conversation. I hope I’ve done the right thing… hell I did the right thing! I love her and I always will.
Erin’s P.O.V.
Erin sat in the big, bulgy, brown chair in her living room reading one of her favorite mysteries.
“Erin!” she heard Frank yell, but did not know where he was. There was a banging on the front window of that room, she looked over and surer enough… it was a tree branch “psst! Erin!” Frank’s voice said again. Erin began to wonder if she was hallucinating as she often did when she wanted something. She longed to see Frank, and she’d been longing to since they’d made up. Erin turned her head twice. When she turned around the second time Frank was standing there in her hallway.
“Frank!” Erin squealed and jumped up. She flung herself into his arms, and Frank embraced her as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. He deeply inhaled her smell, his thumbs moved up and down rubbing her shoulders, and his lips softy pecked her neck.
“I’m so sorry” Frank whispered in Erin’s ear
“as long as you still love me” Erin said
“forever” Frank promised.
