Silence and Sadness

Safe

{Frank's POV}

I was in my room, getting ready for bed. My dad had left a few hours ago. I had no idea where he went, probably the bar. Anyway, I was about to climb into bed, dressed in a pair of sweats and a black t-shirt, when I heard the front door slam open. Great, that was probably my dad, and he was probably angry at something, which meant he was probably going to take it out on me. My thoughts were confirmed as footsteps approached the door. The door slammed open, revealing my drunk, angry father. "Hey, freak! What are you doing going to bed so early?" He asked, flicking on my light switch and temporarily blinding me. Squinting, I looked up from where I sat on the edge of my bed. "It's nine-thirty at night." I said. He frowned, then approached, roughly grabbing me by the chin and forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Did I say...you could talk to me?" He said menacingly. I didn't say a word, just continued staring at him. "You know, you're an awful disappointment, kid. Just another mistake. That stupid piece of trash you called a mother. Should have just gotten rid of you." He said, venom lacing every word that came out of his mouth.
I always tried not to let the things my dad said to me hurt me. I knew that that was usually just the alcohol talking. But hearing him talk about mom like that seemed to trigger something inside me. "You aren't allowed to talk about her like that." I said. His smirk turned into a frown in an instant. "What did you say to me?" He asked, trying to sound threatening. If I wasn't as angry as I was, it would have worked. "I said...You are NOT allowed to talk about her like that!" I shouted, getting in his face. He gripped the collar of my shirt furiously. "You do not tell me what I can and cannot do. I'll talk about that piece of crap all I want, however I want." He said, emphasizing the words he knew would get to me. I frowned and swung my leg up, kneeing him in the stomach. He grunted and moved away, pushing me backwards. I fell onto the bed and kicked my leg out, getting him in the shoulder. He fell back into his backside, swearing under his breath. I quickly grabbed the backpack I kept under my bed in case I ever decided to run away and bolted out of my room. "Get back here!" I heard my father shout. I quickly ran out the front door, slamming it behind me. When I was a few feet away from my house, I turned and looked back, and my father was nowhere to be seen. "Probably passed out drunk on the floor." I muttered under my breath, chuckling slightly to myself. Well, I was alone now. I couldn't go back home, or else my father would probably kill me. I didn't notice I had started crying until now. I had nowhere to go, nobody who would take me in. I could go to Gerard's, but then I would have to explain why I left home, and I didn't want Gerard to know.
Pulling out my phone, I opened my contacts and slid down until I found the right name, then clicked on it and placed it by my ear, waiting for an answer. "Hello?" Bob answered. "Hey, its F-Frank. Do you mind if I c-come over?" I said, trying to hide the stutter. "Is everything okay? You sound scared." He said. "My dad...listen, I just need to get away from here. Can I please come over?" I asked again. He sighed and said, "Hold on one second. Let me ask my mom." He said. I could hear him and his mother quietly talking in the background. "She said it was fine. Do you need me to come pick you up?" He asked. "No, my house isn't too far from yours. I'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks, Bob." I said. "No problem, Frank. I'll see you in a bit." He said before hanging up. I hung up my end, took a deep breath, and started walking away. About ten minutes later, I stood on Bob's doorstep. I knocked and stood there, a bit awkwardly, until Bob opened the door, smiling. "Hey, Frank! Come on in!" He cheered, ushering me inside. "Thanks, Bob." I said. "It's not worries, man. Mom, Frank is here!" He called. "She's been waiting to meet this new friend I made for a while now." He said to me, nudging me in the side. An average height woman with blonde hair and soft features appeared in the living room. "Why, hello there. You must be Frank." Bob's mom said, extending her hand. I reached out and took hold of her hand, shaking it gently. "Hi. Thank you for letting me stay on such short notice." I said. "It's no problem at all, dear. You two can hang out in your room, Bob. I'm going to head up to bed. Goodnight!" She said. Bob and I waved to her before heading down to Bob's room.
       Bob's room looked a lot like mine-black walls and band posters everywhere, specifically Black Sabbath. "Cool room." I said, placing my bag on the floor by the bed. He also had a small couch in his room. "Thanks. You can take the couch or the bed, doesn't matter to me." I decided to take the couch, taking a seat on the edge. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why aren't you home? Did something happen?" He wondered. That's when the tears came. I tried to hold them back, but apparently the universe was against me. "Frankie, what's wrong? I'm sorry, did I say something?" He asked, getting up and taking a seat beside me. "N-No, not you. M-My dad...he...he got drunk and he...I ran away. I needed to get away from him. He just started screaming at me and getting in my face and..." I couldn't say full sentences, my throat felt so constricted by tears. Bob wrapped his arms around me, burying my head in his shoulder. He allowed me to just sit and sob, quietly shushing me and letting me just get everything out. "Frankie, why didn't you go to Gee's house? He would have helped you, too. Why'd you come here?" He asked. "I...I didn't want Gee finding out. Finding out about my dad." I admitted. "Frankie, you and Gee talked about the self-harming. You know he won't be angry. He will be angry if you keep hiding stuff from him. You really should tell him. Remember, he really loves you, Frankie." I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them tightly, then placed my head on my arms. "I know. I know...I'll talk to him tomorrow. I just needed to...get away from it all, and I didn't want to bother him with all of this tonight. I'll talk to him tomorrow, I promise." I said shakily. "Okay. Just, get some sleep tonight. Get your energy back, Frank. You're safe here, I promise. You're safe." He said, emphasizing the words. I nodded and laid down across the couch. It was very comfortable. Bob gave me a spare blanket, then looked down at me with a smile. "Goodnight, Frank." He said before moving to climb into bed. "Goodnight, Bob." I replied. Bob turned off the lamp by his bed, engulfing the room in darkness, save for the moonlight shining in through the window. I stared out at the moon, snuggled up tightly in the blanket. And for once, in a long time, I actually felt safe.