Screaming at the Sun | Frerard

Chapter Fourteen

i didn't pROOF read this so if there are typos PLEASE TELL ME

Frank paced back and forth in the pool.

He was nervous. Too nervous to skateboard, even. The board remained stationary on the ground, flipped on it's back.

Like Patrick is now, Frank thought, wringing his hands.

He was in surgery. With the promise of money, they'd been able to operate on Patrick. Frank's mom had told him there was an eighty-percent chance of survival, and now the phrase repeated itself over and over in his head as he walked.

Eight-percent the first year, and then it went down with every coming year. By the fifth year, it would be at fifty-percent, and with the sixth . . .

Frank shook his head, as if trying to shake the bad thoughts out. Patrick would be fine – he always was. Cystic fibrosis wasn't about outliving the disease; it was about living long enough for someone to find the cure.

L: where r u?

Frank's phone buzzed, and he typed back shakily:

F: I'm fine, don't worry.

He hadn't seen anyone since halfway through the guitar class, when his mom had texted him to, 'Call her now!'

L: do you want to talk? Im kind of freaking out too

Frank frowned, shutting off his phone. He wasn't freaking out! He was more than freaking out! A lung transplant was the most dangerous thing Patrick had ever done by far, and Frank felt as if he was about to have a fucking aneurysm!

His phone rang, and Frank was preparing to scream at Lindsey when he saw the name. Gee.

Frank paused. Could he really talk to Gee right now? He supposed she deserved an explanation of where he went, and if anyone could make him feel better, it was her.

"Hey," Frank answered, his voice breaking a bit at the end. Shit.

There was silence on the other end, and Frank wondered if she'd misdialed. "Hello?" He asked, and her soft voice answered. "Yeah, hi."

Frank sighed as they sat in silence. "Gee, is there something you want to talk about? Because I'm kind of having a hard time right now."

"I know, and I'm really fucking sorry." Gee said, her words rushing out. "I really didn't mean for it to happen, I just didn't think things would get this far so I didn't want to tell you – "

"What?" Frank asked. "Gee, this has nothing to do with you! What are you talking about?"

A pause. "W-What do you think I'm talking about?"

"Patrick." Frank answered. "He's getting a lung transplant? I thought Lindsey would have told you."

"Lindsey and I aren't – " Gee cut herself off. "No, she didn't tell me."

"Alright," Frank rubbed at his eyes with one hand, holding the phone with his other. "Well, he's getting one right now. And I'm kind of losing my shit."

"Well, yeah. Understandably," Gee said. It sounded like her voice was shaking (maybe crying?), but Frank blamed bad reception. After all, he was in the middle of the woods. "Are you in your bunk?" Gee asked. "I'll come over."

"No," Frank said, and Gee snorted. "Right, of course not."

✰✰✰

Frank had composed himself by the time Gee arrived, sitting up and waving to her. His heart gave a little flutter as she smiled at him, and Frank cursed it out silently. Now wasn't the fucking time. Gee didn't increase her pace at all as she saw him, continuing to walk over to where he was sitting.