madness ☮

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

His heart dropped for a moment as he watched her move away after he had rested his hand on her leg. He couldn’t help but think that he had done something wrong, or maybe tried too soon. Sighing of relief as he saw her come out from the nurses office with an ice pack and a new towel, he shot her a small smile as she sat beside him. He hand flinched as she carefully began to unwrap his hand. “We’re learning together. I think- I really think that’s all what a relationship is about. If you think about it, we came into each others lives less than a year ago. We can’t expect to know what pushes each others buttons and entirely frustrates us both in that short time. So, we work on it. Together,” he paused, furrowing his eyebrows and looking over at her. “Am I making sense?” Frankie wasn’t really one to know a lot about relationships, but through his time with Arielle, he has learned a lot. And he still has a lot more to learn. He took a moment to reflect on her question. “Well… I guess that’s a part of it all. We fight. And we’re going to continue to fight. And sometimes it’s going to get really bad - God forbid it’s worse than what we are going through but still. That’s what we do, Elle. We fight. And I think it’s an important part of figuring each other out. I mean, it may not be the best way, but it is what it is,” he said, turning his head to look over at her as she now sat beside him against the locker. “It’s going to take some time, sure. We’re going to have to work and we’re going to yell and we’re going to not be able to stand each other sometimes. It’s not going to be easy. But I sure as hell know it’s worth it. Because, I know I want you. I want you so fucking bad and I can’t afford to lose you.” He let a smile slip through his lips as she brought up Jason, trying not to let his shoulders tense up as he thought back to what he said. “I swear to God, you don’t know how much I wanted to hit him. Hard.” A comfortable silence fell over the two before Frankie spoke up. “Would you- Can I just do this, though…” and with that he leaned in connected there lips, simply letting his lie on her for a moment. He pulled away, looking down at his hand as he smiled. “I needed that.”

"Listen to you," Ari said, letting a small smile come across her face as she looked down at his hand, "sounding like someone so grown up." She sighed, resting her head against the locker behind her as she looked over at him, hand still resting on his. She nodded, "It makes sense. Sort of. Because that is what we do... we fight. You can't control your tongue, and I'm stubborn. Kinda like fire and gasoline, don't you think?" She studied his face as he carried on, taking it in as he tried so desperately to make his point. The focus on his face and the seriousness in his tone made her heart melt, and she couldn't help but feel like he was being honest. "So we'll work at it... together. Because, Frankie, it kinda sucks walking down the hallway without you... being without you in general, actually. You happened to make a mess of my life, and it's not as exciting without the chaos," she smiled softly, still tired from sleepless nights and endless hours of holding herself together. Her smile grew as he talked about getting upset with his friend. "I could tell. You balled your fists and puffed out your chest and stood up all straight and tall. It's what you do when you get jealous. It's what you've always done. Even before we were, well, us," she grinned and raised her eyebrows, "but I will admit that I like knowing that your friends think I'm hot. Sort of a confidence boost." She laughed, and as her laugh subsided, so did the noise. The school was silent before Frankie spoke up once more. She looked over at him, furrowing her brow as he tried to sputter something out. Before she could speak up, he leaned in to kiss her, and she let him. As he pulled back, she leaned over on his shoulder, forehead resting near his cheek. She stayed like that for a moment, not wanting to move. Soon, she knew she had to. Arielle turned her face upwards and lightly pressed a kiss to his cheek before offering a hand to help him up. They were going to work on things, together. That's all she wanted. "Let's get you to a nurse, yeah? M'sure she's in the teacher's hall. You might be, er, a little broken," she paused, pulling him up before grabbing her books and pulling them into her chest, "May I ask when you realized punching a locker was a really, really bad idea? Like- was it right after or when it started to bleed?" She joked, walking by his side towards the exit.

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Frankie looked over at her with soft eyes, listening intently to everything he said. After all the yelling that had been happening, it really opened his eyes once he slowed down and actually listened to what each of them had to say. “It won’t happen again. I won’t let it. I can work on it. I can work on myself,” he said, looking over and watching there water well up in her eyes again. “You know, people say I’m a lot of things. But if there’s one thing I’m not it’s perfect. I’m nowhere near perfect. I’m still learning about… everything. School… life… love… I really don’t know what the hell I’m doing half the time, Elle. But I want to figure it out. I want to figure it all out and have you by my side while I do it. I love you, Elle. And I know I haven’t said that enough but I love you. I’m in love with you and I don’t want everything we have to stop.” He stopped, taking a moment to look over at her. He was doing everything he could to get her back. He needed to get her back. A chuckled escaped his lips when she commented on kicking him where it really hurts. “If I could go back to that night where I said all those things, believe me - I would have just shut up. Honestly. I just- I don’t know what happened. I was frustrated and I didn’t know what to think or say and I ended up taking it way too far. I’m so sorry… really.” Frankie was hesitant to do so, but he brought his uninjured hand and sat it on her leg. “I need to know what I have to do to make it all better. I mean- I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. But I need to know what to do to make this right. I don’t care if it takes weeks, months or however, I want to get you back.”

Her chin remained resting on her knees as she listened to him speak. Frankie's bright eyes were soft and caring, and she realized in that moment how much she missed looking into them. Holding his gaze, she suddenly felt like everything was okay again. Arielle watched as he tentatively rested his hand on her leg, following it with her eyes. She slowly looked back up at him, sighing before moving out of his reach. Silently, she walked into the room next to the bathroom, wiggling the door before it popped open. Knowing the nurse's office well, she quickly went back to the mini freezer and grabbed an ice pack and a new towel. She walked back into the hall and sat next to him with her back on the lockers. "I know you're learning," she said, gently grabbing his hurt hand and laying it in her lap, "I'm learning, too. But I'm learning about different things. I'm learning about trust and adventure and... love as well. And I just- it's just as hard for me, Frankie. You know how I get- I strive for perfection and when somethings not good enough, when I'm not good enough, I mean, I damn near go crazy. Hearing you talk about not trusting me... drove me a bit crazy. I just- I don't get it." She carefully unwrapped his hand and pressed the icepack to his hand. She focused on making it feel a bit better as she went on. "I just- if you get like that every time you're frustrated, what's going to happen when you're genuinely angry with me? And don't you go saying that won't happen because it will... I'm just as much of a pain as you are sometimes," she said, glancing over at him. She wanted to rest her head on his shoulder or kiss his cheek, but knew whatever they were going through wasn't over yet. "I... I think it might take a bit of time but... I wanna fix it. I just- I think we've both got a lot to work on," she said, wrapping the towel around his hand before leaving her hand on top of his. She looked at him, eyes tired, and smiled softly, "But I think we can do it. Besides... I... kinda never want to hear Jason hit on me ever again."

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Frankie made sure he kept his eyes locked on hers, showing that he was listening. He could tell she was frustrated. They weren’t yelling at the top of their lungs anymore, yet it was evident that they were both frustrated. Frankie was more frustrated in himself, frustrated that he let himself hurt her the way he had hurt her the past couple days. She was right. That Frankie that had been saying those things wasn’t him. Something got into him and his emotions took over and he lost the ability to control them. “I don’t know what happened. I honestly don’t. I’m here, I swear,” he said, quietly, continuing to keep his eyes on hers, “I’m still your Frankie. I promise. I don’t know what got into me and I- I just- fuck.” He stopped, taking a deep breath to collect himself, trying to find the words that would make all of this disappear. Something that would make everything okay. He shook his head, looking straight out in front of him. “I can’t let you go. I just can’t. Without you, I’m just- I can’t function. You saw what happened when you left, right? I can’t go through that again. I need you. And I just- I don’t want to let you go. And I know you may not want to hear any of this and you probably just want to kick me in the balls and-” he paused, looking over at her. “I can’t let go of us, Elle.”

As she looked into Frankie's eyes, Ari's heart raced faster and faster. She was breaking in more ways then one. All she wanted to do was lean over and curl into his side, holding onto him and praying that her Frankie would come back. She shook her head, feeling her throat tighten again, "I don't know what happened either. And it... it scares me. Because how do I... How do I know it won't happen again... and again and again?" She blinked, feeling the water well up in her eyes once more. Before anything could spill over her cheeks, she reached up and rubbed her eyes, getting rid of the tears before they could even form. She looked at him, sincerely listening and willing to hear him out so long as he was being calm. The corners of her lips turned upwards slightly at the last bit of his plea. "Me kicking you in the balls is the least of your worries," she said, laughing quietly before clearing her throat, "I don't... I don't know what to do, Frankie. You're sitting here saying you don't want to let me go but... you're the one who decided to... to s-say all those things. You're the one pushing me away. I just..." Her voice trailed off and she looked at him again, unable to muster up the words she needed to say. She was torn in between forgiving him and remaining unsure of his actions. "I'm not asking you to let go of us. I just.. where did we go wrong? And... d-do you truly think so little of me that you'd really believe I'd go off to another guy? Or that all of this could be fixed by you charming your way out of it? Frankie, c'mon..."

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Frankie sat in the hallway, clenching and unclenching the fist that he punched the locker above him with. His mind was so boggled when it happened that he hadn’t given attention to the sharp pain that now pulse through it. His knuckles were cut, not too deep but deep enough to draw a bit of blood. He didn’t care. At that moment, all he could think about was the things he had said to Arielle and what she had said back. The bell sounded and the halls were soon crowded with students. It had felt like hours had passed since Arielle went into the washroom, leaving him there to wait. Everyone seemed to have somewhere to go. They all put there books away and took the ones they needed and left, going to wherever they needed to be. He sat there, staring blankly at his hand as the halls began to die down. Shortly after the halls become empty, he heard the door creak open slightly. He didn’t bother to look up once he heard it shut shortly after. To his surprise, the door opened a moment later. He peered up and spotted the damp paper towel she held in her hand, taking a chance to look up to her face and noticing that she was avoiding eye contact. Looking down at his fist as she sat down beside him and took his hand in her lap, he sucked a sharp breath in own the towel hit his hand. He couldn’t help but let out a small laugh when she called him an idiot, putting his hand back in his lap. “Oh, I’ll be fine. It’s just cut a bit. And swollen. And hard to move,” he quietly joked, looking down at his now wrapped fist. “Thank you, though. Really…” He peered over at her, watching as she pulled her knees into her chest and stared at the locker beside him. “Yeah. You should. You have every right to hate me,” he admitted, quietly, shaking his head at himself.

Arielle let her eyes fall from the locker and move to his hand, still avoiding his eyes. She let out a small huff of a laugh and shook her head. "Serves you right," she said quietly, biting the inside of her cheek as she looked at his bandaged hand. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of not having him around... but she was angry. It scared her, how angry she was, because some of her anger wasn't even directed towards Frankie. She was pissed at him, no doubt, but she was pissed at herself for not being angrier. Some of the things he'd said were harsher than things she'd heard before, and it killed her to think that he was truly acting that way. Closing her eyes for a minute as her chin rested on her knees, she hoped to open them and be in her bed, waking up from a nightmare. Her eyelids fluttered open, however, and she was still there in the hallway with him, eyes burning from tears that had just barely stopped. For the first time in days, Ari let her gaze meet his, and she held it. "You're seriously... I don't," she exhaled, frustrated, "I just- what the hell is wrong with you? It's like you're... you're someone totally different. All of that fighting... those remarks... that's not Frankie. Not my Frankie, anyways. And that scares me. Because I'm not sure which Frankie is the real one." Taking a second, she gave a chuckle of disbelief and shook her head once more, "God, what happened to us?" She let silence linger as her eyes fell forward again, eyelids heavy as exhaustion took over. "Frankie," she said, softly, "I don't know what to do at this point..."

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Frankie shook his head as he listened to her. His body stopped in his place when she said “It is over.” As much as he’d been hurting before, that just took it to a whole other level. In that moment, he realized how real everything was. Following her down the hall and stopping her, in another attempt to win her back, his expression changed the moment he felt her hand wrap around his wrist and pull it away from her. He turned his head to look at their hands before turning back to her, breaking when he saw that her eyes had begun to water. His eyes softened as he listened to her. He watched as the girl he loved told him something he hoped he would have never had to hear. You’re just like him. He needed no more explanation to realize who she was talking about. After she ducked around him, he stood there, looking nowhere but the floor where her books and papers were now scattered across. He shook his head, thinking back to when she first opened up to him about Garrett, telling him all about how he abused her to her breaking point. His stomach churned as he realized that the past few days he resembled him all too much. In the past couple days, he became something he promised her he would never become. He had promised to never hurt her or do anything like Garrett had done to her. Frankie closed his eyes, resting an arm on the wall and putting his head against it as he stood there, shaking his head in disbelief at himself and what he had done. Pushing off the wall, he walked to the other side of the room, running a hand through his hair before taking his fist and colliding it with a locker, leaving a small dent. He walked over to her books, kneeling down and putting them in a neat pile beside the bathroom entrance before walking over and sitting under the locker he had taken his aggression out on. He elbowed the locker once more and rested his head in his hands, not knowing what to do at this moment. He had lost her.

Seconds passed by as Arielle stood, pacing back and forth in the bathroom. Seconds became minutes. Minutes piled up into an hour. The final bell rang, but she didn't move. She remained leaning over the sink, staring down at the running water. She'd heard him hit the locker outside, then only heard silence. Once the final shout echoed through the halls, she knew everyone had gone back to their dorms; she figured the coast was clear. Splashing cool water on her face, she sniffled and got herself together. She was hurting all over, aching physically and emotionally. Quietly, she went to the door and peeked out, her heart sinking as she saw her books in a neat pile next to a disheveled Frankie. The dent in the locker above him matched the red on his knuckles. Though she wanted to hate him even more in that moment for not leaving, she couldn't. She quickly ducked back into the bathroom, soaking a paper towel in cold water. Saying nothing to him, she came out once more and sat down next to him, not too close. Reaching over and avoiding eye contact, she grabbed his wrist gently and set his damaged hand in her lap. She began to wrap the cold towel around it, being careful in hopes not to hurt him too badly. "You're really fucking stupid," she said, still wrapping his hand, "you missed English- a subject you really shouldn't be missing- and you've gone and fucked up your hand." She finished wrapping it and carefully laid it in his lap. She sat at his side facing him, her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on top. "Frankie," she mumbled, looking at the dark blue locker in front of her, "I should hate you so much for everything you've said. So fucking much."

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Frankie ran a hand through his hair, tugging gently on the ends in an effort to get some of his frustration out. The last thing he needed was to get riled up again and have the same thing that happened a couple night ago happen again. He couldn’t lose his temper, even though he was growing more and more uneasy with every word she said back to him. He wasn’t  getting through to her, and that drove him crazy. “Don’t be a bitc-” he stopped himself, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment as he walked backwards. “Don’t be like this, Arielle. You and I both know that this-” he put his hand up, making a motion between the two of them, “this isn’t over.” He smirked down at her as he walked. He wasn’t going to give up on her, that’s for sure. He was determined to get her back and he wasn’t going to stop until he knew that they were good again. He looked down as she talked, biting the inside of his lip nervously. “I know, I know… I’m sorry. Look- I just want to talk. Just you and me. What happened that other night was just- it shouldn’t have happen. I’m sorry and I had no right to bring him up or not trust you or anything. I didn’t mean any of it.” He looked back up at her, a sincere look in his eyes. “What do I have to do to get you to believe that?” He watched at she picked up her pace and walked around him. He was debating on whether to just let her go to class, and try again after school where she wouldn’t have to worrying about missing school work. He was going to do that until she brought up Jason. Those things drove him crazy and she knew it. “Are you fucking kidding me…” he muttered under his breath before running ahead stopping in front of her, putting one hand against a locker to stop her from going any further. “Elle, c’mon. Please, can we not do this again?” he said, softly bringing his other hand to graze her side as he looked down at her. “Can’t we just go back to my room, make up and then have sex or something?”

As the word bitch nearly escaped his lips, Ari narrowed her eyes and glared, daring him to give her a reason to bring a knee up to his stomach. She inhaled sharply shaking her head and looking up at him. "I'm not doing this right now, Frankie. I have no desire to talk to you," she said, lying through her teeth. "In fact," she brought up her hand and motioned to between the two of them, "I have no desire to even try to fix whatever this dysfunctional mess is. So yeah. It is over. Have a nice day, Frankie. Have a nice life." Another lie. As she stepped around, she'd hoped once again that he'd just disappear. She didn't want to talk about it. He'd said things, looked at her, spoke to her, done things that took her mind soaring back to the way Garrett treated her. She nearly jumped back as he slid in front of her, arm blocking her way. Her jaw clenched and her eyes began to water as his last comment came out of his mouth. She shook her head and grabbed his hand from her side, getting it away from her and letting her books drop to the ground. "You have no right to touch me anymore. So don't touch me. God, Frankie, just grow up," she said, shaking her head in disbelief and letting his wrist go. She stumbled backwards, "I don't even know who you are anymore... but you're... you're just like him." She stepped around Frankie, hoping he knew exactly who she meant when sputtering out the word him. She left her books scattered on the floor, heading for the bathroom rather than her classroom, seeing as the hallway had already cleared. "Just l-leave me alone. For good," she spat out once more before ducking into the bathroom and letting out a silent sob that she'd been holding back.

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Frankie watched as she past them and walked down the hallway, noticing her looking over at them. He almost began to smile before he saw her send his friend a flirtatious smile, realizing that she had heard him. As he walked away from the lockers to follow her, he looked back at his friend, glaring at him with dark eyes. Even though they weren’t necessarily together at the moment, nothing bothered him more than other guys talking about her like that. It bothered him before, and it bothers him now. He hated knowing that at this moment, she wasn’t his. “Okay, Arielle,” he said, coldly as he rolled his eyes at her remark. The tips of his mouth curled up when she said what class he had next. “You’re funny, El-” he caught himself, cursing under his breath. “Sorry, Arielle.” He sped up his pace, to match her and then some, leaving him so he was in front of her. He turned around so he could face her, leaving him walking backwards. “Can’t we talk? So what you have physics. All it is is like… roller coasters and energy and stuff, right? Just take this one period off.” He continued to walk backwards,  looking over his shoulder every couple moments to make sure he wouldn’t run into any of the students that filled the hallways as they rushed to there classes. “Oh c’mon. Stop being all uptight and all. What do you say? We go back to my room and talk. Or something like that. Yours works too. We can- we can talk and work things out and make out a bit and talk and make out some more.”

In that moment, she hated him. Arielle hated his tone and his cocky walk. She hated the way he effortlessly walked backwards, and she especially hated the stupid smirk he had on his face as he spoke down to her. "You're seriously an idiot," she said, glaring up at him as he spoke about skipping class. She ran a frustrated hand through her hair, "I can't miss class. You of all people should know that I don't skip class- especially for things that don't matter. Things like you." She looked down at his feet, silently wishing that he'd stumble backwards or run into an angry looking senior or something that would get him away from her. His suggestion made her feel sick; it made her feel like he wasn't nearly as serious as she was about everything. Then again, maybe he never was. Maybe she never really mattered as much to Frankie as he did to her. The sinking feeling in her stomach appeared again, and all she wanted to do was run off and cry. "I'm not going to your room. You're not come anywhere near mine. I don't have any desire to talk to you. Frankie, I don't even have any desire to see you right now. God, don't you get it? This isn't something you can just... charm your way around. It's not something that can be fixed by you just kissing me or some shit, "she said, huffing and feeling flustered. She gathered her thoughts and stood up straight, picking up the pace once more and stepping around him. "I've got class. See you around, and," she paused, glancing over her shoulder and smirking, knowing just what to say to make him hurt like she was hurting, "tell Jason that I said hey. Actually- I'll just tell him myself."

Alone in Crowded Halls || Arielle & Frankie

Arielle's hands shook as she walked towards Frankie and his little pack of followers. Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest, and her steps began to pick of the pace as well. As she heard one of his friends make a remark about her, she looked up. Catching Frankie's eye, she noticed his fists clenched and his chest puffed out just as it had back when they first started getting to know each other, each time she brought up a guy she was interested in. She gave Frankie a barely noticeable smirk before turning her attention to his friend, giving him the sweet smile that she'd so often shown Frankie. Looking forward once more, she pulled her book closer to her chest and continued walking, praying to god that she wouldn't have to hear his voice or even see him before she could escape to class. Unfortunately, however, he quickly caught up to her. "My name, in case you've forgotten," she said, not even bothering to look back at him, "is Arielle. You can either call me that or stop speaking to me." She took a deep breath before carrying on, fighting the urge to turn around and either dive into his chest or kick him where it would really hurt. "No, actually, I'm not free. I like to show up to classes unlike some people. I've got physics and you have English," she said, pausing and cringing at the fact that she knew exactly where he needed to be, and still cared that he got there, "so no. I'm not free. Nor am I free after school today or tomorrow or the next day or... ever, for that matter.  So run along, Benson."

Keep It Together // Frankie and Arielle

Frankie knew he had done wrong when he cheated on her all those months ago and it only made his anger bubble up more when anyone brought it back up. For him, it was the past and that was that. “Oh shut up. Hell - I hooked up with a girl or two. It happened that easy. Who’s to say you wouldn’t do the same?” He peered over at her, his eyes dark. “Or are you just that much fucking better than me, huh?” he said, shaking his head before running a hand through his hair. “Because God forbid Arielle Brooks does something wrong! Get out of your head, bud,” he scoffed, knowing all too well that he had taken this too far, yet not having the self control to stop himself. He clenched his fist together, trying everything in his power to get all his frustrations out before he spoke another word. The hole he had dug for himself was only getting bigger. “So that’s what this all is? A stupid relationship? Really, Arielle? Don’t.” As his emotions came down and he tried to apologize, he could feel his frustration building up as she wouldn’t accept it. He knew he got carried away. He hadn’t meant half the things he had said to her, and he knew it was going to be tough to get her to believe him. He pulled at the ends of his hair, turning back around towards her. “I know… I know I should have never questioned you or- fuck. I’m sorry! I have no idea what else to say but that, I just - fuck.” He turned towards a wall, hitting his fist against it - not hard enough to break through, but hard enough to get some of his frustration out. “I’m frustrated. I’m just fucking frustrated, okay?” He watched as the tears began to flow down her cheeks, his heart dropping even more as she continued to tell him to leave. “No, Elle. Don’t do this. C’mon, don’t push me away. I didn’t mean it all, I-” The tears continued to flood down her cheeks, and he could feel himself breaking down as he watched her. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, knowing that she needed someone to be there for her right now. And Frankie knew he had to be that someone - whether she was mad at him or not. He stood there with his arms wrapped around her as he plunged his head into her hair, needed her as much as she needed him.

Stomach turning, chest tightened, and a bit breathless, Arielle stood motionless and speechless as the boy she loved so much spat vile words at her. "A girl or two? And it doesn't even phase you?" Her voice was no longer angry. All of the fury inside of her had been knocked right out, along with the air in her lungs, as Frankie continued with his rage. "I mean that little to you, huh? You don't even regret it? Frankie," her voice was just as shaky as her hands were as they gripped at her aching stomach, "I-I... I wouldn't have done the same... because I was, for the very first time, in love... And I say was because suddenly I'm.. I'm not so sure. Not if this is how you're going to act. This isn't... it's not you." Her eyes reflected both pain and a bit of fear before clouding over with guilt. She did hold herself above others, and she'd admit that, but it wasn't her reasoning behind everything. "You know what, in some aspects, I am better than you.. but that is not what this is about. This is about you completely not trusting me and bringing... bringing him into things and I..." Her voice trailed off, mouth dry and throat closing, letting out only air and no sound. She watched as he turned, pounding his fists on the wall. Flashbacks of fights with Garrett came surging back to mind and once again, she found herself vulnerable and a bit scared. Arielle backed away as he turned towards her, shaking her head. "Stop. You don't tell me what I can and can't do or if I can or can't push," she said, shaking her head, cheeks soaked with tears. "Frankie, don't," she tired to protest, but he'd pulled her into a hug before she could say anymore. Her mind kept running back to fighting with her last boyfriend, only causing her to panic. She sobbed into his chest for a moment, wanting nothing more than to say it was okay, but knowing that she couldn't. She lifted her hands and hit his chest once before shoving away from him. Ari stumbled back once more, breathless and still overwhelmed with tears. "Frankie, don't... don't touch me. Stop apologizing just... I think.. I think it's best if you just go," she said, opening her  door, still feeling nauseous, "Go."

Keep It Together // Frankie and Arielle

Frankie scrunched up his nose as she leaned down and pecked it, smiling at her as she pulled away. “You’re the only one I would let get away with that hoodie adorableness statement. Fuck, you’ve got me wrapped around your finger.” As the argument continued to progress, Frankie could feel himself getting more and more riled up about everything. As much as Frankie did trust her, he couldn’t get the thought of her and Garrett out of his head. She left, and he had no way of protecting her from him - and that terrified him. “Are you really gonna fucking bring up what I did? It’s been months, Arielle. Months. Really?” Frankie turned his back to her as he listened, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. He knew he shouldn’t be mad at her. He had no right to. He had no right to bring up Garrett or question her. He knew all of that, of course but he could never get past the questions that were bottled up in his head. “Don’t you fucking call me stupid. I didn’t know what you were doing down there. If it wasn’t Garrett, it could have been some other guy. I don’t fucking know.” He turned around, finally getting a chance to look at her face. He tried his best to calm down as she opened up to his about the reason she left. His stomach dropped, taking his heart with it as she told him that she stayed home because Cade was sick. “I-” He struggled to find the right words, not wanting to dig a hole deeper than the one he already had. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was softer as looked over to her, knowing that he had it all wrong all this time. “I mean - baby, I’m so sorry. And I know that you probably don’t want to hear any of that but I- I’m really so sorry.”

Arielle's anger continued to build, becoming greater as he continued to be angry with her for something out of her control. Fury surged from her head to her toes, and for a moment she feared her tiny body might not be able to hold it, causing her to simply break. "You still did it, Frankie," she snapped back, shaking her head. She couldn't stop the words from pouring out as she added, "and it doesn't matter how long ago it was. It still happened.... a-and it's always going to be there in the back of my mind, making it... making it a little difficult for me to fully trust you. And that's what's pissing me off about you not trusting me! Name one time, Frankie, one time that I gave you a reason not to trust me!" Her words came out fierce, but still a bit broken. She ran her hands through her hair, frustrated and flustered. She leaned back against her desk, hands holding her up as tears finally broke surface. "You really think I'd run off with some other guy? After all the shit I've taken through this stupid relationship?" Her voice became weak and broken, like little pieces of a century old, shattered stain-glass window, "You really... you really think that little of me?" She looked at him, eyes pleading for some sort of reassurance but getting nothing. As he turned to look at her, she immediately looked away, eyes flickering to the window, still full of tears. "Stop," she snapped, looking back at him, still angry that he hadn't trusted her reasoning, "don't call me baby. And don't use that tone and don't fucking look at me like that. A-And don't... don't apologize. You had every right to be pissed at me for leaving. Every damn right. But, Frankie Benson, if I'm anything- it's trustworthy. I have been nothing but honest a-and forgiving. And you just... completely lose all trust in me because I leave for a family emergency I..." Arielle wiped a tear from her cheek and shook her head, angry and hurt, "Just... go. I don't even want to deal with this right now. Cade's supposed to call and this is the last thing he'll want to hear about."

Keep It Together // Frankie and Arielle

"Really," Frankie replied, sending a wink her way before laughing. "Yeah, you really are lucky I showed up," he joked, playfully, sending her a wink. "Oh, I don’t know, Elle. It’s gonna be hard to repay me. I mean I’ve done so much for you. But then again - just being able to call you mine is enough.” Peering over at her, he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at his cheesy remark, knowing that she still gets butterflies. “I do love you though. I love you. Even though you steal my hoodies. And manage to look fucking adorable in them.” His mood continued to plummet as he thought more and more about her leaving. It had hurt him to say the least. And it hurt him even more to see that she wasn’t giving him a reason. “No! I have every right to be pissed off that you left. Especially since you aren’t telling me why,” he spat, getting increasingly frustrated as he stood up from the bed and ran a hand through his hair. “So - what is it, then? Why’d you leave? Because for all I know, you could have went down to see fucking Garrett or whoever. I wouldn’t know. I barely got a couple texts a day, let alone a phone call or two.” Frankie knew that his emotions easily got out of hand, and this occasion was not an acception. “So what the fuck was it? And why was it so bad that you couldn’t even let me know why you left, huh?”

Arielle bit down on her bottom lip, turning away from him slightly as she tossed a t-shirt into one of her drawers, all in attempt to keep him from seeing her blush again. Each day with Frankie seemed to be another adventure, and she never really got used to the endless charm. She tossed her head back slightly, letting out a laugh as she pulled the sleeves of his hoodie over her hands. She walked over to him and put both hands on his cheeks, leaning in and kissing his nose, "Far more adorable than you'll ever be in them, love." She pulled back and went on sorting clothes, her stomach dropping with every word Frankie spat at her. His tone was harsh and ominous, giving her goosebumps in a bad sense. For the first time, it truly hit her. She hadn't realized that he would be hurt by her leaving for so long; she hadn't even realized that she was capable of hurting him at all. Guilt quickly turned into rage as he brought up remnants from her past. She felt nauseous and furious all at once. "You're joking. You've got to be joking right now," she spat back, tears of anger threatening to spill over her cheeks, "that's what you think happened? After everything you've done to me you think you have the right to question my motives?" She tossed a shirt aside, stumbling back in an attempt to distance herself from him, "You think I left here for a boy? A boy that was part of the reason I came here? Are you that stupid? You seriously don't trust me?" She looked back at him, hoping that he wasn't seriously suspicious, but seeing that he was. She opened her mouth to speak, hoping to come out confident, but only mustering up a whimper. "Cade was sick, Frankie. I needed to be home because Cade was sick," she nodded, still on the verge of tears, "I literally can't believe you thought I... I was... Look, maybe you should go."

Keep It Together // Frankie and Arielle

"I’ll be the death of you? Then I really will be the lady killa like they always told me I was when I was little," Frankie said, nonchalantly, winking over at her jokingly. Looking down at her comforter, he found himself smiling at the thought of her parents actually taking a liking to him. He hadn’t been invited to many girls houses to meet her parents before Arielle, and even when he did, it was most likely that they already hated before he even stepped in the door. "Really?" he beamed, still smiling. "They like me? Me? Oh, but I am good for you. I mean just think back to before we started dating. You were an absolute wreck. I have no idea how you functioned.” He paused for a moment after joking with her, before chuckling and pulling himself up. “Love youuuuu,” he cooed, leaning over and kissing her cheek. His eyes widened once she pulled out one of his hoodies that had mysteriously gone missing a bit after they started dating. Shaking his head, he chuckled a bit once she put it on, leaning his back against the headboard. As she began to apologize about missing his dad, he tried his best to forgive her, knowing that she probably had a good reason for leaving. There was something that kept him from doing it though. “Yeah, well… this means you have to come to New York. No matter what.” Having her gone was hard for Frankie, yet what was even harder is that he never got a real reason for her leaving. All of a sudden one day she was just kissing him goodbye with her bags packed and left. “That’s not fair?” he scoffed, looking over to her. “No, you know what’s not fair? Having your girlfriend fucking leave one morning for like a month without a reason or a proper goodbye. Don’t talk what fair and what’s not with me, Arielle.”

"Really," Ari confirmed, giving a firm nod before rolling her eyes dramatically, "Oh, me? I was a wreck? Yeah, that's certainly it. I was the one who needed a tutor in the first place. Thank god you came along and made me the lady I am now." She leaned over to him and quickly pecked his cheek, "Oh how ever will I repay you for such a feat? I truly owe every moment of success from here on out to you and only you." She smiled, feeling her cheek burn slightly where he kissed her. She felt a flush fall over her and laughed, tugging her hood up over her hair and nodding, "Yeah, of course you do." She took notice to the way he didn't accept her apology. In all honesty, she really had been sorry to leave him for so long on such short notice. It had all happened quickly, one thing after another. Her aunt had a baby one minute, and the next Cade was extremely sick. Anyone who thought she'd leave her baby brother behind in conditions was extremely wrong. "Already told you I had no problem going to New York. Just tell me when and I'm here," she said, giving him a soft smile. Her smile dropped as he continued on. She shook her head and looked at him, "Frankie Benson, don't you dare think that I left without a good reason. That was just as hard for me as it was for you, and you know that. You also know that I wouldn't just leave you like that if I didn't have a reason to." He spat out her first name and she was instantly taken aback. "Frankie, don't do this," she said, shaking her head, "I should've told you but... I just... it happened so fast and- I'm sorry, okay? Can't you understand that it wasn't on purpose?"