Chapter Text
Frank busted into his room the second he arrived home from school, ignoring any family who tried to speak to him, ignoring any “ How was your day at school, honey? ”, or any “ Did you pass that spanish test? You better have. ” comments.
He slammed his door hard, throwing down his backpack and kicking off his shoes. His face was flushed a bit, and he had ya led at his tie on the way home causing it to look disheveled.
“ Where the fuck is it?! God damn it! ”
Frank cursed as he stuck his hand under his mattress moving it around like he was afraid it would go numb and fall off if he stopped moving.
Finally, Frank yanked out a small “ book ”, it was actually his diary. He was embarrassed that he kept one, diaries are for cringy teenage girls, like Illi McMillin. Not a manly punk guy like Frank Iero.
He kept one to help him regulate his emotions and feelings, he wasn’t the best with staying calm, or not violent. He didn’t really know why he had such a jealousy issue as well, he just, well, did .
He threw the diary that he had personally drawn the cover of on his desk. He stopped for a moment to breathe and try to calm down, looking at all of his favorite band logos and his own personal bands logo that he drew on the diary’s black cover in white paint.
Once he finally opened the diary, he began writing his entry…
FRANKS SUPER COOL “ DIARY ” ENTRY >:) ☆
AUGUST 27TH 2005.
Illi McMillin is the BIGGEST freak in my school, she’s such a weirdo. she's weirdly in love with vampires and obsessed with them, it’s freaky. she’s scared me before with those stupid cheap plastic vampire fangs and lipstick all over her face. you know how EMBARRASSING that was? I screamed like a GIRL . she just jumped out and yelled “ BOO! ”, at school like, who does that?! only a freak would. she smells like cigarettes, im sure i do as well but she stinks worse. plus on top of that she reeks of coffee, her coffee breath is terrible. she’s ALWAYS asking me if she can copy my homework. Illi used to be like.. a dude i guess, that’s why she’s not allowed to wear the chicks uniform. I saw her begging once for them to let her wear it, and they told her no. right in front of the “ BE WHO YOU ARE! ” sign. LOL, IRONIC. sometimes she offers that i can copy off of her homework only sometimes though. Illi McMillin is a total freak.
and i’m COMPLETELY in love with her. fuck.
she has a younger brother, Mikey. He's kinda cool. He looks chill, but he’s JUST AS CRAZY! SOMEHOW, he gets ALL the chicks in the school, EVEN THE DUDES. one time i had to piss, and he had i think pete wentz pinned up against the wall next to the urinal making out with him. FIRST OF ALL, unfair. I can’t pull anyone and he’s a freaky new kid and gets EVERYONE ??
I really try to make sure it isn’t obvious that I have a big fatass crush on his sister, but sometimes I think he can see right through my act and knows I'm head over heels.
ILLI IS STILL A TOTAL FREAKSHOW AND ME LIKING HER DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING.
—xofrnk out.
God, no. Actually uh, let’s go back to the start of all of this. Back to the day Illi Freaky McMillin began tormenting my pathetic precious heart, last year.
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LAST YEAR, MARCH 14TH 2004.
Frank didn’t even notice the bell ring, despite it being obnoxiously loud.
The chemistry teacher, Mrs. Addler was writing something on the chalk board, “ CHEMISTRY! ” and a bunch of other things about tests, reviews, lectures, study guides.
Mrs. Addler turned around facing her class. Sometimes she seemed like she dreaded teaching, other times she seemed like she loved it. Today seemed iffy.
She looked like she was going to say something, then the door creaked open. Everyone turned their head towards the door, new kids. Of fucking course.
Princeton High never got new kids, transfers mid year either meant they were some politician's brat or got kicked out of every school within twenty miles. It wasn’t really a “ rich ” school. Just a snotty private school.
The taller one looked like she came from a Hot Topic ad. She had shoulder length black hair, and what looked to be a little bit of smudged eyeliner at the corners of her eyes. The only thing that was confusing was the fact she was wearing the men’s uniform.. She looked like she’d been here before in a dream and already hated it.
She definitely would hate it.
Her bag was what caught Frank's eye. You didn’t get many kids who would wear messenger bags instead of the classic “ proper ” backpack. Let alone covered in band pins. His eyes widened at the sight of one of the pins on her bag. a Misfits pin. He figured he was seeing things wrong, really? No way. Yet he couldn’t stop staring.
The shorter one, looked somewhat wide eyed through his glasses. He stood close to the chick, kinda like a backup, or a sidekick. Although his stare was no doubt, blank and dead looking.
Mrs. Addler sighed like this was the last straw in her very long life.
She spoke, like she had a horrendous headache and was about ready to drop dead and or quit.
“ Class, Sh.. Quiet. These two lovely people are joining us now. They transferred. This is %#*$&@ McMillin and his little brother, Mikey! ”
" Hey, " the boy said with a wave. " I'm Mikey."
Mrs. Addler smiled like he was a damn golden retriever, probably out of pity. “ What a handsome young man! ”
He was not “ young ”, he was a Sophomore, like Frank. Yet she was acting like he was five.
The girl rolled her eyes. She didn't look surprised, more like she'd already planned out every second of this moment, including what came next.
“ Uh, actually, ” Her voice was dry, unapologetic, and annoyed. “ It’s Illi. ”
Mrs. Addler shot the poor girl a glare, “ That’s not the name on your record. ”
The silence in the room after that was terrifying, uncomfortable and unsettling. Someone from the back of the classroom was doing a terrible job at trying to hold in a laugh and made a snort sound instead. Sarah, one of the popular girls with an allergy to minding her business, leaned across the aisle and stage-whispered, “ What a freak ”.
Illi didn’t blink, but the corner of her mouth twitched. Something only the very observant Frank would notice. She smirked after a second, probably to calm herself down so she didn’t argue with the teacher about what her name really is. Although that smirk read as if Sarah's insult was nothing she hadn't heard before and probably something she agreed with. The girl was looking dead at her.
“ Take a seat next to Frank, ” Mrs. Addler muttered, already done with this. She pointed towards him before speaking to Mikey assigning him as seat as well.
Illi's eyes scanned the room as the teacher pointed at him. The rest was a blur, Frank didn't remember where Mikey was seated. All he knew was he was with the new girl and no longer alone in the back.
Her chair made a horrendous noise against the floor, this school really needed new chairs. That would never happen though, private schools have no funding from the state, and once they get funding they spend it on something useless instead of something to benefit the students.
Frank was struggling to not stare at the girl, or her bag. Or was a really fucking cool pin, he was a bit nervous to say anything about it to be completely honest. He looked her up and down and as he looked back up, she was making a face like she knew he was staring at her. Fuck. He gave an awkward smile before speaking.
“ I uh, like your pin—The uh, Misfits one. ”
Frank said it quickly, he fiddled with his lip piercing with his mouth as he looked down at the pin, and back up at her face. Awaiting her response, not that he was afraid she’d end up being a poser, but that she’d call him out for staring.
Mrs. Addler began scribbling again on the board, droning about “ the periodic table ” and “ valence electrons ” in a tone so dry it could’ve sparked a fire if the air weren’t already dead with boredom.
Illi sat stiffly beside Frank, her bag hugged close to her leg like a shield. Her fingers tugged at the fraying hem of her sleeve.
Frank kept glancing sideways. He could feel the nervous heat crawling up the back of his neck. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything about the pin. Maybe he should’ve just shut up. Maybe—
“ Thanks, by the way. ” she said, barely above a whisper.
He blinked, startled she’d responded at all. She didn’t look at him when she said it. Her eyes stayed locked on the board, one hand resting near the strap of her bag, like she was ready to bolt the second the bell rang.
“ You look like the only cool person in this school. ”
Oh. My. God. “ She thinks IM cool? ” Frank though to himself.
Frank leaned a little closer, lowering his voice.
“ No problem. I just—like, Misfits are cool. Not a lot of people here are into that kinda stuff. ”
Illi’s eyes flicked toward him for a split second before dropping again.
“ Yeah. ”
It wasn’t unfriendly. Just small. Quiet. Like she didn’t know how loud she was allowed to be here yet.
Mrs. Addler’s chalk squealed against the board, drawing a visible flinch out of a few students. She didn’t notice, already muttering something about the periodic table.
Frank tried again.
“ I like your bag too. The pins and all. ”
A beat. “ You make any of those yourself? ”
Illi tilted her head slightly, still not meeting his eyes. Her fingers fidgeted with the strap of her bag.
“ Some. ”
Frank nodded like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He drummed his fingers against his desk, tapping out a nervous rhythm.
“ That’s really cool. Like, really. I always wanted to make stuff like that, but my glue gun skills are crap. Last time I tried I burned all of my fingertips off— ”
Frank stopped himself, afraid he was saying too much. He didn’t wanna overwhelm the poor girl more than he already did.
That got him the ghost of a smile. Brief, but there. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, eyes flicking to the board again.
Frank didn’t want to push. But he also didn’t want the conversation to die.
“ Hey, um… ” he whispered, biting down on the inside of his cheek, “ You like chemistry? ”
Illi raised an eyebrow. Just slightly. She turned her head enough to look at him directly for more than a second like before, and the corner of her mouth twitched again. That same twitch from before. Like she was holding in something—laughter maybe, or a snarky reply.
She shook her head slowly.
“ Nope. ”
Frank grinned. “ Same. ”
Mrs. Addler’s voice cut through again:
“ And you two in the back, if the elements are more interesting than your conversation, I’d love to hear your insights. ”
Frank sat up straight like he’d been caught stealing something. Illi muttered a soft “ Sorry, ” under her breath, but the teacher had already turned around again, too tired to keep scolding.
They stayed quiet for a few minutes after that, flipping through pages in their textbooks. Frank caught her glancing at his notes once, then quickly looking away.
He didn’t mind.
Eventually, she leaned over just a little, just enough for her whisper to barely reach him:
“ Do you know what page we’re on? ”
Frank blinked and looked down at his book like it held the meaning of life.
“ Uh—uh, yeah, hang on. Page 14. Ionic bonding. ”
She nodded. “ Thanks. ”
He smiled again, quieter this time.
Maybe she was shy. Maybe she was weird. Maybe she really was the biggest freak in school.
But she talked to him. And that was already more than anyone else had done all day.
Mrs. Addler let out a dramatic sigh and began writing in huge, screechy chalk letters: ELECTRON CONFIGURATION.
“ Now, ” she said in a strained voice, “ if anyone actually read the summer packet, this should all look familiar. Excusing #%*!$@ and Mikey. ”
Frank leaned a little closer to Illi, trying to make it seem like he was copying notes. His elbow was resting dangerously close to her notebook.
“ You really just moved here? ” he whispered.
Illi nodded once, barely turning her head toward him. Her hair swung forward, and she tucked a strand behind her ear. Frank swore he caught a glimpse of a tiny bat doodle in the corner of her notebook.
He kept going, too curious to stop.
“ Where from? ”
She hesitated. “ …Belleville. ”
“ Oh. That’s not… super far. ”
She just gave a shrug. Her pen tapped softly on the desk. She hadn’t written anything down yet. Frank pretended he didn’t notice.
Mrs. Addler was circling a diagram now and saying something about “ valence shells ” with the enthusiasm of a corpse.
Frank cleared his throat and tried again, he took a quick glance back down at her bag. “ You got more band pins? ”
She glanced at him, then slowly unzipped the flap of her messenger bag. Inside the front pocket were at least six more buttons—AFI, The Damned, Bauhaus, The Cure. His heart just about exploded.
He pointed to one with a silent nod of approval, mouthing The Cure.
She tilted her head, amused, and mouthed back: Favorite album?
Frank panicked. His mind was suddenly blank. He had no thoughts, no music taste, no functioning brain cells.
“ Um. Pornography , I think, ” he whispered, hoping he didn’t sound like a total poser.
Illi gave a tiny, skeptical nod of approval. Not convinced. But not judging. Not entirely.
he finally wrote something down—nothing from the board, just the word “ hi ” very small in the corner of her page, then slid it toward him like it was the only word she trusted herself to say.
Frank stared at it, then smiled.
He wrote “ hi ” back, next to hers.
They didn’t talk again for the rest of class, but their arms were just barely brushing the whole time. Neither of them moved away.
Lunch sucked. The food sucked, the lights sucked, the tables were sticky, and Frank was alone. Again.
He picked at the crust of his sandwich like it had personally wronged him. His headphones were around his neck, but he hadn’t even bothered turning them on. Too loud in the cafeteria, too quiet in his head.
He was halfway through his juice when he noticed them—Illi and Mikey, trays in hand, scanning the room like they were looking for someone. Or avoiding everyone.
Illi spotted him first.
She said something to her brother, then began walking toward Frank’s table without waiting for an answer.
Frank froze with his sandwich halfway to his mouth.
She sat down across from him like it was no big deal. Mikey followed, slouching lazily into the seat next to her, earbuds in one ear, still chewing gum.
Frank stared at them for a second too long.
Illi set her tray down. She had exactly three things: a cup of black coffee, a plain bagel, and a tiny carton of chocolate milk. The milk was probably Mikey’s. He already had it halfway open and was poking a straw in with one hand, the other still in his hoodie pocket.
Frank cleared his throat.
“ Uh. Hey. ”
“ Hey, ” Illi said, not meeting his eyes yet, but smiling a little.
Mikey gave a half-hearted “ yo , ” and that was apparently the most he intended to contribute.
Frank looked down at his sandwich again, like it had answers.
“ You’re sitting here, ” he said dumbly, mostly just to fill space.
Illi glanced at him and nodded. “ Yeah. ”
“ Cool. ”
“ Yeah. ”
Frank took a sip of his juice to avoid saying anything else stupid.
Illi picked at her bagel. “ You always sit alone? ”
“ Uh. Yeah. ”
“ Why? ”
He gave her a look. “ Look at me. ” Frank said as he pointed at his face, mainly circling on his lip ring and nose ring.
She tilted her head, mock-considering. “ Fair. ”
Illi giggled a little bit, he could’ve sworn he heard her snort.
There was a pause, the good kind. Not awkward. Just… full of unsaid things.
Mikey said nothing, just sipped his milk and leaned back like he was watching a movie.
Frank fiddled with the edge of his tray. “ So, uh… how’s your first day? ”
Illi shrugged. “ Not terrible. ”
“ That’s high praise. ”
“ You didn’t tell anyone I copied your notes, ” she said.
He smirked. “ Yet. ”
She raised an eyebrow. “ Threatening me? ”
“ Only a little. ”
A faint smile flickered across her lips. “ I bite. I’m a vampire. ”
Frank’s face went hot. He tried not to choke on his juice.
Mikey rolled his eyes.
They didn’t talk much after that—just ate, slowly, like it was okay to be quiet now that the silence wasn’t empty. Illi dipped her bagel into her coffee. Frank didn’t say anything, but it freaked him out a little.
He didn’t mind, though.
It was the first lunch in months that didn’t suck.
He could get used to having this girl around.
The walk home felt different today.
Same cracked sidewalks, same shitty gum stains on the pavement, same trees with leaves half-sprouted after winter—still march, still Jersey—but everything felt a little more alive. Or maybe he was just paying more attention.
Frank kicked a stray bottle cap as he walked, hoodie sleeves pulled over his hands, his bag heavy on one shoulder. He kept replaying lunch in his head like a scene from a movie he hadn’t decided whether he liked yet. Illi sitting across from him. Mikey practically silent but weirdly present. The way she smiled, all crooked and subtle, like she didn’t really mean to. The way she dipped her damn bagel in coffee like a total menace.
And then there was what she said— I bite. I’m a vampire. —which haunted him in the worst and best way possible.
Frank groaned under his breath and dragged a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to admit it, but the fact that she and Mikey sat with him meant something. He’d never had that before—people choosing to sit with him without being forced to, without mocking him afterward. It was stupid, it was probably nothing, but it stuck with him.
The sun was lower by the time he reached his street. His house loomed at the corner like it always did—peeling paint, rusted railings, a porch light that flickered when the wind breathed wrong.
He climbed the steps, kicked the door open with the toe of his boot, and let it swing shut behind him. No one called out. No one was ever home this time of day.
He dropped his bag by the couch, toed off his shoes, and headed straight for his room.
The door shut with a click. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor for a long second, mind buzzing. Then he reached for his notebook—his messy, chaotic, half-private, half-explosive little world—and pulled a pen from the pocket of his hoodie.
There was a lot to say today.
He cracked his knuckles.
And started writing.
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FRANKS SUPER COOL “ DIARY ” ENTRY >:) ☆
MARCH 14TH 2004.
Hi. God, today was such a weird day for me. We had new kids . Weird freaky new kids who nobody likes, the usual highschool thing. We had two, I don’t really care for the one my age to be honest. not that he’s a bad person, he’s just, eh. I mean like I’ll be his friend, but it’s the other one I can’t stop thinking about. She likes the misfits. That’s rare to see at my school, I saw the pin and I was like whoa. I think I'm in love. Not literally, she’s a freak i can tell, i’m not in LOVE love with her. I’m just in love with the fact that someone at princeton high likes the misfits. Her name is Illi. I guess she’s not a “ real girl ” or something. They introduced her as this name and called her a he. She’s a real chick in my mind. Only cool real chicks like the misfits. She said she bites, and that she IS a vampire. That’s cool. Obviously she isn’t a real vampire. Those only exist in my dreams and every fantasy i’ve ever had, but it’s cool she likes them also. I don’t know much about her brother besides the fact his name is Mikey but. Whatever. I wanna know more about the cool chick and not the creepy brother. that’s it, for now. bye.
—xofrnk out.
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