Inside Frank
folder
1 through F › American Beauty
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
4
Views:
1,239
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
1 through F › American Beauty
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
4
Views:
1,239
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the movie that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Red Dreams
Ricky shook his head and tried to hide his smile as he plopped down in the chair across from Donnie. “I thought for a second you’d been kidnapped by Little Red Riding Hood and that I’d never see you again.”
Donnie made an effort to frown at the bad joke but Ricky could tell it was forced and saw the humor twitching at the corners of his mouth. “My mom got it for my birthday. It took a while for them to approve it and get it tagged.” Donnie flipped the wrist of the red hoodie up to reveal a little white tag sewn into the inseam that read Donald Darko.
Ricky unconsciously ran his fingers along the tag on the inside cuff of his own shirt. Ricky Fitz. All his clothing said that on it. It was a system the institute had set up, label a patient’s clothing and then on laundry day he’ll be sure to get it back. It never worked though. Ricky was always getting shirts that he knew weren’t his, no matter what the label said on it.
“Donald? No one calls you that. Are all you’re clothes tagged like that?”
Donnie seemed not to hear him though as he deliberately took the ends of his sweatshirt and zipped it all the way up to his chin. His bright eyes burned a little as he locked eyes with Ricky and dramatically flipped the red hood up over his head. His voice dropped to a conspiring whisper so that Ricky had to lean forward to hear him. “They call me Little Red Riding Hood.”
Ricky licked his lips unconsciously. “Oh yeah? Is that your street name?”
Donnie spread his hands out across the table. “No one gets it. I’ve always been alone in this. Just me… and Frank I guess.”
“Even Batman needed some help sometimes.”
Donnie traced one of the black squares on the tabletop and without making eye contact said; “Robin got killed in the end.”
“There’s a pattern here. We just have to find it.”
“I don’t know if I can… again. I mean…” Donnie pulled the blood red fabric down over his face and muffled; “Gretchen… it’s my fault.”
Ricky grabbed his arm and jerked it away from his face, startling them both with his anger. “Stop it! You didn’t kill me!” He let go just as quickly, all the color drained from his face as he whispered; “I mean her.”
“You said me.” Donnie’s laser eyes cut into him. They waited each other out.
Ricky, usually the master at this game couldn’t keep himself focused and dropped his eyes first. “I’ve been having these dreams.” He told the tiled floor.
Donnie nodded curtly.
“I never dream but I’ve been…” He lowered his voice and leaned across the table to whisper close to Donnie’s ear; “Not taking my meds.” He waited for a response but Donnie just nodded again for him to go on. “I see you in the dreams.” Ricky blushed.
Donnie chewed his lip, his calculating eyes not missing a thing.
“I think… it’s her. That she’s haunting me. That I’m supposed to help you.” Ricky finally said.
Donnie shook his head once, his gaze not wavering as he asked. “What are the dreams like?”
“Beautiful.” Ricky replied, unable to hold Donnie’s glare as he said it. “Colors and feelings… like a kaleidoscope. They’re strong. She’s really strong.”
“They scared you.” It wasn’t a question.
Ricky hadn’t meant to tell him at all. It had seemed wrong somehow that she should be alive in some form and communicating with him instead. If Donnie had been her great love then why wasn’t she sending him the dreams? Ricky felt the weight of Donnie’s jealousy and didn’t know how to respond too it. “I lost myself in there.” He glanced up slowly in surrender trying to catch Donnie’s eyes again as he whispered; “and when I woke up I almost didn’t know who I was.”
Donnie let go of the breath he was holding and fiddled with the zipper on his hoodie. His eyebrows knit together like he was trying to work something out. After a while he mumbled, “I forget too sometimes… or I wish I could.”
“I think… I think I saw your first kiss.” Ricky blurted.
Donnie’s head snapped up suddenly. His eyes were far away as he robotically repeated “She wanted it to be-“
“Beautiful.” Ricky answered like they were sharing the lines of an old poem.
“What was it like?” Donnie’s eyes had lost that faraway look and now they were dark and piercing as if the magic was over. He didn’t believe him.
“You were shaking… just a little. Everything was white and green, too bright to see anything. You were… surprised. I felt… I mean she was, overwhelmed. She didn’t think she was going to do it but then… it felt right.” Ricky stumbled over the words with his eyes closed. He could still remember how it tasted and that scared him more then anything.
“You weren’t lying.”
“Sorry.”
Donnie made an effort to frown at the bad joke but Ricky could tell it was forced and saw the humor twitching at the corners of his mouth. “My mom got it for my birthday. It took a while for them to approve it and get it tagged.” Donnie flipped the wrist of the red hoodie up to reveal a little white tag sewn into the inseam that read Donald Darko.
Ricky unconsciously ran his fingers along the tag on the inside cuff of his own shirt. Ricky Fitz. All his clothing said that on it. It was a system the institute had set up, label a patient’s clothing and then on laundry day he’ll be sure to get it back. It never worked though. Ricky was always getting shirts that he knew weren’t his, no matter what the label said on it.
“Donald? No one calls you that. Are all you’re clothes tagged like that?”
Donnie seemed not to hear him though as he deliberately took the ends of his sweatshirt and zipped it all the way up to his chin. His bright eyes burned a little as he locked eyes with Ricky and dramatically flipped the red hood up over his head. His voice dropped to a conspiring whisper so that Ricky had to lean forward to hear him. “They call me Little Red Riding Hood.”
Ricky licked his lips unconsciously. “Oh yeah? Is that your street name?”
Donnie spread his hands out across the table. “No one gets it. I’ve always been alone in this. Just me… and Frank I guess.”
“Even Batman needed some help sometimes.”
Donnie traced one of the black squares on the tabletop and without making eye contact said; “Robin got killed in the end.”
“There’s a pattern here. We just have to find it.”
“I don’t know if I can… again. I mean…” Donnie pulled the blood red fabric down over his face and muffled; “Gretchen… it’s my fault.”
Ricky grabbed his arm and jerked it away from his face, startling them both with his anger. “Stop it! You didn’t kill me!” He let go just as quickly, all the color drained from his face as he whispered; “I mean her.”
“You said me.” Donnie’s laser eyes cut into him. They waited each other out.
Ricky, usually the master at this game couldn’t keep himself focused and dropped his eyes first. “I’ve been having these dreams.” He told the tiled floor.
Donnie nodded curtly.
“I never dream but I’ve been…” He lowered his voice and leaned across the table to whisper close to Donnie’s ear; “Not taking my meds.” He waited for a response but Donnie just nodded again for him to go on. “I see you in the dreams.” Ricky blushed.
Donnie chewed his lip, his calculating eyes not missing a thing.
“I think… it’s her. That she’s haunting me. That I’m supposed to help you.” Ricky finally said.
Donnie shook his head once, his gaze not wavering as he asked. “What are the dreams like?”
“Beautiful.” Ricky replied, unable to hold Donnie’s glare as he said it. “Colors and feelings… like a kaleidoscope. They’re strong. She’s really strong.”
“They scared you.” It wasn’t a question.
Ricky hadn’t meant to tell him at all. It had seemed wrong somehow that she should be alive in some form and communicating with him instead. If Donnie had been her great love then why wasn’t she sending him the dreams? Ricky felt the weight of Donnie’s jealousy and didn’t know how to respond too it. “I lost myself in there.” He glanced up slowly in surrender trying to catch Donnie’s eyes again as he whispered; “and when I woke up I almost didn’t know who I was.”
Donnie let go of the breath he was holding and fiddled with the zipper on his hoodie. His eyebrows knit together like he was trying to work something out. After a while he mumbled, “I forget too sometimes… or I wish I could.”
“I think… I think I saw your first kiss.” Ricky blurted.
Donnie’s head snapped up suddenly. His eyes were far away as he robotically repeated “She wanted it to be-“
“Beautiful.” Ricky answered like they were sharing the lines of an old poem.
“What was it like?” Donnie’s eyes had lost that faraway look and now they were dark and piercing as if the magic was over. He didn’t believe him.
“You were shaking… just a little. Everything was white and green, too bright to see anything. You were… surprised. I felt… I mean she was, overwhelmed. She didn’t think she was going to do it but then… it felt right.” Ricky stumbled over the words with his eyes closed. He could still remember how it tasted and that scared him more then anything.
“You weren’t lying.”
“Sorry.”