☆Blaze☽

Chapter 14:

 I exchanged a look with Whiskey, and in that moment I had never wanted the bathroom tiles to tear apart and the ground to swallow me more. The realization came quickly that I couldn't just go back out there. Because if half the school hadn't just heard me being outed, than it was sure to be circulating right now.

"Lake, are you okay?" Whiskey looked over at me as I clutched the edges of the sink are stared at my reflection. My glasses were fogged from how heavily I had been breathing.

"No."

"Maybe you should go home," He suggested. Whiskey's voice was soft and his expression looked younger than I had ever seen him. I took a moment to suppose that maybe this is how Whiskey actually was, and all the other times he was like me -pretending to be someone he wasn't.

I didn't respond, I just stood there. My mind was too preoccupied running over every scenario of what could possibly happen once I left this bathroom.

"Let's go for coffee. Sound good? Yeah, let's go." He didn't wait for me to answer; he used a hand on my upper arm to pull me out of my sanctuary and into the vicious hallways. I wasn't scared, I was terrified.

I noticed the strange glances, and every time a heard a word or a laugh I couldn't help but wonder if it was about me. I had never felt this way before. My plan was always to stay deep in the closet until I finished high school, then leave this stupid small town and go someplace where people were less judgmental. Apparently I didn't have a choice anymore.

☆☽

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing." I let my head fall against the coffee shop table and Whiskey laughed at my dramatic gesture, running a hand through my hair in the way an owner would to a dog.

"It will be okay."

"How did you end up wrapped up in all this?" I asked curiously as I sipped at my coffee. I valued it more as a method to keep my fingers warm than an actual drink. Whiskey made a strange face, but it only lasted a few seconds before he huffed and let his head rest on his hand.

"It's embarrassing." I gave him a look and he sighed deeply, his hair ruffling as he blew air up at it through his mouth.

"Fine. I got involved in this because I had this mad crush on Mi and I would do anything to get him to like me."

"How long have you liked him!?"

Whisky hid his face into his hand, his cheeks and neck turning to the same colour as his hair. "Too long." He whispered into his hands as I laughed.

"Don't laugh at me!"

He propped his head up just as the waiter slipped to our table and smiled at him, grabbing his empty mug.

"Can I get you a refill?" He had an Irish accent, and dark hair that was in a ruffled mess ontop of the head. He was cute.

Whiskey nodded, barely making eye contact with him. The waiter smiled nonetheless and walked off to get him another coffee.

"He totally likes you." I sang, and Whisky shot me a death stare while taking a sip of my coffee since it seemed pretty clear I wasn't going to drink it.

"No he doesn't, not everyone is gay." He scoffed, and maybe I would have believed it if I didn't turn and see the waiter pouring a new cup of coffee, staring intently at Whiskey.

I nudged him and he followed my line of sight to the waiter, whom immediately hung his head after realizing he had been caught staring.

☆☽

I got home around the same time school usually ends. Mom and Dad's cars were nowhere to be seen, much to my relief. I climbed up the porch door and tried the door. It opened, which meant Hayden was home. He was supposed to be at soccer.

"Hayden?" I called out into the house, placing my bag next to the radiator.

"Upstairs!"

I went up the stairs, wondering what he would have to say to me. I was pretty much expecting him to say that this didn't change anything, he was just making sure that I didn't further embarrass him. Putting on a show for his friends, playing the loyal family member.

I stopped in front of his door, knocking. He called in that I could enter. He was sitting on his bed, his tongue stuck out in concentration and a PlayStation 4 controller settled in his hands. He was flicking at the buttons rapidly.

"Hey." He spoke without looking at me, all his attention on whatever game he was playing.

I shuffled awkwardly, suddenly not so sure why I had come in the first place. I didn't have a real reason for bothering him and-

"Wanna play?" He paused the game and dug around in his drawer for the other controller, tossing it to me. I stared at it like a foreign object. We were supposed to share the PlayStation 4, but I didn't have much interest in it and Hayden had insisted that it go in his room -which I wasn't allowed in.

"Come on." He smiled at me and moved over to make room for me to sit on the bed with him.

"What are we playing?" I returned his smile as I fell onto the bed and looked at the now un-paused screen.

"Call of Duty." His character ran skillfully through the course while I couldn't move without being shot multiple times. I had no idea what I was doing, and even when I did get close to someone I had no idea how to shoot.

"You really suck at this." Hayden through his head back as he laughed, pausing the game again and setting the controller down next to him.

"Look, El, I'm really sorry. I know I'm a complete asshole to you. And I can blame it on the fact I'm immature, or a multitude of other reasons. But truthfully, I just don't understand you. I want to understand, though, if you would let me."

I just stared at him blankly. I had no idea what to say, this was the last thing I had prepared for. So, I decided to take a serious situation and make it into a joke.

"Did you just use the word multitude?" I smiled and poked him in the arm. Hayden glared at me but smiled eventually.

"I'm not completely illiterate, you know. I read... sometimes."

I rolled my eyes at him and then fixed my gaze on his soccer bag, which I could smell from here. It was overflowing with uniform shirts and shin guards. "Aren't you supposed to be at soccer?"

"Plot twist! My brother is also my mother," He yelled out sarcastically as if we were on Jerry Springer.

"Whatever."

"By the way, that asshole dude from the cafeteria came by the house. He wanted to talk to you." My eyes widened in concern as he stated it nonchalantly while leaning against the headboard of the bed.

"Mi?" I asked in fear but he shook his head. His eyes shifted and his brows furrowed like he was thinking.

"No, the other one. Dark hair, his name is like some sort of bug." He shrugged at me and I tried to stop my face from lighting up and holding back my smile.

"Beatle?"

"Yeah, him."

"What did you say?"

"I told him that you didn't want to talk to him." Hayden stated, looking back towards the paused game on the television. I clenched and unclenched my fists.

"Why would you do that?!" I tried to keep myself from yelling, but it was difficult. As much as I wanted to be mad at Beatle that my brother had to be the one to stand up to Mi, I knew I never could be.

"You must really like him."

"What do you mean?"

"You've gotten yourself in so much trouble because of him. He was the guy in your room that night, wasn't he?" I blushed and nodded, remembering the night Beatle almost killed both of us by trying to scale the side of the house to get to my bedroom.

"I guess you should go see him then."

"Yeah, you're okay by yourself?" I asked, getting up to lean against the door frame. He snorted and rolled his eyes at me.

"Obviously. I'll try not to set the house on fire while you're gone."

I smiled and made my way out of his bedroom. Just as I was about to close the door he called out to me again.

"And Elliot, if any of your friends have hot sisters can you hook me up?"

"You're fifteen!" I yelled back at him, but my seriousness was broken by my laughter.

"Exactly, it's almost legal!" I rolled my eyes and made my way down the stairs, grabbing the car keys out of the bowl and grabbing the handle on the front door.

"Bye, Hayden!" I called up the stairs. There was an incoherent mumble of a reply and I left the house, standing on the porch in the cold October breeze. I really should have been wearing a jacket, but it was only a short distance to the car.

☆☽

Soon enough I was standing in front of the familiar white brick house. My palms were sweaty, I should have called first. What if he wasn't home? You can see his car. But I guess that would make it worse if he didn't answer the door. But why wouldn't he? It's not like I did anything wrong. Except for the fact that the school very possibly knows that we are gay. Or is he even gay? He could be bi for all I know, I've never asked. 

I sucked in a cold breath and let it out, watching as the hot air exhaled from my lips into a cloud of steam rising up into the air. I ran a shaky hand through my already messed up hair and lifted my hand to knock on the door. And then I dropped it back to my side again. God I'm a coward.

Come on Elliot, just knock on the door. 

I stared down at my shoes in self annoyance, and then suddenly the door swung open, revealing Robyn standing there in a pair of overalls.

"Elliot, why are you standing there?" I smiled, I always got this amazing feeling when kids remembered my name, for some reason it just felt so important that they remembered.

"I was just about to knock." I leaned down to Robyn's level, and she raised her eyebrows at me. 

"I was watching you." She pointed her finger to the window next to the door, and you could see a crinkle where the blinds had been pulled back. She wasn't lying, she had been watching me.

"Can I tell you a secret?" I asked in a hushed tone. She grinned widely, and I noticed she was missing one of her bottom teeth. It must have fallen out since I last saw her. I cupped my hand around my mouth and whispered into her ear,

"I was nervous."

Her eyes widened like she understood, but I didn't think she truly did.

"Did you come to see Lennon?" I nodded and she gestured an arm for me to come inside. I moved into the foyer and slipped off my shoes while Robyn examined me carefully. 

She led me up the stairs and down the hall till we were outside of the room I recognized as Beatle's.

"He was supposed to be babysitting me, but he fell asleep." She whispered with a pout that was undeniably adorable.

She padded down the hall and into her room, while I stared at the wooden door in front of my face that had been painted white. It had nail holes in it and the paint was chipping off in some places. I turned the metal handle and let myself into his room. 

I suddenly felt extremely awkward as I stood there with Beatle asleep. His uniform clothes were tossed across the floor, decorating his room. He was cocooned in his comforter and had a death grip on his pillow. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen.

I coughed in hopes it would wake him so I wouldn't have to, but he didn't even stir. I made my way over to the bed and placed a knee on it.

"Beatle?" My voice was a soft whisper, but his eyelids fluttered open slowly, his peridot orbs looking up at me from under his eyelashes.

"Elliot?" His voice has a slight rasp to it that made me bite my lip. I felt weird finding him so hot while he looked so vulnerable. He didn't get up; instead he motioned for me to come next to him. When I had lay down so that I was facing him, he threw the blanket around me too, allowing me into his cocoon.

"Are you okay?" I asked as he stared at me. 

There was a long silence and then he finally spoke. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I reached out a hand to touch his face, but he grabbed it and ran his thumb in circles around the back of my hand.

"No, it's not. I should have done something, I didn't do anything."

"It doesn't matter."

"How can you say that? You should be pissed at me."

"Yeah, well I'm not. So can we skip this whole fighting part and get to the making up part." And then I did what I never thought I would -well, sober at least. I rested a hand against his neck and pressed my lips to his urgently, like my life depended on it. 

Beatle pushed me away gently, putting an inch of space between our faces.

"Do you maybe want to go out some time?"

"Like a date?" I tried containing my smile as he nodded by biting the insides of my cheeks.

"If you want to, I guess. I'm more of a stay home and watch a movie type person."

"Isn't that what you were supposed to be coming over to do?"

"I'm supposed to be grounded." I whispered, though I didn't quite know why. We seemed far too close to use regular speaking voices.

"You're already here though. Can't you stay, please?" I knew that if I looked into his eyes I would say yes, but I did it anyways. They were so captivating, the perfect shade of green.

"Fine." I tried to pretend like it didn't excite met that he wanted me to stay, but I don't think I was doing too well at it. 

"What's going to happen at school on Monday?" I mumbled into his shoulder as he pulled me closer to himself.

"I don't know. More boring ass classes." He shrugged and I snuggled my head into his shoulder, feeling his breaths.

"Aren't you worried?"

"I'm more worried about the mess Mi's got us in with MDMA than what people think about the fact I like to kiss boys." 

**A/N kinda shorter than usual, and no cliff hanger what so ever. But I thought it was better to give you this than make you wait another four weeks.

I still don't have a laptop. Ugh.

And I hate myself for taking so long to update, you have NO idea.

But I hope you guys don't hate me? cx

Write me some lovely comments and maybe click on that little star up there c; And you guys can write on my message board or inbox me anytime, seriously. I hate that people think that it bothers me. If you ask when the next chapter will be I'm not going to get angry, I'll just answer you. Plus when people bug me a little I actually write more frequently because sometimes I just forget cx I love getting messages of any kind (well, maybe not hate messages, but you get the point)