This is kind of a short chapter, but there wasn't really anything else I could add to it, so here it is! I hope you guys like it!

***

"My dad knows."

The words catch me off guard and I stare at Whittney with wide eyes. "What do you mean your dad knows?"

"I mean he saw me holding you last night and he found the condom after you left." His voice is hushed, even though we are the only ones in the school bathroom. "He's a drunk, not a moron."

"What did he say?"

Whittney scoffs. "He goes, 'you'll sleep with anything these days won't cha?'"

"It doesn't sound like it bothers him."

"He doesn't think I'm gay, Hare. Christ! Cuz I'm not, alright? I was just horny and on Molly and you were the closest piece of ass."

My chest feels like it's closing in on itself at his words.

"That's what I am to you, just a piece of ass?" Heat boils in my cheeks and Whittney's face drops. "Fuck you, okay? Fuck you."

"Wait, no. Harry-" When he tries to grab my arm, I shake him off.

"Don't touch me!" I yell before storming out.

The hope that he'll chase after me dies when I turn the corner at the end of the hallway towards the common area. I spot Austin and think maybe I can vent to him a little if I change a couple details, but then I see Sabrina on his lap. My shoulders deflate when I see Rodney, Cole, and Brett hanging out there, too. Not even Bradley's smiling face in my direction can raise my spirits right now.

I turn towards government class without putting in the effort of smiling back, but I don't get that far before Bradley pulls me to the side.

"Hey, you didn't text me back."

I felt bad about sleeping with Whittney again right after things went so well with Bradley, so I left him on read.

When someone's eyes linger on us, I pull my arm from his hold. He clears his throat when his face twists in discomfort. "I thought the date went well."

Now I feel worse.

"It did. It really did," I say quickly. "I was just busy."

Yeah, you were busy fucking someone else, my conscious pokes at me.

"Oh, okay." He looks down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at me. "Would you like to try for another one?"

"Of course."

Whittney probably will never come around, so why not, right?

I avoid Whittney the rest of the day, in fact, I don't see him at all. Who I do see, is Austin walking to his car. He waves when he sees me and I try to keep from smiling too wide at his acknowledgment.

"Don't you have practice?" I ask when I'm within ears reach.

"Yeah. Just grabbing my stuff." He scoffs. "Although I don't know why, since Coach is just going to bench me again anyways."

"Probably will be a while with a concussion."

"Mild," he snaps. "Mild concussion. I should be able to play in the game on Friday if I participate in Thursday's practice."

Knowing Austin, there's no fighting him on this. He will play at Friday's game, consequences be damned. I've always admired his determination, but in this case I have to disapprove.

"Are you sure it's a good idea? You shouldn't even have driven yourself to school today."

A heavy glare settles on his face. "Will you stop sounding like my fucking girlfriend all the goddamn time?"

I fold my arms. "I don't know, she sounds pretty smart to me."

"Well, you guys should stop treating me like this stupid kid who can't take care of himself."

"Come on, Austin. You know that we don't see you like that."

He doesn't look at me when he slams the door of his car before throwing his bag over his shoulder. "I'll catch you later, Hare."

My mom is upset with me when I get home. I had sent her a text earlier saying I had stayed at Whittney's for the night, but apparently that didn't matter. She was worried sick the whole night.

"You think the rules have changed in this house?" She starts right when I walk into the kitchen. "I don't care that you're eighteen, you will let me know when you're not coming home for the night."

"Mom, you're right. I'm really sorry."

She sighs. "I'll let you off with a warning since this is your first offense. Plus, I kinda want to know how that date went."

A smile sneaks on my lips. "We're going to have another one."

"Oh, honey. That's wonderful!" She kisses my forehead. "And when do I meet him?"

"Well, we aren't exactly at the 'meeting the parents' stage yet. Far from it. I think he may not even be out to any family yet."

It doesn't bother me at all, because I don't want to be out for a while. High school is hard as it is without adding my sexuality to the mix. Sometimes the fear of being outed eats away at my subconscious.

After dinner and studying with Charlette, I head up to my room for the night. When I open the door, the window is cracked, and there's a cold breeze wafting through my room. I almost jump right out of my skin when I spot Whittney on my bed. From the looks of it, he's been waiting for a while.

He stands immediately, already placing a foot forward, but freezes when I cross my arms.

"What are you doing here?" I try to bite back my aggressive tone, but I'm still pissed off about what he said to me today.

"I, uh-" He's nervous. Whittney is never nervous. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About what I said to you this morning in the bathroom. You're not just a piece of ass to me."

"Then what am I?" When he stays silent, I laugh humorlessly. "Alright, come back when you figure it out."

When I turn to leave my own room, he grabs me by the arm.

"Harry, wait." His eyes are wide and flicker from my eyes to my mouth and back up again. "You're all I care about. Please?"

"Those are just words."

It's true, they are just words, but Whittney isn't the type to use words lightly. Each one holds so much weight, and for that very reason, I'm still upset with him. He chose to call me what he did for his own reasons and he won't be able to take them back so easily.

He shifts his hold to my hand and loops his fingers through mine before our eyes connect.

"I was a complete asshole and you didn't deserve it." He takes a step closer and my heart rate accelerates instantly. With his other hand, he grabs my shirt before pulling me with him as he walks backward. He takes a seat on my bed while I tower over him, sending me a half smile. "I really am sorry, you know?"

I don't even have time to forgive him before he pulls me into his lap. My legs are on either side of his hips, so I'm straddling his waist. His hands cup the small of my back, forcing me closer to him.

With a sigh, I give in. "I know."

The words were a silent permission, and he takes a chance by leaning in. For a moment, I hesitate, but I meet him halfway, our lips connecting as he leans back on the bed, taking me with him. For once, his kiss isn't hungry or demanding, but the kind of kiss I only wished he'd given me from the beginning. His hands run up my spine, but they're in no hurry and I can feel my whole back sprout goosebumps.

It's not until his mouth opens to invite me in that I taste a hint of alcohol on his tongue. The very sensation makes me withdrawal immediately. I don't know how I could be so stupid to fall for his shit yet again.

After I roll off my bed, he eyes me with confusion. "What's wrong?"

I scoff and fold my arms over me like a pathetic shield. "Why can't you ever tell me how you feel when you're sober?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" His eyes narrow considerably.

"Seriously?" I blink back oncoming tears of frustration before nodding at the door. "You're drunk, again. I can't do this if you can only like me while on something."

"But I'm not-"

"No, I don't want to hear your excuses anymore! Okay?" My shoulders sag, completely emotionally drained. "You need to leave. Now."

He laughs bitterly before sitting up. "Okay. Fine."

I want to stop him at the last second, but then it crosses my mind that it might be for the best.

***

Sorry it took me a while to get another chapter out there after I had a bit of a writing spurt, but work has got me feeling like the title of this chapter. I'm working a lot, and the stress of it has been getting in the way of my mindset being in the mood for writing. I am finding a balance between the two, though.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! It's not my best one, for sure, but if you guys liked it, I'm golden. (:

What did you think of the chapter? Leave me your thoughts in the comments if you'd like, or even give the chapter a vote if you think the chapter was deserving. Always means the world to me.

Until next time,

TheWriterD