"Boy, if you kiss that little faggot again I'll kick your ass"

"Lower" Arran rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress his smile. "And try to sound a bit more... I don't know? Growly? Like a half sober man who just drank a handful of sand and saltwater"

"My voice doesn't go that low" Emrys reminded him with a pout. "If I went any lower I'd sound like a five-year-old girl trying to imitate her creepy Tio" Arran snorted at that. Emrys was good at impressions... So when Arran was in a mood or just angry at the world, Emrys liked to mess around. Today's victim was Arran's dad. "I can do my Elmo impression if that would make you laugh"

Arran and his dad had always had a strained relationship. But it only got worse one Summer evening when Emrys and Arran had been staying the night up in Emrys' old treehouse. They had a weird relationship after their first kiss... They'd kiss on the occasion, but never talked about it or even mentioned it. It was just a thing that happened and both liked to pretend it didn't.

But that night was different... It wasn't just a stolen kiss, Arran had actually been enjoying himself a lot more than he thought he would. And that was terrifying. But then the shouting started and Emrys took off running per Arran's request. Ever since then, Arran had had to keep whatever he and Emrys were as quiet as possible. The only person who even had a clue they were still seeing each other was Christian and that was because Christian was a master at reading body language. Arran couldn't keep something from him if he tried.

"Fuck no. That thing is creepy as hell" Arran scoffed. If Emrys wasn't on his skateboard he would have shoved him for even suggesting that. Emrys wore light blue jeans, cuffed at the ends with a white collared sweatshirt. His curls were neatly styled and... Fucking hell. "What the fuck, Em?" Arran hissed. Emrys looked over at him confused, hopping off his skateboard and coming to a complete stop.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Emrys scoffed. Arran grabbed the boy's wrist to show him his painted blue nails as if Emrys would forget he had them.

"I told you to scrub that shit off before school..."

"You also told me you liked it" Emrys scoffed before yanking his hand away. "I can make my own decisions fine... Although it's cute to see you worry" The brown-eyed boy chuckled.

"You're going to get your ass beat" Arran muttered. He glanced down at the ground to avoid Emrys' teasing gaze and the bright smile he could never say no to. If he avoided eye contact, Emrys couldn't convince him to not put up a fight. If he avoided eye contact, Emrys couldn't make him blush with those stupid compliments.

"Not if I say my sister did it" Emrys rolled his eyes before glancing around. He grinned before stealing a quick kiss. Outdoors. In public. Arran was going to kill him when he got the chance.

"Emrys knock it off" Arran hissed. "If this gets back to my dad he will put me in the grave" And he wasn't lying. He had never felt true fear until a drunk man had held a gun to him and screamed slurs at him until Christian stepped in and settled things down. Emrys was lucky... His grandparents didn't care. But Arran's family did... Christian was there for Arran, but it was only to make sure nobody killed him unless Christian did it himself.

"Relax. I checked. Nobody's here... I'm allowed to kiss my boyfriend" Emrys rolled his eyes before climbing back onto his skateboard and pushing off.

"I'm not your boyfriend" Arran deadpanned as he followed his best friend down the road and toward their school. Arran and Emrys kissed, they shared a bed and cuddled if they were staying at Emrys' house. Hell, they even fought like an old married couple. But they didn't sleep together and they didn't label what they were... They were just best friends that were really into one another that occasionally made out. That was it.

"We're exclusive, aren't we?" Emrys grinned. Arran reluctantly nodded. They were only exclusive because Arran was gay and not interested in girls as a whole. And because Emrys was Polysexual and only into other men and non-binary people. Both of which he couldn't have in Asper Hollows. In any other town, they would have stopped whatever they were a long time ago. At least that was how Arran saw it. "Hate to break it to you, but you're my boyfriend, Harley"

_________________________________________

Scooter carefully unpacked their bags in search of the right shoes. They needed to make a good first impression on the school... Especially if this was the worst place in the world to be openly queer and non-binary. They knew they'd get a lot of hateful slurs and mockery, but they didn't have much of a choice. They had begged their parents not to make them move in with their aunt... But somehow a town that had likely never even seen someone like Scooter was safer than their hometown. A place lurking with people wishing them dead over one stupid incident.

Scooter sighed in relief as they found a pair of high-top white Converse and quickly tugged them on. Scooter knew they probably shouldn't be so open about their gender identity here... That they should just suffer through getting misgendered every day since that was physically safer for them. But they didn't want to live another moment hiding away in a closet. Not when they were finally free.

They slung a bag over their striped red, yellow, and green sweater before rushing down the steps. They also needed to be on time, and that was proving to be difficult considering Scooter didn't know how to get out of bed in the morning. They called a quick goodbye, just in case their aunt was in the kitchen although odds were she was long gone or still in bed.

They reached for their bike, hoping that they'd actually have the energy to pedal all the way to the school. It was cheap and painted a chipped yellow but Scooter adored it. They had gotten it from their ex-partner's shop... They had watched them build it from scratch expecting it to be for a customer. But instead, it had been a surprise for Scooter's sweet sixteen. That was almost a year ago.

"Hey, do you need a ride?" Scooter's head shot over to the neighbor's driveway where an old BMW - maybe from the eighties or early nineties - was parked. A messy mop of tightly wound black curls was poking out of the window. She was pretty with dark hazelnut skin and pretty brown eyes that reminded Scooter of a mountain ringlet butterfly. Scooter, being the overly trusting person they were, happily headed over and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Thank you" Scooter grinned.

"No problem. You must be new, I'm Zara" The girl gave them a quick smile before beginning to pull out of the driveway. That was when Scooter finally got a good look at how she was dressed. It wasn't too different... Washed jeans, an old leather-sleeved athletics jacket, and a white cropped tank top. But a long necklace with a ball at the end of it filled with small bits of amethyst was just subtle enough to tell Scooter she was different. That was a bit relieving... They found that witches were usually some of the more accepting people in life.

"Yeah, I'm Scooter... I go by they/them" Scooter briefly explained. Zara's eyes widened and her fingers wiggled a little around the steering wheel. Scooter thought it was in excitement, but she had nothing to be excited for. That just made Scooter uneasy.

"I go by she/her" Zara grinned. "Your queer? Welcome to Asper Hollows, your own personal hell"

"Lovely" Scooter huffed. They felt slowly more relaxed despite their previous feelings of unease... Zara seemed nice enough. She had confirmed Scooter's previous knowledge on the fact that this town was insanely homophobic and hadn't kicked them out of her car yet... That was something.

"Just a few things you should know, hang around me and my friends for now. At least until you find people you're comfortable with... Trust me. You never want to be alone here" Zara admitted with a small and unsettling frown. "Second, Sheriff Rick will be your best friend. Don't talk to any other cops, they aren't good people. And last, if Bay Sandros invited you somewhere, accept it"

"I thought the last rule would be nobody talks about fight club" Scooter chuckled. This all felt overdramatic to them... Like she was over-romanticizing her town like she was in some novel. But they couldn't have been more wrong. Zara gave a small snort at their joke.

"I guess it does sound a little crazy" Zara chuckled. "But I swear, stick to that and it might just save your life" Scooter nodded, despite still thinking she was crazy. They stared out the window as they neared a school, their red hair felt in artificial curls from spending a little too long teasing it with a curling iron. Plenty of freckles dotted Scooters round cheeks which Scooter had always hated.

Although they preached self-love and acceptance, Scooter was a hypocrite. Scooter hated their reflection. They hated how pale they were, they hated their freckles, they hated how skinny they were, and their inability to put on much weight or muscle. They just hated themselves most days. They laid their head back against the seat, trying desperately not to think about home. They just had to make this their new home for the next year and a half.

Scooter knew there was a lot they'd miss. They'd miss their friends most of all. They'd miss not being the only queer person in town. They'd miss their ex-partner and the long days laying on the dock with them, indie music streaming from a cheap speaker. They'd miss sneaking out at night to cause a bit of chaos with their friends by stealing traffic cones, tagging walls, or dancing in the streets just because they could. They'd miss feeling like a bird, free and weightless. Like the world was theirs for the taking.

The school was old - much older than Scooter had expected. It was made of worn wood and the main building even had one of those school bells resting on top, although Scooter doubted anyone had touched it ages. There were plenty of portables to hold the obvious growth in the number of students from when the first students arrived. The portables were all made of the same old, worn, light blue wood as the main building and there were two other buildings slightly bigger than the main one.

Scooter's stomach twisted as they noticed the obvious groups that had been formed over years of them all going to school together. They all stood outside, some talking, others half-asleep on their friend's shoulder. Everyone seemed to fit in. Everyone already seemed to have a place. And Scooter was the newest outsider.

_________________________________________

Bonnie had always been the perfect student, the perfect friend, the perfect daughter, and the perfect girlfriend. Everything about her had been perfectly constructed to appease an audience. She was Class Secretary, captain of the volleyball team, had a funny and sweet boyfriend she adored. The only thing that could be improved was being more open about her family dynamic... But why was she so miserable?

The black-haired girl sighed and she stumbled across her room, desperate to find that yellow tartan plaid skirt she liked to pair with a black cropped tank-top that had a sunflower embroidered onto it. She had already dug through her dresser twice, now all that was left to check was the laundry basket of clothes she needed to fold when she got home.

"Hey, Mom said- Ew. Put some clothes on" Tj deadpanned. Bonnie rolled her eyes and waved him off. She was wearing the boyshorts she always wore under a skirt and the cropped tank she planned on wearing. It covered a bit more than your average swimsuit. She didn't care if Tj saw her in that, he was her annoying little stepbrother. But if anybody asked, he was just her Mom's roommate's son.

"I'm working on it" Bonnie grumbled before finally finding her skirt. She wasted no time tugging it on and couldn't help giving a small nose laugh when she noticed Tj staring up at the ceiling.

"Anyways, Mom said to be down before seven and that you have to drive me" Tj smirked. Tj was tall with dark ebony skin and had neatly twisted curls at the end of a low fade. Bonnie remembered girls ogling him and demanding why Bonnie had never made a move on the gorgeous boy she lived with. It was easy, Tj was her brother whether it was by blood or not. They didn't know that though... Luckily, the questions died down when Tj's heart was stolen by Bonnie's best friend Hattie.

"You can walk. Mom didn't spend all of that money on a new skateboard just for you to make me drive you around everywhere" Bonnie rolled her eyes and headed to the mirror. Bonnie had long black waves decorated in butterfly clips and neatly styled after years of experimentation. Her skin was the color of an espresso ordered in a warm and homely cafe and she had gentle brown eyes, a well-defined jaw, and a prominent chin. Her eyes darted away from the mirror and over to Tj as he continued to pout.

"I don't think you heard me, mom said" Tj repeated. Bonnie groaned and reluctantly grabbed her keys before following Tj downstairs and into the living room where her moms were drinking their morning tea. Jazz trickled from the radio as Donna flipped through a newspaper and Neha looked as though she was just waking up. "Hi Mom" Tj grinned before placing a kiss on Neha's cheek before moving to Donna. "Hey Mama"

"Morning Tj" Neha gave Tj a quick smile. Neha was nearly identical to Bonnie. They shared the same eyes, the same tall and slim figure with little to no curves, and plump lips. Neha had been best friends with Donna since they were kids. Neha had had Bonnie and Bonnie's dad never stayed around. It didn't take long for Donna and her husband to divorce and the two to eventually find each other. It was a beautiful story until Tyson Junior, the annoying kid on the playground, became Bonnie's brother. When they were eight or nine, they moved away from Arizona after Donna had inherited a house from her grandmother. And after seeing the town, well, they became nothing more than roommates to the publics' eye.

"Bonnie, did you finish the science homework or do you still need help?" Donna quietly asked.

"Let her eat first" Neha chuckled as she handed her daughter an apple.

"Thank you, but I'm not too hungry. Tj and I will stop for coffee and donuts on the drive there though. Yeah?" Bonnie grinned as her mom's both approved and quickly dragged a whining Tj behind her.

It didn't take long for them to get to school. Bonnie had managed to bully Tj into paying for coffee and donuts after threatening to kick him out of the car. She had her music to tune out his obnoxious rambling and she was finally free from one hell and forced into another. She found Tj to be annoying, but she found school to be terrifying.

It didn't take long for a pretty blonde girl with bangs and blue eyes to find them. Hattie Washington... Her family had lived there for generations and she had a nice house near the old mansion... She was also Tj's girlfriend and one of the most well-known and liked girls on the school grounds. It was impossible not to like Hattie. She had a million different interests so there was never a dull conversation with her. She was friendly and outspoken, always did what was best for the school. She was the reason the schools had finally started paying for buses to support any disabled students. She was just a good person and Bonnie was proud to say Hattie was her best friend.

"Oh Mylanta, I have so much to tell you" Hattie grinned. The shorter girl instantly clung to her best friend's arm before sparing a quick smile at Tj. "Hey Tj" She added before looking back up at Bonnie. "There's a new kid and they're gay... Well, not gay? I don't know. I'll have to do a bit of research when I get home but they aren't a dude or a chick and it's just... Wow," Hattie grinned.

"Good to see you too, babe" Tj huffed as he reluctantly followed them across the campus and toward where Zack was wanting with his friends.

"I hope Asper Hollows suits them well, then" Bonnie mumbled. There wasn't much else to say... Being openly queer or trans or anything that wasn't expected of you was a death sentence. There were good people in Asper, sure. But there was also an overwhelming amount of bad people. Bad people like Arran Harley, one of Bonnie's boyfriend's close friends.

Arran Harley was known for being a homophobic piece of shit. His family was a part of the reason Bonnie's moms weren't openly together... The Harley family had done nothing but harm to the queer community for generations now. And although Arran was on the better half of his family, he still sucked. Bonnie never understood why someone as sweet and likable as Emrys Lopez hung around him.

"Don't you look like a million bucks" Zack grinned as soon as he spotted his girlfriend. Zack was slightly above average height, although he liked to claim he was six foot, nobody believed him. But Bonnie didn't mind Zack. He was goofy and friendly enough. He always had an open mind and although he didn't know about Bonnie's moms, he was open-minded enough that Bonnie was certain he'd understand. He liked to throw around a few slurs or harass his friends for 'acting gay' at times, but deep down Bonnie knew he'd stop if he knew just how harmful that could be. Bonnie didn't dare speak up though, it would only draw unnecessary attention to her and her family.

"Thanks" Bonnie laughed as she gave him a quick hug. Zack was pretty with dark hair, dark olive skin, and gentle hooded eyes. He always wore athletic coats or hoodies with jeans and got along with almost everyone. That was probably why Bonnie had agreed to date him. "Did you eat? If not, we still have enough time to stop by a shop or something"

"Nah, Tj and I got something on the way over" Bonnie shrugged. And that was when her least favorite person arrived followed by one of her top five favorite people.

"Hey" Zack gave Emrys one of the signature 'bro handshakes' every man seemed to know by the age of twelve. Bonnie had tried learning it from Tj, Zack, and Emrys but they all taught it differently. It was weird. "Nice nails, it's a little gay though" Zack chuckled.

"I know. It's because I'm gay for Arran" Emrys jokingly ran a hand up the blonde boy's chest with a teasing smirk. Arran froze for a moment before pushing Emrys away as he rolled his eyes. Zack snorted before wrapping his arm over Bonnie's shoulders.

"Ha, good one" Zack chuckled.

"No, but for real. My little sister is like obsessed with nail polish at the moment so I let her mess around. I forgot it was there if I'm being honest" Emrys shrugged.

"I told you to scrub it off" Arran deadpanned.

"Get that pole out of your ass and just enjoy the moment, Harley" Emrys rolled his eyes before smiling over at Bonnie. "Hey! It's been a few days. Do you still want to study at Molly's Dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah" Bonnie quickly agreed. "I invited Hattie if that's okay. She has the same class just a different period" Emrys nodded before getting distracted by yet another one of his friends. Emrys had always been like that... Ever since Bonnie moved to Asper Hollows he had been a bouncy and energetic ball of an extrovert. He was one of the first people to approach Bonnie and Tj at the new school and it had honestly been a relief...

And then the shouting started. Shouting from across the lawn where a familiar girl was trying to walk past a group of boys. Bonnie never dared to talk to Arcadia unless it was necessary. Almost nobody with any common sense did. Arcadia was a short and pretty girl. She had long black hair and skin that reminded Bonnie of honey, but she was also what many of the boys liked to call "the school dyke". Any girl that was associated with her had been given a similar title...

Bonnie had felt bad for her. For being outed a few years back, for dealing with constant bullying and harassment. But she was also intrigued by her. She was pretty and bold. She never took no for an answer and always fought back. Bonnie just hoped to be more like her someday... More out and open about who she liked. But she knew that day wouldn't be for a long time.

Emrys walked down the hallway of building B, carefully looking around to be sure nobody was following him or was there to see. Emrys, unlike Arran, was familiar with how active the queer community truly was in Aspen. He wasn't with Arran because he was his only option, he was with Arran because he liked him. He had stumbled across two girls kissing one night. After a bit of talking, he had admitted to liking boys and non-binary people and he had been introduced to a whole world he never dreamed to exist.

He had wanted to invite Arran one day. To tell him all about it and pull him into a world where they could more openly be together, but he knew Arran would freak. That Arran would hate it and that he would avoid it at all costs. Or maybe Emrys was a little afraid that by introducing Arran to other closeted individuals, Arran would learn that Emrys wasn't his only option. And maybe he'd leave him... And Emrys just wasn't sure he could handle that.

He dug his hand into his pocket knowing very well that Bay had slipped a note in there. He grinned as his eyes flicked over the familiar address of Burrows Mansion. A place where he could just be him. They were holding a party tonight... And Emrys intended on going.