Can we think of anyone who will do this? - Tommy

Ryan bit his lip as he read the text in his group chat. He had sent the photo he took in the boy's bathroom to the queer students club after a lot of inner deliberation that weekend. Ryan felt that he couldn't just keep it to himself, and he wanted something to be done before things got out of hand.

Bullying wasn't rare in R. V. High, but seeing something so hateful out in the open was unheard of. Their school was a progressive community that opened its arms to any and all kinds of people and Ryan wanted to keep it that way. It was the main reason why the club was created in the first place.

I have no idea - Ryan

He sent the message and waited for the others to respond as well. So far, none of them could decide on who the culprit could be so the group decided to talk about their upcoming club meeting the following Tuesday.

While Ryan wasn't very close friends with the rest of the club, he still enjoyed talking and hanging out with them. And sometimes, things got out of hand when he and the guys started discussing certain stars they watched on different websites, so much so that Ryan lost track of the time that Sunday and only checked his watch after chilling out for about twenty minutes in his bathroom.

"Fuck!" He groaned when he realized it was half past five and quickly washed himself before rushing to his bedroom to get dressed. It was Sunday, and as per schedule, Ryan was supposed to meet Nora and Ruxie at Rollies, but when his mind was occupied with images of hot men, there couldn't be much logical reasoning left.

He quickly put on a white T-shirt and blue jeans shorts with little embroidered sunflowers at the edges, wore his usual black and white Converse sneakers, and put on a mustard-colored zipped hoodie which he left open before getting onto his bicycle.

"Guys I'm so sorry I'm late," Ryan said hastily with baited breaths as he rushed toward the booth where his friends were seated in the ice cream bar. He was glad he didn't take too long in getting there as he usually would.

"Better late than never babes," Ruxie assured which made Ryan smile at them thankfully.

"Have you ordered already?" He asked as sat down and picked up the menu even though he knew what he was going to get. He ordered the same exact ice cream every Sunday. He could never go wrong with strawberry-flavored rolled ice cream.

"Nah, we were waiting for you," Nora answered, looking up from her phone with a smile that made Ryan raise a brow. "Okay, don't judge me, but..." her words trailed as a blush coated her face.

"What?" Ryan questioned, his eyes narrowed. He was a bit skeptical as to what his friend was hiding. Nora definitely couldn't keep it a secret, so Ryan wasn't worried about that. He was however worried about what it could be that made her blush so much.

Licking her lips, Nora turned her phone to both Ryan and Ruxie whose eyes widened at the image before them. He squinted his eyes at the image of a dark skinned guy in a locker room for a moment until he finally realized who it was.

"Dude, what the hell?" He asked with raised brows as he took a second glance at the blurry photo of a bare-chested Drew in the boy's locker room at school which was obviously sneakily taken. Ryan wasn't sure how his friend managed that.

Sometimes he wondered if she was slightly off the rails but he didn't dare question her actions. He knew she was hooked on the guy, almost as much as he was, perhaps even more but Ryan knew he would never try to sneak a picture of Drew without his consent as Nora does. And especially not when Drew was in such a vulnerable position.

"What if he was naked?" He asked her with narrowed eyes when she simply shrugged.

"He wasn't," Nora stated as if that was enough.

"I know you like him and all but you have to admit, this is kinda..." He wanted to say obsessive but he wasn't sure if he'd be met with calmness. He turned to Ruxie who seemed almost indifferent to the photo their friend showed. Maybe they weren't as bothered by it since they didn't like Drew to the extent that Ryan did, he thought.

"Eh it's alright, besides, the door was open when I passed by on Friday and if he didn't wanna get seen like this, he would've closed it," said Nora, laughing. "Plus, we've already seen him bare-chested, what's the big deal?"

Ryan wanted to argue but the door to the ice cream bar got thrown open suddenly, making him look up at the commotion. His words got caught in his throat when he saw the subject of their conversation walking into the bar as he carried two boxes in his arms. Ryan's eyes remained on him as Drew walked to the back of the bar.

"I didn't know he worked here," Ryan stated once Drew was out of sight, looking back at Nora and Ruxie.

"He doesn't," Nora said. "From what I heard, his family bought the bar three months ago and it's actually Drew's brother that makes the ice cream. He just helps out sometimes," she explained making Ryan nod.

"How do you even find out these things?" Ruxie questioned with a laugh which made Ryan also chuckle. He also did wonder how Nora got her information sometimes.

"Come on guys," Nora scoffed, flipping her long black hair as she rolled her eyes. "I'm not the only one with a massive crush on him," she said. Ryan tensed for a moment, but he silently let out a sigh when Nora continued, showing no sign that she was even slightly aware of his crush on Drew. "Plus, word gets around. Y'all are just too boring to hear it."

"Just because we don't like gossip doesn't mean we're boring," Ryan retorted, also flipping his wavy blond hair — though significantly shorter than hers — which made Nora flip him the bird with a smile.

"Eh, speak for yourself, dude," Ruxie chuckled. "I actually have a life."

Ryan rolled his eyes at his friends. He didn't consider himself boring just because he didn't go out as much as they did, but it was whatever. He wasn't going to get into it now.

"How come we've never seen him around then?" Ryan then asked Nora, going back to the topic.

Nora thought for a moment, rubbing her chin with a finger. "Can't be sure but maybe we just haven't come at the right time?" She suggested, making Ruxie and Ryan nod at the plausible explanation.

When Ryan was ready to order, he asked his friends what they wanted to and then got up to go get it at the bar. And for some dumb reason, Ryan just felt like he needed to visit the bathroom. He let out a sigh, slightly annoyed with his bladder, and changed his route, heading for the bathroom.

His phone buzzed with a text and Ryan immediately checked it to see a message from Nora, asking him to get her a banana split smoothie instead of the cookie and cream ice cream she had initially wanted. Ryan shook his head, smiling down at his phone as he opened the door to the bathroom.

"Fuck!" He groaned when his head hit a very sturdy chest. He was startled by the unexpected collision, which made his phone fall to the ground. Ryan groaned silently and glanced up at the person he bumped into.

"Oh..." he gasped, his face reddening at the sight of the six-foot-tall guy who occupied his mind ninety-nine percent of the time. His heart hammered in his chest so rapidly that Ryan could almost hear the heightened rhythmic beat. I did it again, he thought, unable to stop the shivers that ran through him as Drew's eyes narrowed on him.

In a split second, Drew grabbed Ryan's hand and pulled him into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. He pinned the blond boy to the door, caging him in between his arms as he leaned over him, their faces merely inches apart.

"We really gotta stop meeting like this," Drew whispered, his voice sounding almost pained.

Ryan gulped, unsure of what to make of his current situation. Here he was, locked between Drew's arms with his back to the door, unable to look away from the boy's piercing brown eyes.

He followed Drew's gaze as the boy's eyes moved from his to his lips. Drew licked his lips, pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth and for a moment, Ryan wondered just how soft they were. He wondered how they'll taste. He wondered how they'll feel if he pressed his own against them.

He was so close... they were merely inches apart. He could just get on the tips of his toes and his lips would touch Drew's, but could he dare to do such a thing? Ryan's heart clenched as a knot formed in his tummy. His eyes almost stung with tears and he bit his lip.

Drew drew in a breath, the sound of it brought Ryan out of his own thoughts. He gulped once again. Why's he looking at me like that? He asked himself. It didn't make any sense so why was Drew's gaze burning so hot? Why did it make him feel like Drew wanted him? Why did it make him feel so fucking hot?

"Sorry, I wasn't looking," Ryan said. He could no longer bear the silence. It was too intense for his bleeding heart. He couldn't stand the thought of a straight guy watching him with a look so intense that it made the butterflies in his tummy flutter.

The blush on his cheeks intensified when Drew smirked at him, his eyes twinkling.

"It's cool," said Drew. "Still though, get a protector for your phone. You can't be too careful when you walk with your head down all the time," he continued and finally uncaged Ryan as he bent down to pick up the phone which had been forgotten by its owner.

Drew didn't hand it over just yet. He turned it around in his hand, and for a moment Ryan's heart leaped when he saw that his phone was still unlocked. But a silent breath of relief left him when he realized that it was on his Home Screen and not his texts with Nora.

"Is it okay to do this? I wanna ask you something later," Drew said as he began typing into the phone. Ryan raised a brow, confused for a moment until Drew turned the phone to show him the number he'd typed.

That's his number! Ryan licked his lips and nodded. "It's fine," he said coolly, but he was absolutely dying inside. He was finally gonna talk to Drew! He had Drew's number! What the actual fuck?

"Cool," Drew said with a nod. "I sent myself a text. See you around, Ryan," he stated and unlocked the door, leaving the room.

Ryan's jaw dropped as he almost collapsed onto the ground. He gripped his tummy, letting out short breaths as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

Drew just gave him his number? I was not hallucinating, right? He asked himself as he looked at the new contact.

Drew 🍦

Ryan smiled widely, a red hint coating his face as he stared at the name. He's so fucking cute, he thought. He covered his mouth with his palm when he realized how big his smile had gotten. But he just couldn't help it.

Dude!
Where's my smoothie!!! - Nora

"Shit!" Ryan exclaimed as he read the text. He quickly pocketed his phone and left the bathroom, forgetting his need to even use it, and went to the bar after using some hand sanitizer. He needed to keep his head in the game before his friends got too suspicious, he thought.

When he finally got back to the table, Ryan had calmed down. There was no way he could be as hyped as he was when Drew had left him alone in the bathroom. How was he going to explain the source of his happiness to them?

He definitely couldn't tell his friends that he had somehow managed to talk to Drew and get the guy's number when Nora had been the one trying for weeks to even say hi to the tall boy. And knowing them, they'd assume he got blown by some anonymous guy which Ryan definitely didn't want, so he masked a face of indifference.

"Look!" Nora showed Ryan her phone when he sat down.

He frowned as he glanced at the screen after putting their treats on the table. Again, Nora had taken another photo of Drew without his consent, but Ryan simply didn't bother to argue with her this time.

Because for once, he was simply too happy to care.