Monday was a day students usually hated, mostly because it meant another week of hell. But for Ryan, this particular Monday meant two things, both of which he hated immensely.
For one, he had promised to meet up with Drew after school to discuss how best he can help the tall boy date his best friend. Not only did that suck as someone who also had a crush on the senior, it also wasn't something he was particularly looking forward to.
The second thing was that he and Ruxie usually met up at Nora's house to study on Mondays after school. It was their way of getting ready for the week's school activities and something that Ryan enjoyed since it helped him get better at school. One thing he didn't like to joke about was his schoolwork.
But all of that was being thrown out the window right now for Drew.
He could break his promise, he could simply tell Drew that something came up, that he wasn't up to it anymore, but Ryan couldn't find it in himself to do so. Because as much as he hated what their topic of conversation was going to be, he simply couldn't give up meeting with Drew and hanging out with him. This was more than he had gotten for the past two years of his life since he developed a crush on the senior.
It didn't matter to Ryan that he was helping his best friend get with his crush indirectly... well, it mattered but he wanted to know the full details before giving up on the chance to become closer to the boy he'd spent the better part of his high school days fantasizing about.
Knowing that he couldn't tell his friends the exact reason he was bailing on their study group meeting, Ryan devised many excuses as he sat in his last class of the day. He could very well say that he was sick but even he was aware that such an excuse would only cause his friends to panic and ask to take care of him. That's definitely out of the question, he thought.
The bell indicating the close of the day rang before Ryan could make up his mind, making him curse himself in defeat as he waited for his friends to come to him. Looking to the door, he wasn't surprised when he saw both Nora and Ruxie pushing past the other students to come in.
"Dude, I am freaking hungry!" Ruxie announced when they and Nora neared their blond friend.
"Wanna get McDonald's before we go study?" Nora asked. Ryan perked up at the mention of Mcdonald's, immediately thinking of saying yes to indulging in a bucket load of chicken nuggets until he remembered his actual plans for the rest of the day.
"I'm down," said Ruxie and they turned to Ryan, waiting for his answer.
The blue-eyed boy pursed his lips. "Sorry guys, I'm not gonna make it to study group today," he said.
"What? Why? You were supposed to teach me math today!" Nora all but whined.
"I know," Ryan said, putting in his best apologetic look by widening his eyes and pouting his lips. "I'd rather do that than hang out with Dan." The words came out before he could stop them. He had no idea where the lie about spending time with his father's husband came from but he was glad it was the first thing he thought of.
"Wait, he finally sucked you into spending time with him?" Ruxie asked, their tone laced with a hint of anger at the man in question.
Ryan pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah, sadly. But I'll be okay 'cause my dad will be around too. I still don't know why they're roping me into whatever this is but I'll keep you guys posted," he told them and they nodded.
It was weird for Ryan to discuss his family with his friends, especially when he knew of the history between Ruxie's family and his new stepfather. It made him feel awkward as it put him in the middle of two people he loved. He hated having to pick sides, and it was much harder when those sides were his real family and his chosen family.
Though, bringing up Dan now gave him the leverage he needed to get out of study time with his friends. And he was grateful when they didn't press him to give any further details.
The three friends made their way out of the school building together, with Ryan following closely behind Nora and Ruxie. He looked around, hoping to see Drew before they met up at Rollie's later in the evening.
Ryan paused in his steps when his eyes fell on the boy they'd been searching for. Drew looked to be in a very heated argument with another boy who was almost as tall as him. Ryan didn't know who the boy with wavy black hair was. He couldn't see the boy's face from where he stood but, he had to be important if he could rile up Drew so much to the point where it looked like Drew wanted to punch him.
"Who's that?" Ryan blurted to his friends, pointing at the two boys from afar.
"Cain," Nora said grimly. "Drew's best friend."
The tone with which she answered as they all looked at the two boys in question made Ryan gulp. He was curious. Why was Drew in such a heated argument with his own best friend, if that was indeed what they were? Had Nora been wrong this time? Ryan didn't think so as she was always on top of the newest gossip in their school.
But this only made him even more curious.
He wanted to ask her more about this new guy but his words were caught in his throat when his eyes suddenly met Drew's from afar. Drew looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide in surprise. This made Ryan raise a brow in question.
He raised his hand slowly, giving the boy a small wave, something his conscience told him not to do, but Ryan did it anyway. And of course, Drew didn't respond to it. Well, how could he have when the person he had been arguing with also turned around to look in Ryan's direction?
Ryan instantly put his hand down, frowning when he saw the black-haired boy smirk. He couldn't really see the boy's features from afar, but there was something sinister in the way Cain looked at him that made Ryan want to curl up into a corner.
"That's weird," he heard Nora say.
Ryan blinked and turned to his friend. "What?"
Nora stared at him for a moment, her eyes seemingly reading his expression and change in mood. Ryan gulped yet again. Did she see that? He asked himself. Ryan surely hoped not.
Nora pursed her lips and glanced at where Drew and Cain stood, but the two had already left. She turned back to Ryan and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go," she said, making Ryan sigh silently in relief.
This was going to be more difficult than he thought.
***
It was one thing to dress up decently for a friend, but it was a whole other thing to stress about your attire when meeting up with a guy you liked. And Ryan was beginning to learn that the hard way.
The blond boy was so close to tearing all his T-shirts apart and just meeting up with Drew in a fucking robe. For someone who was usually confident in their style and body, this was not what he'd imagined would happen after taking a shower. He'd made his hair up, even put on a bit of concealer and blush. He debated on wearing eyeliner but decided against it. It was after all just a simple conversation at the ice cream bar that he was going to have with Drew.
He didn't need to look extra good for that, did he?
Ryan didn't care, he wanted to look so fucking good that when Drew saw him, he'd instantly change his mind about Nora and ask him out instead.
Wishful thinking, I know, he berated himself, even hating himself for thinking like that.
He took in a deep breath, fanning his face with his hands as he breathed out to calm himself down. He rubbed his hand over his chest, turned to the mirror, and imagined what he'd look good in among the clothes he had thrown on his bed moments prior.
Ryan turned back to his bed, pursing his lips at his options. He could go with a simple T-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie, or he could wear a long-sleeved fishnet top underneath a cropped band Tee that he got last year with skinny black jeans and a pair of converse sneakers... or he could just wear a white T-shirt underneath a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and buttons open, a pair of black jeans and white sneakers.
"Fuck, that's way too much," he said to himself as he picked up his fishnet top. There was no way he wasn't going to look too extra in that.
Not wanting to seem too eager, Ryan put away all his options and put on a black acid-washed oversized T-shirt, a pair of khaki shorts, and white sneakers. This is good, he thought. This was simple enough and he didn't look like he was doing too much.
Still, he felt like something was missing. He licked his lips as he stared at his reflection. Not knowing exactly what it was, the blond boy thought fuck it and picked up his phone from his bed. He took a photo of himself, made a mental note to post it later, and sent a text to Drew.
Hey, it's me! Should I come over now? - Ryan
The response came shortly after.
Sure! I'm at the bar :) - Drew
Ryan took a deep breath and put his phone in his pocket before leaving his room. He met both his father and Dan in the living room, and they seemed to be having a quiet chat. The two men looked up as soon as Ryan stepped down the stairs.
"Going somewhere?" His father asked.
"Yeah, I'm meeting a friend at Rollie's," Ryan said with a shrug. "See you later." He didn't wait for a response from his father and quickly left the house.
Knowing that Nora's house was on the short route to Rollies, Ryan thought it wise to take the long road. Though he'd pass by Ruxie's house, Ryan decided that was a better option since it meant he wouldn't get caught by other of them. It took him a total of ten minutes to walk from his house to the ice cream bar.
Comments (0)
See all