"Guys, come on! The tryouts will start any minute!"

Ryan fought so hard to contain the eye-roll and groan that threatened to rip out of his throat as Nora whined about the swim team tryouts. Not only was she whining about getting to the pool on time to watch the team begin the qualifiers for the upcoming swimming competition, she had also taken it upon herself to drag both Ryan and Ruxie out of their final classes of the day.

"Guys, please, I'm gonna talk to him again. Can't you support me one more time?" She questioned, pursing her lips as she glared at her two friends.

Ryan glanced to his right and met Ruxie's gaze. The latter just shook their head and widened their eyes for a split second, as if telling Ryan to zip it before they turned to Nora with a tight-lipped smile.

"Of course we'll support you," they stated, making Ryan frown. "But don't you think it's time to move on from Drew?"

Nora gasped in shock, touching her chest as if she was clutching her pearls. "Move on? Like you've moved on from Lorien?" she retorted and Ruxie sighed, shaking their head as if they couldn't find a reason to continue the conversation.

"Okay, forgive me for mentioning it. I just think Drew might not be that great after all," they stated with a shrug which made Nora's frown deepen.

The black haired girl took her friend's hand and squeezed them gently. "Okay I don't know what stick you've got up your ass but get it out right now! I expected this from Ryan, not you."

"Hey!"

"Oh, tell me I'm lying," Nora stated. "You've never liked Drew for some reason," she continued, flipping her hair.

If only she knew, Ryan thought as he gulped.

"But now's not the time to ask. I just need you guys to back me up on this. If he rejects me again, I'll back off. Even I know when I'm unwanted," she continued, sighing as she turned away from her friends but before either Ryan or Ruxie could get a word out, Nora turned back to them. "And y'all need to stop acting like he's a bad person when you don't even know him."

"No one's saying he's a bad person," Ruxie argued. "We just don't want you to end up dating someone who might not be right for you," they said and looked to Ryan for help.

"Yeah!" The blond boy exclaimed. "We just want what's best for you."

Nora let out another sigh at their words and put her arms on their shoulders as she stood between them. "I know... and that's why I love you guys but I need you to trust me on this," she said and kissed both their cheeks before hurrying off to the pool and leaving Ryan and Ruxie no choice but to follow.

There weren't many people gathered by the pool by the time the three friends arrived. They quickly made their way to the second step across from the pool where they could see the swimmers clearly and wouldn't get wet once the tryouts begun.

"Oh my god look!" Nora exclaimed, pointing to a group of seniors emerging from the locker rooms, led by Drew and Zane. Ryan and Ruxie turned their attention to them, the former gulping as he took in Drew's demeanour. The dark-skinned senior looked quite normal from afar, but being so close to him over the last few weeks made Ryan privy to certain things about him that others weren't. Just from his stature as he walked by the pool, Ryan could tell how tense Drew was. For a moment, he wished he knew why so he could help him out... until he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder quite harshly.

Ryan turned to see Ruxie staring pointedly at him and immediately shook his head, as if to say he wasn't thinking about going to Drew. He let out a sigh and turned back to the swim team, trying as much as he could not to let his eyes linger over Drew, not even for a minute. And that plan was a good one until about five seconds when Drew's voice bounced off the walls of the natatorium.

"Listen up!" Ryan's eyes immediately found the tall senior, unable to help himself. "Bear in mind that while this is not the main competition, it is the first round to determine who will represent RV High in the summer. Is that clear?"

"Yes Captain!" The juniors on the team shouted.

"Good. First group, line up!" Drew ordered and watched as the first group of eight boys lined up by the pool. "Take your mark!" In three seconds, the whistle was blown and the boys dived in.

"Oh my god! Can he order me around like that?" Nora nearly moaned, startling Ryan who had almost forgotten that he was with his best friends.

Ryan took a deep breath, forcing himself to not roll in eyes at her words. Yes, Drew was hot, but did she have to mention it all the fucking time? Ryan knew he was being a hypocrite, but this was one of those moments where he couldn't help himself. He sighed and looked sideways, sharing a glance with Ruxie who grimaced and gulped, shaking their head. Ryan looked away then, glancing down at his folded hands and silently wishing for the day to be over. He would rather be anywhere than here.

Hell, he almost wished he was spending time with Dan than be anywhere around Nora, or Drew. And that was how the rest of the tryouts went, with Nora praising and screaming for Drew every single time the senior moved, and Ryan wishing he could bury himself six feet under.

"Guys, it's time!" Nora breathed about twenty minutes later.

"For?" Ruxie asked.

"Drew's about to swim!" She stated eagerly, eyes practically bulging out, or at least that's what Ryan thought she looked like.

He turned away, but his eyes found him again even though his brain screamed at him to turn away. As much as he wanted to look anywhere but at the senior who took off his shirt in a way that almost made Ryan lose his breath, he watched on steadily as Drew and his team dived into the pool once the whistle was blown, watched with a star-filled gaze, paying rapt attention to every stroke, every movement.

His eyes never left Drew, not even when the senior slowly came out of the water, after unsurprisingly winning the simple tryout. His eyes never left him as the senior dried off, never left even when Drew turned his head and scanned the room until their eyes met, shocking Ryan. He gasped, jumping slightly when Nora screamed.

Drew smiled in their direction and waved, setting Nora off even more as she gushed about how Drew waved at her. Ryan gulped when Drew seemingly smirked and turned to whisper something to Zane who had come in seconds before walking in their direction. Ryan's breath caught in his throat as Drew neared them, the senior's eyes locked on no one else but Ryan. His heart pounded loudly, he could almost hear the sound of it beating against his chest. The blond boy stood up abruptly, with no thought in mind as he wondered just what the fuck was going on.

What was Drew playing at? Why was he walking towards them like that? Ryan was going out of his mind trying to figure out everything as fast as possible. And it didn't stop until Drew was right in front of him. He may have stopped breathing for a second when the senior smiled at him. It was that smile that made him look so fucking handsome, the smile that caught Ryan's attention in the first place. The one that he could never look away from, the one that locked him in so much so that he didn't notice when Ruxie and Nora stood up as well.

Then Drew's eyes shifted, as if in slow motion, Ryan thought he heard words that should have been addressed to him instead.

"You were rooting for me?" Drew asked.

"Of course!" Nora exclaimed. "Always."

Drew chuckled. "Thank you, Nora. You're... sweet," he said. And as if this was his own personal hell, in the corner of his eye, Ryan saw Drew take Nora's hand and slowly bring it to his lips. "I've always wanted to do this, but couldn't find the courage."

"Oh... I..." It seemed Nora's words were caught in her throat, just as Ryan's would've been if it had been him in her place.

"Is it okay to ask you to hang out sometime?" Drew questioned softly, breaking the rose-colored glasses in Ryan's mind. He turned his attention to Drew and Nora, suddenly seeing how smitten they both were for each other or whatever the fuck was happening right in front of him.

Without a second thought, Ryan turned away from them and ran out of the natatorium, ignoring all of Ruxie's calls. He had no clue where he was going, only running as fast as his legs could carry him. His sight blurred with tears that had no intention of stopping, yet he managed to run up the stairs until he reached the rooftop of the school building and fell to his knees as he cried out.

Was this what heartbreak felt like? If so, then Ryan wanted nothing to do with a heart, or love for that matter. He let it all out, cried until there were no tears left to cry... until the only thing he could do was try to catch his breath. He had no idea how long he knelt on the concrete floor of the rooftop, or how long the person who came to stand in front of him had stood there for.

He breathed in slowly as he looked up, drying his eyes with his hands and his sight clearing until he saw a black-haired senior looking down at him.

"He did it, didn't he?" Cain asked with a sigh that explained so much more than Ryan had wanted to understand. But even with that, Ryan heard nothing as tears stung his eyes again. With a heavy mind, he did the only thing he could think of and jumped up, crashing into Cain as he wrapped his arms tightly around the tall boy's torso, crying.

"You were right," he sobbed. "I knew it but it hurts. It hurts so fucking bad."

***

Sorry for the severe lack of updates. Now back to regular scheduling. Chapter 17 will be up on Wednesday.