After dinner, Will briefed his mum about Taylor and his problem, and his theory on Morgan. She said she couldn't give her opinion until she had more information, but she did agree that the whole situation was twisted.
Now, Will was lying upside down on his back with his legs on the wall, holding his phone in front of him, looking at the red-brown-haired boy with his royal blue eyes.
"You can stop trying to set me up with strangers. I'm a gentle soul," Daniel said to Will, which made him laugh.
"Hey! What would you do if you were in my place?" Will asked.
"Don't offer my bestie for the purpose of separating a couple you just met," Daniel answered.
"You needed to be there, to see that girl all over his poor friend, in front of him," Will tried to defend himself.
"He must be very naive or ignorant," Daniel came to the conclusion.
"Or a little bit of both," Will confirmed.
"And that is the kind of person you want to match me with?
Your best friend? Your brother from another mother?" Daniel said, trying to make a point.
"You should have been there," Will justified himself again.
"That is your excuse for everything. Maybe next time, I will be there," Daniel suggested.
"Luckily, that is not going to happen. They all look like college students," Will said.
"How lucky you are," Daniel said with sarcasm. "So, how excited are you about tomorrow?" he added.
"More stressed than excited. You know, new environment and all," Will said honestly.
"Baby, you know I will always be with you in my soul. I am going to miss you so much," Daniel said, his eyes beginning to water.
Will saw this, and his own eyes started to water too.
This separation—from his hometown, childhood friends, and every familiar environment he had ever known—was overwhelming.
"God, I promised myself I would not cry in front of you," Daniel said, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.
"Angel," Will called Daniel by his special nickname. "Please do not cry. You know that when you cry, I want to hit whoever made you cry… and I cannot exactly hit myself."
"That would be very stupid," Daniel laughed through his tears.
"Very stupid," Will agreed. "Why do we not get some sleep now? Tomorrow everything will look better."
Daniel shook his head and finally said, "Okay."
Will did not want to end the call, but he knew there was no point in both of them continuing to cry.
"Good night. I love you," Daniel said.
"Love you," Will replied softly.
The call ended, and Will curled up under his blanket, closing his eyes and trying to force himself to sleep.
But sleep did not come easily. He even tried the cliché of counting sheep, but that quickly flew out the window.
His mind was a whirlwind of fantasy and anxiety, wondering what might happen tomorrow.
When sleep finally came, his dreams were strange and chaotic.
In one of them, he was in a parallel universe. He was at his new school, but all the people there were from his former school—yet none of them recognized him.
Even Daniel gave him the cold shoulder.
And the way Anna and Eden looked at him sent chills down his spine.
Another dream was even more bizarre.
He dreamed about Shrek—but he was Shrek, and Morgan was the Donkey.
Together, the two of them were on a mission to save the princess—who, oddly enough, was Taylor.
And the dragon guarding the tower? Megan.
Weird.
You could say Will did not get a good night's sleep.
He woke up on the wrong side of the bed, barely managed to eat breakfast, and the car ride made him slightly
nauseous.
Before heading into school, he wanted a small guilty pleasure—a cigarette, one of the bad habits that stuck with him from his ex.
But he never got the chance.
Some guys decided they wanted to start a fight.
Unlucky for them—they picked someone who had mastered several martial arts.
For Will, facing four guys first thing in the morning counted as a light workout.
When he finally entered the school, the adviser was no help at all.
When Will told him he wanted to join the wrestling team—especially since the adviser was the coach—the man just laughed at his small figure.
And when Will tried to ask about his schedule, he was kicked out of the teachers' room.
By now, his patience had flown out the window.
Will walked to his locker, so furious he could barely operate the lock.
Then he heard a voice call his name.
A voice that sent a chill down his spine.
A voice he had hoped he would never have to hear again.
Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he turned around—to face an enthusiastic Morgan and a shocked Taylor.
When Taylor saw Will standing in the school hallway, he wished the earth would open and swallow him whole.
And judging by the look on Will’s face—Will wanted the same thing.
A million questions flew through Taylor's mind: What? Where? When? Why? Why...?
Will fought the urge to either run or fight. He stayed where he was, the cold metal of the lockers pressed against his back.
Morgan started talking like a kid on a sugar rush.
"Will? What a surprise!"
Surprise my ass, Will screamed in his head.
He forced his best fake smile while listening to the flood of words spilling from Morgan’s mouth.
"Will! What are you doing here? I did not know we were going to the same school! When did you start? I think I would remember you—you are a pretty memorable person! What a coincidence! No—wait—not a coincidence. Fate!"
Will said to himself, knowing now he had people he knew in this school,
Well, I guess I have to hang with them.
"Hey, Tay," Will added, snapping Taylor out of his shock.
"Hey," Taylor replied, his throat dry as sandpaper. He licked his lips nervously.
Slowly, Taylor stepped closer and reached out, touching Will’s shoulder, as if checking whether he was real or just a cruel trick of his imagination.
Taylor's response was amusing to Will – the first glimmer of light in his otherwise lousy morning.
"So, you two are also going to this school. Wow, if this was not my life, I would say it is one big cliché," Will said, a cynical tone lacing his words.
When Taylor noticed that, he said, "Will, can I talk to you for a moment? Alone."
Taylor did not wait for Will's response and dragged him away.
Once they were far enough not to be heard, Taylor began to speak in a low voice.
What are you doing here?"
"Studying," Will stated the obvious, annoying Taylor enough to make his nostrils flare.
"I did not mean that."
"I know what you meant."
Their conversation took on a sarcastic tone.
"I moved to this city and enrolled in this school. You know, you do not look like a high school student. How old are you, anyway?"
"Sixteen. You?"
"Same." Will scanned Taylor from head to toe. "What the hell do you eat to be so tall?"
There is nothing wrong with me," Taylor defended himself.
"I never said there is anything wrong with you. So, are we still pretending, or did you already tell your friend the truth?"
"What? I did not say anything, and I am not sure I will."
"That is a shame, considering what he is. But I bet he does not realize that yet."
Taylor, curious, stepped closer to Will. He bent over slightly, and Will’s heart skipped a beat as he stared into Taylor’s green eyes.
"And what is he?" Taylor whispered.
Will smiled and whispered back with amusement, "That he is gay."
"No, he is not!" Taylor strongly objected. He straightened up, shaking his head and waving his hands.
"I am pretty sure. You could say I have a good radar."
Taylor opened and closed his mouth, trying to process the meaning between the lines.
"Are you…?" Taylor asked, and Will nodded.
Just as Will was about to try convincing Taylor to tell the truth, Morgan approached them.
"Guys, the bell rang."
Once again, Morgan felt like he was interrupting something—just like during their first meeting
"So, Will, what is your first class?" Morgan asked.
Will did not answer—he just handed him the schedule sheet.
"Wow, we have almost all the same classes. Talk about luck!" Morgan grinned, gave Taylor a playful nudge, and winked at them both.
Morgan led the way to the classroom, with Taylor and Will walking behind him, dragging their feet.
"You know you cannot pretend forever," Will whispered.
"I know that."
"You seriously need to talk to him. You might be surprised." Will gave Taylor a knowing look.
"Will you stop with that?" Taylor said—louder than he meant to.
He froze. Everyone in the class turned to stare at him. It was so out of character—Taylor was always quiet and well-mannered.
Will, amused, turned to one of the empty desks. "Is this seat taken?" he asked. The person next to him shook his head, and Will sat down.
"Tay, the class is about to start. You better sit," Will said in a sweet voice, accompanied by an even sweeter smile.
Morgan sensed there was something between the lines but decided to ignore it—for now.
The teacher entered the room, and the students took their seats
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