The days went by, and at school more assignments and homework piled up in preparation for the midterm exams.

Will, Barney, and Megan had claimed a table tucked away in the library, a laptop and a half-dozen books spread out in front of them. They were working on a joint chemistry project, and at the same time helping each other with the rest of their subjects.

“What’s this notebook?” Barney asked Will, lifting a small notebook that had no writing on the cover—something unusual for Will.

Will glanced at it and said casually, “A new project I’m working on.”

“Can I take a look?” Barney asked curiously.

Will shrugged in agreement, and Barney opened the notebook, flipping through the pages as a crease slowly formed between his brows. “What project exactly are you working on?” he asked Will.

Megan’s curiosity got the better of her and she leaned over to peek into the notebook as well.

“‘Guy with an earring—weak left leg… tall kid—favors his right side, leaves his left completely open…’” Megan read quietly under her breath.

Both Megan and Barney turned to look at Will as if he’d just dropped out of the sky, waiting for an explanation.

“What are you guys doing?” Morgan asked. He and Taylor had just joined them at the table, carrying their own stack of textbooks.

Barney and Megan glanced back at Will, still hoping for some sort of reaction, but once again he only shrugged. So Megan took the notebook from Barney’s hands and handed it over to her boyfriend and Taylor to see for themselves.

They too flipped through the pages, their brows furrowing as they read.

“Wait… is that why you started sticking around for the wrestling team’s practices??” Taylor asked Will.

“What are you even doing this for?” Morgan added with an amused grin.

“I can’t say, sorry.” Will pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Is this because of what Danny told you the other night? I talked to him, and suddenly he got all tense and said he had to talk to you.” Morgan kept tossing out theories.

Will only shrugged again, ignoring the nickname Morgan used—Daniel allowed only a very small number of people to call him Danny.

“I can’t say.” Will shook his head firmly.

Taylor locked eyes with Will, and Will could feel that Taylor wasn’t satisfied with his answer. After a long silence—neither of them looking away—Taylor stood up, muttering that he was going to grab something to drink.

Will got up and followed him. When they reached the vending machine, Will leaned against the coin slot, watching Taylor with a questioning look. Taylor pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t understand you,” Taylor whispered, leaning closer so Will could hear him over the background noise of students walking the high school hallways.

“Everyone’s telling you to keep your distance from them, and you’re deliberately provoking them.” Taylor went on.

“How exactly am I provoking them?” Will asked.

Will’s tone was teasing, and his eyes burned with fire.

Taylor shook his head, lifting his hand to tuck a strand of Will’s hair behind his ear. Will’s knees nearly gave out at the soft touch.

“You know how much you mean to me, right?” Taylor asked, his voice gentler now.

Will bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying something he might regret. He only nodded. Taylor’s hand lingered against Will’s cheek, caressing him softly.

“Would you mind keeping your public affection to a minimum? Not everyone wants to see that.”

A group of wrestlers approached them like a pack of hyenas.

Will laughed inwardly when Taylor straightened to his full height, making the boys flinch and step back.

The one who had spoken turned his attention to Will.

“If you’re always hanging around to watch us practice, you could just take the coach’s offer and join the team.”

The thought that crossed Will’s mind was over my dead body, but what came out of his mouth was a fake smile and a simple, “No thanks.”

Before they could say anything else, Taylor grabbed Will’s hand and pulled him along, heading straight back to the library.

“Where’s your drink?” Morgan asked Taylor when they sat back down.

“It’s gone,” Taylor replied.

“The machine’s empty?” Morgan asked, surprised.

Taylor nodded and opened his books. “Let’s study,” he said simply.

Will glanced at Taylor, who lifted his eyes to meet his. Will winked at him, and Taylor blushed, smiling back. The tension that had been hanging over Taylor eased a little, and they all sank into their schoolwork.

Will felt genuinely happy—he’d managed to find himself a group of friends, and he was almost convinced he was settling into his new school.

Despite Taylor’s mild disapproval, Will and Meagan had become quite close.

Barney turned out to be a gentle, good-hearted boy. Even though he wasn’t particularly popular among their classmates, Will noticed how much his siblings adored him whenever he came over to babysit. Especially Oliver, Will’s little brother, Barney quickly became Oliver’s favorite, something almost impossible to achieve for anyone outside of theirs family.

Will also liked Morgan, mostly because he was such a good friend to Taylor. But Morgan was kind to Will as well, even if his constant easygoing, joking attitude sometimes made Will wish to see another side of him. Still, Will was grateful to be part of their circle of friends.

*

*

*

Two weeks later, Will noticed a rumor spreading around school about a party that the wrestling team was planning for the weekend. Word was, it was supposed to be very exclusive—you needed a special invitation to get in.

One afternoon, while Will and Taylor were sitting outside between classes, soaking up the warm sun, the boy with the earring from the wrestling team walked up to Will and handed him an invitation.

As the boy walked away, Taylor turned to Will.

“You’re not seriously considering going, are you?” he asked.

Will didn’t answer, just looked at him. Taylor knew exactly what was running through his head. Will hadn’t told him every detail of what Daniel had uncovered that night, but Taylor’s gut told him it was nothing good. If Will kept 'investigating' eventually he was going to get hurt.

Taylor waited for Will to respond, but the silence stretched on. His nostrils flared as he let out a long sigh. He reached over and took Will’s hand in his own.

“Promise me you’ll stop this,” he said quietly. “Please.”

Will bit down on his lip, hesitating. Then, in almost a pleading tone, he finally said,

“Just this once… We’ll go to the party, see what’s going on, and that’s it. I promise.”

Taylor didn’t answer at first—until Will lifted their joined hands and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Taylor’s.

“Please,” Will murmured. “Come with me… we won’t stay long, and we’ll leave before anyone even notices we’re there.”

Taylor let out a long sigh, finally giving in.

“Okay… but fifteen minutes, then we’re out,” he said firmly.

Will’s face lit up with a grin. He pulled Taylor into a tight embrace, relief washing over him.

On the night of the party, Will picked Taylor up—both of them dressed head-to-toe in black.

Will parked the car a few houses down from where the party was taking place.

The party house was huge—three stories tall with an enormous yard. Yet despite the wide lawn, all the guests seemed packed inside.

Two dozen cars lined the street, and from within the house spilled flashing colored lights, pulsing music, and the shouts of partygoers.

“What the hell is this?” Taylor muttered before they even stepped out of the car.

Through the windshield, they spotted a familiar figure—also dressed in black—slipping quietly into the party.

Will stared wide-eyed as the figure disappeared into the house. There was no mistaking that long hair…

He glanced at Taylor, and together they hurried out of the car, shutting the doors quietly before power-walking toward the house.

They slipped in through the front door, just in time to catch where the long-haired figure had gone.

Inside, it was far darker than what they’d seen from outside. Each room held maybe two small projectors—blinding more than illuminating.

Will didn’t recognize most of the people there. He turned and saw Taylor beside him. Grabbing his hand, he led him in the direction where he had seen the figure disappear.

They made their way through the kitchen, where a massive island was covered with bottles of drinks. Will noticed plenty of alcohol bottles and a huge bowl filled with ice and beer cans. On the counter, there were bowls of salty snacks—bags of chips, Doritos, and pretzels scattered around.

People were coming and going, brushing past them, breaking the grip between Will and Taylor, shoving them farther apart.

Will found himself standing at the entrance of the room he’d been shoved out of. Just as he was about to step back inside, he bumped into someone. He started to mumble an apology, but stopped halfway when he realized who it was—the figure he’d been looking for.

The figure didn’t look up; her head was bowed as she clutched her phone, which was hanging from a chain around her neck. A small black bag, almost like a pouch, rested against her side.

“What are you doing here??” Will asked sharply.

Megan lifted her gaze, her eyes wide as she looked at him. “What are you doing here?” she whispered in alarm.

“I asked first,” Will shot back.

He could see the terror written across her face. Her fingers whitened as her grip on the phone tightened, and Will noticed the screen—her phone was on camera mode.

He stepped closer. “Are you here alone?” he asked softly.

Megan’s eyes darted suspiciously around the hallway. She pressed her lips together, then gave a small nod.

“Why are you here?” she asked, her voice still trembling with panic.

He reached for her free hand, giving her an encouraging look. “I’m here with Taylor. I just wanted to check on something. Let’s find him and get out of here.”

But she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over herself, almost hugging her own body. “This has to do with what you wrote in that notebook, doesn’t it?” she asked, her tone carrying a hint of accusation.

“It doesn’t matter. Either way, I don’t think I’m going to find anything tonight,” Will said with a shrug.

Megan shook her head, distressed. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“Okay. Let’s just find Taylor and go.”

“Taylor’s here too?!” she asked, disbelief coloring her voice.

“Come on. Last I saw him, he was in the kitchen.” Will said, leading the way.

When they entered, they spotted Taylor holding a plastic cup of something to drink.

“Hey, you found her!” Taylor said cheerfully.

Before Will could even answer, Megan rushed past him. “What are you doing?! You can’t drink anything here!!” she snapped, her voice sharp with urgency.

“Why not? It’s just apple juice,” Taylor said, trying to reassure her.

But Megan wasn’t convinced. With one quick swipe, she smacked the cup right out of his hand.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said in a sharp tone that left no room for argument.

Will and Taylor exchanged glances but followed her. Once they stepped outside the house, she quickly asked, “Where did you park?”

Will pointed down the street. She nodded, pulled a small water bottle from her bag, and handed it to Taylor. “Drink this.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow, eyeing the bottle suspiciously. “Why?”

“You just walked into a shady party and drank something that was probably spiked. Now I hand you a sealed bottle of water, and suddenly you’re suspicious?” she snapped as they moved farther from the house. Without realizing it, they had followed her straight toward her car.

“Why would anyone do that?” Taylor asked innocently, though his voice trembled. He didn’t want to admit it aloud, but he was already starting to feel strange—lightheaded, his legs heavy.

“Because that’s what they do,” Megan replied coolly, pressing the bottle toward him again.

His hand shook as he took it.

“Drink all of it. In one go,” she ordered, her gaze fixed firmly on him.

Will watched every movement Taylor made, his worry etched on his face. Taylor twisted the cap open and gulped a deep swallow—but seconds later he choked, dropping the bottle onto the asphalt. His face twisted with disgust.

“Why is it salty?” he croaked, but he never heard Megan’s answer. A moment later, he doubled over and vomited the entire contents of his stomach onto the pavement.