Lance was comfortably lying in bed. He was just waking up, slowly and naturally, not because of a stupid alarm clock. He felt very content, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. The sheets felt loose around him, and the sun filtering through his window illuminated the room perfectly.
He sighed and turned his head to the side, ready to doze a bit longer.
What he saw made his eyes open wide and he sat up quickly. The sheets fell away from his bare chest, but he didn’t even notice that he wasn’t wearing clothes. He was too busy staring at the body lying beside him in bed.
It was Fletcher, curled up with his head resting on a pillow. When Lance had sat up, he had moved the sheets and revealed Fletcher’s bare shoulder. The movement had also made Fletcher stir, and he rubbed his eyes.
Wha-- What’s going on? Lance wondered. He looked around the room in a panic.
“Lance?” Fletcher said quietly. Lance looked to see him sitting up. The sheets fell away from his smooth chest, and his leg brushed against Lance’s. “Are you okay?”
No. Was Lance’s first thought. I just woke up beside another boy, and we’re not wearing clothes!
But as Lance looked at Fletcher’s sleepy face, he felt calmed. He felt a smile come to his face. “Yeah.” He said. “I’m fine.” He leaned in, reaching for Fletcher’s cheek.
* * *
Lance’s alarm blared and he sat up right away. His pajamas felt uncomfortable, and he jumped out of bed right away to get changed.
“Turn that thing off!” Ralph shouted through the house.
Lance shut off his alarm while he pulled on a pair of jeans. Then he turned to make his bed, but stopped. He just stood there, staring at the ruffled sheets. His dream filtered through his head, along with the calm, content feeling.
He turned to the mirror and stared at himself. Taking a deep breath, he admitted something to himself that he had been keeping at bay for the past few weeks.
I am sexually attracted to Fletcher Stone.
* * *
“Lance!” Nicole called out as she ran toward him. She threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I missed you so much!”
Lance untangled himself from her arms. The two of them were standing in a field behind the school. The final bell had rung a while ago, and all the students had gone home already. Lance and Nicole were completely alone, which was what Lance had wanted.
“Nicole, I need to talk to you.” He told her quietly.
“What is it?” She asked, smiling. Then she got a sly look on her face. “Do you want to… you know.”
Lance gulped. He knew exactly what she was referring to, and the thought made him shudder. He felt bad about it, and it made this conversation even harder. “No, Nicole, I don’t.”
The smile on her face fell away. “Okay.” She muttered. “Then what is it?”
He kicked at a loose pebble. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.
“Sorry?” She echoed. Then tears suddenly came to her eyes. “Are you breaking up with me?” She gasped and held her arms tight around herself. “You’ve fallen in love with someone else, haven’t you?”
Lance blinked at her. For once, her obsession with cheesy romance movies was making his life easier. He nodded slowly.
“It’s Holly, isn’t it?” She demanded, glaring at him. “She’s around you so much, it’s no surprise really. I’ve seen how you look at her when she’s chatting with her brother. It’s clear! You like her so much, you’re even jealous of Fletcher!”
Lance could only blink at her in surprise. He should have known this would happen. When Nicole was upset, she just wouldn’t shut up. All he could do was wait for her to run out of breath.
“How could you do this to me?!” She cried. “Holly’s my friend! Now you’ve ruined my friendship with her! I hate you!”
“Nicole!” Lance shouted, making her stop before she could turn and run away. “It’s not Holly.” He hadn’t even really thought about Holly much lately. His mind was too busy being focused on Fletcher. “It’s not Holly, and…” He took a deep breath. “…it’s not any girl.”
Nicole blinked at him. “What?”
Lance kicked the pebble again. “I’m not in love with a girl.” He forced himself to look Nicole in the eyes. “I’m gay.”
Smack! Nicole slapped him hard across the face, tears streaming down her face. “So, you were just using me?!” She cried. “Is that why you wouldn’t sleep with me? Have you been sleeping with guys this whole time?!”
“No!” Lance grabbed her wrists. “Nicole, I’m sorry. I never cheated on you, though. I really do care about you. You’re like my--”
“Best friend?!” She tried to hit him again, but he held her wrist. “I don’t want to be your best friend! I love you! I want to be your girlfriend!”
“I’m sorry.” He said again. “But I don’t want a girlfriend.”
Nicole ripped her wrists free from Lance’s grip. Crying, she turned and ran away across the field. Lance just stood there, watching her go and feeling his heart clench.
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