An LGBT story I wrote I thought I would share.

I hope you enjoy it. I don't know whether or not I'm going to continue it.

Each spoiler's a different chapter. It's long, so I broke it up.

Spoiler

School.

The warning bell had rang for the first time in what seemed like a century. The warm summer air still permeated in Florida, but honestly, it was as if it never left, even in the dead of Winter. The palms basked in the light of the sun and the sounds of the nearby beach shore had echoed, sounding ever so despondent and distant. "Come to me, Jack. Come to me!" They cried.

Jack Bashaw was a sophomore at the South Florida Catholic Preparatory Academy, known more commonly as the SFCPA due to its immense title. The school existed in what was once a large church, but is now used for educating those rich enough to go to the private school. And of course, those who were stuck up enough to deal with the equally stuck-up student body. The building imposed over all who went near it; the majority of the outsiders who visited the town during tourist season were always astonished that the building was a school rather than a museum.

Jack's black backpack hung unceremoniously over his right shoulder, shifting back and forth as he walked. His long, blonde hair rested comfortably over his blue eyes. He didn't like to admit it, but his eyes were one of his most valuable assets. Most peoples' first impressions were almost totally based on the deep, ocean-like shade of irises. "Oh! Do you wear contacts or something?" They'd always exclaim. Nope. Jack wore thick-rimmed glasses, anyways. He constantly questioned if they recognized the redundantness of their questions. Jack was of average height and relatively skinny, not to the point of worry, but he certainly wasn't round and certainly wasn't muscular, either. On most days, which today was one of them, he adorned himself in a tee-shirt and some jeans. His attire was typical. He had enough that made him stick out.

Jack, unbeknownst to anyone but himself and his family, was gay. A homosexual. Whatever you wanted to call it. For years, Jack would insult himself and hate himself for what he was. Growing up in a Christian community, he told himself that it was all wrong. That, he, was wrong. The last few years changed everything, however, when he heard of the legalization of gay marriage in New York.

"If it's legal there... Maybe it's not so bad." He told himself, contemplating.

It was August 20th and Jack had almost completed his trek to the front doors of SFCPA. The grand, stained-glass windows stood over him in a near-contemptuous manner. It was if the heroes of the Christian Bible knew there was something wrong with him. Or, at least had something that they thought was wrong.

The long, tiled hallways seemed to stretch out forever. Jack exchanged a quick hello with the woman at the greeter's desk, known as Mrs. Breesly. Students shuffled around him in various stages of social interaction. Friends shook hands, acquaintances made first remarks and most importantly, boys and girls kissed. Jack would often longingly stare at these couples, to the point where it almost seemed creepy. But it wasn't because Jack was a pervert. It was because nothing made him feel worse in the entire world than to see two people happy together like... that. He was happy that they were happy, but the thought he may never find someone that he'd like like that crushed him inside. He saw their lips lock and imagined maybe he'd be in that position. But, even the thought of telling his friends about who he was, and god forbid, telling a boy that he liked him, in a Catholic community seemed like a death sentence.

Jack finally got to his home room, room 217 or the Politics room. He settled down in his seat and pressed his forehead against the desk. He was exhausted. Jack never was able to sleep the night before his first day back at school, even if his life depended on it. The Politics teacher, Dr. Williams, approached Jack with enthusiasm.

"Hey!" He said, gleaming as if Jack was some sort of cure for cancer. "Welcome back to school! How's things?" Dr. Williams was always sickeningly nice to everyone, likely due to his first degree in adolescent psychology, which was proudly displayed behind his desk which resided across the room.

Jack rolled his eyes. "They're going... alright, I guess." He mumbled.

"Oh don't be so despondent! It's your first day back, kid!" He was practically screaming, but in a bizarre, odd upbeat tone. "Get yer head off the desk!"

Jack reluctantly complied, bringing his forehead off from the comfy-at-the-time surface. "Ok, ok. Just for you, sir." He remarked sarcastically.

"That's the spirit!"

Jack glanced around the room. The normal members of his abnormally-small guide room all seemed to be present. His best friend, Katherine Leclair, stood near a desk adjacent to him. Her black hair was beautiful, well-tended and positioned on her face perfectly. She had glorious green eyes and a smile to die for. He knew that boys all around the school were jealous of him, being this close to her. If Jack weren't gay, he would be with her. There was no question about it.

Tyler Watson was next to Dr. Williams, forced into small talk just as Jack was mere moments before. He was a good kid, no question about it. He'd helped Jack through depression time and time again, regardless of the fact he didn't know its origin: his sexuality.

And that was headcount. No, really. That was how small his guideroom was. Three people. Only three people, four including Dr. Williams. But wait, something, no, someone caught Jack's eye: A fourth body emerged from the doorway of the Politics room. A transfer, perhaps?

The new person, no, new boy, was tall and lean. He was built and tan and his eyes oddly shone. Upon further inspection, they were gold. Not just a light shade of brown, they were absolutely golden. Luminous, even. Long black hair stretched over his forehead and similar, thick-rimmed glasses rested over his nose. His features were rugged, yet expressed an odd kindness. The male walked as if the world belonged to him; if you were to look up confidence in a dictionary, you'd find his picture. Jack was sure of it.

Jack carefully monitored the newcomer and it appeared that he was coming towards him, a smile stretching across his face. Jack began to panic. Why the hell is he coming towards me? He asked in the comfort of his own mind. Soon, he was right in front of him. He outstretched a hand.

"Hi. I'm Benjamin" He said with a seemingly neutral, but almost happy tone.

"Ben... Ben who?" Jack stuttered, pathetically. "I-I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot." He apologized.

"Oh no." Ben laughed. "It's fine, you shouldn't know me. I'd actually be kinda scared if you did." He grinned. Jack blushed.

Fuck Jack thought.

"Anyways, I'm not just Benjamin. I'm Benjamin Ackler." His eyes drifted to the floor momentarily, but back to Jack in an instant. "You seemed friendly enough. There a name to your face, kid?"

"Jack. Jack Bashaw." Jack said, happy he finally was able to spit it out. "Your eyes... D-do you wear contacts?" In hindsight, Jack realized the incredible irony.

"Haha, no." He spoke in a manner which made it evident he certainly wasn't the first who inquired about his majestic visual sensors. "My eye color was caused by a bizarre chemical inbalance from an accident that happened when I was young. "

"They're beautiful." Jack babbled.

"What?" Said Ben.

"Nothing..." Jack replied, dismissing his claim.

"I'm just fucking with you. I know exactly what you said." Jack was stuck, like a deer in the headlights. A saving grace appeared in the form of the first bell of the day. "Catch ya later." Said Ben.

Jack silently creeped out of the room and into the hallways of the school. He made sure to walk slowly so that Ben would be far ahead of him. It was bad enough he let that slip. I'm such an idiot. He thought. Do you want the whole school to know?

Regretfully, Jack trotted along to his first period class.

Spoiler

Jack stared at his feet. He couldn't believe he complemented a guy like that. More importantly, he was shocked by Ben's reaction, or the lack thereof. He had just met him, and out of the blue, he said his eyes were beautiful. Not nice, beautiful. Not cool, beautiful. What was he thinking, and how was he not called a 'faggot' in the terribly homophobic environment known as SFCPA? Lost in thought, he bumped into another student.

"Watch it, moron!" He shouted. Jack wished the other students were as nice to him as Ben was only moments ago. Ben glanced at his schedule without panic, knowing he had at least five minutes to make it to his next class. His watch, which was a bit off from the school's time, told him it was 8:03. His first period didn't officially begin until about 8:08, but he liked to be early.

He looked back at the sheet of paper resting in his fingers. A gust from an open window contested his grip on the schedule and caused it to blow down onto the floor. Katherine swooped up from behind Jack and handed it to him.

"Oh, you silly little boy. Look what you did! You dropped your papers again!" She said, jokingly.

"It was only ONE paper, Kate." Jack corrected.

"That doesn't matter. You need to hold onto your stuff."

"Whatever. What's your first period?"

"English. Aaaaaannd." She took a glance at her schedule. "So do you! Yes. May I walk with you?" She asked, beckoning Jack to hold her hand.

"Oh yes, my dear lady." Jack responded, in a formal manner. "Let us go to our study!"

Katherine giggled. "You're an idiot. But you're my idiot."

The two walked down the hallway and up the stairs of the building until they finally reached the English classroom. It was much larger than the tiny, constricting space of the politics room. The teacher, a younger woman, was fresh out of college. She replaced the so-called 'old hag' which worked in her place last year. Jack was happy that he would be lucky enough to deal with her successor rather than the old creep. The majority of the class hated her. She was referred to as the strictest woman in the Florida education system. She had retired abruptly in April last year, after a heart attack almost killed her.

The young teacher was a bit rounder. She had short dirty blonde hair and seemed rather depressed. Regardless, she did seem nice. Jack glanced at her desk in search of anything that could indicate her name. No name plate rested in sight. His eyes redirected themselves to the direction of the center of the room. It was arranged in an interesting fashion: 6 3-seaters, enough desks to accomodate 18 people. The desks attached to the ground and resembled a bar with stools. The chairs were also bolted in, to prevent the students from making distracting noises by moving them. Large, glass windows, open, stood to the side of Jack and Katherine, who sat down next to them. Katherine was closest to the window, as she always obsessed about the breeze outside. Jack situated himself in the middle.

Jack's observations finally brought him to the chalkboard, where the teacher was frantically scrawling something on. "Mrs. Baldwin." It said, in a sloppy, un-teacherlike manner.

After the woman had finished, a familiar blob speedily entered the doorway. Jack shuddered. He immediately recognized it to be Ben. Ben looked around the room curiously, and Jack was caught staring. Their eyes met, at least until Jack realized what was happening. He quickly moved his head, embarassed. He could feel the red on his cheeks, even though red wasn't even technically a feeling. It was like he was out of his body and he could see the rosy hue appear on his face. "Idiot." He thought.

Ben noticed Jack's glance and sat down next to him and Katherine. He placed his bookbag to the side. "Would you mind if I sat here?" He inquired.

"Oh! Not at all!" Said Jack, frantically. He tossed at his hair and massaged the back of his neck.

"You seem flustered." Stated Ben. "Intimidated by my beautiful eyes, maybe?"

"Whose this?" Questioned Katherine.

Jack was glad to change the subject. "This is Ben Ackler. He's a new transfer student here."

"Enchantée." Said Katherine. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Good to meet you, too!" Said Ben.

"So, where are you from, exactly?"

"North Carolina. My father just decided he wanted a change of pace."

"Oh. That's nice. What was North Carolina like?"

"It was interesting. I kinda like how Florida's more laid back. People aren't so crazy. "

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno. North Carolina was just uptight. At least the part I lived in. Had to have the perfect uniform, the perfect attitude, the perfect everything." Ben looked outside the window and grinned, cheerfully. "I'm in one of the strictest schools the state has to offer, and I feel like one of those seagulls out there on the beach!"

Their conversation was cut short. "Good morning, class. I'm Mrs. Baldwin, and I'm your new English 10 teacher!"

The monotonous, obligatory "Hello, Mrs. Baldwin." resonated from the classroom. Jack almost found it funny how standard it became. It was like clapping for a show that you don't particularly care for: loud and clear, yet without emotion or care.

"Since it's your first day..." Mrs. Baldwin declared, quietly but with confidence. "I'd like you to write a brief paper about yourselves. I'm new here, and I've got no idea of who you are or what you're like. I'd love to get to know you all. Plus, I'd be happy for the practice it would give me in knowing your names. Let's proceed to role call."

Mrs. Baldwin began firing off names. "Benjamin Ackler." She began.

"Even hearing his name makes me feel weird. What's going on?" Thought Jack.

Jack's name followed. "Jack Bashaw."

"Present." He replied.

The names continued on and on. Some he didn't recognize, others he did. Katherine was somewhere in the middle. Really, the only name he cared about belonged to the boy next to him, this mysterious new kid. Jack glanced at him, hoping his glasses would obscure the direction of his pupils. Benjamin was... beautiful to him in general, not just his eyes. His face was well-defined but yet so soft, as he noticed earlier. He had never seen a face that had looked so great before. He almost wanted to reach out and touch it. He then realized how weird that was.

Ben caught Jack staring again. He tried to react, but it was far too late, as he was before.

"Uh, hi. Need something?" Asked Ben.

Yes. Your beautiful face. "No, I'm fine." Lied Jack.

Ben smiled again, which was something that began to grow on Jack. If he smiled, it was an odd chain reaction. Jack couldn't help himself from doing the same. God, did he have a crush on him? He hoped not. It would make shit awkward as hell.

"Roll call's finished." Said Mrs. Baldwin. "Please take out your binders and grab a piece of paper." The class simultaneously groaned. Another obligatory response, but this time, it was filled with emotion. Granted, it wasn't exactly a cheery one, but it was present.

Jack began scrawling out his life onto his paper, sometimes looking at Ben. He was nervous about his movements. It was like Ben was going to be judging the way he held his pencil, or the way he supported his body. It was beyond awkward. But, however, it wasn't as awkward as what was about to occur.

About ten minutes had passed. Countless papers had been blown off of desks by the breeze that Kate adored so much. This time, it seemed that the wind had chosen Jack's sheet. It flew off melodically, swaying up and down with the wind like a voice bursting into song.

Jack got up from his seat, but he was stopped in his tracks. A hand in the 'stop' position prevented him from moving any further.

"Please, sit down." Said Ben. "Let me get it."

"Thank you." Jack mumbled. "You're a nice kid, you know that?"

"Haha. You're far too kind." He stated, humbly.

"No. Really."

"Um, alright." Ben handed Jack his work. Their hands accidentally bumped against each other. Jack could feel his face erupting once more. Stop it already! He thought.

"Sorry." They apologized, simultaneously. They nervously laughed at the coincedence. Katherine stared at Jack, weirdly. Once again, the savior known as the bell had rung. The first period of the year had already ended as quickly as it started. Jack smelled a blur of colognes and deodorants that spread into the air. It was putrid.

"See you." Called Ben, as he walked away. Jack was oddly depressed by his leaving.

Katherine turned to Jack as soon as he left. "You act really freakin' odd 'round that boy, you know that?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Jack stuttered, defensively. "I just met the guy. It's gonna be a bit oil and water for awhile."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Please. This isn't normal at all." A devious smile spread across her visage. "Do you... like...him?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Do you like him? Like, in that way." She licked her lips, like a predator going in for the kill.

"Um..."

He couldn't say another word.

"You DO! You never told me you were gay!"

"Shush!" Jack nervously looked around the room. They were safe, for now. "Do you want the whole school to lynch me or something?"

"Oh relax. We're not that bad. I still love you, that's for sure."

"Thanks."

"So, does anyone else know?"

"My close family."

"Wow! You're brave to do that."

"Yeah. My dad's really supportive of it." He solemnly stared at the ground. "My mom and brother, however..."

"It's OK..." Katherine put a hand on his shoulder. "They'll learn eventually. Anyways, good luck with your boyfriend!"

Jack grimaced. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Yeah." She paused. "Not yet."

Spoiler

Jack's next periods were disasterous. Not because anything bad really happened, or any of them were terribly boring. They were all relatively engaging, now that he thought about it. He hadn't come across a teacher he hadn't liked his year. He sluggishly pulled through Politics with Mr. Williams, Psychology with Mrs. Dalia and Art with Mrs. Barns. He was surprised how entertaining they ended up being, considering they were all just readings off the syllabus and general expectations. First day rituals, nothing new. The teachers were what made it cool, though. Jack liked all of them, for the first time in his life.

What made it bad was Ben. No, not Ben. What was bad was that Ben wasn't around. He had only known the boy for a few hours yet he longed for him like a soul mate. It was beyond stupid, and Jack couldn't stop kicking himself for it. He tried to focus on his teachers' droning, but that was already hard enough without a boy on his mind. No one had ever made him think like this. He was always a focused student. Hell, he laughed at Kate whenever she talked so despondently about someone she wanted to be with. Well, he never really laughed at her. He just thought love in general was silly.

He realized how damn wrong he was. His entire body seemed to be calling out 'Benjamin Ackler' in unison. Every cell appeared to want to jump out and run towards him, wherever in the building he would be in. Occasionally, he'd think of holding his hand and walking with him. Sometimes, Jack even thought of kissing him. Every time, he'd scold himself.

"Stop it." He chastised himself in his mind. "He's straight. The school is homophobic. At this rate, if Kate doesn't get you killed, you will, Jack! Stop thinking about him!"

However, it was so futile. Every time he snapped himeslf out of it, Ben just eeked into his conscious, like a sponge underwater. No matter how hard you keep squeezing it, more just rushes in and it's even worse than before. It was pointless. By third period, Jack just let himself succumb to it with the reasoning that it'll pass in time.

"This isn't significant. It's not a crush. He's just a decent-looking guy you just met. Calm the hell down. It'll be over tomorrow." He reassured himself, time and time again.

Fourth period ended. The next period, he was free. He knew that Kate would be in the library reading some of her silly detective books. He set off through the halls and down the stairs in order to meet up with her, so they could talk with each other about how their last few periods went. He had nothing better to do, anyways. It was only his second year at the high school building in the private school's district: Kate was one of his few friends.

The library was astonishingly beautiful. The stained glass windows leaked multicolored lights onto the hundreds of shelves that hugged the walls and the smell of old paper wafted throughout the room. It was incredibly pleasant and even though there were dozens of other students wandering around the corridors, silence crept throughout the area.

On his way to Kate, he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't think much of it until they began to increase in frequency and his "pursuer" advanced in front of him. Just his luck, it happened to be Ben. It was as if they were accidentally following each other. Or something stupid like that.

Thankfully, Ben didn't notice it was Jack somehow, and Jack ceased his pace to avoid being seen. Something about Ben's presence just stunned Jack. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks whenever he was in the room with him. His heart skipped beats time and time again and he looked at the floor or at his phone, because if his head was anywhere even near in his general direction, he couldn't help to do anything but stare. His wandering eyes would be his undoing. Ben had already caught him twice today. Three strikes and you're out. Well, maybe. He didn't know if that rule applied to staring.

After what seemed like an eternity of sluggish steps, Jack finally reached Kate. He greeted her with a hello and a hug. They sat down together at the table in a secluded corner of the library. Jack double checked around the room to see that no one else was around, and by no one else, he was looking to see if Ben would be listening. Thankfully, he wasn't. He saw Ben leaving the library through the east exit. Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

"So uh." Jack said, awkwardly. "How were your last f-?"

"No. We're not talking about that." Katherine interrupted, yet another devious smile curving up her face.

"Then... what are we talking about?"

"We're talking about Ben, dumbass."

"Why do we need to talk about him? He's just a new kid."

"He's not just a new kid. He's a new kid that you like. It all makes sense now, how you never shamelessly hit on me and how you've never gone out before. Everyone was surprised your celibacy persisted through the summer. You're a good looking kid, Jack. Nice, too."

"Thank you bu-"

"Oooh no buts from you, Mr. There's only one word we're gonna talk about that begins with the letter 'b' at the start, and that's 'Ben.'"

"Do we have to?" Jack groaned.

"Yes. We do." Kate looked around to see if she was alone, just as Jack did before. "So why do you like him?"

"I don't really like him that much, ok? It's nothing. I swear, it'll be gone tomorrow."

"Please. What a lame excuse, loverboy. Your eyes were superglued onto him."

"I'm just a bit curious."

"Why?"

"He's a new kid."

"You've never taken interest in a new kid before. And come on. You like him. You know you do. You told me earlier. Don't deny it."

"I honestly should just forget about it. He's straight anyways."

"How do you know that?"

Jack sighed. "Because everyone else is?"

"Well, we all thought you were straight until now. Maybe he's just like you. In the closet. In cognito. Hiding the homo. "

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Hiding the homo. That's a good one."

"Look, that doesn't matter now. Why don't you want to at least try?"

"You know this school, Kate. They're terrible here. We're a Catholic school, for heaven's sake."

"I think we've made progress. The last openly-gay kid lasted twelve days before transferring. The one before him only lasted 7!"

"When did this happen?"

"Uh, three or four years ago?"

"God damn it."

"Look, what I'm saying is, give him a shot. Become his friend. Maybe there's more than there seems."

"Well... I called his eyes beautiful today. He didn't seem to be bothered by it."

Katherine looked perplexed. "Why would that be a problem?"

Jack shrugged. "Guys just don't do that is all."

"You guys are so boring. Not complimenting each other to protect your manliness. Express your feelings. Now that's a man."

"It's still a bit wei-"

Kate cut him off again. "Nope."

They had already wasted the 45-minute period discussing Ben. Time went by fast because instead of focusing on getting Ben out of his head, he was focusing on him instead.

The school Kate and Jack attended always had a half-day on the first day back for the hell of it. The faculty despised the return to work just as much as the student body did, and their status as a private school allowed them to do just that. Before walking out the door, Kate stopped Jack.

"Hey. I'm really proud of you for being able to tell me, even though it was kinda forced onto you. Maybe the school won't accept you, but I will." Kate said, hugging Jack.

"Thanks, Katherine." Jack replied. "It really means a lot."

"Take care."

"You too."

Jack felt liberated after being in the school. Even though it was an incredibly short day, the Monday seemed to go on and on and on. Ben only made it worse. He knew it would've been terrible without him. "Ben." He thought. He hated this stupid... crush. He hated saying that. He hoped this would be over when he got home. He prayed he'd take a shower and forget he even existed. But he knew that even if that happened, he'd be reminded once more, tomorrow at guideroom. Additionally, there was only a half day today. It was highly likely that Jack had more classes with Ben. Part of him really wanted that, the other part told him that that was stupid. He guessed his heart and mind were fighting with each other, just like the stupid top 40 songs said they would.

Jack passed by the palms he saw earlier in the day. He looked to the sky, barely hearing the gulls in the air over the sound of his iPod. The day was beautiful, though. Just as beautiful as his eyes... Jack thought. The beach still called to him, but its metaphorical voice was barely audible. Now, it was but a murmur compared to the vibrant yell in his head. "BEN! BEN! BEN!" It said, over and over again.

Jack kicked a rock along the sidewalk while walking home to his suburban home until he felt a tug on his backpack. "Hey." A voice said.

It was Ben.

Spoiler

Jack was stunned. He had no idea as to why Ben had chosen to follow him.

"Ben!" He called, far too excitedly than he should have. He shifted his body to face him. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh. Nothing really." He replied, smirking.

"Bullshit." Said Jack. He felt terrible. "I'm sorry. That was way too cruel. I don't know you that well."

Ben's person moved closer to him. "Oh, pfft. Like I care anyways. Don't worry about it. You're so apologetic."

"I've maybe apologized to you twice." Informed Jack.

"Alright."

Ben distanced himself. Jack's house was still a few blocks away. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this one. His head almost hurt he was so nervous. What if he did something stupid in front of this guy? He barely made a first impression, and he didn't do so well in that respect, either.

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"I said nothing."

"Your face says otherwise."

"Are you insulting my looks?"

"N-no..." Idiot! "You just look like you've got something to hide."

"Oh. Well, I don't."

"Sorry."

"There you go again."

"Sorr-"

"Stop."

"Ok. "

Jack found himself out of words. His head was a mess. His torso is distracting me, He thought. Wait, what? Oh shit. He liked him. He liked him a lot. This wasn't going to go away like that. He cursed himself internally.

An awkward silence sliced through the two of them. It was painful. Jack felt as if he failed him, even though this entire conversation was absolutely meaningless to Ben. It should be meaningless to him as well, but it wasn't. Right now, Ben was the important thing in his life. He had to admit it to himself. He'd be lying if he was thinking about his homework, his family, Katherine... Anything else but Ben was just a joke.

"So..." Said Ben. "How are you?"

Desperately in love with you. "I'm fine. Totally fine. I thought today was nice. How are you?" Jack asked, thankful that Ben broke the silence.

"That's good." He stopped for a moment.

"Why are you stopping?"

"Because we're about to cross the street and the light is green?"

Jack felt like an idiot. "Oh."

Ben snickered. "You're a bit oblivious, aren't you?"

"I could say the same about you."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're probably just fucking with me again."

"No, I legitimately have no idea what you just said. The traffic was loud." He was right. Several 18-wheelers blazed past them, leaving dust in their wake. Jack coughed.

"Are you OK?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, fine. Just got a bit dirt stuck in my lungs is all."

"I hate that."

"Me, too."

The light had finally shifted from green to red and the old-fashioned crosswalk sign figure shifted its hue from red to a whitish color. The two proceeded to walk across the street together when suddenly, a lone cyclist sped inches away from the pair. They both flinched, and without thinking, grabbed each other's hands.

"Fuck!" Yelled Jack, unaware of the contact that was made. Within seconds, he put two and two together.

"Oh god!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm sorry." He brushed off the dirt that had accumulated on his shirt from when the bike came past.

"Shoot." Their hands disconnected. Jack was disappointed. "It's both of our faults. It's a draw. No sorrys necessary, bro."

"I'm glad we came to an agreement."

The two still stood in the middle of the crosswalk when the light turned green. A flurry of honks entered the airwaves. Angry motorists screamed at them.

"Get offa the road, ya faggots!" A driver insulted.

It burned Jack to hear that. Bigotry was the one thing he hated about this town.

"Right back at you, you asshole!" Retorted Ben. "Come on. Let's get off the road before one of them starts to get trigger happy with their pedal. "

The two ran across the pavement until they reached the sidewalk. They were in a much more suburban area now. Cookie-cutter houses dotted the pavements. Palm trees still persisted, but less were around as they weren't tended to by the officials in this part of town. The smell of the ocean was further now, however. Jack missed the taste of the salt in the air. But, not as much as he missed the taste of Ben's lips.

The fuck? He thought again. You've never even kissed him, anyways. He's not even gay. Just..stop being so infatuated.

Jack finally reached his house. He knew no one would be home and was rather thankful for it. He loved having the time to himself. But, that wasn't what the world had in mind today.

"Ok I know this is a bit weird." Ben began. "But, can I maybe come over? That's why I followed you. I just don't have many friends and I figured with this half day, I can get a bit closer to someone. You're the one I like the most out of all the people I've met today."

He likes me. Jack stood in contemplation. He knew that he should say yes. On the other hand...

Fuck that.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in. My folks aren't home, nor are any of my siblings."

"Cool."

Jack led Ben inside his house through his garage, which was void except for the various gardening equipment that belonged to his mother and the power tools owned by his father. They entered the living room, which had a nice hardwood floor. Two sofas sat facing a decent-sized television. A tropical fish tank sat to the side of the room with colorful creatures dancing about in the clear water. Jack was proud of his home.

"This is the living room." Explained Jack.

"Nice." Said Ben. "What's your room like?"

Ohgodohgodohgod. "It's like a room. It's got a bed in it."

Ben playfully grunted. "I meant for you to show me it, idiot."

"Oh." He knew what he meant the first time. He was just afraid. What if his bed looked weird? What if his window was too big? More importantly, why did that even matter?

Jack ushered Ben up the staircase which led to the second floor of his house. Ben trotted behind as Jack ascended. On the way, he passed his brother's bedroom, a bathroom, his parents' master bedroom and then finally, his own domain.

His room was relatively normal. The walls were painted a dark blue and his bed matched this. A desk sat against the wall opposite the bed. A desktop computer, a lightly-customized Gateway model, sat idly in sleep mode. Papers were strewn across his desk messily, covered either in drawings or scrawlings that belonged to Jack. No posters sat on his walls, but prints of photographs he liked took their place in an average teenager's bedroom. The majority of them were of the beach, birds in flight and pictures of thunderstorms and rainy days. All of these blended into a rather somber complexion of a room, but Jack enjoyed the mood it created. It suited him, most of the time. It was where he felt comfortable.

"Nice room." Ben complimented.

"Thanks." Said Jack. "That means a lot."

"It's nothing dude. I just said your room was nice."

Jack moved his lips. Ben stopped him with his hand.

"If you said sorry I would have hit you."

Jack inhaled to speak again, almost apologizing for apologizing once more, but then stopped himself. He was getting the hang of it. Maybe soon, he'd stop saying sorry for such ridiculous things. If only he knew he was just afraid of making him angry. Unfortunately, it appeared to be having the opposite effect. "

"Alright." Jack's nerves began to settle.

After a brief second inspection of the perimeter, Ben flopped onto Jack's bed noisily. He buried his face deep into his bedspread.

"Um, what are you doing?" Jack inquired.

"Insuring your bed meets standards." He lifted a thumbs up from underneath the pillows. "You're good!" His body relaxed, his arms stretched out and his face was one of pleasure. He seemed comfortable.

"You make yourself right at home, don't you?"

"Yup."

Jack admitted defeat and sat down on the bed next to him. He realized the walk home and his nerves had actually made him quite tired. He pushed his head down, barely noticing Ben's glorious features were only inches away from him.

"Now what're you doing?" Ben joked.

"It's my bed. I do what I wish. You're lucky I allow you on it."

Ben hit him with a pillow. Jack laughed.

"You're an ass. But I like you."

"And you think I have pretty eyes!"

"Shush, you. They were just cool looking." He wanted to retract that statement. He really did think his eyes should've been the eighth wonder of the world.

Jack allowed himself to relax as well. His eyes began to shut, and thoughts of him and Ben together swirled in his head. He glanced over one more time, to assure that he really was there. That he really, for God know's what reason, actually wanted to be with him. That, he actually liked him. The feeling of intense happiness lulled him into a drowsy state. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Spoiler

Jack stirred. He involuntarily grinned, but was unsure why. As his senses returned to him, he noticed it was still light out. Very light. His family wouldn't have returned from their errands yet, and his awful, homophobic ass of a twin would not have came back from his friend's lame birthday party at the bowling alley.

Things became clearer and clearer. Touch finally returned to him, and the numbness of his body subsided. He felt...warm. Jack didn't remember pulling the covers up over him and his house was centrally-cooled. There's no way it would reach over 70 in here, even on the hottest of summer days. The solstice couldn't penetrate their majestic fortress of climate control.

But the warmth. It wasn't a sticky, humid warmth. It was one that was incredibly pleasant. As if the warmth cared about Jack. It was silly to think of it like that, but he found it incredibly comforting. It finally hit him, however: He felt two arms. Two strong arms around him. A chin was nuzzled up against the indent between his head and shoulders. A mass was curled up next to him. But, who - or what, was this thing?

His memories returned to him. Ben came inside with him, and they both laid down on the bed together. He remembered Ben hitting him with a pillow, feeling happy and then drifting off to a deep, satisfying slumber. He knew this was weird. He knew it was probably wrong, too. But, it felt wonderful.

His feelings of euphoria were matched by confusion, however, and the density of those emotions sunk the happiness. It's as if the reactions caused a physical change. From their once lazily, half-opened state, Jack's eyes sprung open, their eyelids hitting the roof of his sockets like two bullets hitting a target. His entire body soon followed, jumping out and away from the comfort of Ben's arms.

"W-wha... What time is it?" Asked Ben, suppressing a yawn. "What... What just happened?"

"You were uh... kinda cuddling with me?" Responded a confused Jack.

"Shit. Really? I'm sorry." Ben roused himself. "I'm kinda a pillow hugger at home. I guess... you're kinda like a pillow... soft and warm. " He slapped himself across the face. "Dear lord, was that absurd! I'm a bit out of it when I just wake up. I'm probably partially asleep still."

"But to answer your question... It's 3 PM. "

"Oh... Oh shit! My dad wanted me home at 2:30!" Ben yelled. "I'm gotta go, dude. He's gonna kill me if I'm late! Thanks for uh... letting me sleep in your bed?"

"No problem. " Jack desperately wanted to thank him.

Jack walked him out to the edge of his driveway. They exchanged goodbyes, telling each other they'd see one another the next day. Jack solemnly retreated back into his house. He wished he had been awake longer, to have been aware when Ben's arms tightly held his body. He knew he'd dream about it tonight, if he was able to sleep, that is.

Jack hopped onto his computer and opened a tab in his web browser. He typed Facebook's url into the program and it took him to the website. He scrolled through hundreds of statuses, seemingly all the same. They were boring.

first dai back @ skool...h8d it... txt me

ugh i dont like mrs. baldwin... shes ugly

went out to eat with friends

"Why do people have to be so typical?" Jack asked himself. "And so... harsh." Jack continued to scroll down his news feed when a chat box popped up belonging to an acquaintance of his from another town. His name was Foster Morgan, and he was also the only openly-gay kid Jack knew. He was a tad bit forceful, which was annoying to Jack. Worst of all, Foster was a powerful wielder of the mythological 'gaydar' and he knew that Jack was gay, even though he had never said it to him.

hey boy The message read.

Jack rolled his eyes as if he could see it. What is it now? He replied, reluctantly, knowing the mess he was getting himself into.

i saw you with someone today.

Jack was frozen. What? What are you even doing here? You don't live in our town.

relax, booooooy. it's not as if i came just to see your pretty face, or maybe i did? hmmmm looks like we'll never know >

Ugh. You're so fucking annoying.

oh don't talk to me like that. not when i know your secret.

I'm not gay, Foster. Jack hated telling that lie, but he knew he couldn't trust Foster with anything. Plus, there's no way anyone would believe him from Gaydar alone.

rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiight. so who's tall, tan and handsome exactly?

Why the fuck do you follow me around?

don't flatter yourself and answer my qwestion >:3

Jack despised his used of emoticons. Ugh. Fine, Morgan. It's just a friend of mine, OK? Cool your shit. Who made you the grandmaster of my friends?

i did.

I hate you.

you love me.

No.

you tire me out sometimes, boy. anyways i have a bit of snooping around to do... find out who this boy of yours is.

He's not mine. Jack wanted him though. He wanted him badly.

keep telling urself that. au revoir.

With that, Foster was offline. Jack was relieved. On days like these, it perplexed him as to why he didn't block his annoying face from ever messaging him again. Sure, Foster was gay, too, and maybe he'd understand, but he had far too dirty of a mind. Everything would revolve around sex when you talked with him, regardless if it was in person or online. It was beyond annoying. Repulsive, even. Jack logged off of his computer and went downstairs. He spent far more time on the computer than he wanted to. From downstairs, he heard his parents call. "Jack, honey! We brought dinner!" His mother's voice sang.

Jack rushed downstairs, mustering a "Coming, mom!" as he rushed down the 'case. The aroma of pizza filled the room. His parents often came home late, so it was smell he experienced often. He didn't mind, however. He loved pizza.

Jack internally groaned as he saw his brother walk in the house through the foyer. With a devilish look on his face, he bellowed "Hey, fag!"

"Fuck you!" Replied Jack, red with anger. He couldn't stand his brother and his lack of acceptance. Ever since he told his family, their relationship was horrible. Not that it was ever good to begin with, but it had somehow managed to worsen. It made him want to vomit.

"Boys! Be civil!" Yelled Jack's father. "And Aaron... Stop using that word. It's disgusting and it really hurts your brother. To show that you've done wrong, you can't watch television tonight. Period."

"Dad!" He whined.

"Dear..." Complained Jack's Mother. "Isn't that a bit harsh for something as simple as that?"

"It's not simple. I know we're not used to this and all, but we've gotta learn to be good to our son. Gotta make him comfortable with who he is. You are comfortable with him, aren't you?"

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Dismissed Jack's mother.

Jack was upset by his mother's reaction to his homosexuality. He was grateful for how his father was, how kind he was about it and how defensive he got over him, but nothing could heal the pain caused by his mother's inability to accept him. It crushed him, a hundred times more than whatever his brother did. He brother was a moron. Mom was... mom. If she didn't love him, how could anyone else?

He also hated how limited his family's interactions had been lately. Everyone was too tired or just downright uninterested. It killed him. He missed his parents and hell, even his brother, when they were still in the house with him.

"I think I'm going to head upstairs, too." Added Jack. He grabbed a piece of pizza off the counter, even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to eat it. "And.. thanks." Said Jack. Jack went to his room and immediately tossed the pizza, feeling sick to his stomach. Before he drifted to sleep, however, Jack was warmed by the memories of Ben's arms. With that, he begged himself to dream of him tonight, to help forget about Foster, about Aaron and Mom... Finally, his eyes closed for the second time that day and Jack began to snore.

Spoiler

It was 6:30 when Jack's alarm clock screamed at him. His eyes were caked in crust and his lids felt as if they were being weighed down by barbells. This was not the pleasure-filled awakening he had experienced with Ben the day before; this was torture.

Jack's sleep schedule still hadn't at all recovered from the long summer nights. He often stayed up until sunrise and watched it from the beach, alone. He found it to be a bit odd to be out and about that late, and it often concerned his parents when Jack was not present when they awoke or when he slept until the sun was about to set once more. However, the abnormality of the situation pleased Jack. He wasn't like everyone else in a lot of ways. He may as well be nocturnal, too.

Lost in thought, Jack pulled off his night clothes and pulled on some cargo shorts and a polo. He dressed nicely today. He felt as if he needed to please Ben or something... To look good in front of him. Before now, his appearance didn't matter as much as it should have to him, but now that there were people to impress, well, a person, it was everything.

Jack dragged himself towards his bathroom and looked in the mirror. His blond hair was an asbolute mess, parting in an odd place and sticking up in ways that weren't permitted by the laws of gravity. Bothered, Jack shoved his head under the sink and let the cool water run down his head. The sudden change made him alert. He appreciated that.

After wetting his hair, he brought the brush through it and insured that it looked absolutely perfect. Jack stared into the mirror and remarked "What is wrong with me?" Jack descended the staircase, aware that no one else would be awake. The bus didn't come for another hour, and Aaron always took it, even though the school was a mere ten minute walk away. Jack's parents worked weird hours. On some days they could be gone and at work by now, others, like today, they might not have work at all.

Jack fetched a breakfast bar from the cupboard and grabbed one of the juice bottles from his fridge. As he ate, he checked his facebook on his phone. One new message was in his inbox. He just knew it was from Foster.

hey. im coming to see u 2day

His spelling had deteriorated. It was worse than usual. Ignoring the message, Jack sent a good morning text to Kate and began his trek to the SFCPA. The morning was cloudy. Overcast prevented the sun from warming him as it did the night before. Jack liked the rain, but he didn't enjoy overcast. It was uneventful and boring, and most of all, made him cold. The dullness got to him and made him feel a bit upset.

His phone vibrated in his pocket as he passed through his neighborhood. Stopping at the same crosswalk he grabbed Ben's hand in the day before, he checked the message while he waited for the light to go red.

Good morning to you, too! The message began. I saw Ben following you yesterday - How did it go?

Jesus. Was there anyone that didn't see him with Ben?

It was nothing. We just talked for a bit was all. He lied. He disliked lying to Kate more than anything, but he just knew that there would be no way he could live it down if he told her that they... cuddled. He didn't know if he could even believe it to be true. It still seemed like a dream. Maybe yesterday as a whole was and he just didn't know it. Maybe it was still summer, and this entire thing was a dream.

Jack quivered at the thought of Ben being a figment of his imagination. The memory of the warmth he shared with him the previous afternoon lifted his spirits. He knew that couldn't be fake. It was far too wonderful.

The clouds began to thunder, welcoming in another one of Florida's storms. "Finally!" Exclaimed Jack. He knew that he shouldn't yell like that in public, but he was excited. Thunderstorms were incredibly inspiring to him. "Today will be a great day." He told himself.

Jack crossed the road. He couldn't help but think of Ben's hand touching his. His skin was warm and tender. It was nothing like he'd ever experienced before. Even though it was an involuntary reaction from both sides, the contact filled Jack up inside. It made him feel real for the first time in awhile. It made him feel as if maybe he would find that special someone, that he truly liked, and they... no, he, truly liked him. Jack's heart fluttered at the concept.

His school was in the immediate vicinity. The morning sun had almost rose to a position capable of lighting the rest of the town, albeit it was blocked by the clouds up ahead. A brief gap was all it took to determine where it was, however. He appreciated the rays on his back, even though they only lingered for a miniscule moment. Jack couldn't help to be reminded of the warm embrace of Ben. He felt disgusted with himself. Could he think of anything that wasn't Ben? Probably not.

Out of focus, Jack managed to push the 'pull' doors that were at the front entrance. "Stupid..." He muttered to himself. Changing his tactics, he grabbed the handle and jerked back. Voila! He managed to open a fucking door! Jack laughed at his own stupidity.

Anxiety gnawed at his head as he realized he'd see Ben in a few moments. He had almost forgotten that they shared the same guide room. He attempted to reassure himself. Ben admitted it was just an accident. They probably wouldn't even remember this in a week.

He hesitated at first, but he entered the Politics room. Dr. Williams was typing frantically on his desktop, a welcome sight to Jack. He didn't exactly feel like talking to his so-called "school mentor." He knew that Williams meant well, but his chipper tone occasionally got on his nerves. He doubted he was the only one.

Ben was already present today. He leaned against the wall of the room, staring out into space. He didn't seem to notice that Jack walked in. Jack's mind began to race. Should he talk to Ben? Should he keep his distance? Maybe... he should play hard to get? What? Jack scolded himself internally for the thousandth time. "He's your friend, not your boyfriend."

Ben's extroverted personality made the decision before Jack could. He approached Jack as soon as he turned his head and noticed his presence.

"Hey." He said. "What's up?"

"Absolutely nothing." Jack responded, his legs lightly shaking. "How be you?" Who the hell talks like that?

Ben nervously chuckled. "I'm fine I guess. I've never heard anyone phrase it that way." That only asserted the validity of his question even further.

"Sorry." Said Jack, only in hindsight realizing how much Ben was annoyed by his apologetic remarks.

"It's fine." Jack was astonished he didn't correct him or tell him to shut up.

"So... We had a half a day yesterday. What classes do you have now, since there's a few more periods to deal with?"

"Well, sixth period I have biology. Seventh period I think I have a study hall. Eighth period, I've got physical education and lastly, I've got a creative writing class at ninth."

Jack's eyes widened. He had physical education eighth and creative writing at ninth. He thought it was redundant to have two English classes when he made up his schedule, but he loved writing. Now, he was ecstatic to have made that choice. His mannerisms expressed this. It wasn't possible to hide it anymore.

"I've got those eighth and ninth, too!" He exclaimed.

"Well. You're a bit excited."

"Oh. Nah."

"OK, if you say so." Ben turned his eyes away. Jack hoped he didn't freak him out. If Jack inflicting any negative emotions on Ben, it'd probably hurt him more than it hurt Ben, even in scenarios as meaningless as the current conversation.

The guideroom period had ended. Ben walked to his English class, Jack alongside him. In the halls, Jack saw Katherine give him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes at her, but a goofy grin surfaced on his face, regardless. He was helpless at this point. His facial expressions were a totally different beast now. He used to maintain composure so easily, always maintaining a stoic visage the majority of the time. Not anymore. Anxious giggling and weird smiles were all Jack's head knew.

The three of them sat together once more. Mrs. Baldwin took attendance, and class resumed. The night before, they were assigned a short questionnaire based on their syllabus to insure they knew the rules. Jack rummaged through his bag and pulled out his assignment, which he managed to do while being messaged by Foster the day before. He almost used it as an excuse to get Morgan out of his hair, but he felt too nice to be that much of a jerk at the time. Foster could thank Ben for that.

Jack eyed Ben's paper. His handwriting was messy and his spelling wasn't flawless, either. However, though Jack normally couldn't stand that, he found it... endearing. Adorable, even. He couldn't believe it. Bad grammar, which he absolutely detested, was cute coming from him. Jack decided that he may need to go on some form of medication.

Baldwin walked around the classroom, picking up the papers. After she had them all, she meticulously sorted them into alphabetical order. It was bizarre, almost like she had obsessive-compulsive disorder, even, but it gave everyone more time to make small talk while she went about her rituals.

Today's lecture wasn't anything special. Jack nearly dozed off to sleep hearing about the debate that was ongoing about the use of the oxford comma. She may has well been showing them a video of grass growing. Even though Baldwin was a likable woman, her topic certainly wasn't. She looked bored to death, and she was the one teaching it!

In time, Mrs. Baldwin recognized that no one was paying attention at all. It was honestly rather futile. She dismissed the class early, allowing them to speak amongst themselves. Ben turned to Jack, and Katherine stared at the two of them, distributing her attention to them both. It made Jack nervous, which was likely Katherine's intention.

"So... Sorry I accidentally cuddled with you yesterday." Ben apologized.

Katherine's eyes doubled in size.

"It's fine, really." Jack said. Oh shit it was more than that. "It was oddly nice." Jack couldn't believe he let that slip

"Yeah. I can't really explain it, but I guess I was kind of happy, too. You remind me of like, a cat or something." Ben remarked.

Oh god. "Thanks, I guess!" Awkward chuckling ensued. Katherine's jaw inched closer and closer to the floor. Jack estimated it would detach from her skull momentarily.

After Ben left, Katherine grabbed Jack's shoulders playfully. "Booooooooooooyfrieeeeend." She whispered into his ears. Jack turned to react, but by then, she was already gone.

Spoiler

Jack sauntered into Mrs. Barn's art room. Old works sat on the walls, signed with names unrecognizable to anyone but the teacher who hung them up. Cameras, used for photography, sat on shelves ready to be used by anyone with a steady hand and a good eye. Macintosh laptops, equipped with the latest in Adobe products were charging on nearby desks, tablets already plugged into the USB port. Oh yes, SFCPA surprisingly had one of the best art programs in the county. The school was prestigious for more reasons than its regular academics.

He settled down into a two-seater. No one accompanied him in the class, but he enjoyed having the extra desk space for his larger drawings. Of course, his plan was foiled when his worst nightmare sashayed into the room. It was Foster. Foster. Fucking. Morgan.

Foster wore a black tee with a rainbow flag on it. His jeans were rather tight and they appeared rather uncomfortable, but it didn't phase Foster. He had plugs in his ears and had short black hair. Confidence eeked from him. A bracelet, with the same colors of his shirt, hung on his wrist. He had never seen someone so accepting of themselves, gay or otherwise. He wondered if Foster recognized the red target that he put on himself.

Jack couldn't help but groan as Foster sat himself right next to him.

"Heeeeeeeeey, sexy." Purred Foster.

"Foster." Jack said, clearly bothered. "What are you doing here?"

"I transferred here, silly."

"But... why?"

"For you."

"Really?"

"No, idiot. Don't flatter yourself." Foster was really getting on his nerves.

"Then why? You're only making it harder by moving from a school that's a million times less accepting than your old one." He pointed at Foster's attire. "Especially like... that."

"My goal is to make this school LOVE me by the time I leave." Foster beamed.

"You chose the worst school in the fucking state for that."

"Oh boy, you're not one who takes risks, do you?" Foster toyed with Jack's nose. "For someone so cute, you're kind of dull."

"Get your hands off of me!" Jack exclaimed, as he pushed Foster's thin fingers off of his face. "Why are you sitting here?"

"Because you're one of the only people I know here, obliv-v-VIOUS!" Jack realized that even if Foster didn't dress the way he did, his flamboyant mannerisms would scream gay from space. "Houston, we have a homosexual." Jack imagined.

"Are you sure there's no one else you'd rather sit with?"

"Nope. Deal with it, fucker." He grinned evilly.

"Fine." Jack was defeated. He knew that this class would soon become his least favorite.

Over the course of fourth period, Foster had flirted with Jack no less than five times. He played with his hair over and over again, to the irritation of Jack. He also complimented him and worst of all, licked his lips over and over again. Jack tried to focus on his pencil, illustrating the birds that flew outside his window. It was no use, however. Foster couldn't take a hint, and if was able to, he'd ignore it anyways.

Not only was Foster aggravating, but he also got Jack into trouble twice in a 45-minute period. Mrs. Barns had shushed him and him alone, even though he didn't contribute to Foster's chat whatsoever. Jack tried to explain this to her, but she pulled the old 'he's just a transfer and it's his first day' nonsense. It was everyone's second day, for god's sake! He couldn't believe her.

After class, Foster clinged to Jack's backpack like a remora on a shark until Jack forcefully removed him. Foster attempted to rejoin until he was grabbed by Jack's brother, Aaron.

"Looks like we've got a new kid here! And a gay one, too!" Aaron yelled, while simultaneously pushing Foster toward the locker. Foster's look was unchanged, if not more confident than before. He was ready for this.

"Oh, thank you for noticing! Did you earn your degree at Saint Captain Obvious's College for Assholes?" Insulted Foster.

This only made Aaron angrier. "That was going to be the full extent of my punishment for today. I was going to cut you some slack, since you were new. But, you've pissed me off." Aaron slammed him against the lockers again, even harder. This time, Foster couldn't keep himself standing. He grunted and fell to the ground. Aaron grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him back up. His posse laughed maliciously. Foster's arms were bleeding. Jack may have disliked Foster, but he wasn't going to let this stand.

Jack rushed toward Foster's side and grabbed Aaron by the neck. "Get the fuck off of him!" He demanded.

"Why? Do you like him, fag?" He sneered.

"Fuck you!" Jack couldn't hold himself together. He punched his brother square in the jaw. Aaron whimpered. He wasn't finished there. Jack dragged his twin across the floor to the nearby principal's office. He kicked open the slightly-open door labed 'Principal George LeGrand.' He knew he'd receive hell for this at home. He knew Aaron was his brother and he should love him, but he couldn't deal with his shit any longer. A trail of blood followed him as he walked to LeGrand's desk.

LeGrand was a larger man. He was balding and old-fashioned glasses hung over his dull, lifeless eyes, which were accompanied by several dark bands of discolored skin. He was not exactly a cheery person. He wore a grey sports coat and a button-down shirt underneath. Coffee stains covered his papers. It was absolutely disgusting.

"You are dirtying my carpets, Bashaw. What is it, now?" He remarked, apathetic to the moaning student on the floor. Jack had often talked to his principal in regards to the tolerance of the homophobia that went on in the school. Mr. LeGrand was often annoyed by it, since Jack brought it to his attention almost every week.

"Deal with this homophobic, piece-of-trash!" Jack was not taking any of LeGrand's bullshit today.

"Hm. He doesn't exactly look like the one I should be dealing with. More like the victim, if you asked me." LeGrand's tone was monotonous. His complete lack of compassion was astonishing. How could a man like this get into his position?

LeGrand ascended from his seat. The floor creaked under his girth. He sighed. "What happened?"

"He beat the new transfer up! He almost passed out!"

"Oh." LeGrand comtemplated. "The gay one?"

"Why does that even matter?"

"Well if it's him, I don't care. He deserved it for choosing to be gay."

Jack was fuming. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You do not choose to be gay." He corrected.

"Whatever. I don't care what happens to him. He's an abomination."

Jack was about to throw something. He noticed LeGrand open up his desk and pull out a book.

"I swear, if you pull out a bible..."

LeGrand put it back.

"Anyways, I'm going to need to punish you. No, wait. Let me make it worse. I'm going to call your parents exclusively, since you two are brothers. And I'm not going to say that he did anything wrong."

"Do you personally have a problem with me?"

"No, but you're getting there. I have a problem with Foster."

"Just because he's gay?"

"Yeah."

Jack couldn't bear to listen anymore. "You're a disgusting human being, George." He didn't care for the disrespect that LeGrand received from him.

"Oh, there we go. Now I've officially got a problem with you. You've got detention during this period for a week starting tomorrow. No frees for you. "

Jack almost responded, but he realized that there was nothing he could do to get him out of this hole. He admitted his punishment and walked out of the room to see how Foster was faring.

Foster was still sitting against the lockers, no one helping him. Jack ran to him. "Dear god!" He exclaimed, looking at his wounds. "Stay right here. Let me get some bandages from the nurse's office."

Jack returned momentarily, fixing up his battered arms. He was bruised along his face and his security was gone. He looked emotionally dead.

"I-I didn't know it was this bad." Foster whimpered. He was a totally different person. Foster Morgan was gone. "No one came to help me except for you. Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." Jack helped Foster up.

"I'm sorry I annoyed you..." Foster apologized.

"It doesn't matter now. Just... do me a favor. Play it safe. Don't get into anything with my brother or anyone else. I can manage Aaron, but I can't manage his friends. Why they didn't go after me, I don't know. Maybe we're just lucky today."

"Alright... Take care."

Foster was showing a side of him Jack never knew. He actually preferred it to his normal attitude, but he hated how it was brought out. After insuring Foster could walk OK, he went to his next class.

Spoiler

Even though Jack's brother was in shambles, he couldn't care. Aaron had it coming to him. He had abused Jack day in and day out at home, and he wasn't going to allow someone else Aaron didn't even know to be subject to it just because they were gay. Jack felt strangely empowered by this. He had seen Aaron in the hallways, somehow able to walk after how Jack dragged him, and whenever he caught Jack looking at him, he'd look away. He was satisfied that Aaron may have learned something from the experience. Maybe he'd leave Jack alone for once.

It was just about time to go to eighth period, his first class with Ben since first period. Technically they both had frees together on fifth, but that didn't really constitute as a class. Ben could be anywhere during that time. He contemplated stalking the school for him, but that was a bit weird.

The gym was on the other side of the building, so Jack couldn't casually stroll like he prefered to. He remained focused on his objective, not acknowledging anyone around him. Unfortunately, he couldn't remain on task due to a small voice calling "Jack" behind him.

Jack turned around to see a shorter girl. She had short, brown hair and freckles dotted her face. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, unlike the rest of the girls in the school who wore such elegant clothing. She looked comfortable. Jack thought that other girls should be like this.

"I'm sorry my dad said that to you." She said, shyly. "He's... Kind of...a dick."

Jack finally put a name to the face. It was Samantha LeGrand, the daughter of the principal, otherwise known by her monicker: Principal's Pet.

Jack was unsure as to what he should say. "Thanks, I guess." He decided on.

"I'll have to put him on a leash."

Jack laughed. "I'd love to see that. I'd pay, even!"

"You aren't the only one..."

Jack felt terrible. "How does it feel to well... have him as your dad?"

"Worse than you'd think. And probably for a different reason, too." A frown stretched across her gentle face. She looked as if she were about to cry. "I'm sorry. I need to go."

"Wait!" Jack called. It was no use. She was already far away from him. Jack shrugged. He was clueless as to what Samantha meant, and why she was so upset about it. However, the encounter reminded him of something: He was about to have a period with Ben!

Jack merrily pranced towards the gymnasium. He couldn't care less about what others thought of how he looked. At least, until he considered what was about to happen: Ben was going to be shirtless in the locker room.

One of the first things Jack noticed about Ben was his body. Oh god, that delicious body. He almost talked himself out of thinking like that again, but it was the truth. Jack had never seen anyone so attractive in his life, celebrity or otherwise. He was eager to see Ben like that, even though it was beyond weird.

He hoped that Ben wouldn't notice his weird staring. He contemplated not looking at all. No, that was dumb. He knew he would lose control once he unbuttoned his shirt. God, the butterflies in his stomach seemed to multiply.

He approached the locker room. Many other boys his age were already changing. Tyler glanced at him and offered a friendly wave. Jack returned it and he made his way to his locker. Mr. Mottoo, the PE teacher, guided Ben around the locker room. Jack tried his hardest to focus on his combination.

"You'll need a locker for your gym clothes." He walked up near Jack. "Bashaw? You know this kid?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Good. His locker will be next to yours." Mottoo handed Jack a small, yellow post-it note. "This is his combination. Show him the ropes. "

I'm dead. This is hell. "Ben, it's just like your regular locker, except you need to go around twice clockwise and hit zero in order to reset it." Jack explained, his eyes wandering, desperate to find a place to stay. They decided to look right at Ben. All motor control has been lost. Damn.

"That's a bit weird." Ben stroked his chin. Why do I find that so attractive? "But thank you!"

Ben fiddled with his combination until he was successful in opening the door. "Voila!" He said, proudly. Jack laughed.

"You're a master already."

"Why, thank you!"

Jack froze as Ben began to undo his shirt. It felt as if a layer of composure was shattered like a mirror with each button unlatched. Click. Click. Click. The beat was the only thing on Jack's mind, like an overpowering drum in a marching band.

The final button had been removed. Ben's shirt slithered off of his shoulders, revealing himself. Jack's jaw nearly dropped, but he knew better than that. Ben's pectorals were well-defined and large and his abdominals, all eight of them, showed through his skin. Similar were his arms, which had held him the day before, were enormous. His grasp was testament enough to this, but this only proved it more. Jack could feel himself salivating. He'd never seen a body this... amazing, before.

Ben noticed Jack's intense stare. "You ok, there?"

"Uh.. Uh yeah, totally fine. " ohmygod.

Jack reached for his lock, trying to avert his eyes desperately. But it was just too much. "Um."

"Something you want to say to me?" Ben smiled at Jack.

"No, nothing at all. " He lied. He bit his lip, trying not to smile. The infamous blush, however, was already there.

Jack tore off his shirt quickly. He felt ashamed standing next to Ben. His body was skinny and lanky, not at all like the godly figure that stood next to him. As fast as he could, he put on his gym clothes. He ran to the door.

Ben finished putting on his shirt and followed. "Hey, partners? I'd like to be with you."

I'd like to be with you, too, but probably in a much different way that you're thinking of. "Sure." Jack agreed.

The two walked together into the gym. The hardwood floor screeched under their sneakers as they joined the others around them. Ben turned to Jack as they made their way across the area.

"You're a bit... different, aren't you?" Ben playfully questioned, a smile pushing across his lips.

"I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Jack asked, terrified. He really hoped Ben didn't hate him, or suspected his homosexuality. He didn't need anyone else calling him names, especially the guy he fell in love with. That would destroy him.

"No... No, I kinda like it."

Jack almost said something, but Mr. Mottoo cut them off. "Alright, maggots. Pushups. 20. Now."

Mottoo was an old army drill sergeant. He was incredibly strict, but surprisingly attractive. His chiseled jawline accented his piercing eyes and his body was built from years in active duty. Jack admitted that for awhile, he kinda liked Mottoo, even though he was very rough and about 20 years older than him. But now, he didn't even think of that. Ben was far more attractive than Mottoo could ever dream of being.

Jack and Ben, along with the rest of the class, got down in position and began moving themselves up and down. Ben managed this effortlessly. His form was perfection, better than Mottoo's even, and Mottoo had been doing it since before Ben was born. He completed his set before Jack had even gotten halfway through.

"You're good at this." Jack complimented.

"Thanks, uh, I guess." Ben responded awkwardly. He clearly wasn't sure how to take that. Who compliments people on their ability to do gym warm-ups?

After everyone had finished, Mottoo had told everyone to get with their partners. Since it was the first day, he let them off easy by just allowing them to play catch. It was abnormal for Mottoo to be this kind, almost eerie, even. It wasn't as if Jack wasn't grateful, though.

Jack received the ball from the instructor and began to pass it back and forth. His first throw was pathetic. Ben had to run a good ten feet in order to catch it. After getting it to settle in his hands, he ran up to Jack.

"Your form's a bit off." He said. Ben thrusted the ball into Jack's arms. "Hold it like this." Ben guided Jack's fingers with his own, pressing them into the slots that dotted the projectile's side.

"I knew how to do that." Jack said, snidely.

"I dunno." Ben chuckled. "Did you?"

Ben's hand went further down Jack's arm. He bent his elbow at a perfect angle and then let go. He distanced himself a few feet from Jack.

"Watch." Ben postioned his body as if he were about to throw something.

"Now I just think you're making fun of me."

"No. I'm teaching you."

"I know how to do this."

"Nope."

"Yup."

"Noooope."

"Fine."

Jack inspected Ben and matched his form. He threw the ball, this time much further.

"Good boy!" Exclaimed Ben, proudly.

"Pfft."

The two spent the next half hour tossing the ball back and forth, without talking. Surprisingly, Jack actually caught the ball three times out of about twenty. It was embarassing that that was an improvement.

"I need to teach you this sometime." Ben told Jack.

"This is better than usual..." He admitted.

"I still want to come over."

This made Jack happy. Maybe Ben actually liked him a bit. In a friend way, of course. Or, maybe he just warmed up to people easily. Jack knew he shouldn't get ahead of himself or get his hopes up; he'd be doomed to disappointment.

Mr. Mottoo blew his whistle. "Get changed or you'll be late." His tone pissed Jack off.

"He gets on my nerves." Jack whispered to Ben.

"I can see why."

Jack walked back to his locker, this time making sure he wouldn't be caught creepily gazing at Ben's chest. He nearly closed his eyes, but then he considered that he could run into him. He wondered how that would feel and if the embarassment would be worth the contact.

In an instant, Jack and Ben were already dressed. The bell rung, indicating the start of the final period.

Spoiler

The walk back to the English room for creative writing was a long one. Several enormous hallways barred them from their destination, but they were able to make it, with time to spare. Ben and Jack assumed their regular positions at the desks by the window, but without Katherine, it seemed rather void. Jack didn't mind though, as Ben was next to him.

Baldwin eyed the students. "Today, we're going to begin our journals." She went around the room and placed a composition notebook on each student's desk. "These won't be graded at all - They're to express your thoughts and feelings, which is what this is all about. Normally, we'll only spend about ten minutes on this each day, but since this our first time, we're going to use the whole period. These won't be looked at by anyone but yourselves. Get working!"

Jack felt this was a perfect opportunity to get his fantasies out of his head and onto paper. No one would read it, or at least Baldwin said that she wouldn't. Paranoia still got the best of Jack, however, and he decided to use the pronoun 'they' rather than 'he,' due to its ambiguity. He thought it was a good idea on the off chance someone skimmed through it at one point.

Jack contemplated what to write for a brief moment. He noticed that words came faster to him than they ever had before, rushing from his fingertips and into the pencil until finally settling down onto the sheet.

They're driving me crazy. Killing me, even. Every time their eyes meet mine, my soul bursts into flames. The brush of their skin upon mine only fuels the fire. Nothing will ever extinguish it. As I gaze upon them, I dream of fake days in futures far away. I dream of a kiss, an embrace and everything in between. I dream of white-picket homes on the ocean, pictures of memories not yet made lingering on the walls. This reality makes me sick. Being without them will be my undoing. The irrationality of the situation is known to me, yet I cannot cease my thoughts, my aspirations and desires. I lock lips in my head, over and over again, and I try to reconcile with myself, as I know these are but terrible lies only invented to torture. My hands long but only for their touch, and my spirit yearns for a feeling so mutual, and so strong. Alas, it is never to be. The cruel truth persists in our dead section of the universe and I pray in an alternate land that one like me will find hope and closure in another's arms.

It felt amazing to release all of these emotions that had been strangling him for days. With Ben by his side and a writing utensil in hand, he knew he'd love this class more than any course he had taken before. A small pressure was alleviated of his shoulders. The weight, albeit a small one, was an appreciated relief.

This relief subsided, however, when he noticed Ben looking over his shoulder.

"Hey. Who's 'they?'" He asked.

Shit. "No one."

"Oh please. That is bullshit."

"It's nothing you need to know about."

"Aw. You've got me curious, now." Ben looked at him with puppy dog eyes. How does someone so handsome act so cute?

Jack sighed. "Well, they've got an amazing body, great eyes, a glorious smile and a wonderful personality. I've never liked a person like them before." Well, he didn't lie.

"Who are they?" He asked, seemingly begging for an answer. "Is it me?" He questioned, playfully.

Jack just looked away. He wasn't going to say no, but he wasn't going to admit it, either. "Huh?" He murmured, barely in an interrogative tone. The fact that he even thought that there could be a possibility of Jack being gay in a totally non-serious manner threatened him. If Ben hated Jack, he would likely lose the will to live.

"Nothing..." Ben whimpered.. He looked disappointed. Jack had to resist the urge to hug him. The emotions on his face were ones of pain and sadness. He couldn't believe that something he, Jack Bashaw, said could affect the flawless Ben Ackler like that. He felt terrible. He wanted to take back what he had told him, but it was far too late.

"Alright, my writers.." Announced Mrs. Baldwin. "You're dismissed."

Ben and Jack exited the school, side by side. Ben's confident smile was gone. Could Ben have really liked Jack?

"Are you OK?" Jack turned to Ben, who stared at the pavement.

"I'm fine. Just fine."

"Is it about what I said?"

Ben froze. "Maybe."

"I think you'd hate me for it, but I'd really like to say something here."

Ben snorted. "Oh please, I'd never hate you. Not now, not ever." Jack felt a bit reassured. "To be honest, I've been dying to tell you what's been on my mind as well. It's been slowly crawling its way up my throat. I doubt I'll be able to keep it at bay for much longer." Ben massaged the back of his neck, clearly unsure of if telling Jack what he was thinking would be a good idea or not. He momentarily broke eye contact, to the disappointment of his companion.

"What?" Jack was excited.

"You go first."

"Ugh. Why?" The fact that Ben actually had a secret killed him. He was so perfect. What did he have to hide?

"You just have to, considering you were the one who stated you had something first. I'm only being polite, you know." He seemed himself again. Instead of being on the ground, Ben's glance shifted to Jack's eyes. They seemed locked together.

"How about I tell you at my place?" Jack smoothly transistioned the subject. He was proud of himself. He actually managed to not sound like an idiot, or use excessive 'ums' or any other worthless, meaningless word. He hoped he could sustain this facade and not fall into the jumbled mess he was when he usually spoke to Ben.

"Are you inviting me over, then?"

"Absolutely." Jack grinned slyly. He couldn't wait to get back to his house.

The journey home seemed like an eternity. The both of them were incredibly anxious. Although Ben was upbeat once more, he twitched involuntarily at times. Sweat traced his brows. Jack was likely the same, however, his head was deep in the ocean known as Ben's eyes. He would suffocate if it weren't that Ben was already the air in his lungs and the words on his tongue.

Finally, they reached Jack's residence. They walked up the driveway at a near-running pace, eager to hear the hidden thoughts that one another had held. They couldn't focus on a single other idea. No dumb comments about the living room or any small talk at all ensued. They both silently approached Jack's bedroom. The house was vacant. No one was present yet again, thankfully.

Jack and Ben sat down on the bed. They glared at each other with incredible intensity, to the point where it was almost aggressive. Inside, they were both gnawing to see what the other had within them, like two vultures fighting over scraps.

Jack broke the pause between their conversation. "Ben..." escaped from his mouth. He had put such incredible restraint on himself to not speak his mind. He knew it wouldn't hold much longer.

"Jack." There was nothing Jack enjoyed more than hearing his name through Ben's lips. It made him feel warm inside, as if nothing was wrong with the world.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you with words."

"I don't think I'd be able to, either." His face glowed in the sunlight that bathed them through the windows in Jack's room. Jack closed the shutters. The only light he wanted was from his eyes, luminous as a falling star, making its descent from the heavens. Ben was a fallen angel, kicked from heaven for being too perfect.

The two of them both knew what they had to do, even though they were unsure of the other's intentions. They leaned in and their eyes simultaneously shut. Ben grabbed Jack's face. His hands felt so warm. Jack's worries began to slowly disappear from his head. This togetherness was now the only thing that there was to Jack. It may as well have been the only thing at all. As long as they were with one another, everything else that was and will ever be didn't mean anything at all.

Even though they couldn't see what was happening, they felt it. Their lips touched each other gracefully. The heat from Ben's breath spread across Jack's face. They slowly rotated their heads in motion, to the beat of each other's hearts and minds. Jack felt as if his world unraveled there and then. He didn't want to put it back together.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't last forever.

They separated. Ben's face was as red as Jack's. It was astonishing for Jack to see Ben's pupils so wide, and they were dedicated to nothing but him. He shivered at the concept that he meant something more to Ben than he inititally thought was ever possible.

The two laid down, assuming the sleepy positions they had made with their bodies the day before. The soft bed was nothing compared to the comfort that Jack received from simply being in Ben's presence and from his simple, exalted touch. Ben's strong body caressed Jack, holding him tightly as if he were made of gold. Jack felt his power and his control. The security of the situation made him let his guard down, placing his head down on the pillow as his tension faded. Ben's chin once more rested on Jack's shoulder. Before they finally collapsed, Jack placed his hand on Ben's face.

"You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Spoiler

Jack had returned once more to the land of the living. His eyes slowly opened and he turned to his side. Things were still blurry, but Jack murmured a "Good evening beautiful" in what he hoped was the general direction of Ben. He rubbed his eyes, scratching at their lids in attempts to make the room around him clear.

When his sight was back to normal, Ben wasn't there at all. The imprint of his body remained on the mattress, but the figure that made the impression no longer was present. Jack scoured the room immediately, looking to his computer, his desk, on the bed, anywhere for a note or any indication as to why he was gone. There was nothing whatsoever except for an empty space where the only person on the planet he'd ever truly cared about was.

He hoped in vain that maybe he had received a call from his father or perhaps there was already an established time that he forgot about once more. Unfortunately, Jack never received Ben's number and he never requested him on Facebook, either. He had no means of contact to inquire about why he had left, but he knew that Ben had a Facebook from the near constant chime of notifications that sounded from his device. Jack moved the mouse of his desktop frantically across its pad in order to bring it out of sleep mode.

After a few long seconds, the log-in screen appeared in front of Jack. He quickly typed his password into the prompt and slammed the enter key with his pointer finger. The iconic windows sound resonated throughout the room, ringing in Jack's ears painfully. He was under far too much stress to deal with these noises, so he unplugged his speakers, too worried to find a mute button. He clicked the icon that started his web browser. The instant it spread across the display, he typed in the social network's url.

A few notifications appeared in red at the top of the screen, but none of them mattered. A few likes and a photo he was tagged in. Huh? A photo? He didn't recall having his picture taken. He'd look at it later.

Jack typed 'Ben Ackler' into the search bar at the top and immediately found his friend's page. He saw that he had established a few mutual friends already. It was no surprise. The charm that had ultimately gotten Jack to fall for Ben was also put to use in other respects, too. Jack sighed and pressed the request button, hoping that Ben would soon come on and accept it.

Ben's profile wasn't totally private. Jack looked through it slightly, sorting through his photos. Most of them were relatively average; moments such as family gatherings, going out with friends and just pictures of him alone were usually used as his profile picture. But, Jack soon came to something which made his stomach turn.

There was a girl. Not just a friend. A girl that was kissing Ben. Ben had an enormous grin across his face. They looked perfect together. It was obvious that this was not a cousin or close friend, but a girlfriend. Jack was crushed and he slowly began to burn up inside. Was he still seeing this girl? Was he even remotely gay at all? Was he in the closet? Was he bisexual?

Maybe this was all just a sick joke. Maybe Ben was simply playing with his emotions. But... It felt so real. How could that be?

Jack heard his parents enter the door. He knew that Aaron was staying over at a friend's house tonight, so he wouldn't hear from him when he got his dinner. He was thankful for that.

Jack ran down the stairs. "Hey mom. Hey dad." escaped from his mouth in between bits of panting. He was out of breath.

"We received a phone call from Mr. LeGrand today..." Jack's mother told him in an angry tone.

Shit. I forgot about that. "Oh... It was about the fight with Aaron today, wasn't it?" He looked to the floor. He knew that the principal didn't tell the full extent of the story and was also quite nervous that his parents wouldn't believe him.

"What on earth prompted you to hurt your brother like that?" His mother questioned. "You've never done anything like this before. "

"He was bullying a new kid, Foster Morgan."

"Is that the truth?"

"Yes."

"Why would your princi-"

Jack's mother was cut off by his father. "I had the... pleasure of meeting LeGrand." Jack's father said, sarcastically. "He's a child. Beyond immature. Lets his own beliefs get in the way of discipline constantly. Now Jack, can you describe Foster for us? I think it might help us get to the bottom of this."

Jack exhaled. "Foster's openly gay and flamboyant. Was wearing a rainbow tee-shirt and everything... He said he wanted to make the school tolerant of him.. love him, even. "

"Dear god." Jack's father put his hand on his own face, a look of worry across his visage. "Does he.. realize what he's getting into? He'll be killed!"

"If he does..." Jack's mother interjected. "He deserves it."

The father's expression changed immediately. "Stop it with that talk! You're just as bad as LeGrand! Do you realize how much you're hurting our son with your... your bullshit! How can he think you love him when you talk like that?" He threw his hands at his sides, clenching them into fists to try to stabilize his anger.

"I think our son is just confused." She looked at Jack, a stoic, disapproving expression staining her eyes. "Maybe just hasn't found the right girl yet..."

"Shut up!" Jack yelled. He couldn't take his mother's intolerance. He couldn't take that Ben had suddenly left him. There was no way he could deal with his parents arguing and his mother's inability to accept him tonight. On other days, he'd grin and bear it. Today, it was just too much. He ran up his room.

"Lindsey!" Jack's father said. "Stop it!"

"Maybe I will when he does!" She yelled.

Jack heard his parents from his bed. He curled up into a ball and shoved his head under the pillow, trying to muffle their screaming. He hoped to God tomorrow would be better, because the mixed feelings of the day had driven him insane. One that began with companionship and love had ended with disconnection and hatred. The rollercoaster of emotions that Jack rode on began to loosen its seat-belt: he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.

The next morning, Jack noticed that Ben wasn't the same in guide room. He didn't go up to approach Jack or say hello to him, or even so much as look at him. His golden eyes were cold, dark and full of regret. His bright personality had faded, his revered smile twisted into an awful frown. Jack wanted to help him, but he feared it would only make it worse. Most of all, he feared that he hurt Jack. The last thing that he wanted to do, he had managed without even trying. He was disgusted with himself.

First period didn't go better. Nothing was more devastating than seeing Ben not take his usual place beside him and Katherine. His best friend couldn't help but note his absence.

"What's with him?" She asked, while tapping her fingers to a tune on her desk. "You guys got along so well, and now he won't even talk to you."

"You're telling me..." Jack looked down at his feet.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

Katherine leaned over to hug him. Jack gladly accepted it. It was definitely something he needed at the moment.

"Thank you... You know what, maybe I'll tell you later."

"Fifth period?" She grinned.

"No... I have detention with our good friend Georgie."

"What? You, goody-two-shoes, have detention?" Her eyes widened. " What on earth did you do?" She stared at him like a criminal.

"I beat up Aaron to protect Foster."

"Oh. That was... kind of you."

"I'd like to think so."

During class, Jack and Ben occasionally exchanged awkward glances, but nothing more ensued. Every time one of them caught one another staring, they instantly focused back on Mrs. Baldwin's wonderful lecture on sentence diagramming. He couldn't help but wonder why he was so upset by what happened yesterday.

The next few classes blazed by and he reached art with Mrs. Barns once more with Foster. Today, he was close to normal, but not overtly touchy as he usually was. He toned down his hair and his clothes as well, donning the attire of a regular student, a well-dressed one at that. He wore a nice polo and some jeans. He actually looked rather attractive this way when he wasn't so over-the-top.

"Hey." Foster said. "I've heard that you've had some problems with Ben. You know... you can tell me. I'd never do anything negative to you again... babe."

Jack glared at him.

"I couldn't help myself. Sorry. But honestly, no one is going to understand this better than I. You just have to trust me. Maybe I can get the two of you through this in one piece."

"Alright. So yesterday, he came over and... we kinda..." Jack paused. He couldn't tell if telling Foster would be worth the comfort he could potentially receive from it.

"Kinda... what?" Foster snapped his fingers. "Don't got all day, boy."

"We kissed. And slept togeth-"

"OHOHO! I was right! I was right! I was right!" He paraded around the desks, clearly proud of himself. "The impeccable Morgan Gaydar 2000 never fails!" He reassumed his position. "You guys already did the sex?"

"No. I phrased that terribly. We just cuddled."

"Oh. Still, niiiiiiiiiiiiiice. " A cheeky smile appeared on Foster. "What prompted this?"

"We both said we had something to tell each other. And we did. By well... kissing."

"Aw!" Foster batted his eyes and flexed his cheeks. He looked like an emoticon. "That's so romantic!"

"Yeah, great, whatever." Jack was growing impatient. "Why won't he speak to me?"

"Well, I don't think he's ever done this before."

"I've seen him kissing girls on his facebook."

"With a guy, I mean." Foster looked as if he's explained this a thousand times. "When a boy meets another boy and they make out with each other after playing the straight game, they get a liiiiiiiiiittle weirded out by the concept at first. They still are until they make out with a loooooot of boys or the same boy a loooooot of times."

"The way you elongate vowels is really annoying."

"Shut up. I am trying to teach you something here, young rainbow. "

"Please don't call me that."

"Fine. But, this might take him a bit. He might feel ashamed of himself or something. It's not easy to accept you're different. Hell, he might not ever. He could never talk to you again."

"What?" Jack was distressed.

"That's just the worst case scenario. Well, besides his redneck family beating you to pieces."

"Shush. You don't even know what his family's like."

"I've heard he's from one of the Carolinas. Not exactly a place beaming with tolerance and understanding, boy."

Jack put his head down on the desk. "I guess you're right."

The bell had rang and the two had gotten up to leave. Before the two changed paths, Foster put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Just see how this plays out. It may work out, or you might never talk to him again. Just know I'm proud of you for doing that, my little rainbow."

"Please stop calling me that."

"The nickname is besides the point. It's just that it's not easy to follow your heart when you're like this. So different, yet still so in love just the same. It was very brave. " Foster smiled. "And never, raaaainbow."

Spoiler

Jack said goodbye to Foster, even if he was being relatively obnoxious. His next period, he knew, would not be pleasurable by any means. Judging by his knowledge of LeGrand, he would either completely shun the student sitting in his office or alternatively, lecture him for the entire duration of the time slot. Regardless, it would be an interesting experience that Jack wasn't looking forward to. He was aware that he couldn't attempt to skip it, however, as the punishment would only worsen if he neglected to attend his detention.

LeGrand's office door was wide open, as if he left it open in anticipation of Jack's presence. The man sat in his desk with his heap of papers resting in front of him. The smell of coffee wafted around the room, impossible to ignore. It was so strong that a smell as sweet as it even began to burn. Perhaps LeGrand opted to drink caffeinated beverages that were as black as his soul.

"Hello, Mr. LeGrand. " Jack sat himself down in the seat he assumed the day before. The principal ignored him at first, hastily writing upon some paperwork of sorts. The boy contemplated whether or not he even noticed his entry. After about two minutes of silence, LeGrand finally responded.

"Hello, juvenile delinquent number 506. " He remarked, bitterly.

"So, what exactly are we going to do with our time here?" Jack asked.

LeGrand's face dropped into a scowl. "Do not use that tone with me."

"There was no to-"

"Shush yourself, you miseducated child." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a book, which Jack knew from his actions the previous day, was a copy of the Christian bible. "I'm going to teach you something today. Even though I'm only meant to act as a disciplinarian to you, you should feel fortunate I am righting a wrong that was instilled in your head a very long time ago." He flipped through several pages that were bookmarked with yellow post-its. It was obvious this was not the first time he had administered this information, as the notes were worn and ripped from the constant abuse.

His expression became prideful. Two thick, bushy eyebrows raised on LeGrand's forehead as he started to speak. "Ah yes, I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine by the name of Leviticus. "

Jack groaned.

"You're an ungrateful little pestilence." He uttered, contemptuously. "If it were in my power I would enact an explusion on reason of my distate for you alone." His gaze re-settled on the book in his hands.

He spoke loudly and clearly, but without emotion. Jack found it similar to when a proctor read instructions for an exam. "Leviticus 18 : 22."

Jack cringed. He knew the passage.

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." He looked back at Jack. "Why do you protect these monsters? They're disgusting. They don't deserve to be treated equally at all. The Bible condemns it, Jack. The Bible."

He began to become angry. These were words that only became more painful as he heard them again and again. He recalled being taken to church by his grandmother as a young boy in Indiana. His feelings for the same sex had just began to manifest. It was the day of his first reconciliation, a right of passage in his community. He had to tell his sins to his priest and talk to him about things that were wrong in his life. It was something that Jack had feared for a long time, as he believed that he had to tell the man everything.

As soon as he entered the booth, he told the priest that he had feelings for guys, as he didn't understand it. When the words left his mouth, the person on the opposite end of the booth went from human to monster. Screams erupted through the wood, raping his young ears with explicit ramblings and preaching. Jack ran out of the stall, crying his eyes out. His grandmother noticed his tears and the yelling that resounded through the room, questioning him as to what happened. He told her the truth.

Those were the last words he ever said to his grandmother.

The community's reaction to Jack's homosexuality was so bad to the point where they had to leave their home forever. They moved to Florida, even though they were unsure if Jack was confused or just questioning, because of the constant death threats the Bashaws received. The majority of their small town would not listen to reasoning, and as a result, a young boy became a monster. The experience left Jack permanently scarred.

Jack only received the confidence to tell his family that his words were the truth a few months ago. His mother still hasn't looked at him the same. His brother has made his life a nightmare. That passage, from a book over two thousand years old, had ruined his fucking life.

Jack wasn't going to listen any longer.

Red with rage, he sprung from his seat and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Fuck your words, your hatred and your unnecessary animosity! Those pieces of paper in your hand have destroyed my life! People like you are the reason why I have to live in fear, why this school is such a mess!" Jack grabbed the Bible out of LeGrand's grasp. "I refuse to sit idly and be witness to your painful messages that pour from your blackened tongue and cold heart! Do you realize how many kids you're hurting with your attitude? What if your daughter was gay? What if she came out to you? Would you want her to know that you hate her for how she was born? Your beautiful little girl, crying herself to sleep knowing that daddy doesn't love her anymore?"

Mr. LeGrand's stoic face contorted. His skin became pale and his eyes wide. He lost his apathetic stare. It became one that depicted fear. Jack's words brought up something he clearly did not want to hear.

He began to stutter. "Mr. Bashaw. You...are dismissed. "

Without a word leaving his mouth, Jack vacated the room that belonged to his principal. He was confident that he had left an impression on him and that maybe he'd change his vile ways. But his reaction confused him... Was Samantha a lesbian? The look on his face could write a thousand words. If Samantha truly was gay, how on earth could she deal with her father? Jack felt awful. He knew he couldn't just confront her about it. He wondered if she had hated herself or felt like a monster... just as he did.

Jack had to talk to her. He couldn't let anyone else know the emotions that he did. He had to reassure her of how she wasn't wrong or 'an abomination,' as the book her father revered had said.

However, Samantha was likely not alone. The school had well over a thousand students - The probability of there being others forced into the closet due to the hatred of others was incredibly high. It was repulsive, the idea of mere teenagers having such self-loathing because of the beliefs of their parents. What if someone had killed themselves sooner or later because of it? What if... Ben killed himself?

He shuddered. If he lost Ben, he would lose himself. He could not allow it. He had to do something, but he had no idea what. Hopefully an idea would come later on, when clarity resumed in his mind. Right now, too much anger resided in his skull. He would need to calm down to think straight.

Regardless, Jack was happy he stood up to his principal. With his head held high, he continued the school day, not letting memories of the past diminish his achievement.

Spoiler

Sixth and seventh period consisted of near nothing but the anxiety that derived from the fact that Jack would soon see Ben once more. The fact that he ignored him both in homeroom and in first period petrified him. He knew that he was upset from the kiss they had shared the night before, but how upset was he? Would they still be able to be partners today? Would they even be able to so much as converse with one another? Jack hoped they would; he couldn't stand the idea of Ben isolating him for the rest of the school year. Even though they had known one another for but a few days, it felt like a century, and an amazing one at that.

He arrived at the gym about four minutes early, even though it took such a long time to get there. He had executed a flawless fast walk in order to make it before Ben. Unfortunately, he failed. Ben was already there, his school clothes half off. Jack used all of his self-restraint not to look.

A single "Hey." escaped from Ben's mouth. At least he didn't ignore him this time.

"Hi." Jack returned. He shuffled through his clothes in his locker, after making a painful display attempting to undo his lock. It was beyond embarrassing. Something that was so trivial became difficult under his judging stare.

"How are you?" Ben's shirt was almost fully off now. Jack considered whether the rudeness of not looking in his direction when he spoke was worth the embarassment of his eyes wandering to his exposed chest again. He needed to put those damn things on a leash. He opted to put on his gym clothes as he talked, neutralizing the rudeness and the tension.

"I'm alright I guess." That was a lie. Jack's feelings of anger that manifested during his 'talk' with LeGrand lingered, as well as the confusion of Ben's choice to ignore him. "And how be you?" Jack realized it this time. He decided to stick with his weird mannerism. Eventually his friend would get used to his awkward way of asking things.

Ben grinned. Jack's decision was not in vain. "Heh. I'm... fine." He hesitated. Jack knew he was feeling something over their encounter the day before, but he wasn't entirely sure what. Hatred? Love? Grief? The possibilities were endless; Jack had spent hours trying to figure out what was going on in the boy's head and he thought he may never get to the bottom of it.

Without another word, the two finished getting dressed and entered the gym. Mr. Mottoo was back to his normal self, as they would be doing a two-mile run today instead of a simple back and forth game. Although it was more intense, Jack felt relieved that it wasn't a partner activity. He wouldn't necessarily need to cooperate with Ben if things got bizarre between them.

After a brief push-up session, Mottoo led the class outside. The sun peeked through minor cloud cover created by the light humidity that tinged the air. The day was warm and the smell of grass navigated itself through the wind, adding flavor to every breath that Jack breathed. But even though the sun drenched him, he felt cold and dark within himself. No sun could heat up the frozen emotion of a perplexed heart.

Although Jack despised this type of exercise, he was ecstatic to do it in such a beautiful setting. It was absolutely picture perfect, right down to the seemingly-painted skies and the sweet songs of local birds. It almost lessened the load that the rigorous training applied to his body.

Ben remained next to Jack as the duo jogged. Silence provided for an awkward class, though their faces said that they both had words that they so desperately desired to have roll off their tongues. As the trek continued, Jack began to tire. He wasn't as in-shape as Ben was by any means. Eventually, he fell over himself, gasping for air.

Collapsing on the ground, he cursed himself. "Fucking hell." He could barely get up, shaken by a combination of emotion and reaching his physical breaking point. The stress on his metaphorical hull finally split the ship in two.

Ben ran up to Jack, offering a hand. "Are you OK?" He looked at the grounded teenager, examing him to see if he was hurt.

"No... No... I'm a fucking mess." He admitted. He slowly mustered his strength to get back up again, taking hold of Ben in order to insure he didn't slip up again once more. Accidentally, he collapsed onto Ben.

Ben surprisingly held on back.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice quivering. "I just... I don't know how to take this, OK? I've never been in something like this before. But I'm wrong. I'm so wrong. Just because I'm so confused doesn't mean I should ignore you for something that isn't your fault. We both kissed. It's not as if you attacked me."

He buried his face into Jack's shoulder, as he did when they slept side by side. "God damn it. Why does it have to be like this, Jack?"

"I don't know." His words were just as unstable now. "But I know with you, it won't matter, OK? I promise everything will be alright. I'm not strong, good-looking, influential, confident... I'm not you. But I will protect you."

"Shut up." Ben looked into Jack's eyes. "You're beautiful."

Jack slumped further down. His shaking legs could barely support him. "You don't mean that. I'm a monster. My own mother can't accept me for who I am. If the world knew who I was, t-they'd kill me. God damn it! In Indiana, they almost did!"

"If you're a monster..." Ben held Jack's face with one hand, using his other to wipe his tears. "Then we'll be monsters together."

"Thank you." Whispered Jack. "I'd like that." Not even caring if the others would see him, Jack kissed Ben on the cheek. He could feel the warm blush rush across his skin. He felt truly wanted, for one of the first times in his life. The two held each other for a few moments, and then detached, knowing they had to catch up with the rest of the group.

"I'll race you." Ben said, cheekily.

"You're on." Jack knew he'd lose, but with him, he felt inspired. His legs carried him as fast as they could, synchronising with the wind. For a brief second, Jack was in front of his rival. A smile of pride broke his determined expression.

Soon, they were with the rest of the class again. Exhausted, they couldn't continue their regular pace, only putting their hands on their knees and giggling profusely. Thankfully, the run was over. They joined everyone else as they walked back to the gymnasium, walking slowly and breathing rapidly.

"That was fun!" Jack exclaimed.

"I was surprised. You almost had me." Ben looked to the ground, a tad bit shocked. "Maybe you will someday."

"I doubt that. Your running capabilities are far too amazing."

"Aw! Your cuteness is gonna kill me, kid."

Jack felt as if everything was better. No matter what Mottoo, LeGrand, Aaron or Mom said to him, it was nothing. If Ben was this happy, he was. All he wanted was to make him laugh or smile, and today, he had managed it in much greater amounts than he ever previously could.

The locker room had lost its trepidation. Vibrant spoken thoughts represented sentiments of pure, unadulterated happiness. As they changed, Jack stared at Ben the whole time, and he didn't feel an ounce of guilt for it.

"You're too wonderful not to look at, you know."

"Oh, stop it." Ben dismissed.

"It's the truth." Jack reaffirmed, poking his chest. It felt amazing, such a soft texture that still expressed great strength. It was identical to everything else that pertained to Ben.

"Pfft."

Fully clothed, they waited for the bell to ring outside the gymnasium. Even though they could make their walk to creative writing together, they felt that they would have a better time just sitting together.

"Just wondering." Jack mentioned. "Did you really mean what you said?" He prayed that he did, that it wasn't yet another heat-of-the-moment reaction.

Placing the bag strung over him on the floor, Ben responded interrogatively. "What did I say, exactly?"

"Being monsters... Together."

"There's not a doubt in my mind, Jack. I've been this way my whole life, you know? I've played the role of ladykiller for far too long. It never suited me. I have always wanted to be with guys, I guess. I was just too afraid. I'd never found someone who could bring out bravery in a soul like you do." A genuine smile of what seemed to be gratefulness touched his lips.

"You just can't stop being smooth, can you?" Jack grabbed his shoulder.

"I am smooth. " He prided himself. "I am smoothness in physical form." He flipped his hair triumphantly and crossed his arms in an egotistic manner, appearing very pompous and arrogant.

"I wouldn't doubt that."

They began their promenade towards the English room, gleefully taking each step slowly, matching each other's pace to insure that they would not lose one another in the crowded halls. Before they entered the room, Ben had but one final statement:

"I will never leave you."

there are unfortunately a lot of places where there should be italics... they don't transfer via copy paste and it's silly.

 

Thank you. When it seems like Jack is talking to himself or 'he thought' anything, it's supposed to be italicized but it didn't work in transfer.

I'll fix it later.

 

It is being continued! I'm just in a brief period of writers block. I think I'm gonna go back and italicize everything properly with the tags though.

Thank you all for your compliments, though!

 

Thank you!

I'll put in another chapter now.

Spoiler

Creative writing began with another journal entry as usual. Jack was overwhelmed. He had so much to write about; his experience with LeGrand, the feeling of Ben ignoring him, the memories resurfacing from Indiana... But in reality, none of those things mattered compared to his most recent experience with Ben. The embrace they had felt as if it was an endless path of mutual understanding. Jack had never felt that someone had cared this much about him, not even his parents.

As Ben and Jack sat together, they simply gazed into each others' eyes. Regardless of the fact that no words were exchanged, sentiment poured from their stares. Love was all they could feel. They were numb to all of the hurt and pain that derived from the judgement that those around them would most certainly bestow upon them if they were to so much as clasp their hands in public space. That didn't matter, however, as long as they had each other.

Jack began to write.

I've never experienced such a feeling in my life. I feel so wanted, as if someone truly adores me for the first time in my life. The hug was the high point of my life as I know it - I do not know how it will be matched. With him next to me, the world could end. The world didn't matter, as long as we have each other. I wish that contact could have lasted forever, that we could have never pulled away and only days later would they have found our deceased bodies in the field outside, smiles stretched across our faces. With Ben, there was no air needed to breathe, for he already was all there is, and all there would ever be. If he ever leaves me again, I'm not sure where I'll go, for to be so wanted and then to lose that... would be devastating. I pray that this lasts until the day I perish, and I long for the day that our caskets are next to each other with a tombstone engraved 'Benjamin Ackler and Jack Bashaw.' I love him with all my heart. I do not wish to be buried near anyone else. Dead or alive, I want to spend eternity with him.

His log was all that he felt, not a single thing left out. Not even his fear of getting caught inhibited him from using the vague pronoun he had substitued 'he' or 'him' for previously. There was no longer a necessity to worry, for even if everyone left, they would have each other.

Ben glanced over at Jack's work and this time he made no effort to conceal it. After a moment, he smiled and placed his hand on the other boy's. There was a brief hesitation to respond from Jack.

"Are you sure we should be doing this, you know, here?" He asked, worried.

"I couldn't care. If anyone does anything to you, they'll respond to my fist." Ben replied. Jack smiled, grabbing his hand back.

By the time the class ended, a red mark was temporarily tattooed onto his hand. He wished it would never fade. As they got up, their hands remained clasped, not a single care in regards to those that would judge them.

A variety of reactions met the couple as they existed the English room. Some of shock, others accepting. Katherine flashed a smile. Foster gave him a thumbs up and mouthed "I knew it all along." Jack rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshines and rainbows. Many ugly glares grabbed at them painfully. Most predominantly was the one that belonged to LeGrand. Sneers came from the crowd and the principal retreated to his office, appearing to mutter "I knew it" before he finally closed his door. It didn't mean a thing, however, and the pair intrepidly walked until they reached the door, kissing just before they left, resulting in a few astonished yelps from other students. They laughed profusely.

"God, you're so fucking wonderful." Ben said.

Jack blushed. "No, I think that's you." He returned. "I'm overrated; you're flawless."

"You are a natural diamond: your imperfections only make you better." Ben put his arms around Jack, hugging him as he did earlier in the day. "I wish I could do this forever. Can I come over to your house today?"

"Don't even ask. I'd never say no."

They were at Jack's home in what seemed like an instant. Each crosswalk had a green light, as if the world was in sync with them. Birds sang as a distant storm beckoned far away, ushering in the preferred weather of Jack. It began to rain mere seconds after they made it into the house.

"Well, that was close!" Jack said. "We could've gotten soaked."

Jack dried the tiny bit off water off of his hair, which Ben then ruffled.

"I couldn't help it." He shrugged.

They passed through the living room, which surprisingly was occupied. Jack saw his brother and another boy. The two kids were playing a video game of some sort. He didn't recognize the other teenager.

"Hey." Jack inquired. "Who's that?"

Upon their turning to look at him, he realized that the other boy was Foster. Foster Morgan.

"Foster!" Exclaimed Jack. "I'm rather... shocked to see you here."

"We've reconciled a bit. And congratulations on the boyfriend." Foster beamed.

Jack blushed. "Well uh-"

"Yup. We're together. Forever." Interrupted Ben.

Jack grinned. "I can't get enough of you." He turned again to Aaron. "So you guys are friends now?"

"Yeah..." The words shyly came from his mouth. "And I want to tell you something." Aaron looked somber.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

He hesitated for a bit, unsure whether or not he should go on. He took a look at Foster, who nodded at him. "I'm sorry. For everything I've said to you. And, the stuff I've done to you. The insults based on your sexuality. I-I... never should have done that." He sighed and stared at the ground after finishing his statement.

"Oh." Jack was in shock. "I'm really glad you know you've done wrong."

An awkward tension pierced the room. Ben ushered Jack upstairs and he followed. They immediately laid down on the bed together as they had done several times before. Sleep wasn't required for them to be next to each other once more. Ben grabbed a hold of Jack and he curved his body around. His chin assumed its now natural, default position on top of his shoulder. A small kiss pressed on Jack's cheek lightened the mood that even the darkest thunderstorm could not penetrate.

Jack turned around and held Ben's head tightly. He pressed his lips on his. They were warm and soft. He dragged himself towards his body, grasping his waist tighter than he ever thought possible. The two rolled over from the weight of themselves and switched roles; Ben holding Jack even harder than his initial grasp. To be held in such powerful hands made him feel almost immortal. The thunder clapped at them, but they did not notice, for the only thing they could hear was the beating of their own hearts.

They stopped only to breathe and continue for minutes, holding each other and feeling the luminous emotion that surged through their veins. Eventually, the couple was tired. The positons against each other that they began in made for a nice retreat for them to recover their strength. Their heads rested on the same pillow.

"Can we do that every day?" Jack asked. He kissed him on the forehead and played with Ben's hair. His eyes were enormous.

"I hope so." Ben said. The rain continued to pour down. The lullaby soothed them to rest. Ben pressed his hand over Jack's face, stroking it tenderly. "Even with my eyes closed, I can feel you're beautiful."

"Oh, stop it, you." Jack humbly declared.

"No, seriously. You're adorable, handsome, intelligent and just so wonderful. I totally don't deserve you." Ben kissed his cheek this time. "Why are you even with me?"

"Because you're all of that and more. You are just so great I can't even define it. Your wonderful eyes, beautiful body, strong arms, caring personality, great hair, witty remarks, smooth words... I'm surprised I haven't fainted from your perfection. I revere you."

Ben tugged at Jack's ear a bit. "You're overrating me. I am nowhere near that good."

"I'll slap you if you continue that." He purred, similar to a cat. "I swear. You are the most remarkable being in existence. Sometimes I wonder if you're god."

"No, that's you." Ben spoke.

"Shush. You make me feel like one, though. Like I'm the world, and that I actually mean something." Jack admitted. "I've never had a reason to wake up in the morning until I met you a few days ago. I've been perpetually in glee. Your face alone brigthens my day. With you, I doubt I'm capable of sadness or pain."

Ben ran his fingers slowly across Jack's arms, tapping a beat on it. "You're so delicate, like glass. I'll never let anyone break you." He delivered the words from his mouth like a poet delivering an epic. Jack was so attracted to him he could barely compose himself. Thankfully, he no longer had to.

"God, I wish I could just skip school tomorrow and lay here all day with you. Think you could stay over tonight?" Jack asked playfully, smirking.

"I'll call him. We'll see how it goes." Ben seemed equally excited.

"You rival the stars, my man. You're my star though. I'm glad I caught you when you fell."

 

Spoiler

Ben's father almost instantly agreed to his son staying over, as if he wanted him out of the house. Regardless, Jack was happy his new boyfriend could be with him overnight. His parents were out of town on a business trip, Aaron was busy with Foster and the storm persisted outside. Everything was flawless.

Afternoon faded into night as the thunder continued its majestic roaring. Another roaring creature, however, existed in the Bashaw residence. Its name was Ben's stomach and it nearly rivaled the turmoiling storm.

"By any chance you've got any pizza?" Ben asked.

Jack laughed. He turned to the refrigerator and pulled out the leftovers from a few nights before. Hanging on the handle, he leaned over and kissed Jack on the forehead. "There's your side." He joked.

Ben pulled Jack off from his dangling position and pressed his lips on Jack's. He put his arms around Jack, but the boy couldn't reciprocate due to the box occupying his hands. "Although your lips taste wonderful..." Jack remarked. "I'm sure we could eat some real food right now."

"But..." Ben whimpered. "It's not my favorite flavor."

"And what would that flavor be?" Jack responded.

"You."

Jack blushed. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of your flirting. It's so adorable I can't handle it."

The kitchen was a nice one. Granite tabletops clashed benevolently with a pure white stove, creating a nice contrast. Windows exposed the clouds outside. They hung over the sink, allowing those who washed their hands to lose themself in the view of the backyard.

Ben and Jack engaged in some small talk while eating their dinner. Exchanges about the first few days and their classes ensued as well as discussion about life at home as well.

"What's your dad like?" Jack inquired.

Ben looked down at his plate. "He's... alright, I guess. A bit strict. Religious." A frown stretched across his face. "He'd likely disown me if he knew about us."

Jack was astonished. "You're so open about it, though. At school, in public... Anywhere! I mean, you were even talking about maybe changing your relationship status on Facebook."

Ben smirked. "I already did. You just need to accept the request."

"Well, that only furthers my point." A look of confusion spread across Jack's face.

"My dad is a really bad alcoholic." Ben admitted, shamefully. "I've really had to take care of myself these last few years. At first, it wasn't too bad, but after awhile, the reality of mom being gone hit dad hard. He turned to the bottle and prostitutes. It's hard to believe he even keeps a steady income. Last time I checked, he plays the stock market or something. He's amazing at it. No idea how he keeps it up with his habit."

"Stock market investor? That doesn't seem like the homophobic type..."

Ben sighed. "He's religious. He's also a big member of the Republican party. He seems really weird around the concept of homosexuality and gets incredibly pissed if he sees them in public. He's used the word 'faggot' around me, too. I doubt he realizes how much it hurts, honestly. He probably never will. As for facebook, he doesn't even have me added. He's never even mentioned it. I privatize my account so there's no chance of that."

Jack placed his hand on Ben's face. It was warm. His eyes were sunk a bit, likely from thinking about the way his father is. "It's alright. I'll never let him hurt you." He pressed his hands on Ben's well-defined arms, squeezing them a bit. "I doubt he could if he tried, anyways. You're too strong for that."

Ben blushed. "Maybe. I know that when I'm with you, there's no pain. Not at all. "

"It's mutual. You're my cure. For anything." Jack put his hand on Ben's shoulder. "I'm glad I can do anything near the same, even if I'm not as potent."

"Shut up with that!" Ben declared. "You're just as good as I am, if not better. And I consider myself very wonderful." He flipped Jack's hair. "You're great. "

"If you say so..." Jack said, shyly. He grabbed their empty plates and got up to place them in the dishwasher when he felt a slight touch near the top of his legs.

"You've got a nice butt, too." Ben stated.

"Shush!" Jack screeched, embarrassed. He finished his task and set the machine to 'clean.' It sputtured to life, whirring progressively louder. "Now that that's done, I'm exhausted. When I'm with you, I get tired. In a good way. I don't know how to explain it, either."

"You just want to sleep with me, don't you?" Ben raised an eyebrow. A small, devious grin appeared on his face.

"Yes." Said Jack. "But, in a totally literal way. What I feel about you... This isn't really a lustful relationship. I mean, it kind of is. You're beautiful, adorable, handsome, muscular, all of that... But you're just such a great person. Maybe one day it'll come to sex and that nonsense, but really, being with you is all the matters. I love laying with you, holding your hand, making you laugh... The dumb romantic stuff. Before I met you, I didn't really think I was like that at all. I thought I was just numb to this kind of stuff. It's all changed. "

Ben softly smiled, unlike the more sexual expression which laid on his face previously. "I... I feel the same way, really. It's weird."

"Ben, I've known you for a few days. We've only been together for a few hours." Jack looked at the floor, contemplating whether or not he should speak anymore. "I... I think I love you. "

The other boy's eyes widened. "Normally, I'd be creeped out by that, if I knew someone for this short of a time, said something like that. I'd probably punch you if this was a normal situation..." Ben grabbed Jack's face and leaned his head in, kissing his lips tenderly. "... but in all honesty, I feel the same way. I can't imagine living my life with anyone but you."

"God, I thought you'd be scared of me or something." Puffed Jack, relieved. He grabbed Ben's shirt and pressed his head into his chest. "You're so perfect. I'd simply be comparing everyone else to you." He took a hold on Ben's hand, caressing it gently. Pressing another kiss onto his fingers, he spoke again. "Come on. I'm dead tired."

They travelled on the path they had seemed to cross a thousand times at this point up the stairs and into Jack's bedroom. It was now night, but the rain had not let up in the slightest. Strangely enough, it seemed to be even harder than it previously was. Storms rarely lasted this long in Florida, let alone anywhere else.

"I think it's a testament to us." Said Ben.

"What?" Questioned Jack.

"This storm. When's the last time we've had a legitimate thunderstorm that's lasted this long? I mean, hurricanes last awhile. Regular storms with occasionally thunder, yeah, those too. But this has been perpetual lightning and all... It's wonderful, don't you think?"

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that." Jack said, looking out the window. "There's nothing more wonderful than malicious, well, to others, weather..." Jack pushed his body onto Ben's. They held each other, staring at the tempest which screamed outside. They rocked to nature's beat, slowly dancing with each other.

"I thought this year would be another stupid nothing." Whispered Jack. "Another year of fading into the crowd and wishing that everything would just end and thinking that life would never get better, that I'd always be alone. I was so wrong."

"And I thought I'd have to be with a girl again. How boring would that be?" Joked Ben.

"You're mine now. Forever."

"Glad to hear it."

A quick good-night kiss was exchanged before the two crawled under the covers. The Florida heat was a bit too much with their bodies together like that, so they removed their shirts. The awkwardness which had once been created by their lack of clothing had completely disappeared: they were totally comfortable with each other. Jack positioned his head over Ben's chest.

"God, that's wonderful." He admitted. "You're so warm."

Ben stroked Jack's head, as if he was a kitten. "I'm happy you enjoy it. I certainly like having you here. You may stay at the hotel that is my body any time I like. "

Jack buried himself further into him, if that was even possible. He snuggled into his skin as if it was a blanket. "It's a good thing I booked it for the rest of this year. And the next one. Not to mention all the ones after that." His eyelids fluttered a bit. "I wish we could be like this forever."

"We will be." Ben said, soothingly. "That's not something we need to worry about."