Coming Home Part 2

-----------Charlie Holloway has hit rock bottom. He's come out in the worst way possible and will soon have to switch schools, where he will have to see his ex Theo Broussard in class every day. Charlie just wants to find happiness, but the world seems to be conspiring against him. Meanwhile, Theo must figure out some things for himself, as he weighs what he wants in life and what to do after graduation. The two are no longer on speaking terms and each will have to find their own way in the world, before either can ever find love again, together or separately.---------------

Chapter 9

When Theo emerged from his shower, he felt somewhat refreshed but even more tired than he was previously. The back of his mind nagged at him about his summer assignments that he'd barely started yet. As he dressed in a change of clothes from his soccer bag, Theo decided that he would have to call it a night after dinner, even if it would upset Harry.

Before he put his shirt on, Theo looked at himself in the mirror. It had been a while since he'd properly sized himself up. He knew he looked good, that people found him attractive, but the events today had him reassessing. He let his mind wander to Charlie and Lucas, wondering how far they'd gone in their first month together. Charlie probably liked Lucas's body more than his, Theo thought blithely. He'd long felt like second place compared to Lucas, with his toned swimmers' body in comparison to his less-defined form. Theo hated that the sports he played resulted in muscle but little definition. He hated that his mind wandered to Charlie, even if its origin was jealousy towards Lucas.

That tinge of envy had colored his friendship with Lucas since its inception. In Theo's mind, Lucas had a confidence he could never imagine possessing. He knew the other boy was more experienced than he was, too, and that other boys found him more attractive. Even if he was in a relationship, he couldn't stop these feelings from surfacing to the forefront of his mind. He pushed those thoughts back as he left the bathroom.

Dalia had made vegan enchiladas for dinner, which was ready as if on cue almost immediately once Theo emerged from the shower. Less time to have to spend here, he thought but then chastised himself for thinking.

The dinner conversation turned from a discussion about Dalia's day to Harry's and then finally Theo's. Harry asked with a suppressed tone of derision, how practice had gone. Theo then gave a very brief overview of how grueling it had been, to which Harry cracked some subtle jokes at the sport's expense.

"Honestly, I don't know why you do it. It's not even the sport you like and even if it was, what will it matter in a few months when you never do it again?"

Theo had let a lot slide in the past few weeks, but the combination of exhaustion and sleepiness caused him to snap, "Maybe because I like it, Harry. I enjoy running around like a 'mindless jock' as you'd frame it and you're right my window of opportunity to do it is dwindling so I'd like to do it while I can, is that so hard for you to imagine?"

"Teddy, dear, calm down, please. I didn't mean anything by it. I thought we were all having a laugh about it."

"I'm not laughing. Honestly, why do you feel this need to belittle whatever I like? You certainly don't mind the results of it. You tell me all the time how you're obsessed with my body. Well, how do you think that happens? I enjoy knowing you like my body, but you're borderline objectifying me."

"Theo, I never meant—"

"You know what? I think I'm going to go now. I have school work to do." Theo said, then turned to his other host, "Dalia, thank you for dinner. It was so amazing. I'm sorry you had to just witness all that."

Theo stormed out of the apartment and then out of the building towards his car. He heard someone following him and wanted to just get in his car and drive without fighting with Harry anymore, but it wasn't Harry following him.

Dalia caught up to him in the parking lot. "Jeez, dude, you really made me chase you down there!"

"Sorry, I thought you were Harry. I just didn't want to restart an argument. It should be fine. I just need to cool down and actually get some sleep."

"I get that. And, I know Harry says some dumb stuff sometimes, but he's well-meaning, in his own way, of course."

Theo let out an exasperated sigh and pinched his nose. "I know. He just picked the wrong day to be his full self."

"Rough day? Was practice that bad?"

"It was rough, but that's not all...did you know Charlie has a new boyfriend?"

Dalia tried to remain expressionless. "I did. Unlike you, I still regularly check Instagram, like a normally-functioning person under thirty."

"I deleted the app. Harry and I made a pact to both do it. I would've thought he'd have told you."

"We don't share shifts that much anymore at the shop. We've kinda drifted apart, I guess. You know, the shop hasn't been the same without you."

"Oh yeah?" Dalia said it often, but Theo liked to hear it. "But anyway, you know he's going to my school this year and now he's dating the hottest gay guy at our school and if I'm being honest at any school in the county."

"And you're jealous? Of which one?"

"I'm not jealous, well maybe I am a bit of Lucas, I suppose. It's just I got this shitty version of Charlie who was this paranoid closet case and now Lucas gets him totally unproblematic."

"I'm sure that's not true. I've known Charlie for a long time and there's no way he's completely unproblematic."

"You might be right, but still. I think them being together just resurfaced all this shit about feeling inferior to Lucas from years ago and it hurts. And, Harry didn't help matters either."

"Well, go home and rest and you'll probably wake up to a string of apologetic texts."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"Honey, I'm always right."

When Theo got home, he wanted to head straight up to his room, but his mom was waiting for him in the kitchen, lurking in preparation to intercept him from his trajectory.
"Dear, how was your day?"

"Long," Theo answered monosyllabically.

"I'm sure you can do better than that."

"I felt dead-tired after practice and then I was shitty to Harry because I'm exhausted. Is that better?"

"Are you really going to blame your relationship problems on lack of energy?"

"Please don't start with this again. I know you don't like him, but I do. You did this last time too."

"I just don't want you trying to grow up too fast. He's too old for you. You should find someone your own age, or really just focus on this year. You'll have to go your separate way from whoever you're with in a few months anyway."

"I'm just supposed to put my whole life on hold to get into a good college then? And, when I did have a boyfriend my age, you hated him!"

"I didn't hate Charlie and you know that. I just disliked the situation you were in. He wasn't as lucky as you are when it came to supportive friends and family."

"I know that. It still didn't make us right together."

"Well, no sense arguing about it now." Theo's mom said, concluding their conversation by moving into another room, "now, go get some rest; you look like you need it, dear."

With that, Theo trudged up the stairs to his room and then collapsed on his bed, still wearing his clothes. He slept through the night and, when he woke up, he had a string of apologies in text form from Harry, as Dalia had promised.

Chapter 10

Charlie's mother tried to make his last first day of high school just like his previous twelve first days of a new school year. She always prepared his favorite breakfast food, french toast, and made him take copious amounts of pictures. She tried to instill some normality in a day that would be highly unusual for him.

Nevertheless, for the second year in a row, Charlie's father would be absent from the occasion. He'd kept his distance since the separation last year. Instead of his mother taking pictures of him with his father and his older siblings (when they were still in school), now it was Mrs. Cranston from across the street taking pictures of them in front of the "good shrubbery" as Charlie's mom liked to call it, where she insisted all family pictures be taken.

Charlie was at a loss that morning in choosing what to wear. He hadn't realized how much he longed for the certainty of wearing a uniform every day to school and not having to concern himself with wardrobe choices early in the morning. It would be something he'd have to get used to, both for the next year and afterward.

Since it was warm out, he opted for some shorts and a Pine Wood football t-shirt, figuring others would also be showing off school spirit on the first day. It also wouldn't hurt to do so after just transferring from his new school's biggest rival.

The drive to Pine Wood High took barely five minutes, so little time spent in the car that not even a single song elapsed on his playlist. Charlie longed for the spare moments of peaceful quietude he found driving to and from school when he went to Saint Sebastian. Part of him felt guilty about how incredibly wasteful it would be to drive to school every day at such a short distance that would be easily walkable. However, with his football bag and even more so when it came time for his hockey bag, it was much more preferable not to have to lug it around himself.

Charlie spent several moments thinking about these things in his parked car in the senior lot as he watched his new classmates pour into the building. He saw some of his teammates congregating in the courtyard at the front of the school. He also spotted his boyfriend Lucas waiting for him by the flagpole, which brought a smile to his face.

As he walked towards the boy, he noticed that his significant other had become completely engrossed in his phone and not cognizant of his surroundings. Unable to resist a juvenile impulse, Charlie snuck up behind Lucas and took him by surprise, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's body and planting a kiss on his cheek from behind. This caused his target to yelp quite loudly, but for the most part his involuntary reaction was masked by the general noise of the crowd.

Nevertheless, Lucas's face turned quite red and the noise had also drawn the attention of the football team, a few of whom made their way over to the couple. This all felt quite exhilarating for Charlie, being able to publicly display his affection for his boyfriend and also have the support of his friends. It felt like a fantasy, especially compared to his prior circumstances.

Lucas had relaxed into Charlie's embrace once he realized it was him, whispering in his ear "you dick, I told you to find me when you got to school, not scare the shit out of me," to which Charlie replied, "you loved it though." Lucas did not respond with words, but simply hummed in the affirmative as he rested his head on Charlie's shoulder.

"Dudes, you're making me feel bad about being single! Can you cool it on the PDA just a little bit for once?" Jude said as a cluster of football players gathered around the couple.

"Get a girlfriend, then you won't feel bad," Lucas retorted, then stuck his tongue out at the complaining jock.

"Unfortunately," Nolan answered, "that's easier said than done in Jude's case."

"It's not my fault!" Jude exclaimed in his own defense.

"Regrettably for you, Jude, it is, though," Charle jibed, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder in mock consolation.

"Anyway, onto more important matters, did you finally get your schedule sorted out, Charlie?"

"Yeah, I think so. Hey, is homeroom done alphabetically like it is over at Saint Seb?"

"Nah, it's some random thing. Why?"

"No real reason. I just wanted to know if any of us would be in the same homeroom," Charlie replied to Nolan, as the former searched for his schedule on his phone.

Jude, done nursing his wounded ego from earlier, snatched Charlie's phone from his hand and scanned his schedule. "Damn, dude. You're taking all AP classes!"

"Not really, now give it back, man."

"Okay, you're taking honors bio, but that's about it."

"Only honors bio? My guy, you're slacking," Nolan teased.

"I'm god awful at science."

"Isn't that a gay stereotype? Being bad at science?" Jude inquired, teasingly.

"No, that's math, dipshit," Lucas piped up.

"And I'm in AP Stat, so I'm basically defying stereotypes," Charlie offered.

"You're also in every class with Teddy," Jude stated. Nolan elbowed him for the comment.

"Really? Oh... okay," Charlie said, unsure of how to react to this new information.

"Don't worry, dude. I'll be in a few of those classes, too, and we share a homeroom."

"Nice," Charlie replied, relieved at the welcome change in conversational topic.

"Someone had to step up and make sure you weren't going to be the friendless loser in every class," Nolan taunted.

"Har-har," Charlie replied, for lack of any better retort. Before he could say anything else, Lucas suggested they all get to their lockers before the first bell rang, which was prudent given they only had a few minutes before that happened.

The congregated group split up. Lucas's locker was all the way at the other end of the senior wing from Charlie's, so they reluctantly parted after one final kiss.

"Dude, you are so whipped," Nolan observed as the two made their way to their lockers, which were conveniently close in the same section.

"You don't see me complaining."

"I guess not."

Nolan and Charlie dropped off what they wouldn't need for the first few periods in their lockers and then made their way to their shared homeroom.
Charlie had been mentally preparing himself for seeing and trying his best to ignore Theo for the majority of his day today, not to mention every weekday for the next few months, but he had not expected to find Theo in his homeroom. There were ten senior homerooms he figured his luck couldn't be that bad. Oh, but it was because there was Theodore Broussard in the flesh sitting diligently in the front row.

Nolan didn't seem surprised, which made sense. He was Theo's friend before he was Charlie's. However, he did seem genuinely conflicted about where to sit. Their homeroom teacher sat at her desk with a novel in hand, and had written "free seating" on the whiteboard, leaving those arrangements totally at the discretion of the students.

This was yet another thing that felt tangibly different between his old and new schools. Saint Sebastian would never allow students the freedom of choosing their own seats and were highly restrictive in most matters. Weirdly, the halls and classrooms of Pine Wood somehow felt brighter than those of his old school. It was a very strange experience for Charlie.

Nolan finally made a decision and sat behind Theo, motioning for Charlie to sit behind him in turn. Charlie complied, not really finding anyone else he knew to sit with. It didn't seem like Theo had noticed Charlie walk in or, at least, hadn't acknowledged it.

That changed when Theo turned around to ask Nolan a question, but his inquiry was lost in his mouth when he saw Charlie. The two locked eyes for the briefest moment before Charlie looked away, as fast as he could by gut reaction. Smooth, he chastised himself.

________________________________________________________

The school day itself was mostly uneventful, as most first days are. Teachers mainly stuck to reading their syllabi and forcing students, most of whom had known each other for over a decade, to participate in ice breakers. Charlie tried his best to find new answers to the ice breakers for every class period. Otherwise, some might think him boring if they shared more than one class with him.

There was an hour break for Charlie and his teammates between the final bell and the start of football practice. This left them plenty of time to grab some fast food and quickly indulge themselves before returning to school.

Charlie, Nolan, and Jude made their way out to Nolan's car after getting their stuff from their respective lockers. Nolan and Jude were vigorously debating which chain to patronize, with Charlie reduced to the role of mere observer. He didn't see much of a difference between most of the chains in his town, so he had no strong opinions on the matter.

As they traversed the parking lot, Charlie noticed Theo getting into a car that was not his own, which sparked a bit of curiosity in the former, even more so when he recognized Dalia's friend Harry in the driver's seat of the car in question. Charlie tried to write it off as a friendly gesture. He knew Theo had briefly seen another of Dalia's friends, Sam, whom they met at her fateful party last year, but he hadn't heard anything more. Then again, he didn't really speak to Dalia that much anymore.

"Looks like Theo's trying to sneak in some fun before soccer practice starts," Jude obnoxiously observed.

"Do you ever stop being you, for like even a minute?" Nolan queried.

"No, but that's why we're friends. It's a yin and yang situation."

Charlie tried his best to stay out of it, but he couldn't resist. "Is Theo with Harry now?"

"Yeah, I think so," Nolan replied, which caused a bit of confusion for Charlie. He thought it'd be a yes-or-no binary question.

"Theo refuses to tell any of us, but they've been seeing each other for months. I don't know if Theo likes putting labels on things anymore after... you know..." Jude danced around what they all knew he was talking about.

"Right," Charlie said definitely, "so I vote for Nolan's pick for food. Jude, it just sucks to suck sometimes."

_______________________________________________________

Theo watched as Charlie strode across the lot with Nolan and Jude flanking either side of them. The trio looked like they were having quite an animated conversation. Not only did Charlie have to come to his school last-minute, but now he was monopolizing Theo's friends. He hated how territorial he got when it came to the other boy.

"So, how was your last first day?" Harry inquired.

"Fine, fine. Charlie's in all my classes basically."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"I mean, yeah, it is. He makes every effort to avoid me while also being constantly with Nolan and Jude, so I never see them anymore."

"That must suck, baby."

"I've told you I hate when you call me that."

"I know, but I can't resist when you're all pouty like this."

Theo couldn't help but crack a smile at that. Relief washed over Harry's face as he realized he hadn't accidentally set Theo off, which was easy to do lately. He started the car and the two drove to scrounge up some food before Theo had to be back at the school for practice.

Chapter 11

Following a rather long talk with Harry, Theo resolved that he should make an attempt to clear the air with Charlie. However, the other boy was making it hard to do, seemingly avoiding him at all costs. That was part of the problem. Not only was Charlie avoiding him he was also leading many of Theo's friends along with him, either inadvertently or not.

This went on for the first few weeks of the school year and, by then, Theo had been reduced to plotting to corner Charlie after one of their shared classes. Their only recent interactions up to this point were class discussions, mostly in English, and usually occurred when Theo voiced a disagreement about Charlie's interpretation of the book they were reading, Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. Nolan, who was also in that class, had recently accused Theo of purposefully trying to provoke Charlie.

Today resulted in another heated English class discussion; this time over the meaning of the book's ending, with Charlie arguing it to be pessimistic and Theo saying it was optimistic. They were the two smartest kids in the class, or at least the most willing to share their opinions, so their assertions dominated the discussion. Theo could tell their monopolizing of class time irked their teacher, Ms. Michaels.

This can't go on forever, Theo thought to himself.

When the class bell rang, Theo redoubled his resolution and decided that now must be the moment of action. He and Charlie both had lunch in the next period, although they did not sit together. Theo reasoned his best bet was to talk to Charlie by the lockers.

He strode casually down the hall slightly behind Charlie and Nolan, who were talking up a storm about Friday night's football game, trying to act as if he wasn't following them. They stopped at their section of lockers and Theo continued to his, dumping what he needed and frantically pulling out what he didn't, wanting to get to Charlie before he reached the cafeteria, which would make it impossible to have a private moment. The second bell had already rung so the hallway was mostly empty now.

Luckily for Theo, Nolan was still chatting up Charlie when he reached them, Although he knew it to be a bit underhanded and cowardly, Theo got Nolan's attention first, "Hey, man, so as a neutral observer, who won this round?"

Nolan chuckled, "well, I don't know if I'm actually unbiased."

"If not unbiased, then perhaps equally biased? Or maybe a bit more in my direction?" Theo tried to connect with Charlie's eyes, to bring him into the joke, but he was avoidant.

Nolan found that amusing and started talking, but Charlie interrupted and told Nolan that he was going to the cafeteria and that he'd save him a chair. He left before Nolan or Theo could say anything. Nolan gave Theo a look and Theo took that as a release for their conversation as well as a suggestion to chase after Charlie.

He called Charlie's name down the hall as he chased the boy in a hushed voice, because classes were in progress and he didn't want to be reprimanded for disturbing them. Charlie either had horrible hearing or was purposefully annoying, because he didn't turn around until Theo grabbed his shoulder and semi-forced him around.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me chasing after you?"

"Now, why would you be doing that?"

"I think we should talk. You know, clear the air."

"What's there to talk about?"

"Well, the fact that you'll only talk to me when we're in class disagreeing about literature."

Charlie couldn't suppress his smile at that and nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I guess you're right, but I'm really just trying to respect your wishes."

"What do you mean? Why would I want you to treat me like I have the plague?"

"Um, you made it pretty clear when we broke up that you wanted me out of your life? Listen, I'm really sorry how the whole transfer thing went down. Believe me, it wasn't my intention to change schools senior year, but such is life I suppose."

Theo was nearing a state of shock, a sudden wave of guilt washing over him for ascribing any negative motivations to Charlie's behavior. He managed to croak out, "I didn't mean that to be so final, Charlie. I just... I meant that I needed time away from you so I wouldn't be drawn back into your gravitational pull again."

"How was I supposed to know there was an expiration date on 'we can't be friends.'" Charlie certainly knew how to weaponize Theo's own words against him to maximize his former partner's guilt. "You quit your job so you wouldn't have to see me, how was I supposed to take that?"

"I was upset! I wasn't acting rationally."

"Can't possibly imagine. Do you think I wasn't?"

"Someone sounds like he's still bitter about it."

"Trust me. I'm not. In case you didn't notice, I'm seeing someone great right now, and, even if I wasn't, I wouldn't be hung up on someone who left me to pass out at a party."

"Really, though, of all people, you had to pick Lucas Wright? A Jock and a twink. You two couldn't be any more of a cliche."

"Lucas is one of the nicest people I've ever met and he's never had a bad thing to say about you. And, plus, high schooler dating a college student is way cliche than what Lucas and I have going on."

Theo realized how quickly the whole thing had escalated, which was the opposite of the result he wanted, so he decided to stand down. "You're right. I'm sorry for what I said about Lucas."

Charlie pinched his nose. "I'm sorry too. I don't think you sought me out to start an argument?"

"No, I really didn't. And, for what it's worth, I didn't leave you to pass out at that party last summer. Do you really not remember me coming back and taking you home?"

"Honestly, I don't. I just remember waking up in my own bed."

"I had to practically drag you out of Dalia's apartment to the uber and then into your house."

"Thanks for putting me to bed, I guess. I always just assumed that was Dalia's doing."

"She helped And, don't mention it. Again, I'm sorry for coming on abrasive, but it just felt like because you're avoiding me and hanging out with Nolan and Jude, I don't get to see them as much anymore."

"My bad about that. Do you want to work out some sort of joint custody arrangement?"

Charlie's joke elicited a genuine laugh from Theo, which made him smile in turn. "I don't think that'd be necessary, but let's just agree to coexist?"

"I can do that."

"And, speaking of friends, I think you should reach out to Eva and Patrick. I'm sure they miss you."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Just send a quick text. Maybe they'll surprise you."

Charlie demurred on that, so Theo pressed on, "I should've reached out to you when all that stuff went down last spring."

"All good. Everything worked out in the end for the most part."

"Scott didn't get charged with anything."

"His dad's a big shot. I never thought he would be. It doesn't matter. Everyone who matters knows he's the worst."

"Can't disagree with you there. I just... if you ever wanted to talk about it, you know, like we used to... I'm here."

"Thank you, sincerely, but I've already discussed it all ad nauseam with Lucas... and Susan for that matter, and I'd rather just like to never think about it again."

It was only then that Theo realized that Charlie had a new person to share his most intimate thoughts with and it wasn't him anymore. When they were together, they talked for hours about fears, hopes, dreams, past trauma, and everything in between. Now, Charlie shared those feelings with Lucas. Theo couldn't say the same about him and Harry.

"You're talking to Susan again? I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, mom," Charlie jibed, "but really, my mom practically forced me into it again after the whole 'incident.' I think it's helped though. Hey, so, I've got to get to lunch or I'm going to miss whatever stupid shit Jude's going to say, but I'm glad we had this talk, Theo."

And, with that, Charlie spun back around and entered the cafeteria, leaving a very confused Theo in his wake.

Chapter 12

Charlie couldn't hide the dumb smile on his face for the rest of the lunch period. He felt extremely self-satisfied after his conversation with Theo. He was glad they cleared the air first and foremost, but a large part of him was also quite smug about the fact that their conversation made clear that he still weighed heavily on Theo's mind. He felt a guilty thrill at that fact.

That feeling returned a few days later when Theo asked Charlie to meet him on Saturday at the coffee shop by Brewer Books. He was a bit reluctant to go, but Lucas actually encouraged him when he mentioned it.

Theo was waiting for Charlie when the latter entered the shop. Charlie ordered his iced coffee and then went to join Theo, who had picked out a semi-isolated table in a corner for them. The two made idle small talk about nothing in particular, but Theo kept looking towards the door, giving the impression that he was either uninterested by the conversation or waiting for someone else. This slightly disheartened Charlie, who had concocted an elaborate fantasy in his mind of how this would go. Reality certainly wasn't adhering to his plan.

Charlie was alerted to something more interesting than their conversation happening when Theo's eyes lit up, followed by the sound of a door closing behind new customers. Charlie turned around to see what Theo saw and found Eva and Patrick, who looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see them.

Eva looked ready to bolt, but Theo jumped out of his chair and raced over the couple, moving between them and the exit. After an extended and fairly animated conversation, which Charlie was out of earshot for, Eva and Patrick got in line to order and Theo returned to the table with Charlie, who just now noticed that he had chosen a four-person table instead of a two-person one.

"Sorry about that. And, also about this whole ruse. It's more for Eva than you or Patrick, but I figured if I was deceiving one of you I might as well deceive all of you."

"Can't argue with that logic," Charlie retorted, dryly.

"I really just want you guys to talk things out like you and I did."

Charlie made a sound, which Theo could not read, but did not give a direct response. They sat in awkward silence as they watched the couple order their drinks. It was only then that Charlie realized how fully ludicrous his fantasies about today had been.

He'd imagined that Theo had arranged this rendezvous for a confession of love and to supplicate for a reunion. He had fantasized more than he'd like to admit about politely declining such entreaties, telling Theo that he was very happy with Lucas, almost as a gloat. Now, he couldn't believe he'd immersed himself so fully in such a ridiculous fantasy.

When Eva and Patrick made their way to the table, they sat down, but Eva did so with visible begrudgement.

"I just want to say I'm sorry, again, for being a bit underhanded," Theo started, "but it was really the only way that I could get you all in a room together. You guys used to be best friends and you aren't now and I can't help but feel responsible, even if all of you would swear up and down that's not true."

"Charlie is responsible for his actions, Theo, not you," Eva stated, plainly.

"Eva, you and Charlie both told me once that you considered each other your best friends. Do you really want to just walk away from that?"

"Charlie," Eva turned from Theo to him, "you made your choice. You chose Scott and them over us."

"That's not fair," Charlie protested.

"Isn't it?" Patrick chimed in, "dude, you were more concerned about what people like that thought about you than your friends."

"That's...it's just not that simple," Charlie said, but was at a loss for how to explain his sentiment further.

After a long pause, Theo said, "Charlie's right about that. It's not as cut-and-dry as you made it seem. He wasn't choosing Scott over you; he was choosing what he saw as survival over you. I'm not saying it makes it okay, but he had a legitimate reason to not want to come out."

"How can you sit here and say that?" Eva protested. "He treated you like shit. You were bleeding after he pushed you to the ground at that party. He could've seriously hurt you."

"You were bleeding?" Charlie said, in shock.

Theo turned to Charlie and addressed him alone when he said, "not really I just got cut up a bit by some broken bottle fragments that were on the ground. I know it wasn't your intention to do that."

Charlie was at a loss for words and Eva huffed, but Patrick addressed his girlfriend, "Eves, I think we should at least hear Charlie out."

"Thanks, Pat," Charlie muttered, still crestfallen at the recent revelation. "I never got to thank you for riding with me that day to the hospital."

"Of course, man. I never thought Scott or anyone would go that far about it."

"I did," Charlie said, dully. "You just had to listen to them when they talked shit."

"I mean, yeah, I heard stuff all the time, but I thought they were just bullshitting."

"For future reference, Patrick, when someone says they want to physically harm a whole minority group, believe them. They're not being ironic."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have excused those things. If I really was Sir Patrick the Ally, I would've confronted them about what they were saying. I don't know why I didn't."

"Because you didn't want them to call you gay," Charlie was quick to retort. Patrick was at a loss for words, but simply nodded, clearly starting some form of introspection.

"Charlie, we're all sorry what happened to you, but that doesn't excuse treating the people closest to you like shit. We...I tried to help you for months, years even, before all that and you wouldn't let me and you treated me like crap."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked in astonishment.

"You were really awful to be around for a long time. You got a bit better when you started dating Theo, but you just seemed bitter and resentful all the time. You kept making these comments about my relationship with Patrick and I didn't say anything because I knew you were having a hard time, but they were really hurtful."

"I'm...I'm sorry, Eva. I honestly didn't realize what I was saying."

"I know you felt like you couldn't be out and that's really shit, but you didn't have to make everyone else around you, me included, feel bad too."

"That was never my intention, Eva, I promise."

"How am I supposed to believe that you've learned not to treat your friends poorly anymore?"

That comment stung Charlie, but he tried not to let it show. "I've been talking to someone and I've sought treatment for this depression that I have, so that I don't lash out at the people I care most about when I'm at my lowest anymore."

"You're talking to someone?" Eva inquired.

"Her name's Susan." Theo interjected, but quickly retracted, "oh shit, was I not supposed to say that?"

"Nah, you're good," Charlie squeezed Theo's hand reassuringly. "I'm trying to be more open about that stuff."

"I'm glad you're doing that," Eva admitted. "I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner. You were such a sweet person, the nicest I'd ever met, and then right around when high school started there was this change...I don't know I can't describe it, but I should've recognized you were in a bad place and needed help. I'm sorry I didn't."

"What could you have done?" Charlie replied, honestly, "up until my mom forced me to go, I would never have accepted help. It was only after my life went to shit that I was ready to open up. I just wish it didn't have to hurt all of you for that to happen."

Eva got up from her chair and went over to Charlie, hugging him silently. When she was done, Charlie looked at her hopefully and asked, "does this mean we can be friends again?"

"Yeah, I think so. It might take some time, but I'd like to get back to the way things were."

Patrick looked positively ebullient at that and wasted no time in saying to Charlie, "if that's the case, then do you want to come over to mine tomorrow to watch the Sunday night game."

"Sure, man," Charlie replied with an ear-to-ear smile on his face.

After a few sideways glances from Theo and Eva, Patrick added, "I mean you guys can come too if you want."

"I think we know where we're not wanted," Eva retorted, jokingly.

"Don't worry, we get it," Theo added, "just guys being dude." Charlie had forgotten how much he missed Theo's teasing.

"Anyway," Patrick started, "we have to get going, but I'm glad this all finally worked out. I can't tell you how boring Saint Seb is without you, Charlie."

"Trust me, I can imagine," Charlie joked, with a playful laugh.

"But we're still going to beat you in a few weeks."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Patrick and Eva made their exit from the shop at that, leaving an uncomfortable silence between Theo and Charlie in their wake.

"I wasn't sure that was going to actually work," Theo admitted.

"I can't believe that happened either. Certainly didn't expect that when I woke up this morning."

"It's just that, in retrospect, I feel like I kinda blew your life up. I hope putting some of the pieces back together can make up for that."

"Don't worry about it. My life needed blowing up."

"What do you mean?"

"Without you, I probably would've stayed in the closet until at least college, maybe longer. I would still be miserable at Saint Seb with a bunch of people who hate people like me. You changed the trajectory of my life, sure, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, in retrospect. Don't get me wrong, there's some stuff I would have liked to have avoided, but c'est la vie."

"Oh my god, did you get that from Duolingo? That's literally the corniest thing you can say in French."

"You should know, I can be a very corny person." Theo couldn't disagree with that statement. He couldn't help but think about how Harry detests anything that could verge on corniness. It struck him then that, by and large, Harry and Charlie were basically opposites of each other.

Chapter 13

"You're going to love it, I promise," Lucas said as reassurance, seeing Charlie's obvious unease at his boyfriend's plan. It was October now and they were celebrating their three-month anniversary. Charlie's present was that he made dinner for them. Well, that wasn't completely true. He mostly followed Julia's directions over facetime. Was he really considered the cook if he just did whatever someone else told him to do? Charlie didn't really dwell on that when he saw the look of surprise and gratitude on Lucas's face when he saw the end result.

Lucas had waited until the end of their dinner to reveal his present. Charlie was a bit confused at first when he unwrapped the two fake IDs with their pictures on them. There really wasn't a use for fakes when any alcohol they wanted was already readily available to them. At first, he looked at Lucas with befuddlement.

"I'm going to take you to Babylon this weekend."

"The gay club in the city? How are we going to get home?"

"I rented an Airbnb right around there. We'll make a weekend out of it. I already told your mom I wanted to take you into the city for the weekend."

"And she was fine with it?"

"Well, of course, I didn't tell her about the fakes and Babylon."

Charlie became fixated on the logistics of the whole enterprise, but Lucas had already thought everything out. His unease about the whole thing was palpable, but Lucas was excited about it, so Charlie didn't want to say anything. He resolved that the experience would be educational if nothing else; a preview of what his life past high school would be like. As graduation approached faster and faster, Charlie's eagerness to start this new chapter of his life increased.

_________________________________________________

Charlie rested his hand on Lucas's bare thigh absentmindedly as Brewer disappeared behind them and the train they were riding on hurtled down the track in the direction of the city. Lucas had been insistent on them wearing as little as possible, telling Charlie that was the standard at this club. Lucas had let slip that he'd gone before, alone, which had distressed Charlie but didn't seem to phase Lucas in the slightest.

The car was empty around them so they could have spread out, but they didn't. Brewer was the last stop for the commuter train line into the city and it was a Saturday evening so there was a chance they wouldn't see any other passengers in their car for a while.

As trees and houses passed him by out the window, Charlie glanced over at Lucas, taking him in fully. Lucas was adorned in these tight red shorts that went barely below his bulge and an Ariana Grande concert tee that he'd cropped. Lucas had also picked out Charlie's outfit for the night, much to Charlie's chagrin. He was dressed in a loose-fitting short-sleeve button-down with a floral pattern and slim-fit distressed black jorts.

Charlie's wardrobe had undergone a major overhaul in the past few months. Lucas took him shopping regularly and would often heavily encourage certain online purchases. Before he'd met Lucas, Charlie's closet would have been almost indistinguishable from the average straight boy's, save for a few Keith Haring and pop-star t-shirts.

Being dressed like this out in public and being visibly affectionate with Theo meant that Charlie was experiencing something relatively new. All his life Charlie had benefited from being about to pass as straight, due to his more masculine presentation. The dyed hair, new clothes, and boyfriend on his arm changed that. Charlie wouldn't have to tell a random stranger on the train for them to clock him as gay. He no longer had that control over that part of himself and, quite honestly, that was still a bit scary for him. But, Lucas was there and in a completely different headspace, so he tried to sublimate those emotions and enjoy the night.
They took the metro to the Gayborhood, where their AirBnB was located. Charlie was surprised at how nice it was, quickly coming to the realization that Lucas had gone all out for this. They went out to eat at the first place they saw and then went back to the apartment to get ready for the night and pregame.

When they felt ready, around eleven at night, they walked a few short blocks to Babylon, which was the largest gay club in the city. The line wasn't especially long and they got to the front after about twenty minutes. Charlie tried his best not to look nervous as the bouncer checked their IDs. He was never much of a rule breaker and it made him fairly uncomfortable. He felt sort of childish for that. Lucas seemed like he actually didn't have a worry in the slightest.

After the bouncer nodded and stamped the backsides of their hands, the two made their way into the club. Lucas grabbed Charlie by the hand and pulled him as the boy made a bee-line for the bar. The place was packed inside and it was a bit of a scrum at the bar. Lucas, despite his relatively diminutive stature compared to the men around him, had managed to wedge his way to the front of the bar, taking Charlie with him. He tried in vain multiple times to get a bartender's attention but to no avail.

An older guy, probably in his late thirties, noticed Lucas's struggle and flagged down a bartender himself, by name. He must be a regular if he knows the bartenders' names, Charlie thought, feeling rather pedestrian in the situation.

When the beckoned bartender came over to them, the older dude, smartly dressed giving the impression he was some sort of professional, told Lucas, "what are you having? I'm buying."

"Vodka cran, but you have to buy one for my boyfriend too," Lucas said tugging on Charlie's arm, "if you're going to buy for me."

"My pleasure," the guy said, and then directed at the bartender, "three vodka cranberries, Josh." Charlie imagined him as a lawyer or accountant or something like that by day.

Josh the bartender came back with the three drinks and the man paid him. Josh thanked him for a rather large tip, referring to the man as Sam. Charlie made sure to keep an eye on his and Lucas's drinks, wanting to be on guard if the man had an ulterior motive.

Lucas was one step ahead of him, telling the man, as he sipped the drink, "thank you for our drinks... Sam, is it? But, I hope you don't expect any..."

"Of course not," Sam was quick to cut off what Lucas was about to suggest. "I just saw some newbies struggling and thought it was the job of an old-timer like me to help out some baby gays."

"Well, thank you for that. I'm Lucas."

"Charlie," both boys shook the older man's hand as they introduced themselves.

"Is this your first time at Babylon?"

"It's my second but Charlie's first. His first time ever at a gay club, actually."

"Remember to take it all in, Charlie," Sam advised, "I can still remember my first time, but I won't tell you when that was," concluding his remark with a wink.

The three had a little laugh together, the two teenagers feeling obliged to humor the older man who'd paid for their drinks. Sam continued, "well, I'll let you two lovebirds enjoy your night. I've got to get back to my friends before they start looking for me."

Charlie and Lucas waved goodbye to Sam as he disappeared into the crowd. After finishing their drinks and setting them on the bar, Lucas led Charlie out onto the dancefloor. It was only then that Charlie noticed the drag queen performing on stage. The music was super upbeat and danceable, so soon the couple was dancing together, casually at first. Lucas kept reaching over and unbuttoning Charlie's shirt one at a time until the shirt was completely open.

When Charlie commented "no fair," Lucas took his arms out of the sleeves of his crop top and wore it almost like a necklace, exposing his tight stomach, his tan still resilient despite fall setting in.

They danced together and eventually started grinding on each other, much like everyone else that was there. The energy in the club was sexually-charged and palpable. The cacophony of sweaty bare skin brushing into other sweaty bare skin was enthralling to Charlie. The life he'd imagined for so long, liberated and alive, felt tangible to him that night.

After several songs of them grinding together, with Lucas' backside almost attached to Charlie's crotch, a shirtless college-aged guy came up to them and started dancing right in front of Lucas. When he persisted, Charlie could feel Lucas's smirk even when he could only see the back of the boy's head.

Lucas then took Charlie by surprise and turned around to kiss him, long and with feeling right in the guy's face. He then turned around and kissed the college guy; soon, they were making out and then dancing together.

Charlie had always considered himself a territorial person by nature, but watching the sight before him, he was completely aroused and not the least bit jealous. The three of them danced together for a few songs, but then Charlie silently excused himself to go get another drink at the bar.

Without Sam's help, it took much longer to get his drink. He chatted up a few other guys who looked to only be a few years older than him while he sipped his drink, in no particular rush to get back.

After the last of the vodka cran was gone, Charlie made his way back out onto the dancefloor, but he couldn't locate Lucas. However, he did locate a twink or two and danced with them for a bit.

Eventually, Lucas was the one who found Charlie. The college guy following right behind.

"There you are!" Lucas exclaimed, going over to his boyfriend. He hugged Charlie and whispered in his ear, "Oliver wants to come back with us. Your call; I'm totally fine either way."

Lucas broke the hug and Charlie processed the information, considering his options. They'd never had any sort of discussion about this type of thing. Charlie had just assumed that being boyfriends meant exclusivity and monogamy. He remembered how fiercely jealous he was of anyone who had even come close to Theo, but those same feelings just weren't present with Lucas. Instead of seeing green, all Charlie could see was the opportunity for release that lay before him. "Let's do it," he said to Lucas and Oliver.

It was probably a half-hour before closing time and attendance was already starting to thin. Charlie noticed Sam on their way out, his arm wrapped around Josh's shoulder. The older man raised his glass to Charlie as they exited and he nodded in response.

When they got out of the club, the trio could finally hear themselves.

"So, Oliver," Lucas began, "do you go to school here in the city?"

"Yeah, I'm at Wharton."

"Oh, no, Charlie," Lucas said in faux-worry, "we're bringing back a finance bro."

"Lucas, you know I've always had a thing for preppy types," Charlie bantered back.

"Look at it this way," Oliver interjected, "as the saying goes, the dumb ones pound the hardest," in self-deprecation.

"I like this one, Lucas. How'd you find him?" Charlie asked as they entered the building in which their apartment for the night was located.

"I found you two, if you recall," Oliver answered.

The trio made their way into the building's elevator. Once the doors closed, Lucas pushed Charlie and Oliver together, a clear suggestion that he wanted them to kiss. The two happily complied and Lucas explored each of their bodies until the elevator reached their floor. The throng of bodies then awkwardly moved in tandem until they reached the right door, no one wanting to detach themselves from the bodies of the others.

Lucas fumbled for an excruciatingly long time with the keys, but eventually gained access and the three made their way inside.

The next morning, Charlie awoke to a mild hangover and a pile of limbs preventing any movement, lest he wake up Lucas to his right or Oliver to his left.

Chapter 14

"Charlie Holloway, please report to the administrative office," Ms. Watson's raspy voice declared, modulated through the school's intercom. The usual round of noises that accompany such an announcement rang out from his peers as Charlie packed up his notebook and exited his literature class.

It was Halloween, so most people were in some form of a school-appropriate costume. Charlie had gone the minimalist route and just wore his football jersey, like the rest of the team; it was the day of the rivalry game, after all. Lucas had something more elaborate planned for the post-game party, but he wouldn't give Charlie any specifics.

As he made his way down the hall, Charlie couldn't come up with a reason why he'd been called to the principal's office, on the day of the biggest game of the season no less. The thought crossed his mind that this was about him and Lucas going to Babylon, but he quickly dismissed that possibility as ridiculous.

When he reached the main office, he was directed to go straight to the principal's office, where he found Mr. Matthews and Coach Hansen waiting for him.

"Charlie, please come in, sit down," Mr. Matthews beckoned and Charlie complied hesitantly. Once he was in the chair, the principal continued, "now, unfortunately, we have some rather disturbing news to share with you."

"What happened? Is my mom hurt or something?" Charlie asked, worriedly.

"Gosh, no, nothing like that. I apologize that my indirectness has caused you concern, but it is a rather delicate matter. You see, Scott Oswalt, the reason you're here at Pine Wood, has just been given a special dispensation from the restraining order your mother filed on your behalf by Judge Walker, so he will be playing in the game tonight. We've already contacted the league to prevent this, but that entreaty was unsuccessful. We've lodged a formal complaint with the state governing body, but it is unlikely that it will be resolved before tonight's kickoff."

"How is that possible?" Charlie tried to mask the fright in his voice as his brain raced to relive the events of last spring. He felt the phantom pain of Scott's lacrosse stick striking his head and his hand unconsciously moved towards what had been the point of impact.

"Judge Walker is an alumnus of Saint Sebastian and apparently believes that the restraining order was part of a conspiracy on our part to put his alma mater at a competitive disadvantage for the rivalry game," Coach Hansen answered.

"That's ridiculous. He assaulted me."

"And that's why, after conferring with Coach Hansen, we believe that you should be given the opportunity to sit the game out. We would completely understand."

"Fuck that," Charlie blurted out. Mr. Matthews visibly cringed at the profanity, so he corrected himself, "sorry about that, sir, it was just my immediate reaction."

"No, no, I completely understand."

"If it was up to me," Coach Hansen began, "we just wouldn't participate in the game at all tonight. They have no right to endanger our players by putting that psychopath on the field."

"You can't do that, coach. We, the whole team, have worked so hard all season and we won't make the playoffs without a win tonight. We can't let them win without even putting up a fight."

"Be that as it may, the school district's counsel has advised me that we need a parent to sign a special waiver relieving the school of any liability if you are harmed tonight."

"Done. If anything happens, it'll be them who pay."

"I've met your mother multiple times, Mr. Holloway. I'm not sure that will be as easy as you seem to assume."

____________________________________

Charlie was in a daze as he made his way to his locker. The class bell had rung while he was in Mr. Matthews's office, so it was now his lunch period. The halls were empty as ten minutes had already elapsed in the period. He was in such a zombie-like state trying to process this new information that it took Theo several attempts to call his attention.

"Charlie! Charlie!"

"Huh, what?"

"Shit, you scared me there. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just peachy."

"Why'd Mr. Matthews want to see you? Everyone in class was gossiping about it after you left. Nolan thinks you and Lucas got caught doing it in the library."

"Ew, gross. I'm not that perverted." Charlie couldn't help but laugh at the distracting thought.

"Then, what was it?"

"So, after... Last spring, my mom filed a restraining order against Scott, but he got an exemption from it to play in the game tonight."

"Oh, shit. That's fucked up."

"You're telling me."

"So... what're you going to do?"

"What can I do? I've got to play."

"No, you don't, Charlie. Your safety is much more important than a stupid game."

"I'd disagree. I can't let down my teammates. I actually like these guys and I'd hate to mess up their season. Plus, I can't back away from people like Scott. There's always going to be assholes like him in this world and I'm tired of running. They've taken enough away from me; they're not taking this."

Theo appeared unsatisfied by the answer, still sporting a worried look on his face, but he said nothing more on the subject as the two made their way to the cafeteria.

________________________________________

Charlie's argument with his mother when he got home from school was much like his conversation with Theo earlier in the day. He tried not to read too much into that comparison. However, eventually, she relented and signed the waiver, allowing him to rush back to school to join his teammates.

The game itself was interesting if football is your thing. Pine Wood, a small public school, was heavily outmatched by Saint Sebastian on paper, both in terms of skill and manpower. Charlie had only played offense with his old team, but shortly into the season, Coach Hansen asked him to play safety as well as running back. This meant Charlie barely had a respite throughout the entire game, but he didn't let that stop him. Nor did he let the cheap shots from Scott and his teammates stop him either.

Charlie ended up rushing in the game-winning touchdown as time expired. The image of Scott, laying on the ground after a failed tackle attempt, as Charlie's teammates mobbed him in congratulations, made the whole thing all the sweeter. He wasn't carried off the field like what happens in movies, but he felt like the feet hadn't touched the ground as the team made its way off the field towards their school's bleachers.

He scanned the crowd with the intent of finding Lucas, but he couldn't locate his boyfriend in the sea of rainbow colors. After word spread through school about Scott playing in the game, the students changed the night's theme to pride colors in solidarity. The face he recognized first wasn't Lucas's, but Theo's. He was surprised the boy was even at the game, much showing support for him. Their eyes met and Theo smiled at him.

Charlie's vision was torn from Theo when he felt arms envelop him around his chest, pressing his sweat-drenched shoulder pads further into his skin. Lucas was the culprit of this odd sensation. His boyfriend was wearing his alternate jersey, causing a certain pride to swell his chest.

And yet, even with this great feeling, Charlie couldn't help but feel something was strangely off about the whole thing. He had reached the summit. Six months ago, if he could have pictured a fantasy life, it would include his perfect boyfriend, vanquishing his former team in the biggest game of the year, and being on the glide path to an elite college. He had all those things now, but there was still this void. His life felt incomplete. The summit hadn't felt as good as he thought it would. Or maybe, he just hadn't scaled the right summit at all. He shuddered at the thought of returning to a valley in search of the right summit.

"We're still going to Jude's party, right?" Lucas inquired, pulling his focus once more.

"Of course," Charlie replied, "we have so much to celebrate." He hoped that saying so would make it true.

Chapter 15

There was an overflowing ebullience palpable at Nolan's party, which was already in full swing when Charlie and Lucas arrived, later than most. They had been delayed at Charlie's house when Lucas decided to cause a distraction and Charlie was helpless to protest.

Lucas's surprise couples costume idea was Batman and Robin, with Charlie as the caped crusader and Lucas as the boy wonder. Charlie's costume was nearly skin-tight, but Lucas's costume showed nearly the entirety of his legs. That had been what incited the distracting event.

The two made their way through the party until they found their host. Nolan Taylor was nowhere near the party savant that Tate Morgan was, but with Tate retired from hosting suburban house parties and up in New York with Julia, Nolan was the best going. Nolan was holding court with the usual suspects surrounding him. Jude and a few teammates were there. Eva and Patrick were there, which was mildly surprising, but not nearly as surprising as seeing Harry and Theo there as well.

Theo was clearly dressed as Elio in the final scene from Call Me By Your Name. His hair was done the same way and everything. It was quite convincing that he could pass for a shorter Timotheé Chalamet. Harry wasn't costumed at all, from what Charlie could tell.

Nolan fixed Charlie and Lucas each a drink. He'd designated himself the unofficial bartender, dressed as Don Draper in Mad Men. The conversation briefly veered into a rehashing of the game, with most heaping praises on Charlie, but it was clear that the others had already discussed it ad nauseam, so that topic was quickly done away with. This gave Charlie a chance to preen, but not become too self-involved. Every now and then, Charlie would divert from the group discussion to whisper something to Lucas.

"You got a problem, Charlie?" Harry asked, catching one of those snide remarks intended only for Lucas's ears.

"No problem here, all I'm saying is that it's a little weird a 21-year-old college student is spending Halloweekend at a high school party instead of, y'know, a college one," Charlie said, starting to get a bit combative, though trying to set a disinterested tone. He hadn't been fully conscious of how much Harry and Theo's relationship unnerved him.

"Charlie—" Eva interjected, admonishingly, to which Charlie feigned innocence.

"Believe me, this was not my first choice in how I'd spend my weekend, but relationships are about compromises and Theo's happiness is what's really important to me," Harry said, pointedly. Obviously, Theo had divulged some of the more intimate details of his previous relationship to his current boyfriend.

"Hey, not trying to start anything here. It's nice that you've found each other. You guys started dating in July, right?"

"No, May," Harry said, unaware of the trap he'd just walked into.

"So before Theo's eighteenth birthday, right? By about four months?" Charlie smiled, tauntingly.

Harry's face instantly fell at that and Theo began sulking at his side, wishing to be anywhere but where he was. Harry was slowly coming to the realization that this wasn't going to go well for him. "What're you trying to say here?"

"That it's a shame that you two didn't come to me for advice when you couldn't come up with a couple's costume. I would've suggested Tyga and Kylie." Charlie's deadpan elicited a few nervous, stifled laughs from the group, but most were reduced to silence at what was unfolding.

"That is totally unfair," Harry protested. Then in a voice low enough almost no one could hear, Theo added, sourly, "we haven't even had sex yet."

Charlie exerted a superhuman level of mouth strength to keep his drink from spilling out of his mouth at the shock of the admission. He'd only meant to tease the couple, not reveal any deep issues between the pair, albeit that did give him some sense of satisfaction that he was still Theo's first and only.

"Wait—what? You guys have been together for five months! I thought gays were supposed to be..." Patrick interrupted, having been at Theo's side and able to hear his mumbled admission. That earned him a hard elbow to the gut from Eva to stop him mid-sentence.

"We've done stuff! We just haven't...gone all the way yet," Theo defended, going red in the face. Charlie knew he'd better stop before this got out of hand, but he just couldn't help himself.

"A bit different than when you were with me, right?" Charlie goaded, taking evident glee in the discomfort on the face of his ex's new boyfriend.

"Charlie, seriously, stop that now," Eva warned.

Rather than respond to Charlie's jibe, Harry turned towards Theo, saying "c'mon, babe, let's get some more drinks." Charlie hated that Harry referred to Theo as babe; it made his skin crawl.

"Sure, I think we need some privacy for a bit," Theo replied as the two exited the group, heading towards the upstairs.

"Looks like they're going all the way tonight!" Jude cheered as they left, once again earning a reprimand from his girlfriend.

Charlie felt a pang of jealousy at the easiest conclusion to be drawn from Theo and Harry's joint departure. He was surprised at how upset it got him that the two were likely to be hooking up right at that very moment. He'd led himself to believe in recent months that he was over his first crush, but it was readily apparent that is no longer the case and probably never was.

About an hour later, Charlie found himself on Nolan's back porch, needing a breather from the party. More and more, the seventeen-year-old found himself more easily bored at parties and more disgusted at their progression. For once, Charlie found himself without a blunt readil

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