Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes

by Philline Harms

  I opened my mouth to say something, but before a single word came out, another voice beat me to it.

  “Can you all just shut the fuck up? What the hell is wrong with you that you can’t just let him talk?”

  Barely suppressing a flinch, I looked over at Hunter. He was still sitting in his seat, but his right hand was balled into a fist, knuckles white where it was resting on the table. Even from where I was standing, I could see that his eyes were burning with anger.

  “Language, Hunter. Keep it down,” Mr. Smith boomed from where he was sitting at his desk, immediately making Hunter’s head whip in his direction.

  “Oh, really,” he said, ignoring the look I sent him. He was going to earn himself detention if he kept talking, but he didn’t seem to care in the slightest. “You’re just sitting there while everyone makes it impossible for Jules to give his presentation, but when I say a bad word, you suddenly care?”

  “He’s right.” Liam cut in before Mr. Smith could even open his mouth. “What you’re doing doesn’t make sense. You’re witnessing a student getting harassed to the point where he can’t complete his task, and you aren’t doing anything about it.”

  A few tables in front of me, Nate nodded. “Yeah, not to mention the lack of attention you pay to what’s going on with the students here in general. I mean, shit, do you have any idea about what’s been happening here the past few weeks? Jules and Hunter—”

  “Really, Nate?” Victoria said, and I slowly turned my head to look at her. “Are you sure that this is the time and place to address that?” Looking at Mr. Smith, she smiled tensely. “I’m sorry that my simple request for Jules to speak louder caused so much unnecessary commotion. Please, let’s just forget about this and go on with the class.”

  “No one fucking believes your act, Vicky.” Alexis suddenly snapped, making not only the students but also Mr. Smith stare at her in shock.

  Alex was his favorite student, always polite and eager to learn. It was probably the fact that even she was mad about this that snapped Mr. Smith out of his daze.

  “Quiet, everyone!” he said, slowly getting to his feet. “What in God’s name is going on with you today? Is there anyone else who’d like to further disturb my class and put up a fuss about this?”

  “Yeah, actually.” I had to fight a smile when Emily suddenly spoke up. “What you’re doing isn’t fair. Victoria should be the one deserving a reprimand, not Hunter.”

  “What they said,” Adam said, slouching in his chair with apparent disinterest. “If standing up for someone is worse than bullying, I’ll gladly show myself to detention.”

  Silence fell over the classroom. My heart felt like it was about to burst when I glanced at my friends and then at Mr. Smith, who looked completely taken aback.

  “Well,” he finally said, awkwardly clearing his throat, “I suppose I owe you an apology then, Julian. As for you, Victoria, I will have to give you detention if this behavior recurs. Now, Julian, if you could please continue with your presentation?”

  I quickly nodded. “Y-yeah, sure. Right, uh…Index fossils are also known as guide fossils, indicator fossils, or zone fossils…”

  This time, no one uttered a word. The entire room was quiet and listening attentively, which usually would have only made me even more nervous, but the encouraging smiles of my friends and the echo of their words gave me the strength to go through the rest of my presentation without messing up once.

  I was done only seconds before the bell rang and everyone started to get up. Mr. Smith beckoned me over to his desk to tell me my grade.

  Leaning back in his seat, he said, “Alright, Julian. What you said was great. How you said it needs some improvement, alright? Loosen up. Don’t be so nervous.”

  Having heard this dozen of times over the years, I just nodded silently.

  “It’s a B,” Mr. Smith said.

  “Thank you,” I muttered, exhaling a quiet sigh of relief.

  He dismissed my thanks with a wave of his hand. “Don’t thank me. That was all you.”

  Not knowing what to reply, I was about to turn around when he added, “Quite the posse of defenders you’ve got there. You’re lucky to have friends like that.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “Yeah, guess I am.”

  Mr. Smith regarded me for a few more seconds, then he made a shooing motion. “What are you waiting for, get out of here. And work on your delivery! Next time I see you giving a presentation, it better be an A.”

  I didn’t hang around to wait what else he had to say but immediately headed towards the door, surprised when I saw Hunter still waiting there. However, upon reaching him, I quickly noticed that Victoria was beside him, clinging to his arm with a dark expression.

  I warily looked from her to Hunter and then back. “What do you want, Victoria?”

  “I heard that you’ll be having a little slumber party tomorrow,” she spat. “I just wanted to let you know that Hunter will be going out with me. Oh, and if I were you, I wouldn’t wait for him. Might get late.”

  My good mood vanished immediately, making room for the familiar sense of helplessness as I looked at Hunter.

  Victoria dragged him away before I could answer, but she couldn’t stop him from brushing a hand over my lower back in passing and softly muttering, “I’ll be there afterward.”

  Nodding wordlessly, I tried my best to return his strained smile, only for it to shatter the moment he was gone.

  Chapter 33

  Nate was awaiting us at his house at eight in the evening. Liam, Emily, and I drove there together in my car. It was a ride full of longing stares and blushing whenever they made eye contact.

  “What’s up, guys?” Nate asked as he hugged Emily. “Come on in. You can drop your things off in the living room. I put some mattresses and blankets there…My parents won’t be home all weekend.”

  “Hey, man,” Liam said. “Thanks for inviting me, too. Uh…I appreciate it.”

  Nate just chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder in passing. “Don’t mention it. Just take care of Em, yeah?”

  Liam nodded though he looked rather perplexed.

  I grinned and shoved him inside, then closed the door behind me. To my surprise, Alexis was already there when I entered the living room. She was lounging on one of the couches with a book in her hand like she had been there all day and only looked up when Liam went to sit next to her.

  “Jules, are you helping me with the drinks?” Nate asked over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen.

  I followed him and started cutting some limes at his command while he scooped ice into some glasses.

  “So, Alexis has been here all afternoon?” I asked casually.

  Nate looked up from the task at hand. “Yeah, I took her with me after school. She helped me with my Spanish homework. God, that girl is a genius.”

  “So?” I asked again, dragging the word out. “Anything you want to tell me?”

  Nate rolled his eyes at me. “Nothing happened. We were studying. That’s all. She doesn’t like me like that. I heard she has a thing with that one senior—”

  “Why don’t you just ask her about it?” I cut in. “You guys are always talking about everything. I’m sure she’d tell you if she was in a relationship.”

  “I can’t just ask her. I need to play it cool, or she’ll figure out I like her.”

  “And why would that be such a bad thing?” I asked. “Maybe she likes you too. I still think you should just ask her out.”

  Nate huffed and threw an ice cube at me, which I avoided swiftly. “Hey, I put up with your pining for weeks. You’re not helping. I thought gays are good at giving relationship advice!”

  I knew that he was joking about the way he was grinning, so I replied with a smirk. “Fine. I’m gonna help you. Apparently, straight guys don’t manage to get laid even though it’s way easier for you.”

  Before Nate could answer, I headed back into the living room, where the others were sitting
, and set the drinks down on the table. Nate followed shortly after, bringing some more snacks and bottles.

  I sat down on a couch with him while on the other side of the room, Liam and Emily were sitting so close to each other that their legs were touching. I was surprised to see that Adam was here as well. He was sitting next to Liam and greeted me with a nod.

  “How are you doing?” I asked Emily.

  “I’m okay,” she said and looked over at Liam for a split second. He noticed and smiled reassuringly. “Liam’s always there to distract me, so I don’t really think much about the thing with Bryan. He’s probably pretty annoyed of me by now, but he’s too sweet to let it show.”

  Liam laughed and flicked her on the forehead. “Shhh, Emmy. Movie marathons with you all day aren’t exactly the most unpleasant thing.”

  Emily smiled broadly at him and slipped her hand into his without hesitation. Liam looked over at the rest of us with flushed cheeks but didn’t pull away.

  Nate was grinning just as widely as I was and gave Emily a thumbs up, which she returned with a chuckle. Alexis muttered something into Liam’s ear. Liam blushed even harder and shoved her playfully. Even Adam allowed himself to smirk a little.

  “Oh, finally,” Nate said and handed the tray with drinks around. Adam and I were the only ones who settled for something non-alcoholic. “Let’s cheers to this.”

  Emily and Liam were the first ones to clink their glasses, so the rest of us followed suit.

  Soon, the second round was tackled, and cheeks were tinted pink with alcohol.

  When everyone except for Adam and I was slightly tipsy, I said, “Guys, I think we should play something fun. Anyone up for a spin the bottle?”

  For a moment, everyone looked at me in surprise. Nate narrowed his eyes at me, obviously trying to figure out why the hell I was interested in some random make-out session. When it dawned on him, he stole a quick glance at Alex before he said, “Great idea.”

  “Why not?” Alexis agreed and reached for an empty Coke bottle. “Who wants to start?”

  To everyone’s surprise, Adam was the first one to raise his hand. “I’ll do it. I have a girlfriend, so it doesn’t mean anything anyways. Especially not with you losers.”

  Alex chuckled and handed him the bottle. Adam looked around at all of us once, then spun the bottle so hard it almost rolled off the table. Eventually, it stilled.

  “Oh, come on.” Liam whined.

  Hearing Adam laugh was as unexpected as it was endearing. He looked like an entirely different person when his lips curled up. The corners of his eyes crinkled and a tiny dimple in his chin showed. “Come on, Lee. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “I was drunk, and it was a bet!” Liam exclaimed as Emily sent him a startled look.

  “True.” Adam confirmed. “Now, are you coming or what?”

  Liam huffed and got up from the couch, but not without squeezing Emily’s hand. It almost seemed like a silent apology, but he didn’t have to be sorry. Emily was looking rather amused as she watched Liam walk up to Adam.

  Adam was taller by a couple of inches than Liam, so the latter had to get onto his toes, and Adam bent down awkwardly. Liam seemed like he didn’t know what to do with his hands. In the end, he carefully placed them on Adam’s shoulders and looked up expectantly.

  Adam seemed like he was trying not to laugh when Liam groaned. “I hate you so much right now.”

  “I know. That’s what makes this so good,” Adam said.

  Liam’s reply died in his throat when Adam’s lips grazed over his. It could barely be called an actual kiss.

  “Well, that went exactly as horrible as expected,” Liam said as he flopped back onto the couch. “Remind me to never play this game with you again.”

  We all laughed, watching as he downed half of his drink in one gulp.

  “I’ll spin it next,” Alexis announced.

  Everyone’s attention was back on the bottle within seconds, watching it slow down until it was barely spinning anymore.

  I saw it coming to a stop right in front of me. Without thinking about it, I grabbed Nate’s collar and dragged him in front of me so that the bottle was pointing at him instead. Nate gave an indignant noise. Then he realized what had happened and glanced over at Alexis with a look that could only be described as terror on his face.

  “That’s cheating, Jules.” Alex commented, unfazed, and crossed her arms. “Should I be offended?”

  “You should be happy that I’m not unleashing Hunter’s jealousy on you if he finds out we kissed,” I replied.

  We both knew that Hunter probably wouldn’t have taken it seriously anyway. There really wasn’t much for him to worry about. Still, Alexis didn’t bother pointing that out as if she had just been waiting for an excuse.

  Instead, she got up from her seat and walked over to where Nate was sitting. Tracing one finger along his jaw, she said, “Alright. What do you say, Nate?”

  Nate gulped visibly. When he answered, his voice was lower than usual, “Come here.”

  “That’s more like it.” Alexis laughed, but there was a hint of nervousness in her tone.

  I could almost feel how everyone in the room was holding their breaths when Nate pulled Alexis onto his lap. She wrapped her legs around him and held his face in both her hands.

  Nate only looked up at her with hooded eyes. Then, he muttered, “Just kiss me already.”

  Alexis didn’t hesitate any longer and leaned down to kiss him slowly. Nate’s eyes were closed even before their lips touched. His hands moved on their own accord, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other resting on her waist.

  I looked away after a few seconds to give them some privacy. Emily was smiling happily and held a hand out for me to high-five her. I did so triumphantly.

  It took only about a minute until Nate and Alexis finally separated, both beaming and with swollen lips and tousled hair.

  “I think that’s enough spin the bottle for today,” Nate said, still a little out of breath.

  Alex nodded and started to get up, but Nate slung his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest, resting his chin on her head.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He teased.

  “So possessive already,” Alexis muttered, but the barely contained grin on her face and the fact that she didn’t try getting up again gave her away.

  I couldn’t hold back a smile when I looked at all of them like this, happy and careless for once.

  It would’ve been perfect if there hadn’t been someone missing. “Does anyone know when Hunter will be here?”

  Just like that, the blissful smiles vanished. Liam and Alexis exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Eventually, Alex said, “He didn’t say how long he’d be staying out with Victoria.”

  When he saw the look on my face, Liam quickly added, “Don’t worry. Hunter said he’d try to be here as soon as possible.”

  I nodded silently and looked down at my hands. Guilt was a sharp knife twisting between my ribs. It was because of me that he wasn’t here with the rest of us, laughing and having fun.

  “Hey, it’s not your fault,” Adam suddenly said.

  My head snapped up in surprise. Adam Caldwell hadn’t spoken more than ten words directly at me since we had first met. Hearing that sentence out of his mouth now was completely unexpected.

  “It’s his choice. You’re not forcing him to do it. Victoria is.” Adam continued. “He’s doing this for himself, too. He needs you as much as you need him. I know that I’d probably do the same for my girlfriend if I had to.”

  I didn’t reply, intently studying my hands.

  “Well, I’m gonna get some more drinks,” Nate said to break the awkward silence. “You guys can pick a movie while I’m gone.”

  To the surprise of absolutely no one, Alexis followed him into the kitchen. It took way longer than it should have for them to return, but no one commented on their disheveled state when they did.

  It
took a while for Emily and Liam to agree on a movie. In the end, Liam tickled her until she said, gasping for air, “Just play the fucking first part of Lord of the Rings already.”

  “Was that so hard?” Liam asked victoriously.

  “I hate you,” Emily said with a grumpy scowl.

  Liam just laughed and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, immediately dispelling any kind of discontent.

  ***

  Halfway through the movie, I started to grow impatient. It was past eleven now, and no one had heard from Hunter. Nate was already dozing off every few minutes while Alexis was jabbing him to keep him awake every time his eyes fell shut. The rest weren’t doing any better. Everyone was slowly but surely starting to nod off. Except for me. I was on edge and couldn’t even think about sleep as long as Hunter wasn’t back. I needed to know that he was okay.

  So when the end credits started to roll, I jumped up from my seat and headed for the door to the hallway.

  Before I could leave the room, though, Emily called after me, “Jules? Where are you going?”

  I turned around, my hand still on the door handle, and said, “I’m going to pick Hunter up. Victoria’s had enough fun with him for tonight.”

  “You sure that’s a good idea?” Nate asked.

  “Yes. I’m not going to just let Victoria keep me away from him all night. He’s not hers.”

  Adam nodded with an almost approving look and got up. “Alright. I’m gonna come with you. Just in case you need some help.”

  I stared at him in surprise. “Why?”

  “’Cause I’m the only of these idiots who isn’t plastered,” he replied.

  “That’s a cheap way to act like you don’t care, Adam,” Liam muttered, already half-asleep.

  Instead of a reply, Adam threw a cushion at Liam and walked up to me. “Are you coming or what?”

  I nodded, still slightly dazed, and followed him outside to his car.

  Adam apparently knew where Hunter was from texting him earlier and drove there without speaking another word. He pulled up by the curb in front of a bar and motioned for me to follow him outside.