"Yo, Dallas, James, what's up?"
"Nothing much dude," Dallas replied, both of them taking their spots behind the couple. "Where're you headed?"
"Oh, just going to meet up with Corey before going to class. We both have Marketing first period." Brian humored their conversation until they reached Corey's car, the new couple laughing at their attempts to be entertaining.
Corey smiled, easily noticing the new confident look on Brian's face, and the group of five made their way into the building, Corey on Brian's left, Abigail at his right, and Dallas and James behind.
"Corey, you get some action this weekend? You got a isick/i ass hickey on your neck, dude." James asked, always willing to hear about his captain's sex life.
Corey instinctually placed a hand over the offending area, frowning for a moment before realization hit. He noticed Brian intentionally nuzzling against Abigail's ear in an attempt to hide his reddening complexion.
'I guess he realized it too. Oh well, might as well go with the flow.' Corey thought to himself. His eyes grew wide though when he noticed a similar mark only partially hidden by the collared button down shirt he gave Brian to wear, but there was nothing he could do about that, either.
"Uh… yeah, those twins at my party got pretty nasty," he said sheepishly, praying that at the very least, no one would see Brian's, or maybe that Abigail would just assume that it came from her.
"Brian… Brian, get off, sheesh, when did you get so affectionate?" Abigail asked, pushing him away and letting go of his hand for a moment to fix her hair and check if her makeup was still good.
Brian kept his head low until he was sure his blush was gone. "Sorry about that, I just missed you over the weekend."
"Aww, you're so sweet, like always."
'It's strange, I don't feel guilty for cheating on her. Just embarrassed. I don't feel guilty about lying either…' he thought to himself as he took her hand in his again, giving it a suggestive squeeze.
--
Brian was more prepared for the attention this time. He selectively waved, nodded, and ignored certain people who greeted him, the false gestures becoming more natural to him the farther they travelled. None of them failed to notice the girls that started to take interest in Brian, looking away nonchalantly as Abigail glared at them. To Abigail's surprise, even Corey looked a little bit irritated at Brian's new admirers, going as far as glaring at some of them himself. She shrugged it off, assuming that he just missed the time when everyone used to look at him like that.
When the group turned the last corner to get to Brian and Corey's first period, Brian spotted them from his locker. Not bothering to mask the surprise on his face from Brian's choice in company, he nudged Christine, who was currently busy fishing through her locker for a book. She turned around, and her eyes grew wide, a tidal wave of relief crashing through her psyche because her best friend was okay. Ignoring Brian's warning, she ran in Brian's direction.
Brian saw her coming, and he looked over at Corey, who nodded his head in quiet support of whatever Brian decided to do. The group stopped short, as Christine decided to stop directly in front of Brian, a huge smile on her face.
"Brian, I'm so glad you're okay! Where were you, why weren't you answering my calls?"
"Tch, go away," Brian said, a stony condescending look on his face as he sidestepped around her, beckoning for the rest of his group to follow him with his free hand. As he kissed his girlfriend goodbye at the edge of the door to his first period, and high fived Dallas and James, he looked to Corey, and turned around to see Christine's reaction, trying his best to not regret his actions.
Christine remained perfectly still, her mouth wide open with a look of shock and disbelief on her face. Her hands were on her arms, trying to calm herself down. Slowly, she walked back towards a concerned Brian, who shot an unmistakable glare at Corey's direction before embracing Christine softly. He let go of the embrace, keeping an arm around her shoulder to support her as they headed towards their own first period.
Brian looked down at Christine, still in shock, and a temptation to tell her everything he knew overtook him. He shook his head in disgust with himself. He couldn't bring himself to do it; even after that spectacle, he wasn't willing to go back on his word with Corey. But he would get to the bottom of this.
--
Brian was relieved that the rest of the day passed by with minimal drama. He and Corey decided to sit in the back of the computer lab of their Marketing class, entertaining themselves with quiet flirtation to pass the time. The rest of the day flew by, the five of them going to lunch together. Brian mentally noted the satisfied smile that Abigail wore after he snubbed Christine, still unsure how he felt about his actions.
The only stumbling block he had was during U.S. History, the only class he had with Christine and Brian. He did his best to completely ignore their existence, and he was thankful that at least they returned the gesture. He noticed that Christine lacked the liveliness in her step and demeanor, but that couldn't be helped.
'Thank God, the day is over,' Brian sighed, leaving the classroom with enough haste that there was no hope of Christine reaching him without any of his new friends to support him.
He made it to the door of Abigail's last period class in time for her to see him, and he escorted her to her car in the parking lot. Before she entered her car, she gave him a prolonged kiss, partially as further warning to the onlookers that he was hers and hers alone. As the kiss broke, she noticed a little red mark on the side of his neck. Curious, she pushed the collar of his shirt aside, seeing that the mark ran over an inch and a half down towards his collarbone.
"Brian, is this a ihickey/i? Did I do this?" She said, knowing the answer to both questions.
"What?" He said, quickly formulating an excuse he thought was passable, "I uh… noticed that this morning. It itches a little, I think it might be an insect bite. I might have had an allergic reaction, too."
Abigail gave him a smile, getting into her car and waving goodbye. "It's December, I hope he doesn't expect me to believe that. I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this."
--
Brian's stress mounted as he pulled into his driveway. Of all the people he expected to have to deal with today, he knew he couldn't push away his parents as easily as friends. Expecting the worst, he put his key into the front door, the click sounding uncharacteristically ominous. He didn't take a step into his house before his hysterical looking mother trapped him in a vice-like embrace.
'I should be used to being attacked at doorways by now,' he joked grimly to himself, uneasy with the task he set himself out to do.
"My baby, I'm so glad you're okay! Are you hungry? Hurt? Where were you? Why didn't you call? Christine was so worried about you! Don't you ever do that to me again!"
"Mom, I'm fine, I swear," he said, prying himself from her hug. The force that he employed to do so however surprised her, and she noticed the apprehensive look on his face.
"What's wrong? And you haven't answered my question yet, where were you?"
"Corey's place," he answered as nonchalantly as possible, trying to get the point across that he was in no mood to talk.
"You were gone for almost an entire day, without calling me or any of your friends, you could have been ianywhere/i, lying in a ditch dead for all I knew, and the only thing you care to tell me is 'Corey's house'?" She said, in utter disbelief of his lack of remorse. "Your friends said you told them that you went to help us, why did you lie to them? Why are you lying to me?"
"Ugh, Mom, I'm not lying!" He said, not even knowing where this unjustified exasperation was coming from. He grimaced, hearing the footsteps that signified his father coming down to see what the commotion was about.
"Is that Brian I hear, Susan?" Richard Mannus asked, as he ran down the stairs. "Is he all right?"
"I'm fine, Dad," he said, not even attempting to hide the venom in his voice, realizing that the situation was bound to go down
hill from here.
"Whoah, now, what's with that tone, Brian? What's going on, Susan?"
"It's fine, I can talk for myself," Brian said, fully intending on getting them as angry as possible. "She's pissed since I didn't tell anyone that I stayed over at Corey's last night. I wasn't drinking or doing anything illegal, I don't see what's the huge deal."
"Son, the huge deal is that you have two parents and friends that care about you, and you worried us all sick. You still haven't explained why you lied to everyone though. We're not upset with you, no one is. We just want to understand, and maybe after we understand, we can give you some space. But we can't do anything if you're not willing to tell us."
"Listen to your mother. We never forced you to do anything, you know that, Brian. But we did raise you to make the right decisions, and to have the common sense that we aren't your enemies."
"You know, what the fuck do I care about what you, Mom, Christine, any of you think. It's my life; I don't need to tell everyone every little thing. Want to know why I lied? Maybe so that I could have some fucking peace!"
"I've never had to do this with you, but I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, son. Go to your room, your mother and I have to have a talk about what to do with you."
"FUCK THIS! 'Go to your room, your mother and I have to have a talk about what to do with you'?" Brian repeated in a mocking voice, "You shitheads don't even know how to handle a son that's iobviously/i flying off the handle. I don't need this, and I obviously don't need you. I don't hate either of you, but damn, take a look at yourselves. You're both total failures, and I'm a testament to that. Fuck this, fuck you, fuck everything, I'm out of here."
Brian didn't expect to be so absorbed by his performance. He left and slammed the door before his parents could say anything else, and tears in his eyes, he careened out of his driveway, intent on making it to Corey's house.
'How much of that was what I really felt? Am I that messed up? I didn't want to leave home, I just wanted to push them away… I may have hurt them now, but they don't deserve to have me in their lives either. I hope Corey lets me stay with him. I might have to for a while.'
--
"What do you want?" Corey asked, knowing that Brian would ruin his good mood.
"What did you do to Brian? Drug him, blackmail him, break him? There's no way he would do that to ianyone/i, better yet Christine, on his own."
"Believe it if you want to, I didn't tell him to do what he did. It was completely up to him. I don't know why he did it for sure, but it's his business, and I'm going to support him no matter what."
"Support him?" Brian asked. "How much do you like this guy? The last time we talked, you just wanted to screw him. You're not dating, you know."
"I don't know, okay? He doesn't like Abigail, and this is the closest I've ever felt to actually wanting something more in a relationship. And the sex is better than I could have ever imagined," Corey said, a reminiscent smile forming as he spoke.
Brian sighed. His old friend really was no different than before. "I only called because of Christine. She's not doing so well. She won't even talk to me. I figured she might snap out of it if she at least knew why Brian apparently hates her."
"Before I say anything, I need to say again that our agreement still stands. You don't talk about what I'm saying to anyone." Corey breathed, gathering his thoughts. "First of all, Brian doesn't hate any of you. The opposite, actually. He's guilty out of his mind about abandoning you guys, and I admit that that part is my fault, but the rest was his decision."
"If he doesn't hate us, then what's with the cold shoulder?"
"If I had to guess… he followed my advice. I told him that he can't do everything and please everyone. He probably gave up hope on trying to please you guys. Maybe he figured that if he didn't have you guys anymore, he wouldn't always have to be such a disappointment? Just a guess."
"Corey, that is the stupidest bullshit I've ever heard. You're going to talk with him today, and get this straightened out. Change his mind if you have to."
"No. It's his life, and I'm not going to tell him what to do. He's going to get enough of that as it is, since he's the school's new star. I've been there before, the pressure is killer. The only thing I'm going to do is to support him the best I can, but I'm not going to tell him how to live his life. Sorry Brian."
"That's fine; you want what's best for him. But I want what's best for my friends too, and none of this is being fair to Christine. What do you expect me to do about her?"
"Not my problem. Try to get her mind off of things though, because I'm not bending on this one. A friendly tip, try asking her out. Remember your promise. Gotta go, my doorbell's ringing."
Brian heard the other line hang up, and he stared at his phone in silence.
'Ask her… out? Damnit, this isn't the time to be thinking about what iI/i want.'
--
'I wonder who it could be. Probably a cleaning lady or landscaper or something, I never can keep track of who's coming when,' Corey thought, walking lazily to his foyer.
Who he didn't expect to see when he opened the door was an unhinged Brian. Corey's face flashed from ecstatic that he came, to concerned.
"Brian, what's wrong, what happened?" Corey asked, beckoning him to come in. His eyes were red as if he were crying, and it looked like it was likely for him to start again.
When he didn't respond, Corey caught him in an awkward embrace to steady him. He wasn't really sure how to handle a situation like this.
"Calm down. Whatever happened, it'll be all right," he droned, patting him on the back. Brian's arms hung dead at his side, not even attempting to return the embrace.
'Damnit, what do I do? He's not talking or moving or ianything/i' Corey said to himself, just holding him there. He didn't have to wait long before Brian started to struggle against him.
"Let go… thanks for the hug though, I needed that. Do you have anything… strong to drink?"
Corey held him by the waist for support, leading him to the same bar from the party. He let Brian sit down on one of the stools as he shuffled some bottles around.
"Here we go, I think I'm in the mood for some cognac, how does that sound?" He said, finding some glasses and carrying them with the bottle in one hand, returning to Brian's side to lead him to his room.
"Whatever you want, I just need to clear my head a little."
A few drinks and moments of uncomfortable silence later, Brian was at ease, staring at the half empty glass in his hand, snuggled tight in between Corey's legs with his back against Corey's chest. Corey was hugging him from behind, comfortably resting against his headboard, amusing himself by feeling along Brian's front through his shirt.
"I hate myself," Brian said, barely above a whisper. "I cussed out my own parents, and I abandoned all of my friends. Everything I tried so hard to keep, I just snuffed out. They must hate me now, I can't go back."
"Stop talking like that. You know they don't hate you. And you don't hate yourself. You're a beautiful person, inside and out." Corey said, unused to being comforting. "And it's not much, but you know you'll always have me."
Brian stiffened at those words, suddenly stopping Corey's hands from their ministrations. "Why? Why are you saying that? I thought you just wanted this, whatever we have, for the sex. Why do you want to be around someone like me?"
"Something about you, I don't know, I just can't help but want to help you. You don't have to worry about me; you're not guilt tripping me into doing anything. I'm here with you because I want to be. You'll never impose on me. I promise."
'It must be the alcohol. Do I really mean what I'm saying? I don't think I'm lying. Do I like him ithis/i much? But I don't want him to leave. He makes me feel like I have a purpose.'
"Thanks, Corey. I don't know if what I did was right, but I don't want to have to take everything back. I chose the path I'm following. You're the only real friend I have now."
"I guess I can say the same thing abou
t you," Corey said. 'And I'm not going to lose you…'
After a long pause, Brian collected the nerve to say what was on his mind from the beginning. "Would it be alright with you if I… moved in for awhile?"
Corey's raucous laughter spooked Brian from his mellow state. Brian was staring at him intently, trying to read him in vain. It took a second for Corey to calm down. Brian was alert enough to notice that Corey's cheeks were flushed too.
"Ha… can you move in… with me? Of course inot/i," Corey stated matter-of-factly, his face a mixture of inebriated and coy.
Brian was stunned. After all of that "iyou'll never impose on me/i" crap, he thought he was in for sure. Clearing his head a bit, he accepted his fate. "I understand. I'm sorry for asking. Can I at least stay the night again, if I'm not asking too much? I think I'm pretty drunk right now."
"Brian, come here you big idiot, I was kidding," Corey sighed, irritated with himself for actually hurting his feelings. "Of course you can stay, on two conditions. One, quit with all that self-hating shit. You aren't a bad person. You're beautiful, inside and out, and if anyone disagrees, they can deal with me. Two, you'll have to let me teach you my art… properly."
He smiled, ignoring his double vision to pull Brian back against him. Not wasting any time, he twisted Brian's head back, kissing him with enough force to make their heads spin even more. Brian pulled away, flipping himself over onto his back, a violent fit of giggles overtaking his body.
"That was a good one. I'm sorry for doubting you, I'm still kind of sore I guess. It's a deal."
"You think you're sore inow/i?" Corey replied, flipping himself flat on top of Brian, interchanging laughter with soft kisses all over his face and lips. The pair laughed and kissed and teased and talked and laughed again, for what seemed like hours.
'It's not a conventional friendship,' Corey thought to himself. 'But it's already so much more than I could have ever asked for.'
Eventually, the laughter subsided, the teasing turned to groping, and the kissing turned more serious. Troublesome clothing flew away, and the talking turned to moans.
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