Damien wriggled his way to the rim of the mass of students, skirting the lockers.
He was talking to a couple people above others' heads, not paying the floor in front of him any attention. He walked, until suddenly his feet caught on a backpack and he was sent sprawling on the hallway floor.
Jared jumped as his backpack spilled open and he felt someone fall. He turned around, eyes finding Damien. He bent, holding out a hand to help him up. "You alright? Sorry about that, I probably shouldn't have left my backpack in the walkway like that."
Sputtering, Damien rolled over onto his back and found himself looking up at Jared. "Oh wow, here we are again," he joked quietly. Taking Jared's hand, he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "No, I should've checked where I was going… let me help you clean up." He knelt, ignoring the heat spreading through his veins. You're embarrassed because you tripped in a crowded hallway.
Jared smiled a little. He nodded, and started picking up papers. He realized after a moment that he was still holding Damien's hand, and quickly let go, a faint blush on his cheeks, and picked up his papers and books. His backpack was a dark navy blue, with a rainbow pride pin stuck on the frontmost pocket. He was out at school, for better or for worse. At home, on the other hand…not yet.
Hugging a small pile of binders to his chest, Damien pulled Jared's backpack towards him to put the binders away. The rainbow pin caught his eye, and a twinge of envy made itself known. What I'd give to be out… He frowned, hurriedly looking away from its bright twinkling colours and towards the scattered pens a few feet away.
(so uh. I have an idea to add drama, but it would require some bullying/abuse/etc towards Jared because of him being gay, so…I want to check in before I do anything like that because I don't want to trigger anything? If it's not okay with you I won't do it, but if it is, I might)
Jared kept grabbing things and putting them in his backpack. "Don't worry about organizing it, by the way. I'll sort it out at home." he said to Damien with a light, quick smile. He grabbed a folder from his locker and slid it in his backpack.
Damien nodded, smiled, and chucked the remaining pens into Jared's bag. "Alright then. Sorry for messing up your stuff," Damien told Jared, shrugging a shoulder. It felt… easier, all of a sudden, to talk to Jared. That was a good thing… right?
(Yeah ok, go for it)
(alright thanks)
Jared smiled. "It's fine. At least it was my bag you tripped over, and not, like…me." he chuckled softly, running a hand through his brown hair and looking over at Damien with a soft smile. He's handsome… he looked away quickly, cheeks turning pink. No, stop it. He dates girls, not boys.
He was blushing. Why was he blushing? Jared looked away and Damien followed suit. "Yeah, that's good," he murmured. He slowly stood up. "Okay, so, I'm going to go, I think. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
Jared blinked, eyes flicking back to Damien. He stood up, shouldering his backpack. "I uhm…yeah, sure." he replied slowly. His eyebrows drew together. I thought he didn't like me? So why…?
Damien stood and nodded for about 10 seconds. Then, seeming to snap out of a trance, he waved at Jared and walked off. Oh no, oh that didn't look great. He looked confused, or mad, or something. What did you say you blithering idiot??
Jared watched him go, highly confused, and wondering what this was all about. He blinked a few times, then shrugged it off and started walking to the bus. He had taken the bus today, rather than drive, so he needed to get to it before it left.
Damien schooled a careful expression of nonchalance onto his face as he walked, but his mind was melting in confusion and regret. Why did he look so confused? I thought I was being nice… oh Christ here I go, I can't do this again… He shook his head, trying to scatter the thoughts. Outside, he wheeled his bike to the street and sped off, pedalling like a madman in the hopes of getting rid of the anxious knot in his stomach by exercising.
Jared got on the bus, and set his backpack down. He was home free, now. He frowned, and reached over, taking the rainbow pin off and hiding it. His parents…didn't know yet. He had managed to out himself at school, but not at home yet.
Caught in his spiralling thoughts, Damien realized too late that he was heading directly for a tree. Without the time to swerve, he dove off the bike and landed flat on his back on a roadside patch of grass, groaning in pain. He slowly, carefully, sat up and the lack of intense pain told him he hadn't broken anything. Thank god. A few feet away, the squashed shape of his bike lay sadly, one wheel still spinning.
He's really not doing me any good. He stood, gingerly putting weight on his tender ankle. At least I can walk. Which is what he did, wheeling his bike all the way home.
Jared sighed softly as the bus pulled up to his stop, and got out. He waved to the bus driver, and started walking down the street towards his house, humming under his breath as he walked.
Damien eventually got home. He immediately ran up to his room, slamming his door shut and collapsing face first onto his bed. As he closed his eyes, however, his phone buzzed. It was Lukas, sending him Jared's account on Instagram. Damien rolled his eyes and shut them again.
Jared got home. "Mom, I'm home!" he called.
"How was school?" His mom asked, coming over to him with a small smile.
Jared smiled back. "It was…fine." he replied, thinking of Damien and biting his lip a little. He…wasn't sure what to think about that whole thing, if he was honest.
Not a second later Damien was scrolling through Jared’s feed, biting his lip to stop from grinning. By god, that boy is beautiful. As he reached the end of the series of pictures, he couldn’t resist swiping into the DM page. The bank screen was so inviting… should he?
There was a strange post in Instagram posts between May and July. There were no images from June. In many of the pictures from May and prior, Jared was with a girl, who always seemed to be smiling or laughing. She was tagged in most of them, and always just described as his best friend. She never appeared in any pictures following the month-long break.
Jared's mother nodded. "Alright. Well, get ready for dinner, will you?"
He nodded. "Alright."
He bit his lip and returned to the pictures, noticing a girl that Jared seemed to constantly be around. I thought… She disappeared a couple months after, however, and curiosity got the better of Damien.
Hey there handsome!
What the holy fudge muffin are you doing?
Hey there
Jared heard his phone ding with a message as he headed upstairs, and pulled it out, taking a look. Oh. Instagram. Who would be messaging me on there? He wondered. He looked, and blinked in surprise. Oh. Damien. How did he get my Insta? He shrugged a little, and messaged back.
Hey
Damien jumped as his cell vibrated. Already? He quickly swiped up to unlock his phone and stared at the notification before typing something out: Must seem a little weird I'm texting. Sorry.
Jared chuckled softly, kicking his door shut and flopping onto his bed. Eh. It's fine, dont worry about it He replied. He sighed softly. If he asks about Grace, I'm going to be pissed. He thought ruefully, remember the girl that had been his best friend for years. They had never been anything more than friends, despite what a lot of people thought.
Damien had to bite back a smile. Maybe don't ask yet. Don't seem nosy. So how's the evening going?
Eh fine. I think dinners soon? idk. house doesn't smell like food but mom said dinner. He stretched, leaning back on his pillows and propping his hands on his knees, holding his phone still. He shifted again, reaching over and turning on Pandora on his laptop.
Oh nice. What're you up to then?
He curled up on his bed, propping his phone up sideways to face him.
listening to music on my bed. wbu? He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, wiggling around to get comfortable.
Nothing interesting. Sketching. Sleeping.
He looked out the window, a sweet lovesstruck smile on his face. Thank god no once can see me now.