Vincent's Pov:

Exhausted. That's the one word description for me. I walked into the cafeteria with Dare and sat at our table. Admittedly I've changed a bit these last two months. I think we all have. We all grew up a little quicker then we would have if tragedy hadn't hit this close.

Dare and Ariel have grown up but still retained their 'them-ness' Sammy is... not completely fine but she's been seeing a therapist and she's getting there. Slowly but surely she's regaining herself and moving passed all this.

Me, well I can see the changes but it's not for the bad. I've just matured a bit. I still goof and joke around with Dare, Ariel, Lisa, Jared and Mitch. I even got passed my issues with Robert.

However truthfully the last two months have been so hectic that I feel like I've been on autopilot during school. If you aren't in my close immediate circle then you're just part of the fuzzy background that I'm too busy to mess with.

I dropped my sports because between my class work and all the planing for the Veronica's Safe Haven, spending time with Sammy and squeezing in alone time with Dare. I've been incredibly busy.

All my down time was accounted for so I had no time for my sports. It's fine though, in fact it's helped. I insisted Dare stay on the teams so he doesn't have to give up something he loves just to sit at home and wait for me.

While he's at practice I go with Sammy to her therapist's office. Sometimes I'm just there for moral support in the waiting room but sometimes she has me in there with her.

Ariel has been great with her. When I leave Ariel goes over and they study or do each other's nails or bang or whatever. Essentially Ariel peps my sis up and that's all that matters.

I know I could hand off many off the decisions and 'project managing' to someone else but I want to be as involved as possible in these stages. I want to make sure my vision of what mom would have wanted is realized and the best way to do that is to be on the ball so to speak.

Peter was indeed convicted of capital murder a few days ago and the sentencing is tomorrow. So we'll be there. Personally I think the death penalty is too easy for that sorry sack of shit and would prefer that he sits and rots the rest of his life in a little 6x6 cell. Away from the cushy life of high society he's so accustomed to.

Hell I say give the bastard bread and water and one sheet of toilet paper every day for the rest of his life. Keep him locked in that cell away from anyone that'll talk to him. Unless it's some big stinky dude named bubba who's gonna bend him over a few times a day. Yeah I know I have a bit of anger to deal with.... I'll get there... eventually.

Dare kissed my head and slid over the tray he'd gotten for us while I was zoning out.

"I'm worried about you Vin. You're working yourself ragged."

I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. "I know baby but just another month or so and I'll be done with this part and have a lot more free time. In the mean time, spring break starts this weekend and it's you and me and a white sand beach and no phone calls. So I should come back fairly well rested."

Ariel snorted. "Yeah right, more like still exhausted and probably bow-legged from all the sex you'll be having to make up for not getting any the last couple of months."

Dare laughed his ass off. "Why in the hell do you think he hasn't had any? Hello haven't you met the horn dog?"

"Uh cause he's been overloaded and god forbid he delegates some of these things to other people. I just assumed at the end of the day he'd be too tired for the mattress gymnastics. Duh"

Dare laughed even harder and I grinned and nipped his neck. "You'd be wrong shorty. When it comes to my sexiliciousness Vin's like the energizer bunny he keeps going and going and going and-"

I interrupted him "Coming and coming and coming and"

She giggled and threw a fry at me. "Okay frisky Ford I got it. You're never too tired to lay the pipe!"

Dare snorted. "Or get His 'house' pipped"

Ariel rolled her eyes. "I'd really like to know how that all goes down. How do you decide who the pipe layer is?"

I shrug. "We flip a coin." I joked but it went over her head.

Instead she nodded and chewed her lip. "Yeah I guess that makes sense. I mean it's a fifty-fifty chance right? But still, one time in the fifth grade our teacher tried showing us about statistics by doing the quarter flip and I swear the damn thing turned up heads like twenty times in a row before-"

Dare and I cracked up and Dare patted her head. "Sweetie he was joking but even if he wasn't you really over thought that. How do you and Sams decide who's in charge? Who wears the sparkly pink strap on? Huh, same concept I guess."

She grinned and I groaned. "No sex talk about Sammy!"

Of course they ignored me like they always do. I think they like torturing me.

"We naked wrestle for it." Ariel giggled.

"And on that note I'm gonna go... somewhere else" I pouted.

Dare laughed and kissed me. "Okay okay no more talking about how Ariel rams it in Sams' vi"

I slapped my hand over his mouth. "If you love me you'll never ever ever finish that sentence." I begged. He licked my hand and I smirked.

"Keep licking baby, it'll just end up with us in the janitor's closet playing 'how long' and it hasn't gone in your favor yet has it." I purred.

He blushed and I gave a self satisfied smirk.

"What's how long?" Mitch asked making me laugh and and Dare's cheeks flame even brighter.

"It's a kinky sex game they have going on to see how long Dereck can last without moaning and groaning. He get's quite loud but then so does Vinny. It's like they try and out moan each other."

Me and Dare looked at Ariel and she shrugged. "Hello me and Sammy stayed with y'all for like a month. It was soooo awesome. I think you truly traumatized Sammy. She get's just as weird as you do when I talk about you f*ckin or being f*cked. Ehh like brother like sister I guess. We had no idea what freaks you two were between the sheets. It's cool though, I think it must be a family thing cause she's a kinky little minx and-"

"Okay so we're done with that and I've never been more happy to go to class." Jared joked.

"Maybe y'all should sound proof your room or umm house actually cause ya know, there was that time I walked in on y'all in the kitchen. Oh and then the next day in the garage and then like a week later in the hall. Yeah that's why I always call before me and Sean come over now." Robert said with a huge grin.

"Pshh that's nothing I saw them gettin it on in the back yard, and I'd only been inside for like ten minutes. They're like rabbits hopped up on Ecstasy or Viagra." Lisa piped up.

Dare choked and his flaming cheeks were most likely permanently stained now.

"Hey! In our defense, none of you jerk offs knock anymore and hello.. Lisa what girl only takes ten minutes to shower mud off? If you were normal we'd have had plenty of time to... finish stretching" Dare finished lamely.

Mitch wriggled his brows. "Stretching what exactly?"

Jared nodded. "Is that what the flaming love drunk teenage boys are calling it these days?" He teased.

Dare leveled a glare at them all. "I'm gonna bitch slap the next person that makes any kind of joke about my sex life. I don't make donut bumping jokes to Ariel and Lisa I haven't made any cracks about you changing sexual preference like you change your panties nor have I made any sword fighting or broke-back mountain jokes to you three." He said looking at Robert, Mitch and Jared. "So cut the shit or I'mma put you all on blast."

Robert, Ariel and Lisa giggled but Mitch and Jared yelled "Hey! We're not gay"

I snorted. "Please! Denial and buried so far in the closet you two play ring toss with Prince Caspien's 'pole' You two are soooo in love and the sexual tension between you idiots is so thick you could choke on it. I bet ya both go home and whack it to each other's picture." I said with an eye roll.

"Or while you're on the phone. Ever noticed the other one a little breathless or a slick slappin noise?" Dare taunted.

"Oi! Don't be all on their ass about being in denial. Hellooooooooooo you two idiots took like a f*ck load longer then foe eva to figure out you wanted to play with each other's beans and wienie. Let them enjoy the closet as long as they like. Eventually they're gonna have to pop out or their little mini me's are gonna explode from all the built up sexual frustration." Ariel chirped.

Robert laughed. "More like their gonna shoot a load so huge the backed up pressure's gonna blow their asses out of that closet."

"It's cool if you are gay. This is a circle of trust. We trust that you're gay and wanna b.b-b- BONE each other!" Lisa spouted.

They crossed their arms and rolled their eyes. "You all suck and even if I was gay I wouldn't go for Mitch." Jared said

Mitch pouted for about a second before he wiped his expression. "No lie. IF I was gay like you idiots keep harping about I'd have a less fem type. I mean I think I'd go for a more manly guy. IF I was gay I'd what to be in a couple more like Dereck and Vincent. Ya know both like Dudes' dudes."

Jared's eyes widened. "What the hell Mitch!?! I'm not freakin fem. I'm just as built and manly as you. Hello we play the same sports and wear each others clothes when we stay over. I just need a hair cut is all." He mumbled the last part.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah you two are about as straight as a freakin' circle."

Dare drummed his fingers and then grinned. "I have the best idea. You two kiss and if you feel nothing you're straight or at least not into each other. If you pop a stiffy then it's gonna be on like donkey kong"

"It's cool though, we'll teach ya all the ins and outs of being gay." Robert chirped.

"Yeah like one tally-whacker goes into the other's until recently 'out only box' Then I guess you can wrestle or flip a coin or whatever to see if you're gonna be switch hitters like our boys here or solid tops or bottoms." Ariel said happily.

Their faces were as red as Dare's had been earlier and they both shook their head no.

Lisa giggled and then patted Mitch's head. "You guys really are so cute when you're all red and splotchy. But it's pretty obvious we're all right. I mean if you weren't worried about liking it then kissing your best friend wouldn't be a big deal. Haven't you heard that Shakespearean quote. 'the lady doth protest too much' yeah that totally applies here."

Mitch looked like he was about to throw up and Jared looked hella pissed.

The next 45 seconds will definitely live on as one of my favorite un-Dare memories of my high school career.

Jared yanked Mitch up and slammed his lips to Mitch's. The entire cafeteria went silent except our group who was hooting and hollering and cheering them on. The fact that Jared was the aggressor was surprising and somewhat funny. Mitch has always been the more dominant one of the two best friends.

Mitch at first was frozen but Ariel made a crack about having to actually participate in the kiss to judge if they even liked it and the next thing you know Mitch had Jared's hands pinned behind his back and had him pressed against the edge of the table and was full on kissing the crap out of him. Jared didn't struggle but fought back for dominance.

They pulled back both breathless and Jared glared at Mitch. "No so f*ckin fem now was I?" and turned on his heel and left.

Mitch stared after him and then back at us. "What the hell just happened?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Dare grinned. "That my friend was either the weirdest and gayest form of hetero bonding between besties or you two just lept the f*ck out the closet."

"If it was the second one you should probably go after him cause the only way you're gonna figure out what that was between y'all is from him." I said in a duh tone

"I for one thought it was hella sexy, too bad I already have a boyfriend. " Robert said jokingly.

Ariel sighed. "That was almost as sexy as when Vinny and Dereck figured it out."

"Guy's I think we've teased him enough. He looks really freaked." Lisa said softly.

I shrugged and Dare laughed. "Yeah that's what happens when the straight walls go tumbling down in cloud of glitter and rainbows." He said but he walked over to Mitch and gave him a bro hug and spoke quietly to him. Mitch nodded and left wordlessly.

We all sat back down. "Well the rest of lunch is gonna be boring compared to that." Ariel whined. Lisa nodded and looked at me. "Unless Vinny wants to do one of his silly skits." She asked hopefully

I shook my head."Sorry but no. My mind is way too tired to come up with any kinda fake drama to preform."

"Well I could always kiss Dereck and then we'd have some drama." Robert joked.

I flipped him off. "Yeah still too soon to be makin jokes about trying to steal my man. 'Sides we all know you're c*ck-matized by Sean. I swear every time that 'little glitter covered rainbow ball of fairy jizz' calls I hear the waaa-chhhh of the whip crackin cause yo ass is WHIPPED." I joked

He blushed. "Yeah suck my left nut, I'm not c*ck-matized I just love him and don't make fun of him because he's a bit... less bulky and brutish then us. He's perfect."

"Awe that's soo sweet" Lisa cooed. Ariel snorted. "That's girlie are you sure you're the top?" She teased.

Dare rolled his eyes. "No teasing him about Sean. Sean is his 'Vin' as in he's his other half and he's happy and only sucky people rain on other people's happiness... I was gonna say parade but that'd just open the door for gay pride parade jokes and my head hurts so let's play the quiet game." He leaned his head on the table and I ran my hand over his hair and down to his forehead to make sure he wasn't running a fever.

He laughed quietly. "No fever just a headache. Probably because I was up so early." He accused. I grinned but rubbed his back apologetically. "Sorry, I was so beat when I went to sleep that I thought I'd set the clock for the right time. My bad baby."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah and the 'well since we're up wanna get down and dirty' bit was just a convenient thing that popped into your head at five this morning."

"You looked sexy all rumpled with pillow creases on your face and drool dried to your cheek and chin. I can't help it you looked so yummy that my brain went into the naughty department."

He rolled his eyes but smiled. "We keep going at it like this and we're gonna get tired of each other." He teased.

I leaned down and nibbled his lip. "Nope, never."