Curtis Salazar

I happily make breakfast fast for Timmy and I while trying to be time conscious as well. If I turn around I'd see Timmy watching me and it made me smile. I can't believe he sacrificed his mom's delicacy just to come eat breakfast with me. I've mostly been left on my own from a very young age and I've picked up the knowledge of cooking two out of ten dishes. So one would wonder why I don't eat a lot if I can cook, well, it's simple— I'm one lazy fucker and cooking for one and eating alone in this empty big house is really depressing, so I don't bother. I like eating with Timmy though, most of my meals have been shared with him present, almost all my lunches from when we were eight (that's when he moved in with his mum at the end of the Street).

So I'd happily cook and eat if I did it with someone, preferably Timmy.

I drop a plate of eggs and toast with sausage in front of Timmy and one in front of me as I sit on a stool beside him grabbing the peanut butter jar to put on his toast, Timmy goes crazy with peanut butter. His stool scratches on the tile as he gets up, taking hold of my tie and pulling it off. I angle myself well so he's in front of me and not stretching weirdly as he fixes my ties and I fix his toast with lots of peanut butter.

"Curt?" I absentmindedly hear him call, his voice soft and small.

"Mm?"

"I'll do it," he simply says, his soulful brown eyes keeping mine captive.

"Do what?"

He sighs and moves away, he is done with my tie— I have no idea how he makes it perfect. "I'd lie... I'd be your pretend gay boyfriend."

My eyes widen slowly not believing what I am hearing. "You'll what?"

He glares at me, "I'm not repeating myself."

I don't need him to repeat himself, I got it quite well. I jump off my stool and my hand instinctively wraps around Timmy small frame and I lift him off the ground with a yell. "Yes! Thank you Timmy!"

Timmy shrieks and starts squirming in my hold, "Curt, put me down!"

I turn around a bit before I put him down wearing a shitty grin while he has on a glare with a very red face. I smile sheepishly, "sorry?"

He huffs, sitting back down and attacking his meal. "Let's just eat and go."

"Oh my, what changed your mind?"

He shrugs, not looking away from his food. "Dunno."

"Oh come on," I nudge him. "Is my handsome face or my artistic way of cooking?" I gasp, "it's the meal right? All I had to do was cook for you?"

Timmy turns to look at me, "or it could be the thousand dollars camera you promised to get me if I went along with it."

Oh.

"Oh."

"And of course, Alex," I plainly just frown now. Timmy isn't done though. "I guess I figured you're right about people looking more appealing when in a relationship. I should at least get Alex attention, right? Might be good for me."

He doesn't deserve the it. I don't voice my thoughts out to Timmy though, it shouldn't be my concern, he likes who he likes. And he is pretending for me, the least I could do is be of help to him too. "Yeah, Alex is going to get so jealous when he sees us together and wish he was me."

Timmy keeps looking at me as if knowing I didn't really mean that or wishing I did. "And girls would leave you alone."

I nod, not looking away. "They would and I won't stand the risk of being a baby daddy anymore."

He inhales deeply and turns back to his food, I do too, wolfing it down. "You're going to pretend come out to your friends?"

I nod, "it's not a big deal. I'd answer anybody that asks but I don't need to stand on the rough and yell it out, do I?"

He chuckles, "no you don't. And we're just pretending to the school and Alex, right? No families involved."

I nod, "yeah, just school and Alex." I don't think I'd have a problem if my parents think I'm gay, my dad might frown at me and give me the silent treatment but it's not as if we talk much as it is. And my mum just doesn't care enough to be bothered. Alex however, he might be out to the school and his friends but he's still deep in the closet at home. He hasn't told his mum yet and I don't think he has the plans to anytime soon, Mrs Liu is kinda homophobic. 'Kinda' being a soft word. Although I believe he should give her the benefit of a doubt, she might be different with her son.

We quietly eat our food after that and soon we're in the car, driving off to school. Unlike other times where Timmy spends his time playing with his camera, looking out the window for interesting picture worthy things and taking pictures here and there but this time he just stay silent and still, his fingers slowly tapping on his camera around his neck. I'm unable to concentrate and I keep glancing at him.

"Are you good?" I finally ask, unable to take it anymore. Timmy just nods, chewing on his lower lip. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"Are you- nervous?"

He sighs, "yes, I am so nervous."

"Why?"

Timmy swallows, linking his fingers together. "You and I know I suck at lying and..." Timmy trails off and I feel him looking at me. I glance at him and for the split second our eyes meet, I see a hint of fear in those soft brown eyes. "And I haven't ever been in a relationship before. I don't know how."

Then it hits me. Fucking Curt, ouch.

I totally forgot about that fact. All this while I've been thinking of me and me and me alone. I have had many relationships but Timmy hasn't. I can joke about this and make a game out of it but Timmy can't really because it's his first. I'll be ruining his first because it isn't even a first, it's pretend. I have a lot of things to draw from but now with pretends and lie, I'd be messing up whatever it is Timmy should be having for the first time. It's not real and to me it doesn't matter but it does to Timmy.

I don't say anything until I'm parked in school but none of us say anything and we just remain locked in the car. "I'm sorry," I say after a while, head bent in remorse.

Timmy inhales like he's finding his voice, "what for?"

"I didn't think this through and I've been trying to manipulate you and bribe you into doing something you don't want to," I say, berating myself inside out. "I should have thought about how you'd feel first and foremost. We don't have to do this anymore."

"What are you saying?"

I look at him, "I'm not going to fuck up your first time being with someone with lies and pretend."

He awkwardly chuckles, "It's not my first time being with someone. We're not going to be really together, it's fake."

"Yeah but you first 'relationship' to the world shouldn't be fake."

Timmy nods, "true but it's fake with you so I don't mind."

I sighed, "and making you lie, what was I thinking?"

Timmy chuckles, "again, I am lying with you. Shouldn't be that bad and I can think of instances where we've lied over the years. This should be like that, right?"

I roll my eyes, "I'm trying to be a good guy and let you off the hook. Why are you trying to convince me?"

Timmy shrugs, already blushing before mumbling. "Maybe I don't want to be let off the hook."

My face feels warm and I smile, placing a hand on his chin and nudging his head up so he's looking at me. "Okay then."

Timmy sighs, "I am still nervous though."

"You shouldn't be, it's not a big deal," I look out the window of my glass, it's tinted on the outside but I can see from the inside. The campus is already filled with students and cars. "It'll just be like us any other day."

"No," Timmy shakes his head. "It won't be believable that way. They'd know you lied."

"So what changes now?"

Timmy shrugs, his eyes looking unsure under his glasses. "I don't know, your the relationship expert. What do people in relationship do that as best friends we don't do?"

"Um," I scratch an itch on my cheek, thinking about me and my girlfriend and other couples in the hallway. "Well, they hold hands, walk together, walk each other to our classes, share meals at the cafeteria and kis--" my neck and ears go aflame. "Kiss?"

I don't need to look at Timmy to know that he is frozen still. He doesn't say anything and I decide to. "Of course we don't have to do anything we don't want to." I glance at him, he hasn't moved. "So no kissing."

Then Timmy nods, "okay."

"Good?"

"Yeah," he says. "Are there going to be any rules?"

"Uh, not really," I blink. "I can't think of anything except making sure nobody finds us out, sticking to the promises and being protective."

"Being protective?" Timmy asks.

I nod seriously, "yeah, I'd need you to be protective of me, keep your man Timmy. Girls are wolves."

He looks at me for a minute before he starts laughing, using a finger to push his crooked glasses in place. "I can't see myself protecting you, Curtis Salazar."

I shrug, "you laughed. Needed that." He doesn't say anything to that. "Let's just try to be normal and have fun with all these, okay?"

Timmy scoffs, "Lying with Curt? I don't see how that can be fun."

I gasp exaggeratedly, "oh my gosh, Lying with Curt is so fun."

Timmy fixes me a look and I don't give in so he bulges a bit. "Okay maybe it's a bit fun but the trouble after outweighs the fun."

I touch his small nose, "Trouble is fun, Timmy Liu McKenzie."

"We'll see how true that is, Salazar," He says before opening the door and leaving the car. I shake my head in amusement and go out too. As per usual, I turn around to say goodbye to Timmy from the other side of the car. Our eyes meet and before I can say anything, he starts walking. My eyes follow him confused as he goes around and ends up standing in front of me. Timmy looks at me, grins and his soft warm hands reach for mine, wrapping his fingers around mine. "What are you waiting for?" He pulls us. "Let's go."

I don't know what it is, maybe it's the bold gesture or the way his hand fits so well with mine with the perfect warmth but whatever it is, as I follow Timmy, my heart does a backflip in my chest and it's not so weird holding a guy's hand afterall.

I don't even notice the attention of students until Timmy's hands tighten around mine and his walk slows. I stop and look around and almost everybody has stopped whatever it is they were doing to look at us. I frown, it isn't anything unusual though— whenever the hockey team finishes with a match, whether or not we win we're faced with twice this attention. Timmy however has probably never had this much eyes on him at the same time. I lean down to whisper to his ear and he shudders with a gasp. I pause and watch his exhale through his mouth.

"Sorry," I whisper, trying not to look at the shocked people looking back at us. It's not something strange, I've done this a couple times in this very hallway with Timmy, especially when we're gossiping about someone. Anyway, now it seems like much because I'm believed to be gay now and we're holding hands. "I just wanted to check if you're okay?"

Timmy turns to look at me, his eyes holding mine like he really needs it. "What are you going to do if I'm not?"

I do a one shoulder shrug, "we could disappear with my magic powers or I punch their faces out or we just tell 'April Fool'!"

"It's not April," he says, regulating his breathing.

"Does it matter?"

Timmy smiles, "I'm fine."

"Okay," we look back up facing the students once more and I ignore them taking Timmy with me as we move to his locker. He quickly opens it, using the door to block a side of his face while by body relaxing on a neighboring one blocked the other side— wasn't planned but works good for his nervousness. I chuckle, "you look like a rabbit."

He frowns, "fuck you."

"It's just if someone should be scared of doing this, I feel like it should be more me."

"Are you scared?"

I nod, "as much as I would like a change in my life, I'm scared to find out just how much would change."

"Well," he switches books, "trouble is fun right?"

I roll my eyes but end up smirking, then I catch sight of my teammates waiting by my locker for me. "Okay, so, check on the number one boyfriend duty of today. I'd see you at lunch."

"Okay, if I haven't disintegrated into air by then."

"You'd be fine and I'm only one call away," with that, I adjust his glasses on his face and walk off. Trying to mentally prepare myself for the talk assault. I barely survived the spam texts yesterday.

"Hey guys," I greet, blatantly ignoring all their curious looks and questioning darting eyes. They stay silent while I open my locker, "um, cat got someone's tongue?"

Warren looks at the rest of them before sighing and literally exploding out words. "Okay, I'm just going to ask it; you weren't joking yesterday?"

"Joking?" I played dumb. "About what?"

"About being-" he cuts himself off and lowers his voice for the next part. "-gay?"

I turn to them, wearing my most serious look. "Why would I be joking about that? I said it to the entire school, didn't I?"

"Yes, but wasn't that like Nadia is about to pin me down with a fucking child, I've gotta zayn panic thing?"

It was exactly that.

"Of course not," I try not to betray any tick at the lie. "Look, I've been looking for a way to say it all these while and I guess Nadia did overwhelm them but the confession was still real."

"Dude, you dated my sister," Quinn states, a confused frown on his face.

"For a week and I've apologized and told you a thousand times that I didn't know it was your sister," I say, already anticipating his grabbing my shirt. It happened in junior year and we're seniors now but Quinn is still not able to get over it whenever it so much as crosses his mind.

"How does that even work?" Abel asks. "How can you be straight one minute and gay the next?"

I shrug, I honestly didn't have an answer for that. I'd ask Timmy later if it's possible, he should know, right?

Warren taps Abel, his eyes still on me as if trying so hard to solve me. "Maybe he's bisexual and not actually gay, there are people like that. Switch teams."

"And he just figured it out, out the blue?" Abel asks again.

Warren shrugs, "loving someone can do that to people."

Quinn gasps, turning all our attention to him. "Oh my God, yes. You confessed because of Timothy Liu, right?"

It's actually Liu McKenzie...

Quinn grins like he's solved a puzzle, "you're in love with him and couldn't help it. You felt he was going to slip through your fingers when Nadia said she was pregnant, right?"

Warren nudged him, "dude, this isn't your Indian movies."

"Could be," Quinn shrugs. "In like hopefully not up to a hundred years. Imagine that, Timmy and Curt in fated romance."

Abel shakes his head with his eyes on me, smiling cockily. "I've known you guys weren't just best friends from day one. Damn, we should have predicted this shit."

"I know right?" Warren and Quinn say at the same time.

"Okay!" I clap my hands, feeling all kinds of weird that I can't explain in my stomach. "Now that you guys have successfully figured out the mystery, can we go now?"

"Finally I can sing," Warren starts saying before lunching into a song as we move and I know I might end up punching him before the day ends. "♪ Curtis loves Timmy, Curtis's dating Timmy, Curtis—♪"

"I'mma fuck you up Finley."

Oh gosh, I can just see Timmy dying and resurrecting when he comes to seat with me for lunch. Fingers crossed it doesn't end up too bad.

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