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evangeline blackwood

I open my eyes to see my mother standing above me, her hand outstretched onto my shoulder as she goes to shake me again.

"What?"

"Your friends are here."

"I don't care." I huff, turning away from her and pulling the duvet up to cover my head. "Tell 'Shanti to wait. I'm tired."

"It isn't Ashanti or Logan. There's 3 boys, one of them is Morgan." Her words snapped me out of my hazy, exhausted state and my eyes widen in shock.

"What?"

I check my phone which lay on my bedside table. I don't have any recent messages aside from those in the group chat.

For fucks sake.

"I know I'm gay and shit but if I was 20 years younger." She makes a suggestive face at me as I climb out of bed.

"Move." I gag, "That's disgusting. They're my mates."

"They brought food. That's literally the key to my heart." She shrugs, "If Cami did that daily, I'd never moan about my life at all."

I doubt that very fucking much.

"Please stop talking." I grab my hoodie and shrug it on before jogging to the living room.

Mum and Atlas are already sat down at the dining room table and speaking to them and Mum comes in behind me and goes and sits with them.

"You do realise that its 9am, don't you?" I rub my eyes, yawning. "I haven't got classes until 11."

"I was forced into this, I take no responsibility." Apollo glares at Adonis, "I was forced awake at 6am and he physically dragged me out of bed and then, oh then, he had the audacity to ask me to cook for your wonderful mothers."

"You shouldn't have troubled yourselves." My Mum sends a concerned look in his direction while my other looked as though she was stifling a laugh.

"It was no problem, Miss Blackwood. My idiot brother just annoys me constantly and I tend to exaggerate at times." He smiles sheepishly.

"Sometimes." Adonis snorts under his breath but I just manage to catch it, biting my own lip to stop any chuckles from arising.

"Just call me Jace, Sweetheart." She smiles at him, kissing my Mum's forehead before grabbing her bag, taking Atlas and leaving.

"You can tell I'm the favourite child." I roll my eyes, the side of my lips tugging up.

My Mum laughs slightly but leaves after. I can't help but feel this heavy ache in my chest. Shit has been awkward since all the therapy arguments but she was still my Mum, at the end of the day.

And I don't want to have to rely on Cami for everything. That ain't fair.

"You want a cake?" Morgan asks, bringing me one anyways. I smile at him in thanks and take it out of his hands. "Apollo's actually the best cook, Darlin'."

"I believe you." The cake melts on my tongue and I swear I start to see stars. "What the fuck. That's actually really nice."

"I want one." Apollo declares, grabbing one from the tin lay on the table. Adonis is sitting silently next to it but he doesn't look up.

I go and sit down next to Adonis as Morgan and Apollo engage in their own conversation.

"What's up with you?"

He seems to snap out of his trance and turns to me wordlessly. His eyes studied me, taking in my appearance. "You look different."

I shuffle uncomfortably, pulling the hoodie strings.

"It isn't a bad thing." He continues quietly, offering me a small smile.

"Well next time, phone me or something to wake me up, so at least I'll have a bit of time to look presentable."

"Should've checked the group chat." He shrugs.

-----

I was sat in Biology and to my utmost discomfort, the twins were in my class.

"Stop throwing paper at me."

Bop.

"Apollo, I swear to fuc-" Bop. "I will boil your teeth and make you choke on it if yo-" And again.

Adonis' face goes bright red as his anger accumulates, the glare he's sending his brother is almost too much to cope with. Apollo snorts, holding his stomach as he tries to silence his laughter in order to make sure the teacher doesn't come over acting all high and mighty.

One of the kids had asked her a question regarding the connection between neurology and homosexuality and she's been explaining it for at least three quarters of the lesson, even going as far to hand out leaflets on the subject.

It's not on the specification but meh, it's basically a free.

Julian is sat in front of us, holding the leaflet as if he needed to disinfect his hands the moment he releases it.

"Look at the state of this, bruv. Shoving it down our throats and shit, as if anyone cares." He says to the boy next to him before turning around, facing us. He notices the twin's expressions and adds, "It's weird, innit?"

I know he's trying to be 'cool', to fit in with them. Apollo and Adonis were the sort of people which you'd rather have as friends, or at least allies, rather than enemies, and I'm sure he realised that yesterday.

They might not have been here long but both of them had already risen to the top of the school's social ladder. Apollo had a bunch of admirers (all of them female and without having a clue that he's gay) and Adonis pretty much gets stared at the moment he walks into a room.

A lot of people say it's because they've both publicly challenged Julian, who up until their arrival was untouched, but I'd say it's because, in Ashanti's words, they're fit.

It's better to be with them than against them, because everyone knows you don't mess with a family.

Julian is well aware of that, he was smart about it.

Yet he didn't realise that their status wasn't built on the ruins of others self-concepts and downwards social mobility. He didn't realise that they wouldn't find amusement in chatting shit about a whole social group, regardless of any affiliation.

They helped people rise up instead of beating them down.

"You got a problem with Gays?" Apollo smirks, his eyes glistening with mischief.

Julian doesn't seem to catch on however, "That lot disgust me, man."

"Really?" There's that sarcasm, the one that I was surprisingly becoming used to. "Shame, I'm one of them then. So, technically, if you've got a problem with that 'lot', you've got a problem with me."

"And me." Adonis adds, yet his eyes flash with surprise at his brother's unfronted stance.

Julian's smile dropped, "I was joking."

"No you weren't." Adonis raises his eyebrow, his smirk widening. "You got a problem with my brother, you've got a problem with my family. And I suggest you move over there before I rock your jaw."

"Are you a faggot too? Just like your brother." Julian hums, before turning to the boy next to him whose watching silently. "Bet they wank each other off at night, eh."

Apollo goes to stand up, but Adonis holds his hand out and gestures for him to wait.

"I'm going to let that one slide, but I'll give you some advice." He leans forward on the table, his stare not wavering under Julian's. "You keep your mouth shut about my brother. I ain't arsed what you've got to say about me but if you think you can stand there and chat shit about him then you've gone and lost your mind. 'Cause I swear on whatever God's up there that I will personally see to it that your reputation is tarnished. I'm not bothered what your excuse is for this behaviour. I've been here a few weeks and you've already hit a girl, bullied her, battered my brother, disrespected my family and made up rumours about me. Bad childhood, hidden secret, trauma, I don't give a fuck. I promise you that your father will know what scum you are and I will spin your jaw so hard that I'll give you brain damage, you stupid, pathetic, motherfuck-"

"Mr Walker!" The teacher shouts, her mouth hanging open. "If you continue to speak to other students like that, I will be forced to ask you to leave so-"

"See you in a bit then." He scrapes his chair on the floor, standing up and grabbing his bag. "I ain't going to sit in a class where you're letting some weirdo verbally attack another student."

"I am not giving you permission to leave! Sit back down now." The teacher snaps, to which Adonis starts to laugh.

He moves past me to get out of the row but as he nears me, he speaks quietly so I'm the only person that can hear him.

"My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me. Fuck all them"

Pride and Prejudice.

With a little extra.

As his words sink in, I watch demurely as he strides through the classroom without acknowledging either Julian or the teacher.

Adonis doesn't return by lunch time. I assume he's with the Principal again or that he's skipped. Apollo is informing the rest of the group of what happened in Biology as Julian approaches our table for the second time in two days.

It's almost as if he doesn't learn at all.

None of us react and I gesture for Apollo to continue as if Julian isn't stood directly behind Logan. So, right in front of him might I add, Apollo gives them the details on what Adonis said to Julian.

Julian Parks narrows his eyes at me, probably trying to process my disregard. He's a pretty slow person, you get me? Takes a while to catch on.

He begins to pant, blowing air loudly in and out his nose.

"It's fine, take a deep breath." I smile sarcastically, "I know you've taken a few hits recently. Hard to keep up now, huh?"

"Fuck you." He growls, stepping forward with the obvious intention of grabbing me.

Before his hands even make contact, I leap to my feet. I hear Ashanti's sign and I instantly know that we're getting an audience but I don't care.

"Careful, JP." I warn in a steady voice, knowing that he hates me calling him that. I push the sleeves of my hoodie up so they're out of my way, prepared to throw down if I need to and if he doesn't back off.

"Or what?" He asks, taking a slow step forward. I can sense eyes on my back and due to the way my skin electrifies, I know it's Adonis. I know he's here.

I smile. A feral, full-faced grin. Almost a replica of the one Adonis gave Julian when he got hit or how Morgan smiles when he's drunk. That's it. That's the thing that draws me in. We're exact opposites, pretty much, but we both have this wild, feral aspect of ourselves. We have that fire, the inability to cope with disrespect. It's seen much more with Adonis but when I snap, I snap.

"Hit me and you'll see." I taunt dangerously, as if playing with a lit splint. My heart is pumping quick, adrenaline coursing through my veins. "Come on then." I widen my eyes, "Please give me an excuse to put you on your ass."

He knows I'm not bluffing. The faded bruises on my skin prove that to him and the last time he touched me, he got one back.

Morgan appears out of nowhere, walking forward.

"Back off before you get yourself filled in." He glances at Julian, rolling his eyes. Morgs raises his voice, "Move."

Julian grits his teeth, his top lip curling back as he walks past me and straight towards Adonis. He doesn't do anything but stare directly at him, straightening his body and obviously squaring up to him.

Adonis looks him up and down, raising his eyebrows in the equivalent of you ain't shit.

Confession:  I wish I was as strong as Adonis.