"Can I have some of your hash browns?" Spencer asks from the driver's seat of his car. We're parked in the desolate school lot eating our breakfast with our hands since I didn't get the chance to grab any utensils on our way out of Denny's. I spin the box of breakfast items that we've rested on the center console so that my hash browns are facing him. "Sweet, thanks."

I hum in response, preoccupied with my mouth filled with pancake. I stare out the car window. The sun just started to come up a few minutes ago so it's exceptionally bright right now. Luckily we are parked at the front of the main school building which blocks the sun rising from the barren Nevada desert that the campus is sat on the edge of. I'm super fucking glad I decided to down my coffee before we had to split because Spencer didn't and he looks rough, to say the least.

"Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not gonna make it." I look over at him, tiredly leaning on the car door with his head up against the window, absentmindedly chewing on some of my hash browns.

"You know, school doesn't start for another 30 minutes. We can probably drive somewhere to get you coffee and be back in like 10 minutes," I offer.

He tilts his head slightly in my direction not opening his eyes. "Ryan, if there is one thing that will give me more of a headache than caffeine withdrawal, it's trying to find parking at this stupid school at 7:45 in the morning. We have just managed to beat the flow of every other student into the school. I am not losing my parking spot."

The both of us jump when there's a knock on my window; Spencer even gives an irritated yet monotonous yell at the sudden loud noise. I look out to see who it is and smile. I press the button on the side of the door to roll the window down, "Hello there, Jonathan."

"Jon!" Spencer cheers, still exhausted

I get out of the car and give Jon a hug which he returns amazingly. Jon is such a great hugger. Neither Spencer nor myself got to see much of Jon this summer. He couldn't join us on the California trip because he had to visit his grandparents or something for a week while we would've been gone and the other two months he was on other family trips and hanging out with his girl, Cassie. Now there is a great couple. They've been together since the summer before sixth grade when he wrote her a love poem on the back of a bar coaster from the casino my dad was working in at the time. She loved it and apparently felt the same way for him as much as an 11-year-old could; she has the coaster framed on her wall I'm pretty sure. But, man, I have never seen a couple so perfect and well rounded in my life. If anyone were to tell me that true love doesn't exist I'd laugh and then point them in the direction of Jon and Cassie.

Spencer manages to get himself out of the car without collapsing and comes over to give Jon a hug. "What the hell are you doing here this early and without Cassie?" he asks.

"She texted me that she was having a special family breakfast or something so I didn't need to pick her up. She's getting dropped off a bit later," Jon then retrieves a tray with two cups of coffee from off the roof of the car were he must've put it before greeting us.

"What's that?" Spencer asks transfixed on the cardboard tray.

Jon moves the tray away from Spencer with a suspicious crease in his brow, "Coffee I got for Cassie and me."

I snort at the desperation that takes up my friend's being just then. "Jon, just give him a coffee and everyone's day will go a lot smoother."

"Hey, no, I got these for Ca--"

Spencer has already lunged at the tray and snagged one of the paper cups, running with it four parking spots away from us and chugging the contents. "Mmm, who asked for the Pumpkin Spiced Latte?" He shouts over to us.

Jon sighs but being the calm guy he is, just brushes it off; he'll probably give Cassie his coffee. He turns to me and perks up a bit, "Ry, I know we texted and talked over the phone a bit but I still really missed you."

I put my hand on Jon's shoulder and squeeze it with sincere fraternity, "I really missed you, too, Jon. And you came just in time. I don't think Spencer would have survived through the day without throwing a chair at someone who breathed too loudly."

He found my joke funny and then asked, "So what did you two get up to without me around? You have to tell me all about the trip."

Oh yeah. I need guidance from Spencer.

"Definitely, man," and before he can try to push any details out of me Cassie gets dropped off right next to us shifting all of his attention to her. Thank you universe for true love.

"Hey, Cassie!" I call out as I make my way over to Spencer who appears to be slow dancing with his cup of Pumpkin Spiced Latte.

"Hello, Cassie!" Spencer shouts, emotionally separating from the latte.

"Hi, Ryan! Hi Spencer!" she calls back but then is interrupted with giggling as I'd assume Jon has picked her up off her feet and is now showering her with kisses.

We leave them to it.

"You feeling better yet?" I've already seen an increase in his energy levels.

"I feel awesome," he gulps down the rest of the cup and frowns, "Shit. That thing was mostly sugar and not damn near enough caffeine."

I heave a heavy sigh. "You'll be fine," I remark dismissively.

I see Spencer sort of peer over my shoulder. "Hey, so what are you going to do about Jon?"

I cock my head, "What do you mean?"

"You know," he lowers his voice and comes in closer, "the events of our trip."

"Why would I want to go do that?" I snap at him. Is he crazy? He looks back at me with a blank look of confusion. I calm down a bit, "Look, the only reason you know is because of a slip-up. And I'm okay with you knowing because you're basically my brother but I don't feel the need to let it out, okay?"

He blinks, "Oh, uh, yeah, okay."

I have no doubt that Jon and the majority of the people at this school would be fine with me being whatever because that's the society we live in but I don't like how different it's making everything feel. Before I had these thoughts separated from the real world and letting them out for people to see just-- it makes me feel itchy inside. And this is with only one person knowing, my best friend at that. I know I got up to some stuff this summer but I do not plan on letting it happen again anytime soon. I'd suppressed it completely for nearly 18 years, I can handle going a little longer. To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting to let anybody know about my preferences until I was in college or some shit and far away from detailed reactions.

"We can talk about this more if you want," he suggests but the cars of disoriented students are filling in the rest of the parking lot so I choose to save it for another time.

~~~

With seven minutes left until the bell rings we all decide to go inside and visit our lockers. We wave off Jon and Cassie as their lockers are located elsewhere while mine and Spencer's are right next to each other since we came to the school orientation together. We chat about random things until the bell rings and we each have to get to our homerooms. I wish Spencer good luck and head off to English.

When I step into the classroom I don't recognize anyone that I could at least call an acquaintance so I just sit myself down at an empty desk without much thought. By the time the final bell rings there are still a few chairs left empty but the teacher, Mr. Way, begins the class introduction anyways.

After about ten minutes, we have gone over the course syllabus and highlighted what needs reading and signing. "Okay everyone if you could please get out your copies of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. You were supposed to read it over the summer and write an essay which I am hoping to get by Friday." Everybody groans at this request. "C'mon guys, you had all summer to do this and its a really good book," Mr. Way insists.

It was a pretty good book. I was able to read it while we were on the road. The class breaks out into casual discussion as everyone gets their things organized. I bend over to grab my copy from my backpack and struggle for a moment trying to find it in my already jumbled bag. While I'm slumped over looking for the book I hear a set of footsteps enter the classroom, supposedly another student who just came late.

"Oh, well it is a pleasure to have you here at Clark County High School" -- ah, new kid-- "and you can just take a seat where ever there is an empty spot." Whoever it is their response is too quiet for me to hear what they sound like. The footsteps come closer to me and stop at the desk next to mine. The chair scratches the floor and the person sits down.

Aha! Here it is trying to hide between my binders. I sit back up with the book in hand.

"Ryan?" I freeze in absolute bone-chilling terror at the familiar voice.

And there he is. Just sitting there. Not in San Francisco or Santa Cruz or LA or San Diego. My plans have just gone to shit in an instant. Brendon Urie. What the fuck universe?