Lyle

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked her once again. She visited me by the big oak tree outside where we talked about my problems first, now it was her turn. Normally I wouldn't cut class for any reason, but this was an exception.

"I don't know." Elise shrugged and blew her nose into the tissue I gave her. "We just... we had a moment and that's fine."

"He seems remorseful."

"He probably is." Elise nodded and put her hood up as the wind blew harder. "I really hope this isn't a ploy. I did a lot of research and he could relapse. He could be worming his way back in to fuel his addiction."

"Can you blame him though?" I scoffed. My eyes shifted around to see the grim grey sky before facing her again. "He's a troubled soul trapped inside the body of an addict."

"I know that."

"There's a whole other world nobody understands."

"Agreed," Elise said while she took a flask out of her bag much to my chagrin.

"Also speaking of addicts... you wanna explain why you're drinking at two in the afternoon?"

"Eh, no reason." Elise shrugged as she chugged it down. I could tell it was almost empty when I impulsively grabbed it and pulled away. She was far from amused. "Lyle, the flask."

"Elise, your health."

"Real funny." She scoffed and swiped for it. "Now give it back."

"Do you promise to at least not go so heavy the rest of the day?"

"Sure."

"Alright then." I reluctantly handed it to her and she smiled before downing the rest. I rolled my eyes as she finished.

"Thanks for being cool about this." She expressed with gratitude.

"Oh trust me, I'm worried too. I just can't afford to lose my people right now so I won't condone you–"

"Awesome." Elise exclaimed.

"I wasn't finished." I told her very clearly. "I won't idly sit by either. I'll take a drink to the face and a face to the...toilet, but a friend to the drink? Not on my watch."

"God, you're such a good guy." Elise touched my neck which made me jump a little. Her hands were practically icicles plus I was real sensitive there. It was a good thing barely anyone knew or else they'd get handsy all over where I'd probably end up laughing and blushing uncontrollably. People say it's cute, but it's also humiliating.

She laughed and then looked back at the school. "I bet you have class."

"I'm already ahead. It's not like I'll miss anything."

"It's still better than the rest of my day. I'm gonna head home soon."

"Well, I hope things go smoother."

"Me too." Elise sucked in her lips and nodded. "Thanks again for doing this."

"You're very welcome."

"It's always good to have someone who listens and understands without judging."

"I agree." I nodded while letting a faint chuckle slip in and out. "I understand your issues and you understand mine. Though I'll admit, it does feel weird that I've never really spoken with anyone about this."

"Even Caldwell?"

"He sort of knows, but he doesn't get it either. I've got an ignorant, workaholic father, a perfectionist mother, and the best brother in the world. Add my disease and–"

"Homosexuality isn't a disease."

"That wasn't what I was talking about." I clarified. "I was talking about the other thing."

"Right." Elise's face grew more pale once she realized what I was referring to.

"Yeah..." I folded my arms and let out a deep breath.

Our little encounter ended on an awkward note with us hugging goodbye before I returned to my last classes. As the minutes dwindled of my last class, I finished working on my research project. I went down to the printer and came to a full stop.

"Nope." I tried to swivel around and leave, though his voice kept me still.

"Hey, I don't bite." He laughed in his obnoxiously boisterous tone and slapped me on the back.

"Ow..." I rubbed it as he hung his arm around. Damn that hurt.

"Oh cheer up, puppy boy. I'm the highlight of your life."

"More like the pain of my life." I threw his arm off while trying to stand up to him, but he was really tall, masculine, and... alluring. So alluring with that voice of his.

He smirked and poked me in the belly which made me giggle a bit. He towered over before he said, "What's a little fella like you doin' over here?"

"Trying to print my work." I moved past him and checked out the printer only to find an unpleasant surprise. "Broken?"

"Yep." Dominic responded. "It was like that when I got here too."

"You didn't think to say anything?"

"What, and ruin the fun of gettin' you all hot and bothered?" He teased as his presence grew stronger near me. "Not a chance in hell."

"Why'd you want to do that?"

"You're quite the catch."

"Yeah well, I, uh..." I kept my back turned to him and refrained from looking his way to resist that charm. Unfortunately, my speech was a bit tripped up where I was fumbling to get the words out. "I-I-I'm... I'm not really-really that into you."

"For now." Dominic agreed as he put his chin on my right shoulder. I closed my eyes and waited for him to stop being all flirtatious. His manly physique and swagger sure was impressive, but he wouldn't have me. Was it possible? Could he really make me swoon? No, I wouldn't fall for that seductive scoundrel. Not in the least bit, though the slow rise from beneath my belt was telling another story. Especially as his hands touched my shoulders so–Oh for the love of god!

"I really hate you." I grumbled as he snickered.

"You know you want me." He whispered, which made my body tingle. A little sweat ran down my forehead and I chuckled.

"I'll see you later." He softly patted me on the back before taking his leave. I looked down to see myself stiff as a ruler. Why did I wear gym shorts? Why?

I made sure to shut the door and wait until the arousal was gone which took longer than expected. Ugh, I wanted to leave right away, but that could've been very embarrassing. I didn't need that at all. Eventually, I did make it out with nothing amiss except for a certain someone on my mind. Oh god, he was in my head. No!

"Why?" I anguished to myself once my thoughts begun to revolve solely around him. The things I'd do, the things he'd do, and it was so... annoying. Damn, even Johnny was sounding more and more tolerable every time I dealt with this beast. Damn, I needed to get him out of my head before getting home. Those thoughts were not acceptable there.

I made my way down the sidewalk when I heard a rumble. My eyes reed up at that grey sky, which had gotten darker in the previous hours. What followed was the screeching tires and another familiar voice from the straight and less suave version of Dominic.

"Need a ride?" He called out after rolling his window down.

I simply put my hood up and kept walking. Just when I thought I was in the clear, he zoomed his car by the curb and spoke again. "Don't make me cut you off 'cause I will."

"I'm perfectly fine with walking, thank you very much."

"You sure about that? It looks like it's gonna rain." Johnny stared at me with a smug, little grin on his face-Oh! I wanted to smack him.

Instead of doing that, I forced a smile and told him. "Trust me, I'd rather walk."

"Suit yourself." He rolled his window down and I seemingly won until I hear another crack of thunder. What began as a drizzle transcended into a full-on storm. My hood was getting wet and Johnny was purposefully driving slow. Oh... I couldn't believe I'd hitch a ride with the linebacker. I guess today was a day of firsts.

"Alright!" I shouted prompting him to slowly put his car in reverse. He rolled down his window as I surrendered myself. "I could use a ride."

"Cool," Johnny said once I got in. When my seatbelt clicked, he put his foot on the gas pedal and we went flying. I hung on for dear life again as he blasted his rap music which he sang way too happily. I tried to lay low, but it wasn't easy. With every swerve, I'd keep getting jostled around. I covered my ears and felt the vibration of the music against my bottom. Right as I had reached my limit, a miracle happened.

"Shit." Johnny immediately turned off his music to my ear's pleasure and looked over the wheel before slamming his hand on the horn. "Fuck!"

"What is it?" I dared to ask while he was in a mood.

"We're out of gas."

"Oh no." I remarked.

"Yep." Johnny nodded as his eyes veered over to the gas station in the distance. "How strong are you?"

"I can lift boxes."

"That's wasn't the question, you airhead." He scoffed. "I mean, are you John Cena strong or should I be seriously worried?"

"Well I'm not that weak as much as one would think."

"Cool." Johnny pulled over to the side and we both got out. He looked over to me. "Uh, you ready to do this?"

"Ready."

"Then let's go."

Luckily, the rain had died down, though it continued to drizzle. We pushed for five minutes and stopped for two. A cycle that went only three rounds before Johnny wiped his forehead and asked. "Hey, are you still mad about the prank?"

"Why do you keep bringing that up?"

"I don't know." Johnny shrugged as we slowly got his car close enough to take a longer break. "The whole thing was garbage."

"How come?"

"I felt like a real loser."

"Welcome to my world." I chuckled.

"Yeah, I know."

"Uh, you wouldn't know a damn thing." I responded.

"Really? How come?"

"Well you're always with your dudes living on top of the world at the very peak of your lives."

"Oh this is not my peak." He scoffed.

"It's not mine either."

"Wow." He snickered. "That's shocking."

"Couldn't be more shocking than your grades which I'm sure are low just like your self-respect."

"Dude." Johnny's tone lowered as he came closer and stared me down. "Why you gotta be like that?"

"That was a joke."

"You must have a sick sense of humor, huh?" He tilted his head to the right.

"It isn't sick, if it's true." I smiled as he shook his head before ruffling my hair and laughing.

"Who knew a dork like you could be so fun to hang with?"

"I'm fun to hang with?" I repeated much to my own disbelief.

"Okay, maybe not exactly fun, but I'd rather hang with you than my own best buddy."

"Seriously?" My eyebrows raised at that shocker.

"I know. It's fucking sad, man." Johnny wiped his forehead and smiled. "He's been driving me real crazy lately. I mean, bat shit crazy. He won't talk to me, he makes plans then cancels, and don't even get me started on all these dumb girl issues he has."

"What kind?"

Johnny place his hands on his hips and answered. "While I can't get any girls to be interested in me, he will and has taken whoever home all the goddamn time. I'll ask who it was. Doesn't even remember their name."

"So he's really a one and done type of guy?"

"More like ten."

"That's not what I meant, but thanks for giving me that image." I nodded while laughing.

He did the same and looked out to see the gas station in the distance. The rain began to pick up and he turned to me. "Uh, mind if I go grab the gas tank and some snacks?"

"Not at all."

Johnny unlocked his car and once I was inside, he asked. "You want anything?"

"Pretzels and some Gatorade please."

"Should I get the blue?"

"That's not a flavor."

Johnny rolled his eyes and grumbled. "You know what I mean."

"Of course." I nodded. "I'll take a blue."

"Awesome." He smiled before heading down to the gas station. I waited for some time as the rain kept pouring. Eventually, Johnny came sprinting back. He threw the bag of goodies into the car and put in the gas. It took a few minutes but once he was done, he planted his wet self inside and sighed with relief.

"Fuck, it's cold out there." He exclaimed and shuddered. I looked around before offering him my hoodie to dry off.

He blinked when he saw it. He looked like a lost puppy with his drenched, blond hair and confused gleam in his eyes. "You serious, man?"

"I'm going to get soaked anyways." I shrugged. "I don't mind if you use it to dry off."

"Thanks."

He quickly used it to dry his hair and hands off before giving it back. He turned the key in the ignition and the car ran again. The loud music blasted like before, though instead of jamming out, he turned it quiet. I couldn't help, but smile as we drove off, chatting about whatever. To our surprise, we were really striking up a solid conversation.

"So is this gonna sound weird, but is there any sports you're into?" He asked halfway through the trek to my house.

"Well I'm not a huge sports guy."

"Obviously." He scoffed.

You little bastard, I glared over at him and he chuckled. I then smiled and said, "You won't believe this, but I really like tennis."

"What about baseball?"

"If the bat wasn't so narrow, I'd like it more."

"I guess that's fair." Johnny shrugged. "Why do you like tennis?"

"It's calming and exciting."

"Uh, don't you mean boring?"

"Hey, at least tennis can get intense." I suddenly defended the sport. "Unlike golf."

"Oh that's the worst."

"I know. Apparently you have to be drunk to enjoy it."

"That ain't true, man." Johnny disputed. "I once tried it totally wasted, and it still sucked."

"Ugh, that reminds me of math class."

"Aw shit." Johnny shook his head and laughed. "I forgot to do the assignment."

"Was it on imaginary numbers?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

I went silent for some time, letting the sound of rain pelting against the window take over until finally speaking up again. "I took that class two years ago."

"So you're in AP Calc now?"

"Yep." I nodded. "With Audrey and her minions."

"No way in hell those bitches are in your class."

"They're in there, but they-they don't do anything!" I let some laughter slip out when saying that.

"No shit, dude. That's why they're the worst cheerleaders on the team!"

At that point, I burst out with laughter and he did too. "I'm not kidding. Last week, they didn't even cheer. They sat on those benches and texted the whole time."

"Wow."

"Yeah, plus they're not that hot."

"Not one of them?" My right eyebrow raised since this was said by the guy who seemingly checked out every girl who walks through the door.

"Nope." Johnny shook his head. "Just because they're tan doesn't make them hot. Exotic, sure, but hot? Hell nah."

The remainder of the ride was met with satisfactory silence. He was happy, I was happy, everything came together. Wow, this felt so weird. I planned to be quiet the entire time, still hating this cocky knucklehead. Instead, I was glad to have been with him for the last hour or so. I didn't want to give up part of myself, but it just happened. Hopefully, he felt better about me. If not, at least I'd still be around for him.

Once we made it into my neighborhood, Johnny pointed and asked. "Is that your house over there?"

"Uh-huh."

When we pulled into my driveway, Johnny stopped his car and looked me in the eyes. "This was real cool."

"I think so too."

Johnny sat there and placed his hand on my knee. I tried not to look as Johnny spoke again. "Look, I'm sorry about before. You're not a loser. Not in the least bit."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course, man." Johnny reassured me. "You're actually kind of awesome."

"That's so nice of you to say." I replied with a giant smile on my face. "You're pretty splendid yourself."

"There's that fucking word again."

"Well it's a favorite of mine. Of course I'm gonna say it."

The two of us laughed for awhile until eventually calming down. I then turned to him and said, "Uh, thanks again for the ride."

"No problem." Johnny nodded as he gave me such a cute, vibrant smile. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Definitely."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car with my bag. Johnny closed it up and waved goodbye. "Alright, see you around, dork."

"You too, asshole." I responded in reference to our first goodbye. Then again, we left off on a very different note. At first, Johnny's eyebrows raised skeptically before he looked up. He thought for a couple seconds until it hit him before nodding understandingly. Afterwards, he pulled out of my driveway and drove away.

I watched from underneath my house awning and smiled. This was the best day I've had all year. I got closer with three of the four other members from the planning committee, I got things done, and even with all the awkward moments, I could be myself and not feel ashamed. That was the most glorious feeling in the world.