We didn't have Biology the entire day.

A relief really, since I hadn't written down a word, or given up a thought towards the project. I actually forgot about it, but for the rising numbers on the badge that stuck to the Instagram app when I unlocked my phone. The group.

As I bit into the slightly burned toast that lay on my plate, I checked the recent messages, thumb lazily scrolling up until I found a good spot, pausing, then scrolling back down at an even slower pace.
 
They were mainly jokes and arguments---which spanned from 2am to now. Did any of them actually sleep? Not that I was one to talk.

Yes, I was kept up by my thoughts most of the night. No, I didn't have any regrets. Parker Thompson texted me, paid enough attention to set a nickname for me, laid a hope that he would get to see me. It would be crazy if I didn't overthink those little things.

"No devices at the table, you know that," came my mother's voice as she snatched the device from my hand.

I didn't mind, I already read the message from Rowan which said we should meet in the quad this morning. What bothered me was my hand hitting the glass of juice on the table after my phone slipped out.

Nothing spilled, but I watched the liquid sloshing wildly within its barrier, settling into an undisturbed calmness which only lasted before I brought the glass to my lips.

My eyes followed my mother's movements as she placed my phone on top of a pile of books on a coffee table, before turning to pass me a look I knew all too well. I could have it once I finished.

I shoved the food down my throat. My mother's big brown eyes widened with horror or disapproval, I couldn't tell which. Either way, she didn't say a word when I came back from the kitchen and reached for the phone.

The quad was the first place I headed to once I arrived at school. I found Laura seated on a bench at the end of the freshly cut grass, back slouched as she pored over a book in her hand. I could tell it wasn't related to the assignment.

"Morning," I said, sitting across from her. She looked up for a split second and acknowledged me with a greeting.

During the wait for the rest of the squad, I had the chance to continue where I left off in the group chat. It was entertaining, to say the least. But once I was done, I found myself re-reading yesterday's conversation with Parker.

Pure euphoria filled me when I noticed that he was last seen a minute after his last text to me. The thought that he didn't speak to anyone after he did me had my insides churning. It was stupid to think that, I knew. There were so many other avenues he could use to communicate with people. But on Instagram, I could revel in being in the spotlight.

The spotlight shone brighter and extended beyond where I sat when I looked around after slipping my phone into my pocket. I noticed Parker between the moving bodies of students who littered the quad.

He was standing a distance away, engaged in conversation with Micky and Marie. The different coloured hair ties which endowed his wrist caught in the light as he ruffled his hair, a dent in his cheek deepening as the smile on his face grew.

I found it hard to tear my gaze away from him. Not when he had that adorable grin plastered on his face when Marie dropped a bunch of butterfly hair clips in his cupped palms.

Parker Thompson was effortlessly mesmerising.

Too bad my view of him was suddenly obstructed by the mass of moving students. And now Laura.

"What are you looking at?" She stepped in front of me, pushing her face obnoxiously close to mine.

"N-nothing," I mumbled, turning.

I could feel her eyes on me when she rounded the table, narrowed to mere slits, as she shut the book in her hand. "It's Parker, isn't it?"

"Not at all," I replied, clearing my throat and giving her the best adamant expression I could conjure. "Why would you ask that?"

"Dude, I can see him standing right there." Laura gestured behind me, in the direction I was staring at a few moments ago.

I turned, squinting, pretending I was trying to find Parker even though I didn't have to. It gave me a chance to peek at him again, catch an extended second of him just existing.

"That doesn't mean I was looking at him. I mean, Micky's there. Marie's there. Even that that guy with the crutches, and Lamar too."

Laura's expression changed. "You gave me the same answer as you did last night, when I asked what you two were talking about. It's definitely Parker."

"That's a stupid conclusion," I retorted. One which was exactly on point.

She rolled her eyes, pupils disappearing for a solid second. "Whatever. You can lie to him too since he's coming here."

What?

A moment later, I had to fight turning around when his silhouette appeared on the same spot my elbows rested. I bowed my head, avoiding the victorious look on Laura's face.

"Okay, since Rowan isn't here yet, I'll take his position as the one who wants to use you guys and ask how your assignments are going," Micky started, lifting his bushy eyebrows. He swung one leg on top of the bench and ran his eyes over each of us gathered there. "So... how are they going?"

"Parker?"

Parker's shadow moved, rubbed at its neck.

My ears tingled when I heard Parker suck in a breath, voice flowing out in smooth waves when he spoke. Directly behind me. "I kinda fell asleep before I could actually start."

I almost didn't hear Micky mention my name. "Adrian?"

"I'll start tonight," I answered.

"Laura?"

"I have the title written down, so that's progress." Laura took pride in the fact that she was a baby step ahead of the rest of us. It showed in the smug look she wore, the casual flip of her long brown hair.

"Again, you disappoint me, Laura." Micky shook his head with a woeful expression, lips drawn to a thin line.

"Unlike the rest of you, I actually care about not fail---"

Kevin cut in as he stepped over the bench, dropping his backpack on the table. Another addition to the party. He was the tallest person in our year, with legs that could jump a mile high. He could have been the embodiment of a young LeBron James, except he sucked at basketball. "No one cares that you care, Marie."

"Why are you always set on being mean to Marie? She's nothing but sweet," Laura interjected.

"Laura, it's nothing. I don't care what they think anyway," Marie assured with a small shrug. She received a warm smile from Laura, and the corner of her own lips started to turn up. They fell back down once Micky spoke up.

"Sweet Marie, no one cares that you don't care." Micky threw his head back as he laughed, giving high-five Kevin who had a hand over his mouth to cover his grin.

Fed up with the constant jabs which kept coming at her, Marie grabbed her stuff off the table and left after she waved goodbye to the ones she thought deserved a goodbye. Micky and Kevin weren't graced with that honor.

The group split when the first period bell rang, with Laura packing up her stuff as I stood. Parker's shadow was already gone.

Gym was one of the classes in the curriculum I loved. Except when it involved an activity I was no good at. I would be lying if I said I could touch a volleyball without having it slip between my hands, like it had somehow gone through a metamorphosis and turned to sand.

And right now, I was in the middle of a game of volleyball.

Unlike the other activities, like yoga, where I could ogle at Parker---since we had the same gym class---volleyball had me too busy trying not to hit, or miss, or generally involve myself in the game, while also trying as hard as I could to participate because the coach had her eyes on my every move.

It was a struggle to try to process my thoughts from the confusing yells that came, the constant reminders to keep my hands up when I was in the front, the harsher alerts to keep them close together when I was in the back.

I was deep into one of those internal struggles that I didn't see the ball come right at me. I didn't see Parker dive for it, hands clasped together in an attempt to save it from hitting me or the floor. I didn't even see if he succeeded or not. But I felt.

Fuck, I felt when he crashed right into me and we both tumbled to the floor. I felt his back press against my chest, nostrils filling with the scent of sweat and whatever cologne he used. His scent. Eau de Parker Thompson.

In the few seconds before Parker rolled off me, his body heat seeped through his top to mingle with mine. It was my undoing.

Holding my breath, I prayed for the fire that spread through me to die, quenched before it could set me ablaze. It didn't. And I'm sure Parker felt the evidence poke him in the fraction of the second where he finally stood.

Especially when he froze halfway, looking at me with his face set in an expression I couldn't make out.

Parker knew he felt it. Kill me now.

I remained on the gym floor, a boulder that refused to move even when Coach noticed me in that position, knees pressed to chest, heat in my face hidden beneath layers of perspiration and light brown skin.

She shouted. The game ceased. Everyone turned. All eyes on me. Parker's.

And it got worse. I could feel all the blood drain down. Down, down into the light nylon gym shorts until I felt the distinctive presence of an impossibly hard hard-on rub against my thigh. God no.

"---a thing I said, Gonzalez?"

Coach said something?

Oh, right. That I should get my ass off the floor.

But I remained, unflinching, unmoving. She was walking towards me now, pulling along with her the eyes of everyone in the gym. Closer, closer. I still stared from the floor. I couldn't stand. Not if I would risk every one seeing the tent I had probably pitched.

So I cried.

No, not in the way you think. Not full on bawling with blinding tears and a heaving chest. But I cried out in pain, shame, told her I had hurt my leg when the only thing that hurt was my bruised ego.

Her eyebrows turned upwards as she regarded me, disbelief splotched across her features. It took a while before she sighed out, shoulders falling. She probably misplaced the fear in my face for pain.

Not that I wasn't in it. Pain still strained against my leg. Pain still refused to bow to fear. Pain stood proud because Parker was still there, still watching me with the softest brown eyes, full of pity for the lie that I told. Amusement, maybe? For the pretence I hid behind?

Whatever it was, it didn't stop the heat. My hard-on just kept growing. If only Parker would stop looking at me like that, I could actually focus on conjuring up my best Boner-Be-Gone images in my head.

"Can you stand?"

"Yes, Coach."

She stood there, waiting for me to get on my feet. Eventually, I lifted my upper body with my hands, transferring all my weight onto one side of my body in an attempt to block her---or anyone else's---vision of my... problem.

My legs were positioned in a jaunty angle as I began to lift myself, facing away from the game which had started again. I was grateful that someone else had been selected, and I hurried to get the hell out as fast as I could.

A hand caught mine before I could shuffle away. Rubber-like material rubbed against my wrist. Hair ties. I immediately knew who it was.

"You okay?" Parker asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said, ensuring that my head was the only part of my body which turned with my neck. "Just need to rest my foot."

"Right." He let go, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

That was all I needed to confirm that he knew. I would never live this down.

With a small limp I hoped looked convincing, I moved towards the boys' locker room. It took a lot of effort not to break into a sprint, but I made it without any incident.

And I spent a good amount of time under the cold spray of the showers. Not that I burst into tears or anything.

Even though I had been horribly embarrassed because of Parker, I couldn't get over the excitement I felt when I saw his name grace my phone's screen. Even the simplest text had me grinning like a madman, and I was glad Mysterious and Adrian were two seperate entities.

Parks: hey were you in school today?

Me: Yeah.

Parks: you didnt come talk to me

Me: You said you'll see me. You did.
Up close. Like REALLY up close.

Parks: but i didn't know it was you ????

Me: It's better that way. Trust me.

Parks: okay. do we have any classes in common aside bio?

Me: Yes. Third period gym.

Parks: wait were you the one i bumped into during that class??

God, he knew it was me. There goes the last of my fractured dignity.

If only the ground would swallow me and all evidence of my existence. It was bad enough that Parker had a first-hand feel of my erection. It was worse knowing that he now knew that the person he was texting was Adrian, the same person who had tried being cryptic the previous night about their real identity.

How bad would it look that I didn't want him to know who I was? How terrifying would it be to find out about me through an erection I couldn't control? One that was because of him?

The only way to save my face was to block him and pretend the past day never happened. At least that would help dissolve the crush I had on Parker, I hope.

Just as I opened the menu where I could find the setting to block his messages from ever reaching my account again, another message appeared.

It was divine providence; I tell you. It was the heavens preserving the last of my will to live, separating Mysterious from Adrian Gonzalez.

Parks: the one who was puking near the locker rooms.

Me: What? That's definitely not me.

Parks: oh.
you're the one who played next to me after that guy hurt his leg?

Me: That wasn't me.

I was glad Parker didn't recognize me, honestly. But I couldn't ignore the tinge of hurt that pricked me as I realized he couldn't even point me out by mistake, even as an afterthought, even in jest. I was that guy. As if he didn't even know my name.

On the bright side, Parker had the decency not to mention the hard-on. That gave me some level of comfort.

Parks: you're not gonna tell me who you are ?

Me: I don't think I will anytime soon.
Besides, I still have to do the assignment. And so do you.

Parks: right

I spent a good chunk of time with my face buried in my pillow. Not that there were wet spots left behind when I got up to feed Jellybean. Because there weren't.

Word count: 2671 words

Honestly I am so stressed and scared that this chapter won't live up to the first XD.

Anyways I would love to know how you felt about it! Parker felt. Adrian felt. Now here's the part where you let me know how YOU felt ;)

Till the next time I update, ciao.
Peace, Love, and Rubber Gloves!♡