Shade walked through the crowd of people in the school hallway as his way to his locker. He pulled his earbuds out as a hand clasped down onto his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled at Nate before pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning his music off.

          "Hey," Shade sighed and shoved his phone and earbuds in his pocket. Nate nodded in response causing Shade to raise an eyebrow, "Your vocal cords suddenly broken or what? Never seen you pass up the chance to run your mouth?" Nate sent the boy an annoyed look before reaching across Shade and shoving his hand into the boys pocket. Shade jumped back in surprise and attempted to push Nate's hand out. Nate slapped Shade's chest with his free hand and pulled Shade's phone out of his pocket with the other. He waved the phone around before unlocking it and opening the notes app. Shade now stood across from the boy as he waited on him to finish typing.

          Nate finally turned the phone around to reveal his message: Chad on lacrosse team said I couldn't go a day without talking. Proving the asshat wrong.

          Shade nodded, "Why couldn't you type that in on your phone?" Nate turned the phone back to himself and began typing a new message.

          He turned the phone towards Shade again: lost it.

          "'Course ya did," Shade laughed. He rolled his eyes and walked around Nate to start heading to his locker like he was originally doing. Nate turned and caught up with the boy, typing on the boys phone. Shade looked down at his phone, watching the boy type. "Isn't that like the fifth phone you've lost this month?" The boy stopped typing and looked up to Shade. Shade held his hands up defensively as Nate glared at the boy. Nate averted his attention back to the phone and finished typing his message before shoving the phone in Shade's face.

          Shade held his head back as he read the message: cant help i'm bad at keeping up with my phones. good thing i got rich parents, huh?

          Shade scoffed at the message and shook his head disappointingly at Nate who went on to add: you know, i could get my parents to buy you a new phone too. you kinda need an upgrade dude. this phone is like seven generations old and busted as shit.

          Shade snatched his phone back from the boy, "I don't need you or your parents buying me a new phone. It might be old and busted but it's still working. And I'll use this damned thing until it no longer works." He shoved the phone into his left pocket as he and Nate finally approached his locker where the rest of their friends were waiting.

          Carrie was the first to spot the boys, "Took you two long enough to get here. Making out in the locker room again? Lil throwback to eighth grade?" Nate's head shot in Shade's direction, his eyes wide. Shade flipped Carrie off before looking to Nate.

          "She was my only friend in eighth grade and I had just explored my sexuality! I couldn't just not tell someone," Shade defended himself. Nate kept an angry look on his face as he crossed his arms across his chest, expecting a better answer. Shade threw his arms out, "Oh, come on! Are you telling me you didn't tell anyone?" Nate shook his head aggressively.

          "If I may intervene," Deaton stepped forward and a placed a hand on both boys shoulders, "Nate's lying." He smiled innocently before taking a step back, "Continue, please."

          "Who did you tell?" Shade asked, his voice getting louder causing Nate to punch him. Nate held a finger to his mouth, telling Shade to be quiet. Again, Nate shook his head as if to say he didn't tell anyone.

          Shade was about to continue when Kelsey cut in from behind Deaton and Carrie, "Why isn't Nate talking? This is like the longest I've ever seen him be quiet." Nate waved a hand at Kelsey while looking at Shade, telling him to explain the situation.

Shade turned to Kelsey, "Chad from the lacrosse team said Nate couldn't go a day without talking and so he's trying to prove him wrong." Shade sent a thumbs up towards Kelsey before turning back to Nate, "Who did you tell? Because you cant get mad at me for telling someone if you also told someone." Nate's hands went to hair as he fought the urge to yell, already on the brink of talking and proving Chad right. After a moment of silence and gripping his hair, Nate opened his eyes and reached into Shade's pocket once again.

Shade jumped back, again. His back hitting the lockers creating a loud metal clanging sound to echo through the hall. "Can you stop doing that?" Shade whisper-yelled as people walking by, staring at the group. Shade pushed Nate's hand away, "That's the wrong pocket, anyways."

"Chill out, Shade. It's probably not the first time he's had his hand in your pants or touched your dick," Carrie stated. Both boys turned to Carrie wide eyed.

"It definitely is. We only made out once. We've never done anything else," Shade spat quietly. Nate smacked Shade's shoulder. "What?" He asked the boy who held his hands together and made moved his thumbs like he was typing. Shade sighed and grabbed his phone from his pocket and handed it to Nate.

"Why is Nate using your phone and not his?" Kelsey asked, taking a bite of an apple.

"Where did you get an apple?" Deaton pointed at the apple, confused.

Kelsey shrugged, "Grabbed it outta some kids hand as he was walking by. Wanna bite?" She held the apple out to Deaton. The boy looked at the apple and then back to Kelsey before shrugging and grabbing the apple. Kelsey then pointed a hand to Nate and Shade, "So the phone thing?"

"Idiot lost another phone."

"You'd think he'd be a little more protective of something he uses to take naked pictures of himself," Deaton laughed as he handed the apple back to Kelsey. Nate looked up from typing on Shade's phone to glare at Deaton.

When he finished typing he held the phone up to Deaton, Carrie, and Kelsey: Shade and I only made out in eighth grade. And just the once. Swear.

Deaton shook his head and let out a slow laugh as he took a couple steps closer to the boys, "Wrong." He shook his head and sung, "You are so wrong." He looked between the now confused boys, "You guys really don't remember?" They both shook their heads. Deaton looked down and let out an over-exaggerated groan. He then looked back up to the boys, "The summer before this school year started. William's birthday bash. You two. In the bas—" Shade's hand shot up to Deaton's mouth.

"How many times do I have to tell you: that was not Nate."

Carrie stepped forward, pulling Shade's hand off Deaton's mouth, "Now, hold on. I wanna hear what this man has to say! I wanna know what you were doing down in William's basement."

Nate held the phone up to Shade: same.

"Kelsey! Help me out here," Shade pleaded, "Tell them this is an invasion of my privacy and they cant do this. Please." Kelsey ignored the boy, lost in her own world as she typed furiously on her phone. "Kelsey!" Still, no reply. Shade's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"You can say it wasn't Nate all you want but the person you were down there with looked spot-on like Nate," Deaton shrugged. He placed his hands on his hips. "But anyways," he looked between Nate and Carrie, "Shade and whoever he was with were having a pretty intense make out session and someone—Shade—wasn't wearing a shirt."

"In my defense, my shirt came off way before that make out session," Shade let out an awkward laugh as he readjusted his backpack strap. Shade grabbed his phone out of Nate's hand, "We should all just get to class." Then, he made a quick exit. His friends managed to catch up just as he got to class. He turned to them, "Well, see you after class, Nate and Carrie."

          Shade entered the class and took his seat. Deaton and Kelsey stood out of the door whispering to each other. Shade watched as Kelsey's eyes continually glanced in his direction. He clasped his hands together and leaned back in his seat as the two finally entered the room. Kelsey sat down next to him and Deaton behind him.

          "What were you guys talking about?" Shade asked, turning sideways in his seat. He looked between his two friends who exchanged a look before their eyes fell back onto Shade.

          "Nothing!" Deaton rushed out, "Stop being nosey, Shade. No one likes nosey people. Especially William."

          "Who gives a shit who William likes?" Shade looked confused. His friends shared another look. Shade looked between the two, throwing his arms out, "Well? Spill." Deaton turned to look at the wall and began ignoring the bull. Shade scoffed and turned to Kelsey, "Tell me what you guys were talking about." She shook her head. "Coward," he turned his attention away from Kelsey when the bell rang and the teacher entered the classroom.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled the phone out, holding it under the desk as his teacher attempted to silence the class. He looked at the text message on his phone: hey! sorry for the late reply. i woke up late this morning. what's up? He was about to reply to the message when he heard his name being said. He looked up to see his teacher at his desk, telling him to put his phone away. Shade nodded, putting the phone in his pocket.

☆࿐

complete offense but im ready to add drama into this story already lmao

also i promise the chapters will get longer once things get more interesting!

+ i had to quickly unpublish bc i realized i never gave this chapter a title oops

WORD COUNT.        1652