He's Got a Love Like Woe - [Slash]

Chapter Nineteen - Rumor Has It

Puck Cainly

The next few weeks pass in a blur.

     It's the beginning of December, so the weather is especially bad today--it rains every five minutes, is windier than should be legal, and I'm freezing my ass off even as I jog to the car. Theo's parked closer than usual, in the driveway.

     I glare at him for no real reason when i get in. He looks completely unaffected by the weather in a warm looking leather jacket over a grey sweater, jeans and boots. His hair is wind mussed, eyes calm and amused at my struggle to get into the car in one piece, and he's chewing on a stick of gum. 

     So on top of everything else, his breath smells good.

     Sometimes I really, really hate him.

     I tell him so.

       "Good morning to you, too." he says dryly as he backs up to pull into Jesse's driveway.

     I found out about his and Kyle's little 'fling' a few days after it started. It's supposed to be a secret but I guess Jesse couldn't help but gush.

     And gush he did. And still does, even though him and Rebecca got into it about the fact that what they're doing is, you know...

     Illegal.

     Becca's always been big on the law. I, personally, see her as the future president of the U.S., or in the army (she has the death glare down). When she heard (because she happened to be sitting there when Jesse's self control cracked into a thousand little pieces and he started telling me things that I thought I'd never know about my best friend's older brother) she went off on what Caleb and I quietly like to call her goody-goody rant.

     I don't see anything that wrong about it, even if I didn't want to know about Kyle's talented hands. To me, it's sort of a win-win. Jesse's stopped smacking my butt as often (Kyle doesn't share, he gleefully informed me. I really don't want to know. Honestly.) and as long as the kid's happy, right? The fact that I'd known Kyle for years helped.

     Jesse came skipping out of the house, wearing bright purple boots, dark skinny jeans, a huge purple and white striped hoodie that I'm pretty sure belonged to Kyle at one point.  A huge, bright yellow umbrella finishes the look.

     He gracefully enters the car and chirps a chipper, "Morning Pucky, Theo."

     I grunt. Theo nods. I personally think he has a soft spot for the kid.

       "What's wrong, Pucky?" Jesse pouts. "You normally say 'good morning' back." 

       "He doesn't like the cold," Theo informs him, backing out of his driveway carefully. 

       "Oh." 

       "I'm not even going to ask how you know that." I mumble, even though the idea that Theo remembers my rant about cold weather makes me feel...good.

      We sit in silence--Theo and I, Jesse chats about anything and everything--as we drive to Caleb's house. Before Theo can honk the horn, though, Rebecca comes jogging out of her house, scowling. 

       "I hate the winter." She grumps.

       "Finally!" I exclaim. "Someone who can relate! Where's Caleb?"

       "He was picked up by one his football buddies. Something about an early discussion or something. He didn't tell you?"

       "I left my phone at home again." I say sheepishly.