Mr President's son -BoyXBoy- *ACTIVELY EDITING*

Chapter Ten*

   I jerk away but clutch Gale's shirt. I don't know what made me do it, but it felt safe. "Stay still" He whispers, but when I look back up at him, I know his eyes are wide with fear too. I couldn't let us both get in trouble for this, something we hadn't even done. Just... almost. The truth gets stuck in my throat, causing me to choke. It was do or die, so I step out from the aisle.

    "Yes, father?", I ask. My heart was racing but I kept on a calm face. I prayed that Gale would understand what I was doing and he'd just stay put. My father looks around the room from his place at the door, his eyes finally landing on me with a relieved expression.

   "There was a boy on tour. Gale Yorke. Is that correct?", he asks. My stomach turns and I find myself nodding, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants as I walk towards him. "Where is he? I couldn't find him among the other students" he motions out the door with his thumb.

    Without warning, Gale pops out of a completely different aisle, one several aisles away from the one I was just in. "I didn't realize there was someone else in here, I'm sorry", he says, his voice deep and strong, his shoulders shoved back. "Gale Yorke. What can I do for you?", he grins, shaking my fathers hand as if my father wasn't a snake, ready to strike at any time. I didn't even touch my father.

   My dad doesn't seem to care that Gale and I were in the same room alone together, which is mind blowing. He obviously had something else on his mind. Something much bigger than me. "I need to speak to your father but have no way of contacting him. It's quite important", he tells Gale as he shakes his hand. My eyebrows furrow as I look from my father to the beautiful boy on the other side of him.

   To say I was confused would have been a major understatement. How did my father know this guy at all? Or know his father. I wait for Gale to respond in confusion, but he just gives my father a number that my dad hastily puts in his phone. My dad walks off without a word and I'm left standing in utter shock. 

   I turn to Gale quickly, anger, something I hadn't felt in years, returned to me with a hot fury. "Was this some sort of test? Is that what you came here for?", I demand, trying to keep my voice quiet, but my fury squeaks out here and there, causing a deep blush to form on my cheeks.

   Gale pauses, his eyebrow arching. "Test you? What would I be testing you for, Tyler?", he asks slowly, crossing his arms. I shake my head, keeping my mouth tightly closed. "I guess I should have told you". I look up at him, begging my fears not to become my reality. "I'm a military brat. My dad is in close communication with your dad, but sometimes my dad goes off on missions where it's unsafe for the president to call, so he doesn't bother with his number. But he always gives it to me. That's also how I got here, definitely not my academic scores", he explains. I gulp down the welcoming air as he relives my fears. I'm okay. Everything is okay.

   I shuffle on my feet, shoving my hand in my right pocket as I chewed on my bottom lip. It still didn't make sense to me. "Then why did you come here? I'm sure you've met my dad before, and you could have seen the white house at any time. What made you come through a school tour?", I ask, hating how my voice slightly shook. I just expected him to crush my heart at any time, and for my father to come raging in the door.

   "Ohh, Tyler", he breathes out. "So oblivious and absent minded". I'm left struck as he takes a step back as my father re enters the room. "Everything all right, sir?".

   My dad sighs. Frustration and stress wasn't something that I often saw in him. He was cool, collected at all times. Something was wrong. Gale being here made everything feel so much more tense. Like him being here was apart of the fallout. "Everything will be fine. Don't you boys worry. Go on now, the tour is almost over", he tells us, head back to where he came from.

     When we get back, the others are already lined up for the bus. Gale stops before going into the line and turns to me. "I have to say, thank you dearly for this private tour", he grins, causing a small smile to appear on my own lips as I nod. He glanced around before leaning down. "To answer your question, I came because I know who you are. We all know who you are. We're just going to make you okay with it", he whispers in my ear.

I open my mouth to reply, but he's already on the bus with its door closing before I can. My heart slams relentlessly against my chest as I watch it drive away.

"I'd say that was a success!", Rachel says, excitedly coming to stand beside me. Duncan takes his place on my other side, looking just as winded as me. I couldn't imagine why. "Fun, too! That Emily girl was a riot and seemed to be so interested in cooking".

Rachel rambles on about how exciting and fun it was, while I glance up at Duncan's worry torn face. "You okay, D?", I ask softly. He takes a long breath before looking down at me.

"I just hate teenagers, kid", he explains, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder before walking back inside.

"Don't let him bother you", Rachel says, taking a seat on the steps and patting the spot beside of her. "I think he's just stressed for some reason. How are you feeling about the day? I see you made a new friend".

I smile a little, looking down at my hands. A friend, yeah. That's what he could've been.

Until he whispered what he did.