Bent.

6. Just Hold Me and then Just Hold Me Again

6. Just Hold Me and then Just Hold Me Again

Mitch stared at the ceiling for what felt like eight straight hours that night. He was convinced that he fell asleep not even for one minute.

He tried to think of a word to describe what he was feeling. "Frustrated" didn't even scrape the surface.

Hopeless? Desperate? Sad? Sad worked. It was certainly the simplest. But it encompassed everything.

The evening had gone extremely well, at face value, at least. Scott and Rozzi were hilarious. They were a duo of banter and Mitch could tell that they were both extremely intelligent with their witty humor. They did an excellent job of making Mitch feel included, seemingly taking an interest in getting to know him. They listened intently as he spoke of his love for singing, what he wanted to do when he graduates, and about how he hated everything about high school.

So why did he feel so lousy about it?

He knew why. He knew that it was because the more he spoke with Scott, the more he realized that he was not Scott. Not the Scott that he longed for, anyway.

Real Scott was charming and smooth. He was confident, but not cocky. He was smart and sweet.

Mitch's Scott was insecure, timid, fearful, and at times, downright mean... but he was mysterious and intriguing.

And he was his.

"Fuck, I miss you," Mitch whispered, covering his eyes with his arm as he lay on his back.

He let the tears fall, until he finally cried himself into a fitful sleep.

Scott: Bus Boy.

Mitch: Angel.

Scott: What are you doing tonight?

Mitch's pulse took off in his chest like a racehorse.

Mitch: Staying in with K

Scott: Wanna come to a party with me and Roz? You can bring Kirstie of course

Mitch was instantly anxious as he read the message.

"Kirst!"

She was in his doorway within a minute. "Yeah, babe?"

"Wanna go to a party?"

She looked at him like he had ten heads. "Always. The question is really, do you?"

Mitch looked at his phone as though it might bite him.

"Scott invited us to one."

"Is that a good idea?"

"I have no clue."

"So, whose party is this?" Mitch asked as they sat on the bus that night.

"Some friends of mine," Rozzi offered with a smile, but left it at that. She returned to her conversation with Kirstin, and they were clearly hitting it off without a hitch.

Mitch took the lull in his conversation with Scott to look him over. He mentally berated himself again for not remembering that this man existed somewhere on his own college campus. His ripped black jeans weren't quite as tight as his uniform, but they certainly didn't leave too much to the imagination. He wore a baby pink button-down that was completely open, with a black tank underneath.