One Kiss

Chapter 2

"Aww, come on! We're building memories here!" she insisted.

He rolled his eyes. "Great, you do a keg stand then."

"Been there and done that, several times. You did miss the New Year's party last year," she told him.

"Yeah, she was the belle of the ball," Josh told him with a grin before he looked at Alyssa. "I still don't understand how you can drink twice your weight in alcohol and be perfectly fine, but I have a couple of drinks and I'm done for the night."

Alyssa patted his cheek. "Because I'm more epic than you are, sweetie."

Zay laughed loudly. "Oh, shot to the manhood."

Josh flopped forward onto the table with a loud groan. "I have been castrated by an elf."

"Call me elf again and I will castrate you."

Josh pulled himself upright with a grin. "Yeah, fine, you aren't an elf, you're an evil pixie."

"Maybe, I'd be careful about insulting pixies, they are magical," she told him with a sly grin. "All right, so no keg stand, at least do a little dancing," she said to Zay.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I might dance. Happy?"

"No, because you said might instead of will." She popped a potato chip into her mouth before she sent him a grin.

Josh chuckled. "She's got you there, man. I'll be right back, I suddenly have a desire for a piece of that lovely cafeteria pizza."

Alyssa ate another chip before she leveled her gaze on Zay. "So, I invited Weston to the party."

"And?"

"Come on, Zay will you admit it already, you like the guy."

"Lyssie, let it go."

"I will for now, but if you're going to cut loose this weekend, give West a chance. He's a good guy. At the very least, you can talk to him about shit."

"And I suppose that's why you went through the trouble of inviting him? Because you have some misguided idea I need to bare my soul to someone?"

"I invited him because he's on the baseball team with Josh and we're friends, but if it also means my bestie can resolve some inner demons and oust them, then it's a win-win."

"I have no inner demons to wrestle with," he grumbled.

"Sure ya don't. And you also don't have a thing for West."

"I don't, can't you let me be?" he begged.

"Nope, cause I want you to be happy."

"I'm perfectly happy, so drop it."

"What are we dropping?" Josh asked as he sat down.

"Lyssie's insistence that I party it up this weekend," Zay told him.

"Come on, it's Senior year, dude, she's right, time to party hardy. Besides, West is gonna be there."

Zay sent Alyssa a glare and she held her hands up. "I said not a single word."

Josh sighed. "Dude, she didn't have to. You're kinda obvious."

Zay stood. "I hate both of you." He spun away and left the cafeteria. This couldn't be happening, he thought he was always so careful about hiding the fact he was gay. His parents certainly didn't suspect a thing, but then again they'd never seen him around West, which appeared to be his downfall. Why couldn't the guy have gone to a different high school or moved out of state? Anything but end up here where he saw him every damn day. This was quickly becoming a situation. His text tone went off and he pulled his phone from his pocket.