The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 3. 16 (R) - Can I Tell You Something?

After trying on several different outfits, he finally settled on wearing a brand new pair of jeans, so crisp they looked like his mother just ironed them; a blue, green, and white plaid button-down shirt that only men over 40 should wear; navy-blue Chuck Taylors; and what looked suspiciously like a tan Members Only jacket from the late 1980s, lapels and all.

Compared to Patrick, who was wearing his favorite pair of Levi's, a gray Henley t-shirt, and an army green corduroy jacket his boyfriend, Stephen, bought for him, and Farid who was wearing his favorite Gorillaz t-shirt—a shirt he purchased at one of their concerts, not at a thrift store or an H&M—as well as his faded, black utilitarian motorcycle boots and leather jacket, Aidan definitely manages to stand out... but not in a good way.

Patrick and Farid, on their own, looked good. But with Aidan in the mix, they looked like two chill dudes, forced to take Franz, their third cousin once removed, out for a night on the town.

As Aidan nears, Patrick's nose crinkles in disgust. "What is that smell?" he complains, punctuating each word in protest.

Aidan stops cold, looks around innocently, and then looks back at Patrick and Farid. "What? What smell?"

"I don't know. I think it might be..." Patrick leans in and sniffs Aidan's neck, then snaps his head back as if he'd just been slapped. "Good gods, man! What did you do?! Bathe in a vat of Axe?!"

"What? What?!" Aidan lifts his shirt up to his nose and sniffs. "You think it's too much?"

Patrick covers his nose with the crook of his arm in answer. He shakes his head as if to fend off the odor, then looks over at Farid who doesn't seem to be nearly as affected as he is. Although Farid's eyes are watering, Patrick can't tell if it's from the offensive smell or from Farid trying his best not to laugh.

Vampyrs! Of course they'd find this whole situation funny. But with his sensitive sense of smell, Patrick fails to see the humor in any of this.

"You..." He jabs a finger at Farid. "...are riding shotgun." He whips around to face Aidan. "And you..." he says through gritted teeth, in no mood to argue, "...are riding in the back seat, with your jacket zipped up to your chin, and both windows rolled down the entire time!"

"Now," Patrick huffs as he turns on his heels, "let's get the hell out of here before someone passes out!"

***

The rain has finally stopped, and Farid, Patrick, and Aidan are standing in a parking lot across from The Sticky Wicket Public House, a turn-of-the century pub that sits on the outskirts of town. The weathered exterior of the building, the dimly lit sign, and the thick blanket of fog rolling in from the ocean, encasing the pub like a blanket, give the establishment an air of mystery and a definite appeal.

As the boys cross the street, Patrick sucks in a deep breath, feeling unusually nervous.

While Ava and Jake know that he's gay, he hasn't come out to any of the other students at the Academy, and he really has no clue whether or not Farid or Aidan might have personal, cultural, or religious objections to his orientation.

Before entering the pub, Patrick pulls the boys aside, clearing a path for the other patrons, and letting them pass by. But there are still too many people hanging around out front, so he signals for Farid and Aidan to follow him to the side of the building so they can talk privately. Once there, he leans back against the brick wall and says, "Okay, so there are two things you guys need to know about this place before we go in." He holds up a finger for emphasis. "One, the clientele is largely human."

Farid and Aidan look at each other then nod, completely nonplussed by the news.

"Great," Patrick says, then he straightens and inhales deeply, letting his breath out slowly, the cold night air making it visible as he exhales. "So, the other thing is," he pauses for a moment then continues, "the clientele is also mostly gay."