Miscommunication

Chapter 9

"How we looking?" Erin spins. Perfect. Utterly perfect.

"Looks like it fits, that's good." Ryu pushes up his glasses and looks away. Erin lays back down on the floor, his knees bent, arms across his chest, and eyes closed. Ryu just watches him, and he takes in all his features, his sharp nose, his jaw, and the little mole he has under his right ear. Erin quickly fell asleep, breathing softly as he flipped to his side. Ryu quickly changes and gets in his bed, lying down to stare at the ceiling. Shit, I can't sleep. Groaning, he sits back up and looks at Erin.
I can't believe he of all people is gay... I mean it makes sense but, what? Ryu grabs a small throw blanket he had on his bed and places it over Erin. Ryu takes off his glasses and sets them down on his desk.

Ding.

Ryu's phone lights up. With a sigh, he leans over and looks at his phone. It was a group chat, with a list of about a hundred numbers in it.
The only text in the group was a picture of Ryu getting the shit kicked out of him by Daren.
His eyes widen as he looks at the swarm of messages coming in laughing at him. The beating from his heart was deafening as his breath picked up.

"Fuck." Ryu pushes his hair out of his face. Who is this? Who took the photo?! His head starts to hurt trying to figure out who did this. He puts on his glasses and starts aggressively Pushing Erin with his foot.

"Ugh, Erin. Erin!" Ryu says loudly.
Erin jumps up and glares at him.

"What!?"
Ryu waves him over to sit on the bed and points to the phone. Exhausted, Erin sits next to Ryu and leans over to look at the phone.  Once his brain processes what he's seeing, his eyes narrow.
He gently takes the phone from Ryu and sighs. Ryu looks at Erin and back at the phone several times while picking his thumb.

"Who is this?" Erin glances at Ryu. He shrugs in response looking at the phone.
"Wait I recognize that number." Erin points to the number that shared the photo.

"You do?! Who is it?" Ryu leans closer to Erin to see the phone.

"That's the number Grace used when she would 'blackmail' kids" Erin hands the phone back to Ryu.
"Only I knew about it..." Erin ruffles his hair and sighs.

"So it's Grace... Wait, does Grace also have the code to the lockers?" Ryu looks at Erin with wide eyes, hoping he figured the mystery out. Erin stares at Ryu before rubbing his neck and looking away.

"Well she shouldn't. I made sure only me and Daren knew."  Dang it... Well, it was still probably her. Erin lays back on the bed and sighs. No. No, don't lay down. Ryu shifts away from Erin.
"Shit, Grace!" Erin sits up and pulls out his phone. Ryu looks at him confused.

"What about Grace?" Ryu jumps from Erin's panicked state.

"She knows something important. Something that could ruin my life." What, that you're gay? Erin pulls out his phone and starts texting someone.

"What's important?" Ryu says innocently. Erin waves him off. He stands from the bed and begins pacing around Ryu's room.

"Shit, she blocked me." Erin groans and throws his phone on the floor.

"Okay, dramatic... Just chill out and sleep." Ryu stands and slowly walks over the Erin.

"No! If she so easily put that stuff out about you, God knows what she'll say about me!" Erin grabs Ryu by the shoulders and shakes him aggressively.

"Okay! Okay! I could probably help if you told me what it was!" Ryu tries to hide the smile growing on his face. Just say it.

Erin pauses and stares at him.
"No, I can't..." He lets go and steps back. Damnit.

"Fine then. Well, there's nothing we can do now..." Ryu rests his hands on his hips.

"Tomorrow, we go to her house," Erin spits out, running his hand through his hair.

"Huh!?" Ryu scoffs.

"Yeah, we'll get her to delete all the photos she has of you. And I'll make sure she can't say my shit!" He smiles, proud he has a "good" idea.

"Erin, that's... That's a great idea." Ryu rubs his face and chuckles. Whatever, at least it'll get this Grace thing dealt with.
"Now, will you sleep?" Erin smiles and walks over to the bed, sprawling himself out.
"Wait, Erin-"

"Mhm..." Erin grumbles, closing his eyes and shoving his face in Ryu's pillow.

"Oh, not my pillow," Ryu covers his mouth, watching Erin snuggle up with his pillow. Ryu blushes, thinking about the drool Erin was shoving his face into.
"You know what, you can take the bed. I'll just-"

"Here." Erin moves over for Ryu, his arms wrapped around Ryu's pillow.

"I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you," Ryu scoffs, shaking his head.

"Then sleep on the floor," Erin grumbles. Ryu stands there before tapping his foot and crawling into bed next to Erin. He leaves a gap between them, so Erin isn't spooning him.
Turn around! That's what guys do, you face the other way so their dick isn't touching the other's ass! He puts his glasses up and lays down on the mattress, due to Erin having a cuddle party with his pillow. Ryu closes his eyes, hoping to take this awkward situation away. His focus keeps getting drawn to Erin's breathing: the soft, tired exhales, how each time he takes a breath, Ryu moves closer. He can feel his body get hotter the more he thinks about it.
I'm lying in a bed next to Erin Fearce.
Who is apparently gay. He's wearing one of my shirts. Daren stopped me from getting beat up. The whole school knows I got my ass kicked. Grace has a fake number to blackmail kids, and we're confronting her tomorrow.

I have an English test on Monday...