[what the hell dork]
Edd sighed at the message on his phone. He knew exactly what Kevin was upset about, but he didn't feel like humoring him. He set the phone aside and refocused on the books spread across his desk. Only a week into their sophomore year and the head of the science department had already approached him about joining the Science Olympiad team. Their first competition, a friendly against the high school in Melville, was only a month away, and Edd was in the process of brushing up on his knowledge of engineering and robotics. Even if it was not his preferred field of science, he found it utterly fascinating, and he planned on spending the next several hours immersed in the study. He ignored Kevin's first three texts, but by the fourth he had grown annoyed. He snatched his phone up and typed out a response.
[Greetings, Kevin. What seems to be the problem?]
[don't give me that u know what the problem is]
[why aren't u here]
[Why am I not where, exactly?]
[nazz's party]
[ed said u were here earlier]
[Well, I did stop by to say hello a couple of hours ago, but I am in the middle of a project and I need to finish it before Monday. I don't have time to waste at a party.]
[come on dork all u ever do is study]
Edd resisted the urge to point out that his study habits were the reason his GPA was a whole two points higher than Kevin's. Instead he calmly explained that he would not be joining the party again and wished Kevin a good night. He switched his phone off to avoid further disturbances and turned a page in his book.
Kevin stared down at his phone, trying to force his eyes to focus. Why the fuck is my vision so blurry? I haven't had that much to drink...right? I can't remember... The text on the screen slowly took shape. Edd seemed pretty set on staying home and he hadn't sent any texts since two hours ago. Kevin frowned slightly. He really wanted to see the kid for reasons that he refused to allow himself to think about. The buzz in his head wasn't strong enough to drown the thoughts out, so he grabbed another cup of the spiked punch. He sipped at it as he moved through the mass of bodies in Nazz's living room. Last year's back-to-school party had just been the cul-de-sac kids; this year everyone had new friends to bring to the party. Hell, the entire baseball team came with Kevin. He waved to a couple of his teammates, but they didn't seem to notice him. He spotted Nazz and Eddy sloppily making out on the couch, probably on a drunken bet. The room pulsed to the beat of the music, young bodies moving against each other in a sweaty haze. Normally that scene would appeal to Kevin, but tonight he was brooding. He scanned the faces in front of him, but he couldn't find the pale, gap-toothed one he was looking for. He glared into his cup unhappily before downing its contents.
He moved into the hall, tossing his empty cup at Rolf as he passed. The foreign boy raised a middle finger, grinning. Kevin smiled and shook his head. He leaned up against the wall by the open front door, enjoying the cool air flowing in. He gazed up at the sky and admired the dense pattern of stars twinkling against the black. Man, he thought. It really was beautiful. He would love this.
"Who would love what?" A shrill voice behind him broke him from his reverie.
He turned around. "Oh. Hey, Brit. What's up?"
Giggling, she clung to his arm. "You said he would love this. Who's he?"
Kevin grew red, realizing he'd been speaking aloud. "No one. Having fun?"
"Yeah, but you know what would be even more fun?"
"What?"
She pulled on his hand. "Come on, silly!" she squealed. "I'll show you!"
She shoved him into the coat closet, pulling the door shut behind them. She pressed him up against the wall, knocking down a couple of boxes in the process. She kissed him, shoving her tongue into his mouth, moving her hands up under his shirt. Kevin scrambled to regain his footing before pushing her off.
"Brit," he started, but she clumsily pressed a finger to his mouth.
"Shh..." she said and giggled. "We can't let Mikayla find us. I promised I wouldn't."
"Wouldn't what?" he asked.
She giggled again. "This!" she shouted, pressing her palm into his crotch.
"Brit!" he shouted. "Cut it out!"
He tumbled out of the closet and stumbled down the hall. Mikayla caught him before he hit a wall, steadying him. Her face went inquisitively from his to Brit's, sheepishly creeping out of the closet, and her expression screwed up in rage.
"Britney, you bitch!" she screamed, lunging at her friend.
The two girls fell to the floor, pulling hair and exchanging slaps. The group from the living room ran into the hallway to cheer on the fight, and Kevin seized his chance to escape. He slipped out into the cool night air, taking a deep breath. He got about halfway to his house before he was hit with a sudden spell of dizziness. He sat down on the pavement, resting his head on his knees. He'd had alcohol before, sure, but he had never been this drunk before. He pulled out his phone and squinted at the time. Two-thirty, huh? That's not that bad. He lay down and pulled off his hat, running a hand through his hair. Finally, out here in the quiet and calm, he allowed himself to think.
He couldn't get that night out of his head, that stupid dare from last year's party. Edd was so soft and gentle; kissing him felt like kissing air, and Kevin loved it. He remembered the way the smaller boy had relaxed into his arms, hands grasping at his shirt, fitting perfectly. He thought back several weeks to the day after the baseball game. Closing his eyes, he saw Edd standing at his locker, defenseless and weak, bottom lip quivering. God, how Kevin had wanted to take that lip with his teeth. The thought sent a spasm of warmth through his body, warmth that pooled in his groin. Groaning, Kevin forced himself to stand and shake the thoughts away. It's too late for this, he grumbled. He checked his phone again and started. He'd been lying in the street for a full hour. It was definitely time to go home.
He slid the door open silently and stepped inside. He kicked his shoes off, yawning. He stumbled up the stairs as quietly as he could so he didn't wake up his dad. He went to the bathroom, not bothering to turn the lights on, and splashed cold water on his face. He dried off on his sleeve, making his way down the hall to his room. He shrugged off his jacket and shirt, leaving his jeans on out of laziness, and flopped down on the bed.
Two seconds later he was on his feet again, shouting in confusion at the pale, flailing figure that was screaming at him.
