Top and Tail [boyxboy] [slash]

Chapter 18: The Jerk With the Tragic Past

"Don't say that," snapped Lewis, flopping down onto the bench and pulling my by the arm down with him. Normally I would have struggled but I probably wouldn't have gotten very far with my skinny frame and anyway, I really wasn't feeling up to it.

"Don't say what?" I laughed bitterly, wringing my hands in my lap. "That I've screwed everything up big-time? Because I have, you know..."

Suddenly a high-pitched, girly squeal echoed throughout the prefab and a terrified Lewis leapt up onto the bench.

"Lee, are you alright?" I hissed, reaching for her in the dark. "What was the scream for?"

"It wasn't me," she retorted angrily, batting my hand away. "It was the footballing pansy in the corner!"

My mouth dropped open. "Lewis?"

"Shut the hell up," he yelled gruffly, trying to sound assertive. "There was a rat, ok?"

I snickered. "Was it a big, scary rat with beady red eyes Lewis?"

"Piss off," he mumbled, hesitantly sitting back down again. He flinched slightly as a small grey mouse squirted across the room from a hiding place in a crate, and Lee and I chuckled.

"I can't believe you're afraid of rats," Lee muttered, her tone amused. Even in the dim ghost lighting, I could make out Lewis's horrified expression.

"I am not," he insisted, nervously pulling on a moulding cord hanging conveniently next to the door. He gave it an agitated tug and the room burst into brightness.

"So that's the light switch," Lee nodded, looking around the harshly lit room with a newfound interest. I followed her lead, but regretted it as soon as I caught sight of my haggard reflection in the greasy, blotched mirrors.

"I look like shit," I moaned, peeling some straggly hair back from my forehead. A row of chipped white porcelain sinks underlined the mirrors. After a brief moments hesitation, I turned on the squeaky tap and splashed myself with copious amounts of cold water. The coolness stung my face, and my now red-faced reflection was hardly an improvement, but at least my skin now matched my red-rimmed eyes.

"Eh, a bit worse than usual," Lewis admitted cheerfully. "But don't worry, most people won't notice."

"Thank you for those impenitent words of kindness," I drawled, scrubbing my face dry with some moth eaten paper towels. Lewis grinned but the smile abruptly dropped from his face when Lee flashed him her middle fingers.

"I feel sorry for your future boyfriend," he told her, crestfallen. "You're so mean!"

Lee blushed, and muttered something like, "Well have no fear, you aren't going to fall into the boyfriend category any time soon..."

I detected a slight droop in Lewis's posture, and noticed Lee staring resolutely at the ground, trying to hide her furious blush behind her wavy brown fringe.

"Denial," I coughed, causing them both to splutter and blush. I grinned. They were actually really good together. They brought out the best in each other... Kinda like me and Jay...

I blanched at the thought of my boyfriend. "I still can't believe I said that! To fucking everybody! He's probably sitting in physics with a whole bunch of sorry gits on his case, and it's all my fucking fault."

"No it isn't," Lee spat venomously. "It's that bloody bitch Amy's fault. Dude, you were just doing what a best mate does and sticking up for Jay! It definitely ain't your fault!"

"Best mate, huh?" I mumbled, almost amused. "Yeah. Whatever. Amy didn't wrench the words from my throat, did she? I just didn't think..."

Lewis gave me a strange look, one I couldn't quite decipher.