Top and Tail [boyxboy] [slash]

Chapter 19: Lewis (Apparently) Has a Plan

I ducked just in time to avoid Lee's furious flailing fist.

"You drop another comment like that again," she warned, her voice a low, aggressive hiss, "and I will personally make sure that you won't be having any make-up sex tonight. And not because of Jay..."

My laugh immediately changed to a splutter.

 "What the hell?" I shrieked, my face rapidly flooding a deep shade of crimson. "I'm... I'm a virgin, for fuck's sake! Christ Lee!"

I was still choking on all the possible responses I could have to that frighteningly mortifying statement five minutes later when Lee impatiently hauled me by the collar out the school grounds.

"For crying out loud Lee!" I wailed, trying to wrench myself from her iron grip. Her white knuckles were clenched, my collar and tie both bunched in her fist. "You're- choking- me!"

Shocked, she released me from her hold. "Shit... Shit, Ash, sorry. I swear to God, I only meant to hurt you a little bit."

"Well that's comforting," I croaked, rubbing the raw patches of skin the scraping collar had left. My tie hung loosely around my neck, the blue and silver colours twisted together in a bizarre shape. But I didn't really care.

All I cared about was fixing this mess with Jay.

Lee smiled. "Look, I said I was sorry, ok? Jeez."

"Whatever," I retorted, shoving my hands into my pockets to stop them from shaking. I blindly followed Lee through a maze of identical streets, bordered by identical modern houses. A cool winter breeze whipped the trees, rustling the dusty auburn leaves. November had ended quickly, the cool autumn weather blurring together with the winter chills.

"I hope Lewis's plan doesn't take long," Lee mumbled absently. "I've got Spanish last period, and I really don't wanna skip anything else, 'specially this close to the prelims."

"Shit," I hissed. In between everything that had happened over the past few months with Jay, my parents, and his mum, I hadn't given the preliminary exams much thought. I'd been going over my notes and keeping up with my classwork as per usual, but the thought of exams had just taken a back seat in conjunction with everything else.

"I'm screwed," I whispered, horrified. Lee laughed.

"Oh come on," she teased, slapping me playfully on the back. "You don't mean to say you haven't noticed the huge 'three weeks to prelims' sign up on old McLynche's classroom door, do you?"

I kept silent, my lips pressed into a tight line. This only set Lee off into more giggles.

"That's insane," she laughed, her eyes playfully amused. I smiled half-heartedly, my mood darkening when my thoughts turned to Jay. I'd never been so hung up on anyone before...

Lee nudged my shoulder gently. "Thinking about your boyfriend again?"

I didn't even have the energy to scowl. Instead, I simply tilted my head back, lost in distant memories of Jay and I's first date. It seemed an eternity ago, when we could freely hold hands.

I missed it.

"Yeah..."

Lee bumped into me again, but this time I met her eyes. She was smiling, her hazel eyes shining with understanding, trying to communicate her sympathy and comfort in one small look.

"Know what I think?" she said, hooking her arm through mine. I shrugged, no longer meeting her gaze, instead taking an unnatural interest in a nearby dandelion sneakily strangling a nearby hedge.

"Ash..."

Sighing, I lazily blew a few stray strands of hair from my eyes and looked up into her own. "What?"