Blue Money | Nick Robinson

Chapter Sixteen: Chaos

We get our food and join Dawn at a table. Her hair is in messy braids and she wears an ample amount of glitter eyeshadow on her eyelids and cheeks.

"Layla didn't look too good," She comments, waving a fry in my face. "What do you think, Anna Banana? Is it time for a revenge plot?"

Eileen and Nick turn to look at me at well. I'm sipping my water and stop to give them an incredulous look.

"Why am I the decision maker?" I squeak.

"You're the one she's out to get," Dawn says.

I shake my head, looking down at my organic green beans. "Layla still has Blake and Miles under her control. I haven't seen Lance since.." I trail off.

"What does she have on them that's so bad?" Eileen asks. Dawn, Nick and I share a look.

During break I had shared everything with Nick; stories, spit and the secret about Blake and Miles. I knew it wasn't my place to tell anyone else but I shrug loudly.

Eileen narrows her eyes at the look that passes between the three of us.

My cellphone buzzes. Another dings. Suddenly, the whole dining is filled with dying chatter as phone chirp and vibrate.

Fear strikes a chord in me as all of four us look at our phones. Picture messages. And the messages don't stop.

I'm stunned into silence. The pictures are ones of Blake and Miles.

Looks like the storm just hit and none of us were safe.

Blake

He knew Miles would be screwed.

Blake's parents weren't around to find out he was gay and eventually he was going to tell them but the whole school suddenly knowing he wasn't straight struck panic in him.

Not for himself but for Miles. Headmaster Calaway wasn't exactly a peach and Blake knew the stories about his temper.

This was bad and Blake needed to fix it. Before someone got hurt.

As soon as he got the text, the outpour of graphic pictures of him and Miles, Blake had rushed out of the dining hall and rushed to Miles' room. He knocked 20 times before the other boy opened the door.

Miles' eyes were puffy, nose pink and his cinnamon brown hair was a mess of curls and straight spikes. His usual demeanor was muted and the collar of his tan polo shirt was crooked on one side.

"Fancy seeing you here," Miles turns his back on Blake and strolls over to his bed. There's a mess of clothes on it and a suitcase. Blake feels his heart lurch.

Blake stares at Miles as he continues putting things into a black bag as if Blake isn't even there. There's a long pause before they end up next to each other, Miles keeps shuffling around and Blake doesn't know what to do, his stomach a disaster of panic.

"You're not just leaving are you?" The words come out sounding choked and Miles looks up at the taller boy with a mix of regret and melancholy.

"I have too," Miles swallows, doesn't look at Blake in his green blue eyes that remind him of moss.

"You don't have to do anything," Blake paces. "We can fix this. We can say it was a joke or something!"

"Blake."

"You can tell your dad you're bi! It's fine, it'll be okay we'll just tell the truth and be boyfriends or whatever and everything will be fine!"

"Blake, stop."