「reputation」➳ garrance

「end game 」

"ready for another day?" garroth asked as they walked into the school.

"no," laurance groaned.

the blond chuckled.  "it won't be too bad.  we have, like, all the same classes.  surely that makes you feel better."

laurance looked straight into garroth's ocean eyes.  "yeah, it does."

garroth wasn't expecting such a response.  this caused him to turn red and trip a little.

"hey, guys," someone hollered from across the hall.  it was ein and gene.

"hey," garroth said, steering him and laurance towards the two boys.

"you are never going to guess what kai told me," ein rushes excitedly.

"what?" garroth asked, trying to sound intruiged even though he wasn't.

"katelyn is actually a dyke.  kai's neighbor, some redhead chick, had someone over last night and they were very loud"—both garroth and laurance tried not to cringe at that—"and this morning he saw katelyn coming out of her house."

"knew she was a lesbo," gene smirks.  "what do you think, garroth? "

"y-yeah, always got a queer vibe from her," garroth choked out, his stomach dropping ten feet.

laurance looked at the floor, lips pursing into a thin line.  he didn't think garroth would think like that.  he had thought garroth was different.  guess he was wrong.  he also felt a sting in his chest, and he knew why, but he would never admit it to anyone.

before ein and gene could gloat more about the topic, the lady of the hour walked into the hall.  katelyn had her blue hair in the usual messy bun, she wore all black, but there were red hickies scattered along her pale neck.  what surprised laurance is that she didn't even try to hide it.  maybe she didn't know she was caught, but she surely knows that the hickies were like bing signs that said: "attention: i just got laid!"

"dyke!" ein hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth.

everyone in the hallway laughed at ein's comment.  much to laurance's surprise, katelyn kept marching through the hallway.  her jaw clenched and a look of determination in her blue eyes.  pride washed over laurance's body, numbing the sting from garroth's comment.  garroth also felt a sense of pride when katelyn walked by them with her middle finger up, but he didn't know why.

"nice hickies, lesbo!" gene hollered.  "good to know you get wet for something.  have a nice time rotting in hell!"

though laurance probably shouldn't have, he took garroth's silence as a sign that maybe it was an act.  just as laurance was thinking that, garroth went closer to him.

"her parents are very religious," he whispered into the brunette's ear.  "they're not going to take this well."

"how are they going to find out?" laurance asked.

"nothing stays a secret in this town for long," garroth sighed, sorrow in his eyes.

not really thinking about it, laurance took garroth's hand in his loosely.  "don't worry about it.  i'm sure she'll be fine."

laurance didn't focus on what happened next; what names they called her or what she did in response.  but he did focus on the warmth of garroth's hand and the nice pairing his tan skin and the blond's milky skin made.

but most of all, garroth didn't let go.

➳

"do you want to go to the library during lunch today?" garroth asked laurance as they closed their lockers.  "i want to do some reading for english."