Two Boys Learning

6. New Boy

The rest of the week and into the next went by at a snail's pace, and Will found himself asleep in nearly every class as the teachers droned on and on about things that he didn't care about but they insisted would matter later on.

Honestly. X was a letter, not a number. Should the Algebra teacher go back to kindergarten to learn the difference?

Then, halfway through Spanish, Mr. Hernandez stopped his lesson to introduce us to a new boy.

"This is Tristan Richardson," he explained, but Will didn't bother look up, instead scrolling through Instagram.

"Why don't you sit next to William?"

Will's head shot up. "Wha--" 

His voice caught in his throat.

"Oh," he said, so quiet he almost missed that he said it.

Tristan was gorgeous. He had dark blue eyes, darker than Ash's, and pitch-black hair that was carefully styled. His tan, creamy skin was unblemished save for a scattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks, and he was walking his way.

Will swallowed hard and looked down.

He looks like Riley.

Ash had reopened old wounds when he'd asked about that picture of his ex-boyfriend, even inadvertently. Will knew he'd overreacted, but he'd been feeling overwhelmed and exhausted and emotionally strung-out and he hadn't cared about hurting the boy's feelings when he had no business looking so innocent and perfect. 

Sure, he felt bad. But Ash had bounced right back to laughing and talking and grinning at him the next day. No harm, no foul, right?

"Hey," the new boy said, his lips twitching upward in a faint grin. He held out a hand. "I'm Tristan."

Will blinked a few times, then shook Tristan's hand. It was warm and firm and callused. "I'm Will."

"Great," Tristan said, his grin widening as he slid into the seat next to him. "What's going on? I just moved from Dallas, so River Heights is pretty different."

Will blinked. "Oh...that's what this place is called? I thought it was just..." He thought for a second. "Nope, never mind. I just thought of it as 'the tiny town I moved to.'"

Tristan laughed. It was a nice sound, beautiful and clear and it made Will's stomach clench painfully as he remembered Riley.

He looked away. "Ah. Um. We have a Spanish test tomorrow."

Tristan winced. "Ooh...that's gonna be rough. Mind if I study with you?"

"I don't study," Will said automatically, and Tristan's face fell.

Dammit. I'm in it deep.

"But...if you really need it..."

Tristan brightened. "Sweet! Where do you want to meet?"

"There's the library," Will said lamely. He couldn't bring Tristan to his house, because he never knew when his mother would get as drunk as she did on the first day of school. Will felt incredibly guilty, because he knew that he'd been the one to make her decide to do that.

"Sweet," Tristan said. "I'll meet you there after school? I live right next to it."

Will nodded numbly and turned back to the lesson.

~ ~ ~

"What are you doing after school?"

Ash's voice broke through Will's music, and he swiped his earbud back from his fingers, irritated. "Stuff. None of your business."