Peaches 'N Cream

10. Sugar

Suddenly, there was knocking, and he heard Angelica whisper shouting his name on the other side of the door. Both of their heads snapped toward the sound. Jericho desperately looked at the door but stopped himself from answering or moving.

Ezekiel stepped toward him again when the noise stopped. Black dress shoes abusing the soft tiles as he took Jericho's face in one hand, wiping away his tears and studying him.

"You've never cried in front of me before, not even when I'd hit you. I used to think you were crazy. Everything I've said or done in the past, I'll admit that it was fucked up, but I never meant for things to turn out like this."

He pulled his hand back to remove the headband on his head. Turmoil brewing in his dark eyes, the guilty expression leaving his face.

"Just go, you're face makes me feel shitty."

'How do you think yours makes me feel?'

Jericho wanted to say it but he didn't want to start another argument. He had to wet a paper towel because the area around his eyes stung after he rubbed them too hard. He was ashamed of himself, Ezekiel had a negative effect on his life, but that was the closest thing he would get to an apology from him.

Jericho's affinity for pain only worsened when he got with his first 'boyfriend' at fifteen. Joseph didn't have a clue. Jordan Pyre was an outcast, freak, ghost, whatever the hell else people called him, and a junior at Alamance before he dropped out toward the end of the year.

Pyre was the kind of guy who wasn't used to getting what he wanted, but when he did, he held on for dear life. Was controlling and paranoid about every little thing, too. But he looked at him the same way the blond does now, like he was an angel sent from heaven.

He needed to fill the gaping hole left by Ezekiel. Jordan was perfect at first, gentle, couldn't keep his hands to himself and he spoiled him but started wanting more than he was willing to give, so he cut him off. Doing that wasn't easy and it ruined Jordan's life. Thus, he was alone again.

It was bad enough to the point where he attempted to date a girl at one point. That didn't work out, of course, she was open-minded and kind as hell, but he never felt anything more than that for her. Jericho looked like every other straight guy, but he wasn't. At least she never hit him.

He checked his phone after washing his hands and turning the faucet off, the other boy studying his every movement quietly from his place on the wall. It made him anxious; he made him nervous because he was unpredictable. But it was those damn mood swings that drove him all kinds of fucking crazy.

Five missed calls from Angelica and several more texts; she even went old school and emailed him once or twice. The shorter sniffled and laughed softly, despite the situation, as he finished his message that he didn't get to send earlier and told her he was on his way out.

When he put his phone back in his pocket and walked over to the door, he realized why no one had come in the entire time, why Angelica didn't burst through the door. It was locked, for fuck's sake.

Ezekiel already knew it was him or suspected it, at least. He tried not to show too much emotion as he rushed to unlock and push it open.

"I'll see you around, Parris."

He shivered and then sped up, checking outside through the large windows for Angelica's car after searching near the bathrooms.

It was parked closer to the entrance, and there were fewer people outside waiting in line now too, Jericho checked the time. He was in there being harassed for almost twenty minutes.

His eyes still hurt slightly, but he hoped that it wouldn't show too much. He didn't feel like lying to Angelica again, so he texted her the TL;DR. Catching up with a childhood friend that cut him off and they ended their friendship on bad terms.

The brown-haired boy walked over to the car and waited. Angelica hadn't exactly seen him until he stood directly in front of her window. He laughed when she jumped in surprise, almost dropping her phone, and rolled the window halfway down.

"I called you 300 times, and I know you heard me at that door. Did you fall in the damn toilet or something!?"

He laughed again, but it didn't even sound believable to his ears.

"Yeah, something like that."

Angelica rolled her eyes, unlocked the door so he could get in the passenger seat, and started the car. They weren't moving, and he turned to see the short girl staring at him. Her hair was in two low messy buns today and the excess fell over her thin shoulders like a waterfall.

"You know I'll get the full story of you eventually, right?"

Jericho exhaled slowly but nodded. He'd tell her about it, just not now. All this beating around the bush will eventually come back to bite him in the ass though, he's unlucky.