Peaches 'N Cream

6. Heat

"What did you need to tell me!?"

He yelled, and Joseph let him go in surprise, allowing Jericho to back up so he could retain some much-needed space.

"I don't want to miss my bus."

He watched him stare in wonder at his open hand and then clench his fist. Joseph cleared his throat.

"Sorry, it's just... wanted to ask you about homecomin'."

The brown-haired boy let out a nervous breath.

"It was a joke, who you kiss has nothing to do with me anyway. But now we're even. Besides, you have my number, right? You could've texted me."

He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Has 'nothin' to do with yo'—? Forget it, I'm only goin' to homecomin' now if you come with me. If anyone finds out why I decide not to attend there could be a revolution, I don't know."

His little plan backfired in the worst way possible. He wasn't wrong about the second thing, though, they'd probably harass him at school for the next 2 months.

"Anyway, I was doing some thinkin'. The theme's 'A Night in Paris', right? And then I remembered you told me your middle name was Parris a while back, so I was wonderin' if it was alright to use that? I know you have that thing with your dad choosin' it 'n all."

Jericho cringed. He hates that name.

"Yeah, but don't be too upset if I say no." He shrugged nonchalantly, "School dances aren't really my thing."

The blond smirked this time as he walked away.

"Yeah, me either. I'm not worried, though. When the time comes, you won't wanna say no."

He'd try not to think about his words too much on the ride home as he walked to his bus and got in, but he could still feel the rough grip of a hand on his waist.

He put his headphones in and closed his eyes, hitting his head against the window and staying that way until he got home.

———————————————————————————

Not even two hours later, the sun was shining, and his friends were blowing up his phone; he was having a mini panic attack because news spreads real fast around here, as he said.

Angelica was chewing him out over text because he "betrayed" her and the pact they formed freshman year 'no school dances, ever.' Even though he told her he wasn't going anyway.

Cade kept asking in the group chat why this was decided after 'everything that happened,' he only had a bare bones idea of what happened. According to Angel, most of the student body now knew he was going to homecoming with Joseph, completely denouncing Jessica's rumor.

Joseph told Michael, who 'accidentally' announced it to the entire team, and they told all of their little friends. It would technically be Joseph's first time attending a school dance, too, which was news to him.

That wasn't why he was freaking out though, everyone who was anyone was at that party, and they weren't as secretive as they thought when they decided to sneak off and hook up.

They were both a hot topic now, people were digging shit up and talking about that too, but he had a feeling Jessica had a hand in how quickly it got out. She was, after all, the one Joseph was consistently ditching so he could get his dick wet.

He knew, deep down, this would happen. It was Joseph Turner after all, and nothing about the golden boy was ever kept under wraps, and unfortunately, that included all parties involved.