Finally Free -- JATP Luke x MaleOC

Chapter 12

Right before lunch, Jay is sitting in trigonometry, completely lost in thought. While the kids around him chatted with each other and the teacher went to sit at her desk, ignoring the fact that only four kids were actually doing their work, Jay was just staring at his papers while his mind wandered.

Ever since the conversation he had with the girls, Jay's been thinking of either Luke or their performance at the dance. Jay never verbally admitted that he had feelings for Luke, despite whatever had been implied, but he knew that he did. Jay assumed that it was the band, the music that made his heart race and his breath hitch in his throat. And even though that definitely played a part in it, as he looked back on it, it was Luke that magnified the effect. It was always Luke.

It was Luke's compliments of Jay's music and singing that gave him the confidence to join Julie on her performance.

It was Luke who had captured his attention during their performance for 'Bright,' and couldn't rip his eyes away until the next chorus arrived.

It was Luke who had caught him up on 'Flying Solo' and played with him, right next to him, and that had made Jay's heart start pounding in his ears.

It was writing songs with Luke that made Jay feel like he was on the moon. A feeling that grew in him because he had gotten back into songwriting after so long, but it was that plus writing specifically with Luke that made him feel that way.

Jay shook his head, trying to focus his brain on the work in front of him. They had a performance going on tonight, a performance that they would have a few hours to prepare for. He wouldn't have a lot of time to do his schoolwork so he tried to get as much of his work knocked out during the school day.

Find the least coterminal angle to -1140°.

Bunch of mental math.

300°.

Easy peasy.

"Hey Jay!" three ghost boys chorused as they poofed into the classroom, making Jay startle and drop his pencil on the ground. He felt the eyes of some of his classmates on him as he leaned over to pick it up.

"What are you guys doing here?" he hissed as he sat up and his classmates returned to their own work.

"We wanted to drop in," Reggie said with a smile, sitting on top of a desk adjacent to Jay's.

"Yeah, we got bored," Luke said, standing next to him.

"I tried to stop them," Alex defended, sitting properly at the desk in front of him, but turning to face him. "But yeah, we got pretty bored."

"So why are you bothering me and not Julie?" Jay whispered, eyeing his classmates. Lucky for him, he sat in the corner of the room, away from anyone else. None of his friends were in his trigonometry class either, so no one would pay any attention to him.

"Hey, Jay," Luke began, excitement apparent in his voice. "You wrote that song you were singing the other day, yeah?"

Jay nodded in response.

"Can I see your other songs?" Luke asked.

"No," Jay snapped back immediately, making Luke flinch before his face fell. Jay took a deep breath, composing himself before he continued. "You've already seen one of them and you heard another one."

"You never would have brought up 'Finally Free' without Reggie digging through your backpack," Luke said, pointing at the black haired boy.

Jay sighed, knowing Luke was right. Reggie was digging through Jay's backpack while he, Luke, and Julie were working on 'Edge of Great' until he had found Jay's songbook. No one had noticed Reggie reading through the journal until Alex had finally brought it up.