Randy
"Haha, you suck at this," Thomas insulted, throwing his hand in the air. "It isn't even hard."
"Do you know how dirty that sounded?" I asked in reply.
"What?"
"Never mind. Anyway, fine, you won. I'm just not good at Super Smash Bros and you are. Big deal. Can we play something else now?"
"Ooooo, someone's salty about losing."
"I'm not, you're literally just better. Do you want to play something else or simply stop hanging out?"
"Stop hanging out." I scoffed as he turned off the Xbox. Then, my phone started ringing.
"Hold on, it's from Li. I gotta take this," I told my brother, picking up my phone. "Hey, what's up?"
"Knox is here. He was crying earlier and now he's passed out on my bed. He mentioned something about his dad and the hospital. Everything fine there?" Li inquired. "I want to be sure he's okay."
"Oh. Um, I actually don't know. I didn't see him leave with his family. His dad's a jackass, though. His mom is a little better, but his dad is a total jerk. I know a lot more about the family than most."
"Anything to be concerned about?"
"Well...maybe. I would tell you but I'm not certain he wants that info out."
"Alright. Can you talk to him tomorrow? I don't wanna say anything. It's starting to become a regular occurrence for him to sleep here, and I don't think that's good," Li responded, a sigh sounding through the phone. "I want him to be okay. I'm worried."
"I know. He's fine, or at least he likely is. I think he's a little...confused."
"Uhhhh, okay. Elaborate on that. Ignore the fact I sound like a true crime podcast host."
"Well, imagine you really don't like your father, and he gets put into a hospital and is seriously injured because he got into a car crash while he was drunk. Now imagine that the crash happened only a few days after you got outed by your parents. To add onto this, your parents are homophobic but are trying to hide it because you're taking over the company and you're important to their social status. Perhaps your father got drunk because he was mad his only son is gay, made a stupid decision and drove, and now he's stuck in a hospital bed for God know's how long.
"You feel guilty because you know you could've been the cause, but you really hate your dad. You're wondering if you should be sad about this, and you're not feeling too much sympathy. You're just barely staying afloat for the sake of your sister, who is very shaken up and needs a supportive figure. Obviously your parents aren't being overly encouraging, and you're the only one who can be there for her. You know that with the crash your father's health is going to be affected long-term, and you'll need to start your responsibilities earlier than you'd expected. You hate the idea of working at the company, but it's being forced onto you. All because of your parents. Does that make more sense why he's confused?" I asked. Thomas furrowed his eyebrows.
"So, you think he feels guilty about not feeling guilty?" Li questioned.
"Yeah. But that's just me, so it may not be accurate."
"It's definitely a possibility. K, I'll talk to you tomorrow, I need to let Dev and my parents know that Knox is here. Bye babe."
"Babe?" I repeated, a large smile growing on my face. I saw Thomas roll his eyes to the side of me.
"You okay with that one?"
I let out a dramatically long breath. "I suppose I can manage."
"Mhm. Now hang up."
"No, you."
"Goddamn it, Randy, just hang the fuck up. Save us both some much needed time, will ya? We're not in seventh grade. If you hang up first, I won't break up with you and I won't post on my Snapchat story how broken I am."
"Message received," I concluded and pressed the end call button, chuckling as I turned around to face my idiot of a brother, who just so happened to be giving me the 'You And Your Boyfriends Are Sickening' face. "What? Do you have a boyfriend, huh? And hey, do you have two?"
"Thank God I don't. The entire last part of that call almost made me puke."
"We're not that bad. Have you seen Brent Perry and Harper Martinez recently? Those two were calling each other Smookiebear and Honeysweetiepie and making out smack-dab in the middle of the hallway just a few days ago."
He squinted. "Of course I haven't seen them, I don't go to your school."
"Right. Forgot about that."
"How?"
"Don't question my stupidity."
"Pff, please. I learned that centuries ago."
"Then why did you question me?" I grabbed my glasses and headed to the bathroom to take my contacts out.
"There's a difference between rhetorical and serious. Also, I don't want to go to my room."
"Why?"
"Because I'm still a little weirded out being back here and having you with me makes it less weird," Thomas clarified.
"Stay in here. I don't mind. Hell, you can even sleep in here if you want to. Though, you staying here does mean we're technically hanging out still."
"You sure?"
"Yep." I slumped into my bed and took a sip of my Coke. When I noticed he still looked conflicted, I added, "Really. I could not care less."
"Okay. For your information, since you never told me that you have glasses, I thought you were just touching your eyeballs for no apparent reason when you were taking your contacts out."
"Aw, darn. Didn't think anyone would pass judgement on my secret hobby of feeling my eyes. God, maybe you are dumb."
"I've heard you call Mom and Dad dumb many times, and if I'm dumb too, then you must be as well. Josie is just the lucky one." He wiggled his eyebrows and pulled out a laptop from his bag.
"Hm. Good point. Erase the last twenty seconds of conversation from your memory." I noticed a very long Word document on his laptop screen. "What's that?"
"I have a list of all the places I want to visit one day, and this is every place in detail. For example, I want to see Las Vegas, so I researched the history of it and some of it's most popular tourist spots, along with the backstory of the things I want to see. Like the Bellagio Fountain, obviously, it's one of Vegas' top locations. Along with Fremont Street, the Burlesque Hall of Fame just because it's cool, and the Mob Museum. Oh, and then I also want to see Athens for the architecture. It's so pretty. And I put the link to the research I did on Greek mythology because when I'm reading about Athens my mind wanders to Greece and then Greek mythology, so it's easier to just put the link than exit out of this and go find the paper. And then-"
"Woah, bud. Slow down. I'm listening, but I'm not going to able to pay attention as much as I am now if you're talking a thousand words per minute. Now; tell me about Bali, since I see that on that list of yours you have it highlighted."
Thomas smiled and began listing off the many waterfalls and temples in Bali, and also told me how badly he wanted to go.
As he was talking, I couldn't help but grin. I hadn't seen him so genuinely happy in, well, ever. So, I made it a goal of mine to make sure that he saw Bali and at least two other places on his list by the time he was 25, giving me ten years to ensure it happened.
We went to sleep after he showed me his entire list (all 52 destinations) and his research about them. That was when I realized that my brother is probably smarter than me, Josie, and my parents combined. And if not that, definitely way more willing to type things into Google than we are.
I woke up in the middle of the night with Thomas clinging onto my arm. I positioned it so that it was at less of a weird angle for him and therefore more comfortable for him before going back to sleep.
~~~~~
Knox
Mom let Adelaide have her friends over since it seemed she felt sympathy for once in her life and knew Addy needed a stress reliever. So, I made my way down to the basement. "Evening, ladies."
"Can you French braid my hair for me?" Addy asked the second she saw me.
I sighed. "Sure, but is your hair even long enough?"
"Men, always trying to make excuses." She handed me a hair tie.
"Turn around." She did as I said and I started. I learned how to braid after many years of Mom not being able to do Addy's hair in the morning because she was 'too busy' (she was usually just watching the news) and Addy complaining that she didn't want her hair in her face. Eventually, I watched a Youtube video and took over the role as Designated Hair Braider.
"Hm. Maybe I'll manipulate Dev and Li into learning how to braid. Or, of course, you could teach them yourself. Then again, I'm not completely certain I want you teaching them," a familiar voice called.
I glanced up. Yep, CeCe was stationed in the corner with three girls I didn't recognize. They were all huddled over a Monopoly board. "Nice to see you again too, CeCe." I went back to the braid. I wanted to get it finished, I only came down because they took the potato chips. "Done."
"Already? Wow, you're getting faster," Addy said as she returned to her group.
"You forgot to give me my tip."
"What?"
"Handful of chips, please."
She groaned and held the bag out. I grabbed my share and dipped, then got the bag of koi food from the kitchen. Then I went out to our koi pond.
It was cold, but the wind had died down so it was much more manageable. I ate my chips and greeted our fishies: Henrietta, Lavender, Mariposa, Esmeralda, and Norman. Well, that's what Addy and I call them. Our parents call them orange, white with some orange, black and red, red and white, and yellow.
I turned on their little waterfall before I came outside, so I was happy to see them enjoying it. "Hey little guys. Hungry?" I tossed a few pellets in, and Mariposa and Henrietta ate them.
Feeding the fish has always been an activity that calms me. I love seeing them come to the surface to retrieve their food. It reminds me that even though people are dicks sometimes, there's still good in the world.
I put some food in my hand and extended it into the water. Norman was the first one there, and he ate the pieces right off my hand. I called him a good boy and gave some food to the other little guys.
They're my equivalent of dogs.
I gave them a few more bits, then grabbed a chair from the patio and placed it on the grass near the pond. After making myself some coffee, I went back outside to sit with my little friends and see the late night sky, which in Hartford isn't much because of all of the light pollution. Still pretty, though.
What I didn't anticipate was witnessing the first snowfall of the season. Even though it was fucking freezing, I stayed outside. It was worth it. Oh, and I totally didn't run around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue.
Once I got back inside, it was 2:00am. I changed into a sweatshirt and pajama pants, then added a few extra blankets onto my bed. I slept better that night than I had in months.
~~~~~
"Hey Ran," I said, sitting next to him. He wanted to meet at school. Since it was a Sunday, I was more than a little confused, but he gets access to the school whenever he wants because he has a key. Your-family-owns-the-school-you-go-to things, I guess.
"Hey. Pretty outside, isn't it? I got you a caramel macchiato and a cake pop," Randy responded, giving me a Starbucks cup and a pink cake pop. "I thought that just a coffee would be lame, but I didn't know what else to get, so I just went with that. Sorry."
"No, it's fine. Thank you." I leaned on his shoulder for a second, then took a bite of my cake pop. "Oh. Oh, this is good."
He laughed. "Good. Anyway, I want to talk to you."
"K, what about?"
"Li told me you were at their house last night and that you mentioned your father and the hospital. Are you okay? I know the numerous problems your dad has, so..."
"Hm, right. Well, he said some not great things that I would rather not talk about, and I said some things I probably shouldn't have. That's it."
Randy placed his hand on my knee, rubbing small circles with his thumb. "Has he hit you lately? Especially after he and your mom outed you?"
Lovely, just what I love talking about. "No. Not too recently. Every time he does I tell you." Can we wrap up this conversation?
"I know that you hate talking about it, and that's fine, but I need to know that you're safe. If you say it, I believe it, but I need to be completely sure. So, you're safe and you're okay?"
"Yeah. I promise," I answered, giving him a closed-lip smile. I finished my cake pop and moved onto my drink. "Thank you. I do appreciate it."
"Absolutely. By the way, the reason I wanted to meet here is because it's deserted and everyone should have an opportunity to see the school empty. It's actually really beautiful if it's snowing or raining outside and you can look at the building without worrying about being late to chem."
"So...empty school first date with just you and I? Wait, does Li know? Are they gonna be mad at us for going on a date just the two of us?"
"They do know. They were very cool with it, and they want to go on a date with just you sometime, also. And yes, I would consider this a date."
I am on a date with my best friend. And boyfriend. Huh, maybe I did do okay in life. "I'm not really wearing date clothes, unless you count a hoodie and ripped jeans as date clothes. Meanwhile, you look like you could actually be on a date. Hey wait, where did you get your sweater? It looks warm."
"I forgot where I bought it. Anyway," he stood up and pushed in his chair. "Your hand, sir?"
I had the rest of my coffee (I'm a fast eater) and placed my hand in his. By then, both of us were smiling like maniacs. "I'm looking forward to seeing what the cafeteria looks like when there aren't a billion people in it."
"I'm looking forward to showing you," Randy countered, leading me down the hallway. "So here's the stairwell, which doesn't look nearly as cool with people on it. But look at the carvings, and the pillars, and the ceiling. The place is a freakin' masterpiece. It's so cool to know that my family built this thing. Ooh, and watch this."
He ran up to the top of the stairs and slid down the railing. "As long as you're really careful to not fall over and die, it's really fun. Same with going on the stage in the auditorium and performing your own musical while no one watches you."
"Oh, we are definitely doing that." I also went to the top and slid down. "Ayyy, that is fun."
"I know, right? We'll come back after the grand tour."
"And after doing our rendition of Romeo and Juliet."
"Obviously. Take my hand," Randy ordered, holding his hand out again.
"Why? I mean, I will, but why?" I laced my fingers in between his, and then he started running. "Randy, you jackass! You didn't prepare me for that."
"You were a track runner, you can keep up."
"Clearly. If you wanted me to run, then take me to the gym room treadmill, not the marble stoned floor."
"I'll know better next time."
"Next time? Next time?!" I hollered. I tried to catch my breath since I was laughing so hard, and laughing and running is not a good combo.
"Yeah, next time that we're dashing through the halls on a one horse open sleigh, and over the stone we go, laughing all the way," he yelled back. He was easily fifty feet from me by now.
"Our phone ringers won't ring, because we put them on silent, what fun it is to run and laugh and nearly kill our lungs."
"Oh, locker rooms, math classrooms, fuck math all the way. Oh what fun it is to die because we slid down the bannister, yay!"
"Algebra, calculus, they are both so boring. I may take a chance on the bannister if Mr. Singh makes me do one more worksheet, I'm gay!"
"None of that is new information," Randy replied, stopping the whole Jingle Bells thing.
"You get my point."
"Yeah. Now catch up so I can show you the art and music wing."
"Coming."
~~~~~
We went around the whole school, and when we were done, we did in fact go back to the bannister.
"Thank you. I needed that," I said, grabbing my fucking boyfriend's hand.
"Anytime. I'm glad you liked it," Randy answered.
I looked around. The school is really pretty. It was nice having it be so quiet.
My gaze landed on Randy. He was doing the same thing I was, but he looked way better doing it. Lips parted slightly, his bright blue eyes highlighted by the dark, and his hair messy from all the running we did. He noticed me staring, so I immediately looked away and pretended to be extremely fascinated with the wall. When I looked back, he was still eyeing me, but this time he was chuckling. "You're kind of adorable, you know that?"
I felt my face flush. "Thank you," I muttered.
He stepped closer and put his hands on my hips. He whispered into my ear, "I think you know what I want to ask."
"Yes," I replied.
"You sure?"
My eyes drifted down to his lips. "Yes."
He pressed his lips against mine, giving me a sweet and slow kiss. "Is that okay?"
Instead of answering him, I kissed him back. He appeared to have gotten the memo since he moved his hands to one on my back and the other on my shoulder, kissing me more passionately. I pulled him closer using one of the belt straps on his jeans. We kissed unhurriedly, me trying to get him as close as possible, and him exploring every part of my body that he could.
We pulled away from each other, and I blurted, "Did I ever tell you that I like your hair?"
He quirked an eyebrow. "I don't believe so, no."
"Well, I do. I like it black."
"Thank you. Did I ever tell you that you're one of the hottest people I've ever seen?"
That caught me off guard. "Hottest?"
"Oh yeah. The things that you do to me...it's amazing. You're amazing."
And before I knew it, I was kissing him like there was no tomorrow.
~~~~~
A/N: wholesome (at the end lol) chapter for you all :)
Knox's home life will be more revealed as the story goes on, I want to do it slowly
Also, I thought that this would be done soon...I doubt that. I have no idea how many chapter there are to go, but probably quite a few lol
And TYSM FOR 1K READS THATS INSANE HOLY FU-
Have a good rest of your day, guys <33