Henotic
(Adj.)
Promoting peace.
Jess had got picked up by Isaac again on Tuesday morning. The first thing he did as he slid in the car was turn the heater on. Isaac chuckled at this.
"What?" Jess looked over with a smile.
Isaac just smiled and shook his head. For a moment Jess thought he wouldn't answer. However he did, "You're cute."
"That's something to laugh about now?" Jess taunted. They were both smiling playfully.
"Yeah."
Jess rolled his eyes and Isaac chuckled again. They started driving and so Jess clicked on the radio. He was pleasantly surprised to find it was his station already playing. A familiar song filled up the background noise of the car.
After they started getting closer to the school, Jess spoke. "Are you nervous?"
"No." Isaac smiled and Jess was relieved that it looked genuine. "I thought about it some last night and I'm really not. I've still got some friends and if people decide they don't want to be in my life over something stupid like this then I don't want them there anyway."
Jess grinned. "As long as you're happy."
Isaac reached over and held his hand. "I'm happy when I'm with you."
Jess's stomach flipped. The words soaked in through his skin and made his whole body feel warm. A wide smile spread across his face and he squeezed Isaac's hand as a response.
"You really are an elayne." Jess said quietly. Isaac was his little sunbeam. The light at the end of the tunnel. His elayne.
"I looked that up, by the way." Isaac said, looking proud of himself. "That night, after you went to sleep."
Jess raised his eyebrows. "Did you?"
"I did. You think I'm like.. a sunray? Light? I'm confused behind the meaning."
"A ray of light. That's you." Jess said. "You know when you're laying in a dark room and then there's a crack in the blinds or something so there's just like one perfect ray of light shining in? That's you. The perfect ray of light shining in the dark."
"That's very poetic of you." Isaac said with a big grin. Jess could see the little coloring in his cheeks though. He was blushing.
"I'm a poetic guy." Jess shrugged.
They reached the school and Isaac parked, turning off the car. He turned to face Jess and rested his head on the headrest of his seat. "I'll be okay."
"I love how you just assumed I'd be worried about you." Jess deadpanned.
"You were, weren't you?" Jess didn't answer. He couldn't because Isaac was right. "So, I'm telling you now. I'm going to be okay."
"Are you sure?" Jess couldn't help asking. He really was worried. Isaac had gotten really beat up about the little acceptance yesterday.
"I am sure. I'm going to walk in there and whoever talks to me, talks to me. Whoever ignores me or whispers about me, I'll pretend I can't tell. I'm not going to let some kids with old-fashioned beliefs ruin my day again. It's not worth it."
Jess smiled. "Okay, but if you want to ditch again just tell me."
Isaac shook his head. "I can't avoid this forever, and I can't keep dragging you down with me."
Jess frowned at the words. "You're not dragging me down."
"Still, I've gotta face it eventually. Better now than never, right?"
"I guess." Jess gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile.
"You look more worried about this than me." Isaac chuckled and Jess felt his smile become a little more genuine.
"I worry about you."
Isaac leaned over and pecked his lips. "It'll all be okay."
"Alright." He let out a little breath. Whether it was of relief or worry he couldn't decide.
They got out of the car and Jess followed behind Isaac into the building. Isaac must've not liked this very much because he reached back and grabbed Jess's hand. He pulled the boy up to walk next to him and then wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
"Is this okay?" Isaac bent his head down to whisper and Jess nodded. He melted into Isaac's side as they walked.
People were looking at them, whispering to each other. Jess looked over to Isaac but true to his word the boy was ignoring them.
They walked over to Jess's locker and the dark haired boy pulled his bag out of it. He threw it over his shoulder and after closing his locker Isaac leaned against it.
"Oh so we're doing the whole cliché, too cool for school jock leaning against locker bit now?" Jess raised an eyebrow.
Isaac laughed. "That's exactly what we're doing now."
Jess rolled his eyes but had a fond smile. It was hard to have any other expression around Isaac. He then caught sight of someone walking towards them.
Two someones.
Andrew and Tally were talking as they walked. Their conversation faded once they approached the two. Tally smiled and looked at Jess. "Hey."
"Hey." Jess smiled back.
"Mason is driving Kristi to school today and so he's taking longer than usual and I'm lonely. Hence why I decided to come over here, and then I bumped into Andrew. He said you guys were cool now." He looked at Isaac like he was confirming it. Isaac smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, we're cool."
"Cool." Tally smiled. "So what're you two up to?"
"Being gay." Jess answered with ease and he and Tally chuckled.
"Hey." Mason walked up to their group suddenly. He was guiding Kristi by one hand that was placed on the small of her back.
She smiled as she saw Jess in their group. "Hey."
Jess smiled back. "Hey." He didn't talk to Kristi much but he supposed she probably talked to him more than Mason's other friends. "Good morning."
"Good morning." She had a genuine smile and her eyes flicked between him and Isaac for a moment. It didn't deter her smile though. "How are you?"
"I've been pretty good. I heard a rumor you're dating a football boy now, that true?" Jess held a playful smile and Kristi laughed under her breath.
"I know, can you believe it?"
"I honestly can't. I never thought you would drop your standards so low." Mason looked offended but Kristi just laughed quietly again.
"Last I heard, you aren't one to talk." She pointed out and Jess chuckled.
"Touché."
"I think Zack's boyfriend just stole your girlfriend, Mase." Tally said with an amused smile.
"I didn't know you two were friends." Mason looked between the two.
"We're not really. We never talk all that much but Jess is very easy to talk to. Once, you get past the unapproachable look to him he's a really nice guy."
"I agree." Jess nodded with a satisfied smile. Isaac laughed at him and it made Jess's smile grow just a little.
"Well I'm glad you're comfortable around one another." Mason said, flicking his eyes between his girlfriend and the other couple near them.
Something caught Kristi's eyes across the hallway. She looked over and then brought her attention back to Mason. "Jane is here. I'll see you later?"
"Okay." He gave her a smile and she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek before running off to meet up with her friends.
"She's cute." Andrew said, motioning to the girl running off.
"I'm aware." Mason held a proud smile. "I got lucky with that one."
"I know the feeling." The look Isaac gave Jess was a little too cheesey to have his face flushing like it was.
"Gross. I'm going to be in a constant state of third wheeling now." Tally winced to himself.
"You could try talking to other people for longer than a few minutes?" Mason suggested.
"Even more gross." Tally shook his head. "Not happening."
"So am I just a part of this athletic friend group now?" Jess motioned to the boys around him. They all exchanged glances before shrugging. "That's weird."
"Well so are you, so you shouldn't struggle to adapt." Isaac grinned, the other three laughed.
Jess glared at him. "That was extremely rude."
"Was it? I thought it was a compliment."
"He was definitely complementing you, man." Andrew nodded in agreement. "Being called weird means you have our upmost respect."
"Of course." Mason bowed his head a little as a sign of respect. For someone that didn't hang out with the other two he seemed to be catching onto their antics quickly.
"You guys are very strange people." Jess said, surveying them with his eyes. "Is this from sports? Does all the running kill your braincells?"
"Probbaly." Isaac shrugged. "It would explain why Tally still has them, the lazy fucker."
"Hey!" Tally gave an offended gasp. "I am not lazy."
"You show up late to all of your practices just to get out of part of the warm-ups. Then you always take a bathroom break while we run and don't come back for a fat minute. Sounds like lazy to me." Isaac pointed out.
Mason laughed. "He's got you there, mate. There's no denying that."
"Fuck you guys." Tally was laughing too now.
○●○●○
Tuesday had gone about like that. Tally, Mason, and Andrew would be around Isaac a lot of the time. The four of them seemed to be forming quite the little group.
Apparently Mason had always talked to them a little on and off. Tally said they all seemed chill but he never talked to them a lot because Ki seemed annoying. He could handle Isaac though so when the rumors started spreading he didn't mind being around the boy. Then, Andrew apologized and that completed the group.
Jess sat with Isaac at lunch because he, Tally, Mason, and Andrew were sitting away from the others. They were still close to Isaac's original table but farther along the line. They could see each other but couldn't talk. Now, it was Wednesday and things seemed to be going the same way.
Jess followed Isaac to their table after the boy had gotten his food. Jess was holding a muffin from Isaac's bag and opened it as they sat down. Tally was already there with Mason. They smiled at the latest arrival.
"Jess, I need an outsider's perspective. Is football or basketball the more captivating sport? I mean, like to watch." Tally said, shifting all the attention to Jess.
"Uh.." The boy tried to think back to every time he had ever watched either sport. There weren't many. Some foggy memories came up of one of Kleandra's ex boyfriends who tried to bond with him over watching sports but it was just extremely awkward. "Why am I the target of this question?"
"Because you don't play sports so your opinion won't be bias." Mason explained.
"Right, but why me?"
"Because you sat down." Tally said. "Now hurry up and decide."
"Uh, well, I guess basketball? I can kinda understand what's happening easier than I can with football."
At his answer Mason cheered, "Yes! I win, basketball is supior!"
Tally groaned. "Jess, how could you! Your boyfriend plays football for Christ's sake!"
"Doesn't mean I understand the sport any better." Jess shrugged. He really didn't care all that much for sports.
"Zack, educate him." Tally said with a pointed glare.
Isaac moved his eyes over to Jess and the boy met them. "Please don't. I really don't care to learn."
Isaac then shrugged and turned back to Tally. "Just accept the loss."
Tally groaned. "Basketball is not superior."
"What?" Andrew sat his tray down and plopped into the empty seat by Isaac.
"Jess said basketball is the better sport to watch." Tally filled him in. His expression looked pained and Mason just grinned at him.
"I'd say it's baseball." Andrew argued. "Why wasn't that said?"
"That wasn't on the list." Isaac informed him.
"Well why not?" Andrew gave them all a concerned look. "I say redebate because I think baseball has a fair chance."
Tally rolled his eyes but turned to Jess to ask the question. "Football, Basketball, or Baseball to watch?"
Jess shrugged once again. "I like the baseball uniforms more. I still feel like I can understand basketball easier though. However, there is a lot less going on, chaos-wise, in baseball." Jess genuinely debated between the two. Tally looked absolutely miserable at the prospect that football wasn't even an option on the considering list.
"If I kiss you, will you say football?" Isaac suddenly asked out of nowhere, making Jess's eyes widened as he looked at him. The boy had a playful smirk on his face.
"Nope. That's cheating." Jess gave him a smug smile back and enjoyed the way all hope died from Tally's face. He then turned back to Andrew and Mason. "I'm going to have to give them a tie. Sorry."
"I'll accept a tie." Mason nodded.
"As will I." Andrew stated as he ate a fry.
Jess felt weirdly out of place here. It wasn't a bad thing. He got along with all the guys at the table and didn't mind being by them, it was just strange. He had never had set friends and now these people were acting like they wanted him in their group. He wasn't used to that.
"You okay?" Isaac bumped his shoulder against Jess's.
Isaac had seemed okay now. Tuesday he was still a little down every now and then when he caught sight of Luke, Ethan, Jace, Ki, or some of the other players that actually seemed to give a shit about his sexuality. However, today he had actually seemed okay all day.
It made Jess feel better.
"Yeah. I'm okay." Jess gave him a smile because he was. Isaac was happy so he was too.
"Zack, Jess, tell these fuckers they're wrong!" Andrew looked heated up. "Uno is a call for war."
"Uno is a card game." Mason was looking at him like he was crazy. "How can it start a war?"
"Have you ever played Uno?" Andrew looked defensive.
"Yes, I have. That's why I don't understand."
Isaac laughed. "You've clearly never played Uno with overly competitive people."
"You actually consider Uno war?"
"Well it's not just a happy-go-lucky game, that's for sure." Isaac shook his head with that smile on his face.
He looked so comfortable here. Not in the same way he was with Jess, though. He was still the same happy guy that was Jess's elayne but he wasn't the same. He talked differently to his friends, sometimes sharper or meaner. He was always joking but it wasn't the same.
Jess had been noticing this slight change in behavior. It made him think. If this was how Isaac acted around his friends, had he ever acted that way around Jess? No. That was the short answer.
The idea of Isaac seeing Jess differently from the start was slightly flattering.
"Fine, so we're playing Uno sometime I guess." Mason let out a sigh and shook his head.
"We are." Andrew nodded confidently. "Jess, you in?"
"Uh..." They were all looking at him now. Everyone waiting for his reaction. Oddly enough, none of them seemed like they wanted him to deny the offer. "Sure."
"Cool." Mason smiled at him kindly.
Part of Jess was struck. He could see why Mason and Isaac had been kinda friends before but it honestly surprised him that they hadn't gotten closer before now. They both seemed so alike. He didn't understand how they hadn't radiated towards each other before now.
"Hey." Kristi walked up to their table, stealing all of their attention. She walked over to Mason and plucked a fry off his tray. "My mom wants to know if you're taking me home."
"Yeah." Mason nodded and she nodded back. She walked off then, her hand slowly sliding off his shoulder.
"I've gotta say it's kinda weird that you two rarely talk in school and yet you're dating. Like sometimes I see you talking in between breaks and in the morning your together up until her friends show but otherwise you're never really by each other." Andrew said towards Mason.
The boy smiled a little. "Yeah, we mostly talk outside of school."
"That's just kinda weird to think about. I mean, because most high school couples are all over each other at school."
Mason shrugged. "Well, her friends don't like Tally and before you guys he never really talked to anyone a whole lot other than me. Plus she's not the biggest fan of PDA." He then looked at Jess and Isaac. "Like them two. If it weren't for all the rumors they'd, for the most part, just look like close friends. They're not all up on each other and before it got out that they were together they were like never even around each other."
Jess felt weird in the spotlight again. He was used to sitting and listening to stories and conversations. He was not used to actually being a real part of them.
"Hey, yeah. How did you guys even get together? I feel like Zack was around the group a lot before he came out. I never remember seeing you two together before then."
Isaac shrugged easily, like he was used to topics shifting over to him. Like talking amongst people like this wasn't strange to him at all. "We talked outside of school a bit and ate lunch together in the library sometimes."
Andrew suddenly gasped. "That's where you were all those times?! Jace said you were probably hooking up with someone!"
"You should've known better." Isaac rolled his eyes. "But yeah, it was Jess."
Andrew looked stunned. "That actually explains a lot. Any other times you ditched us for him?"
"There was the party after we lost the last game. I did actually plan on going to that one but then Jess was over and I changed my mind."
"You had a party to go to that night?" Jess looked over confused now. Isaac had canceled plans for him?
"Wait that's why you canceled? I never really even thought twice bout it." Jess could see the dots slowly connecting in Andrew's mind. He isn't the smartest.
"Yeah." Isaac had his attention on Jess, answering his question and ignoring Andrew. "I don't love going to parties so there's always a fifty-fifty chance I'll go. It all depends on if I have a reason not to. You gave me a reason not to."
"Oh." Jess nodded slowly. "So you don't go to parties normally? You said there was always a fifty-fifty chance."
"Right." Isaac nodded. "Parties can be fun but they're also kinda overrated. I don't care much for them but sometimes it's nice to get out of the house and have fun with my friends."
"Oh." Jess nodded in understanding. That seemed pretty accurate for Isaac's personality.
"Stop ignoring me for your boyfriend." Andrew pouted.
"He's prettier than you." Isaac deadpanned at his friend and Jess turned a little pink.
"Now I know the pain of third wheeling." Mason shook his head before turning to Tally. "I'm so sorry you have to put up with this."
"You better be sorry." Tally shook his head. "I don't appreciate being second choice."
"And considering you're going to die alone, it must be extra difficult to deal with." Mason said with fake sympathy.
Tally's offended face made Jess crack a smile. Isaac and Andrew burst out laughing.
"Excuse me?!"
Jess chuckled lightly. He looked around the table. He looked at people he never thought he'd end up being around constantly. At the people he was starting to think of as maybe-friends. Then, he looked at his boyfriend.
He was glowing. Laughing with his long-term friend and joking with people that could hopefully become closer with him. There was a light in his eyes that made Jess's shoulders relax. He was happy.
Isaac had still lost his closest friends. Jess still didn't feel completely included in a group. However, they were both in a happy relationship and had some pretty damn good potential friends.
Maybe Isaac was right. Everything will be okay.
•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•
A new group is forming.
Anways, I hope you enjoyed!
Love you ♡
- Z