problem is i want your body like a fiend, like a bad habit
bad habits hard to break when i'm with you
yeah, i know, i could do it on my own
but i want that real full moon black magic and it takes two
ANT LEFT THE locker rooms quickly, a smile etched into features as he made his way to the courtyard, the teens had spent enough time in the locker room to make it to first break, dropping into a spot that wasn't uncommon of him, he pulls out a well deserved sandwich in his opinion as he waits for his friends to show up.
There's a lightness in his chest now, the words that he and Rory had shared had lifted an unknown weight, she wasn't ashamed of him, or at least that's what her words had told him and he was thankful, because he knew he liked her, hell it was probably more than like at this stage, they'd been doing this for so long now.
"Dude where you been?" Shaking at his shoulder alerts him of Spiders presence and the common goofy smile that can be etched into features remains as he shrugs. "You missed the assembly and first period, get lost did ya?" The tall lanky blonde taunts, but soon enough the pair were interrupted by the accented voice of Woodsy of the intercom, calling their names and others to classroom five - d, including AURORA GALLAGHER - JONES.
Slowly students trickle into the classroom, greeted by a teacher and the principal, one by one as students take seats scattered across the room, the last in the door was Rory, teeth bitten lips, still red and slightly swollen no thanks to the boy that watched her enter the room. He could see the way she felt out of place and unsure, her bag settling on the seat next to where her sister and Darren sat on the table tops, hidden from almost everyones view, Ant could still easily see her and when she glanced upward, he offered her a kind smile, quick and easily concealed as the teacher began.
The class was rambunctious and loud enough to cause the blonde to drop her head into her arms and try to drown it out, breathing shallowly into the desk her phone vibrates in her pocket, the sound alerting her more than anything, pulling it from the fabric she glances at the text.
Ant: you okay?
She ponders a response but she's not okay, and despite asking he already knew she wasn't, so she shakes her head, typing out a small response before locking the device.
Rory: too loud.
And it was, she was already fragile after this morning and their rendezvous let her not think for a moment but eventually those thoughts came piling back in with every moment she was alone again. There was another text but in fear of breaking down she doesn't look, she doesn't take notice of it. As moments pass by, her trying not to focus on the sounds and yelling, the tables are being pushed back and she's forced to stand in a group, arms tucked around herself. Told to walk around each other, weaving in and out, careful to not touch anyone Principal Woodsy then requests for everyone to shake hands with three people. The first person she doesn't even know the name of, the girl with bright red hair and a kind smile before turning away, the second being Malakai, the new kid that she'd met this morning, his eyes still that warm brown, and then lastly Ant, who whispered in passing that it was okay, that everything would be okay.
Upon coming to a stop, Rory found herself hidden away at the back of the class, standing behind Anthony and Dusty, the latter having wrapped his arm around Ant to lean against him, but the bug boy she stood behind, wiggled his fingers behind his back, as if knowing she was there, and her hand fell into his without thought, unaware that the movement had caused Dusty to look over his shoulder and catch the act, but he's turning away back to the front before the girl or Ant could find out.
Hand in his, she felt better, content and calm, as if the loud noises were now suddenly drowned out. "Spencer." Woodsy begins, "You have genital crabs." The room descends into laughter at the boys expense, and Rory can't seen his face but she can only imagine what he's making in regards to Darren's comment. "Now who shook hands with Spencer?" She questions after making the reluctant boy raise his hand. "And who shook hands with them?" and so on until everyone in the class had raised their hands. "You all have genital warts!"
"I thought it was crabs."
"Yes, thanks, uh ..." As the new kid reconfirmed his name to the principal, she repeated herself again, they all had genital crabs. What even was this class, Rory thinks as she drops her head into Ant's shoulder blade. The class dispersed, Ant and Rory separating once again to the point of different tables, the points looking through the photo's on Dusty's phone, giggling and asking each other questions, as the bell rang, Rory with her head in her arms doesn't bother to make much of a move but slowly and surely she's moving away from the table and gathering her bag.
She watches as Dusty corners Amerie, Spider and Ant lingering behind, and while Rory already knew the meaning behind the gold line, she also knew that there was only two of them on the wall. She glances at Ant once more with a lift of fingers secured around her bag strap before she's leaving the room.
The day moves on at a slow pace, and eventually, Rory finds herself on the walk home, cigarette between her teeth that she saved solely for these moments alone, headphones on as she made it step by step, until footsteps fell in with her, knocking the headphones from her ears, she expects it to be Ant, but it's not, instead it's the dark haired, green eyed boy that had caught her and Ant holding hands, despite her knowledge of that.
"Oh, um..." She stutters, cigarette dangling between fingertips. "Hi?"
"Aurora, right?" Dusty questions, they'd been in school together since middle school, he knew her name, everyone just sort of steered away from the blonde, everyone except Ant that was. "So I seen something interesting today?"
"Hmmm." Aurora hums lightly, as if that was answer enough to prompt him to continue. She really didn't have much of a clue about what he wanted, but yet she let him go on.
"Yeah, in SLTs, when we were all shaking hands, you were stood behind Ant, you know, holding his hand." Cigarette had burned down to the end, the heat against her fingertips as her feet stilled and the now wasted cigarette flicked to the concrete as if to save her already burnt finger tips.
"Uh..." Ineloquent and nervous, her hands rub at the back of her neck a few times, Dusty counts three passes before she's swallowing thickly, searching for the words as she looks anywhere but him.
"Hey, it's okay." Dusty soothes, raising hands in surrender as he watches panic rise. "Shit, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious. And if Ant hasn't told us anything by now, there's gotta be a reason." He explains, watching with wide eyes as she continues to breathe.
Her mind was whirling rapidly through thoughts, someone knew, someone found out, how careless could they be? Her chest feels heavy and her skin clammy, she can't even see a foot in front of her let alone the boy that tried calming her. She doesn't know how long she stands there, in front of the taller boy, struggling to comprehend what was happening. She'd stayed quiet for so long and one mistake had put her in someone elses spotlight and she was struggling.
Dusty unsure what to do, did the last thing he wanted to. He trusted Ant, hell the three of them were as close as family, him, Ant and Spider, but he should of just approached Ant, not Rory, he knew that now and wonders if this is the exact reason Ant had hidden it. The girl looked fragile and weak, scared like a dear in headlights as he made the call.
"Get your ass here now, sent the location." Before hanging up and keeping an eye on the girl, coaxing her to the ground as best as he could as she swayed on her feet. Minutes, practically minutes, Ant came barrelling down the street, heavy foot falls followed by Spider.
"Shit, shit, shit." Ant repeated, "You guys need to leave."
"What the fuck dude?" Spider bit back, watching the pale girl, granted he knew her too, Aurora, her sister too was someone who he knew as well, both girls weren't completely all there in his books, as judgemental as that could sound aloud, but this was a new level.
"Seriously, back up."
They watched as Ant crouched in front of the girl, his hand taking hers so gently, in a way they hadn't ever seen their almost goofy third wheel act, pressing it too his chest as he leant against her knees. "Five." she quoted five things in rapid succession of things she could see. "Four." he prompted for the same happened with four things she could touch, all of which surrounded the two teens. Eventually the two teens whittled their way to one and a deep shuddering breath from the girl before she's wrapping her arms around their friend.
The two boys stood watching the pair in awe, as if this was nothing but a natural occurrence something that the two teens before were used to. And they were used to this. Her panic attacks were often, but since the middle of last year, Ant had coaxed her out of each and every spiral.
"It's okay baby, I got you." The moniker was back, and the girl sunk into his embrace. "I got you. It's okay, you're safe." He soothed as her breathing calmed, as he stood them up, Rory clung to his frame, face buried in his chest, his eyes turning on Dusty. "What did you do?"
Neither boys had ever heard his voice turn to ice like that, it wasn't like Ant at all, shocked, Dusty rose his hands in surrender once again, this one towards Ant. "I didn't mean to do anything, I just wanted to ask her about something that happened in SLTs?"
"Why her?"
"Because I doubt you would of told us anything." Dusty retorts, eyes hard, watching as Rory slowly releases a tight grip she holds on Ant. "Because I seen the two of you in SLTs, holding hands when you thought no one was looking. It's not a new thing either, the two of you are clearly too comfortable for it too be a new thing."
"Leave it." Ant shuts him down. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Either of you mention a word to anyone, I'll know."
The pair leave the stunned boys to walk home, Spider and Dusty watching them with wide eyes. "What do you think Amerie seen to mark them as destined, because shit, I've never seen Ant act like that?" The former mutters, waiting until the pair were out of sight before turning away. Spider and Ant had been friends long before Dusty had joined their little duo, and again, no one had ever seen Ant act like that, but if he was threatening them over it, it had to be serious.
"I'm sorry, I am so sorry." Rory murmurs as they enter her home, her fathers not home and Quinni was at Darren's like she was most afternoons, leaving them to not have to sneak in for once.
"What are you sorry for baby?"
"I was okay, he was walking and talking and it was okay, I was stunned and then he asked, I think he saw us in the class, and I'm so sorry, I shouldn't of taken your hand." The crease between his brow lessened, sweeping a soft hand over her cheek.
"Nah, I liked that you did, I told you I didn't care who knew." he murmurs, pressing his lips to her forehead. "He shouldn't of approached you like that, I don't know why he just didn't come to me. I'm sorry." Rory shook her head, denying his apology, he had nothing to apologise for, exactly like he knew she had nothing to apologise to him for.