Biology class is over. Some students are still in the classroom, among them Lucas, who's reviewing some notes. These last few days have been quite stressful for him. The exams and tests are quite difficult, so he's woken up earlier and gone to bed later, in order to have enough time to study all the topics.
Some boys from the physics club enter the classroom and approach his table. Lucas looks up and they start talking. They're inviting him to a small meeting in one of their room that'll take place this afternoon. Lucas agrees without thinking so much. Maybe spending some time with people will make his stress go down a little.
On the other hand, Alex is walking through the courtyard heading to a classroom on the other side of the boarding school. In the distance, sitting on the stairs, are Lindsey and her friends talking. Seeing him, Lindsey calls him and invites him to sit next to her to chat for a while.
L - Girls, he's Alex. I wanted you to meet him.
A - [takes a seat] Hey. Nice to meet you all.
The girls greet Alex and continue talking. Some of them start laughing quietly and whispering to each other as they see Lindsey and Alex together.
L - So, um.. [looks at Alex] How's Lucas?
A - Lucas?
L - Yeah, the friend of yours that you introduced me to the other day. That's his name, isn't it? [chuckles]
A -Ah, yes. Well, um.. I spent part of the night with him a few days ago.
L - Wait, what? [confused, looks at Alex] Did you-..?
A - N-No, no. I mean, we went for a walk and then we went to a meeting of the phyisics club.
L - Ohh, I see.. [giggles] I thought you had... you know.
A - Yeah, I know what you mean. [scoffs] But we're just friends.
L - Mm-hmm.
They both stay silent until one of Lindsey's friends, Grace, reminds her they have to go to their next class.
G - Lindsey, we gotta go. Class is starting now.
L - Yeah. I'm coming.
She gets up and says goodbye to Alex. Together with her friends they go their own way, while Alex continues on his way. As the girls walk, they joke that Alex likes Lindsey, which really makes Lindsey laugh.
J - Will he be your new boyfriend? He's attractive.
Joanne says, looking at Lindsey with a mischievous look.
L - No! [laughs] He's my friend.
J - For now.
They all laugh.
Lucas:
I know I already accepted but I could miss it, right? Probably no one will notice my absence. I really don't know if it's a good idea to go. Surely everyone already knows each other there and I'll be the weirdo that no one knows. But, mmh... tomorrow I have a chemistry exam and I really have doubts, doubts which maybe I can clarify in the meeting.
After thinking about it for about half an hour, he finally decides to venture out and go. He takes his backpack and heads to the room they indicated. Knock on the door and wait for someone to open it.
R - Lucas, you came!
Ryan says, seeming pretty excited to see him.
R - Come in buddy, make yourself at home.
Lucas walks in and everything seems pretty normal. They're chatting, playing board games, others studying. It's a slightly uncomfortable environment for Lucas but he will try to adapt.
He takes a seat next to those who're studying and quickly integrates. They offer him a glass of soda and he takes it without problem. He manages to clear up some of his doubts about the exam, which makes him feel more relaxed.
The first hour is spent studying and helping others study. Then, he decides to join those who are playing the board games, an activity that seems to be quite enjoyable.
Two hours, three hours pass like this, and after four hours Lucas decides to leave 'cause it's late and he has to continue studying.
Lucas:
This went well. I cleared up a lot of doubts, I studied, I had fun, I had a good time. Everything I thought wouldn't happen, happened, but it was a good thing!
When he gets up he gets very dizzy, but he thinks it's because he got up too quickly. Without giving it much importance, he says goodbye and leaves there. He starts walking towards his room, which isn't that far away.
He holds on to the wall as his vision begins to blur. When he reaches the hallway where his room is, he sees Alex in the distance, with whom he tries to start a conversation.
L - Hey.. Alex! [chuckles]
Alex looks at him and notices his peculiar attitude. Lucas gets a little closer and Alex smells alcohol.
Alex:
Hold on.. is he drunk? I-I don't get it. Why would he be? I mean... his dad is an alcoholic and I really don't think he wants to end up like him.
L - What you doing, huh? Alex?
A - Lucas, why are you drunk?
L - W-Why am I what?..
Lucas stumbles but Alex catches him, preventing him from falling. He's unsteady, and his gaze wanders. Alex holds him firmly to prevent him from staggering further. Lucas gently caresses Alex's arms, causing him to feel shivers run through his body. Lucas looks up, but averts his gaze to his mole. He smiles slightly, making Alex nervous.
L - Hmm.. this thing of yours.. can I?
He says, directing his index finger towards Alex's mole, touching it.
Lucas lets out a sigh before looking away and then closing his eyes. He tries to take a step but inevitably stumbles, Alex holds him almost hugging him, but Lucas faints and falls, knocking him over.
Alex falls on top of Lucas, with his head on his chest. After a couple of seconds recovering from the blow, he looks up and finds his face just a few centimeters from his. He observes him in detail for a few seconds, appreciating each of his details very closely, such as the shape of his lips, his eyelashes, some tiny moles he has.
He blinks a few times and reacts.
Alex:
What should I do? Take him to my room? That would be.. weird. But I don't know where else to take him. I can't leave him lying here, and if I knew which room was his, I would take him there, but I don't.
Alex sighs and with a little effort picks him up in his arms. He pushes the door to his room and enters. Very carefully he lays him down on his bed. He takes a few steps back and looks at him. Then he looks away and begins to wonder if what he did was right.
He leaves his room and without having a specific place in mind, he begins to walk. After a little more than 10 minutes wandering around, the idea of going in search of some food for when Lucas wakes up comes to mind, so he heads to the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, for the next hour Lucas sleeps soundly. When he wakes up he's confused, with a headache, sweating, not knowing where he is or being able to remember what happened.
"Where am I?", he wonders.
He looks around and realizes he's in someone's room, freaking out a little. He sits with his knees drawn to his chest and sighs.
Lucas:
Why I can't remember anything? Oh, fuck... my head hurts as hell.
He hears the sound of the door knob turning and the door opening. Alex enters holding a tray in his hands. Lucas looks at him and realizes that it's his room.
Lucas:
Is this Alex's room? B-But, why am I here? I don't get it..
A - Oh, Lucas..
Alex puts the tray on the desk and looks at Lucas, who looks really confused.
A - Listen, uh... You were drunk, and I..
Lucas:
Wait, what? Drunk?! That can't be.. that's impossible, I don't drink. Why would I?
A - You don't remember anything?
L - W-What? [stammering] No, I..
A - Well.. [clears throat] you were in the hallway, you greeted me but I noticed something strange about you. Then you came closer and I smelled the smell of alcohol, which seemed pretty weird to me, you know? Like, I think you wouldn't drink 'cause your dad does and you really suffer for that, so.. mmh... and then you fainted and I brought you here 'cause I didn't know where else to take you. I swear if I knew which room was yours I would've taken you there but I didn't so, yeah.. that's what happened.
Lucas looks ahead and thinks about what happened. The last thing he remembers is leaving a room, and what happened before. He remembers he was with some boys from the physics club, studying for the chemistry exam, they were having a good time and nothing seemed out of place.
He thinks about the chemistry exam and knows that he should study for it. So, still a little dizzy, he gets up as best he can and starts walking towards the door.
L - I gotta go. I have to study for my exam. But thank you.
A - Yeah.. I can help you if you want.
L - No, I don't wanna bother you. I can do it by myself. Thanks.
Alex stays a little close to him to make sure he doesn't fall. He leaves and heads to his room. Alex peeks out the door, watching as Lucas enters his room, realizing that their rooms are quite close. He closes the door and sighs.
Lucas enters his room and goes to the bathroom. He turns on the faucet, letting out the cold water. He places his hands under the stream of falling water, and rinses his face. He looks for comfortable clothes, takes a shower, and sits at his desk to start studying.
After a little more than 10 minutes passing his eyes over the texts in the books without even paying attention, he takes his head in his hands and sighs. His mind wanders. He can't concentrate.
He looks for his cell phone in the pockets of the shorts he took off, but he can't find it anywhere. He remembers leaving it on the bed in Alex's room before leaving.
Without much desire he gets up from the chair, opens the door, leaves, and goes to his room, knocking on the door.
A - [opens the door] Hey, is everything ok?
L - Yeah, sorry. I forgot my phone.
Alex notices his tired look and a small feeling of worry begins to grow. He decides to offer his help to study again, so that Lucas can go to sleep early.
A - You look tired. Are you sure you don't want me to help you study? It's late and you should get some sleep.
L - Mmh..
A - Please let me help you.
Upon insistence, Lucas agrees. He really needs help anyway, and sleep and fatigue are eating away at him. He goes back to his room to get his things and enters Alex's room again.
They both sit on the floor leaning on the bed, side by side. Alex begins to explain the topic in a simple way so that Lucas can understand it without any problem, which really works since his doubts are clarified and he begins to understand it completely.
For 30 minutes they both study simultaneously. Lucas begins to feel too sleepy, while Alex continues reading aloud and explaining the topic.
Lucas:
Ugh, I'm so sleepy... I don't think I've ever felt so tired.
At some point Lucas closes his eyes and goes into a very deep sleep, leaning his head on Alex's shoulder, making him stop his explanation and turn his gaze towards him.
With great care he slowly separates himself from Lucas and carefully places his head leaning on the bed, leaving him with his head looking at the ceiling.
He moves away a little and looks at him in detail. A slight smile appears on his face as he thinks about how pretty he looks asleep. Inevitably his gaze goes to his parted lips, from which small sighs come out.
Alex:
Oh god, I want to kiss him... b-but, what if he wakes up?
Alex sighs and looks away from him. He thinks about it again and again and again, and in the end he decides to dare. Alex turns his gaze and approaches him. He takes one last look at his closed eyes and lowers his gaze to his lips.
He kisses him softly, simply placing his lips on top of his. He pulls away and looks at him. He lowers his gaze and lets out a strangled sigh. He can't believe what he just did.
Alex gets up and leaves his room with his cell phone in hand. He walks and reaches the patio, sitting on the stairs. He looks ahead, towards the endless forest that is lost in the darkness of the night. He takes his phone and calls his grandma.
"Hi grandma"
"Alex! Hello sweetheart! How have you been?"
"I've been fine grandma. How are you? How's dad?"
"We are fine, honey. Don't worry about us. Everything here is ok"
"Mmm.. well, um... I met a boy, grandma"
"That's great! It's good that you are meeting new people. This way you won't feel so alone. Is he a friend of that girl, Lindsey?"
"No, he's not.."
"And what is his name, huh?"
"Lucas"
"That's a beautiful name.. and where is he now? Is he with you?"
"He's in m-... um, he's in his room. I think"
"Well, yeah, it is late. You should get some sleep. You have to be rested so that you can pay attention in classes"
"Yes, grandma. Good night"
"Good night sweetheart. Don't forget I love you"
"I do, too. Bye"
Alex hangs up. He gets up and starts walking back to his room. He slowly opens the door and sees that Lucas is still sleeping, in the same position he left him in.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, he picks up the books and notebooks from the floor. He places Lucas's things on his desk, and walks over to him. He carefully lays him down on his bed and tucks him in.
He turns off the lights. He takes a pillow and a sheet and lies down on the floor. He looks at the ceiling and starts thinking about what happened during the day. Lucas drunk, him falling on top of Lucas, contemplating all his details, carrying him in his arms, kissing him.
He turns his head and looks at him on his back, sleeping. He settles down and closes his eyes. After a few minutes he finally falls into a deep sleep.
The sound of birds chirping and the sun's rays coming through the window gently hitting his face caused his deep sleep to end. Alex opens his eyes as he wakes up. He looks next to him and there is Lucas, the boy he kissed the night before.
He gets up with a little difficulty and heads to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth, takes a shower, and changes. He looks at Lucas and, before leaving, decides to leave him a note in case he wakes up while he's gone.
Alex leaves his room. It's still a little early, and classes haven't started yet, so there aren't many awake students wandering around.
The sun's rays gently hitting his face cause Lucas to wake up a few minutes after Alex left. He yawns and sits up in bed.
Lucas:
Fuck.. I fell asleep here again.
He looks around for signs of Alex, but realizes he's not there. He takes his cell phone and the time reads 7:58 in the morning. He gets up and looks at a note on the nightstand.
"Lucas, I went for a walk. Your books and stuff are on the desk."
He takes his things and leaves the room. He enters his and goes directly to the bathroom. He takes a long shower, puts on clean clothes, puts his things in his backpack, and leaves his room to the dining room.
While walking he remembers what happened the day before. He remembers seeing some bottles of alcohol in that boy's room during the meeting with the physics club, so they probably put alcohol in his soda without him realizing it. That triggered the following events.
He remembers what he said to Alex while he was drunk, and... that strange feeling of Alex's lips on his is something he's never felt before. Of course, he'd never kissed anyone nor had anyone kissed him. It was something completely new for him.
Lucas:
I don't really know what that means. Does he like me? Does he want us to be something more than friends? Oh god, I'm not ready for that. My goal was to create friendships, not fall in love. But I admit, I really like Alex. I don't know if I'm in love with him or just his mole. I just don't know if I want to ruin our little friendship over a couple of crazy feelings that come and go. I don't know if it's worth it. He's the only real friendship I've ever had in my entire life, and I really don't want to lose him. It sounds really cheesy but I think it's the best thing that's happened to me in my life, so far.
He has a light breakfast and heads to the chemistry classroom, the subject of the exam he studied for. Take a seat and start reviewing the topics one last time.
Meanwhile, Alex is sitting on the stairs, staring into the forest. Lindsey surprises him by suddenly arriving and sitting next to him.
L - Hey! How you doin'? [looks at Alex] Alex? You ok?
A - [looks at Lindsey] Y-Yeah, I.. I'm fine. How are you?
L - Well.. [clears throat] I barely slept last night because of that chemistry exam I was studying for. Did you study?
A - Mm-hmm.
L - Honestly, I thought it would be so much easier bu- [interrupted]
A - I kissed him.
L - Huh? What'd you say?
A - I kissed him. I kissed Lucas.
L - No way! [surprised] Really?! How did it happen? I-
Lindsey, seeing that Alex didn't seem to be happy about that fact, begins to worry.
L - Wait.. was it bad? I mean.. you didn't like it or..? He didn't like it?
A - [sighs] He was asleep.
L - Oh..
Alex still has his gaze fixed on the forest.
L - So, he didn't realize?
A - Mm-hmm.
L - I see. And, uh.. how do you feel about it?
A - I-I don't know. I... I don't want to talk about that.
L - Ok.
Alex:
I've been thinking about that since I did it. It's a good thing he was asleep and didn't realize it, because it really wasn't right. I don't know what my grandma would think about this... she'd probably be upset. Not because I kissed a boy, but because I did it without him knowing.
A - I gotta go.
L - Yep. See you around.
Alex gets up and starts walking towards the chemistry classroom. There are less than 10 minutes until the exam begins. Upon arrival, Lucas looks up, sees Alex enter the classroom, and his body tenses. Alex takes a seat next to him and greets him, as if nothing had happened between them.
A - Hey. You ok?
L - Yep. And, um.. I'm sorry for everything from yesterday. In the morning I remembered what happened and... [chuckles] well, I-I'm sorry I fell asleep in your room twice.
A - Yeah, no problem. It's ok. So.. d-did you remember everything? [looks at Lucas]
L - Yeah, well, everything up until the moment I fell asleep at night.
A - Ah, I see..
The chemistry professor enters the classroom and a few minutes after a brief introduction, the exam begins. They're both doing well, and they're pretty happy about it. The rest of the day classes continue as normal.
The winter holidays will soon begin, so students have many exams to take and projects to present to close the unit.
In the days leading up to the last week of winter vacation, Lucas and Alex don't see each other as often anymore, but from time to time they pass each other in the hallways or take the same classes together.
On the last day of the week before the start of the holidays, classes end early, so the students have time to say goodbye and start packing their things to return home and spend Christmas with their families.
It's around 6 at night. The sun is setting and it's starting to get dark. During the day several students have already gone home, the rest will leave tomorrow or the next few days.
Lucas is packing his last things into his suitcases. He's dropping off a few things like his uniforms, some books, a few clothes, but most of them he's already packed.
His flight leaves at 10 at night, so he still have time, but the airport is a little far away so he has to leave earlier. He leaves with his suitcases in hand, Alex enters the hallway, and sees him leaving his room.
Alex:
Oh, he's leaving today... I think I need to say goodbye.
Alex will leave the next morning. He hurries and gets to where he is to say goodbye.
A - Hey. [looks at Lucas]
L - Hi.
A - So.. you're leaving today.
L - Yep. [locks the door]
A - Ok, um... c-can I give you a hug? I wanna give you a hug before you leave.
L - Oh.. y-yeah. Sure.
Alex hugs him and lets out a sigh. Lucas gently places his hands on his back, giving his a light squeeze. Alex pulls away and looks him in the eyes.
A - I hope you have a nice vacation.
L - Yes. Same as you.
Lucas gives his a warm smile before taking his bags and starting to walk towards the exit. Alex looks at him and after seeing him turn the corner he enters his room.
He spends the night preparing his things, and leaves in the morning, without first saying goodbye to Lindsey.
After a long flight Lucas arrives in Pennsylvania. He orders a taxi which leaves him right in front of his house, house which is decorated with Christmas decorations, something that seems quite strange to him since since his mother died, they haven't celebrated Christmas like before.
He enters and finds his dad cleaning and tidying up.
N - Hi son! You're finally here.
L - Hello dad, um.. why is the house decorated?
N - Your sister called... and she said this time she'll spend Christmas here, at home.
Hearing that, Lucas's body tenses. He hasn't seen his sister in years. He hasn't heard from her or had any communication with her, except for that last time when she called him before boarding the plane.
He's very excited to see her again and know that she's ok, to be able to talk to her, to know where she has been, and what she's been doing all this time.
L - S-She really said that? [surprised]
N - Yes!
Lucas leaves his things in his room and hurries to help his dad clean and decorate the house.
Meanwhile, Alex has already arrived in Virginia, and the first thing he does is go to his grandma's house to see her after so long. Her house is already decorated with decorations and Christmas lights inside and out.
He spends a couple of hours chatting with her, and then decides to call his friends to meet up and go for a walk, agreeing to meet in the park.
Alex hears Nate and Gareth's voices calling him from afar, so he quickly gets up and runs towards them.
A - Hey guys!
G - Alex! It's good to see ya, man. How've you been?
A - So far, so good. You?
N - We've been fine. Oh, and guess what.. Gareth's got a girlfriend now.
A - Really? [surprised] How's that?
G - That's not true.. [chuckles] I met a girl but, we're just friends.
N - That's what my parents said, and now look at them.
A - [laughs] What's her name?
G - Susan.
They start walking and take a stroll while telling each other everything they've done over the past few months. It's a rather pleasant reunion for Alex since meeting his friends again makes him know that he is home.
He really enjoys their company and really has a good time with them. Their anecdotes and funny stories make him laugh non-stop, which causes him total joy, a feeling that he's missed for a long time.
After a little over an hour, he decides to go home but this time with his dad, to check on him. During his stay at the boarding school, it's been inevitable for him to think about how his dad would be, if he'd be okay, or if he'd be worse than how he was when he left.
Upon entering he sees him sitting at the kitchen table, apparently reading a book. Alex approaches, greeting him.
A - Hey dad!
His dad, Richard, turns to look at him, but his face remains serious when he sees him.
R - Alex, where have you been?
The question confuses Alex.
A - I've.. I-I just got back from Idaho, I've been there f-
R - I'm kidding.
A - Hmm..
His dad sighs. He puts the book on the table and gets up. He walks towards Alex and stands in front of him.
R - I gotta go to work right now. I'll return in the evening. See you then.
His dad takes his things and leaves the house without saying anything else. Alex swallows and looks around. Everything seems pretty clean, which is strange, but he doesn't think much of it.
He goes up to his room and lies down on the bed. He agreed to meet his grandma and his friends at the supermarket to shop for Christmas dinner in a couple of hours. So, while he waits he will sleep for a while.
In the afternoon, Alex and his friends are already at the supermarket helping his grandma choose the ingredients for dinner. On top of that, they buy some more decorations to finish decorating the house.
When they return they begin to prepare everything, and after a few hours dinner's ready. Everyone sits at the table and eats what they've prepared, while laughing they tell anecdotes and stories from Christmases past.
That environment makes him feel pretty good. He is surrounded by the people who love him, he is at home, and he is enjoying one of the most beautiful seasons of the year.
Lucas is finishing cleaning the table when he hears the doorbell. He rushes to open it, and his eyes light up when he sees a tall girl with black hair and honey-colored eyes in front of him: his dear sister.
L - Norah..
N - Hello Lucas!
Norah hugs him and Lucas reciprocates. Hugging his sister after so long makes a feeling of nostalgia and happiness invade him, causing a couple of tears to run down his cheeks. Their dad watches them from afar and is happy to see his children are reunited again.
N - Hi Norah.
N - Hey dad.. [hugs him] You ok?
N - Yeah.. how have you been?
N - I've been fine. Don't worry about me.
Norah enters the house and leaves her things in what used to be her room. Lucas has many questions, just like his dad, but he decides that it's best to keep their questions to himself so as not to ruin the moment.
L - Hey dad..
N - Yea?
L - Don't ask her anything. I won't, either. I don't want us to ruin this for her.
N - Hmm.
After settling in and unpacking a bit, Norah and Lucas leave to go buy some things for dinner, while their dad finishes tidying up.
During the way to the supermarket and when they arrive they chat for a while, and Lucas discovers his sister's whereabouts all this time, among other things.
Lucas:
I want to ask her a lot of questions but I don't know if it's a good idea.
L - Norah..
N - [looks at him] Yeah?
L - Can I ask you something?
N - I know you've got a lot of questions. Go ahead.
L - Um.. where have you been all this time?
N - I've been to Switzerland. All this time I've lived there. I had friends who lived there so, I decided to go with them when things got bad here. I've got a stable job, I have my own apartment, and, um.. I've been fine, yeah.
L - Wow.. I didn't expect that. [chuckles]
Lucas:
Switzerland?! It didn't even cross my mind. But now I'm calm knowing that she has been good there. That was what had me worried.
N - How have things been with dad?
L - Still the same. Sometimes he pretends to be someone else.
N - Mmmh.. and you? How have you been?
L - I've missed you, but I'm fine. You know, I got that scholarship so school has kept me busy.
N - Idaho, right?
L - Mm-hmm.
N - Have you made friends? Any girlfriend? [chuckles] Or boyfriend?
L - N-No.. I have made some friends, but no girlfriend.. or boyfriend.
N - Hmm... okay. You'll have time for that.
They chat a little more and finish shopping. They get home and finish preparing dinner, which is quite simple but sufficient.
They have dinner, with some on-air comments and simple questions. It results in a slightly awkward dinner for everyone, which ends with their dad getting drunk and making some derogatory comments.
Their dad leaves with a bottle in hand and Lucas and Norah sigh when they see him. It was what they expected to happen. They stay at home cleaning, and later decide to watch a movie while eating a Christmas dessert.
Norah spends a couple more days there, exploring the surroundings and remembering what it was like before she left. Days later she takes her flight to Switzerland and returns to his new home, to celebrate the new year with your friends.
Alex, for his part, spends the rest of the vacation with his friends, having fun. New Year arrives and they meet their grandma again, and this time their dad is also present.
They enjoy a small show of fireworks, music, and pyrotechnics in the center of town, where everyone gathers to wish each other a happy and prosperous New Year.
Lucas spends the New Year locked in his room, watching some fireworks from his window. His mom crosses his mind and memories with her become present. To suppress the sadness he feels, he decides to go to sleep, that way he won't be thinking about her, or about his sister, or about what his life was like before.