Farren stood up, bringing his empty dinner plate over to the dishwasher, nothing but a few crumbs remaining from the chocolate cake Grace and Jenny had brought back from their friend's house.
The four of them sat around the kitchen table, having a quick treat before heading up to bed. Rowan was staying at a friend's house that night, something about some dance competition tomorrow.
"Farren, did you change your sheets?" Jenny asked him suddenly, pulling him out of his train of thought.
"No. Should I?" He asked uncertainty. What? It's not his fault he didn't know this sort of stuff.
Well maybe it was, but whatever.
"Yes Farren, of course you should." Grace interjected, scrunching her nose up in disgust. "You hardly expect Kaden to sleep on those sheets, God knows who's been in them."
Farren dropped his jaw in shock. Sputtering in embarrassment, he looked up to find Kaden laughing at him in amusement. That prick.
"Grace, seriously?" He asked once he regained his composure. "Who do you think I am?"
She just gave him a knowing look in reply, which only succeeded in making Kaden laugh even harder, clearly enjoying his embarrassment. "Really Farren?" Grace began, "you don't think I know what boys your age are like? I was young once too, you know" She said with a laugh, sending Kaden a smirk as she too was also enjoying Farren's discomfort.
"Grace," he protested in embarrassment, giving her an annoyed look. "You make it sound like I'm running some sort of brothel. Besides I rarely ever have girls over anyways."
"As long as you use protection." This time it was Jenny who spoke, earning her a laugh from the others at the table.
God, everyone seemed borderline gleeful about his apparent embarrassment. If he was red before he was now practically scarlet.
Kaden snorted at Farren, clearly noticing the other boy's red cheeks.. "Didn't I hear a little rumour that you were.. having fun with one Julianna Cassidy?" He smirked.
That fucking bastard.
Farren glared at Kaden. Farren knew that Kaden knew full well what he was doing, trying to get him in trouble.
"Julianna Cassidy?" Asked Jenny, "as in Liz's Julianna?"
Farren gave up trying to deny things. "Yes that Julianna." He said awkwardly.
"What a stunning young girl! I work with her mother, nice woman. Why don't you invite her over for dinner sometime?" said Jenny, while Grace murmured in agreement.
Kaden turned to Farren with a smirk. "Yeah Farren, why don't you invite her over to dinner sometime?"
Farren gave Kaden a death glare. He knew that Kaden knew him and Julianna weren't serious. Everyone knew Julianna Cassidy didn't do relationships, and neither did Farren. In fact, Farren was pretty sure he heard somewhere that Julianna and Kaden had hooked up in the past.
"Can we please change the subject?" He asked irritably
The other three people at the table just snickered at his discomfort.
***
A couple of hours later Farren entered his room with Kaden close behind him.
He busied himself changing a sheets while Kaden didn't bother help, instead throwing himself on the desk chair and resting his eyes. Farren turned around to faced Kaden. "How many pillows?" He asked.
"Two is fine." Replied Kaden
Farren set up the other end of the bed for the two boys to top and tail, while Kaden made his way into the bathroom with his bag to change.
When he finally finished the bed, Farren was faced with a new dilemma. He always just slept in his boxers but would that be weird now that he was sharing a bed?
Sharing a bed with a boy, nonetheless.
He decided to grab a pair of sweatpants and head down the hall to the other bathroom.
He stripped down and had a quick shower,letting the steaming hot water run over him.
God, was there anything better than a hot shower after a long day? Farren thought not.
Once out, he towel dried his hair, throwing on the loose grey Nike sweatpants and brushing his teeth before making his way back to his room.
When he got there he found that Kaden was already in bed up at his end. Farren was relieved to find that Kaden was also shirtless. It would have been awkward if he was the only one.
He grabbed his prescribed pills from his bedside drawer and popped one out, downing it with some water from one of the numerous bottles that always seemed to be lying around the place in his room.
He turned around when he felt a pair of eyes on him and was met with Kaden's inquisitive gaze.
"Drug problem I don't know about?" Smirked Kaden.
"Oh good one." Retorted Farren.
"Thanks I try"
"Not very well"
"Prick"
"Asshole."
After a moment Kaden once again broke the silence, as Farren put the medicine bottle back in the drawer.
"Why are you taking them anyway?" Asked Kaden more curiously now, as Farren made his way onto his side of the bed.
"Because they're prescribed, why else would I be taking them?"
"Male pattern baldness, I presume?" Asked Kaden with fake concern as his eyes flickered up to Farren's hairline, earning him a glare from Farren.
"Oh shut it." He retorted, but nevertheless couldn't stop himself rubbing his hand through his hair anxiously. His hair was sacred to him, with his dark brown locks, which he put down to his mother's very distant Brazilian roots.
His thoughts trailed off to Kaden's hair as he looked over at the other boy's thick blonde hair. Messy on top, slightly shorter at the sides.
"Done checking me out?" smirked Kaden. God he smirked too much.
"Just wondering how you would look if I swapped your shampoo for hair removal cream," Farren smirked back.
"Probably still hot."
"Maybe I'll try it some day"
"You wouldn't dare"
"Wouldn't I?" Farren replied with a sneaky laugh.
Kaden just gave him the middle finger, before checking the time in his phone. "Whatever man. I'm going to sleep."
"Goodnight"
"Night."
And with that Farren rolled onto his back, closing his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, as he could hear Kaden's deep breaths regulating beside him
XXXXX
Kaden closed his eyes and leaned back against the headrest of Luke's car.
Luke Hensdale, who was Kaden's closest friend was staying with Jesse Ronan. Who Kaden had for some reason, always considered was basically Farren's own Doctor Watson; the trusty sidekick.
Even though Kaden didn't even know him personally. And he was probably being unfair, after all he had never even talked to Jesse.
But he didn't care.
The benefit of Luke living with Jesse Ronan was that he passed Farren's house on his way to Redwood Highschool, saving Kaden from the horror that was public transport.
Imagine the embarrassment of him on a bus.
Moments later they pulled up at the school. Kaden's bad mood diminished when he remembered it was Tuesday and he had double music today, and a free fifth period. And not only that, he had maths first period.
It was weird, to actually like maths but for some reason Kaden just did. He wasn't a big fan of most of his other subjects, except PE and maybe Spanish on a good day. He was never more than okay at English and history and them but maths and music was where he excelled.
He'd heard before that the two go hand in hand, if you were good at one you'd be good at the other sorta thing. But Kaden didn't really know if he believed that. Some of his friends who were good at maths couldn't hold a note to save their life.
For Kaden, maths was his talent but music was his love. Apart from football, music was the only hobby he'd ever stuck at. He'd done them all, Boy Scouts, baseball, swimming. But they just didn't cut it for him.
He'd learned piano from the ripe old age of six until he was fourteen. But he still continued to play, to teach himself new songs. At age twelve, he taught himself guitar and loved it too.
As for maths? Kaden supposed it just came naturally to him, he'd always just got it. Being good at something always made it more enjoyable.
He'd been asked to join his school's Mathletes but had sneered in his teacher's face when she asked him.
Who did she think he was? Him, Kaden Rivers, star quarterback, a Mathlete?
He remembered replying with something along the lines of "dream on Martin Luther King" with a snort and his infamous smirk.
She just looked slightly upset and intimated and if he was a better person he probably would have felt bad.
But of course he didn't.
***
"Thanks bro" Kaden called to Luke over his shoulder before making his way inside Farren's house.
He didn't bother knocking, after all it was his house now too. As he made his way inside the house he saw that he was the only one home.
He didn't really know what to do with himself, still not feeling entirely comfortable in this house. He decided to just head to the kitchen and grab himself a snack. He had just finished making his sandwich and was settling down on the couch when he heard the door handle rattle as Farren came walking into the foyer connected to the sitting room, talking and laughing animatedly over his shoulder with someone Kaden had yet to see.
Farren spotted him and made his way into the sitting room. "Making yourself at home I see" Farren said with a smirk
"But of course." Kaden replied, a smirk to match Farren's painted on his own face.
Farren opened his mouth, probably to reply with a snarky jab when a young girl came flying into the foyer with him and kept running forwards. Kaden watched with confusion as the little girl barely glanced at him before continuing her mad dash to wherever she was going.
However only seconds later Kaden could here her coming to a halt, as if she just realised there was someone else in her house. She made her way back to the large open doorway (that didn't actually have a door for the matter), connecting the foyer to the sitting room. She stood staring at Kaden up and down making him feel slightly uncomfortable.
Children were his weakness. They were always able to make him feel like he was being judged, what with their beady eyes and uncomfortably long stares.
This has to be Farren's sister. What was her name again? Raven? Rian?
She was likes miniature Farren, with her dark hair and pale skin. She had his same bright eyes but hers were wild and gleaming, just like any his were at her age.
He sat uncomfortably as her eyes raked him from head to toe. A moment later it seemed she had made up her mind about him, before she broke out in a smile, stepping forward and offering him her hand. "Hi, I'm Rowan Christina Casey-Milton and I am seven years old," she stated with a toothy smile.
Kaden had to admit, she was a little cutie.
He took her and shook it. "Hello Rowan Christina Casey-Milton I'm Kaden Jay Rivers and I'm seventeen years old," he smiled back without hesitation.
Rowan's smile widened even more, which Kaden didn't think was even possible.
"Mommy said your going to be living with us" she grinned broadly.
"Yup, for the next three weeks" Kaden smiled back.
Rowan turned to Farren. "Farry you better be nice to Kaden because he's my friend now" she said sternly.
"I'll try my best," replied Farren, smirking at Kaden as he did so. "Why don't you run upstairs and bring your homework down here in case you need help?" He asked as he came and sat down on the couch next to Kaden.
"I won't need help Farren I'm almost eight years old, God," she sighed, but nevertheless bounded upstairs quickly. Man she was just full of energy.
Kaden looked over at Farren and noticed the other boy smirking at him triumphantly.
"Can I help you?" Asked Kaden.
"Not at all. In fact I'm just thinking about how nice you were being to Rowan. Is 'Bad Boy Rivers softer than he looks?" Farren taunted him in reply.
"Whatever 'Farry,' Kaden replied with an eye roll, earning him a punch in the shoulder.
Kaden just laughed before turning his attention back to the television and to his sandwich which lay neglected on the sofa.
But for some strange reason he felt himself holding back a smile as he bit into the chicken sandwich.
XXXXX
Hope you guys enjoy. Love you all Xx.
Qotc; Who do you prefer as a person, Farren or Kaden?
Vote, comment, follow!
-A