On Friday, after his only class for the day, it occurred to Damien that he hadn't written a thing for his fic in the better part of a week. The looming threat of Tyler's retribution had made it particularly difficult, not to mention the fact that he had been feeling particularly uninspired in all aspects of his life as of late. He was listless and exhausted, and he longed for the year to just be over already. He wondered if any of his online friends were worried about him, he could barely remember where he'd left off in the story he'd been working on, or the last time he had reached out to Adam.
Sneaking away to the library, Damien opened up his laptop and stared at the blank document that sat before him, trying to figure out where the story should go next. Upon checking Damien had realized that it had only been a little under four days since his last post, though it was well over a week and a half since he'd actually written anything new. He had been so ahead for so long that he hadn't even worried about it, and now his story was beginning to catch up with his posting schedule. Frustrated, Damien minimized his writing program and opened up Tumblr.
There were several messages in his ask box and once more Damien felt rather guilty for having disappeared. There was a message or two from fans, and one message, slightly further down from Adam:
Hope everything is going okay. Been kind of busy over here, I'm sure you can relate. I wanted to let you know that your latest chapter was brilliant, but please update soon. (Damien had left them on a cliffhanger.) I don't mean to rush you, I know how difficult it must be, and I don't want to be that person, but I'm desperate to know what happens next. I do hope you aren't getting too much pleading for updates.
Damien laughed, the two messages above Adam's had both been requesting some sort of update on the story, which he quickly deleted. He would keep them waiting for a little while longer to build up the tension, and hopefully allow himself to catch up in the meantime. Damien typed up a reply to Adam to assure him that he had in fact been busy, though he didn't want to go into too much detail, and he assured him that he would update soon, it wasn't writer's block per se, more that he just hadn't really had the inspiration to really give the story the attention it deserved, though he would get back to work as soon as he could.
Damien sighed, closing his laptop. He didn't have the strength to stare at the blank screen any longer, perhaps if I got some rest I could figure something out in the morning, he thought.
"I should have known I'd find you in here," Carrie said.
Damien snorted, "You act like I was hiding." Carrie raised an eyebrow at that. "Did you want something?" he asked.
"I ran into Tyler earlier," she said. Damien nodded, waiting for her to continue. "He's pretty furious. I told him that everyone already knew about him and Gabe, but apparently they both lied to Principal Updike so I guess he's off the hook."
"Color me surprised."
"You didn't actually think it would change anything did you?"
"I didn't exactly tell him hoping to get Tyler in trouble, I just happened to mention it," Damien replied. "It sort of just came out and after it had, then he started asking all sorts of questions and saying there was going to be an investigation. I don't know why I thought he really meant that."
"I mean, you know he pulled Tyler into the office for like almost two hours so obviously for him that was enough of an investigation." It wasn't really a question, he just wished Principal Updike hadn't bothered with the pretense.
Damien shrugged, he really didn't want to think or talk about any of this right now. It only served to give him a headache and frankly, it wasn't helping his writing either. "Yeah well..." he sighed rubbing his temples. He didn't really know what to say anymore and he really desperately wanted the conversation to end.
Carrie eyed him, "So like, what was up with you earlier, when Oliver invited us to have a drink?" she asked trying to change the subject. In any other circumstance Damien would have been grateful for the effort, but unfortunately talking about Oliver never ceased to make him feel even more tense. He had tried to ignore the jealousy that had been raging within him for the last few days. He knew he was being absurd, but something inside him insisted that Oliver was only interested in talking to them because he was interested in Carrie, and either she was trying to spare Damien's feelings, or she was clueless. Either way, she was not helping the situation and frankly Damien was rather tired of keeping it to himself.
"He wasn't inviting us," Damien snapped. "He was inviting you."
"What?" Carrie said, confused.
"Oh don't play dumb," Damien said. "You know perfectly well he's into you."
At this, Carrie laughed, "What?" she repeated. "Damien, what are you even talking about?"
"He's into you, you could at least have the decency not to laugh in my face. Look, if you want to date him, it's fine, but like... you don't have to rub it in."
Carrie paused, staring at Damien then. She had never seen him look so visibly upset. "Shit you're serious. What makes you think I have any interest..."
"Please, I see the way you look at each other," Damien cut in.
Carrie blinked. It was worse than she thought. "Where is all this even coming from?"
"First he just happens to show up at the forest, and you two were just so friendly, then he just happens to sit with us, to tell us he had alcohol of his own, and you two just share these like... knowing looks."
"Knowing looks?" she repeated. "Damien. First of all, I have no interest in dating men, and second I have no interest in Oliver either. And I get the sneaking suspicion I'm not the one he's interested in."
"You said yourself he's attractive."
"You know ironically lesbians can find men attractive from time to time," Carrie snapped. "Why are you suddenly acting like a jealous girlfriend?"
"I'm not!" Damien snapped.
"Look, I don't even know why we're fighting right now. You obviously have some unaddressed feelings here, and I would love to help you sort them out, but you clearly need some space right now, so I'm going to leave you to that," she said getting to her feet and leaving him alone to his thoughts. I do not! Damien thought petulantly. He couldn't have feelings for Oliver he told himself. He barely knew Oliver and besides, no one that good looking could possibly be into him. He sighed, shaking his head.
He definitely did not have feelings for Oliver, he told himself. Not even a little.
Damien sighed, if only he really believed that.
As it was, whoever it was that was in charge of his reality wasn't exactly making it easy for Damien.
Oliver was everywhere.
In Damien's spot in the library, in his new spot in the forest, in the Dining Hall. To say nothing of the classes they shared together. Is nothing sacred? Damien thought to himself when Oliver had once more encroached upon Damien's newest spot in the forest.
"Are you stalking me or is this just some dreadful coincidence?" he snapped.
Oliver snorted, "That's a touch narcissistic even for you. As a matter of fact, I was trying to leave you to your own devices, but since evidently you can't sit still for three seconds, here we are."
"I moved to avoid you!" Damien shouted.
"Then you should have stayed where you were!" Oliver shouted back.
"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Damien demanded, unconsciously taking a step towards him.
Were this one of Damien's fics, Oliver would have stepped closer too, they would have shared a glare before Oliver grabbed him by the shirt and thrust him up against the nearest tree, snogging the breath out of Damien's lungs.
But this was not a fic. As it was, Damien barely resisted the unshaking urge to shove Oliver as hard as he could away from him.
Oliver huffed, his hot breath hitting Damien's face and it was all Damien could do not to growl in annoyance, "Stay here next time, and I'll go somewhere else."
"Don't tell me what to do," Damien spat.
"Fine you brat! You leave and I'll stay here!"
Damien growled ready to lunge when the sound of crunching leaves stopped him. Carrie appeared suddenly, Damien stared at her, "Right, I guess I'll go then, wouldn't want to interrupt," he said pushing past Oliver, knocking into his shoulder as he went.
This, it turned out, had been a terrible miscalculation on Damien's part. For not only did he hurt his shoulder in the process, Oliver grabbed him suddenly by the arm and yanked him back towards him. Their chests were almost touching, Damien swallowed, staring up into Oliver's brilliant brown eyes. The intimacy was overwhelming, and against his better judgement something inside of Damien snapped.
"What the fuck is your problem with me?" Oliver demanded, his iron like grip on Damien's wrist, a mixture of pain and pleasure.
Damien glared, "At the moment, you're death grip is my problem," he hissed. Oliver let his hand go. Damien massaged his freed wrist, pushing his hair back out of his face. "You would do well to remember that you're new here, orphan boy and I don't think you have anyone who could donate to the school to protect you attacking another student!" he hissed. The moment the words left his lips he regretted them, but it was far too late.
Oliver's eyes darkened, "Wow, and here I thought maybe you weren't as shitty as Tyler said you were," and with that, he turned on his heel, leaving Damien and Carrie alone in the forest.
Carrie stared, dumbstruck, and shook her head, before Damien could even attempt to say another word, she too had turned around and vanished on the spot. And just like that, Damien had gotten his wish, he was now totally alone.