A Little Therapy

Rian and Jack built a sturdy friendship over the first couple of days, there was no arguing between the two because Jack was too timid and the elder was too nice. In fact the silent study sessions were peaceful as they would be alone, but cheerful knowing that they weren’t; every now and then, Jack would look up and smile at him, before asking for help in a little stutter. There was something about the quietness that stunned the short haired boy- he just wasn’t used to it.

Of course Rian had other friends, they were loud and complicated with more opinions than the sun was willing to rise; nothing like this sweet, scared boy who had just stumbled from the sky and curled up in a ball at the base of the hallway steps. Jack was…something else, to say the least, speaking without words and smiling with his eyes. A poet who used his body as a pen, or a shy boy lost within a forest unfamiliar too him.

The elder senior had been cautious about introducing the deer too his headlights, as the overcrowded friends he had were loud and obnoxious, with the exception for quiet Vic who barely talked and simply smiled. As predicted, they were the two who got along. After the constant influx of questions directed to the boy almost in tears, it was the timid little Mexican boy who pushed everyone away and told them to leave him be. Had it been anyone else, they probably paid no mind, but when Vic spoke it was something to listen to; he never wasted his words.

But what really made Rian nervous was the way that the two cruise kids were staring at Jack, like he was meat, he knew that look, and he knew that the nervous newbie was not going to be able to handle attention from Alex and Kellin…at least not the way they provided it. They sexualised everything; they hit on anything that breathed and the last thing any of them wanted was to see Jack have his heart broken, or contract HIV.

Yet, they understood the stuttering , clumsy, stammering boy was higher than falling at the feet of either of the walking clichés; beyond that, neither of them even new if Jack was gay, straight, asexual or pansexual… to assume anything would be wrong. Instead of asking like normal people, they both decided to wait it out, find out in time as that had always seemed to be the best choice.

Jack noticed, through observation of his usually concealed hazel eyes, and recognised the slow cautiousness they all seemed to have around him. Perhaps, he told himself, it’s because I’m new and they’re not used to new people, at least this is what he managed to convince himself. He had no idea how to act around the new group and topsy-turvy lifestyle he had, until now, been blissfully unaware of as he holed himself up with a study guide every night. Socialising was a foreign concept that he couldn’t quite grasp, so totally alien he struggled to find his manners and keep his tongue in such unfamiliar regions.

Having grown up to a catholic family of great wealth and stature, he had it drilled through his over-worked little head that he was too become heir of a great business, marry a nice girl and become a dutiful family (though still care more about work) and bring up a healthy son to continue his family’s work. That was it. Live, work, die; no in-between, no if’s, but’s or maybe’s.

He had had no problem with such a way of living, until he saw the forbidden fruit to offer.
--
“You’ve got your eyes on someone Quinn, don’t bullshit me,” Alex threw a wild piece of orange at his friend, smirking as the flying fruit made a satisfying ‘splat’ before falling on the table. His best friend narrowed his haunting olive orbs in intimidation, before leaning back in his seat precariously to study the room in silence. “Oh come on, don’t be a child, who is it?”
“The new kid is all,” The boy with windswept hair scoffed incredulously, the curves of his lips tilting into a smirk before his caramel coloured irises darkened and his eyes narrowed. It was as if he was trying to examine the inside of his best friend’s mind, pushing further and further, though Kellin refused to crack.

“Ok, a part from him, you keep glancing over to the nerd kids table, and it’s not the new kid you’re looking at ‘cause you’re looking on the wrong side, he’s buying lunch still,” As if he were Sherlock Holmes, or Poirot, he gestured grandly outwards and offered a large grin to his “Audience,” Studying the nervous eyes of the boy with the oynx hair, he finally spoke again. “It’s that Fuentes kid again ain’t it?” a smirk creeped onto his face through the silence.
“Look, nothing went on between me and Fuentes, it was just a quick fuck, nothing serious, nothing personal, and over and done with in days. As usual he was crying, will you stop insinuating I’m in love when I’m not?”

“Except I didn’t insinuate fuck all, so how about I was right? But hey if you wanna chase Jack bara-whatever then be my guest, I’ll still win, but remember…no sex,” With the grace of a manly swan, he stood and strode away, brushing passed the lanky new kid with a smirk and nod before giving some form of salute back to Kellin.

The paler boy frowned and cursed under his breath before glancing back to the other table and shaking his head, not this year; he wouldn’t do that to himself again. Following his friend’s path, he walked through the cafeteria and out into the yard, hand brushing the packet of cancer in his pocket for the mere comfort of its crinkly wrapper. Without thought or care he strode out of the gates and into the fierce thoughts of the unsheltered world beyond the wilderness of the ivy walls.

Notes

Just letting you know there won't be alot on Kellin and Vic because I'll be writing their side of teh story on Sleepingwithsirensfanfiction and piercetheveilfanfiction. I'll probably post both books on Wattpad and if I do, I'll let ya know. Probably gonna be slow development. And sorry about not being quick on updates because I have so much work it's unbelievable. -Ceej