Derby Disaster

chaPTer EIGhT

"Hey Will, 

What's up? Did you lose my phone number? I miss seeing you too, and if you get the chance on your road trip, I'd love to hang out. Are you coming with friends? Give me a heads up so I can tell Dad and we can all have dinner or something.

--Leo"

Will read and reread the email. It had been Leo! His heart was beating quickly as thoughts rushed into his mind. Yes, hopefully he would be coming with a friend--a special friend. Albeit a fake special friend. That would be okay to ask of Rory McKenna, right? Faking being his boyfriend wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary in his line of reasoning as he knew Leo knew he was gay. But the trouble was in how to ask Rory this. He didn't know Rory very well, so he would have to do some gathering of information. Alma or Molly had said that they knew him from school so that would be where he would start. 

He found those two girls in the stable, cleaning their saddles. "Hey, which one of you knows Rory McKenna?"

Molly looked up, confused by the question. "We both do, but Alma has had classes with him. Why?" Her brown eyes looked suspicious, guessing that this question carried more weight than a friendly gossip session. 

"He isn't very nice all the time," Alma rolled her eyes. Her mind began working, drawing on years of reading to jump to a conclusion. Alma was dating Bailey, so she was often at the Handler house long past the other girls and had seen enough of Will to guess that he didn't reciprocate Sarah's feelings or show many feelings of the romantic sort for any girls. "He's cute and single, if that is what you're after."

Will's face felt like it had burst into flames. He did not care to share much personal information at the barn and felt a little like Alma had crossed an invisible boundary he had set. "I...Look, I do think he is nice to look at but I want to ask him to come on a road trip with me."

"You'd better explain," Molly laughed with a curious tone. 

Prompted by her suggestion, Will relayed everything to these girls. Rory's confession of sabotage, Leo's emails, the shady woman. He trusted Alma and Molly more deeply than any of his other friends. He saw the two slightly younger girls as sisters and after his long winded explanation, he looked at them expectantly waiting for their thoughts. 

"I agree that Leo wouldn't buy that Rory is just some buddy from school," Alma said slowly. Living next door to the Handlers her whole life, she had known Leo as well though they hadn't been close. "However, it may be a problem getting Rory to agree to pretend to be your boyfriend."

"Will, I didn't know you were gay," Molly said kindly. 

"What about it?" Will automatically went into a defensive tone. 

"Nothing, you're still like my brother," The girl shrugged, fiddling with the ends of her braids. "Alma is right; Rory wouldn't likely agree to that. I think he is pretty...religious or at least his family is."

"Ah, shit. I need him along to see if that lady is THE lady, if there is even a lady at Leo's," The boy let out a sigh, feeling defeated before he had even tried.

"Can't hurt to ask," Alma piped up. She had a suspicion that Rory would say yes, remembering a rumor from a few years ago about him.

Will nodded, giving a wan smile. He pulled the girls into a hug, loving them dearly for all their help and acceptance. "Thank you. You're right; it can't hurt to ask."

                                                                                 ***

Rory stood across from Will in the doorway of the square faced brick home that he lived in. Will had shown up unexpectedly and was now asking him to pretend to be his boyfriend and go on a road trip to see if that horrid woman lived with his childhood friend. He saw Will's lips moving on his tan face, but the words made no sound. The auburn-haired teen heard blood rushing into his ears. It was not the looking for the woman that was making him dizzy, it was the faking being Will's boyfriend part. Rory had spent most of his life since he was eleven years old trying to be straight after discovering he would rather look at Brad Pitt than Angelina Jolie in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'. His family was conservative in their beliefs, and his mom was sick. She didn't need that shock on top of her illness and financial stress. 

"Rory, will you do this?" Will said, snapping the other boy back to reality.

Rory found himself nodding, wanting to help Will and wanting to be himself for a short time. "Y-yeah...I can do that. When do you want to go?"

"Soon. How does this weekend sound?" Will asked, beaming that his plan was starting off with success. 

"Sure, I can make that work."

Will was so overjoyed that he couldn't contain himself and he hugged the shorter, more muscular boy. To his great surprise, Rory hugged him back. 

A/N

Shorter chapter, but still chapter so yay :)

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in the wise words of Brad Mondo, 'Live your extra life'