Pico x Boyfriend - High School AU

Chapter Thirteen - Manicured

Hey! I swear I'm alive!

I know I've been gone for... a while, but I thank you all for your patience in waiting for this chapter :)

I really quickly just want to thank you guys for 100 followers on this account. It's mind blowing that anyone wants to read my stuff, follow my reading lists or whatever the fuck else people follow others on Wattpad to do. So you can only imagine the look on my face when we hit triple digits.

So in a sort-of celebration, if anyone cares to do so, feel free to leave any questions you have about/for me in the comments of this paragraph. They can be personal, about the book, or whatever else you can think of. I'll get back to any asap.

Thank you all again for all the support!

With that, enjoy!
-pipthegoat

~~~~~

The rest of Christmas had been spent in the basement by the boys, sharing tender kisses and funny stories. They had woken up bundled up together under a too small blanket the next morning, and after another hour of huddling in it's coziness, Pico begrudgingly decided to go home to prepare for his Dad's arrival. But unfortunately, reality had to hit sometime, and after a hectic New Years and a week without seeing each other due to Pico's parents' arrival, they were back at school.

The shrill bell rang through the halls as Keith leaned against the wall, staring at the long-winded sentences of his newest book. But his mind couldn't process the words on the page as Pico — or more specifically, the lack of his presence — filled his thoughts.

   A cold sweat beaded the little guy's brow. The two boys hadn't gotten the chance to see each other the past week, their last in-person interaction being the day after Christmas, consisting of a tight hug and, when Keith's parents had their backs turned, a secret peck on the lips. After that night, the ginger had been stripped of his spare time when his dads came home, spending as much time as they could as a family. The boys would have an occasional text conversation, sending pictures and stupid memes, but that was the extent of their contact.

—BRRRRRING!—

The final warning bell rang through the halls, the tone followed by a somewhat rejuvenated English teacher pushing open the door to her classroom, a strained smile spreading across her cheeks. Keith snapped his book shut and followed the rest of his class inside the stuffy room, a crease in his brow.

Pico still wasn't there.

He sat down and scanned the reminder of the students, his face contorting into one of realization further at another revelation.

Shit.

The seats at the back of the class were empty.

   He swiveled around in his seat, searching for the kids who usually sat in the back of the room. For a moment, Keith believed none of them were at school until he spotted the dark-haired girl and the lanky blond boy peeking inside the classroom, eyes skimming the desks before stepping inside and making their way to their seats. Keith noticed they took the long way around to their desks, purposely avoiding his seat and taking their places in the back as far away from him as possible.

He tensed.

This was strange.

Very strange.

Usually, these kids were all over Keith, cracking rude jokes and trying to squeeze a reaction from the boy. But today, they looked at the very least stoic, and at the very most afraid.