Out of Reach

A Love That's Worth It

June second is the last day of Kurtis' Junior year. No more SAT's and homophobic bullies (the bullies will return his senior year, but he has two months of an emotional break). Then, in August, he'll start his senior year. He has enough credits to graduate early in December, which is exactly what he plans on doing. Then he'll finally be out of shit-hole Austberg.

Where to next? He doesn't know. Kurtis doesn't really have plans for college. Maybe just a community college. Major in general education.

He'd like to do something with art, but he's not too sure yet, so general education, then decide as he goes. That's his plan that he's currently making up in his head as he grabs the last few items from his locker before shutting it.

Kurtis still has no car. He misses the car rides home he got last year from Alex. They always had the best times in the car... and in bed. Maybe every time together was the best times.

Fuck. He has to stop thinking about Alex. Stop picturing those deep, brown eyes of his. Stop hearing his contagious laugh. And fucking stop lusting over his body. (Kurtis can't even jerk-off without imagining Alex's naked self on him).

But they haven't spoke since the middle of March, just before spring break, so his imagination needs to fuck off.

Kurtis swiftly makes his way to the exit and through the doors without any harm, but the second he steps outside, his body is slammed to the right. He crashes into a freshman that was trying to unlock his bike from the bike rack.

"Sorry," Kurtis apologizes to the freshman and regains his footage as the senior who pushed him, (Dylan, one of the homophobic bullies), laughs hysterically with his buddies.

"Watch where you're going, fag," Dylan shouts, but before him and his friends can walk away and leave the boy humiliated (which is what they planned on doing), Dylan is shoved to the cement ground.

Now, Kurtis must be dreaming. He has to be dreaming. Because there is no way in Hell, Alex Wells is here in Austberg, at Austberg High School, telling Dylan to, "Watch your fucking mouth, you piece of shit!"

There's a lot of "oooo"s and "daaamnn" and laughter and even one, "didn't he graduate?" going around, but Kurtis is too bewildered to fully comprehend the words around him.

He doesn't know if he's more shocked by Alex's presence (because what the fuck?) or Alex's harsh words (because he's never heard such language come out of Alex in such an angry way).

There's not too much time to decipher the reason for his shocked state because Kurtis' hand is in Alex's and he's being taken in the direction of, what looks like, Alex's car parked in the school's parking lot.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks the younger boy.

Once away from the drawn-in crowd, Kurtis yanks his hand free from the taller boy and stops, bringing Alex to a halt as well.

"What the hell? Why are you here?" Kurtis questions harshly.

"Uh," Alex pictured numerous scenarios in his mind about seeing Kurtis in person again and what the boy would say to him, but Alex never imagined those words. Like Kurtis would rather see anyone else, and Alex is beginning to regret surprising Kurtis on the last day of school to drive him home. Maybe he should've surprised him at the boy's house. "I got back yesterday and wanted to pick you up from school."