Disenchanted

Chapter One~

The Night It Began

There he was: Carter Jackson: local football star and the most gorgeous being on the planet. And here I was, the lonesome, gay charity case.

I looked around, trying to find Murphy. He'd dragged me out here, I'd drag him home.

"Yo, Simon! Come over here, man!" It was one of Murphy's friends- Peter, I think. I waded through the crowd of half-drunk freshmen to the door of what appeared to be a basement.

"C'mon!" Peter said, shoving me down the first few steps. A small group of people were siting in a circle, an empty Bud Lite bottle in the center. I sighed.

Of course, they'd pick the fag to get kissed by random girls. Why not choose an acne-riddled Star Wars nerd?

I descended the last few steps, closely followed by Peter.

"Make room for two more!" He called out loudly. Some people groaned about the lack of space.

I sat in an opening between two girls- the first, a blonde who gave the impression of being sticky, the second, also blonde, with short hair. The sticky one extended her hand.

"I'm Katie," she said, smacking a piece of bubblegum. I ignored her badly manicured fingers.

"Back up." Katie pouted, turning away. The other- natural- blonde snickered. She punched my shoulder lightly.

"I'm proud of you, bro," she said. "Most guys'd be drooling and frantically trying to get in her pants. I'm Jessie, by the way."

"I'm Simon.. And, I might bed doing just that if I weren't gay. But probably not." Jessie laughed.

"I am, too. Gay, I mean. Just in case you didn't notice," she said, gesturing to her dyke-ish haircut.

"Alright, everyone. This is Mo, and he'll be calling the shots. Go ahead, brah." Mo stepped up.

"'Kay, bitches. You spin that bottle-" he pointed, as if we didn't know which bottle he was referring to- "and kiss whoever the mouth faces- for at LEAST THREE SECONDS. No exceptions. Go!"

The first girl spun, waited, kissed the guy- or girl.

Spin.

Wait.

Kiss.

On, and on. Three more people, then me. A couple of guys came in late. They sat across from me. I spun.

Jessie burst out laughing; I tried, and failed,not to.

"The two gay people here," she joked. I leaned over and held my lips to Jessie's cheek. Jessie spun, bottle facing a girl across the circle beside the latecomers.

I focused on them, faces blurred by smoke and darkness. One clutched a can of Budweiser; the other was... Carter Jackson. My heart jolted as Jessie sat back down, flushed. Apparently, she was not the only lesbian here.

Carter. Fucking. Jackson. Was in the same room as me. He risked kissing another guy. He might even be- no. He was a football player. He'd probably banged every girl on the cheer squad under the bleachers at halftime.

Spin.

Wait.

Kiss.

My heart hammered in my chest. It was Carter's drunk friend's turn. He spun, kissing another obviously wasted asshole.

Carter took a look around the circle. He spun.

Waited.

The bottle's mouth faced Katie. Carter crawled over to her, kissed her cheek for three seconds, and backed away.

My head spun; I could smell his cologne.

Four rounds later, Jessie was laying with her head against my lap. Until the girl from the first round left; Jessie followed like a lost puppy.

The circle had decreased a little. I spun, kissed a dude, sat. Carter's turn.

I watched hi hand wrap around the bottle, spinning it smoothly. It rotated several times before pointing to.. Me.

My heart slammed against my chest. Carter's expression changed. It wasn't "bored out of my mind" anymore; a good sign, I supposed.

He crawled toward me. He'd kiss my cheek and leave, just like he did for all those slutty girls. I closed my eyes for a moment, preparing for the feel of his lips on my skin. It did not come.

I opened my eyes. Carter Jackson pressed his lips to my mouth. I counted.

One.

Two.

Three. He hadn't pulled away. Three more perfect seconds. Three more. Carter's hand cupped the back if my neck and slid to just under my jaw. He broke the kiss, leaning in. His breath was hot against my ear.

"Meet me outside in a few minutes."

And he was gone.

I shuddered.

Just before my next turn, i slipped outside.

The backyard was crowded.

"Simon?" I knew it was him. I knew that voice. I turned to face him, smiling. Carter wasn't much taller than me; 6'1" at most. Nevertheless, he looked down at me.

"I thought you wouldn't come.."

"Of course I-" Carter was kissing me again. He jumped back, slapping his own forehead.

"I'm sorry, I.. I just... I've liked you for a while, but I was unsure..." He said, his voice trailing off.

"Of?" I prompted.

"Whether I really liked guys, or if it was just a phase.. Whether or not you were..." He paused, seeming to have trouble finding words.

"Gay?" I smiled.

"But now, I think I'm gay, too! My ex tried to get me to have sex with her- she was all over me- and I didn't want her. I wanted.... A guy.."

He went on about not being able to tell his parents. His dad was highly religious, his mother, a hater or difference.

I'll admit, I tuned a lot of it out; it was the same as every newly-discovered queer.

"Simon?" I turned slightly. Carter's face was serious, but he was blushing. "Yeah?" He hesitated.

"Will you be m-my... Boyfriend?"

I smiled, kissing his cheek lightly.

"Hell yes.