Family Friends (Kleinsen One-Shots)

1. Evan's POV

CHAPTER 1

His heartbeat thumped in his chest, taking shallow breaths as he ran his fingers over the boy's soft skin. Goosebumps prickled his arms as he felt hot air dance lightly across his hands, which was from Jared's soft exhale. Heat rose in his face, and he could feel the warmth that radiated from his cheek as he inched closer.

RIIIING RIIIIING

The bell quickly distracted Evan from his daydreaming, eyes fluttering open. He rubbed his tired eyes, soon letting a small yawn escape from his lips. The day was about to begin, and he assumed it would be dreadfully full of anxiety-induced decisions, along with nerve-wracking interactions. He shook his hands as if that would somehow help him overcome his intense emotions of apprehension.

Soon, he saw the familiar reddish-orange blur of his best friend as he rushed into the room. He quickly took his seat next to the blondish boy, and now Evan could see his toothy smile. Jared held out his hand, and Evan gave him a small fist bump. The teacher thankfully failed to notice his late arrival, or more likely chose to ignore it.

As the end of the year neared, the school's faculty had cared significantly less. This allowed students to get away with a lot. This also meant that the last few weeks consisted of very little learning. The number of students who showed up was sparse, and since both of the boy's mothers had to work, they were one of the few who had to stay. Evan didn't mind though, he had always attempted to achieve perfect attendance.

His mind trailed, Jared was talking to someone who he had usually ignored. The smartboard was playing something quietly in the background but was mostly drowned out by the obvious whispers of students. He stared into space for what seemed like a good ten minutes, though probably was more than five.

A light tap on his shoulder broke him out of his trance, whipping around to see Zoe Murphy. His heart started to thud, eyes widening at the sight of her.

"Do you have a pencil?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, somehow strong yet gentle at the same time. He awkwardly stammered out a yes, digging through his bag and pulling out a pencil. He handed it to her, and with a quick flash of her smile she turned around. Just like that, it was as if it never happened. He let out a frustrated huff, facing forward to look at the board. The movie was boring, so he buried his head in his arms.

Quickly, he realized this was a mistake. The air soon turned hot and sticky, but he was committed. He stayed like that for a few more painfully long seconds, and fortunately, Jared called out to him.

"Aye, Evan! I got us invited to Hudson's party on Friday!" He said excitedly, smirking proudly. Evan grinned, though inside the last thing he would ever want to do would be to go to a party. He noticed as Jared moved his seat closer, and of course, he did not get butterflies in his stomach.

Jared handed him a slip of paper with big black bold letters, and he skimmed over it. It included the details, such as time and address. He nodded, saw that Jared also had an invite in his hand, and stuffed it into his bag. The closeness of the boys stuck in the back of his mind, soon clouding his thoughts and worming its way to the front of his mind.

Before he could think, Evan blurted something out. "Wanna come over to my place to get ready?" He held his breath, assuming Jared would laugh it off or even decline.

"Sure." Evan's breath hitched, eyes widening at Jared's soft response. He quickly muttered an ok, looking down at his hands to fidget with the edge of his shirt sleeve. He glanced over, seeing something he thought he imagined. 'Is he blushing?' His mind whispered, but he quickly denied it. Though his mind still let a small trickle of hope sneak its way into his heart.