Sleeping Pills // Kellic

Cheeto dust

Home wasn't really my favourite place to be. My dad was never around, and getting positive attention from my mother was rare. I hated it there, but it was always just kind of my default setting. I feel like wherever you are you're always trying to get back home somehow, and I just kind of went with it. I discovered at sixteen that I didn't have to. Having a driver's license definitely helped with that. Once I could drive I often ended up on Matty's bedroom floor, similar to the way I was now, laying flat on my back and flinching when another Cheeto hit me in the face, not even close to my mouth.

"Dude, you're getting Cheeto dust all over the place," Matty complained, not looking up once from his phone. I sometimes wondered how he could go so long without blinking, and how he wasn't blind from leaving the brightness turned all the way up.

I rolled my eyes, flipping over onto my side to glare at him. He was still perched up on his bed, tapping at his phone screen.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Texting Jack. He's having this party next weekend and we're going." He replied casually.

"If you mean we as in me and you, then I think I'll pass." I rolled back over, tossing another Cheeto in the air.

"C'mon, Kellin, what else are you gonna do on a Saturday night?" Matty actually looked up this time. I shrugged.

"I don't know- maybe I'll catch up on some English work that I missed." He scoffed. "Parties aren't really my thing, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, but there's gonna be underaged drinking and loud music. What else could the stereotypical teenager ask for? Plus there'll be girls." He waggled his eyebrows, and I groaned at his failed attempt to lure me to the probably lame event.

"Boys? Boys are going. Hot boys, probably. Hot people are going. I know you like hot people." He continued.

I didn't have time to laugh, because the bedroom door opened to Matty's mother, saying something about dinner being ready soon with a smile. Matty's parent were nice- maybe a little too nice, actually. They were these really conservative christians, who only let Matty go to concerts if they were christian bands. That was the only downside to them. They could be strict, and they had this idea of how everything should be. Luckily, I just fit the mold. I was capable of acting respectful and heterosexual enough around them that they basically adopted me as their part time son. If his mother would have come in the room seconds earlier though, things would have changed very quickly.

"So, what do you say?" Matty asked as soon as the door clicked shut again.

"I don't know, dude. I like hot people, but like, from a distance, you know?"

"Would you really rather sit at home though? And alone at that, because I'm going."

I paused, suddenly rethinking it. Home and alone were two things I'd really grown to hate. I'd actually probably rather stand around at some high school party then be home alone trying to will myself to sleep.

"Fine. I'll go." I sighed, and Matty's fave lit up.

"It'll be fun, I promise."

---

By next Friday, the day before the party I was dreading, you couldn't avoid conversation about it if you tried. Jack Barakat's name was thrown around all day, which was kind of new. I guess that's just what happens when your parents are out of town, you have access to large quantities of alcohol, and you invite literally everyone in the school to your giant house. Okay, maybe not literally everyone, but it sure seemed like it. I avoided being one of those people who acted like it was going to be the high point of their life, which included shrugging off anyone who asked me about it. Well, at least until I was sitting in History, one seat in front of Matty and Austin. It was the last hour of the day and they'd been discussing that fucking party the whole time while I struggled to ignore them.

"So, I heard Mike's older brother is going- Vic? Yeah, Vic." Austin said, which obviously caught my attention.

"Vic Fuentes?" I turned around in my seat. Austin was taken a bit by surprise, but he nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

"Uh," I didn't have a good reason for asking, really. None at all. "I just didn't know Vic Fuentes and Mike Fuentes were brothers."

Austin gave me a weird look, and Matty gave me a different kind of look. His was more a a smirk- like he knew something. I gave him a look similar to Austin's.

"Dude, what? Stop looking at me like that. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Still have a thing for Vic Fuentes, huh?" Matty asked in a lowered voice. I had the smallest of heart attacks at that.

"What?" I shook my head, curling my fingers into the sleeves of my hoodie. "No- what?"

"You know, that obvious crush you've had on Vic Fuentes since like, forever?"

"No I haven't- I have no idea what you're talking about." I said, and somewhat truthfully, because even I didn't know I had a crush on Vic Fuentes.

The bell rang suddenly, relieving some of my building anxiety as I scrambled to gather my things.

"Sure, Kells," Matty mumbled with a laugh, patting my shoulder as he walked past me to the door.