Pretty Boy

Chapter 15

Liam

Liam had ended up talking to Harley for hours, consequently he had to compensate by doing his homework late at night and found himself wanting to bash his head into the wall when he woke up with the next day with a massive headache.

He looked at himself miserably in the mirror, groaning when he spotted the pimples that had started to cover his cheek. It was always his stupid right cheek, and nothing was working in getting rid of it. He didn't do very well with less than eight hours of sleep everyday which was a problem considering he was a highschooler with a pretty good social life, and lack of sleep meant he was grumpy for the whole day, snapping at people even when he didn't mean it.

Even then, he couldn't bring himself to regret the talk he had with Harley, he liked to think communication brought them closer a little, letting each other in like that.

Before they got together, Liam and Harley had always coexisted in each other's periphery but only now was he getting to see a side of Harley he had never thought he would get to experience. And he was honestly falling in love with it.

Harley had so many layers to him and Liam wanted to peel away every single one of them until they were both vulnerable and trusting. He had never felt that with others before. Sure, he was barely eighteen and he had so much to explore, but right then, he wanted to explore with Harley.

He wanted to try.

Liam was late to school that day, Charlie shaking his head when he recognized the sleeplessness in his eyes, "You're in for a rough day"

And he was. Nothing would register in his brain as he got through the day like a zombie. Not even Harley could get him to cheer up and it sucked to see his expression drop when Liam was unamused with his antics.

He confronted Liam right as lunch ended, pulling him into the library. The library at their school was one of Harley's favorite places, Liam knew. It was surprisingly large and quiet enough with rows and books and mahogany tables, leaving the place looking calm and dark. He had to admit, it did feel pretty nice being there.

Liam followed, smiling like a puppy as Harley browsed through the books and then turned to him, eyes narrowed, "We are not going to talk so long it interferes with school, never again. Understood?"

Liam pouted, his lips turning down, "But it was so much fun"

Harley turned back to look at him, "But look at you now"

"Eh, worth it"

"Liam"

Liam laughed, pushing away his hair from his face, "Okay, okay, fine you got it"

"Good", Harley said, grabbing for a book, "Get a seat for me in class, I'll log this book in"

"Yeah, got it", Liam nodded, sneaking one last glance at him before heading to class. English was his last class of the day, one he shared with Harley. If anybody asked him one place where Harley Hayes was the most like himself, it was probably English class.

He was so expressive, not afraid to share his thoughts and standing up for what he believed was right. Especially when it came to queer rights. He admired that about Harley, his ability to believe in something so much and stand up for it as well. Liam remembered the time Harley had come out to their class. It had been during a debate about feminism and when Harley had spoken supporting it, a few of the guys had teased him about it, saying things like, "Yo Hayes, does being a feminist get you girls" and, "Simp".

Harley had slowly turned to them, a dauntless look on his face. He looked so calm, not a semblance of his usual light-heartedness remaining, "I'm gay. I have no reason to believe in feminism just because I wanna butter up women, but by all means", he grinned, wild and reminding him of Charlie, "Try it and try not to get your ass kicked"

"He's definitely gonna get his ass kicked", Jason called out, turning to the guy with an impish look, "I wanna see it"

"Alright, settle down", Coach Langley, their English teacher said, shaking his head but the look on his face betrayed his gruff exterior. Liam could bet he was trying not to laugh.

Harley was late to class, giving Coach Langley a little salute, before dropping down on to the chair next to Liam.

Liam looked at him suspiciously, "How do you never get into trouble for being late?"
Harley threw a cheeky look at him, "I turn in all my assignments on time"

"So do I!", he said, indignant but then toned down, "Most of the time"

"Exactly"

They settled down as Coach Langley proceeded with the class and Liam found that English was one of the subjects he could actually tolerate. He found himself actually showing interest.

"Alright, class", Coach Langley started, "I've got two assignments for you today, one is going to a group assignment, and the other?", he paused, probably for dramatic effect, "It's going to be a personal one. I need it turned in by today"

An echo of distress swept through the room, muted protests and groans from the class. Liam's gaze trained on Harley and just as he had expected, Harley was bouncing in his seat, an excited grin on his face. Liam shook his head fondly.

Next to him, Charlie groaned, "Today?"

"Teamwork is an integral part of your life", Coach Langley continued, ignoring him, "From playing sports in highschool to working with a group of people at your workplace. The job will not be done unless you can cooperate and learn with each other", he pointed towards the class, "There are 25 people in this class, do you think if I randomly chose groups of five and made you do this assignment together, you'll bring the best quality work you can?"

"I thought this was English class, coach", someone called out. Liam snorted under his breath as Coach Langley narrowed his eyes at the spot the sound had come from, "By all means, if you want, we can continue with Shakespeare and you can decipher every single line from Hamlet"

That elicited another round of protests and had Coach Langley grinning, "But we won't. Because I said so. Now", he said sweetly, "How many of you are ready for the assignment"

Liam wanted to laugh when everyone raised their hand, including himself.

"I figured that would be your answer", Coach Langley said, moving over to his table to grab a clear jar filled with folded bits of paper, "I want you to form groups of five, I don't care if it's with your best friends or with random kids you've never spoken to, five groups of five and you have five minutes to get it done"

Liam rolled his eyes; he could be so dramatic sometimes and for what?

The class was suddenly filled with noise as everyone moved around to find their groups and chairs for themselves. Surprisingly, in less than five minutes, everyone had settled down, the whispering toned down to a dull murmur. Unsurprisingly, Liam was in a team with Charlie, Jason, Harley and Mia.

He shot a furtive glance at Mia; they hadn't spoken properly since she had tried to kiss him earlier that month. Even when they had talked, it had been awkward exchanges of "hi" and "See you" and Liam had been too preoccupied with football and Harley to make proper amends. If he was being honest, he had figured Mia would come talk to him when she was ready and considering that wasn't happening, he knew he had to make the first move. He loved Mia too much to let a silly kiss make things awkward between them, she had been his voice of reason for far too long, stopping him from doing things he'll regret all while dealing with issues of her own.

Mia had been his first Highschool crush, way back in freshman year and now in senior year, looking back at how innocent it had been made Liam smile but also cringe. He had been hopeless when it came to people he liked.

His gaze moved to Harley, his lips quirking up when Harley raised his eyebrow at him.

Maybe somethings hadn't changed.