Let's Be Friends

Ending And Beginning

"I'm so fucking tired," Gray groaned, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Stephen as he settled into a seat on the curb. The sleeves of his sweater now bore blue streaks of paint alongside the tape, which Stephen had previously stuck there. However, the paint was the work of the separate department Lala had sent Gray to. "At least we can leave now," He continued, eyes cast upward on the quickly-darkening sky. They'd spent so much time helping decorate.

Stephen hummed, a lot of things whirled through his mind. Mostly Alex's words. The auburn wasn't quite sure why he couldn't shrug them off this time, it was obviously just lies since Alex was beyond jealous of the high regard Gray held him in. 

A careful head rested against his shoulder as Gray broke him from his concentration, as always, a small comfort. "Something on your mind Stephen?" The smaller asked, picking at some dried blue flakes that peppered his sleeves, clearly something he disliked.

"Not really," He answered, a lie, which Gray would more often than not, call him out on, "Just really tired." 

"Let's go then," The other sat up with a new smile, perhaps displacing some of the exhaustion that clung to his clothes. Stephen felt that way too, like he'd just been dunked in a pool, fully clothed in sleeves and jeans, and now he was crawling his way back up. Heavy and lightheaded. "Unless you want to-"

"There you two are!" Yelled Ben, waving his hands wildly like he was an inflatable advertising on sale cars. "We've been looking all over," Their leader was accompanied by Alex to his right, Gerard to his left, and Teddy who walked on the other side of Gerard. Perhaps Rowan and Eugene really didn't end up showing, opting to study for testing instead. His face dropped a little as he met Stephen's eyes, "Are you alright?" Ben asked, voice rich in concern.

Was Stephen alright? He couldn't be sure, and instead hoped Gray would answer for him.

He did, "Stephen's just tired from setting up," Gray replied, leaving the other to breathe a sigh of relief. As long as nobody looked too hard, his conflicting emotions should be able to fly under-the-radar. Almost out of habit, though mostly out of an underlying longing to fulfil budding curiosity, he looked up at Alex.

All at once, he wished he hadn't.

The other boy didn't quite smirk like normal, he didn't look scary or predatory or like he was making some mock-intimidation attempt against Stephen. When their eyes met, Alex only looked a little... sad...? It was for but a brief moment that they met like that, as soon, Alex's eyes made their way to Gray. Then it was pure, unbridled, anger in his gaze. "I don't think that's true." He spoke harshly, spitting the words out like they'd been sitting, sour on his tongue for far too long.

"Pardon?" Gray's smile faltered, a slight glitch, a flicker.

Alex's eyes hardened, "I just think you're a lying snake."

Then it was gone. His perfect pretty smile was replaced by nothing, a blank slate.

"Alex!" Ben scolded, eyed wide as if he couldn't quite believe what was unfolding before him, "Why would you say that?"

His gaze never once left the smaller boy, "I don't know," Then a slight smile curled at the edge of his lips, "Why don't you tell me, White Mamba?"

A collective hush swept through the boys, though those words "white mamba" meant nothing to Stephen. He'd never even heard of whatever they were talking about. Clearly, however, the other boys knew. Especially Gray, who stood stiff now, a straight line up and down. 

Alex half laughed, "You really thought we wouldn't find out?" He pressed, taking a step closer, prompting Stephen to rise to his feet as well, "Union scum." The raven-haired boy hissed the words out as if they a poison. All of this venom was directed towards Gray, not Stephen. It was unalike all the other encounters he'd had with Alex.