The Other Side of Him

Chapter 2

POV: Michael

The next day proceeded as normal, and Adam and I never brought up what had happened the day before. Don't feel bad for me, this was how I preferred it to be.

Eventually, the end of the day rolled around. I walked with Adam to one of the more open sides of the school where we saw James standing, facing the other way.

"James!" I heard Adam call out to him. James turned around and smiled at us.

As soon as I saw his face, an immediate blush appeared, turning my cheeks a faint shade of pink.

There was something about the way his blonde-copper hair framed his face, or the way his freckles dotted around the arch of his nose, that made my heart skip a beat.

I would never describe his eyes as blue. I wouldn't even compare them to the sky. They were more like the hue of an endless glittering ocean, forever crashing into the peacefulness one might define as serenity.

Um— you didn't read that.

However I felt on the inside, I didn't let it show on the outside.

Oh, right. If you couldn't tell already, I'm gay. Adam knows, but that's it. And if that's a problem for you, this isn't going to be your favorite story.

"Hey, guys!" James said. On top of all his looks, his voice was soft and smooth.

"This is Michael, James," Adam said, and I waved, trying not to be awkward.

We continued talking, introducing ourselves.

"So what's your stand about?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"It's pretty much centralized around books, but more fun," Adam started, and James continued with, "People can come to our stand, tell us a bit about the kinds of books they like, and we give them a book to try out."

"—and if they like it," Adam added, "they can buy it and keep it. If not, they can give it back!"

"It's a way for people to read more of the less popular books without making any commitments right away," James finished.

I listened with curiosity. "That's actually really smart," I said, getting a little excited.

"We were thinking of ways to make it easier for people to sample the books before buying them. Any ideas?" Adam asked me.

I thought for a moment before speaking. "You could set up a reading area where people can escape all the noise and commotion of the festival," I suggested.

"Perfect!" James responded quickly, smiling widely.

Suddenly, the bell rang again, signaling that it was time for loiterers to leave in the next few minutes.

"I guess we can talk more later," I said to the others.

"We?" James asked, smiling hopefully.

"We," I repeated firmly, seeing Adam smile just as much as James was.

"Okay, I'll see you both later!" James said happily, waving and walking in the opposite direction.

"I'm going to quickly go to the washroom. I'll be right back, Adam," I said, pointing to the washrooms just inside the doors.

My brother nodded as I quickly walked to the washrooms. I went inside, and after a minute, I came back out, but I couldn't see Adam anywhere.

"Adam?" I called aloud, looking around, even checking places just inside the doors.

I heard a noise from within the library and rolled my eyes, realizing that he was probably in there. I walked closer to the library, pushing open the door. Though, when I saw him, my nerves didn't calm down.

I froze. In front of me, a girl had a blade pressed to Adam's throat.

"If you want your brother to live," the girl started, "you might want to take my deal."