Right in the middle of the living room was Stan. Stan and his friend Gary. Kissing. It wasn't even soft kissing either, it looked rough, like Stan had desperately wanted it for all of his life. Gary's arms were around Stan's neck as they kissed, leaning onto the couch for support.
"Go Stan!" someone hooted from across the room. Wendy's eyes were slightly wide, but she was not nearly as surprised as everyone else in the room. Suddenly everyone began talking again, as if nothing had happened. Kyle immediately felt tears well up in his eyes, and he wiped them, running out of the room.
"Kyle wait-" Tolkien reached out for the red headed boy but Bebe stopped him.
"Let him go Tolkien, he needs some time alone." She looked at her friend sadly, watching him sprint into another room. She knew exactly how it felt, to see the one you love kiss someone else. To see your best friend kiss someone else. Tolkien slumped and brushed his hand through his own locs. Poor Kyle, this must have been the last straw.
Kyle, having sprinted out of the kitchen, glanced around the room he was in, searching for somewhere he could hide; a bathroom maybe. His eyes instead found a bottle of liqueur on the floor. He had always hated drinking. It only reminded him of Stan's issues, and the difficult nights, but those thoughts fled his mind quickly, and he picked up the bottle. He knew it was reckless but he couldn't stand the things he was feeling.
'Why hadn't Stan told me he liked guys? Maybe he was only experimenting like Bebe said... But then why wouldn't he experiment with me? I'm his best friend. Am I not enough for him?' He choked out sobs as he ran to find the nearest bathroom, closing the door right behind him. His best friend liked guys, just not Kyle. The boy screwed the lid off the bottle and took a sip, the bitter, yet sweet taste hitting the back of his throat. He kept drinking. Sip by sip, he felt his body get warmer, and although the crying didn't stop, he still felt as though he was drifting off.
There was suddenly a knock on the door, and someone called his name. He held his breath.
'Please don't be Stan. Please don't be Stan...' he pleaded in his mind, but when the door cracked open, the man standing in front of him was not his best friend. Tolkien smiled down at Kyle, his eyes crinkling in worry and pity.
"Jesus, c'mon Kyle, let's get you out of here." He pulled Kyle up, and took the almost empty bottle of liqueur from his hands, ignoring Kyle's cries of anger towards him. Tolkien held his friend by the waist to support him, and they began walking towards the stairs. They passed by Stan and Gary who were still kissing on the sofa. Tolkien grimaced and shaded Kyle's eyes, not wanting to make him more distressed. Stan hadn't even noticed the two walking past him.
Tolkien continued walking to the stairs where he led Kyle up, making sure the other boy wouldn't stumble and hurt himself. He was still crying, tears staining his pale, freckled cheeks. Tolkien held Kyle close and opened the door to Clyde's bedroom where he sat Kyle down gently.
"C'mon dude, it's gonna be okay..." He tried comforting the other teen, rubbing his back. Kyle hiccuped, tears still streaming down his face. Tolkien stood up to grab some tissues from Clyde's desk and handed them to Kyle. Kyle wiped his eyes and blew his nose loudly, to which Tolkien flinched. The poor boy looked a mess and Tolkien needed to find a way to help him. He gingerly grabbed the used tissues and threw them in the nearby trash can.
He sat down next to Kyle who immediately draped himself over Tolkien, choking out words when he wasn't sniffling.
"Why... not me? Stan.. hic- why didn't he... sniff at least tell me?" Guilt surged through Tolkien, and he paused before answering.
"It's okay Kyle, I'm sure he would've told you if he had the chance. Maybe he was just nervous about how you'd respond. It was kind of a dick move to leave you to make out with some other guy though instead of talking to you..." Kyle burst into tears again and Tolkien's eyes widened. He apologized profusely, wiping at Kyle's tears with his fingers.
They talked for a bit longer (mostly Tolkien talking and Kyle sniffling) before Kyle calmed down, resting his head in Tolkien's lap while rambling about something Stan and him had done years before. Tolkien placed his hand in Kyle's hair, brushing through it carefully, while listening, and smiling in response. Kyle was still drunk though, and Tolkien assumed that was the reason for why the ginger had let him stroke through his curls of hair.
Suddenly, there was a knock and someone called.
"Kyle? Are you in there?" Tolkien froze, recognizing the voice immediately. He tried to move away from Kyle, but it was too late. The door opened and there stood Stan.
"Kyle-"
