Wish You'd Met Me First (boyxboy)

Chapter 6: Burger, Fries, and Milkshakes

 A/N: Above is a picture of Aunty May's Diner. The owner Grandma May is already knitting in heaven, if it wasn't clear, she's dead..... yeah, I know you don't need that information but I want to share that to you anyway.

The buzz from the game still hangs in the air as we head toward the parking lot. People are starting to drift off, but there are still groups of students hanging around, soaking up the afterglow of the win. The night feels alive, like it's still carrying the energy from the game, and everyone's riding that high.

Up ahead, Ryan and Jason are already making their way to their cars, still hyped up from the win, their voices loud as usual.

"Yo, Brooks!" Ryan calls out when he spots us. 

"You coming to the diner?"

"Yeah, for sure," I shout back, picking up the pace to catch up. Brett and Blaine follows behind.

"Who's coming with?" I ask as I reach them.

"Just a few guys from the team and some of the cheerleaders," Ryan says, grinning. 

"Gotta celebrate, man. You were on fire tonight."

I can't help but smile. Ryan's been my close friend on the team, and having him say that makes things feel... normal. Less weird, you know?

Jason jogs over, still sweating from the game. 

"I'm starving," he says, falling in step beside me. 

"Let's get there before all the good stuff's gone."

As we get to the parking lot, a group of cheerleaders heads toward their cars, still in their uniforms, laughing and talking. Lexi's in the middle of them, like always. She spots us, and her smile kind of falters for a second, but then she recovers, flashing that big, too-perfect cheerleader smile.

"Hey, Aiden! Brett!" she calls out, her voice all sweet, but there's this edge to it, like she's trying too hard. 

"We're heading to the diner too. You guys should totally sit with us."

Brett gives her a polite smile, but you can tell he's not really into it. He's focused on Blaine. 

"Maybe," he says, shrugging. "We'll see you there."

Lexi's smile gets a little tighter, but she doesn't push it. She just turns back to her friends, whispering something to Jenna and Sarah. Megan catches my eye and gives me this flirty wink before following Lexi. I glance over at Brett, but he just shrugs, not really caring about whatever Lexi's got planned.

Blaine's been quiet the whole time, looking a little out of place. I step closer and give him a small smile, trying to make him feel more at ease.

"You'll like the diner," I say. 

"It's kind of a tradition after games."

"Yeah," Blaine says, looking a bit relieved. 

"I've heard about it. Never actually been, though."

"Well, tonight's your initiation," Brett says, sliding his arm around Blaine's shoulders. It's a casual move, but there's something about it—like Brett's showing everyone that Blaine's his. 

"Let's go," Brett says, grinning.

I watch them for a second. It's such a small thing—Brett's arm around Blaine—but it stirs up all these feelings I've been trying to shove down. I force a smile and hope they don't notice the tension building inside me.

We pile into our cars, and the drive to the diner's filled with the usual stuff—team chat blowing up with memes, everyone replaying the best moments from the game. When we pull into the diner's parking lot, it's already packed. The neon sign's buzzing overhead, and inside, it's full of students from both our school and the other team.