e-Bae

8

(Gif of Diane Guerrero as Xoe)

(A/N Yay! Double update! I feel so accomplished now. *cue inspirational music*I would like to thank my hands for not giving up on me, the Wi-Fi for actually cooperating, and *sniffle*food, for being the best incentive ever. Not to mention the amazing people who actually read this story!)

"So, you guys were fighting over nothing basically?" Caleb asked, a confused look on his face. The two girls glared at him, and he raised his hands in surrender, honestly not understanding. A while ago, they were ignoring each other, and now after a cry and hug fest, they made up.

"Girls are so confusing," he muttered, shaking his head as he watched Xoe and Ryan chatting on top of the art teacher's desk. Yet, his eyes stayed on Ryan a little longer than acceptable.

"Caleb. Caleb. Caleb!"

Caleb snapped out of his daze to see Xoe looking at him with a raised eyebrow and Ryan with an amused smile.

"I was just saying that Ryan's cousin should be coming home today, but if you want to continue staring at Ryan, feel free," Xoe said with teasing glint in her eye. The girl in question rolled her eyes before hopping off the desk and heading in Caleb's direction. Shifting nervously on his feet, he watched as Ryan dragged Xoe over to him, then grabbed his hand to lead them out of the building.

A goofy smile invaded his face.

"You look like a deranged clown. I'm sure that holding her hand isn't such a high inducing feeling," Xoe replied dryly, and Caleb felt his face burn. Shooting her a look, he glanced at Ryan, hoping that she didn't hear that. Thankfully, she was obliviously in her own land, telling them that she had to show them something they wouldn't believe.

"And Thomas is such a sweetheart. He didn't even mind I had to hide him in my closet last night because my parents came home," she said, releasing their hands so she could search for Caleb's truck.

At the sound of another guy's name, alarm bells began to ring off in his head.

"Um. . ." he began, clearing his throat.

"Why was there a guy in your closet?" he asked, his voice reaching an octave higher at the end of the question. Ryan turned to him with scrunched eyebrows, about to respond, when Xoe cut in.

"Weren't you listening? Oh, I forgot, you were too busy watching Ryan's lips move to actually comprehend what was coming out of her mouth," she said, rolling her eyes as she pulled her phone out of her bag to check the time.

"But, it's not like I expected someone who actually volunteers to get a concussion in their free time to understand even the most basic of principles."

Caleb bit his lip to keep from offending his crush's best friend, knowing that it wouldn't get him into her good graces later. Instead, he gave her a tight, closed lip smile and unlocked his car, making sure to open the passenger door for Ryan. He was almost tempted to lock Xoe out and drive off, but his mother would knock him upside the head so hard if she found out he might actually get a concussion.

"Thank you so much for opening my door, Caleb. What a gentleman," the bane of his existence muttered sarcastically when he didn't do the same. Ryan looked at him apologetically, and he nodded, knowing that she didn't want to get in an argument with Xoe right when they made up.

"Way to show who you prefer."

This was going to be a long ride.

Ten minutes of bickering later, they reached Ryan's house, and he almost wanted to kiss the ground when Xoe the Devil got out his truck. Before he could leave, however, a small hand clamped around his arm, and he looked back to see a worried expression on Ryan's face.

"Thanks, Caleb. I know Xoe was being a bit . . . difficult in the car," she said, gnawing on her lip.

"It's no problem, darlin'," he responded, liking how his little term of endearment for her brought a smile to her face.

"But, seriously, let me make it up to you. Clancy's Diner tonight?" she asked, eyes hopeful. Caleb was trying to stay cool, when on the inside he was squealing like his sister when she got tickets to the Taylor Swift concert.

"It's a date," he said, then realized how that sounded. Opening his mouth to take it back with his face feeling hotter than asphalt on a summer's day, Ryan interrupted him.

"It's a date. Now, I want you to meet Thomas. I hope Toby hasn't broken him yet," she said with a sigh, and followed an impatient Xoe into her house. Getting out his truck, Caleb unconsciously puffed out his chest and stood up straighter, wanting to intimidate the possible competition with his size. Taking in a breath, he walked in, and burst out laughing at the sight in front of him.

* * *

"Stop judging me with your eyes. It's not my fault that Thomas can't follow directions," Toby said, sitting next to his tween-aged sister, a guilty expression on his and a triumphant one on hers as she gripped her purse.

The person Caleb assumed was Thomas was sitting on the couch, holding an ice pack to his head, a bag of peas to his junk, and a pack of pizza rolls to his ankle. Makeup was smeared on his face, the eyeliner becoming a superhero mask and lipstick like the Joker's. Artificial blush was on his cheeks, making him look either very embarrassed, angry, or like he had an allergic reaction. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but the ripped fabric that was connected to the skirt he was wearing showed that he was wearing a dress before. Caleb wasn't even sure he wanted to know what had happened here.

"So Thomas is a drag queen? You're right, I can't believe this. At least you don't have any more competition Caleb," Xoe said, and went to sit next to the scowling guy while everyone else in the room attempted to hold in their laughter.

"What's your drag name? Is it like Thomas the Terrific or something? Or like Thomas the Train," she asked, studying him.

"Choo Choo," she added to get some sort of response from him, and Caleb couldn't hold it in anymore. Collapsing on the ground, he laughed, and heard Ryan and e Francis' join in too.

"Do you- Do you even have a filter from your brain to your mouth?" Toby asked between giggles, looking at the trying-to-be-angry-but-I'm-not-face on Thomas. Xoe looked at him as if she was shocked.

"Of course not. Where's the fun in that? Besides, you don't have a filter on what you say."

Rolling his eyes, Tobias poked Thomas in the cheek until he was smiling.

"I have a filter, I just choose to ignore it."

Soon after that, the whole room erupted in laughs, Ryan falling against Caleb's side. But, he wasn't complaining. They were all wrapped up in their own world, not even noticing the red head in the middle of the living room with an utterly confused look on his face, luggage in hand. Running a finger over his braces, he studied what was going on in the room before making his presence known.

"Um . . . what's going on?" York asked, running a hand through his hair as the noise in the room dwindled down to silence.