Colors {Stollace}

Chapter Four ✦ What a Catch

Colors {Stollace} ✦ Chapter Four ✦ What a Catch

"I've got troubled thoughts and the self esteem to match, what a catch." What a Catch, Donnie ✦ Fall Out Boy

✦Will✦

A ding from Will's phone startled him out of his daydream, causing him to jump in the chair and knock over a box of band aids. He sighed and began picking them up, before another ding sounded from his phone. He quickly checked it and saw that Nico had texted him. 

Nico: wtf dude???   

Nico: you and stoll???

Will felt confused and typed in a quick, "what?" and sent it to Nico, before picking up the rest of the band aids and putting the box in its correct counter. His phone went off again.

Nico: katie gardener is saying u and connor r getting it on
 
Will: um...no??
 
Nico: ur telling me everything after school

Will sighed and looked to his father, who was typing something on his computer, the annoying clacking of the keys sounding through the silent room. He put his phone away and sat on his regular chair, pulling out his Health Science book that he had read three times in a row this year.

"Will, can I talk to you about something?" his father asked, turning around in his chair to look at Will. The latter looked up and hummed in response, signaling his father to continue. "It's okay to be a normal kid, you know?"

"What?" Will asked, confused at what Apollo was getting at. What about him wasn't normal?

"You don't have to stay holed up in this infirmary for your whole life. Get out there, make some friends, party, get drunk - responsibly - get a new boyfriend, for God's sake, you're still hung up on Nico," Apollo said and Will felt a churn in his stomach at the mention of his ex. Yes, of course he was still hung up on Nico, the boy had been his everything. It hurt to think of it like that, and Will already wanted the conversation to end and it just started.

"Oh," was all Will murmured and his father sighed, raising an eyebrow at his son.

"You can't just be all depressed-"

"I don't want to talk about this," Will muttered, feeling panic at the word 'depressed'. Sure, he had struggled with depression - he still did, matter of fact, but didn't every teenager? His father didn't seem to get that.

"Well, we need to," Apollo said in an apologetic tone. "I understand it's not your favorite topic, but-"

"Can we talk about it at home? Nico wants me to bring him something from the bistro," Will lied, stuffing his book into his black over the shoulder bag, causing his father to sigh again.

"Will, you can't just sit around and wait for yourself to get better-"

"I'm fine, dad."

"I don't think so."

Will paused, biting his lip as tears burned his eyes, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He hated this conversation and wanted it to end.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Apollo asked and Will nodded, trying to blink away his tears. "And I know how it feels to be in your position, okay?"

Will hated when his father said that, because no he didn't. He didn't understand what it was like to still be completely in love with someone who didn't want you back. He didn't understand the ache in Will's heart every time he saw Nico. He didn't understand what it was like to feel like you didn't fit in in a room full of people.

"No, you don't," Will whispered and walked out of the infirmary and to the bistro, where he bought Nico that damn chocolate chip frappe he always wanted. Nico didn't even ask Will for a drink, but Will didn't care. He needed to be around someone who made him happy, even if it was only one-sided.

He walked to Nico's sixth period, which was Theater. Though class was in session, the teacher just sat on his computer in his office, which was in the room next to the official theater classroom. It was more of a free period than a class.

  Will walked into the classroom and spotted Nico in the corner, who was tapping away on his phone. Will made his way over to his friend and sat down in front of him, placing the drink in Nico's eyesight. Nico looked at the drink, then at Will, then grinned.

  "You didn't have to do that," Nico mumbled and Will shrugged, avoiding Nico's dark hazel eyes. "So, tell me about this whole Connor and you thing."

  "It's not..." Will sighed. "First of all, Katie Gardner is a liar-"

  "Shut up, she's in here."

  "Whatever. Anyway, I cleaned Connor up from his beating from Clarisse and ate lunch with him. That's it. That's all."

  "There's a rumor you two are hooking up."

  "I'm pretty sure he just realized I existed today," Will muttered, rolling his eyes. "I don't like him like that anyway."

  "Good," Nico commented. "I don't like him."

✦✦✦

  Will sat in a small booth at the ice cream parlor him and Connor's friends were supposed to meet up at. He was texting Leo about a French project that was due tomorrow. Leo never paid attention in French, because he grew up speaking Spanish and had to learn English, so he didn't want to put the effort into learning a language he wouldn't need.

  Someone slid into the seat in front of Will, causing him to look up from his phone to meet Connor's cobalt blue eyes and a bright, happy smile. Will put his phone away and fiddled with his fingers, waiting for Connor to start a conversation.

  "Hey," Connor said and Will gave him a small smile.

  "Hey."

(A/N: FIRST OF ALL ITS STOLLACE SUNDAY WOOHOO. SECOND OF ALL HAVE YOU HEARD OF 'THE TRIALS OF APOLLO' MY LIFE IS COMPLETE)