philophobia

.three

the following chapter has been changed from first person to third person. first person will return in the next chapter. 

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Antoine witnessed with a breaking heart as Jamie Benn shoved his tray of sickly cafeteria food into Tyler's face. He watched Tyler stumble over his own feet and bow his head, escaping the hushed room as fast as he could. Meanwhile, Jamie sniggered and sat back down to chat with his boy toys as if nothing happened.

He wasn't angry. The clench in his heart and the churn of his stomach wasn't anger but rather concern and fear. Well, the anger came later, probably around the time he looked back at Jamie. Look at that piece of shit wearing that big ass grin and laughing like he didn't just crush Tyler. Antoine's fingers curled into fists and he dug his nails so hard into his palms they started to bleed.

"Antoine?"

He felt someone's fingertips brush the crests of his knuckles and he glanced away from Jamie, bringing the owner of said fingertips into focus. Drea's wide doe eyes stared back at him, eyebrows knitted with worry. She said nothing as she lifted one of Antoine's hands up and peeled back his fingers, revealing spots of his blood.

"What did he do this time?" She whispered, refusing to look anywhere but at Antoine's open, red palm.

Antoine gazed at the top of her head, other fist relaxing at his side, "He shoved a tray of food in Tyler's face."

Drea sighed and lowered Antoine's hand, squeezing his bicep for reassurance, "You should go get cleaned up." She didn't say anything else as she turned towards Jamie's table. She moved for it but not before Antoine snatched her wrist and held her where she stood.

"Drea, don't say anything to him," He pleaded.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding and slipping out of Antoine's loosened grip. She knew exactly why Antoine didn't want her to talk to Jamie. She knew that if she said anything to her monster of a boyfriend, he'd find some way to pin it back on Tyler and pummel him to a pulp for it.

Antoine stared down at his bleeding palms and ran his fingertips over the marks before sighing to himself. His conversation with Drea provided Tyler enough time to sneak into a nearby bathroom before Antoine went running after him. Antoine knew for a fact that Tyler wanted him to wait. He didn't understand why but he did it anyways.

He grabbed Tyler's backpack and weaved his way through the cafeteria until finding the nearest bathroom. Not waiting any longer, he shouldered the door open and stumbled inside, Tyler's backpack swinging against his knees. He threw it onto the ground underneath a sink and dropped his own beside it.

"Well, that was dramatic," He huffed and pivoted on the balls of his feet, bleeding palms open as he faced Tyler.

Tyler stood hunched over the sink while water ran from the spout. His hands clenched around the porcelain edge, knuckles fading from pink to white, and his head bowed. Bits of food clung to Tyler's crimson cheeks. No matter how tightly he squeezed his eyes, the tears didn't stop. They rolled down his face and dripped from his jawline into the sink below, his lips turned up in a grimace. His shoulders shook to fight off sobs.

Antoine clicked his tongue against his cheek, momentarily forgetting about his hands, and rushed to Tyler's side. He yanked paper towels from the dispenser and dipped it underneath the faucet, soaking the paper into a ball. He wiped away excess food that Tyler missed and down the lines of his tears. Before he could throw the paper towel away, Tyler whipped towards Antoine and threw his arms around his waist, burying his face into his chest and sobbing. Antoine smiled soft and enveloped his friend in the tightest hug he could ever give, leaning his cheek on top of Tyler's fluff of brown hair.

The only sounds that ricocheted off the bathroom's tiled walls were the pouring water from the faucet and Tyler's shaking sobs. All Antoine did was hold him. He held him for as long as possible and even when his best friend stopped crying, he didn't let go.

Tyler laughed into Antoine's shirt, loosening his grip around his waist, "You can let go of me now, Rous. I think I'm alright."

Antoine smirked and released Tyler from his arms, who turned off the running water and wiped his knuckles against his eyes. Rous didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He had never seen Tyler so heartbroken and destroyed, so defeated.

"Stop looking at me like that, doofus," Tyler shoved a hand into Antoine's face.

"Like what?" Antoine wrinkled his nose and swatted at his hand before stepping back.

"All glassy eyed. Like you're thinking but I know you're not thinking because you're nose crinkles when you think."

Antoine turned and fished a cigarette and matches from his backpack. He didn't like lighters, too new-age, as hipster as it sounded. He flipped open the lid of the package and frowned, shaking the one cigarette left. "Wanna share one?" He offered to Tyler.

"Sure."

Rous beamed and grabbed the cigarette with two fingers, placing it between his lips and holding it with his teeth. He swiped the match across the matchbox and lit the cigarette, waving the flame out and sucking in deep. He held the smoke in his lungs and passed the cigarette to Tyler before breathing it from his nostrils.

"Hottest damn dragon you'll ever meet," He purred, eyes drooping lazily.

Tyler snorted and puffed smoke, leaning his back against the wall and sliding onto his butt. Antoine found the leg of a stall to sit against and crossed his legs. The pair shared the cigarette, one puff, pass, one puff, pass. They blew smoke in each other's faces and lungs.

"Are you gonna try and talk to him again?" Antoine broke, words ripping through clouds of gray smog.

Tyler closed his eyes and sighed inward, "Probably not. I mean, if the opportunity arises and I have a 110% chance of getting him alone, then maybe. But, other than that, probably not."

"Do you think him and you are gonna happen again?" Antoine inhaled from the cigarette and handed it to Tyler.

"I wouldn't mind if it did, honestly. But I'm not going to go looking for him at parties. If it happens, it happens," Tyler shrugged.

Antoine took this moment to glance down to at his hands, finding the marks he left in his skin from his nails. He brushed his fingertips over them for the second time and frowned.

"Whatcha doin', Rous?" Tyler grunted.

"Oh, nothing. I just got really angry when I saw Jamie after everything," He turned his hand down on his thigh.

Tyler fell silent, staring at him with heavy eyes and a soft frown. "Did you make yourself bleed?"

"It's no big deal, Ty. It was an honest accident. Not on purpose," He breathed, wiggling underneath Tyler's watchful gaze and running a hand through his auburn hair.

"I'm just looking out for you like you look out for me, Rous."

"I'm alright, babe, I promise," Antoine smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Another quiet minute fell between the two and Tyler scrambled to his feet to run the finished cigarette underneath the faucet. He tossed it in the trashcan and settled back down against the wall.

Antoine touched his fingers to the backs of his knuckles where Drea's were moments ago. "Ty?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you think Drea would ever go for me?"

Tyler's eyelids peeled back and he glanced over at Antoine. "Why?"

Antoine shrugged, "I was just curious. Just asking...wondering."

"Oh, well, I don't know, Rous. She seems to go for all those big lugs without a brain or moral standards. You're neither of those."

Antoine huffed, "I'm big. I can bench, like, 200." He flexed his biceps and nodded, puckering his lips. He planted kisses along the bulges of his muscles and Tyler giggled.