OPEN [boyxboy] ✓

thirty-four:: when cheating is prohibited.

(She's Kinda Hot by 5SecondsofSummer) Longest chapter ever because you guys have been there for me and supported me and a lot of stuff needs to be handled in this book. Don't expect long chapters too often though. xx

THIRTY-FOUR: when cheating is prohibited.

I hadn't seen Pete in a while.

Really, since the whole Ricky problem, Pete had stayed away from me and Benji almost as if he were avoiding us. Whenever Ben would say he'd seen him, Pete miraculously disappeared so of course I wasn't expecting him to start a conversation with me.

"Here." His voice was timid, glasses perched lower on his nose as he refused to look up at me. His bottom lip was tucked into his mouth, eyes hitting the ground and I felt bad for some reason I didn't understand. The bruises around his neck had faded but there was still a faint purple to his nose and despite it almost being gone, that made me angry. Ricky had hurt him and I couldn't do anything further. The kid was suspended, the kid was unable to play in our last game but that wasn't enough for me when Paul's little brother looked so down.

Pete handed me something, a slip of paper between his pointer and middle finger and hands covered by his too-long sleeves. He looked timid but he didn't seem to want to talk so curiously, I took the note.

Unfolding it, I'd realized it was a slip of Paul's colored watercolor paper and frowned. It was my favorite color, a pale blue, my name written in capital letters on the front.

I flipped it open.

I'm an artist not a poet so I know this'll sound a little cheesy but the day I first met you, I'm sure I stopped breathing. Sure life isn't easy but I knew that life with you would be breezy.

Side note: don't laugh at me, Benji.

And Benji was standing beside me, biting on his knuckle to stifle his laughter, I smiled. Paul was amazing but I knew deep down, I'd become really awkward if this was some big elaborate dinner. I wasn't used to big birthday celebrations... I turned to Ben, ready to tell him how great Paul was, ready to tell him about our date the night before and his gift and just everything.

Ben never found it gross, contributing to the discussion with his opinion of girls he was into and he even let me talk about kissing and shit, it wasn't weird, it felt like a real friendship. I didn't have to hide that I liked guys and he wasn't repulsed by it.

I was smiling to myself, admiring the way there was a few paint splatters on the side of the paper, almost as if he were rushing and that was when I read the side note again. How did he know I was with Ben?"Wait, how did he know-"

Ben cut me off, pulling a second note out of his pocket, this time it was a pale pink, "Because I have your second note from maccheesy, mahneezy." And he chuckled, tossing it towards me.

I caught it, sputtering out a "What?" As I held the paper in between my hands. Sometimes Ben said some weird stuff.

He rolled his eyes at me, pushing my hand towards me, "Open it." And that I did.

Don't freak out, this isn't some corny movie where you're the winner and I drag you to the woods for a candlelit dinner (to be slaughtered perhaps), it's something better." Thank God. "You need to relax and kick back, let me work my magic.

You're amazing, baby, don't forget that.

"Did he get all you guys?" I'd asked, attempting to simmer my blush down and Ben smiled teasingly, gesturing towards the paper.