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Chapter 6: No Third Chances

I stood in the shower, just letting it run down my body, thinking.

Did I just get dumped? I thought to myself.

How could he be kissing me and being so loving one minute and then literally throwing me into the dirt the next.

How could I have been dumped before we were even dating?

I hadn't realised how long I was in the shower for until I heard a knock on the door.

"Jeremy? Are you alright in there?" Came Cody's voice.

I sighed and turned off the shower. I took the towel off the rail and didn't even bother drying off properly. I threw some track pants on and opened the door where Cody was still waiting.

When he saw me, his eyes went wide.

"What?" I asked grumpily.

"No-nothing. Come, mom is waiting for you and wants to go to bed." He said looking down.

We walked to the dining room and Mrs. Teele had a towel spread out with cotton and Iodine at the ready. No matter how old you get, iodine is not fun. I sat down and put my arm on the towel.

She put the Iodine on the cotton and dabbed gently on my arm.

"Shit!" I exclaimed under my breath. Cody sat down next to me and grabbed my hand so I would stop squirming and Mrs. Teele could finish. After she put a cut bandage over it and stuck it down with medical tape.

"Are you okay? Iodine is awful." He asked me.

"Yeah it really is. Thanks for holding my arm still." I replied with a tight grin.

"Night, Mrs. Teele. Thanks for helping me." I got up and kissed her cheek before walking back to my room. I sat down on my bed and heard a knock and Cody came in. He sat down next to me.

"Are you okay, dude?" He asked.

"Yeah, screw him. I meant what I said. He doesn't get a third chance. I'm just gonna wait for someone who deserves me."

"You will find someone. Maybe you even know the right person already..." he trailed off.

I looked up at him. "What was tha...?"

Cody cupped my face in his hand and quickly planted his lips on mine.

Shocked, I didn't react for a few seconds. But when he started to pull away, I realised I didn't want him to. I cupped the back of his neck and brought him closer, joining our lips once again. I felt his tongue lick my bottom lip and I parted my lips allowing him to explore my mouth.

Suddenly, he jumped up stammering. Then he left my room. Shocked, I sat there dumbly.

That night I tried sleeping, but I just tossed and turned. Finally after about two hours of no sleep, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom. I did my thing and was walking back to my room when I heard muffled talking coming from Cody's room. I didn't bother knocking, and worriedly, I opened the door.

Cody was lying face down with his face in his pillow and swearing, something I had never really heard him do.

"Cody?" I approached.

"Fück, Jeremy. Um, how much did you hear?" He asked jumping up and nearly head butting me.

I grabbed him by the shoulders to steady him. "Chill, your face was in a pillow, I couldn't hear a thing. Listen, can we talk?"

"Look, we really don't have to. I'm sorry. I don't want to mess up our friendship over a dumb ass crush. Can we just forget I did that?" He pleaded.

"How long has it been?" I asked. He didn't reply. "Cody, how long has it been that you have liked me?"

Cody mumbled something under his breath.

Irritated from lack of sleep and his mumbling, I grabbed his face and lifted it to look at me as I stood closer to him. His breath hitched in his throat. "How long has it been?" I growled.

"How long have I been gay?" He asked back.

I stepped back confused, "You've always been gay, right?"

He looked down, "Yup, that."

I took a second to process that. "Really? Why didn't you say anything?"

"When? When should I have said something?" He started pacing around his room. "First you were straight, dating idiots like Shirley Beckman. Then you tell me you're gay, but the next day, BOOM! Kyle! You never gave me a chance!" He kept running his hand through his hair.

"It's not a crush is it?" I asked quietly.

Cody sighed and sat on his bed, "No. It's not."

"Tell me how you feel." I pushed.

"Why? Do you want to humiliate me even more?" He said snidely, looking down into his lap.

"Just tell me." I said sitting next to him on the bed.

He stood and faced me with his arms spread. "Fine! You want to know? I'm fücking in love with you! I have been for a damn long time and no matter what I do, I can't stop! And believe me. I have tried!"

I stood in front of him. "You made me want to be gay." I said quietly.

Confusion clouded his face for a second and then a cautious smile bloomed on his lips. "Me? Does that mean what I think it means?"

I replied by grabbing him around the waist and pulling him flush against me. Our lips crashed together in an immediately passionate kiss. He pushed me back and I sat down only for him to climb into my lap and start kissing me again. I lay down on his bed so he was on top of me and we only broke away when we ran out of breath. He lay down next to me with my arm around his shoulders and his head on my chest. We lay like that for a while, just catching our breath.

"Cody?" I started.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Really? Buddy? Here I am tryna be all romantic and you call me buddy?"

He chuckled, "I'm sorry. Yes sexy?"

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

"Really?" He asked looking up.

"Really. Kyle just wanted to hide me. I don't want to hide you."

"Yes, I will." He said putting his head back on my chest and giving it a soft peck.

I lay my head back down and we fell asleep.