Insubordinate ( Gay ) ( BxB )

Chapter Fourteen ✓

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His smile was the sun to me.

My pencil glides across paper, my eyes flitting up every now and again to see that face of his. Sunlight dusts the ends of his hair with yellows. The windows cast shapes along his tanned skin. I could just as easily take a picture of him and win a contest.

"Are you almost finished?" Quinn huffs. "I'm getting tired of sitting like this."

"Almost." I say, gnawing the eraser on the end of my pencil as I look over what I've achieved already. It feels like no matter how often I draw him or how detailed, I can't seem to capture the full look of him. He's so much more than led on paper. "Just five more minutes."

"I feel like my contacts are drying out in my eyes."

"Don't be dramatic."

"We're supposed to be studying." He carps. "You're ditching school for that test, remember? I'm supposed to be helping so you can pass Monday when you make it up."

"I know." I say. "Just let me finish and then we can."

I feel Quinn's foot inch closer to mine, his toes jabbing at my ankle. I wince, jerking my foot back instantly. Pain shoots through my ankle and up my calf.

"Hurry up."

"Ow- fuck," I whine. "My ankle."

"Oh shit." He gasps, eyes widening. "Sorry. I'm sorry- I forgot."

"It's fine." I tell him despite the pain that lingers, adding shadows to his lips while slowly attempting to roll my ankle. "Don't worry. I have high pain tolerance- going to have to for the game tonight."

"I guess so." 

We resume the silence between us while I draw. Quinn stares stoically at his hands rested neatly on the table, silver rings shining on his narrow fingers. All pointless in my opinion, even after he's explained it to me. He'd told me that they're from friends, relatives, some cute corner store he happened upon out of state- things like that. I've simply never understood sentimental values.

"Say, Aaron?" He pipes up, fidgeting with one of his rings as always. "Why do you always sneak in when you come here?"

"That's random."

"I'm just wondering."

I stop my drawing once again, my pencil leaving a dark splotch on the corner of his shoulder. The answer sits on the tip of my tongue, but I've grown too soft to say things so blatantly to him. He's never mentioned it before, so I always figured he hadn't notice or simply didn't care.

"It's convenient." I lie.

"Convenient to walk around the back of two houses down just to get to the back of mine? Do you think I'm an idiot?" He grimaces. "I've known for weeks. Are you scared of someone seeing?"

"Stop talking like that." 

"I'm not asking for much."

"We should study." I say, tossing my sketchbook aside. "I'm done drawing."

"Don't ignore me." Quinn demands. "You won't even talk to me in the hallway anymore- not since last year. I thought you were just too caught up in your cliché, but I feel like that's not it anymore."

"That's not-"

"Ever since I came out. I can't get it out of my head." He says, brows furrowed. "Are you too scared to be seen with the me now or something?"