strings• Fack ☆

Four

Jack's pov
After school:
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As I am about to grab my skateboard to ride home, I remember it is tethered to Wyatt's bike and I stubbornly refuse to go ask him for the lock combo, mostly out of fear. I sigh and began to walk my way home, brief relief washing over me as I realize I didn't have to confront Finn today. It is quickly snatched though as I feel someone roughly grab me from behind, a hand over my mouth, dragging me around the side of the school and around the back corner.

I kick and struggle to escape, but I'm smaller and weaker than whoever is grabbing me. I assumed it was Wyatt, but as I am pushed against the wall, my eyes widen to see it's Finn. His hand still over my mouth, I see there's a look in his eyes of something that's not quite anger, a look of someone who is distraught over something specific.

He takes the hand off my mouth and as I'm about to start spilling out apologies and curses, he interrupts and says, "why were you staring at my house this morning?" I don't answer right away, and he furrows his brows, panting. "That was you, wasn't it?" I gulp and my face grows red in embarrassment and slight fear. "Yes," I say, quietly. He nods and he looks like I've betrayed him somehow.

"Why?" He asks again, his voice raspier and more forceful this time. My eyes dart around nervously and the butterflies in my stomach that Finn's presence gives me flutter furiously. "I heard yelling-and uh-screams-it just-it sounded like someone was in trouble." I stutter, my hands jittering with nervousness and fear. I study the bruises and scars on his neck and he notices, pulling up his jacket. "Oh." Is all he says, and he walks backwards, releasing the pressure of his grasp.

"Why are you scared?" He asks, shaking his head. "Why are they always so scared of me?" He says with a pleading tone, and my heart strings are tugged for a moment at the sight of him looking weak and sad. "I'm-I'm not." I said. A lie. The truth was, I was terrified of him. I had heard the stories about Finn Wolfhard before I had ever met him so closely Saturday night at that stupid party. He wasn't always "lone wolf-hard",as people like to teasingly refer to him as. He used to have friends-good ones too.

One of them was a young boy named Noah who I hear used to be kind of quiet, but was the life of the party when you got to know him. It's hard to believe. Noah never talks anymore and it's as if you've never seen the kid's eyes not all red and puffy.

Then there was Caleb. Caleb was what you would call gifted, advanced in every subject, and friendly. There used to never be a moment he wasn't smiling. I still see him smile sometimes, while hanging out with the AV nerds now, but there's pain in his smile. You can tell he's not the same.

Everyone's favorite of their posy, Gaten, is still very loud. But without someone like Caleb's sensibility, he reeks havoc onto himself. He starts food fights in the lunch room, conducts pranks that go very wrong, and mocks the jocks until he gets the shit beat out of him. This constantly lands him in detention. That's when you see the Gaten that's been damaged, when he has no jokes to distract himself. He sits there at the same desk every detention, a look on his face that tells you the silence is slowing torturing him.

Sadie, the second most rowdy of the group, was my elementary school crush, but then again she was every boys. Her long, red locks lit boys's hearts on fire, but also broke them when she found out she was really, really gay. Her and Siena Byrnes, the girls soccer champion, fell in love. It's like they're their own friend group now. You'll see Sadie at every single one of Siena's games, yelling her ass off. But, we all know she misses Millie. She fell in love with her, but her heart was broken when Millie was ashamed that she had feelings for her too and coped by spreading rumors that Sadie was obsessed with her and that she's a "weird lesbo who tries to touch her". Sometimes, I think that Sadie pictures Millie playing on the field, back in her number eleven jersey like old times.

Speaking of Millie, she was one of the most known. She was warm and bubbly, always school v.p. I miss the way she used to laugh suddenly really loud in the lunchroom and everyone would look at her and smile, thinking, "well, that's just Millie." She transferred schools after what happened. I don't know what happened exactly, no one does, but we all know it was bad. And people think Finn was the reason it-whatever it was-happened. A whole friend group completely torn apart, Finn now roaming the halls alone with a sulky look.

I mean, we've all seen the bruises and cuts. He wears them like battle scars, a worn look in what was once young eyes. Everyone knows how he hangs around town, seeming to never want to return home. And everyones heard how Finn gets in fights at the guam with guys who mock the rumors about him. As I stared into his eyes now, part of me realized some of the rumors must not be true.

His eyes were kind, but their was pain in them. He was beautiful. Fuck. I don't actually think that. I can't. I'm not- "I've heard all the rumors." He speaks finally, looking up at me, his eyes began to water up. I look at him sadly, unable to speak. "They're not true." He steps closer, my cheeks flushing. I see his cheeks flush too, and he shakes his head, looking down.

"Damnit." He curses under his breath, looking at the ground. "W-what is it?" I quietly say, my voice cracking as I step closer. "Do you feel it?" He grabs my hand and I feel the it, the sparks. I nod slowly, ashamed inside. "'Me too." He says. "I have for a while."

I look up at him, in minor shock. What did he mean for a while? He sees my obvious confusion and he blushes deeply, "I just meant that I've seen you around and I just-I-" he looked at me, my heart beating practically out of my chest. I couldn't take it anymore, and I grabbed his face into my hands and pressed my lips against his. They were soft, and warm, dancing along with mine. My stomach twisted and turned with excitement and lust, Finn pushed me against the school wall as our kiss deepened. I pulled away, gasping for air, and we looked at each other before smiling.

"And all that time I thought I was straight." I said, laughing through heavy breaths. "I've always been gay." Finn says, and I'm stunned by this. Finn Wolfhard- the infamous bad boy on the guitar who turns on all the girls with his long curly locks and pleading smirks is gay? I didn't mind, obviously, especially because of what he said next. "Can I have your number?"

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Ya yeet I hope this chapter was okay haha. it was fun to write so even if it's trash, we still Gucci ;)

- Bailey