･daddy issues ‧⁺ ഒ fuensack

I

❝it's hard to believe
in coincidence,

but it's even harder
to believe in anything else. ❞— john green.

➶

life was beautiful.
especially for andy.

well, it had been beautiful. up until april 26th. that's when things changed. that's when he became empty; whatever bit of happiness he had left in him had been stripped entirely.

this was exactly why he was here, stuck in his car and not in class.

november rain tapped lightly against the windshield of his beat-up subaru. the glass had fogged up slightly from the heater. killing the engine, andy gave a sniffle as he shoved his keys into his back pocket. a shaky breath escaped him as he slipped his hoodie on. glacier blue eyes flickered downwards to meet bony hands.

the skin around the fresh crescent moon stick and poke oli gave him was peeling. the finger it was on still felt sore, the flesh tinted red with irritation. strawberry-red against milky-white.

kellin always told him to focus on something physical when he felt bad.

he craved a cigarette more than anything, but held off. risking suspension again was not in his favor.

inhaling sharply, he shut his eyes for a second. another panic attack.

this wasn't the first time it happened while he was at school, but it was the first time it happened in class.

stop thinking.
oh god, just stop thinking.

it was a song playing so loudly andy could hear it through patty's headphones. it was the brand of cologne tyler wore—the scent catching in andy's throat once the brunette passed by him. a certain style of speaking; a cadence only his father possessed.

the muddy water spilled all over his desk as his shoulder bumped into the plastic cup. his paintbrush hit the floor, the sound startling the girl sitting next to him.

andy had never ran faster in his life. he was hyperventilating now. locking himself in his car, he let anxiety overwhelm him. tears streamed down his cheeks as the painful memories of the last month flashed behind his eyes.

that was 10 minutes ago.

andy mentally braced himself for the cold outside. the air bit at his exposed skin, causing a shiver to crawl up his spine. he locked his car, checking twice. he continued walking towards campus in silence. the bell was due to ring in 20 minutes, then it'd be lunch. then he'd be free. yeah, 20 minutes.

he sighed to himself. it's not like it mattered. he was already skipping class. there was no use in going back.

andy was very forgetful.

so forgetful that he had to run back to his locker, again. his phone was in there. no wonder he couldn't find it in his car.

muttering curses under his breath, he toyed with the strings of his hoodie after slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

andy was also clumsy.
so clumsy in fact, that he collided with another boy.

"shit, i'm sorry." he grumbled. he stumbled back to get a good look at the person he just bumped into.

"it's all good. but..are you okay?" a small voice called out.

standing at 5'5. hello kitty bandaids placed carefully over scratches on bruised knees. the pleats in his skirt swished against honey-tinted skin. andy wondered how he wasn't cold. tawny, doe-like eyes radiated nothing but warmth.

vic fuentes. he knew this boy. a gentle, fairy-like creature that sat in the back of his art class. he always made andy feel nervous. vic was so much prettier, more creative, more.. genuine than him.

"i'm f-fine." he hiccuped. messy black locks fell into andy's eyes.

"you were crying."
"i wasn't."
"yeah you were. you just had a panic attack."

"i wasn't!" andy snapped defensively. "how do you know that?"
sweater sleeves too big on his thin frame covered the entirety of his hands. andy pulled at the fabric in attempt to calm himself, yet he couldn't prevent the blush that formed on his face.

"i was watching you. you ran out of way's so fast, i got worried." vic blurted out. his voice was soft, full of concern as he eyed the much taller boy.

andy blinked twice. he was absolutely taken aback. nobody had ever been worried about him, let alone checked up on him. especially at school.

nobody payed much attention to him at all these days. he had become so reserved after.. after his dad..

"i'm sorry! that probably sounded so weird. i'm not a stalker, i swear." vic mumbled in embarrassment.
"it's not weird." andy answered a little too quickly. "it's just.. nobody ever cares about me."

"well, i care!" vic assured him. the corners of his lips pulled up in the most adorable way; the boy's smile was nothing short of picturesque.

andy swore his heart fluttered.
he nervously tucked a lock of hair behind his ear before clearing his throat.

"do you wanna eat with me?" vic piped up. tilting his head like a puppy, he pulled a wrinkled 10 dollar bill from his pocket. "we can go to starbucks. i'm buying."

at a loss for words, andy's mouth fell open. his head felt like it was spinning. it was too good, too fast. this had to be some stupid joke ronnie put together. why the hell would vic fuentes be asking him to share a lunch period?

"sure."
andy replied before he could overthink. he hoped to god it wasn't a joke.