Step Into the Sun

17

When Connor awoke, the space in bed next to him was empty. He frowned, squinting in the yellow-orange light that filled the room, before sitting up to look around.

"Good morning," Evan chuckled, turning around to look at him from his spot on the floor.

"What are you doing down there?" Connor asked groggily, his voice rough from sleep.

"Hey, he can speak," Jared's voice said from across the room.

"Shut up," Evan scolded. "Did you sleep well, Connor?"

He nodded, slowly remembering the events from earlier. Suddenly his head felt too heavy, so he laid back down, still facing the boys who were watching him carefully.

"Do you feel better?"

Connor shook his head this time, pulling the covers over himself tightly. He didn't feel well mentally or physically. Just managing to say a sentence felt like it had taken everything out of him.

"Well, what can we do to help?" Evan questioned, leaning on the edge of the mattress.

Connor held out his arms again, hiding his face in his shoulder.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"This morning," Connor lied. "I'm not hungry."

Sighing to himself, Evan got up and joined Connor in bed, facing away from him so he could hug him from behind. Before Connor could settle in a comfortable position, his stomach betrayed him and made a loud gurgling noise that he was sure even Jared could hear from across the room.

"Connor!" Evan scolded, trying to get out of Connor's grip. He struggled, but managed to break free of the boy's arms. "You need to eat."

Groaning like a child, Connor turned to hide his face in Evan's pillow.

"Come on, losers," Jared walked over to them, "we're going to Denny's."

"Was that a Mean Girls reference?" Evan looked at him with an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"It could've been," he answered with a shrug.

Evan shook his head and turned back towards Connor, who was sitting up now, watching them.

"Are you up for dinner?" He asked softly.

Connor nodded and scooted to the end of the bed, reaching to pull on his shoes. So far, he was successfully ignoring the negativity that threatened to spill into all of his thoughts.

He stood up once his shoes were on, Evan doing the same shortly after, while Jared started reciting all he could remember of Mean Girls from the beginning.

"Oh my god, Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white."

"Jared, please stop talking," Evan half-joked, leading the way out of the dorm and into the hallway. He felt his pocket to make sure he had his wallet.

"Boo, you whore," he replied, sticking his tongue out at Evan.

Smiling a little bit to himself, Connor trailed behind them. When they got outside the building, Evan hooked his arm through Connor's so they could walk side by side, shivering a bit from the chill in the air.

"It's getting nippy around here," Jared commented, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah," Evan agreed.

"Do you want my jacket?" Connor offered, moving to unzip his jacket with his free hand.

"What a gentleman. I ship it," Jared teased as Evan blushed and shook his head. "I mean, I know you guys are just friends but if you ever hypothetically decided to start a romantic relationship together I would support you and think it was adorable. But I know neither of you have those kinds of feelings for each other. Right?"