What Is Love?

Hoes before Bros

The pic of this chap is Riker Lee
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*Bring Bring Bring* My alarm clock wails loudly in my ear. I groan loudly and slam my hand on my phone trying to shut it up, but hit the corner of the side table instead. I yelp but am pretty much awake now. Grabbing my phone I get up and head into my bathroom angrily. After I turned the alarm off, I splash cold water on my face. I feel exhausted. Muttering something about stupid alarm clocks, I go back into my bedroom and put my uniform on. I glance back at my phone and am surprised to see it lit up. I look at the screen and see I have a text message from a long forgotten number. I swallow and unlock it nervously. The text says 'hey remember me? I wanted to say Im sorry. I was really depressed and needed someone to blame for my brothers death. It's not an easy thing to overcome especially when u admired him as much as I did. Please reply back. ~Riker Lee.' I am completely shocked. I did not expect an apology from Riker. The rest of his family was there for me but he absolutely hated me. As I walk back into the bathroom I reply 'I did not expect anything back from you at all so I will call this am up! I know u admired him and miss him but u and I both know Blaine meant EVERYTHING to the both of us. ~Nate Taylor'. A few seconds later he replies 'Yeh I know, can we meet up sometime or something and maybe be friends again? Please I need somebody to have my back. Blaine is dead and he was the ONLY person in my life that understood me. ~Riker Lee'. I debate wether or not to reply. Finally I do and say ' Yah sure I guess but I am pretty sure I am going to end up having something to do today after school. So mayb like nxt week or sometime. ~Nate Taylor' He replied quickly 'Thank U, Nate for giving me another chance. ~Riker Lee' I don't reply back. After painstakingly fixing my hair, I head downstairs. My mom, Kara and Ashton are in the kitchen. Kara and Ashton are still getting used to me being around. They get kind of quiet near me I'm not sure why though. Mom asks me "Did you sleep good honey?" I nod and say "Yeah I guess so. I just really did not want to get up this morning. Oh guess who texted me this morning." She raised her eyebrows in response. "Riker Lee." Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Really! Why?" She asks. I shrug leaning against the counter. "He wanted to apologise and wanted to meet up sometime and catch back up." Mom's eyebrows travel further up her forehead. "Mhmm." I say. Kara and Ashton look at me. "My dead ex we talked about last night...his brother." They nodded and Kara says "Ohh!" I nod again. "Yeah, I'm about to go pick Nick up you guys want to a ride?" Ashton nods "Yeah, do you pick him up everyday?" I think for a minute. "Yeah...I guess so." I reply. I run upstairs and grab my blazer and tie then head back down.
When we're on the road, I look into the mirror at the two quiet teens in the back. "You guys are really quiet." I say. Kara shrugs. "How old are you? I never have actually had a long conversation with you before." Ashton looks surprised. "Fifteen." Kara replies. I suddenly decide I like her better. "Where are you from? If we're going to live together we might as well get to know each other. " I say. Kara smiles and Ashton stays quiet. "We're from a really small town in the middle if nowhere North Carolina. It's awful small and easily missed but it was our home for about seven years. Then we moved out of North Carolina to Southern Florida. Our mother was only 16 when she was pregnant and died during labor. They managed to save us but not her. Our father had taken to drinking and drugs and long story short he became abusive and we were taken away from him. That's how we ended up in foster care. That was probably your next question." I grinned at her "Are you some type of mind reader or something? Like seriously." She laughed and grinned back. "So I don't exactly know how to ask this question but how did you know you were you know gay?" Kara asks. It was my turn to be surprised this time. "Well, I guess I just kind of caught myself thinking horrible horrible things about this one guy in my class and realised I did that a lot and every time a girl started flirting with me I didn't give a shit. Nothing really special, kind of cliché though. This was like in I don't know seventh, maybe eighth grade. I have a horrible dirty mind. Cooper thinks I was poisoned." I smile a little at the thought. Kara nodded and seemed satisfied with my answer. My phone started playing 'Wiggle Wiggle by Jason Derulo'. I glance back at Kara and nod down at my phone. She laughs and says "Point proven." "Speaker?" I ask and she nods. I chuckle and answer "Yeah?" I hear a familiar growl on the other end "You need to answer the phone like a normal person. Say hello or hey or even hi for all I care!" Cooper growls. I smile and click my turn signal on. "Whoa someone is cranky this morning." I say. I can practically hear her roll her eyes. "Shut up Nate. I need a ride, can you drive me or must I walk again? It will be eighth grade year all over again." I laugh a little. "Yeah I could probably fit you in here. Let me call Nick and see if he can drive today. Hoes before Bros, yeah?" I hear her choke on her -what I'm assuming is- her coffee. "I know your did NOT jus call my a hoe Nathaniel Taylor." I give the phone a mock scared glance. "Love you Coop, see you in five!" Then I hit the end button. Kara busts out laughing. "You are so dead Nate!" I glance at her in the mirror "Eh oh well. But I am slightly scared by the fact she called me Nathaniel..." I bite my lip. Kara laughs again. "You will help prepare my funeral, won't you?" I ask. She grins and me and nods. "Lets see, I have to call Nick now, speaker or nah?" Kara looks at me like I am crazy. "Speaker...duh!" I dial Nick's number and put him on speaker phone and call him. He answers after the third tone. "Hey handsome." He says. I smile and say "Don't say anything too sexual, I have Kara and Ashton in the car with me too. Their eavesdropping." I hear him laugh and can't help but chuckle too. "Okay fine, fine. I was about to call you and tell you Becky doesn't need my car today so I am going to drive because I have to get straight back home from school there is a bunch of family here. Plus, knowing us-well you- we would get uh, caught up again." I laugh and glance at Kara whose eyebrows are half way up her forehead. "Your going to get me in trouble!" He replies "Not the first time. Remember that time we stopped in an empty parking lot and-" I cut him off "Ooookayyy anyway, I was hoping you could come over after school or I go over there or something because I don't want to deal with people in my bubble. My mom was all in my bubble this morning and last night." Nick laughs and asks "Really?" I reply "Nah, I just don't want to sit around and do nothing when I can be with you." I say the last part seductively. He chuckles then says grimly "If you want to deal with explaining our relationship to my homophobic family members then I'm all for it." I'm quiet for a minute remembering my meltdown last night. "Nate?" Nick asks. I snap out of it "Sorry, there's a crazy ass driver on the road this morning... oh hey that looks like Josh." I say. He gasps suddenly "Your DRIVING?!" I say "Yeah and..." He sputters "Yeah and focus on the damn road!" then adds seductively "so I can have you later." I raise my eyebrows "Yes ma'am! Leaving now love you bye!" Nick manages to say "Love you too!" before I hang up. Kara says "Wow, that was interesting. I guess your on two murder lists and a rape list or more accurately a 'Save for later' list." I laugh. "I am on several more murder lists and even more rape lists I mean look at this." I gesture towards my body. She shakes her head and laughs again.
A few minutes later I pull up at the Quinn's house and park. I honk the horn and wait. An exhausted looking Cooper Quinn comes out of the house. She has her hair throw up into a messy bun and her (nerd style like mine, we're twining!) glasses on. I take in her appearance "Hm there's something wrong with this image." When she opens the door and slams it shut hard I jump slightly. "What's wrong Coop?" She glances at me and says "My stupid ass father." I nod. "What did he do this time?" Cooper looks out the window and replies "He was being a jackass homophobe." I look down for a minute them pull out of the driveway. "Did it involve me?" She just nods. I stay quiet for a few minutes. "He saw something on tv about how they legalised gay marriage and started saying that being gay is 'disgusting' and 'wrong' and how he thinks that by spending time with you I might 'catch' the gay. I have had enough of his bullshit. I'm staying at your house tonight." I am slightly infuriated by her father's words but cool down. "Don't listen to his bullshit. He's just a no good son of a bitch who is blinded by hate. Excuse my French Kara, Ashton." We sit in silence for a few minutes and I watch as Cooper relaxes into a more depressed state which I am sure I can get her out of. "How are you and Wes?" I ask. She loves to talk about him so hopefully this will cheer her up. It does...for a minute. Cooper smiles and says "He's good. I haven't seen him in a while." "Why not?" I ask. She sighs. "He is on some type of overnight school trip. It is down to some farm place." I nod. Kara asks "Westleigh is your boyfriend right?" Cooper adjusts her glasses and turns so she can see her. "Yeah. He goes to a normal school, with normal people." I grin. Kara looks confused. "It's an inside joke from a long time ago when we first came to The Academy." Cooper laughs. "Yeah the little gay kid from the little private school in the big city of Manhattan in the even bigger state of New York! The one who was never normal. Poor kid." I grin and scrunch my face up. "I was...yeah you got me I wasn't normal. I have always been a private school kid. All uniforms." I sighed pretending to be sad. "But you still find a way to be unique in this hell hole of a high school. Like Sara Jenkins!" I slam the breaks at a stoplight and turn to face her "I know you did not just compare me to that slut!" Cooper laughs "That's what you get for calling me a hoe this morning!" I put on a mock scowl and turn to face the road.
When we pull into the parking lot, I notice something off. I can't quite put my finger on it but there is something off. Well I couldn't put my finger on the problem until I parked right next to it. Mr. Wilson's dusty old truck. I start to get out. "Damn it!" I exclaim. Cooper looks at me. "What?" "The truck belongs to the guy that taunted me and Nick yesterday." She nods in understanding. We get out and throw our blazers on. It is kind of cold out here but soon it will be warm enough that we won't have to wear our blazers.
As we walk up, Kara and Ashton close behind, I look for Nick's silver Buick. I spot it but see there is no one in it.
I hurry into the school and towards my locker. Strong arms grab me and pick me up into the air. They spin in a circle then set me down. I smile up at him. "I am determine to scare you one of these days!" Nick says. I laugh at him and notice Cooper her friend Blair and Kara watching us grinning. I blush and ask "What are you looking at?" Cooper laughs and winks at me "Nothing nothing at all." I laugh again.
Nick makes me so happy. When he smiles I can't help but smile back. When he laughs I laugh back. I don't know what I would do without him.