As Liam sat through Chemistry, his least favorite subject he took comfort in the up coming lunch break. The bell that signaled the end of class received a hearty welcome from him as he scrambled out of the foul smelling room. James tackled Liam as soon as Liam exited the chemistry lab causing Liam to freeze in fear, before relaxing into James' familiar embrace.
"So get this, my mum just texted me and she is totally cool with me throwing a party for my eighteenth without them. She asked Kelsey if she'd come home that weekend so she can supervise and Kelse, totally said yes. Plus mum is giving Kelse money for booze so long as we promise not to let it get out of hand."
James' arm was slung casually around Liam's shoulder as they strolled to the cafeteria.
"Isn't that amazing?" he giggled causing Liam to roll his eyes.
"That's actually pretty cool." Liam conceded, indulgently.
"It's going to be epic!" he laughed as he left Liam's side to buy them both something to eat.
Liam slipped into the table in the center of the cafeteria. It had only a few people when he joined but soon it would be crammed.
"Liam, did you hear? Kelse is supervising." Brody laughed waggling his eyebrows. This statement earned him a small whack from his girlfriend across his chest.
" Damn it, Charlie, I wasn't talking about her in that way." He laughed, trying to placate his pouting girlfriend. " I mean, I was telling Lilly, so obviously I wasn't talking about her ass."
"Or that rack." Piped Zeke, giving Brody a high five.
"Don't call me Lilly." Liam grumbled. "Besides James would cut your balls off for hitting on Kelsey. Hitting on a Bro's sister is a major breach of the code."
"This does not count as hitting on, we were just appreciating." Brody said, throwing a carrot, from his girlfriend's salad, at Liam.
"Appriciating what?" asked James, as he slid a tray in front of Liam.
"You're sister's assets." Charlie offered with a conniving little smile. This earned Brody a harsh slap on the back of his head.
"Zeke did it too." Brody whined, rubbing the nape of his neck gingerly.
Zeke hissed in pain as he was given the same treatment as his friend.
Liam zoned out of the conversation unfurling around him. The other members of their large group arrived but Liam didn't pay much attention to them either. His eyes were fixed on his tray. The pizza, which sat on a white plate, was shimmering, as the light reflected off the thin translucent layer of oil. He looked at the burnt bits of cheese, and felt his appetite receding. His empty stomach didn't fully agree with his hypothalamus and he started picking at the slice. Bit by bit he picked off the bits where the cheese was darker. He picked apart the pizza finding one flaw after another to justify discarding that bite. When he was done he was left with two, bite-sized pieces, which he conveniently nibbled on as the chatter around him blurred into a steady hum in the background. The ringing bell snapped him out of his reverie. He noticed James staring at him with an intensity that troubled Liam.
"I'm okay." He said trying to ease some of the worry that lined his best friend's forehead. "Really, I am." Liam claimed, trying to reassure both himself and James as he dumped his uneaten food into the trashcan.
"I'll see you after school yeah?" he asked, not completely believing Liam.
Liam offered a non-committal grunt before heading off in the opposite direction.
The last two hours of school were hell. Liam's head started pounding half way through pre-calculus and continued throughout the whole of geography. Liam attributed his splitting headache to the lack of attention he had been paying to his basic needs like food and sleep and resolved to try to take better care of himself if only the pain would stop.
