Let Me Be Your Missing Puzzle Piece

Chapter 2

The cafeteria filled up quickly soon after the bell rang, the warblers had already marked their territory and had left their bags and belongings around a large table and proceeded to join the growing lunch line. Today they were serving tater-tots, much to everyone's delight as usually the food served at Dalton was quite bland and ordinary, which was to explain why the behaviour (mostly of the lower years) was quite over-enthusiastic this lunchtime.

Nick Duval waited patiently alone at that back of elongated queue, he hadn't quite gotten to the front as quick enough as the other warblers had, and it wasn't in his nature to push in. It was okay though, Nick wasn't particularly a big fan of the tots, unlike the other warblers who were now piling their plates high with the glowing potato balls. He couldn't understand people's fascination with them, they were merely just like french fries rolled in a ball, but he often thought the cooks had added some other ingredient that caused the students to become addicted and dependant on them, but maybe those thoughts were down to him and Jeff watching too much Doctor Who.

Boy he wished Jeff would hurry up, he felt a bit silly standing on his own in the never-ending lunch queue, people must be thinking that the warblers had abandoned him or that he didn't have friends in the first place. None of that was true of course, the warblers loved Nick, he was a part of their family and would always will be, even if he sometimes drove Thad and David up the wall occasionally, they still loved him like a brother.

But Jeff was something else, Jeff was his best friend, he was like a non-identical twin brother to Nick, the two were literally joined at the hip, at one point they actually almost were, it was during sophomore year when Flint had played a prank on the two and had handcuffed them together whilst they were sleeping. They had been forced to spend every second of the day together, even making excuses to the other warblers as to why they felt the need to go everywhere with the other by their side, even to the bathroom. The rest of the school were oblivious to what was going on, they were so used to seeing Nick and Jeff walking arm-in-arm through the school that they wouldn't have noticed if the two looked as if they had their hands entwined together.

Yes Jeff meant a lot to Nick, for he was more than just a room-mate, a best friend or a fellow warbler; he was Nick's secret crush.

The blonde was always there for Nick whenever something happened, the two used to share in their disappointment when they failed to move up from the audition round for the chance at a warblers solo. He was there whenever Nick got sick, and Nick would then carry out his duties of nursing Jeff whenever he was hit by the same nasty virus. Jeff was there for Nick when he went through a pretty heated break-up with his ex Helen, a girl from their sister school Crawford. Nick hadn't told Jeff all the details, but he had made it pretty obvious that he was not okay with being dumped when he returned and had pretty much dived into the blonde's arms and had begun sobbing hysterically. Jeff had just held him, muttering soothing words into the boys ears until he eventually calmed down and was ready to open up and tell him what had happened. In all fairness, Jeff knew it wouldn't have lasted, Nick was too good for her and Jeff really didn't take a liking to Helen upon their first meeting, she was too much of a posh snob and had pretty much just used Nick as a way to get her parents off of her back.

Unfortunately for Nick, he had developed a genuine interest in the girl and had therefore played into her trap. Yes when he had found out the truth devastated wasn't the word, but at least he had Jeff there awaiting him with open arms. Having Jeff just holding him, embracing him in his arms was more than enough comfort, for pretty soon after, the events from earlier that day had been forgotten and Nick had just decided he should just get over it and never trust a Crawford girl again.

Nick had always felt comfortable around Jeff, more comfortable than with any other of the warblers. He knew there was something there, the way Jeff's eyes sparkled whenever he sung made Nick's heart swell, he was just so breathtaking and beautiful, Nick couldn't help the fluttering feeling in his stomach whenever he watched the blonde perform. Not to mention the boy's body, man was it hot! Nick couldn't help taking a peek of Jeff's rather ripped stomach during gym class, I mean who couldn't resist getting an eyeful of the impeccable six-pack that lay under the smooth tanned skin of the tall boy.