Witness Book Three: Broken (boyxboy)

Chapter 7: Rash Actions Fuel Flames

My mom and I stayed up late last night, talking and catching up, which probably explains why I feel like a zombie this morning. It could also be the fact that it's Monday, and everyone hates Mondays. Maybe it's a combination of the two. If so, I'm screwed.

"Whoa, dude, what happened to you? You look terrible." I give Conrad a weak glare before I'm interrupted by a poorly timed yawn.

"I didn't get too much sleep," I admit, shuffling to my seat in art class. 

Blake gives me a sympathetic look as we take out our sketchbooks. Our teacher assigned us a rather boring landscape drawing, so I simply started on a forest scene. I can tell that my movements are sluggish, and I silently remind myself to grab an energy drink from one of the vending machines on my way to my next class.

Finishing up a rough sketch of my landscape, I stand as the bell rings, packing my things away. I manage to snag an energy drink, which happened to be the last one they had in stock. I feel kind of lucky, but sorry for that nerdy guy that groaned when he saw they were out. 

Chugging it down quickly, I wince at the heavy amount of sugar in it. I'm so gonna crash later. Practically gasping for air, I throw the can away with a small clink and take my seat beside a very nervous looking Alex.

"What's up with you?" I ask before erupting into a large yawn.

He raises an eyebrow. "How much sleep did you get?" he asks, avoiding my question.

"Like, three hours," I say with a scowl. "Now, answer the question."

He shakes his head. "Later." He looks at me pointedly, and I sigh. "Now, why did you only get three hours?"

I glance around to make sure no one is listening in before turning back to him. "My mom and I, we spent the night catching up and just talking." I smile softly at the memory. "It was nice."

He smiles at that. "That's great, Austin!" I feel myself blush at his praising tone as he claps my back in congratulations. "I'm proud of you."

Those four words hit me like a bullet.

And it's nice. My chest swells with a pride I haven't truly felt in years. It's the kind of feeling you get when you impress your parent or, in my case, the person you like. It fills you with a giddy pride that makes you want to break into dance.

I blush heavily and twiddle my thumbs awkwardly. "Thanks."

We grow silent as History class starts. Unfortunately, we have a substitute teacher while Mr. Kirkland and his boyfriend are away. He's a strict German man with slicked back blonde hair and piercing, icy blue eyes. He doesn't tolerate any misbehavior, and, quite frankly, he's terrifying. Not to mention, that his thick accent makes it hard to understand him.

I try to take notes as quickly as possible while he rambles on without any breaks. The only break we got was when his boyfriend brought in his lunch. He was loud and seemed to be extremely excited over the pasta he brought, but he was a godsend to my aching hand. I don't think I can write anymore. My hand may just fall off.

I sigh in relief when the bell rings, signalling the end of class. I turn to ask Alex about earlier, but he's already gone, making his way out the door. He's avoiding me now? Great.

Feeling defeated, I trudge through the rest of my classes in a foul mood, possibly the worst mood I've ever let show. I can't even begin to tell you how much relief I feel when I'm dismissed from my last class of the day, and I can't tell you how much confusion I feel when I see Alex waiting at the bottom of the steps for me.

He beckons me over, and I obey, feeling rather curious. "Hey," I greet casually, coming to stand in front of him.

"Hey," he says before looking around, checking to see if anyone is in hearing range. "Austin, I've been meaning to ask you about something." I quirk an eyebrow at that.

Then, my blood runs cold. Does he suspect something about my arm? I swallow thickly. "What's on your mind?" 

He looks uncomfortable. "When you, you know, kissed m-me, on the cheek, the other day, did it mean anything?" His face is bright red, and it's possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.

I relax a little at his question, but then tense up again. It's not about my arm, but it's nearly as embarrassing. What do I tell him?

"It means whatever you want it to mean," I say simply. He frowns deeply and goes to say something, before being cut off by a horn honking.

"Sweetheart!" I recognize my mom's voice. I turn to see her waiting for me in her car. She has a grin on her face. "I'm here to pick you up from school!" I hold back a deadpan expression and start towards the car.

But Alex grabs my wrist before I can go anywhere. I turn back to him. "Don't be cryptic. Give me a straight answer." He looks a little aggravated, and, I don't know why, it pisses me off. 

Without thinking I turn back to him. "Fine," I mutter before grabbing his shirt collar and slamming our lips together.

It's rough, only lasts a few seconds, and is far from perfect, but it gets the point across. There's no movement or anything, just pressure, and, then, I let him go. He looks dazed and confused, and I curse myself for doing something like that so rashly.

Without another word, I stalk off to my mother's car.

What the hell did I do?

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Hey my lovely little nuggets! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to comment and leave some suggestions! I'll see y'all nuggety readers in the next update! Until then, have a fabulous day! Bai!!! >:3

-IggyScones