On your knees // Bandom

8. Somethings Gotta Give

Dallon had definitely been lying when he said he was busy tonight, but then he had asked Ryan if he could come round to his and post about it on snapchat and he had agreed. So here he was.

Ryan had been waiting for him after school, buried in his phone.
"Hey," Dallon had tapped his shoulder lightly and he jumped.
"Hey, Dallon,"
"Im coming round tonight, yeah?"
"Yeah. You can come now? My dads not gonna be home for another three hours."
"Sure."

Since Ryan had moved into this school, he had wanted to at least befriend the cute boy who sat next to him in English, but Dallon always had a group of friends and he looked content with them. Until one day he didn't, he looked like he was falling apart, so Ryan had initiated a game, a stupid game and suddenly Dallon was smiling at him and talking to him and ditching his friends for him and Ryan was quickly realising that maybe there was a reason he had wanted to befriend him.

Everything clicked for Dallon on the way, and he realised that for once he was the one with the power, that for once he could flirt and have someone else wrapped around his finger, that come tonight Ryan would be infatuated and easily manipulated, and Dallon wasn't cruel, he really wasn't, he just had a hell of a lot of abandonment issues and wanted to be the breaker this time. He'd spent too long as the broken.

Ryan lived in a bungalow, with two black cats Dallon couldn't tell apart called Lady Macbeth and Atticus. It was a pretty house from the outside, plants slowly capturing the walls in their perfumed kisses and possessive vines, a garden no longer properly cared for that looked almost magical. But it was bland inside, neutral tones and faded wallpaper that had little personality to begin with. Ryans room was the exception, papered in band posters and drawings and shelves full of artefacts rescued from everywhere, summer beaches to shadowed graveyards, and Dallon couldn't stop staring. Couldn't stop wondering about the family that lived here.

"Have you ever tried getting onto the roof?" He was probably a bad influence.
"What?" Ryan was studying him as though he was the interesting one in this scenario.
"I bet you could get from your window onto the roof."
"Oh, yeah, its easy, and if you walk the ridge pole around you can watch the sunset."
"Can we do that?"
"Depends when you leave."
"When do you want me to leave?"
"I don't mind. Stay as long as you like."
"We'll watch the sunset, then."
Ryan grinned. "Its at half six."

~

Frank was kind of insanely nervous to spend a night with Gerard, it was just a best friend thing that he asked to share a bed? Right? He and Jamia used to do that when they were kids, except that she was only into girls and and Gerard was........ not.

Jamia had actually decided to join them, just not stay overnight, and his mum was dropping them off at the Way place, appreciating Jamia making fun of him.
"I really wanna come out to her, y'know." He said once they got out of the car.
She smiled. "I know."
"Im scared though, like, I know she's amazing and will accept me but it changes things, doesn't it?"
"Your mums a wonderful woman, and, who knows, she may have already guessed. I'd guessed."
"Yeah but..."
"Have you talked to her about Gerard?"
"Probably?"
"Then she knows."
He rolled his eyes and pressed the doorbell. Ray answered.
"Hey, Frank." He hugged him, because Ray was just the kind of guy to hug you even when he saw you like three hours ago. Not that anyone was complaining.
"This is Jamia," Frank introduced.
"Hi." They spoke in almost creepy unison and he laughed and shut the door behind him.

They were the last to arrive and Frank immediately went across the room and joined Patrick and Gerard. They were speaking french and Frank paused for a minute, confused.
"How do you know this much french? I've took it since I was like five and I know shit all?"