↔IMPULSE↔

↔Sick↔

The drive home was over too soon for Gabe's liking.

Archie dropped him off in front of his house, his lips brushing Gabe's cheek in a quick butterfly kiss. "I'll call you," he said with a smirk.

Gabe smirked back, "thanks, Archer, I had a lot of fun." On a more serious note, "if you tell anyone about that, so help me God--"

"You're secrets safe with me, Gabriel. And here I thought you trusted me."

Giving Archie a guarded look, "this is just a big secret for me."

"Cross my heart," Archie said making an X over his heart. Gabe felt a little relieved that Archie said he wouldn't tell anyone about his secret. Having someone who knew his secret was like lifting some of the weight off him but it made him worry a little more than usual, but it felt like it was worth it.

He walked up to his door and waved to Archie as he drove off, he opened his front door with a lingering smile only to be greeted by a stern stare.

Doria in the foyer with his hand on his hips and tapping his foot. "Where the hell were you?"

"Sorry about leaving you," Gabe offered apologetically. Walking past Doria, Dory grabbed his arm.

"Where did you go? Wait, what are you wearing?"

Fuck. Gabe smiled, "a friend lent me a shirt because mine got dirty."

"Was this friend Archie?"

"Yeah, I went with him and his band."

Doria looked like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead, "so you up and left in the middle of the night for that? You spent the night with him!"

"What's the difference from spending the night with you?" The words left his mouth and Gabe thought back to his first kiss and he internally said, that's the difference.

Dory crossed his arms, "did he do anything to you? You shouldn't be alone with him—"

"Why? Give me a reason, Doria."

He clenched his jaw, a conflicted look passed over his handsome features. "Reese said he messes around with guys."

Gabe felt it like a suckered punch, "so what? Why would I treat him any different if he likes guys too?"

"It's not right! What if he comes onto you?"

The guy he liked was raving about two guys being together not being right. It hurt like a bitch. Gabe looked away from Dory's face.

"I'll be fine, Doria. You're my friend not my mom, you can't really control who I hang out with."

"Gabe—"

"I get that you're worried but you have a say in this!" Gabe snapped. He didn't want to hear this from Dory, or anyone for that matter. Sure, it was new information that Archie was bisexual but Gabe couldn't care less.

Dory looked taken back and Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "sorry. Look, Dory, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you." Gabe went upstairs to his bedroom and left Dory standing there. Sandy poked her head into his room as he laid on his bed. 

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yep." The door closed and Gabe felt a headache beginning as a dull throb, he really wanted to cry but it was like he couldn't find any tears so instead he was left with the feeling of pressure on his eyes causing his head to gradually throb until it was unbearable.

Laying on his bed in a dark room, Gabe had taken some Tylenol and curled up under his blankets and caught a whiff of the shirt he was wearing, it smelled like Archie and it made him feel a little better. Gabe wondered what would happen if he told Dory he was gay, would he react just as he had now or would he react worse?

Gabe fell asleep and was woken up by his mom. She sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his hair, "are you okay, Gabe?"

He closed his eyes and murmured, "my head hurts."

"Did you take something for it?"

"Yeah."

She sighed through her nose, "I'll save you some dinner in the microwave. Make sure to eat later, you're too thin." Despite the headache he had to smile a little, Archie had said something just like that. He looked at his mom, it felt like he hadn't seen her in forever. Her sandy brown hair was wavy and shoulder length and her green eyes had smile crinkles at the corners but she wasn't smiling, instead she looked a little worried.

Mom left him to fall back asleep, it late at night when he woke up again feeling his stomach churning. Withing a second he was dizzily running to the bathroom to vomit his breakfast of McDonald's which did not taste good coming back up.

Fuck my life. A fight with Dory now I'm sick. Ugh, how can this get any worse? He found himself thinking as he sat on the bathroom floor next to the toilet. The floor was hard and cold and uncomfortable but his gut was still churning in protest of going back to bed.

The uncovered bulb in the bathroom irritated his eyes and his head was a stabbing pain. He leant against the side of the tube and rested his head against it and covered his eyes with the crook of his arm as he let out a breath. Dozing off again. Stupid stomach bug, where did he even get it?

Gabe woke up to Sandy standing in front of him on the phone as she shook him awake, "what happened to you, bro? Hangover?"

He glared at her half-heartedly, "I just don't feel."

A voice was yapping on the other side of the phone, "chill out, Archie. He woke up— Yeah, here he is." She handed him the phone with a frazzled look.

"Gabriel, are you okay?"

I'm getting asked that too often. "Uh-huh, well, not really. I'm sick."

"Sandy said you were sleeping on the bathroom floor."

Gabe stood up feeling a little disoriented and steadied himself by gripping the edge of the counter. "I'll be fine, just a bug."

"Okay, you should rest. I can drop by to keep you company if you want," Archie sounded worried just like Mom had.

The teenager groaned as a fresh wave of pain reverberated through his head, "I think I'll go back to bed, my head hurts. I'll be fine, Arch."

"I'll call you in the morning," Archie stayed on the line a moment longer, "good night, Gabriel."

"'Night," He hung up and handed the phone to Sandy on his way back to his bedroom and dragged himself back into his bed which was cold from his absence. "Ugh, this fucking blows."