The alarm blared in Warren's ears. Great, he had to get up. Just what he wanted. Another day in the purgatory that adults call school. He stood up and headed to the bathroom, he looked awful. His strawberry blonde curls were matted and he had dark purple circles under his pale green eyes. He groaned and considered going back to bed before picking up his toothbrush. However his mother calling 'Nova will be here soon!!' Always got him to do whatever he didn't want. He was supposed to like Nova. She was his girlfriend after all, but he didn't. She was a clingy mess of red hair and hung around a bunch of snotty brats. He brushed his curls as best he could and slipped a sweater on.
"Ren!" Nova called. He rolled his eyes and put cinnamon on his toast, ignoring her. "Ren? Are you okay?" She asked. When he hadn't responded she visibly started to get worried. "Baby?"
"Look Nova. I'm not in the mood right now." He snapped. She started whimpering and making annoying noises. Which most boyfriends would find cute, but he didn't. He should be nice to her, but he felt frustrated that his mother had forbidden him from breaking up with her.
'She's rich, honey. We are too. That's who you need to be dating' she had scolded him. Warren wanted to scream remembering that thought. If only he didn't have to live with his mother and step-father. He wanted to be with his REAL father. His father was Raymond Mickleson, a poor man who was currently an alcoholic after Warren's mother had cheated on him then left him for his now step-father,
Micheal McCullen. Warren had been begged by his mother to change his last name to McCullen, but he refused. He was Warren Mickleson and he liked it that way.
"C'mon babe." Nova snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry." He retorted. She rolled her eyes knowing he was most certainly NOT sorry. When he got in her car it smelled funny. Like a little mix of her disgusting perfume and a couple other girls cheap perfume. He wrinkled his nose and covered his mouth with his hand. As they were driving to PineHills High, he looked at boys walking. He was small compared to them and could be easily beaten up by them. Somehow he didn't mind that. He couldn't help it, he didn't find himself looking at the girls in his class like the other guys did. He looked at them. It was like a train of admiration. They would look at a girl right in front of them and Warren would look at them. Warren had two best friends. They were-he was pretty sure- the only reason why he still did anything with his life. Maeve and Luca were the only reasons why he could stand school, or even life for that matter. When they arrived, his eyes immediately started searching for his best friends. Nova parked and hopped out of the car, slowly followed by Warren. She planted a big sloppy kiss on his cheek.
"Bye Ren! I'll see you later babe~" He couldn't help but smile when she walked away from him for most of the day. He let out a puff of air and turned his head to see Maeve looking at him with raised eyebrows.
"Someone is happy she's gone."
"Yeah. I am"
"Why?"
"She's a pain in the ass. Honestly Maeve. I've been thinking. I think....that maybe. I'm gay." He knew she would understand and support him unconditionally, because she was a lesbian.
"Oh, Ren." She laughed "it's so obvious." Warren had a tendency to blush, a lot. So when he heard that statement. He turned beet red.
"It's that obvious?!" He choked on his own saliva as he said that. She patted his back making sure he was okay, when he stopped coughing she looked at him for a second as if lost in thought. She did that a lot. Always thinking. She would cock her head at you and just sit there for a while until speaking. That was her thing.
"Yes." She said finally "you need to tell your mom." That was something he didn't want to hear. She would never talk to him again. She hates gay people. And he very well knew that. He sat thinking about those words over and over. Nobody could break him from his thoughts. Not even Maeve or Luca.
"Mae, I think you broke him." Luca said, giving a concerned look in Warren's direction.
"Looks like it." She laughed. Not even his clingy girlfriend could break him from this spell of infinite thinking.
"Baby~!" She called out. No answer "Babe!" She called again. Still no answer. "BABY!!!!" She yelled furiously. "Look at me when I'm speaking Warren!" That sounded like his mother.
"I'm your ride home!" She screeched. She sounded like a toddler throwing a tantrum about a toy truck they really wanted. He snapped from his thoughts for minuet to say three words.
"I. Don't. Care."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't care." He repeated. Warren caught up with Maeve and Luca who were ecstatic to give him a ride.
"We can go to my house." Maeve offered. An offer Warren would take any day. When they got to Maeve's house they did their homework and talked about their problems. They shared every secret with each other. Except for one. Luca had- still has- for that matter, a huge crush on Maeve.
"So Ren. Why do you hate Nova so much?" Luca asked.
"Simple. She's clingy and she hangs around terrible people."
"Hey! Don't be a hypocrite, you're clingy too!" Maeve scolded him.
"Yeah, but I don't act like a mom or dad to you guys, do I?"
"Woah!! That far huh?" Luca said "man that bitch is weird!" Warren nodded in agreement.
When it was time for him to head home his mind was racing, and he knew for a fact. It wasn't going to stop.
