all those broken promises | shyland

Chapter Six

"Get ready to pay up."

Shane smirked, leaning up against the locker beside Garrett's. His eyebrows were raised is triumph, despite the fact that he knew he had a long way to go to make Ryland fall in love with him, but a date was a step in the right direction. He knew if he could manage to be the perfect gentleman, he would have Ryland wrapped around his finger by the time the night was over.

"He's in love with you already?"

"No," Shane quipped. "He agreed to go on a date with me."

Garrett laughed, closing his locker and turning toward the auburn-haired boy, "Really, a date? I thought you were more of a skip-the-dinner, take 'em home and fuck 'em kind of guy?"

"I have to pretend like I actually give a shit."

The taller boy looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it, closing his locker and throwing an arm around Shane's neck before turning to head to class, but Shane paused when he heard the buzzing of his phone in his back pocket. Quickly, he pulled it out and stopped in his tracks, the smile falling from his face and Garrett's arm falling from around him.

"You okay?"

Shane glanced up, looking as though he had seen a ghost, and cleared his throat, "Huh? Oh, yeah, but I'm actually going to skip today, something came up." He turned to leave. "I—uh, will you tell Ryland I'll message him what time I'm picking him up?"

"Wait, Shane, you're skipping the whole day?"

He was already halfway down the hallway before Garrett's question reached his ears, and he only shrugged in response, not really listening to his friend, his attention focused on the message presented on the screen in front of him, like a virus that wouldn't go away, even though he knew he could've clicked out of it whenever he wanted to.

From Mom:

Dad's gone – for good this time. I'm sorry, honey, I tried to make him stay. If you need anything, I'm always here for you. I love you so much, Shane.

He didn't realize he was outside until water was falling from the sky until he heard the sound of a car screech to a halt in front of the school, no doubt a kid who was late for class. He looked from side to side, unsure of where to go. He knew he didn't want to be in class, and yet, he didn't want to go home and face the goddamn tragedy that was his life either. Instead, his sights set on a tree by the courtyard, and he managed to find it in him to move his feet long enough to curl up under it, the rain dripping off the tree and into his hair, but at least it was quiet.

His head rested against the bark, his eyes closed as he thought about how he was probably the reason his father was gone, and how it was his fault because he was bisexual, and God, his father should have a child he could be proud of, and how he hated himself for the life his mother had to live, and he hated that he was never enough, for his parents, for his brothers, for his friends, for himself.

"Is this always where you come to skip?"

Shane jumped, staring at the boy beside him, and Ryland held half of his umbrella over Shane's head, most likely so that he wouldn't get pneumonia, but for whatever reason, he was grateful. If anyone else had found him like this, he would have jumped up and told them to leave, but with Ryland, it was different, almost like he didn't mind showing this near-stranger the parts of him that nobody else had ever seen.

"Not usually," He whispered. "What about you? Aren't you some innocent, goody-two-shoes boy who hasn't skipped class a day in his life? Don't you have a perfect attendance record or something?"

Ryland shook his head, "You really don't know me."

"Do you really think I care to?"

"Well, you sure seem to," Ryland fired back. "Besides, when Garrett came in and told me you bailed, I knew I had to come find you. You are my ride home from this place, you know."