better. (a cake au)

eight.

Eddie leads me outside and into the tree line that surrounds the campus. "This, my friend, is Bridgeway forest. If you'll follow me." He says gesturing for me to come after him. He walks deeper into the trees until we reach a wall of trees with so many leaves and bushes in between you can't see past them. "See that?" He says as he points out a veil of leaves and vines. I nod. "That is the door to the best place on this whole campus. He walks up to it and pushes it aside, gesturing for me to enter. As soon as I walk in my jaw drops at the beauty in front of me. There's a clear stream running along the floor of the forest, with beautiful green grass surrounding it. There's a place dug out for a camp fire with rocks sitting around it (that I'm guessing are used for chairs.) and beautiful wildflowers growing all around the area. It's unlike anything I've ever seen.

"This is- wow."

"So, Lucas, have you ever wondered how go make your own refrigerator? well I'll show you." he walks over to a spot on the ground covered in leaves and twigs and pushes them aside, revealing a garbage can lid sitting on the ground. He lifts up the lid to reveal a garbage can full of bottles and cans. "See, the insulation in the ground keeps it cold. This, my friend, is where we keep the booze." He says with a grin.

-----

"You've really never been drunk before?" Asks Eddie, laughing.

"Nope." I say with a shake of my head and a small laugh.

"Have you ever had alcohol before?"

"Mmm.." I say then shake my head no.

"Really? Well dear jesus, Lucas, we must fix that, mustn't we?" he gets up from the rock he was seated on around the fire pit and walks over to the 'fridge'. He opens it and just stares for a moment, apparently surveying his options. I finally grabs a bottle and hands it to me. "Figured it'd be best to just go simple. Beer. Plain beer." He grins as I struggle with the cap. "Here, lemme get that." He takes it from me and walks up to a rock, using it as a bottle opener. "There you go, sir." He says and hands it to me. "This is a proud moment for me. This is like... I get to watch someone drink their first beer." He says, and with that he sits down on the rock across from me and stares at me.

"Here goes nothing." I say and raise the bottle to my lips before taking a tentative sip. I think for a moment before saying, "A little bitter." This causes Eddie to crack up laughing, but I'm not sure why.

"You're funny, kid." He says once he's done laughing. "So. Keep drinking that beer so you'll get funnier, and tell me about yourself."

"What do you mean?" I ask, taking another drink.

"Like what's your name, how old are you, what do you do for fun, why are you showing up here weeks after school started. Things like that."

"Well, okay. I'm 16. My names Luke Robert Hemmings. I don't really do much I guess. I read sometimes. And I'm showing up here randomly because my mother is forcing me to because she thinks I have no friends."

"Well, do you?"

"No." I answer with a small laugh.

"Do you have a girlfriend? Because I can get you one pretty easily if you don't."

"Um.. I'm in a relationship but what do you mean 'easily'?"

"You're totally the type of guy the girls here are in to. Band tee, ripped jeans. Plus you're tall. It'd be easy. But you're in a 'relationship'? hmm."

"Hmm what?" I ask, finishing off the beer.

"With a female?" he asks, leaning forward as a grin spreads across his face.

"Well... No." I say. I can feel myself turning red.

"Well damn. Because I was gonna try to hook you up with this girl named Phillis. So you have a boyfriend?"

"Um.. yes." I say. "Can I have another beer?"

Eddie laughs loudly but walks over to the garbage fridge and retrieves one. "Here. Don't get too drunk."

"No promises.."

-----

After the second beer, I feel warm but not drunk. I mean I guess I wouldn't know what being drunk feels like but I'm pretty sure it's not this. Eddie's the same way. We're both sober enough not to do anything ridiculously stupid, so we just light a fire (even though it's 7 pm and still light out) and hang around, talking about whatever it is you talk about with your new room mate. A few minutes later, my phone rings interrupting our conversation about our favourite books. I grab it out of my pocket to see Calum's picture on my phone. I totally forgot to call him. I slide the answer button and press the phone to my ear, motioning for Eddie to wait one second.

"Hi, Cal."

"Why haven't you called me yet? I've been sitting her waiting for you to call for a long time."

"I'm really sorry. I was just getting settled and getting to know my roommate and I got distracted."

"It's ok. I was just worried you got, like, shot as soon as you got there or something."

"No, I'm safe and un-shot." I say with a laugh.

"So do you like it there?"

"Yeah, I mean, so far. It's not like I expected it to be."

"Is it like- super uptight and stuff?" asks Calum.

"No, it seems pretty chill actually."

"Well at least you won't be trapped in a prison for the next two years." He says and then pauses for a moment. "I miss you. Like, already."

"I miss you too." I say and stare at the ground, kicking a pebble that's by my foot. "But we only have to wait like, 7 days till we can see each other. We can meet at a restaurant near by or something."

"I know. That seems like a long time though." he says. "I love you."

"I love you too." I say, getting the random urge I cry.

"I'll let you get back to your fun. Bye, babe."

"Bye, Cal." I say and hang up. I can feel that sting in the back of my throat where I feel like crying but I don't want too. I swallow hard and slide my phone back into my pocket, sniffing slightly.

"You okay?" Asks Eddie, looking concerned.

"Yeah. Fine." I say, using as few words as possible so I don't start crying.

"You look like you're gonna cry." He says, which, in turn, makes me cry a little. I bring my hands up to my eyes and leave them there until I think I'm not going to cry anymore.

"I just... Don't wanna be here. I want to be at home at my old school with my family and..." I trail off, my voice cracking.

"And with you boyfriend, right?"

"Right." I say, sniffing slightly.

"You could always face time him." offers Eddie.

"Or call him. There's no point in face timing."

"Why? I mean then you can see each others faces."

"Yeah, well, I could." I hate explaining I people that he's blind. It's so awkward.

"Huh?"

"He can't see."

"What do you mean?" asks Eddie, looking confused. How much for straight forward could I be?

"He's blind. My boyfriend is blind."

"Oh. Oh damn."

"No need to 'oh damn'. it's a fact of life." I say.

"So- your boyfriends never seen you? or what you look like?"

"Nope, never."

"Well that sure makes things simpler, doesn't it."

And I guess it does.