Look Me In The Eye [Solangelo]

Chapter 6

Will was anything but a violent person. In fact, more often than not he was the one being defended, not the other way around. He just didn't have it in him—or so he thought. He'd also never yelled at customer service worker. He was exploring all new things about himself today as Drew and Piper wrenched him out of the Bistro, pointing and yelling.

"What the fuck was that about, Will?" Drew demanded.

Piper's solid hands were still pinning him to the brick wall outside. Her eyebrows we pulled together in a stern expression that he might have mistaken for anger if he didn't know what she looked like when she was scared. That, ultimately, was what made Will stop thrashing and take a breath.

Piper exhaled and let her grip loosen. "I know how mad you were, I was upset too—but you can't just do that, Will. What if someone decided to agree with that bigot and beat the shit out of you?"

Drew's hands were shaking as she raked them down the denim of her shorts. "You can't just do that, Will—that guy had his shit together and you almost started a fight. We're in this together, Will, your bi ass gets kicked by homophobes-- then so do our bi asses."

"You don't understand," Will insisted. Piper's shoulders slumped and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, head resting on his shoulder. "Of course we do—we get just as mad as you do. It hurts us just as much, but you can't jump into those things for strangers who don't need defending, you could have gotten hurt."

"He wasn't a stranger, Piper—that was Nico."

Drew's pacing and fidgeting stopped abruptly. Piper honest-to-gods gasped.

"Soulmate Nico?" She asked. Suddenly Drew was in his face, interrogating him.

"Hazel's brother Nico? Nico who you yelled at and never talked to again? That Nico?"

He groaned. "Yes, that Nico."

Piper's eyes flitted around like she was doing intense Algebra in her head. "He and Hazel have the same eyebrows."

Drew rubbed her temples. "That is not what you should be focused on right now."

Will was breathless as he pushed his palms into his eyes. This morning hadn't started out so well, he'd gotten a failing grade on his last test. But then Drew and Piper came over to hang out and watch scary movies with him as consolation—they were going out for pasta and breadsticks. It was going to be a great day despite everything. And then Will decided to square up with a little blonde girl for calling his soulmate a faggot. God, how fucked up was he? He couldn't look Nico in the eye but he'd start a fight over him? That wasn't how this worked. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to work.

When he finally snapped out of his own head, Piper and her sister were still shouting at each other.

"I don't care if we just made a scene," Drew argued, "I want my breadsticks!"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we're going to walk in and get kicked right back out again."

"Well, then I guess we're going to have to settle for Domino's, huh? Because I am honestly wasting away over here!"

"Oh my god, zip it! Not everything is about your stomach, Drew!"

Will tried to speak but his voice was barely a whisper. "Hey..."