Where Am I? (boyxboy)

Chapter Eight

"You're Daw-" With that I slapped my hand over his mouth. Getting close to his face so I was hunched over slightly, because of the height difference, I put my finger to my lip and narrowed my eyes in warning. Noah shook his head vigorously, which became only in slight movements since my palm was pressed against his lips.

"Are you going to freak out?" I asked sternly, in a way that let him know that I better like his answer. He mumbled into my hand, then realizing he couldn't talk, shook his head again. Sighing, I let my shoulders relax a tiny bit. Though this was bad, not only did Coach know, but now some random kid knew my identity as well. Yet the two people at this school who knew me the best hadn't figured it out. Ironic.

Slowly I brought my hand down from his lips and waited. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe he would start screaming or shout my name down the halls, maybe even black mail me if he had the guts. I did not expect him to stare moony eyed at me for several moments before I had to wave my hand in front of his face to snap him back to the present. Looking at me, a puzzled expression covered Noah's face.

"I thought you were dead?" He questioned, making me sigh. This was going to be a long day, and I had to figure out a way to make sure Noah didn't speak a word of my identity to anyone, if I even needed to. I always liked to be safe though.

"Yeah, it seems a lot of people think that. And I plan on finding out who spread that rumor, which is another reason I'm keeping my identity a secret." I emphasized the secret part of the ordeal, hoping he realized what he had gotten himself into. Again, I didn't feel the shock and anxiety that would surely come, it would come like a tsunami as soon as I got home and away from this nightmare.

"I get you're keeping your identity a secret, I just don't understand why. You were top of the school. Basketball prodigy. The idol of everyone. You were a legend here." He stated, getting more and more confused with each word. "I don't get why you wouldn't come back and reclaim all that, even if people thought you were dead. It doesn't make sense." I let out a big sigh, clawing a hand through my hair in exhasperation.

It would have been much easier, in a way to come back just the way I was when I left. As Dawson. Only I wasn't Dawson anymore, I wasn't the same Dawson, and I wasn't going to pretend I was. People are constantly changing and reforming themselves, this was who I was. Well, that's not quite true. I wasn't Crow, I was still hiding, but now I could be free of the high expectations that this school had sewed to my name, puncturing small holes in me with each label, pricking me with each assumption, making me bleed with each expectation.

I had learned over the years, in the end, no one cares who you are in high school, in four years it doesn't matter. Maybe I should listen to my own advice, live as freely as I could, but I was more complicated than that. So that was the reason I was crouched over, staring daggers at Noah who was looking at me like I was about to murder his skinny ass. The possibility is always there.

Grabbing him by the back of the shirt, I pushed him in front of me. As he stumbled he kept looking back at me nervously. "Where are we going?" He stuttered out, his face getting paler and paler with each step that we took. Looking straight ahead, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

"We are going back to the locker room to change, and then we are going to sit down and have a good, long, chat." I said in a steely voice. If I was to keep this kid quiet it was going to take a lot of intimdation, that, or a detailed explanation.

Reaching the locker room, we found it empty, everyone already heading home to sit comfortably on their couch and watch some stupid reality show. Something I rather be doing than giving Noah the third degree. And I hate reality shows.