Damien Carmichael leads a double life. By day he's a high school senior at an elite prep school, just trying to get through his last year without any trouble. He has a girlfriend and up until this year, he was the star player of the lacrosse team.
...
By lunchtime the Dining Hall was abuzz. It was hard to get a read on what it was the students were talking about, the fact that hushed whispers, and eyes seemed to follow Damien as he made his way into the lunch queue made him rather suspicious. Better get used to it I suppose, he thought. Across the Dining Hall, at their usual table, sat Carrie, Phi, and Maddie. Damien blinked, he was rather surprised to see both of them sitting with Carrie so easily now. True, Damien and Phi had sort of spoken at the Ball. But it was hardly a reconciliation― still Damien was in no mood to argue with anyone, and he rather hoped that Phi's appearance meant that at the very least they could finally bury the hatchet. She was dating his ex after all, and Damien hoped they could all be on good terms for a change. Maddie had been a close friend once upon a time, and he rather missed that friendship more than he had expected. Lunch in hand, Damien made his way over to the table, taking a seat between Phi and Oliver.
"So, now that you're all here, I wanted to take the time to update you in person on what happened after the Winter Ball," Carrie said somewhat dramatically. As if she were some sort of newscaster. Damien raised an eyebrow, he had been wondering about that. Though with Carrie's secretness he had begun to assume it was either really good or really bad. "Needless to say father was livid. The whole drive home he and Tyler were just screaming at one another. Tyler insisting that dad never took his side and that he hadn't done anything―which of course is bullshit," she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, they got into a huge blowout. Dad finally called him out, called him ungrateful, and told him that he needed an attitude adjustment. Well, that set Tyler off on a tear. And then he starts acting like he's gonna leave. Go live with Gavin, so of course, my father calls his bluff-- naturally, Tyler doesn't go anywhere. Because even if he and Gavin are back together, his parents hate Tyler. Don't want him anywhere near their house, they've said as much, I've heard it. Long story short, things quiet down for like a day, so I decide, now is as good a time as any to confront Tyler for stealing my phone and trying to blackmail Damien and Oliver, and you know getting Oliver thrown into suspension, which dad didn't know anything about. So he goes on a tear. The next thing I know, Dad announces, he's pulling Tyler out of Westlake and sending him to St. Katherine's Military Academy for Troubled Boys for the remainder of the year," she finished, grinning triumphantly. Everyone at the table had been riveted to her story.
"Holy shit," Damien heard Oliver say beside him.
"Wow," Phi replied.
Damien could hardly believe it, his mind hadn't fully processed what any of this meant as of yet and all he could think was, I'm free. For the first time since the feud with Tyler had begun, Damien felt as though he could finally rest easy. Carrie smiled at Damien, as she and Oliver quickly fell into a conversation together.
"Listen," Phi said suddenly, leaning in Damien's direction, effectively knocking him out of his thoughts. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry how I acted towards you before." Damien blinked, whatever he had expected her to say, that had not been it. "I shouldn't have let Tyler get in my head like that," she admitted.
"I don't know, I kind of liked our banter during the Ball," he replied. At this, Phi chuckled.
"Me too. But when I overheard what he said to Oliver... I realized what a bad person he really is. He was so desperate to make you miserable that he was willing to take down Oliver in the process."
Damien nodded, he knew it wasn't the time to be smug, though a voice in his own mind was screaming, I told you so! I bloody told you! He managed to keep his mouth shut. He hadn't told her, hadn't really told anyone. No one had given him the opportunity.
"I'm also sorry I always called you a homophobe," she said, more to her lunch than to Damien. "I... know what it's like to feel like you have to stay in the closet because of family, and I should have known better."
Damien merely shrugged, "I guess my desire to conceal that part of me superseded my desire not to look like a complete asshole. I'm sorry too by the way. I kind of assumed you were a bitch for following along with Tyler without giving me a chance, but then, I didn't quite give you a reason too."
"Let's consider this a fresh start," she said. "As for assuming I'm a bitch, I do tend to give off that impression."
"It's your badass style."
"You think?"
"Oh yeah, I absolutely admire your fashion sense. Honestly seeing you in that dress felt weird and wrong."
Phi snorted, "My parents are on this traditionalist kick. They're hoping if I embrace my heritage and culture I'll stop being so 'goth'."
Damien laughed, "But you pull it off so well."
"That's what I'm saying!" Phi replied.
Damien could hardly believe his luck as he made his way back to the dorm an hour later. Just several months earlier and things had looked bleak, and now, he had a boyfriend, Tyler was gone, and Phi wanted to be his friend! For the first time since Sophomore year, Damien felt excited to be at Westlake again. Everything's looking up, he thought. He only hoped it would last.
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