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BENTlEY
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Bentley smiled when he saw Kieth bounce into the kitchen with a wide grin on his face. Kieth was naturally very bubbly but he sometimes tamed it down around Bentley just to not make Bentley tell him to fuck off and walk away with his middle finger in the air.
But for several months after Bentley's parents and Kieth met, Kieth seemed to stop holding himself around Bentley and just go for the crazy in him. Bentley liked Kieth more like that than the boy who would smile silently or follow him around afraid to say a word.
Now Kieth holds the conversation like it was his birthright. Kieth made Bentley feel butterflies inside.
"I am not ready to go to school tomorrow." Kieth stood beside Bentley as the older boy flipped the pancakes.
"I thought you wanted to go back early for more information to skip grades." Bentley tilted his head to the side.
"Well, about that." Kieth made shapeless patterns on the counter staring at Bentley's elbow instead of looking up. "I don't think I will be doing that anymore."
"Anymore?"
"I mean, I can't even take the stress of my current exams. I would probably pass out for upper-grade exams."
"You are in the top five in your grade," Bentley stated simply.
Kieth smiled brightly liking that Bentley paid attention to him as much as he did to him. "I am, I was in the top 10 but then I kind of got all nervous during last year and completed the paper just to get out of there."
"I remember that day." Bentley nodded for him to continue since he only heard about Kieth's extraordinary performance from others as Kieth had disappeared during that time again.
"Now my brain had made this pattern by itself to just rush into the exam and run out."
"You could probably skip grades with that talent."
"My nose bleed has increased, I don't think I am ready for the anxiety."
"Then you don't have to do it."
"I know, but I was looking forward to sharing classes with you and some more time really."
"I don't think anything would have changed, Shila would probably drag you to her squad."
"I would have hung out with you and the boys." Kieth knew Bentley had started to spend his lunch with his basketball team because they were just too persistent for Bentley to glare at anymore.
"Between Garad and Shila I think Shila would win you over."
"You wouldn't fight for me?"
"Nooo, not really."
"Why? I am your soon to be boyfriend, you should be in my good terms."
Bentley ignored Kieth's comment as he turned off the stove, took the plate of the pancakes taking it to the living room where their makeshift beds were still as it was. They decided to have a lazy Sunday.
