𝙀 𝙏 𝙃 𝘼 𝙉 𝙊 𝙇

pretty

Pretty things are hard to come by
Really, I should know
Everything about you was so...heavenly
Trusting people can be so difficult for me
Trust me, I thought you were one that I could trust without any doubt
You ruined everything, I hope you know that because I know I won't forget

-

light trigger warning for slurs

-

A couple of weeks have passed and it was...difficult for them. Notes were constantly stuffed into their lockers, eating in the cafeteria wasn't an option anymore, and they couldn't even walk down the halls without hearing hushed whispers. Ryan was finally coming around even though he was still closed off once they got to school but at home, it felt like nothing bad happened, Ryan returned to his bubbly, fun-loving self, and Josh was so grateful to see his friend happy.

"This is the tenth note I found in my locker today and I'm getting pissed." Ryan said angrily as he threw the sticky note on the table ("threw" was an understatement) and the scribbled words plastered on the bright yellow paper taunted Josh as he picked it up.

"fags like you don't deserve love"

It was the typical note they got daily and yeah it was getting annoying but fighting against it was only going to make the situation worse so Josh simply crumpled the note. The library was surprisingly vacant except for them so they didn't have to worry about anyone throwing slurs.

Ryan dropped his bag on the table and slumped in his chair, lazily throwing his hood up and crossing his arms, "Do you just want to take a nap when we get home? Dealing with these assholes really drains you." Josh nodded in agreement and used his bag as a pillow (which wasn't comfortable but it was better than the table), hearing an agitated sigh come from Ryan.

"Don't look now but here are some assholes coming our way." Josh figured it was the same group of kids that pestered them through out the day but when he lifted his head, he was not expecting Tyler and Brendon but here they were. Josh immediately dropped his head back down and Ryan only side-eyed them when they got to their table.

"What do you want?" Ryan rolled his eyes when his ex cringed at his attitude and tangled his fingers with Josh when he noticed his friend started to shake. It was one touch that had Ryan bolted out of the chair and didn't even jump when it slammed onto the floor but Brendon had touched him and that alone was pissing him off more, gritting his teeth as he looked at Brendon who in returned stared wide eye, "Don't fucking touch me."

It may not have scared Ryan but it scared the shit out of Josh who jumped violently. Tyler had noticed and desperately wanted to comfort him but Tyler had dug himself into his grave and seeing how Ryan was seething with anger, Tyler stayed put behind Brendon. The raven-haired boy put his hands up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry but can we talk, please?"

Ryan scoffed and crossed his arms, "About what? About how almost everybody in the godforsaken school is bullying us for something you guys did? About how we have to throw away notes that tell us we're disgusting and no one will love us? About how you guys broke up with us and yet they call us sluts? Yeah, no so fuck off will you?"

It felt like knives were being thrown at them but Brendon knew he fucked up tremendously and earning back Ryan's trust was going to be tough as hell. Both boys didn't know why they did what they did. Brendon had been crumbling under pressuring because of the bets the kids have been making about HIS relationship and Tyler had been yelled at constantly at home because of HIS relationship, yeah they should've talked about it with their (ex) boyfriends but the only way they could release their anger was through sex but after seeing the heartbreak they left had them realizing what they did was wrong and to them, it felt like they were too late to fix it.

Ryan's anger dissipated when he saw Josh trembling with tears trickling down his face, narrowing his eyes at the two boys who were still standing in their spots and spat out, "I said fuck off!" That seemed to work since they snapped out of their trance and scampered away, leaving Ryan to calm down and reassure Josh.

-

It was Ryan who had to drive them back to Josh's house since Josh had suffered a panic attack after Brendon and Tyler left and was left drained and too tired to drive so it was Ryan who made sure Josh was comfortable in the back seat before hurling himself into the driver side and starting the car. It was annoying having Brendon keep pestering him throughout the day and no matter how many times he told the raven-haired boy to fuck off, Brendon just kept coming back. Ryan had debated on listening to what his ex had to say and was still wondering if he should I mean, Ryan had thought Brendon would give up on trying but he hadn't and maybe what Brendon had to say was worth hearing so before Ryan went to go get Josh, the brunet cornered Brendon in the janitor's closet and told the boy to meet him at the park they used to hang out at (and also maybe share a kiss but Ryan wasn't going to say anything).

It sucked knowing he still loved Brendon but Ryan needed to know what Brendon had to say, was it worth it? Probably not but if Brendon can prove himself then maybe Ryan can forgive him, maybe.