Secrets (boyxboy)

~Chapter Fifty Four~

It was rare that Xander left town, never mind another country. He was only going to New York for a week, but he was so unbelievably excited to see the city. It was an opportunity that he just couldn't pass up, and the fact that he was going to be spending time with Will while he was there was just a plus. 

The bag he packed was small, and it didn't take him long to fill it completely. He wondered whether he should tell Parker that he would be spending time with Will in New York, but he decided against it. In his roommate's mind, Will wasn't supposed to be leaving for a few months. If he found out that Will was leaving earlier than expected, it could trigger something in him. It would hurt him, knowing that he was part of the reason that Will didn't want to stay. 

"Xander?" He heard Parker call, feet padding down the hall as he approached his friend's bedroom. 

"Yep?" He replied, hearing Parker stop at his door, leaning against the frame with a lit cigarette between his lips, only in his underwear. He had been nothing but a mess for a month, and honestly Xander thought he may have been better by now, but that wasn't the case. All Parker did was drink and smoke, write shit songs and hang out with Holden who seemed to be enjoying that his friend was off the rails. It just proved that Will was a big influence on him, and since the boy had decided to be done with him he was lost. 

In a way he was proud of Will for deciding to let him go, but something told him there was more to the story. 

"Why is there a suitcase in the kitchen?" Asked Parker, whose hair was matted to his forehead, eyes red rimmed and lips chapped. 

"I'm going to New York for a week. I have an art thing," Xander explained, grimacing at his friend's rough appearance. 

"New York..." Parker trailed off. "Pretty fucking popular city, innit?" He commented. 

Xander chuckled. "Well you had your chance to go, didn't you?" 

"Ouch," Parker mumbled, bringing a hand to his chest. "That hurt." 

"Yeah, well so do my nostrils when you enter a room. When was the last time you showered?" Xander questioned, scrunching his nose up in disgust. Parker smelled like cigarettes and desperation, it was awful and invading his senses. 

The boy just shrugged. "Like two days ago," He admitted. "You'll be back in a week?" 

Nodding, Xander looked around his room to see if there was anything he had missed that he could possibly need. A week was a long time, and he prayed that his roommate didn't do something stupid in his absence. Though judging by the way things were going, it was likely that Parker wouldn't leave the flat anyway. 

"Don't wreck the place while I'm away, yeah?" Xander joked playfully, a hint of seriousness in his tone. 

Rolling his eyes, Parker said, "I'll try." 

-

The Lockwoods sat around the long dining table, the sound of metal clanging and utensils scraping echoing throughout the room. It was supposed to be a going away dinner for Will, but it was nothing but tense since nobody was speaking to one another. Will was leaving in a few days, and he couldn't wait to get away from his family. Without realising, his fingers tapped impatiently on the table, hitting the hard wood rhythmically as he suppressed his craving for a cigarette. 

Hearing someone clear their throat, he looked up from his plate of food and caught Violet's eye. Nothing had been the same since the car accident, and though Will had apologised several times for what happened, she refused to forgive him. He didn't blame her. He would hate him too for putting the baby at risk. Luckily for him he wasn't staying much longer, and he would no longer have to conform to the impossible standards of his family.