Glitter and Hate

Late Night Chats

Hours later, after a grueling game of truth or dare, dinner, and a movie that no one really watched they all went to separate rooms to sleep. Granted Caleb didn't miss the sound of Adrian tiptoeing down the hall to Bethany's room just minutes later. He was supposed to keep that from happening, but he honestly didn't care.

Caleb couldn't lie, he was actually enjoying himself. It didn't feel completely right, but it was better than it had been for three months. He and Dyson didn't choose each other in the game ever and so it wasn't exactly like they were there together. It was like they were planets orbiting the same sun without ever crossing paths.

It wasn't as hard as Caleb thought it would be but it wasn't relaxing like he had hoped it would be. He was constantly seeing Dyson, hearing him. He was constantly reminded of what he had lost that night. And, it was hard to see Dyson acting like a different person. He was the Dyson that the rest of the world got; he wasn't the real Dyson. The Dyson that Caleb got.

Caleb took off his shirt and pants leaving only the long-sleeved shirt on and his boxers then pulled the covers back on the bed. He looked up at the ceiling and saw one single glowing star. It was dangling there barely clinging on for life. Caleb couldn't stop looking at it.

"What the hell?" Caleb shouted when he turned off his bedroom light. His entire ceiling was covered in glow in the dark stars and he knew exactly who had done it.

He got to his window in two steps and pushed open his curtains to see a giant glow in the dark star in Dyson's window. It had writing on it. Caleb grabbed his binoculars and read it.

"You didn't do it?" He asked Dyson a moment later over the phone after seeing that he had written just that on the giant star.

"Didn't do what?" Dyson did a great job of sounding confused. Ever the actor.

"The stars."

"I know I'm so perfect that I'm godlike, but no, I didn't make the stars." Dyson laughed.

"Dys," Caleb growled. "My room is glowing. It looks like an alien will abduct me at any second."

"Really?" Dyson's blinds opened. "Let me see."

Caleb pointed up and Dyson burst out laughing.

"I got the extra strong ones, but I never imagined it would be this good." Dyson wiped at tears in his eyes as he continued to laugh. "This is perfect."

"Come take them all down," Caleb demanded, forcing himself to not laugh.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Get your ass over here and take them down!" Caleb shouted.

"It's your room, pretty boy." Dyson made a face at Caleb through the window.

"They're your stars."

"No, they were a gift. From me to you." Dyson held the phone with his shoulder and spoke with his hands.

"Dyson."

"Caleb."

Caleb gave up with a roar. "Fine. You win. I'll just sleep with them up there."

Caleb hung up and laid down on his bed. When he closed his eyes there was a glowing light still. He rolled over onto his side and covered himself with the blanket. He never slept on his right side. He shifted and rolled over. Nope. He tried to sleep on his stomach. It wasn't going to work. He needed those damn stars gone. He stood up on his bed and jumped. His finger hooked onto one and it didn't budge.

"Caleb?" The voice pulled him out of the memory.

"Yeah?" He asked without looking up at the door where Dyson was standing. He knew who it was without looking, even before he spoke; he knew.

"Can we talk?" Dyson asked.

"No." Caleb turned over onto his side and felt the bed sink as Dyson sat down.

"It was weird playing that game," Dyson said softly.

"You seemed to enjoy it," Caleb answered, still turned away.

"You didn't," Dyson said with laughter in his voice.

"I hate that game."

"Me too."

"You love it."

"Not with you. I love playing our game."

"Why?" Caleb asked and forced himself to stay still.

"Because we get to be real. I don't have to put on a show and you don't have to act bitter. We can just be honest and have fun. No acting involved."

Caleb stayed silent and Dyson almost left, but until Caleb actually told him to leave he was going to stay, it was too hard. He thought that he could pretend Caleb wasn't there, but it was impossible. It took all of his strength to not run to him the whole night.

"Your turn," Caleb said it so quietly that Dyson thought maybe he had imagined it. Instead of saying what he just went along with it hoping it was real.

"Do you miss me?"

"Yes," Caleb said it without feeling. "Why did you keep my boots?"

"So I could have a piece of you with me. Also, I really do like them." Dyson looked down at the boots and smiled. "Do you think we can ever go back to what we were?"

"No." Caleb sat up and looked at Dyson in the eyes. "We'll never be anything more than this."

"Why?"

"It's not your turn." Caleb looked down at his sleeve and Dyson did too. They both knew the answer to Dyson's question.

"Why did you come in here?" Caleb finally asked.

"It's too quiet. I can't sleep." Dyson admitted

"Silence can be deafening." Caleb agreed.

"Do you remember when we had those walkie-talkies?" Dyson asked with a chuckle.

"The ones that got confiscated a day later because we stayed up all night talking?" Caleb smiled. "Yeah."

"That was better than the night we tried to use cans and a string."

"That squirrel climbed faster than anything I've ever seen."

Dyson laughed, remembering that night. "My mom had to call animal control and it took them all night to get it out."

"She was pissed." Caleb shook his head. "I remember she made both of us clean the entire house."

"Don't forget that she grounded us for a week."

"Oh yeah." Caleb laid back on the pillow. "I forgot about that. Every day I had to go over after school and help with chores."

Dyson smiled. It really felt like they were back tonormal. He stayed quiet not wanting to say something wrong and ending thenight. But things always ended. Caleb started to snore softly and Dysonconsidering staying but he knew it wouldn't be right. Instead, he stood up and watching Caleb for a moment beforeslipping out.