"Dyson, please tell me we're not going to Seattle." Caleb groaned.
"Do you want me to lie?" Dyson smirked as he merged back onto the road from the rest stop.
"I need to get back. My parents are going to be pissed."
"We both know your parents won't notice," Dyson said and even though Caleb knew it was true it still hurt.
"What about your mom?"
"Already taken care of."
"What about Bethany? Ruth? Adrian?"
"Caleb, now you're just grasping at straws.
"Yeah, well I want to go home."
"No, you don't."
"How would you know?"
"Because I know you, Caleb." Dyson was exasperated and slammed his hand on the steering wheel.
"No, you knew me. Past tense!" Caleb ran his fingers up the sides of his head and linked them at the top over his hair. "What happened to us, Dyson?"
"We both know what happened." Dyson sighed.
Neither of them broke the silence that time and they drove the last two hours in complete silence except for their breathing and the static from the radio. Dyson wished they had taken his car; at least they could have music. Caleb's radio had been stuck on the same AM station for eight months, back when they used to fight over the music for fun. Now instead of any music, it was mostly static but every once in a while it became some talk show.
Dyson pulled into a motel parking lot and parked. Caleb scoffed.
"It's full. The no vacancy light is flashing." Caleb pointed to the sign.
"No, I'm sure there's a room. It's probably like a gas tank saying it's empty. You usually have like 50 miles before it really runs out." Dyson assured him.
"And that logic is the reason you've run out of gas while driving more than once." Caleb rolled his eyes. "Plus, it would make no sense for the hotel to say it's full if it's not."
"Well let's just check since we're here." Dyson got out of the car and Caleb begrudgingly followed him inside to the front desk.
"One room please," Dyson told the receptionist.
"We don't have any open." She pointed to the sign that Caleb had just pointed out. "No vacancy means there are no rooms."
"Lovely." Dyson groaned and walked back to the car.
"I told you that it was full. It's Saturday." Caleb looked a little too cocky but Dyson was just happy that he was something other than pissed or depressed.
"Well, you were right. Are you happy now?" He rolled his eyes.
"A little." Caleb smiled and it was almost real. "I got us a reservation at a hotel on the other side of the city, by the Sound."
"Oh, fancy." Dyson chuckled.
"Well, I know how much you like things that sparkle, and what sparkles more than water?" Caleb said then the smile was gone and the frown was back in its place.
Dyson wanted to say something to fix the pain but he didn't know what to say so instead he asked for the directions.
Caleb directed him all the way to the parking garage. It was a very fancy place. One that Dyson could only dream of affording without being broke from one night.
They went inside and Caleb handed over his credit card to pay for the room as Dyson accepted their free drinks, two cokes since they were underage. Dyson met Caleb at the elevator and held out his drink. Caleb tripped over a piece of rug that had come unstapled and bumped the drink. It flipped and covered him.
"Damn it!" Caleb tried to wipe at the soda but there was no way he could get rid of it without using water.
"I'm so sorry. Take it off. I'll wash it when we get to the room." Dyson offered.
"No, it's fine." The elevator pinged and they both got in.
"Caleb, you can't stay in the shirt. It's got to feel sticky and wet."
"Yeah, thank you for that." Caleb slammed his finger against the button for their floor wishing that he had thought to get them separate rooms. He kept telling himself that the only reason he hadn't instantly gotten a cab was that he was tired, but just like booking them one room, he did want to at least try to go back to normal with Dyson. Over the past month, he had seen him more than usual and he needed to get to a point where it didn't make him break down every time.
Once the elevator got to their floor Caleb practically ran out of it and to their room. He opened it not bothering to wait for Dyson who barely caught the door before it slammed in his face.
"I'm going to shower," Caleb said.
"Do you want me to wash your shirt for you?" Dyson offered.
"You've done enough." Caleb walked to the bathroom that had a mirror the size of one wall and Dyson was fully aware of the fact that Caleb didn't look in it. It tore at his heart to see such a beautiful person so clearly hate their own reflection. He wondered if it was a newer habit or if Caleb had been that way since that night.
There was a crash followed by a loud yelp. Caleb saw the white lines on his arm and he couldn't move, his eyes transfixed on the scars. He hadn't looked at them since the night he got them; he had made sure of that. But, the wet shirt had been harder to get off than he had expected.
"Dyson?" Caleb called through the door, his voice cracked.
"Yes?" Dyson walked over to the bathroom.
"I-I-I can't," Caleb said and the door creaked open.
YOU ARE READING
Glitter and Hate
Teen FictionDyson and Caleb are glitter and hate. One sparkles while the other keeps them down to earth. They are a perfect match. They have been best friends since they were nine. They argue. They tease. They just might be in love. Even high school hasn't brok...