What Happened in Winter [boyxboy]

Chapter Eighteen

[a/n mild sexual references and themes.]

Greyson POV

At the sound of the bell, Grey got up to ask Kyle if he wanted to walk to their next class together, but he was already bustling out of his seat. In his rush, he bumped his shoulder into Greyson, making him fall into a neighboring desk.

"I'm so sorry, oh god. I have to go, though. Sorry!" Kyle babbled as he ran from the room.

Greyson automatically looked over at Craft and River. Craft was already out of his seat and River was shaking his head slowly. "What an idiot," he murmured under his breath.

"What was that all about?" Craft asked, scowling.

Greyson shrugged. "I have no idea. I guess he had something important to take care of."

"If you want me to talk to him, I will." Craft seemed more hostile than usual. His jaw was tight and his lips were set in a hard line.

"No, no. Don't do that. I'm sure it was something he needed to do immediately. Just forget about it," Greyson waved his hand in the air dismissively, walking back to his desk to grab his backpack.

Even though Greyson acted like it didn't bother him, something about the situation made him worry. Did Kyle not want to be alone with him anymore? Did Greyson's sudden kiss scare him away? Did he say something wrong? Was Kyle only friends with him out of pity? A sinkhole of despair threatened to open up underneath him, making him feel sick.

"I need to use the restroom before my next class," Greyson said, plastering a fake smile on his face before leaving the room. Once he crossed the classroom threshold, tears threatened to fall from Greyson's eyes. He ran to a bathroom that nobody used anymore. It was so out of the way that no one made any effort to check if anyone was in there, anyway. It gave him more time to gather his thoughts with no unnecessary interruptions.

'I don't have my razors, but I just want to cry right now. I just want to cry,' Greyson thought to himself as he came to the restroom door. He pulled the handle to enter, but it was locked.

'Who...?' Greyson started to think, but caught himself when he heard noises come from within. He had a biting feeling of adrenaline as he pressed his ear to the door, trying to catch anything that was being said. 'Could be someone breaking up,' he thought to himself. 'Or something... bad.' His stomach dropped at that thought, thinking about another person dying at this school.

But, that's not at all what he heard.

He recognized the sound of someone breathing heavily, moans echoing across the tile walls in the room beyond. Greyson's eyes went wide and he started to back away, thinking he overheard a school-couple having sex, when he heard:

"Greyson... ah fuck."

'Oh. Shit.' Greyson covered his open mouth with his hand and turned on his heel. His face was burning as hot as the sun, his footsteps slapping hard on the floor as he ran away.

River POV

"You thought that was weird, too, right?" Craft said. He was still in a mood from Kyle's indiscretion earlier. He was pacing in front of River, who was sitting on the curb, smoking a cigarette. He blew smoke from between his lips and shrugged.

"I think he's just a spaz," River said. "He has poor people skills. Give him a break."

"That may be true, but he just ran. Who does something like that?" Craft huffed, finally plopping down next to River. The early afternoon sun filtered through the tree branches, accenting all the highlights and shadows on Craft's face. He looked like a young lawyer, all harsh lines and quick retorts. If Craft looked like this, River wondered what his father looked like. The thought sent a shiver down River's spine.