JONNY and Chris thought they had it all set when they left 11th grade. Now they're back for their senior year, and they've got some not-so-cool-with-homosexual-relationships jerks to deal with.
It's a slash fic!
It's also a sequel to Scandalous!
---
Chris' POV
Summer went by so fast. Probably because it was the last summer I'll really get to enjoy. By the time next summer rolls around, I'll be settling in to the taxing world of being an adult. Luckily, I've got Jonny. He makes everything a thousand times better.
I realised over the summer that I'm not cut out for the type of boring lives that the adults around me seem to live. I spent a lot of time sitting around, thinking about what I could do with my future. College is definitely expected of me, though I don't know what exactly I'll study or what career path I'll choose. All I know is that I do not want to end up as a banker.
"Jonny, what do you want to be?" I asked one day when we were sitting by the river. The sun was beginning to set, and it spread an orange glow around the world. Jonny and I were both sitting on a small group of large rocks that edged the river. We would have to leave soon. Sometimes I wish I could just live there.
"I don't know."
"Really? I figured you'd have your life already planned out."
"No," he chuckled, "there are a few things that sound interesting, I suppose, but there's nothing really that pops out at me as something that I would want to spend my whole life doing. What about you?"
"I don't know either, but I was gonna use you as a back-up plan."
"Back-up plan?"
"Yeah, like, you're brilliant, right? So, if I don't end up being really successful at whatever it is I'm going to do, then I could just lounge around while you're out making lots of dough. 'Cause I can tell that you'll do really well, Jonny. You're brilliant."
The layer of orange around us was slowly transforming into a reddish-purple. Jonny was silent as he gently repositioned himself on the rocks. There was a slight awkwardness in the air.
"You think we'll be together for that long?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" I frowned. Jonny's beautiful green eyes scanned the ground for some sort of answer or distraction. I was starting to think that I should have kept my mouth shut.
"No reason. I just didn't know you thought about stuff like that."
"There's not much else to think about 'round here. And I like the idea of us... well, it sounds really cheesy, but I like the idea of us growing old together."
"Aw, that is cheesy." Jonny removed his eyes from the ground and looked at me. He moved as close as he could and placed a soft kiss of my cheek. My heart warmed a bit as he smiled and said, "I would love to be with you forever."
"We will be, right?"
"Of course. But... you're gonna have to get a job, even if you're not successful. I might be brilliant, but I'm not going to support the both of us by myself."
"Ugh, fine, I suppose I'll get a job."
"Don't worry, anyway. You're brilliant, too."
"You're just saying that because you don't want me to feel bad."
"Yeah, and I believe it."
"Then love has blinded you, dear Jonny."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No." I rested my head on Jonny's shoulder and looked at the dark blue blanket that the sky had turned in to. I felt Jonny place his arm around me. Everything was perfect, why did it have to end? "I don't want to leave. And I don't want to go back to school."
"Who does?"
"Mmm. Can we just stay here?"
"Sure we can. But only for, like, ten more minutes."
"No, I wanna stay forever."
"It would be nice," he said.
"When we get old and stuff, we should just move here. We could build a house or something, like, right over there. Then we could just sit out here all day."
"Wouldn't that get boring?"
"No, because we would have each other. And I could never get bored of you."
"Good." For the next five minutes we were both silent. Despite Jonny's initial reaction to what I had said earlier, I knew that we would always be together. I could just feel it. We'd already been through so much, and made it through just fine. Anything that the world could throw at us, we could handle. God, I love him so much.
"Well, we should probably go now," I finally said, even though I had no desire to move at all.
"Yeah... but we'll see each other tomorrow."
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you, too." He grabbed my chin with his free hand and kissed me. "I love you, Chrissy."
"I love you, too, Bucky."
-
The one week that Jonny and I didn't spend together over the summer was when we both went on vacation with our families. He went to Spain or something, and I went to France. It was so boring. Plus, everywhere I went there was something that reminded me of him. It was only for a week, though, so it wasn't completely horrible.
Before we left, Jonny and I promised to bring back one souvenir for each other. I found this amazingly adorable singing bird thing in some weird French shop. It was yellow, sitting on some sort of stand, and whenever you pressed this button it would start to sing this song that I couldn't understand because it was all in French. I knew Jonny would love it, so I immediately grabbed it and ran to the check-out line. He did love it, too. When he first saw it, he looked a bit confused, but once it started singing, a huge grin spread across his face. Then he pulled something out of the bag he was carrying.
It was a keychain. A simple, little keychain, but it was also the most thoughtful and beautiful gift I'd ever recieved. The picture on it was of some piano keys. I had no idea why it caused such a reaction, but as I slowly grabbed it from Jonny, my eyes started to tear up.
"Chris, I know it's a horrible gift, but you don't have to cry," Jonny joked. I had to force myself to refrain from crying long enough to answer. It was almost pathetic.
"This is amazing, Jonny, I love it. I love you."
"Really? I mean, I'm glad you like it. There were so many other things that were nicer and more expensive, but none of them seemed right, you know? Then I saw this and... I just knew it belonged to you."
I felt as though I wasn't going to be able to hold back my pathetic crying any longer, so I chose to throw my arms around Jonny and bury my head in his shoulder. He warmly wrapped his arms around me in return, and after what seemed like an eternity I was finally able to spit out, "Thank you."
From that day on, I carried that keychain everywhere. When I went to the store with my mom, when I hung out with Jonny, even when I went to bed. It meant so much to me. So, as I stood in front of the big glass doors at the entrance to the school, I held the keychain firmly in the palm of my hand. A massive stampede of teenagers was rushing into the school, but I remained standing in my spot, rapidly scanning the crowd for my love. I looked for minutes, but I still couldn't find him. Then I heard someone call from behind.
"Chrissy!" the voice called. I sighed a dreaded groan, and reluctantly turned around. Sure enough, the uglies were headed in my direction.
"Paulie!" I threw back.
"How was your summer Chrissy?" Paul asked as he and Joe stopped in front of me. "Did you make lots of love to your boyfriend?"
"Oh, yeah, we did all sorts of nasty sexual things. Wanna hear about it?" Paul twisted his face into a disgusted mess, obviously regretting his attempt to annoy me.
"No."
"I do," Joe said. At the same time, Paul and I shot him a look. He seemed to return the same look as he added, "It was a joke."
"Right."
"Well, guys, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to find Jonny." With that, I bolted toward the entrance. Because of my clumsiness, I bumped into a tall figure that was also trying to make its way through the door. "Oh, sorry," I said, before I realised who I ran into. "Jonny! I've been looking for you."
"Well, I think you found me," he said, rubbing his arm.
"I did! And I'm glad, because this is all so horrible already, and I've just barely gotten into the school itself."
"Come on, we better get going before we're late."
"Are we still in the same homeroom?" I asked as we began walking.
"I hope so. 734?"
"Um... uh.. hmm..." I reached into my pocket, frantically searching for a small piece of paper. I finally found it, and prayed that the number would match as I opened the folded note. "734! Yes!"
"Good. Ugh, I hope you-know-who isn't in there."
"Eww, the uglies? I hadn't thought about that." We reached the door to room 734, and Jonny kindly let me in first. As I made my way to an empty seat, I decided that no matter what, I was going to enjoy this school year. After all, it was my last, and the year before that didn't go too well. It ended splendidly, of course, but the whole parents-being-jerks fiasco was horrible. This year, though, nothing could bring me down.
I threw my backpack onto the desktop, sat down, and gently placed the keychain next to my bag. Jonny sat down next to me moments later, and I anxiously watched the door, hoping that Paul and Joe wouldn't turn up.
"You still carry that around?" Jonny asked, pointing to the keychain.
"Yes," I innocently replied.
"It really means that much to you?"
"Yes."
"It was a horribly cheap gift."
"But it's from you. And I..."
"You...?"
"I feel like... like everything makes sense when I look at it. The world doesn't seem like such a big, scary place."
"Oh. I feel like that sometimes. When-when I'm with you."
"You're gonna make me cry again, Jonny."
"You always cry. It's more shocking when your eyes are dry." I laughed and playfully hit his arm. The smile didn't stay plastered on my face for long, though. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing that my facial expression had changed dramatically.
Jonny turned around to spot the same horror that I had seen- two rather unattractive men walking into the room.
-
"You know what?" Jonny began, turning back around to face me. "Forget them."
"Gladly." Since Paul and Joe had arrived a tad late, there were only two free seats open, both on opposite sides of the room. Serves them right. Unfortunately, one of those seats was in front of Jonny. I kept my eye on the two of them as Paul forcefully pushed Joe out of the way and ran to the empty seat by Jonny.
"Heh, this is gonna be a great year," he snickered as he threw himself into the seat, nearly tipping the desk over.
"Smooth move, Miller," Jonny laughed.
"Oh, shut up, Buckland. At least I'm not as clumsy as your boyfriend." Right on cue, the pencil I had been messing with flew out of my hand and into the back of the head of the girl who was sitting in front of me. I apologized profusely and grabbed the pencil out of her hair, but she didn't say anything. Actually, I think her hair was so thick that she was completely oblivious to what had just occurred. Regardless, life carried on.
"Touché."
"OK, everyone," the teacher called. "My name is Mr. Adams, and you all have the pleasure of having me as your homeroom teacher for you final year of school. Lucky you."
"Not as lucky as Chrissy, eh!" Joe shouted, recieving several chuckles from the class.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm going to assume it's inappropriate, and I'm going to ask that you never do that again. Anyway, you guys should be familiar with all this homeroom stuff, lockers and schedules and such. Ah, with the exception of Miss Roberts here," he added, gesturing to a girl in the front row, "who I think you should all welcome, as she is our new exchange student from America."
The students all began to chatter, welcoming this new girl and commenting in amazement at there being an American in the room. Meanwhile, the new girl was sinking into her chair.
"Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?" She slowly looked up at the teacher, then stood up and turned to face the rest of the class.
"My name is Genieva... Roberts, and, um... well, I'm from America... New York, actually..."
"The city?" Mr. Adams asked.
"No, just the state. I live in Albany, which is a few hours north."
"How interesting."
"It's not really that interesting."
"Hmm, don't we all feel that way about our homes?"
"I guess so." It was quite obvious from her stance and nervous fidgeting that she was growing rather tired of standing in front of us. "Well, uh... that's about it."
"OK, thank you, Genieva. You can take a seat, now." She quickly collapsed into her seat as Mr. Adams began going over routine things, which I only half paid attention to. I felt kinda bad for her; she seemed so shy. In fact, it almost reminded me of another person I met the year before, who was also new and shy.
"We should at least say 'hi' to her, don't you think?" Jonny asked me as we stood up from our seats, preparing to go to our next classes. "I mean, I know what it's like to be new and stuff, it's hard. But it helps to have a friend," he smiled at me.
"Yeah, definitely. Come on." I ran over to Genieva's desk, which she was still sitting in, and Jonny soon followed. "Excuse me, Genieva?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm Chris." I extended my hand to her, and she hesitantly shook it. "And this is Jonny."
"Hi."
"Nice to meet you," she said.
"He's a looker all right, but you'll have to find your own. He's mine."
"Aw, really? That's cute."
"I'm glad you think so," Jonny replied. "Not everyone does."
"Well, if I was from the South, it might be a different story."
"Good thing you're not, then," I said. "Listen, you should sit with us in lunch. We can all get to know each other better."
"Yeah, that sounds great."
-
"Chris, you have to eat something," Jonny said, shoving a plate of disgusting looking... well, I'm not even sure what it was. My first thought was to vomit, but my stomach was empty and I thought it more polite to just push the plate away.
"Yeah, I know. I just don't want any of that nasty stuff."
"Well... can I get you something else, then? I don't want you to, like, die of starvation or anything."
"Aww," I squeaked. Jonny just looked so helpless, it was adorable. "You're too much sometimes, you know that? You don't have to worry about me, I'm not gonna starve if you don't feed me. And I can feed myself."
"Oh, I know, but I can't help it." Jonny stared at his disgusting plate and started fidgeting. As much as I felt like I should hate the whole being treated like a little kid thing, I absolutely loved Jonny's concern. It made me all warm and fuzzy on the inside to see him care so much.
"Fine, you can go get me some chips or something."
"OK, I'll be right back," he said, hopping to his feet and zooming off.
"Does he always do that?" Genieva asked. I almost forgot that she was sitting with us. In fact, I did forget, and when she spoke I nearly died of shock.
"Oh! Uh... not always," I said, trying to brush off my obvious fright. "But I don't really mind."
"You two are really great together."
"Well, thank you."
"How long have you been dating?"
"It's a bit complicated. We started dating, like, ten months ago, but it only lasted a few weeks because parents who are hateful got involved, and then a mess of things happened... we wrote a story about it. I mean, I wrote most of it, which is why it's a horrible story, but it was our story... anyway, a couple of months ago we decided to show those parents who's boss."
"I assume it all worked out?"
"It did, yeah. I'm really glad it did."
"Do you love him?"
"With all my heart. And some of my other body parts- uh... that wasn't supposed to be dirty, or anything, it just came out completely wrong." Why don't I think before I speak? "What I meant was, yes, I love him more than I could ever love anything, so my heart can not provide enough love, and I therefore have to take some from my, like... ears... I'm just gonna shut up now."
"Might be a good idea," she laughed. "I know what you mean, though. Well, not like I have any experience in that area, but I understand what you're trying to say."
"Good, because I'm always afraid that I'm just constantly rambling."
"You do ramble."
"I'm working on it," I said as Jonny returned. He placed a plate of chips in front of me, grabbing a few first and then sitting back down. "Right, Jonny?"
"Right what?" he asked as he shoved the chips in his mouth.
"I'm working on my rambling."
"Working on increasing it, yeah."
"Maybe that's what I should do. Just become a politician or something. Those guys are always rambling on and on. I could be a total pro without any effort."
"Hmm, it could actually work. I, on the other hand, have definitely figured out what I'm gonna be."
"What?"
"Male stripper."
"Really?"
"No, I just wanted to see your reaction. To be honest, it was a little less surprised than I thought it would be, and more... interested."
"Hey, if you wanna be a stripper, I'm not gonna stop you."
"Is this really the impression you want to make on our new American friend?" I really needed to stop forgetting that Genieva was there.
"Too late now," she said, "impression's already been made."
"And?"
"Well, Jonny's nice. A little overprotective, but he just cares a lot. Chris, you're a crazy sex-obsessed neurotic. Basically, normal."
"Really, you think I'm normal?"
"Where I come from, at least. Maybe just a teaspoon more of hyper, but other than that, you're not so different."
"So, if I went to America, I'd fit in?"
"For the most part," she replied. "Except the hyper thing, and that accent."
"Hmm... Jonny?" I asked, turning to face him.
"Yeah?"
"Let's not go to America ever. I don't really want to fit in."
"That's fine with me, I don't really want to stick out," he said.
"Perfect." I was getting hungry, so I decided that it was high time to start eating those chips. I grabbed the biggest handful I could manage, and tried to eat them all at once. It didn't really work out too well, but I'm sure it was amusing to watch me try. "Genieva, can I ask you something? You know, since you're American and all."
"Sure," she said.
"Why do you call them french fries? That doesn't seem to make much sense to me."
"Um, because... yeah."
"Oh, see, now it makes sense. And hey, with answers like that, you could be a politician, too."
-
Jonny's POV
Every Friday, Chris and I watch a movie. Most of the time we just stay at either one of our houses, because there's hardly anything good in theaters. This was one of those Fridays, and we were rested comfortably on the couch in my living room. I was sitting in the middle seat, and Chris was laying with his head on the armrest and his legs stretched out on top of mine. I didn't mind.
We chose to watch Back to the Future, because, really, who doesn't love Back to the Future? I'm not a total enthusiast like Chris is, but it definitely is a fantastic movie.
"Sometimes I wish I was Michael J. Fox," Chris mused. "Or I wish I at least had a vest like that."
"I don't know if you could pull off a vest."
"Hmm, good point. Probably not."
"It's OK, though, because I'm sure he wouldn't look half as good as you do if he grew an afro."
"Hey, it's not an afro! And I'm getting my hair cut soon, I promise."
"Yeah, yeah. Not soon enough, though."
After an hour or so into the movie, I was starting to get a bit tired. I couldn't stop yawning, and every time I blinked I had to force my eyelids to open back up.
I looked to my right. Chris's left cheek was pressed against his shoulder, and his eyes were closed. I should have shut off the movie and woken him up. He looked too beautiful, though, with his lovely curls resting on his head, and his mouth partially open. Instead, I shifted my legs slightly under his, and laid down in the small space between him and the back of the couch. His chest made a rather nice pillow, and soon enough I found myself drifting to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat lullaby. A few minutes later, I heard someone walk into the room.
"Oh, they're both asleep... Yeah, and they look so peaceful, I don't really want to wake them up... it wouldn't hurt to have Chris stay the night, would it? We can send him right back over first thing tomorrow, if you like... It's no problem... Ha, yeah, well you can tell him to shove it..." The footsteps started again, and slowly my mum's voice faded away. I didn't exactly realise it then, in my half-awake state, but she is one of the kindest people on this planet. Not only did she manage to get permission for Chris to sleep over, but she also let us sleep on the couch all intertwined. As the rhythmic beating pounded in my ear and the dark of unconsciousness leaked it's way into my head, I could only think one thing: everything was perfect. So perfect.
-----------------
Chris's POV
Everything was dark. There was some sort of weight on my chest, but I couldn't tell what it was, because my eyes were closed. I slowly opened them to find that Jonny was practically sleeping on top of me. His head was on my chest, and his left arm was wrapped around my stomach. It was a nice way to wake up.
Then the light hit me, and I realised it was morning. I had fallen asleep at some point the night before, and no one woke me up and sent me home. I wondered if my mum had worried at all. Maybe she had called to ask where I was... but then why was I still at Jonny's?
As puzzling as it was, I decided not to worry much about it for the moment. Sometimes you just need to live in the moment. So, I ran my hand through Jonny's soft, short hair and thought about how terrifyingly lucky I was. Lucky to have someone so handsome physically and mentally, with a great head of hair and a sweet, gentle personality. Lucky to have someone who could not only stand to be around me for long periods of time, but even loved me back. Lucky to have someone who always smelled like clean laundry. I love that smell.
And like all good stories, that was the last time that things were absolutely great. Perfect, even. Just me and Jonny, together without having to worry about anything. So close without fearing any consequences. Things went downhill from there. And it just kept getting worse and worse.
-
"WHOA! What happened to your hair?" Paul exclaimed as he sat down in his seat.
"I got it cut," I replied.
"Yeah, I'll say. Is there even anything left?"
"Yes, the lady just cut it too short, that's all." Actually, she shaved it. I went from having about three inches of curls to having less than a centimeter of fuzz. Every time I moved around I could feel this sort of breeze that wasn't there before. And my head felt a bit lighter, too.
"It looks good, though," Jonny chimed in.
"Thank you. I miss the curls, but I think I might keep it like this for a while."
"You're going to have to anyway, until it grows out," he laughed.
"Well, yeah." Jonny started to search around his desk, obviously looking for something.
"Oh, shit, I forgot my math book. Mr. Adams?" he spoke up, "Can I go to my locker?"
"Yeah, go ahead," Mr. Adams answered.
"OK," Jonny said, standing up. "I'll meet you out there, yeah?"
"Yeah," I replied. He gave me a wink, and I blew him a kiss.
"Ugh, shoot me now," Paul moaned.
"Jealous?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll meet a nice girl one day. And then maybe you'll find someone who likes you."
After homeroom, I went to meet up with Jonny like I promised. As I walked down the hall, I started humming to myself. Sometimes I do that without even realising. I think other people are used to it, though. Anyway, I was simply walking. Nothing unusual at all, until some guy jumped in front of me.
"Where do you think you're going, fag?" he said, shoving me back.
"What?"
"You heard me," he sneered. "Going to see your boyfriend?" I started to walk past him, but he just pushed me again. "No, you're not."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"It's fun," he laughed. I tried to maneuver around him, but it was no use. He kept blocking me no matter what I did.
"Jonny's waiting for me," I said. I don't know what use that information was, but it was the only think I could think to say.
"He's gonna have to keep waiting, isn't he?"
"You're not gonna let me go at all?" He just stood there, shaking his head. I felt so trapped, and a little frightened. "Can you at least let me go to class?"
"Not this way. You'll have to find another way around."
"The room's right there!" I shouted. The room really was right there. By this point, I was almost late for class, so I tried to assert myself by shoving him out of the way. Before I could even touch him, though, he grabbed by right arm. His grip tightened until the pain forced me to yell aloud. He finally let go as the bell rang.
"Fag," he spat as he walked away. I held my bruised forearm with my other hand and walked into the classroom.
I couldn't believe what had happened. I never thought anything like that would happen, since there had been plenty of time for it to happen before the end of the last school year and it never did. Until now. But really, the worst part was that I didn't get to meet up with Jonny. I felt horrible, even though there wasn't anything I could have done.
By the time lunch came around, I had nearly forgotten the pain in my arm, but I still could not stop thinking about the incident. I ran over to the table where Jonny was sitting, waiting for me, and began to apologize profusely.
"Jonny, I'm so sorry about this morning. I-"
"Chris, what happened to your arm?" he interrupted. There was a large purple spot where that guy had grabbed it.
"Um... nothing. I just... some jerk stopped me in the hallway."
"He did that to you?"
"Yeah, he said a few things, pushed me a couple of times, then he grabbed my arm."
"What? Why?" Rather than answer, I just looked at him. I couldn't bring myself to actually say it, but I knew Jonny would get it. He has this amazing talent of being able to know exactly what someone is thinking just by looking into their eyes. "Of course."
"Oh my," Genieva said. Sometimes I think she's invisible. "Chris, are you OK?"
"I'll be fine."
"Who was it?" Jonny asked.
"I don't know. I'd never seen him before."
"Oh, Chris..." Jonny wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me close. It felt so warm, so comfortable.
"Jonny, maybe that's not such a good idea."
"Right." He pulled away, looking so disappointed. It broke my heart to see him like that, but I just had a bad feeling about how open we were to the world. I couldn't help myself, though, and I quietly reached for his hand. Then there was a sudden loud bang, the result of Genieva pounding her fist into the table.
"I'm sorry, these things just make me angry. Why would you hurt someone you don't even know just because you don't like who they've chosen to love? It's ridiculous! And neither of you deserve anything like that, you're both so nice."
"Exactly!" Jonny said. "It doesn't make any sense at all, we're not harming anyone."
"Maybe it'll just be a one-time thing," I said. Jonny looked at me with his sweet eyes and nodded.
"Maybe." We both knew it wouldn't be.
-
Jonny's POV
Chris and I were walking home from school. And when I say were, I mean we ended up walking to the river instead. It's so quiet there, away from all the horrible, immature jerks who inhabit the halls of our school.
I threw my backpack down onto the dirt and hopped up on one of the rocks. A few moments later, Chris joined me. As I looked at him, I could see a patch of bruises on his arm. It had been a month or so since the first incident happened. Ever since then people had continued to attack us, but mostly Chris. It seemed as though every few days he'd have a new bruise or scratch. I wondered if his parents even noticed.
"So... how was today?" I asked. Chris absentmindedly rubbed his arm as he stared up at the trees.
"Not so bad. Pretty much the same as every other day. You?"
"I found this in my locker." I unfolded a small note that was in my pocket, and handed it to him. It was a pretty crude drawing of myself, with LOSER written all over it. "I actually think it's from Paul." Chris chuckled and gave me back the paper.
"It is, I saw him write it. He's an idiot. They're all idiots, really." He sounded so calm. I don't know how he could act so uncaring about everything that was going on.
"Do you think this will stop?" He nodded.
"One day, people will get tired of it."
"And until then?"
"Until then, we just deal with it," he said.
"How can you just deal with it?"
"They hate us... but I don't care about them. I don't care about what they think."
"What about what they do? They hurt you."
"It's not any different from them calling you names, is it?"
"Names couldn't kill you." Instantly, he frowned, and his voice became rather husky.
"I... I just want to be with you. Because I love you. I don't want them to hurt me, but I'll take it if that's the price. I don't mind, I just want to be with you." Then he looked at me. His teary eyes revealed all the fear that he had buried inside himself. "But I am scared. I'm scared that they'll take it too far... or they'll h-hurt you, too. That would be worse. Jonny, I'm terrified."
"Christopher," I said, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his shoulder, "you are so sweet. I don't get why anyone would want to hurt you."
"Maybe they're jealous."
"Of you?"
"Yes, because I have the handsome Jonathan boy, and they do not. So, they're jealous."
"I don't think they're all jealous of you, though, otherwise they wouldn't say anything to me."
"Well, then a few can be jealous of you, I suppose. But if I were them, I'd be jealous of me."
"Would you hurt yourself, too?"
"For you? Yes."
"Maybe you aren't so sweet, then," I laughed.
We were quiet for a few minutes after that, soaking in the beautiful sight around us. The leaves were scattered and scarlet and golden now, but that didn't make it any less amazing. It was just as breathtaking as the first time I had seen it. When Chris tried to run away. I often think that boy is crazy. He probably is. Then, as if to show that he knew what I was thinking, he asked me the most outlandish thing I've ever heard him ask.
"Jonny, will you marry me?"
How was I supposed to respond to that?
-
Would I marry Chris...
...Could I marry Chris? This may seem like a silly question, but it felt like an appropriate one. We are both guys, and I don't think they allow that sort of thing to happen. Not yet, at least, and that could very well change in the future. For now though... well, I suppose that question is unimportant...
...Should I marry Chris? The big one. Where to start...
I love him. I really do. There isn't a minute that goes by that I don't think about Chris and his absolute beauty. The hair, the eyes, the goofy smile, the uncanny ability to make me laugh no matter what.
The way he raises his eyebrows when he talks. The way he says my name.
The way his eyes light up when he's excited. The way he doesn't care what other people think.
That beautifully hypnotizing voice.
That endearing self-deprecation.
That ridiculously adorable gap in his front teeth.
The fact that he loves me too.
Who could ask for more? Is there even more to ask for?
If Chris and I spend the rest of our lives together... that would be so nice. Magnificent. And we'd always be there for each other, of course, when things get tough. Be a shoulder to cry on, be someone to talk to about anything, everything. Whatever. But not just that. Our lives are rough now, even, and it's not just that. Someone to make you smile, if not only on the inside. Happy times, bad times, and all the times in between. We'd be so perfect for that.
And if we got married, none of that would change. I wouldn't love Chris any more or less than I already do. No ceremony, or ring, or gift registry will change that.
Ah, there it is. If nothing would change, then what's the harm? Why not say yes? It would feel no different to me telling him that I love him in front of a bunch of people than it does when we're alone. But...
"We're a bit young, don't you think?" I sat up and turned to sit facing him. At first I was afraid of how he would react, but he seemed to do well.
"Yeah, but... that shouldn't matter. And I didn't mean we'd have to get married right this second... or as soon as we're legally old enough. Though, that would be nice," he added.
"You would still want to marry me even though you keep getting beat up because of me?"
"Uh, duh."
"... Why?"
"Does the word LOVE," he said, moving his arms in the shape of a giant heart, "mean nothing to you, Jonnyboy?"
"Well, I mean-"
"Would you fight someone, physically fight someone, to defend me?"
"Well, yea-"
"No, you wouldn't," he said, tapping my nose with his index finger. "Because I wouldn't let you."
"That's a little controlling, isn't it? I'm not sure I want to be married to someone who's so controlling. I don't want to be suffocated." He laughed, grinning his goofy grin as he did so.
"If I promise not to suffocate you, will you marry me?"
The big one. Biggest of them all.
Would I marry Chris...
"Yes."
-
Genieva's POV
"GENIEVA! Guess what!" Chris' rambunctious voice rang through the hall as he came bustling down towards my locker.
"What?" I asked, turning around with the slight fear that he was about to run into me. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Guess, guess, guess!" he exclaimed.
"...I don't know!"
"It's big news. Come on, guess!"
"Are you... joining the circus?"
"Very funny. It's better than that."
"I don't know, why can't you just tell me?" He sighed, rolled his eyes, and held up his hand. On one of his fingers was what appeared to be a piece of red string. A closer observation showed that is was on his ring finger. Wait... "Is that...?"
"Mm-hmm."
"You and Jonny are... engaged?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Oh my god!" I said, hugging him. "Oh my god! Congratulations! That is so... wow. Awesome!"
"Genieva, Jonny and I are getting married. It sounds so... wonderful." He had this cheesy grin on his face like a little kid has when he's given candy. Or Chris when he's given chocolate.
"Not to burst your bubble- I mean, I am happy for you- but, um... can you guys really get married?"
"I don't... Maybe not legally, but, you know... that doesn't matter."
"Well, I'm happy for you guys."
"Oh, did he tell you already?" Jonny asked as he walked up to us.
"Hello... fiancé," Chris giggled.
"Right back at ya," Jonny paused, and Chris held his breath, "... fiancé." Chris burst out laughing, giddy as hell. As much as I loved watching the two of them, there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Jonny, that guy who sits in front of you in homeroom... what's his name?"
"Uh, Paul. Why?"
"Is he friends with you guys?"
"Not exactly."
"Oh. It's just that I always hear him talking about you two, and I was just wondering if you guys were friends."
"No, we pretty much hate him," Chris chimed.
"Good to know," I said. "And also, he's coming this way."
"What?" Chris turned around, searching for the enemy.
"Other way." Chris turned back.
"Oh. What do you want, Paul?" Chris asked as Paul stopped.
"Who says I want anything?" Paul answered.
"You always want something," Jonny said.
"Right, well, I was wondering if you two would... come to my birthday party," he said in a hushed tone.
"What?" Jonny laughed. "Why would we go?"
"I was just asking," he said, blushing a little.
"What about... what's his face? Joe?" Chris asked.
"He doesn't really talk to me much anymore."
"We're not going," Jonny said.
"I think Chris can speak for himself."
Chris slowly shook his head and replied, "No, we're not going." Paul looked down with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. Chris must have noticed, because he quickly added, "Sorry."
"Whatever. We're not friends anyway." Paul, still clearly upset, walked away. He came back, though. It was much later, but he did come back.
Jonny and I were standing in almost the exact same spot six hours later, waiting for Chris. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but it obviously was of little importance. An angry-looking Paul stormed up and stopped right in front of Jonny.
"Buckland!" he shouted.
"What's your problem?" Jonny asked.
"You know what my problem is."
"Oh, what, that we won't go to your party? Maybe you should try being nicer to people, and then they'll like you."
"You know what?" Paul screamed, shoving Jonny up against the wall. "There's only so much a person can take of you," he said, stepping closer. Scary close, even, and he sounded really, really angry. "And I think I've reached my limit."
-
Paul's POV
I didn't know what I was doing. Honest. I didn't even realise anything that had happened until it was all over. I felt bad about it, too. Not while it was happening, though, because it was all a blur.
One minute I was walking up to Jonny, and yes, I was angry, and the next thing I knew I was being pushed to the ground by Chris. And thank God he came, because I don't know what would have happened if he didn't rescue Jonny.
But, oh. He just had to rescue Jonny.
Somewhere in the blur, I suppose my anger intensified. It was all silly of me to be so upset, but I couldn't control it. Teenagers and their hormones, I guess. I wanted to just talk to Jonny, try to get some of my frustration out without saying too much and taking it too far. That didn't really work at all.
I did walk up, and I did start talking, but the problem started when Jonny started talking back. He... well, I don't know, really, but I just got so angry. I remember shoving him up against the wall, and I think at that point I scared myself so much that I just stop paying attention. I do recall a few screams coming from what must have been Genieva's vocal chords, shouting something like, "Get your hands off him!"
Then Chris ran up, tackled me to the ground and ran back to Jonny. From the little bits that I do remember, I must have had my arm shoved up against Jonny's throat. As I fell to the ground, I could hear Jonny gasping for air. He collapsed forward, but by that time Chris had caught him. He eased Jonny down to the floor and held him while Genieva moved towards me. I scurried up off the ground and backed away a bit.
"Why would you do that?" she shouted.
"I..." Everything was only just getting clearer to me. What was going on?
"What did he ever do to you?"
"Uh..." Panic. I looked over at Jonny, who was still panting. It was clear now. How could I do something like that? Genieva was still shouting at me, and I wanted so badly to just yell back. No, don't. Don't say anything. But it just kept building up inside of me.
"What did he-"
"He took Chris away from me!" Shit. Everything slowed down. I tried to leave, but I couldn't move fast enough. I kept walking and walking, but I wasn't going far enough. Genieva ran up along side of me.
"Wait," she said. "Talk to me."
"No."
"Please?"
"No." She grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
"Please just talk to me? I'll listen. I'll be your friend."
"Why would you be my friend?" She slowly leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Oh, geez.
"I want to be your friend," she said calmly.
"Even after what I did?"
"Will you please talk to me?"
"Fine." She smiled and placed her hand on my back.
"Come on, we can walk."
"I don't know what to say..."
"Tell me about... everything. Anything." I took a deep breath.
"I... I met Chris, what was it? Five years ago? And... but I didn't know how to react. I guess it just felt natural to be mean to him, or something. And then Joe came along, and he thought it was fun, so we just kept bullying him. I know that he hated me for it... but I think part of me wanted that, because I was uncomfortable with it."
"You kept this to yourself for five years?"
"Well, it sounds bad when you put it like that."
"Was it hard?"
"Uh, it was all OK until Jonny showed up. I mean, at first he wasn't a problem, but then... you know."
"He really loves Jonny."
"Yeah, I know," my voice cracked. I could feel tears making their way to my eyes. What was wrong with me?
"Can I ask you one last thing?" She stopped.
"What?"
"Do you think you could ever feel that way about... anyone else?"
"About you?" She lowered her head, and we kept walking.
-
Chris's POV
"So, what happened?" Jonny asked Genieva when we were sitting in lunch the next day. "You know, when you went to talk to him."
"Well, we talked," she answered. "That was about it."
"What did he say?" I asked. I wasn't sure that I wanted to know, really, but I asked anyway. She sighed and looked at me.
"He's liked you for five years."
"What?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "and he was only mean to you that whole time because he wasn't comfortable with liking you."
"Wow..." Five years? That's insane.
"I feel bad for him." I instantly shot her a look, and she had this frightened expression on her face. "Well, it can't be easy, hiding something like that."
"She's got a point," Jonny said. "I mean, imagine if nothing had ever happened between us. If you'd never said anything."
"Yeah..." I reluctantly agreed. "But... I don't know. This whole thing is just weird."
"I know what you mean." There was a bit of an awkward silence after that, filled with me trying to wrap my head around everything that was going on, but sadly I failed. I decided instead to change the subject, which was convenient because I had to tell Jonny something anyway.
"Jonny, come over to my house after school. I have something I want you to hear."
"OK," he said, attempting a nonchalant manner. He smirked, though, and I could tell that he was excited. He probably knew that I meant I wrote a song. I was a bit nervous, too, because I had never actually played for anyone before, so Jonny would be my first.
Eh, that sounded pervy.
--
I sat in my room, quietly strumming the guitar. No matter how many times I tried, I could not get this one part of the song right. It really worried me, too, because I was already nervous and Jonny would be there in less than ten minutes. There was something missing, but I wasn't sure what. Strumming over and over didn't help. My mind was a complete blank. Eventually, I gave up and just decided to wait until Jonny arrived. He'd have a good idea for sure.
Unsurprisingly, there was a knock on my door not too long after. I told Jonny he could come in, and so he opened the door and sat down beside me on my bed.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi."
"So, you wanted me to hear something?" Again with the fake calmness and obvious excitement. I love Jonny.
"Mm-hmm. I wrote a song."
"Cool." He was so smiling right then. On the inside, but it was totally a huge smile. "Play it, then."
"OK... here goes nothing." I strummed once, my hands slowly starting to shake from nervousness. Calm down! I told myself. It didn't really work.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna make fun of you or anything," Jonny said. I think he could sense my fear.
"Right." I picked the strings again, this time actually playing the song. I took a deep breath, and prepared myself to sing. I was so nervous.
"Sometimes I wake up and I'm falling asleep
I think that maybe the curtains are closing on me
But I wake up
Yes I wake up smiling"
I glanced at Jonny. He seemed to be enjoying it.
"Sometimes I feel oh the charge is surprising
Surprisingly good to be moving around
So I wake up
Yes I wake up smiling"
Another glance. Jonny was grinning now, and tapping his fingers to the music. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.
"So what? I feel fine
I'm OK
I've seen the lighter side of life
I'm alright
I feel good
So I'll go
I'll try and stop moving
Sometimes I wake up and I'm falling asleep
But I've got to get going so much that I'm wanting to do
But I wake up
Smiling"
I stopped. I'd been doing so well, but I reached the part that was missing something.
"Why'd you stop?" Jonny asked.
"I don't know where to go from here."
He looked up at the ceiling with a pensive face, then said, "Go big."
"Big..." I replayed the last few chords, trying to get a feel for it. I closed my eyes and let the words escape from me.
"And this could be my last chance
Of saving my innocence
And this could be my last chance
No more keeping my feet on the ground"
I could feel the energy flowing through my veins when I sang. And I sang my heart out, too. I was practically screaming it. But it felt so right.
I stopped again, because I felt that I'd basically gotten the whole song. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Jonny. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open.
"Whoa..." he said. "I didn't know you could sing like that."
I smiled and looked down at the guitar. It felt so right.
"Jonny... I think I know what I want to do for the rest of my life."
-
-Four Months Later-
Jonny's POV
It was nearing the middle of February now. Everything was positively cold and snowy. It looked nice, but it was so, so cold.
Chris and I were sitting in the cafeteria like we normally do. He was scribbling down something on a piece of paper, no doubt either writing a song or finishing his homework. Or both. In any case, his head was buried in his work, until suddenly he shot up and alertly looked around.
"Hey, where's Genieva?" Chris asked. Of course, the one day he remembers that she sits with us is the day that she's not sitting with us.
"She's sitting with Paul."
"Why?"
"They're dating now." His eyes widened with horror.
"What?" he asked, his voice reaching the highest frequency I've ever heard it reach. "Since when?"
"Yesterday."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"No offense, Chris, but I don't think she really considers you that good of a friend."
"Why not?"
"You never even remember she's here."
"Oh, right. I remembered today, though."
"Yeah, when she's not here."
"Hmm," he said, defeated. Then he reached out and stole some of my food. "So, her and Paul, eh? Good."
"It is good. I think they both need it... especially Paul."
"Ugh, don't remind me," he shivered. "Hey, are we doing anything special tomorrow? You know, since it's Valentine's Day and all."
"Oh, yeah, that's tomorrow, huh? Well, we could do something if you want." A cheesy grin slowly spread across his face and he started to blush a little.
"Can I take you out to dinner?" he asked. He had the sweetest look in his eyes that almost made me want to cry.
"Yeah," I smiled back.
"Oh, this is gonna be great!" He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "I love you, Jonny."
"Love you, too, Chris."
"One day we're gonna get out, you know that?"
"... What is that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "It sounded cool. Do you want it to mean something? 'Cause I could probably come up with something in, like, five seconds."
"Do it."
"We're gonna get out... Well, see, it means that one day we will be free from the criticism and hate of all the people around us, and we will be a cute married couple who live in... Burma."
"Burma?"
"Yes. Or wherever we live. But we'll be cute and married, and that's all that counts."
"Sounds good to me."
"Perfect!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Burma it is."
"Why Burma?" I laughed.
"Would you get it if I said I panicked?"
"... No."
"Never mind then."
"What?"
"No, if you're not gonna get it, there's no point in quoting it."
"Tell me what it's from!"
"Uh uh, Jonnyboy," he said, patting my shoulder. "You've got to learn these things for yourself."
"You're a jerk, you know that?"
He tilted his head, put his hand on his heart and said in a mock-hurt tone, "Oh! I thought you said you loved me."
"I do," I nodded. "But you're still a jerk."
-
Chris's POV
"Mother, will you stop it?!" I yelled. She kept trying to fix the collar on my shirt. It was bad enough that I had to wear the stupid thing. The only reason I did was because I wanted to look nice for Jonny. I was wearing the most uncomfortable outfit I'd ever worn- a navy blue button-up shirt, black suit pants, and my dad's really, really old dress shoes. I even went as far as slicking my hair back a bit, but my mum insisted that I just cut it.
"Christopher, I'm just trying to help," she said, yet again trying to smooth the stubborn cloth down.
"It's fine!"
"I thought you wanted to look nice."
"I do, but-"
"Then let me help you."
"Fine," I sighed. She stood still, took a good look at me, then mysteriously ran away. "What the f..."
Before she returned, my little brother came skipping into the room.
"Chris, you look so fancy!" he squeaked. Then he crinkled his nose and said, "Why do you look fancy?"
"If you must know, Thomas, I'm going out to dinner with Jonny."
"Ohhhh. Cool!" he said, and skipped back out. I glanced at the clock. Quarter to seven. I had to leave in five minutes. Where the hell did my mum go?
Ten minutes later, she finally reappeared. With scissors.
"Come here real quick," she said, motioning me towards her position next to the garbage bin.
"Mum, we were supposed to leave five minutes ago!"
"Oh, don't you worry. This will only take a minute." I sighed, rolled my eyes, and marched over to her.
She lied. It took another five minutes. All for a haircut that didn't even look like much had been done. After she set the scissors down on the table, I grabbed her keys and ran to the car. I actually intended to just drive myself if she took too long. She must have realised how rushed I was, though, because she was in the car not long after I got in. It took another tedious three minutes to reach Jonny's house, and when we finally arrived I practically threw myself out of the car while it was still moving.
I knocked on the door, and within seconds Jonny's dad was in front of me.
"Ah, hello, Chris."
"Hello, sir. Sorry I'm late, my mum was having a field day helping me get ready."
"Don't worry, my wife's acting the exact same way." He opened the door more to reveal Jonny and his mum in the background. She was fiddling with what looked like a striped tie resting on Jonny's torso. "Ann, leave the boy alone. Chris is here."
Jonny turned, a huge smile lighting up his face. He quickly waved to me, then grabbed a jacket and ran to the door. For a few seconds we both just stood, absorbing as much as we could of each other's beauty. He was wearing a traditional formal outfit, much like I was, with this gorgeous black-and-white striped tie. His hair was absolutely perfect, just short enough that it didn't look completely horrible spiked up. And his eyes. They were the brightest, greenest, most beautiful things I had ever seen.
"Hi," Jonny finally said. I couldn't really respond, I just hugged him. He even smelled wonderful. He always does, though. Like clean laundry.
My mum had the nerve to honk the horn at us. As if she had any right to be impatient.
"I swear, if murder was legal," I said.
"Tell me about it," Jonny laughed, closing the door behind him. We walked towards the car. "But you look fantastic."
"So do you."
"We're just a couple of regular ol' hotties, eh?"
"Yeah." I opened the car door for Jonny and as soon as I did I could hear my mum talking at us. I wasn't listening, though. Tonight was about me and Jonny.
We pulled up to the restaurant fifteen minutes later. Seven-twenty. I'm so glad that I booked the table for seven-thirty. One of the benefits of being an avid worrier, I suppose.
Jonny and I exited the car, walked up to the entrance, and into the building. It was exquisite. There were marble fountains everywhere, and even the pale yellow lighting screamed amazing. Everything was lined in dark blue, too. I was a tad bit afraid that I would blend in if I stood too closely to anything.
The maître d', in her ugly black dress suit, smiled brightly at us.
"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?" she chirped.
"Yes, uh, Martin." She quickly looked down, scanning some sort of list.
"Ah! Table for two?"
"Yep." She looked between Jonny and I, her smiled changing from bright to fake.
"Right, then," she said in the sort of nasally tone one has when trying to hide disgust. "Follow me."
Oh, I followed her all right, but not before reaching to grab Jonny's hand. That set her straight. She led us to our table, told us the waiter would be there shortly, and left.
Jonny browsed the menu. I think there were, like, five pages or something. I just sat and stared at him. I couldn't believe how beautiful he looked. It was mesmerizing.
"Good evening, gentlemen," the waiter said as he walked up to the table. He expertly flipped out a pad of paper and a pen and spewed, "What will you be having?"
"I'll have whatever he's having." I was too hypnotized to think.
"I'll have the... uh..." Jonny flipped through the pages again. "Lasagna," he finally chose.
"Excellent choice," the waiter said, scooping up the menus. "We'll get it out here as soon as possible."
"Thank you," Jonny said as the waiter rushed off. "Are you just gonna keep staring at me?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help it." He quietly laughed. "Is it bothering you?"
"No."
Twenty uneventful minutes later, the waiter returned with our food. It tasted all right, I guess. Jonny liked it.
"Jonny, when would you say our anniversary is?" He looked up from his plate.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, are we counting from December or April?"
"Hmm... I never thought about that. Maybe April..."
"Good. 15th, right?"
"If I remember correctly, yeah."
"Is that a Saturday this year, do you know?"
"Uh... could be," he shrugged. "Why are you asking all this, anyway?"
"Just wondering." There was more to it than that, but my answer seemed to satisfy him.
The reason I wanted to know was because I was planning something. Something big. Something spectacular. Something neither of us would ever forget for the rest of our lives.
I was planning... well, you'll see. Or read, you know, 'cause this is a story.
-
“Chris, can I talk to you for a minute?” Paul asked. Oh, God, what did he want now? I looked at Jonny, who merely shrugged, and sighed.
“Yeah.” I walked with him over to the side of the lunchroom.
“Listen, Chris, I am so, so sorry... for everything. Everything I've ever put you through. I just... I didn't know how to handle all of this, and I did it really, really stupidly. I swear, if I could go back in time and change the way I acted, I would. It was... stupid.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“And all that stuff that happened to you and Jonny in the beginning of the year, you guys don't deserve that. No one deserves that, actually, but especially not you guys.” Oh no. This apology is starting to work... “And any contributions I made to that can be listed under the stupid stuff I've done to you.”
“Thank you.” He looked at me blankly for a few moments before continuing.
“Go on, I know what you want to ask me.”
“What?”
“Do I still...”
“Oh... do you?”
“To be honest, I don't think I could ever stop. Maybe. Who knows? It doesn't matter now, anyway, 'cause you're with Jonny and I'm with Genieva. You probably still hate me. That's life. It's fine. Life goes on.”
“Yeah.”
“I'm so sorry.” He left, and I walked back over to Jonny.
“Dammit!” I exclaimed, dropping into my seat.
“What?”
“How am I supposed to hate him if he goes and apologizes for everything?!”
“He did?”
“Yeah, and now I can't hate him.”
“Maybe that's a good thing," Jonny said. "I mean, it's not really fun to hate people, is it? It's much better to... well, not hate them.”
“Ah, Jonny," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're so wise. What would I do without you?”
“Cry.”
“Probably... oh, hey! So, anniversary tomorrow!”
"I can't believe it's already here."
"I know! We've been together for a year now. Kinda over a year, if you think about it... anyway, you, me. Out. Tomorrow night."
"OK."
"Seven-thirty. Sharp. Don't dress up."
"Don't dress up?"
"Don't. Just wear whatever you want. Or go naked, I couldn't care less."
"Why do you have to be so forward when we're out in public?"
"Do you want me to be more forward when we're alone, eh, eh?" I said, giving him a wink. Jonny shook his head disapprovingly and placed his forehead in his hand.
"Oh, Chris."
"... Is that a yes?"
-
Jonny's POV
The suspense was killing me. It was five minutes to half-past seven, and I was waiting rather impatiently for Chris to arrive. Since he told me not to dress up, I just wore my regular old jeans and my favorite green and white striped shirt. Chris always said I looked dashing in stripes.
I sat in a chair in the kitchen by the door. I had one hand resting on the table, mindlessly tapping away, and the other hand raised so I could look at my watch every few seconds. The minutes dragged on and on. To occupy myself, I tried to think of where Chris could be taking me. He was so freaking vague with everything he said. And even if he had given any clues, I could never really be sure. Chris is a bit bonkers, though I adore that.
Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine. Seven-thirty. Knocking. Right on time.
The door flung open as a result of me pulling it in what seemed like an attempt to rip it from it's hinges.
“Hi Chr- mum?!” I was so let down to see a thirty-nine-year-old woman standing in front of the door rather than the eighteen-year-old man I was expecting. She started giggling.
“I'm sorry, I couldn't resist! I knew you were waiting, and so I just decided to come out here and-”
“Mum! … Wait, how did you get out here?”
“I went 'round through the back.”
“Seriously? Just to trick me into thinking that Chris was here?” Suddenly, someone spoke from behind me.
“What do you mean? I am here.” I turned around and threw myself at Chris. He fell back a bit, laughed and warmly returned my hug.
“I'm so happy right now that I'm going to forget the fact that you're both jerks.”
“Good, because I wouldn't want you thinking I was a jerk on our anniversary,” he laughed and kissed my ear.
“Oh, wow,” my mum said, her hand to her heart. “A whole year already. You boys have grown up so fast.”
“Can we go now?” I asked, still impatient.
“Absolutely,” Chris said. I grabbed his arm and ran out the door, narrowly missing my mother.
“Bye, mum.”
“Bye boys! Don't have too much fun, eh!”
“Mum!” Why must she embarrass me all the time? Is it some sort of parent thing to do?
Chris and I walked silently down the road. It was starting to get a little darker. The sun would be going down soon. I couldn't tell where we were walking to, since there were a number of places for us to go in the direction we were headed. “Where are we going?”
“You'll see.” Chris lifted his arm, looked at his wrist, then grabbed my arm and looked at my wrist. Apparently he realised he wasn't wearing a watch. “We've got about ten minutes 'til sunset.”
“Then what?”
“Then the sun sets, my friend.”
We continued walking, talking about silly little things. After a few minutes it became apparent where we were headed- the river. I should have known; we spend all our time there.
Chris stopped right outside the trail by the side of the road, and held his arm out to stop me. He looked at my watch again, smiled, and said, “It's time.”
“Time for what?” He didn't answer, he just grabbed my hand and started walking. He led me down the small path to the clearing. As we drew closer, I started to notice that something was different.
There were white and yellow ribbons hanging from the trees. They grew more and more frequent as we got closer and closer. Then there were flowers that looked as though someone had just planted them. Petunias? I'm not a flower expert, so I really don't know. Then I noticed something else. Beneath our feet was some sort of maroon paper, rolled out in an attempt to be like a red carpet. Everything looked so gorgeous.
When we finally reached the clearing, I was completely breathless. It was decorated exactly as the trail had been, with one huge exception. The maroon paper stopped in front of the river, right under a makeshift arch. It looked like it was composed of broken tree branches and pale yellow string. Chris proudly held his arms out to point out the decorations.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked, standing in the middle of the opening.
“I think it's... magnificent. You did this all by yourself?”
“Yeah, I spent all day here.”
“Wow.”
“It was nothing. I just wanted this to be special.” He held his hand out to me, and I gladly placed my hand in his. “Come on.”
We walked down under the arch. Chris once again stole a glance at my watch.
“Perfect,” he whispered.
“What's perfect?”
“Five... four... three... two...” Suddenly, the setting sun spilled into the clearing through a hole in between the trees. The light shot through the arch, covering everything in orange. Chris smiled brightly and grabbed both of my hands.
“Jonny... Jonny boy... Jonathan. When I met you, I never imagined any of this happening. I'm glad it did. I really love you... more than life, even. In fact, if I had to choose between you and life, I'd choose you. Because... well, you might think, 'what's the point of me without life?' but what's the point of life without you?”
“Chris...”
“We don't have to do all of this... now or anything. I know it would have been nice of me to ask you first, but I wanted it to be a surprise. But, like I said, we don't-”
“No, let's do this.”
“Yeah?” he smiled.
“Yeah.”
“I had this whole speech prepared, but it doesn't... it doesn't feel like that's enough. But we don't need super fancy speeches, right? Jonny, I love you, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise.”
“Chris, I love you and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise.”
“Way to be original,” he laughed. “Oh!” He reached into his pocket, pulled out two shiny things, stuck one on my hand and the other in my hand, which I then placed on his finger. He held it up to his face and admired it. “There, that's better.”
“Where did you get these?”
“The jewelry store,” he innocently replied.
“Do I want to know how much they cost you?” He shook his head and smiled.
“It was worth it.” He leaned forward and softly kissed me. “Now, follow me!” With that, he bolted off to the rocks that ran across the river. He hopped up on them and began to cross. Halfway over, though, he stopped and turned. “Come on, Jonny!”
I reluctantly followed him deeper into the woods, to a place I'd never been. There was another small opening, again decorated with flowers and streamers.
“Reception time!” he chirped, pulling me into the center of the clearing. “We have to have our first dance.”
“You really went all out on this, didn't you?”
“It's a special day, Jonny, it had to be perfect.”
“It is.” He looked at me, and I could see the start of tears forming in his eyes. He just kept staring, until something made him snap out of it.
“The dance! Right, so I couldn't get any music out here... so you'll have to listen to me sing instead.”
“That's fine.” He wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder. He started humming, but I couldn't exactly tell what he was humming. It did sound familiar, though.
“Imagine me and you, I do. I think about you day and night, it's only right to think about the... guy you love and hold him tight, so happy together... If I should call you up, invest a dime, and you say you belong to me, and ease my mind, imagine how the world could be, so very fine. So happy together...”
“The Turtles?”
“It was either that or Whitney Houston,” he said, “but I didn't think I could hit the falsetto well enough. I can't see me loving nobody but you for all my life. When you're with me, Jonny, the skies'll be blue for all my life... Me and you, and you and me, no matter how they toss the dice, it had to be... the only one for me is you, and you for me, so happy together... Have you heard enough, yet?”
“No, keep singing.”
“Aw, why? I sound like shit.”
“No, you have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard.”
“You're only saying that because you're my husband.”
“Maybe, but I also believe it's true.”
“That, dear Jonny, is because love has blinded you.”
“Wouldn't it be deafened?” I laughed.
“Yes, but I recall telling you love has blinded you for some reason or another, so it has blinded and deafened you. Jonny, you're the Helen Keller of love.” There was a silence that lasted a few short moments before we both burst out laughing. “If I start singing again, you better join.”
“Fine.”
“OK, ready? One, two...” And so we danced and sang, and sang and danced. Neither of us could remember how long the song went on for, so we just kept repeating everything over and over until we realised that it was really dark and cold out. We decided it was probably best to return to our respective houses.
“Are we gonna tell our parents about this?” I asked as we walked down the dark street.
“Hmm... nah.”
“Do you think they'll know anyway?”
“Jonny, I've been wearing that string ring for the past six months, and neither of my parents even noticed. I don't think there's anything to worry about.”
“What about my parents?”
“Well, if they do know, it's not the end of the world. Besides, we're practically adults now. We're allowed to make our own decisions.”
“Good point... Chris?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for tonight. It was the most amazing thing ever.”
“It wouldn't have been anything without you.” We finally reached my house, and Chris walked me up to the door.
“Do you want a ride home?” I asked. “It's pretty cold out.”
“No, I'll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure.”
“I don't want you to leave.”
“I don't want me to leave, either. But we'll see each other tomorrow, probably. I think my parents might start to worry if I don't come home soon.”
“You could call them... ask them if you could spend the night here. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind.”
“Jonny! Well... it is our wedding night, eh, eh?” He leaned forward and whispered, “See, I'm being more forward when we're alone,” and then gave me the same wink he had the day before. He's ridiculous.
“So I see. But if my parents are home, I hope you're not suggesting...”
“Did you save yourself, Buckland?”
“Oh my God, CHRIS! What if my parents are, like, listening through the door?”
“We're not!” a voice called through the mail slot in the door. I was horrified.
“Oh, shit!” Chris exclaimed. “Yeah, I think I'm gonna go home now. Bye!” He quickly kissed me, then ran off in the direction of his house. I slowly opened the door to find my parents sitting in the two chairs beside it, obviously trying to hide their eavesdropping.
“How much of that did you hear?” I suppose it didn't matter how long they'd been listening, but I knew they heard what Chris said. I was absolutely horrified.
“Enough of it, I think,” my mum giggled. “Jonny, don't be growing up too fast, now.” I looked over at my dad. He was just kinda staring at the ground. He probably felt like I did.
It's times like these I wish I could just escape.
-
“I can't look!” Chris shouted, covering his eyes with his hand. Jonny held a sloppily-opened manila envelope in his hand, and Chris was trying to shove another at him. “You do it.”
“Fine,” Jonny said, grabbing the other envelope. “But I don't see what you're so worried about.”
“You don't? Jonny, this is our future! We're married now, remember?”
“Yeah, I'm just saying that whatever the paper says, we'll make this work.”
“I know, but it would be easier if they both say the same thing.”
“Well, we'll find out soon enough,” Jonny said, tearing open the envelope. He slowly removed the papers from inside and silently read them. Chris peeked through his fingers.
“Well?” Jonny slowly looked up, a blank expression on his face. Chris grew increasingly anxious, eventually to the point that he jumped from his chair towards Jonny and snatched the papers from his hands.
“Oh my god! I got in! We got in!” Chris threw the papers behind him and hugged Jonny tightly. “Jonny, we're going to UCL together!”
“I know! This is gonna be so great.”
“We can get our own place. We'll live together, and we'll be a married couple, and everything will be right.”
“And we'll be going to college... We're so old.” Chris nodded in agreement.
“Everything's so real... but it won't be so scary if we do this together. When we do this together.”
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