Computer Love

GUY is a computer lovahh! But when his computer love puts him in danger, he's not the only one who suffers the consequences.

It's not a slash fic!

---

Have you ever felt completely alone? Surrounded by people, but completely alone. I have. All the time. Well, most of the time. It's not so bad, though, because when I don't feel alone, I want to be alone.

And it's not just the fact that women scare me. I've always been uncomfortable around them. Maybe... maybe I'm gay? No, well, I've toyed with that idea plenty of times before, but the truth is men intimidate me no less than women do. Really, I'm just not a social person. People... I don't like them.

I like computers. Technology is fascinating. That anyone at anytime can look up any subject they desire, and have the potential to then learn vasts amounts about it simply by pressing a few buttons is astonishing. And even though I don't like people, the ones I talk to online are... different. They're not like the ones who pester me in real life. They're much nicer, and they actual share the same interests as me.

You see, I'm part of this photography site. Message boards, forums, whatever you want to call it. We talk about all sorts of photography-related things, some things not related to photography. It's great. There are some amazingly talented people on there.

My parents are sometimes concerned that I spend all my time online. What can I say? I feel more comfortable there. I wish they'd understand, but I know they won't. They think technology is overrated, and that the only people who matter are those who you can actually, physically see and talk to. But I hate all those people.

Well, not all of them. Jonny is the only person I've ever been able to stand. We've been best friends since... maybe before we were even born? Forever, anyway. He's the only person who really gets me. Sometimes, when I talk to him, I can tell that he sort of resents my passion for the online world and maybe even feels like I neglect him. Honestly, though, without him I wouldn't be able to survive in the real world.

I've told him before that he should join the site I'm on, and that maybe I'd talk to him even more then. I don't think he could tell whether or not I was being serious. I'm not even sure whether or not I was being serious.

He'd probably love it, though. There's this one guy on there- one of my best online friends actually- Chris, and I think they'd totally hit it off. Oh, the conversations they could have. I'm laughing just thinking about it. Anyway, there's another guy, Will, and some people say he's a total troll, but I think he's rather funny and intelligent. Killer shots of flowers. Seriously, every time he posts a picture, a part of me wants to cry with tears of jealousy, if there's such a thing. I'm sure there has to be.

Jonny wouldn't do that, though. He's quite happy with people. Sure, he's shy, like I am, but not as shy as I am. He actually talks to other people, exchanges deep and meaningful words with them. I envy him sometimes.

So, that's me in a nutshell. The internet. Two words to describe me. Well, does 'the' even count? In any case... yeah.

-

“How does that sound?” I ask Jonny. He's sitting on the edge of my bed, my laptop balancing on his left thigh. His eyes are fervently scanning the screen, and his face shows no emotion whatsoever.

“Do you really have to put this much detail into your Facebook page?” he replies, scrunching up his eyebrows and lifting the laptop off his leg. “I mean, it's good, but isn't it a little... long?”

“Oh, I guess so.” I can't say that I'm not disappointed. I rather thought he'd like it, especially since I praised him. I look up at him, and I can see it in his eyes: Stick to photography, Guy. I will, of course, because I know I'm shit at writing. I just wanted his opinion.

“Thank you for saying that stuff about me,” he quietly adds, knowing that it's what I want to hear. Suddenly, a blinking orange alert at the bottom of the screen tells me I've got an IM from someone. It's Chris, who feels the need to inform me that his little brother is annoying the hell out of him. I laugh at what he's saying, and Jonny narrows his eyes questioningly. “Who are you talking to?”

“Huh?” I say, sort of a reflex for me. I quickly look up at Jonny, but soon enough I have to refocus my attention back to the computer.

Ew, he's sticking his tongue out at me now. What a freak.

“Uh, it's Chris,” I quickly answer, speedily typing my reply to Chris.

Haha, ewwww! You should tell him to shove off.

“Chris.” Jonny mulls it over, thinking his hardest to remember the name. “Is that the one you think I'd get along with?”

I already did! … and my mum yelled at me for it. :P

“Yeah. Do you want to talk to him?”

Dude, my friend Jonny is here, and I'm trying to convince him to get on and talk to you.

Do it! I'd love to talk to him. :D

Jonny nervously scratches the back of his neck. “Um, I... guess..”

Ahhh, he said yes! Hold on...

I motion for Jonny to sit next to me, and he reluctantly scoots back to where I'm sitting. I tilt the screen back a little so it's easier for him to see and inch the laptop in his direction.

OK, here he is...

Jonny blankly stares at the screen as another line pops up.

Hi, Jonny! I'm Chris, but I'm sure you already knew that.

I watch Jonny as he continues to stare at the screen, totally unsure of what to do. He just keeps blinking. “Jonny,” I nudge him, and he looks at me with alert eyes.

“Oh, uh... what should I say?” he asks in a worried tone. It's funny, usually I'm the one like that, and he's the one who's calm and knows what to do.

“Just say hi. That's a good place to start.” Jonny twists his mouth to the side and slowly begins to type.

Hi.

“Is that good, then?” he asks, rather unsure of himself. I laugh at his blatant newbishness, which I think makes him feel a bit insecure.

“Write more,” I say to justify my laughter. He sighs and is soon at the keys once more, trying his hardest to think of something to write.

So... apparently Guy thinks we'd be great friends.

Hm, should we believe him? I don't think I know him as well as you do. :P

Well, I don't think anyone really knows him, to be honest. He's keeps to himself a lot.

Seriously?? 'Cause on here he's a total post whore!

Jonny anxiously looks up at me, and even though I'm cracking a smile, he seems to be really worried.

Oh, maybe we should stop talking about him, since he's still right here.

Nah, he can deal with it. HEAR THAT, GUY? YOU'RE A WHORRRRE!

I burst out laughing, which seems to only slightly comfort Jonny. He's starting to smile himself, though, so I begin to think that maybe my thoughts about him and Chris being friends weren't so far off.

Isn't it weird to talk to people you've never met before? I don't know if I could do something like this every day.

I don't think it's weird. To me, it's no different from talking online to the people I do know in real life. Plus, I think you'd get used to it after a while.

Maybe... I don't know, it's just very odd for me to think that I'm talking to you, and you could know all this stuff about me, but I've never met you, and never even talked to you until just now. You know what I mean?

Yeah, I can understand that. But like I said, I think you just get used to it eventually. So, have you never talked to other people online before, then?

No... not anyone who I don't personally know.

Well, there's a first for everything! :P

Yeah, I suppose there is. Listen, I'm gonna give the computer back to Guy now. It was nice talking to you.

It was nice talking to you, too! :D You should totally stop worrying about talking to people online and then maybe we could chat more often. ;)

Um, I'll think about it.

Haha, bye!

Jonny hands me back the computer, looking rather dissatisfied. Chris on the other hand, is endlessly thanking me for convincing Jonny to talk to him.

I completely agree with you, Guy, he and I could totally be best friends. I mean, we didn't really say much to each other, but I still agree with you. :P

“I should probably go home now,” Jonny says, standing up and awkwardly stretching his arms. “I think I'm getting kinda tired.”

Next time I'll try to get him on here for longer. He needs to stop being such a newb! :P

“Tired? Now?” I look down at the bottom of the screen. It's already 9 PM, but to me it feels like it's much, much earlier. “Oh, I didn't realise it was so late.”

“Yeah, and I think my mum wanted me to be back at, like, eight.” Jonny walks over to the door and nearly leaves without saying goodbye. When he does, I look up to bid him farewell, and I can see that look again on his face. I don't know why, I've been paying attention to him. We hung out all afternoon, in fact, but for some reason he still looks rejected. Poor Jonny.

-

We're not really doing anything in French class, but we're in the computer lab, so I decide to sneak onto the forums while the teacher isn't looking. It's really not hard to do, though, as I'm sitting all the way in the back and the teacher doesn't pay us any attention anyway.

When I log on, a pretty notification informs me that I've got a new PM. I'm always excited when people send me things; it makes me feel special. But as I click on the link, I find that the message is not from someone I've talked to before.

Subject: Your pictures

Hey! I've just been looking around on the site, and I wanted to tell you that I think you are an amazing photographer. :)

Oh, and I'm Natalie, by the way.

Wow, as if I didn't feel special enough already, that message has sent me over the top. I can't help smiling as I reread it a thousand times. It's always nice to receive a compliment, isn't it? And Natalie... that's a beautiful name.

Subject: Re: Your pictures

Well, thank you. :) I'm Guy.

It's a short reply, but I think it gets the job done. I send it, and then I momentarily switch back to the work I'm supposed to be doing, because the girl sitting next to me is being really nosy and staring at my screen.

“Can I help you?” I say, perhaps a little too harshly. She gives me a nasty look, then turns back to her computer. Whatever, at least she's not bothering me now.

I only go about four minutes before the urge to click back to the forums takes over my being. Besides, I'm almost finished with my French work, anyway.

It seems as though in that brief window of time, I've already got another message. Unsurprisingly, it's from Natalie.

Subject: Re: Re: Your pictures

Wow, what an original name. Haha, sorry. :P
So, how long have you been doing photography?

Ugh, there's always something to remind me of how much I hate my parents for giving me such a plain name. Seriously, how boring to you have to be to name your kid Guy?

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Your pictures

Well, what can I say? My parents are the most creative people alive.
I've been doing photography for about two years now. :) How about you?

I probably would have gotten another reply a minute later, but the bell went off before I even had the chance to hit send. Not wanting to be late to my next class, I hit the button as quickly as I can and then bolt out the door. On my way out, my teacher gives me a funny look, and I get the feeling that she knows I'm not doing my work like I should. Oh, well.

And for some reason, I can't stop thinking about that message for the rest of the day. Am I really that sad that even tiny compliments from strangers fill me with mass joy? There's no other reason I can think of.

-

I'm extremely surprised to get an IM from someone who is apparently not on my friend list, and even more surprised when I see that it's from Jonny. When did he get a screenname?

Hey, Guy!

Whoa, Jonny, glad to see you join the internet world! :P

Well, I figured I'd give it a go.

Awesome! :D Hey, do you want Chris's screenname?

Uh, sure, why not?

I quickly switch to one of the other windows I have open.

Dude, Jonny's online! I'm gonna give him your screenname so you guys can talk.

Ooh, I'm excited! :D

I give Jonny the name, and I assume they're talking, as it's a few minutes before I talk to either of them again.

Um, so, how are you?

I'm good. You?

Same.

What made you decide to get a screenname?

I'm not sure, really. I just thought it was something I should do.

Well, I'm glad you did. :D

Yeah, so is Chris. :P

Haha, he really likes talking to you, I guess. Does it freak you out? :P

Actually, at first it did, when I was talking to him that one day at your house, but it doesn't bother me now. I don't know, it's weird.

Aw, you guys are gonna be BFFLs, I can tell. You won't even need to have me as a friend anymore.

BFFLs?

I have to laugh at Jonny. I just have to. Since he's around me often enough, you'd think that he'd pick up on some of the internet language. He hasn't, though, so I have to laugh at him. Instead of replying, like I should have, I just switch to my browser. It would appear that I have a new PM.

Subject: I got tired of all the RE's, so I changed the title.

Well, I'm not actually so crafty when it comes to cameras, but I love to look at other people's work. I suppose I would do well as some sort of art critic or something.
Do you mind if I ask where you live? The landscape in your pictures is just amazing.

One thing that parents should always tell their children is not to give away too much personal information to strangers online. It's a dangerous world filled with scary people. Now, in my experience, I've never found anyone to be remotely suspicious, so I wouldn't think twice of telling someone where I live. It's not like I'm giving away my address.

Subject: Oh, well, aren't you special?

You should try it sometime! After all, it just takes some practice, really. I'm sure you'd take lovely pictures.

I live in Scotland. It's just so pretty around here. It makes me wish I liked interacting with the outside world. :P

It would be proper for me to respond to Jonny now, so I click back to our conversation.

Best friends for life. Did you really not know that? :P

Well, gee, I'm sorry that I don't live in the internet like you.

...That was a joke, by the way.

Ah, you've got to love Jonny.

 

-

“Listen, Guy, I don't know what the hell that's even supposed to be.” Jonny's apprehensively staring at the plate in front of me, most likely because I just offered him some of my food, and it honestly looks like vomit. It's not, though.

“It's chicken. It's delicious, trust me.” I hold out a forkful of what I'm pretty sure is chicken. I hope so. It tastes like it's covered in some sort of barbecue sauce or something. It is delicious, certainly, despite its ugliness.

“No, thank you,” Jonny distastefully replies, almost shoving my hand away. I shrug, because what else am I going to do? I can't force him to eat, even though I hate it when he doesn't buy food, and then I'm sitting there stuffing my face, and he just sits there and looks bored. We're in a food court, why would you just sit there and look bored? Really.

“So, how'd talking to Chris go?” Jonny narrows his eyes at me, like, Why would you ask me that at a time like this? and shifts a little in his seat.

“It was OK.. I don't know what you're expecting me to say.”

I roll my eyes at him and whip out my best sarcastic tone. “Obviously, I want you to say that you've never realized you could find your soul mate even though you live in two neighboring, yet completely different countries, and that one day very soon you're going to run off with him to Norway and get married, because that's what soul mates do.” I pause for dramatic effect and to indicate that I'm going to stop being sarcastic, and then I forcefully stab my fork into my food. That's also for dramatic effect. “Or you could just tell me that I was right, and you guys are getting along fairly well. Or, if that's not true, then tell me that. I'm not expecting you to say anything, really.”

Jonny has this air about him like he's a little kid who was just reprimanded. I don't know why. He brushes off what I said and taps his fingers impatiently on the table. “Are you almost done with that? I'd like to get going soon.”

I give a dry laugh and grunt, “So would I.” Jonny's eyes soften a little, and he looks almost hurt.

“I just meant get going... you know, shopping around. I didn't mean leave altogether.” I raise my eyes and nod.

“Yeah.” Sighing, I take one last look at my lunch and decide that I don't want it anymore. I stand up and head towards the garbage bins, and Jonny is following closely behind. After ridding myself of all nutritious substances I'm holding, we start to walk in the direction of some of the stores. There aren't many stores I particularly care for, but Jonny likes some of them, so I don't mind just wandering around with him. Jonny makes it a lot easier to deal with people in the real world.

We walk past this music and electronics store, and suddenly Jonny decides that he needs to check out the guitars they've got. While he busies himself looking at the Fenders, I venture over to the cameras. There's a nice Canon I've had my eye on for a while, but I just haven't been able to save enough just yet. Soon, though.

Some sales girl walks up to me and asks if I need any help. I tell her to bugger off as politely as I can. I think it came out as, “No, thanks, I'm fine.” What a jerk I am.

Jonny and I spend a good ten minutes in there, gawking at everything that intrigues us, and then we decide it's time to leave and maybe go somewhere else, if not home.

“So, what's up with you then?” Jonny asks as we walk around, pretty much aimlessly, and I shrug in response.

“Nothing, really. Same old same old.”

“How did it go with that one girl? Did you ever ask her out?” I can barely even remember what Jonny is talking about; it felt like forever ago since we last talked about it. About her, really.

“Oh... no. I didn't. But she would have said no, anyway.” Jonny looks at me like I'm crazy, but his expression also tells me that he's not surprised. He thinks he's so great because he goes through, like, five girlfriends a day, but I'm always single. I just don't like people enough.

But, well, I have been thinking of this one girl a lot more as of late.

-

Coincidentally, Natalie and her father are actually planning a trip to Scotland, and pretty close to where I live. She suggested that we meet up somewhere near by, and I gladly agreed.

Subject: Meeting
 
OK, so I googled places near where you live :P and would it be all right for us to meet at the mall? It's close enough, right?
Also... are you telling your parents that we're meeting? My dad knows, obviously.




 
Subject: Re: Meeting

The mall would be perfect! It only takes me, like, five or ten minutes to walk from my house. :D
And no. :\ I don't think my mum would appreciate me telling her that I'm meeting someone I met online. It's OK, though, I'll just tell her I'm going to meet up with Jonny.
Tomorrow, right? And what time, then?


Subject: Re: Re: Meeting

Great! Tomorrow, yes, and how about noon?
And yeah, I was a bit afraid of asking my dad, too. But he's cool with it.


Subject: Re: Re: Re: Meeting

Wonderful! Can't wait! :D

So, I'm sitting at the computer, staring at the message one last time before I finally leave. As planned, my mum thinks that I'm meeting up with Jonny. I'll probably do that later, so it's not a complete lie, right? Right.

My shoes are on, I've got my jacket- even though it's pretty warm out today, I need it as an item of recognition so Natalie will know exactly who I am- and I'm about three-quarters of the way out the door before my mum asks where I'm going.

“The mall, remember?” I yell as I make my way down the sidewalk.

“Oh. Don't be gone too long!” she shouts, and I think there was more to what she said, but I'm too far away to hear her anymore. At least, too far away to be able to make out what she's saying.

I'm a little nervous, and my hands are shaking a little as I walk to the food court, where I told Natalie I would be. I'm not really worried about, like, thinking that she's gonna be this gorgeous girl, when she's actually some really ugly chick, I'm more worried about what she'll think of me. I just want her to like me.

“Guy!” someone calls. My heart almost races, until I realize that it's not a girl who's calling me. The only other person I think it would be, then, is Jonny, but it's definitely not his voice.

I spin around to see who yelled my name, and I find that coming from that direction is an older-looking man, probably about 40 or so. Then I get this really bad feeling. I want to run back home, but my legs won't move.

“Hey!” he said. “I hope you don't mind, Natalie's waiting out in the car. She said she was too nervous to meet you just yet, and she wanted to sit down and calm herself first.”

Words refuse to come out of my mouth, because I'm not even sure what to say. Noticing that I look a little intimidated, he continues, “We can just go out there now, she should still be in the car.”

“Um...” I finally speak, my throat completely dry and my voice beginning to crack, “Actually... I'm not feeling so well, I think I'm just gonna go hom-”

“Nonsense,” he replies, and places one of his hands on my arm. His grip isn't tight, but it's forceful, and I have never felt more scared in my life. “Natalie really wants to meet you.”

“I... I...Please let go of me,” I stammer. He doesn't let go, and I scream for him to leave me alone, yelling at the top of my lungs, begging someone to help me, but no one's helping me. I'm screaming, why isn't anyone helping me???

Because I'm still frozen, and the screaming's just in my head. But he lets go of me, and I immediately take the opportunity to sprint out the doors nearby. I don't know if he was expecting me to do that, because I take a quick look back to see that he's still just standing there, staring at me as I run.

I keep running all the way home, but on the way I pass something really strange- a car, like, a Sedan or something, with an unconscious guy sitting in the front with his head leaning against the window, which has the words “HELP ME” written in some sort of dark substance. It looks almost like lipstick or something, but then I wouldn't really know what lipstick looks like smeared on a window.

But I ignore it, as foolish as that seems, and just keep running because I'm too afraid to stop. Several times the thought crossed my mind that he could be following me back to my house, but I can't risk stopping anyway.

When I finally get home, I fling the door open and slam it behind me. I feel much safer now, so I rest against the door and try to catch my breath. Once I feel calm, I walk into the living room and receive quite a shock- there's this dark-haired, really pretty girl sitting on the couch, crying. She sees me, slowly looks up, and the instant our eyes connect I know who she is.

“Guy...” she says in a near-whisper. She stands up and makes her way over to the doorway, where I'm still standing, stunned. “You're OK?”

“I'm... well, I guess I'm fine.” She frowns at me, looking like she's about to burst into tears again.

“I'm so sorry.”

“What...?” I'm not sure how to finish the question, because there are just so many ways to do so. What the hell is going on? What are you doing here? What did my mum think when she let you in?

Obviously my mum must have let her in, and she'd have been wondering what some really pretty girl was coming to see me for. I'd have been wondering that, too.

“Come sit down,” she says, as if it's her own house to invite people to sit down in. But I don't mind, because I just want answers, so I follow her over to the couch and we sit down together. “OK, so... Ugh, where do I begin? Well,” she lifts her pretty eyes up to me, “I have been talking to you. And everything I said is true, Guy, I really do love your pictures. It's just that...”

“Just what?”

“My father,” she quietly starts, “he's not a good person. And you're not the first...” She's quiet for a minute, then she sighs, her voice shaking with tears. “He always uses me as, like, bait. It's-”

She's cut off by sobbing, and the hug that I've given her. I shush her and tell her it's OK, and we just sit there like that for another few minutes.

“I just couldn't anymore. My uncle came with us... he was in the car, and of course he wouldn't let me leave. But I fought him, and I ran.” While she speaks, the vision of the car flashes in my mind. “I knew you lived here, so I thought it was a safe place to go... Your mum was pretty nice about letting me in.”

“Did you tell her who you were?”

“Not exactly. I just said I was one of your friends and I came to see you. She said you were out, but that I was welcome to wait here, since you wouldn't be gone long.” She looks at me again, with frightfully sad eyes. “There's something else, though.”

“What?”

“While you were gone, someone else came for you. Um...” She thinks for a moment, then seems to find her answer in the air. “Jonny, is it? He came 'round, then your mum was really confused. She said that he was supposed to be with you, and he didn't know anything about it. So, I had to tell her...”

Just then, I feel like there's this presence behind me, so I look and sure enough, my mum is standing at the doorway with an awful expression on her face.

“Mum...”

“Listen, Guy,” she says, coldly, but also with a hint of devastation, “I'm just glad you're OK. By the way, Jonny's still in the kitchen. I think maybe you should go talk to him.”

“Yeah,” I nod, then take one quick look at Natalie before I leave. She looks like a total mess, and I can't help feeling like all of this is my fault.

-

“Jonny, can we go back in time?”

“To before you decided to meet up with someone you've never met?” he bitterly replies, and adds, “Without even telling me.”

“To when we were little kids.” I flick some of the crumbs off the table and look up at him. “Do you remember when we first met?”

“Of course,” he quietly says. “You practically saved my life.”

“Jonny,” I laugh, because he's being so ridiculous, “you were on the jungle gym. In the little kid's park. You weren't gonna fall and die.”

“You don't know that!” Jonny laughs back. “If you hadn't come along and helped me down, I may very well not be here today. Besides, I was a very frightened four-year-old. I was even afraid of being eaten by the sandbox.”

Jonny and I laugh for a while, and he finished by shaking his head at the silliness of his youth. “I'm sorry, Jonny,” I sincerely say. I feel like I've lost touch with Jonny, and it makes me really, really sad. Because there's no one else in the world who gets me like he does. “For everything. I really, really don't deserve-”

My apology is interrupted by a loud crash from the other room, and as Jonny and I bolt out we see that the ruckus was caused by someone trying to break down the door. My mum and Natalie are there in an instant, and when the door finally does open, it's Natalie's dad who makes his way through.

“You,” he sternly bellows, pointing an ugly finger at Natalie. “We're leaving. Come on.”

“No,” a voice says, and surprisingly, it's my mum's. She takes a step towards Natalie's dad, and says, “You're not taking her. I've already phoned the police.”

“You can't tell me what I can and can not do with my own daughter,” he spits back, which kinda frightens me. He pushes past my mum and grabs Natalie's arm, forcing her out the door. But she resists heavily, and he can barely get her to move even a foot. Jonny and I take one look at each other, then we both run over and try to free Natalie.

“Stop it, you bastard!” she yells at her father. “Let go of me! I'm tired of your sick games and I'm gonna tell them everything you guys have done and everything you made me do!”

“You say one word and you're finished.”

“I'll say more than one word. You can't stop me!”

“Oh yeah?” He turns to the open doorway, and nods at the car that's sitting out front. Then he looks back at Natalie, and continues, “We'll see about that.”

“I hate you, you dirty old pervert!” Natalie cries, and then she's silent. Completely silent, and her mouth is left open as her eyes roll back and she falls to the ground. Somehow, we all managed to miss hearing the gunshot, but Natalie didn't miss feeling it rip through her. Outside the door, the man who seems to have been her uncle is sitting in the car with a rifle pointed right where she was once standing.
 

Time slows down; I look frantically back and forth between Natalie's unmoving body on the ground, and her father, who's now sprinting to the car. Part of me wants to run after him and smash his head into the ground, but I know that I'm not tough or brave enough to do that. There's also something else holding me back, some silently painful gasp coming from behind me.

I turn to see that the gasp had come from Jonny, who had been placed directly behind Natalie. At first I thought he was looking at her, gasping, but I soon realized that his eyes, while being pointed downwards, where actually looking at his hand, which was open and covered in blood. His face drained of color, and it was then that I noticed where the blood had come from- there was a rather large hole, now a terrifically dark red, right in the middle of his chest.

Strangers on the Street (Finished)

AS Jonny leaves his antique shop one Sunday, he sees a man and his son, and he's reminded of his sad past.

It's a slash fic!

---

The antique shop was always closed on Sundays. It was the way it had always been, since we first opened it. Nearly all of the shops were closed, actually. There would only ever be one or two very daring entrepreneurs who left their doors open.

This particular Sunday was no different. I walked downstairs and over to the door to make sure that the sign was up. It was, but it had fallen slightly from its resting place just in the middle of the glass pane of the door. I fixed it so it was upright and in place, then left for the park. Sundays are lovely for a brisk stroll through town and through the park.

As I left the shop, making sure that the door was properly locked, I noticed a man and a small boy walk by. I swiveled to leave, and began to walk when I heard the man speak.

“Not now, Christopher, the shops are closed today. It's Sunday, remember?” the man said.

Christopher...

It was once such a sweet and lovely name. One that had carried with it the most wonderful feeling as it penetrated my eardrums. Over time, the name grew bitter and angry, as did the man who owned it.

I turned around to see the backs of the man and child, who were stopped outside of my shop. Every time I heard that name, I had to look. Though it pained me greatly to remember, he had played such a grand roll in my life.

The small boy was protesting, yet he knew it was not a battle to be won. The shop was closed and that was that. He protested anyway, as it was in his nature.

“Christopher, cease this disobedience this instant or you'll get a taste of-”

“No! No, sorry father. I shouldn't have acted in such a manner.”

The man nodded approvingly and placed a hand on the small boy's back. The boy was withdrawn into himself now, and he flinched noticeably at his father's touch.

I knew the two personalities well. It rather frightened me the similarities I saw between the boy and I. Never the loud one, always shied away in the corner, obedient and conforming until the end, lest he face the consequences of speaking his mind. And the father, well, he was very much the same as my old friend. A booming presence, so filled with energy and so capable of stating his opinion loud enough for the world to hear and even accept. Unfortunately, when the world was not so kind, the man became bitter and angry. His presence never dulled, however, and that was how he gained control over everyone in his life. He had realised that he could use his powers for evil, and so he did.

My old friend Christopher and I had known each other since we were young lads. We had lived on the same street, nearly right next to each other, and all throughout our childhood we were ne'er apart. As we grew, we seemed to become more and more isolated from everyone else. We were so wrapped up in each other that we barely knew what was going on in our own families, let alone the rest of the world.

One day we met in my back garden. We were teenagers now, around fifteen or so if I remember correctly. Christopher walked over, grinning as he always did. I smiled back and greeted him, but all he did was stop in front of me and continue to smile, almost dreamily.

“Jon,” he finally said, “I don't think it would be so odd to say that I am completely infatuated with you.”

“What?” was my immediate response. It was a bit of a shriek, I suppose, though I was much less offended than I sounded. I actually rather wanted to make sure that I heard him correctly.

“Oh, it's all right if you don't feel the same,” he replied, still beaming. “It's not like I would suggest that we act upon this, anyway. I just thought I would let you know that I have very strong feelings for you.”

“Well, thank you for letting me know. Erm... I rather like you, too,” I blushed.

“Of course,” he said, taking a step forward, the smile slowly fading and his voice taking on a more seductive tone, “if you wanted to act upon this, I also wouldn't object.” He bit down on his bottom lip and stared deeply in my eyes, and my nervousness began to grow.

“Chris, that's... that's certainly a daring proposition you've made,” I stammered. “But, surely we would have to find some privacy.”

His eyes softened and his cheeks rose, outlining his lower eyelids as they always did when he smiled. “Follow me,” he said, waving his hand and leading me to some place I wasn't sure of.

We stopped in front of an old building that had been buried somewhere in the trees. Christopher told me that it had been abandoned for quite some time. Neither of us were certain what the building had once been used for, though.

“I suppose we won't be disturbed here,” Christopher said as he leaned against the side of the building. “I don't think anyone has even come close to this place in years.”

“Why didn't you tell me about this place earlier?” I asked, joining him.

“I only discovered it yesterday, actually.” He smiled and lightly and affectionately hit my jaw with his hand. “Don't you worry, Jon, I'm not hiding anything from you.” We were both silent for a while after that, then he moved so he was in front of me, nearly inches away. “Do you know what's strange? I've never even kissed a girl before.”

“I have,” I replied, holding my clenched fists against the building to control my nervousness. “Once. I was four, though, so I don't suppose that counts.”

“Hmm... I would think not.” The next few moments were embarrassingly awkward. We both knew what was coming, yet we both were too afraid to initiate it. Christopher kept his gaze on me, and I was forced by my nervousness to look elsewhere. I tried to gather my courage, but Christopher seemed to have an easier time doing so. Slowly, apprehensively, he leaned closer until his lips were nearly against mine. He stayed there for a few seconds, breathing, “Lord, lead me not into temptation,” and then finally made the connection.

I would give almost anything to go back to that moment. It was the happiest I'd ever felt, and I'm certain it was the same for Christopher. It was probably also one of the last times he was happy at all.

A few days later, we went back to the abandoned building. Something about Christopher was off; his smile was gone and there was no enthusiasm in his diction. He quietly sat down on the ground, not caring about his clothes being dirtied. He was sitting cross-legged, his hands laying limply in his lap. I sat down beside him and carefully placed my hand on his knee.

“Chris, what's the matter?” He looked at my hand, then at me. There was a sadness in his eyes that I'd never seen before. I removed my hand and asked again.

“My parents... are sending my brother away,” he hoarsely replied. “Jon, they're sending him away... because...”

“Because of what?” I asked. I was deeply concerned by his distressed manner. I cared for him, of course, so it was hard to see him in such a state and to feel quite helpless.

“They're sending him away because he told them he is homosexual... We... We can't.” Christopher struggled to speak, his pale hands trembling and his face terribly gaunt. I wanted badly to embrace him and comfort him, but I knew that it would almost be counterproductive.

“I understand. Will you be all right?”

He turned his gaze towards the vast landscape flowing with trees. He sighed shortly and gave a small shrug. “I will be fine, eventually. This is definitely a sign...”

I followed his gaze and nodded, “It does appear to be that way.”

“You... were never a boy to me, you know? You were always just Jon.” He looked back at me once more, the sadness even harsher than before. He lifted one hand and quickly, gently brushed my cheek. When he let his hand fall, I noticed how gray his eyes looked. “Now you're a boy.”

If there was ever an official sound meant to represent the breaking of a heart, it was that sound that rung throughout the trees and echoed into our ears. Doubly so, as I know fully well that the gray was not for his brother.

And now it was time for me to break his heart. “As are you.”

The deafening silence was unbearable. I can not recall any time in my life where I shed a single tear, but I will admit that at that moment I came so close to that and more.

Finally, Christopher spoke, his voice shaky and regretful. “I should probably return home now, I don't think my parents knew that I left.”

“Then you should leave. Wouldn't want them to send you away, too, right?” I halfheartedly smiled, wishing desperately that I could lift his spirits, even a little bit. Much to my dismay, it only seemed to make matters worse.

“Goodbye, Jon. I shall speak to you again soon.” He lifted himself off of the brown earth, and dragged his feet along the path out of the woods. I stayed for a while longer, wishing to be alone with my thoughts. It's strange how after one small event, one's life can change so drastically.

I was in no rush to speak to Christopher afterward. Make no mistake, I wanted to speak to him, but I thought it best to allow him to approach me first. But, as I walked home from my parents' shop one day after my work was finished, I passed by his house to find him sitting on his front porch. He was crying.

I stopped on the sidewalk and watched him. I didn't want to say anything, though I had the feeling that my staring was not much better.

“He's dead,” Christopher told me. I hadn't expected him to say anything, in fact I hadn't realised he knew I was there. “They killed him.”

“They killed him?” I repeated in shock. I dared to step closer to him, though I only took one step.

“There was an accident,” he continued. “That's what they told us, at least. My other brothers and sister, they believed it. They're young. But I'm older, I know better.” For the first time since I had arrived, he looked up. His eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his face was much more pale and tired than it had been the last time I had seen him. “It was no accident.”

“Oh, Chris-”

“Go away now, Jon. I don't feel much like speaking today.” His tone was a bit more rash than I thought it should have been, but I accepted his request because I knew it was what I should have done.

“Of course. My condolences.”

“Thank you.” I stood there for only a moment longer, deeply saddened by what I knew was going to happen.

Christopher was never the same. As the days passed by, he became more and more angry and, frankly, extremely rude. He took advantage of my willingness to obey him, and I think he realised it, so one day he decided to cut any and all connection between us. From then on, I only saw him a total of twice, and both were merely in passing on the street.

When my parents died many years later, I was given the privilege of running the shop. It was something I took pride in, something to distract me from the mess that my life had become. I was and will most likely always be very reluctant to say that I was in love with Christopher, but at the very least he was the most important person in my life. I also firmly believe that he will continue to be until I die.

The man and boy were still standing in their positions, seemingly frozen in time while I was stuck reminiscing. Then I noticed the man had removed his hand from the boy's back and was looking at me. His eyes softened as he kindly smiled and waved. And for the first time in more than twenty years, the Christopher I had known so well shone through once more.

Economics (Finished)

ECONOMICS class is so boring. Nothing ever happens there.

It's a slash fic!

---

Economics.
The most boring class one could ever be forced to take. Will, Jonny, Chris, and Guy were all sitting in various seats around their classroom. The other seats were filled with their fellow classmates.
"Blah, blah, blah, labor unions, blah, blah, blah, teacher stuff!" Chris heard the teacher say. He wasn't really paying attention, he was doodling on a scrap piece of paper. Three seats over to the right, Guy was trying to make eye contact with the busty blond girl sitting on his left. She never looked at him.
Will, who was sitting closest to the door, stared impatiently at the clock. Although class had only just begun, he, and nearly everyone else in the room, desperately ached for it to be over with.
Probably the only person in the entire room that was really paying attention, even including the teacher, was Jonny. He sat front and center, and was jotting down notes like there was no tomorrow. Why he would jot down notes if there wasn't going to be a tomorrow to use them is anybody's guess.
Even though the teacher had told them they needn't copy down the overhead notes, Jonny was scribbling down everything and anything he could.
"And what are contracts... Mr. Martin?"
Chris looked up. His eyes grew wide as he realised that he hadn't been paying attention. He decided to just try to wing it.
"Uh... contracts are... legally binding... um, d-documents... that two parties sign... in order to... agree on... stuff?"
The teacher sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Maybe you should pay a bit more attention in class, instead of drawing," she craned her neck to see his paper, "yourself and Mr. Buckland... are you skipping through daisies?!?!"
"They're tulips," Chris disappointedly replied. He looked quickly over at Jonny, who was blushing like crazy, and trying to hide his head in embarrassment.
"Tulips don't look like that, Chris."
"Oh," Chris muttered. He sadly crumpled up his paper and threw it in his bag.
"Right, then. So, can anyone actually tell me what contracts are...?"
Jonny shyly raised his hand. Of course, Chris thought. Jonny's always paying attention. He probably knows everything.
Jonny began to explain to the class what the true definition of 'contract' is, and Chris couldn't help noticing how nice his voice was. He could listen to Jonny talk all day and never grow tired of it. He had always liked Jonny, though he wasn't sure that Jonny even knew he existed.
Of course, all that had changed the day Chris stood on the table in lunch and declared his love for Jonny. But even then Jonny never acknowledged him, unless Chris had done something embarrassing, like declaring his love in front of everyone. Or drawing the two of them skipping through tulips. Deep down, though, Chris knew they'd end up together. Just like Guy knew that he'd finally get that blond girl's attention.
He “accidentally” dropped his pencil. He “accidentally” threw his paper under her chair. He even “accidentally” stretched too far and hit her arm while yawning. Still nothing.
“Hey, are you gonna look at me or what?” he said after finally deciding to be as straight-forward as possible.
“Nope,” she merely replied, her eyes remaining focused on whatever she'd been previously staring at.
“Why not?”
“Because I know you want me to look at you. And I also know you're a player.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Berryman,” the teacher interrupted. “Perhaps you'd like to talk about strikes?”
“Oh, well, I'd like to, but I'm not really a public speaking kind of guy, you know.”
“No pun intended?” the blond girl whispered. Guy chuckled. The teacher was not happy.
“I'll see you after class, Mr. Berryman.”
“Which should be soon,” Will mumbled to himself. He was still looking at the clock. Two minutes left. Then he would go to art class. It was one of his favorites. He loved painting the most. The feel of a paintbrush in his hand was almost as wonderful as the feel of a drumstick, and he felt that he could express himself by painting as well as he could by making music. One minute left.
Jonny neatly packed his books and pencils away. He was still a bit flustered from the earlier mention of his name, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to encounter another embarrassment of that kind for at least the rest of the week. Yet, he knew that by the end of the day, Chris would probably have done something equally embarrassing, if not more.
He was right. As the bell rang, everyone began to leave, all quietly cheering the end of the dreadfully dull class. Jonny walked down to the end of the row of desks, where he was unsurprisingly greeted by Chris.
“Hi, Jonny!” Chris cheerfully said.
“Hi, Chris,” Jonny replied in monotone. He tried to walk faster, but it was no use. Chris would run to keep up with Jonny if he had to.
“Jonny, can I just ask you one thing?”
“What?”
“Why don't you like me?”
“Because I'm not gay.”
“No, I know that. I mean, you don't even like me as a friend, do you?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
Jonny stopped, moved over to the side of the hallway, and pulled Chris with him.
“Chris, you're just... I don't know.”
“You do know! You hate me, don't you? Just say it. Say it and I'll leave you alone.”
Jonny looked into Chris's bright blue eyes. He didn't hate him, far from it actually. But there was just something about Chris that kinda repulsed him. Maybe it was all that hair.
“I don't hate you,” Jonny said. “But I don't like you, either.”
“So you nothing me?” Chris said with big, sad eyes. “I think that's worse.”
“Maybe it is.”
“I'll just go now... bye, Jonny.” Chris slowly began to walk away, and Jonny watched him. Chris looked like a sad puppy or something. Jonny felt bad for him.
“Wait, Chris!” Chris turned around. “You can... sit with me in lunch, I guess.”
Chris smiled and grabbed Jonny's arm. “Come on!” he exclaimed.
“But no touching!” Jonny said, retracting his arm.
“Oh, sorry.” The two silently began to walk to the lunch room. “Jonny?”
“What?”
“This is the start of something, isn't it?” They both looked at each other. Deep down, Chris knew they'd end up together. Jonny knew it, too.

-

“OK, everyone settle down, please,” the teacher said. Most of the students were chatting with one another, even though the teacher was trying to begin. “Class has started.”
Like the good student he was, Jonny was already listening intently. Will was staring at the clock, as usual. Guy was making small talk with the girl who sat in front of him in an attempt to make the blond girl jealous. The only reason Chris was quiet was because he was busy staring at Jonny.
“OH MY GOD, WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP? Jesus!” At that moment, the entire room went silent as the class looked at the teacher with utter bewilderment. Even Chris moved his gaze to the teacher. “Thank you. Now, today we're going to be getting into groups of two and forming partnerships. You and your partner will have to come up with an idea for a business, and research the costs of purchasing a building or buying an empty lot and constructing a new building, starting your business, paying your employees, all that good stuff.”
I hope we get to pick who we work with, thought Chris. I wonder if Jonny would want to be my partner...
Coincidentally, Guy raised his hand. “Um, excuse me? Can we pick our own partners?” he asked, giving the blond girl a wink. She laughed at him.
“You'll all be disappointed to hear this, but I've already set you up into groups.”
“Oh, man!” Guy said. The blond girl laughed again.
Chris looked down sadly at the empty desk in front of him. Jonny would probably have said no, anyway.
“Let's see, here,” the teacher said, pulling out a list of some sort. “Chris, you'll be working with Will... Guy, you'll be working with Amber... Jonny, you'll be working with Carlos... blah...blah..”
Chris gathered up his belongings and slowly walked to the other side of the room, where Will was seated. He watched as Carlos swiftly walked over to Jonny.
Why couldn't that be me? he thought. Stupid Carlos probably doesn't even know how lucky he is.
Chris apprehensively sat down in the seat next to Will. He was honestly quite frightened.
Guy looked around the room. He didn't really care about other people, so he had no idea what anyone else in the class was called.
“You're trying to get with me and you don't even know my name?” a voice suddenly asked. Guy looked to his left. It was the blond girl. “I'm Amber, you know that, right?”
“Of course, I knew,” Guy lied. Amber wasn't buying it.
“Whatever.”
Jonny was sitting with Carlos, the pair of them rapidly writing a long list of possible business ideas.
Chris was just staring.
“Hey, Chris? I was thinking we could start an art supply shop, is that all right?” Will asked. Chris didn't hear him. “Chris?”
“Huh? Sorry,” Chris said. “What did you say?”
“We could start an art supply shop,” Will repeated.
“That sounds brilliant!” Chris smiled.
“Thank you. I actually know quite a lot about what things would cost, too, so we won't have to do so much work.”
“Cool,” Chris said. “Hey... you're friends with Jonny, right?”
“Well,” Will started, “I mean, we were like best friends when we were little, but... we kinda grew apart. Why?”
“I was wondering if you'd be able to help me... See, 'cause I really, really like him, only he doesn't think that I'm so great.”
“Oh, so you're that Chris.”
“That Chris?” Chris worriedly asked.
“Oh, I didn't mean it offensively, it's just that I didn't know you were the one with the thing for Jonny.”
“Well, I am.”
“This might be a little personal, but... are you gay?” Will asked, fidgeting slightly in his seat.
“I don't know,” Chris said, staring down at the floor. “I mean, I kinda hope not. It's just... well, there's just something about Jonny, you know?”
“You really, really like him?”
“Yeah, for four years. For a while he didn't even know who I was... now he knows but he doesn't act like it most of the time.”
Will sighed. “I'll help you.”
“Really?” Chris said, beaming. “Oh, thank you! You know, you're a lot nicer than you look... and a lot nicer than people say you are.”
“Yeah, I don't know what's up with that. Everyone thinks I'm some kind of jerk or something. I'm not really.”
“No, you're a great friend,” Chris smiled.
Guy was not having as much luck.
“You are such a player!” Amber yelled. Instead of working on the project, Guy had tried to flirt with the girl who had been sitting in front of him earlier, yet again trying to make Amber jealous.
“Hey, I can't help it. This is just how I do,” he said, trying to act cool.
“You're a jerk, you know that?”
Guy smiled. “You love it.” He nonchalantly looked away, though he could see out of the corner of his eye that Amber was smiling to herself.
“So, Carlos, we've got a lot of ideas here,” Jonny said, motioning to the three full pages of ideas. “But we only need one. Which one do you think we should pick?”
“Can we do the tanning salon?” Carlos asked. “I think that'll go over well.”
“Hmm, a tanning salon? That does sound like a good idea,” Jonny replied. “Now, we'll need to find a place to buy. And we'll have to look up costs for tanning booths, and sprays... we'll probably need some permits.” Jonny opened his folder, took out another piece of paper, and began to write more. Carlos watched, nodding his head at everything Jonny said.
“You've really got it bad, haven't you?” Will asked as he wrote down what he could remember from the list of art supplies he had looked at a few days earlier when he went shopping for a new easel. Chris turned to him.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“That's the fifteenth time you've looked over there in the past three minutes. You've got it bad.” For a few moments Chris stared at Will. He was right. There was hardly a minute that went by where Chris didn't think about Jonny, especially if they were in the same room together. He already knew that what he felt was love, but it was weird to him that other people recognized it, too. Then, without even thinking, Chris turned his head.
“That's sixteen.”

-

Chris sat down in his seat. Another day, another boring economics class.
He opened his notebook to a blank page and began drawing. He liked to draw when he was bored and had nothing else to do. Since he was a bit early, the room was mostly empty. As time went on, though, the room slowly filled with his classmates.
His drawing only took about three minutes to complete. He held it up in front of him and admired the work. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was alright. The ink lines ran across the page and merged into one another to form the outline of a flower. Chris thought it was supposed to be a tulip, but he wasn't sure anymore. It was some sort of flower, anyway.
He lowered the paper down and looked around the room. Naturally, the first thing that caught his eye was Jonny. Jonny was walking to his seat. When he got there, he removed his backpack and sat down. After a few seconds, he turned his head and looked in the direction that Chris was sitting in. Panicked, Chris lowered his head to look at the desk. “Oh my god, he looked at me!” he said.
“... Are you talking to yourself?” the girl sitting next to Chris asked. Chris slowly looked up at her.
“Maybe.” The girl took a good look at him, narrowing her judging eyes, then leaned towards the girl sitting to her right, who happened to be Amber. “Amber, this guy sitting next to me is weird.”
“Yeah, well, the Guy sitting next to me is a man-whore,” Amber replied.
“Is he really?” the other girl asked, craning her neck to get a look at Guy. “But he's kinda cute.”
“Wanna switch seats?” Amber asked.
“Hmm.. sure!”
Amber and the other girl quickly switched seats. Chris had gone back to drawing, trying to perfect his flower.
“That's a nice drawing,” Amber said to him.
“Um, thanks,” Chris replied.
“You're Chris, right?”
Chris nodded. “That's what they call me.”
“I'm Amber. My friend said you're weird.”
“How nice of her.”
“Can everyone please get together with your partners,” the teacher commanded. The room filled with the sound of shifting students. Chris looked around, but he couldn't find Will.
“What do you we do if our partner isn't here?” he asked. At that moment, the door burst open. “Never mind.”
“Sorry I'm late!” Will exclaimed as he rushed over to the teacher, a note in his hand. Then he rushed over to where Chris was seated.
“Looks like your moving seats thing didn't help after all,” Guy said as he sat down in front of Amber. “You're still stuck with me.”
“Yeah, don't remind me.”
“So, Chris, I looked up some more stuff for our art store,” Will said.
“You're doing an art store?” Guy laughed.
“Shut up, Guy. What are you doing?”
“We,” Guy started, leaning back in his chair in an attempt to look cool, “are opening up a strip club.”
“A strip club?” Will said in a non-believing tone.
“Well, we can't actually call it a strip club.”
“Yeah, then what are you gonna call it? A gentleman's club?” Will sarcastically asked.
“Very funny. At least we're not starting some lame art store.”
Chris, not really caring about Guy and Will's bickering, turned his attention to the pair of guys in the center of the room.
Jonny and Carlos were sitting next to each other. Jonny was constantly writing, some sort of book opened up on the desk in front of him. Carlos was just staring at the board, twiddling his thumbs.
Carlos is such a jerk, Chris thought. If I were him, I'd do all the work so Jonny wouldn't have to. Aw, poor Jonny, doing all that work by himself...
Meanwhile, Will was doing all the work for their project by himself.
“Chris, do you have your part done?” Will asked. Chris didn't hear him. “Chris?” Still nothing.
After a few more failed attempts, Will took his textbook and hit Chris in the head with it.
“Huh? What?” Chris said, rubbing the spot where Will had hit him.
“Listen, Chris,” Will sighed, “I talked to Jonny yesterday, OK? I didn't say anything about you, because I didn't want to seem too obvious. But he and I are hanging out later, and I'll talk to him about you then, does that sound good?”
“Yeah,” Chris replied.
“Good. Now, can you please tell me if you've finished your part of the project? We've only got until tomorrow, you know.”
“Yeah, it's all done. Here,” Chris said, handing his papers over to Will. “Everything should be there.”
Will looked through the papers. “What's this?” he asked, pulling out a sheet. “Is that a... daisy?”
“Oh!” Chris exclaimed, ripping the paper from Will's hand. “That's supposed to be a tulip.”
“Tulips don't look like that, Chris.”
“I know,” Chris disappointedly replied. He started to crumple it, but Will stopped him.
“Wait! It's still nice, though. We could actually use it for a logo or something.” Will took the paper back and placed it in front of him. “Yeah, this would be a nice logo.”
“We have to have logos?” Guy interrupted. “Oh man, we are so far behind.”
“Maybe that's because you keep slacking off,” Amber bitterly replied. “If you'd stop trying to flirt with everyone and do some work, maybe we'd be finished.”
“Hey, I don't flirt with everyone... just you,” Guy added, winking.
“It's not working,” Amber said. Guy knew she was lying, though, as she had to cover her mouth to hide her smile.

-

“Did you talk to him? What did he say? What did you say?” Chris spat out as he ran up to Will.
“Will you calm down, Chris? Give me a minute to answer your first sixty questions before you ask a hundred more.” Chris apologetically backed away a tiny bit. “Yes, I talked to him.”
He didn't continue, instead he waited until Chris grew so anxious that he started asking more questions. Slowly, Chris's lip began to twitch, and a few moments later he found it impossible to contain himself.
“What happened? How was it? What did you say? What did he say? What did he do? Does he hate me now? Do you hate me now?”
Suddenly, Will was starting to regret not instantly telling Chris everything.
“Stop!” he yelled. “First of all, why would I hate you?”
“I don't know, I'm sure there are a thousand reasons,” Chris shrugged.
“Well, I don't hate you, and neither does Jonny.”
“What did you say to him?” Chris calmly asked.
“I said something about this class, and how you were my partner, and I asked him if he knew who you were.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he did, but he didn't sound too thrilled about it.” Will watched as Chris's already anxious expression grew slightly more saddened. “But then I said something like, 'He's all right,' and Jonny said, 'Yeah, he's all right.' ”
Chris took a deep breath and grinned, placing a hand to his heart. “He said I'm all right?” Will couldn't help laughing a little.
“Yeah, he did.”
“Did he say anything else?” Will thought for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not to tell Chris was else he learned. Chris deserved not to be lied to, but it wasn't necessarily any of his business. Plus, it wasn't exactly the best news.
“Kind of,” Will said. “But... not anything... important.”
“Oh... I should probably go sit down now. I'll talk to you later.” Chris turned and headed towards his seat. When he was about halfway through the classroom, he looked up.
He stopped dead in his tracks and his jaw fell open. He couldn't breathe. It felt like someone was crushing his lungs. And his heart... The pain was what he equated to being shot, though he had never experienced that.
Standing in the center of the room, affectionately kissing Amber on the lips, was Jonny.
“Oh, shit...” someone next to Chris said. Chris briefly turned and looked through his tears to see that the words had come from Guy, who was also standing open-jawed.
“I guess we're in the same boat now,” Chris said. Guy looked at him. “Guy, right?”
“Yeah. And you're Chris?”
“Yep.” Chris looked solemnly at the floor. He sighed. “This is the worst day of my life.”
“Wait, you've got a thing for Amber, too?”
Chris shook his head. “No, Jonny. You've got a thing for Amber?”
“Yeah, I mean, look at her!” Guy exclaimed. “She's smokin'.”
“Jonny's so much more than just smokin',” Chris said. They both looked over to the new couple. “He's the nicest person in the world. And he's smart, and he's funny, and he's...” Chris, despite his attempts to hold his emotions back, felt tears drip down his cheeks. “... got a girlfriend.” He covered his mouth with his hand and quickly walked past Guy to his seat. He threw himself into the chair and tried to hide his face, slowly sinking down in the seat. Shortly after, Guy took the seat in front of Chris. He felt really bad for Chris.
“Hey,” he said, tapping Chris on the arm. “Don't be so sad. They can't last forever.”
Chris looked up. He appreciated Guy's efforts, but it didn't help.
“Jonny doesn't like me anyway. He only thinks I'm all right.”
“That could change,” Guy replied. Then, he got an idea. “And we could change it.”
“What do you mean?” Chris asked.
“I have an idea,” Guy said. “A plan which will hopefully get you with Jonny and me with Amber.”
Chris leaned forward. “Yeah?”
As Guy whispered his plans to Chris, Jonny whispered something to Amber.
“Jonny!” Amber giggled. “That's not very appropriate.”
Jonny frowned, a very serious look on his face. “All I said was I like your vest.”
“... Oh.” Amber, blushing, quickly excused herself and sat down in her seat. Jonny laughed at his girlfriend, then sat down. Before he did so, though, he caught a glimpse of Chris and Guy talking on the side of the room. He felt a twinge of guilt, though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't his fault he and Amber liked each other.
“Hi, Amber,” Chris said as naturally as he could. Guy had already left and returned to his own desk.
“Hey, Chris.” Chris looked at Amber. Part of him wanted to hit her. He knew it would be a ridiculous thing to do, though. What he needed to do was to put his and Guy's plan into action.
“So... dating Jonny, eh?”
“Yeah.”
“How long?”
“A few days,” she said.
“Really? But you were, uh, you know, flirting with Guy the other day, weren't you?” Chris was very bad at acting. Amber hardly noticed though.
“I don't think I was.”
Chris put a hand to his face and pondered. “Maybe it was Jonny flirting with Guy, then.”
Now Amber couldn't ignore Chris's failed attempts at acting nonchalant. “Or maybe it was Guy who was flirting with Jonny. He is a man-whore, after all,” she said.
“That's cold,” Chris said. “You know, Guy is one of my best friends, and he's so nice. One of the nicest people on Earth, really, and I don't appreciate you calling him a man-whore like that.”
“One of your best friends?”
“Yes.”
“What's his last name, then?”
“Uh...” Chris was toast. There was no way he could keep this up any longer, especially because he was horrible at lying. “It's, uh... I don't really see how that's relevant.”
Amber nodded, and leaned forward. “You can tell your best friend that he can stop recruiting people to hit on me for him. I'm with Jonny now... as I'm sure you know,” she coldly added. As she turned away, Chris decided that hitting her would not actually be so ridiculous. So, he spent the entire class imagining himself shooting her with lasers.
He was really jealous.

-

For the next week, Amber would walk into Economics every day and greet Jonny. They would talk until the bell rang, then Amber would return to her seat.
During those days, Chris never showed up to class on time. He waited in the hallway outside of the door until the bell rang so he wouldn't have to see Jonny with Amber. Every now and then Guy would walk out and talk to him.
“Hey, Chris,” Guy said.
“Hey,” Chris answered.
“So, how's the plan going?”
“Well... are Jonny and Amber still together?”
“Yeah,” Guy muttered.
“Then it's not going so great,” Chris said.
“Listen, I think that might change soon, though,” Guy said. “I've been talking to Amber's friend, and she says that they don't really seem like they should be a couple.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Chris asked.
“Like, they don't have any chemistry, you know? So, I don't think they'll last much longer.” Guy looked off into the distance and smiled a devious smile. “It's near the end, I can feel it.”
The bell rang. Chris sighed and he and Guy walked into the room. “I hope you're right.”
Chris and Amber sat down in their respective seats at nearly the same time. They both glanced over at Jonny.
Jonny was sitting with his hands on his desk, fingers laced together, patiently waiting for the class to begin. Amber smiled. She like that about him, that he was always so enthusiastic about learning; she thought it was cute.
Her smiled faded. That was the problem. He was cute and funny, sure, but that's not what she wanted.
What she wanted was sexy... charming... Scottish...
She looked two seats over to her right. Guy was talking to her friend, whose name, he learned, was Clarissa. He must have said something funny, because she was laughing. Flirtatiously.
Amber felt horrible for thinking the things she did about Guy, not only because she was with Jonny and had been for a mere week and a half, but because she knew he was a player, yet she still fell for it. What made things worse was that she knew he wanted her, too.
She looked to her left. Chris was still staring at Jonny, though he soon realized that Amber was watching him and looked away. Amber sighed. Just another thing to make her feel horribly guilty.
“Today we'll be looking at classified ads,” the teacher said, handing out packets of paper. “Of course, these are just made up, but you'll be able to get an idea of what it would be like if you were to try and find a job.”
Chris took the stack of papers from the kid in front of him, grabbed the top packet, and handed the rest back. He quickly glanced at a few of the ads.
Cashier, babysitter, bus boy, carpenter, telemarketer. They were all horrible. He had no interest in any of them. Why couldn't there be a musician needed? He loved music more than life. More than... no, not more than Jonny. But close.
Will, on the other hand, thought the assignment was wonderful. There weren't many interesting choices, but he recognized that not everything in life could be interesting. Plus, you have to start somewhere, and even little jobs like washing dishes could take you places in the end.
Being the good student he was, Jonny obediently read all the ads, circled ones he thought sounded OK, and filled out the forms on the other papers.
Guy didn't even look at the paper. He was too busy flirting with Clarissa. He really had no interest in her, but he hope that flirting with her would make Amber jealous.
Amber stared at her paper, but didn't do anything. She just kept thinking about her situation, trying to make a decision. It was a difficult challenge, but by the time the class ended she had made up her mind.
“Jonny, can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked as she walked over to Jonny's seat. There were still about five minutes until the class was technically over.
“Oh...” was all Jonny said. He knew what she was going to say.
“It's just not working, right?” Amber asked.
Jonny slowly shook his head. “No.”
“I'm sorry. I guess... I thought I liked you more than I actually did.”
“I know how you feel,” Jonny agreed.
“Maybe that's not a bad thing, though. Some people just aren't compatible. And we can still be friends.”
“Yeah, of course. You're a nice person, Amber.”
“And you're nice, too, Jonny. I'm glad we're friends,” she smiled. “I do feel bad, though, since it's only been, what? A week?”
“Week and a half, yeah. But don't worry about it, I mean, we both feel the same.”
“Good,” Amber said. “Plus... I think there's someone who deserves you way more than I do.”
“Who?” Jonny asked, and Amber gave him a look that said, 'You know who.'
Chris was at his desk, struggling to fit his right arm into the strap of his backpack. He looked like such a dork.
“I'm not saying you have to fall in love with him or anything,” Amber said. “You don't even have to like him. But you should talk to him, be his friend. And please, just keep an open mind when you do?”
Jonny sighed. “OK.”
Amber smiled. “I'm glad we had this talk, Jonny. And, uh... we still have a few minutes left... you could go talk to him now. Ta!” Amber waved and walked away. Jonny gathered his belongings and headed towards Chris.
Chris had only just managed to put on his backpack when Jonny spoke. “Hi, Chris.”
Chris looked up, completely stunned. “Hi, Jonny.”
“How, uh... how are things going?” Jonny awkwardly asked.
“Things aren't going too good,” Chris answered honestly.
“Amber and I broke up, you know.” Jonny expected to see Chris light up, but he didn't.
“You did? Sorry to hear.”
“Why? You should be jumping for joy, right? This is good news for you.”
“But it sucks for you,” Chris said.
“Eh, not really. I didn't like her so much anyway.” Jonny struggled to find something to talk about. Luckily, he was saved the trouble of coming up with a topic for discussion by the ringing bell. “Well, I'll talk to you later.”
“Yeah,” Chris said as they began to walk away, a smile stretched across his face. “Talk to you later.”

-

“Chris, Chris, Chris!” Guy yelled down the hallway. Chris turned around.
“It's nice to see you too, Guy,” Chris said.
“Did you hear about Amber and Jonny?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn't it fantastic?” Guy said, beaming.
“Better for you than me, I think.”
Guy tilted his head to the side. “Why's that?”
“Amber seems to like you more than Jonny likes me,” Chris explained. “But he did talk to me yesterday,” he added, smiling.
“Really? What did he say?”
“Well, he just said hi and asked how things were going, then the bell rang. Still, progress is progress, right?”
“You know what, Chris? I like your optimism,” Guy said as they entered the classroom.
Guy walked over to his seat to find that Clarissa was no longer sitting to his left, much to her dismay. Instead, Amber's bubbly blondness filled the seat. Guy didn't have any problem with that.
“So, I see you're sitting next to me now,” Guy said.
“Yeah, well... It would seem that you're quite good at what you do,” Amber replied.
“Does that mean you like me, then?”
“Maybe,” Amber deviously smiled.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I honestly have nothing planned for today, because, well, I wasn't supposed to be here. You were supposed to have a sub, but things changed and now I am here. So, I'm just going to play this movie that you would have watched anyway had there been a sub today,” the teacher announced in an awfully tired tone. A few minutes later, the teacher had started the movie. It was a boring movie about how the economy works. It was worse than any other thing they'd done in that class.
Naturally, no one payed it any attention. Will stared at the clock, Chris stared at Jonny, Jonny stared at the screen (though he wasn't paying attention either). Guy and Amber continued their conversation.
“Do you want to go see a movie or something?” Guy whispered.
“Sure. When?”
“I don't know, maybe Friday?”
“Friday works for me,” she said, smiling. Then she shook her head. “I can't believe I'm saying yes to you.”
“Why can't you believe it?”
“Because you're... not really my type, I guess.”
“You think I'm a player,” Guy said.
“Yeah.”
“I'm not, I promise.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Berryman, could you please stop interrupting my class?” the teacher asked. “In fact, why don't you take a seat up here? There's a free spot right next to Mr. Buckland.”
Guy rolled his eyes. The teacher never liked him. He was always the one getting in trouble, it seemed. Still, he moved up to the seat beside Jonny.
Jonny didn't move his focus at all, until a few minutes later when a note was being shoved under his arm. He hesitantly took the paper and opened it.
It was a note from Guy, which said, Got any tips for going out with Amber?
Jonny thought it was a bit rude for Guy to ask him such a thing, though he didn't really mind. He wrote back, Yeah, make sure there aren't any other guys in love with you. Oh, and make sure that she actually likes you.
Guy took the note, and moments later handed it back to Jonny.
She broke up with you because of Chris?
Jonny had to stop and think for a while after he read that. Did she break up with him because of Chris? Well, he was one of the reasons.
I guess so... she said that he deserved me more than she did.
Probably because he's in love with you, and she, you know, wasn't. But, do you even like him or anything?
Well... I don't actually really know him, to be honest.
Maybe you should change that. He's a great guy. Oh, and we should probably stop passing notes, the teacher's looking at me kinda funny. I'm already in enough trouble as it is.
Jonny reread the note over and over. Guy had a point. Chris did seem like a great person.
Fifteen seemingly endless minutes later, the bell rang. This time, the cheers were no longer silent. A chorus of thirty students all sang, “Thank God!” as they exited the room.
Jonny made sure that he got Chris's attention before he left.
“Chris, wait up!” Jonny yelled from across the room. Chris immediately stopped and waited for Jonny by the door.
Oh my god, he's gonna talk to me again, Chris thought. What if I say something stupid? Duh, Chris, you always say something stupid.
“What's up?” Chris asked as Jonny walked up to him.
“I was thinking... we should hang out later,” Jonny said.
“We should?” Chris repeated. “Um, yeah, of course! Definitely!”
“Cool. And you can sit with me in lunch, if you want to.”
“I'd like that very much,” Chris smiled. “Jonny?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being nice to me,” Chris said. “I know you don't like me, but it means a lot to me.”
“Oh. Well, you're welcome. But as for the not liking you thing,” Jonny said, “never say never.”

-

Chris walked into class the next day, positively glowing. Never before had things gone so right in his life.
Not only was Jonny acknowledging his existence, they were also becoming friends. When Chris's parents asked where he was going the afternoon before, and he answered, “Hanging out with Jonny,” he had to hold his breath to stop himself from squeeing.
As he sat down in his seat, he was greeted by a familiar voice.
“Hey, Chris!” Jonny said as he walked by.
“Hi, Jonny!” Chris breathlessly replied. Then he turned to Clarissa, who really couldn't have cared less, and said, “He said 'hi' to me. Ee!”
“So that weird thing hasn't changed, I see,” Clarissa said. Chris, recognizing that Clarissa didn't care about him, turned his head to face the front of the room. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Jonny, who seemed to be looking over at him. Chris blushed and tried to hold back the grin that was tearing it's way onto his face. Then he got an idea.
“Hey, Guy,” Chris called to his right. “Come here real quick, I need your help.”
Guy, not too thrilled to have his conversation with Amber interrupted, sighed and walked over to Chris.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You know how to get girls, right? 'Cause you're a player?”
“Why does everyone think that?”
“You're not?” Chris asked, dumbfounded.
“No. And... between you and me,” Guy leaned forward and whispered, “I've never actually, you know, had a girlfriend before.”
“Seriously?!?!”
“Seriously.”
“Me neither,” Chris shrugged. “Anyway... do you think you could still help me?”
“With what?”
“What do you think I could do to get Jonny to like me? I mean, I think we're friends now, which is great, but I still want him to like me.”
Guy thought for a few moments. “Oh! First, you should get a haircut.”
“Haircut?” Chris repeated, brushing a hand through his curls. Then he added, reluctantly, “I guess I could do that.”
“Good... Yeah, try that first, see how it goes. Good luck, then,” he said, and walked back to Amber.
“So, anyway, Friday's not gonna work for me,” Amber said. “For the movie. Is Saturday OK?”
“Yeah, it should be,” Guy replied. “What's with Friday?”
“My dad's coming home from his business trip. I have to go with my mom to pick him up from the airport.”
“Oh. Well, have fun with that.”
“I'd much rather be having fun with you,” she said, winking. Then she quickly frowned. “Oh, that sounded a lot dirtier than I meant it to.”
Guy laughed. “It's all right.”
A few seats over, Will was buried in a book about painting. It told about different artists throughout history, different styles of painting, and all sorts of other artsy things. Will was reading it in hopes of furthering his knowledge of art.
He flipped the page and saw the most beautiful painting he'd ever seen. It was a simple painting of melons titled, “Viva la Vida.” It was not extravagant by any means, which was what added to its marvelousness. More importantly, Will found it to be very thought-provoking. Why such a meaningful title for such an ordinary subject?
He spent the entire class thinking about that painting. In fact, he managed to space out and miss every single thing the teacher said to them. Only after the bell rang did he wake up from his thoughts. He looked around the room, alarmed, to see that everyone was leaving. So, he grabbed his books and went along on his merry way.
While walking down the hallway, he realised that he was behind Chris and Jonny. Though he wasn't a nosy person, he couldn't help overhearing their conversation.
“I had a great time yesterday,” Jonny said.
“Me too,” Chris replied. “I really like spending time with you, Jonny.”
“I have to be honest, you're a lot cooler than I thought you were. You know, you kinda come off as a huge dork.”
“I know,” Chris disappointedly said. “That's why nobody likes me.”
“No, lots of people like you,” Jonny said, reassuringly.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“...Do you like me?” Chris asked.
“Well, from what I've gathered, you're a neurotic freak and very self-deprecating... but you're pretty awesome,” Jonny admitted.
Chris smiled. “Oh, Jonny, you're killing me.”
Jonny laughed, “Why do you like me so much?”
“I don't know,” Chris sighed. “I just do.”
“Well, I appreciate it. And... maybe I'll return the favor.”

-

Will stood by his seat, simply removing his backpack, when Jonny rushed up to him.
“Will, oh my God, did you see Chris?” Jonny asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean have you seen Chris today?”
“No, why? Are you looking for him?”
“No, no, no, no,” Jonny rambled. Then, with big eyes, he leaned forward and said, “He cut his hair.”
Will didn't really care. “Really?”
“Will, he... I...” Jonny fumbled with the words. “Well, I mean...”
Will could see that Jonny was becoming very flustered.
“A haircut, seriously?” he said in disbelief. “That's what it took?”
“No, not just that,” Jonny replied. “But, Will, you should see him now...”
Will glanced around the room, looking for Chris. Sure enough, Chris was standing a few rows away, talking to Guy.
“I don't know if I like this,” Chris said. “It feels weird.”
“You look fine, man,” Guy said.
“Do you think Jonny will like it?”
“I don't see why not,” Guy replied. “It's a good look for you.”
Chris sighed, rubbed his hand against his short hair, and repeated, “It feels weird.”
“Wow, I can actually see around his head now,” Will laughed.
“Should I tell him?” Jonny asked.
“Yeah, he'd probably like to know.”
“Oh, but I'm really nervous now.”
“Why are you nervous?” Will asked, lightly smacking Jonny. “You already know he likes you. Actually, he's, like, hopelessly in love with you. Though, I suppose it's not hopeless anymore.”
“But what if he, like, suddenly changed his mind?”
“Since yesterday, Jonny? I don't think so. Go over there and tell him.”
After a few seconds of standing still, Will pushed Jonny away from him.
Jonny stumbled, but once he regained his balance, he started to walk over to Chris. His heart was pounding in his chest and he desperately needed a drink of water.
By that point, Chris was walking over to his own seat.
I really, really hope Jonny likes my haircut, he thought. Otherwise I-
“Chris!” Jonny called. Chris whirled around and nervously scratched behind his ear.
“Jonny, hi!” He wasted no time, and quickly spit out, “Do you like my hair?”
Jonny smiled. “Yeah... actually, I have something I need to... tell you...”
“Oh, God, what is it? Do you hate me now?”
Jonny laughed at how ridiculously paranoid Chris was being, without thinking about how he was probably just as paranoid. His nervousness subsided, however, when he noticed the adorably confused look on Chris's face.
Somehow, in those few moments, he had all the courage in the world. And so, with all that courage built up inside of him- what else was he to do?- he kissed Chris.


Chris slowly opened his eyes. It felt like he just woke up, but he was rather confused by the concerned-looking Jonny hovering over him.
Whoa... he thought. What happened?
“What happened?” he voiced. Jonny breathed a sigh of relief and held out a hand to help Chris up.
Chris gladly accepted and was pulled to his feet. He looked around to see that he was in his Economics class, and there were a few people gathered around him.
“Um, you, uh... fainted,” Jonny said in a low voice.
“I did?”
“Yeah.”
“OK, everyone, back to your seats, please!” the teacher announced. Jonny looked at Chris for a few more seconds, smiled, then left. The teacher rushed over to Chris.
“Chris, are you OK? Do you want to go to the nurse or something?”
“No, I'm fine,” Chris said. “Thanks.”
The teacher didn't seem to be satisfied with his answer, but accepted it anyway. “Well, if you feel like you're going to pass out again, just let me know, OK?”
“OK.” Chris sat down in his seat.
He rarely paid attention in class, and today was definitely no exception.
He felt... odd. He'd never fainted before, and on top of feeling a little lightheaded, he was also a bit... he wasn't sure how to describe it. It was like butterflies, almost, but a thousand times more fluttery. And also, some anxiety was thrown in there.
It was the weirdest thing ever.
When class finally ended, he walked as slowly as he could to the door, as he still wasn't feeling too hot. Jonny noticed, and slowed down his pace as well.
“Chris, how are you doing?” Jonny asked.
“I'm still a bit... woozy,” Chris said. “Jonny, what happened? Why did I faint?”
“Oh...” Jonny said, blushing like crazy. “I might have, um... I might have, you know, kissed you.”
“WHAT?” Chris exclaimed. He stopped walking altogether, and Jonny started to worry a bit.
“And then you fainted... I took it as a bad sign,” Jonny frowned. “I'm sorry.”
“No, no, don't be sorry. It's not a bad sign at all,” Chris said with one breath, “in fact, it's just that I'm a little shocked because I never thought this would happen and now it's happening and I'm just a little shocked and right now I really need to sit down.”
“We're in the middle of the hallway, that might be a bit hard,” Jonny said. “Come on, we'll walk to the cafeteria, and you can lean on me if you need to.”
“Thank you, Jonny,” Chris said. They both began to walk, and Chris placed his hand on Jonny's shoulder to stabilize himself. Much to his surprise, moments later he felt a hand- which happened to be one of Jonny's- rest on his hip.
Like a-thousand-times-more-fluttery butterflies.

-

"Did you think that was gonna happen, Jonny?" Chris asked. "Did you ever once in your life imagine that we would be... hehe... dating?"
Jonny and Chris were walking to Economics, holding hands. Chris was grinning like an idiot.
It was kind of embarrassing Jonny.
"Yeah, actually," Jonny replied. "But, you know, that was only about five minutes before we started."
"I always knew we'd end up together. Though I don't know why you'd like me."
"I don't know either, but it's probably best not to dwell on it."
Chris laughed. "See, it's easy to figure out why I like you."
"Is it?"
"Yes, it's because you're very sweet and funny. And beautiful," he added with a smile.
"You're not so bad looking yourself, Martin," Jonny smiled back.
They walked into the classroom, and Jonny went to his seat.
As he sat down, he realised that Chris had followed him and had taken the seat beside him.
Noticing Jonny's surprise, Chris's eyes widened with horror.
"Did you not want me to sit next to you?" he asked.
"No, it's fine, I just didn't know you were going to."
"I can move back to my other seat if you want."
"Chris, it's OK," Jonny said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Chris sighed in relief. "Good."
Jonny shook his head, but he couldn't help laughing a little.
Guy and Amber walked into the room much like Chris and Jonny had, smiling and laughing and all that good stuff.
"It was such a horrible movie!" Amber laughed.
"No, it was obviously the most awesome thing ever," Guy said sarcastically.
"Even the title was bad. I mean, 'Things From Space,' seriously?"
"It could be worse, we could have gone to see the Hannah Montana Movie."
"Ugh, so true."
"Jonny, all is right with the world, isn't it?" Chris asked.
"What do you mean?"
"We're together, Guy and Amber are together..." Chris looked around to find Will.
Will was sitting and staring at the clock. Nothing new there.
"... Will still likes art."
Jonny laughed. "I suppose you're right."
"Everything's perfect."
"Class! Today we're going to start our new chapter... about credit!" the teacher said, passing out a bunch of worksheets. "It's something that you're going to be using for the rest of your life, if you haven't already been introduced to it."
Chris took one look at the worksheets and scoffed.
He leaned over and whispered to Jonny, "Can't we ever learn anything that's not extremely boring?"
"No, of course not, Chris. Nothing interesting ever happens in this class."