Brian's pretty sure this day is the longest in the entire history of the universe ( Read more... )

The adrenaline fades as soon as AJ walks out of the classroom. He doesn't look to see if Nick follows him out. He doesn't care. He feels like an impostor in his own skin, shaky and uncertain on his feet. The gym is only a couple of steps away, but it feels like an eternity passes before he makes it halfway across the corridor. AJ stops. His head is ( Read more... )

At the start of the school year, Justin already knew Tuesdays were going to be his favorite days. Coach Sylvester is on a sabbatical this year, which means Coach is their only phys ed teacher, which means that, now that basketball season is in full swing, Justin's Tuesdays have turned into pretty much full days of basketball ( Read more... )

It's a long, fuzzy day. A bit like someone's put mufflers on him without his permission, and all he can do is look around at the people around him and guess at what they're saying. Brian spends most of it staring out of windows in his classrooms and scribbling down the occasional note that he won't be able to understand tomorrow.

Let me take you ( Read more... )

There's that post-vacation fatigue lingering in the air when Brian gets to school. The halls are filled with sad, tired faces and people looking listlessly out the windows like they're already longing for the four days of freedom they've just left behind ( Read more... )

It's still dark out when AJ gets to school. It's dark and cold and so, so quiet. Almost as quiet as it'd been at the house, but at least here there's a chance he won't be alone. Even if being alone is what he needs right now, at least until he figures out the mess in his head and locks it down. But he's already spent the weekend doing just that, ( Read more... )

It's been a long week. (Which is weird, considering the week's only half over and they're out of school for the long weekend, but.) AJ hasn't been avoiding Brian - they still have classes together, and that History project - but he can't seem to make himself relax when they're around each other, and Brian's obviously feeling the strain. He hadn't ( Read more... )

'AJ's not being a stalker. He's maybe in the classroom a little earlier than usual, but he'd spent at least forty minutes before homeroom in this classroom almost every day last week, so it's practically a routine by this point. And he might be in a chair close to the teacher's desk, but the floor is cold, and cheap plastic is an improvement. And ( Read more... )

It's one of those quiet afternoons that Brian hasn't had with someone in a while. The random chill music playlist he pulled up an hour ago is still running low and inconspicuous in the background, and dusk happened so subtly that they haven't gotten up to turn on any more lights. Just the desk lamp and the one on his nightstand are lit, creating ( Read more... )

There's a feeling AJ gets right before he does a show, a cocktail of nerves and a thrill that won't be tamped down. And then, underneath all that, a grounding calm, knowledge that he's exactly where he's supposed to be. Watching a show, though - that's different. All of his good memories - his best memories - are tied up in the stage. It's ( Read more... )