"The man!" Henry yelled, pushing through everyone in the hallways to make it to me.

I chuckled as we did our handshake, and he pulled me in for a hug.

"Bro, school is not the same without you," he said, "we've missed you."

"Welcome back!"

My eyes went wide at everyone crowding my locker with a huge banner, earning a laugh from me. Fran, Josie, Eros, Brian, and Amelia were all standing there with huge smiles on their faces.

"Thank you guys," I said, smiling a warm smile.

Life had seemed to begin to feel normal again- as much as I didn't want to admit it in hopes of not ruining it or off-putting my progress.

"Hero motherfucking King, everyone!"

I turned around, chuckling at the football team standing behind me.

"Jesus, you guys missed me, yeah?"

"Fuck yeah," one of the guys said, "how was football camp? Did you give Chicago a good rep?"

"Hell yeah," I said, smiling as I pulled away from him.

I hated that everything was a lie, but it was better this way. Dad had really done me a solid by not letting everyone know that Hero motherfucking King, as everyone referred to me as, had in fact fallen apart.

"Bro, Mrs. Thompson? Yeah, she had to pack up her shit a few days ago. Got in trouble with a student."

"No fucking way?"

"Yeah," Eros said, "student got transferred, too."

"Shit."

"Lucky ass student, though," one of the football players grumbled.

"Bro," I muttered, looking back at him.

"Hey, bell's going to ring in a few minutes, kids," one of the teachers said, "get to your classes."

"Happy you're back," Josie sweetly said, wrapping her arm around my neck for a quick hug before she and Eros ran off.

"Why the hell's your arm around my sister?" I asked, earning Brian's eyes.

He stammered on his words, making me chuckle. "I'm fucking with you. Relax, Baker."

Fran smiled up at him, gently rubbing his hand that was hanging over her shoulder.

"See you after class?" He said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Yeah."

He walked away and I walked over to my locker, looking down at her. "Yeah?"

She laughed. "Hey, please text me if you need me."

"I will," I softly said, nodding.

She rubbed my arm before walking away, and I turned around to look for Henry, but he'd disappeared. I was left with Amelia, making her smile a sweet smile.

"Hey."

"Hey," I said, looking down at her.

"So, football camp, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding, "yeah."

She slowly nodded. "Well, it's good to see you again. I texted you, you know."

"I know," I said, "a-and I'm sorry. I wasn't really-"

"It's fine," she said, "I can't really get upset with you for not texting me back. It's not like we're anything."

I knitted my brows together as she walked away, letting out a sigh. I grabbed my books and walked into what would've been Mrs. Thompson's class, seeing Henry and Zach at the table next to mine, like normal.

I smiled. I'd missed school and all of my friends.

"Hey," Zach greeted, "welcome back, stranger."

"Hey, bro," I greeted, smiling.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I was gonna be nice to you."

"I'm kidding," I said.

"Yeah, don't bro him to death," Henry said, looking over at Zach with a smile.

Zach's hand brushed against Henry's, a smile on his face. I knew my expression was loud, the look on my face unable to be wiped off or controlled.

Henry pulled away from him, clearing his throat. "Hey, Hero, our sub's really nice."

I toggled my eyes between the pair, nodding. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Zach muttered, "real grandma-ish."

I forced a smile, knitting my brows together as I tried to figure out what it was I'd just witnessed.

~*~

"You're fucking embarrassed, Henry," Zach angrily said, throwing his bag down on his couch.

"No, I'm not, Zach," I said, my eyes wide as I watched him storm into his kitchen.

"What was that, then?" He asked, "as soon as I fucking touched you, you acted like you'd seen a goddamn ghost."

"You really only curse like that when you're mad."

"I am mad," he said, nodding.

"Okay, well relax."

"Okay," he chuckled, rubbing his eyes, "did you and I not both learn from having girlfriends that telling someone to relax is a really dumb fucking move?"

I leaned my head back, sighing.

"Henry, I'm not doing it."

"You're not doing what?"

"I'm not doing it," he said, shaking his head as he opened his fridge.

"Zach," I softly said, walking into his kitchen.

"Figure out your shit, Henry," he said.

"Hero is going through his own shit, has been, so when have I had time to say, oh, I'm into guys too, now?"

"What do you guys talk about?" He asked, knitting his eyebrows together, "well, never mind, it really can't be much. You two share one singular brain cell, so."

I laughed, bracing my elbows on the counter.

"That's not funny."

"It was to me," I said, shrugging.

He held eye contact with me for what felt like an eternity before storming back into the living room. I turned around and watched him fall back on the couch and turn on the TV.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, leaning over the back of his couch.

"Oh, I don't know, be truthful," he deadpanned, taking a sip of his La Croix, never taking his eyes off of the TV.

I walked into the living room and sat next to him, clenching my jaw as I looked over at him, trying to fight a smile.

"Look at her. Damn, she's hot."

"Yeah, she is. I bet a threesome would be fun," I retorted.

He turned off the TV, shaking his head.

I laughed, keeping my eyes on him.

"You can look away."

"I could, but you're just too pretty."

"Fuck off," he muttered, standing up.

"Are you done acting like a child?" I laughed out, looking up at him.

"It's not me acting like a child when you refuse to tell people."

"Zach, I am going to tell him," I said, standing up.

"Yeah, what about your sister? What about your friend?"

"I promise, they're all gonna know," I said.

"When?"

"Patience is not your-"

"Henry."

I looked up, seeing his jaw taut, and an angry expression on his face.

"Zach, I was joking."

"Okay, I'm not," he said, "we're either doing it or we aren't. It's your balls in the court. Your cards on the table."

"Everything has to be balls to the wall with you, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Uh, when I feel about someone the way I feel about you, then yeah," he angrily admitted, "it has to be balls to the fucking wall. I don't want half-assed shit."

"Well, how do you feel about me?"

He knitted his eyebrows together, shaking his head.

"Come on, balls to the wall," I said, standing upright, shrugging, "how do you feel about me?"

"You make me feel things I don't know how to explain," he said, "things that confuse me. And I know that amounts to something. So I don't want it to be half-assed."

I walked over to him, tilting my head over. "Balls to the wall it is, then."

~*~

"Can I work out?"

Dad looked over at me as he clasped his watch on his wrist, a warning look on his face.

"I promise I won't do too much," I said, "I'll box, and that's it. I promise."

"Henry's going to be here?" He asked.

I nodded, biting down on my lip.

"Hey, Henry's here already," Henry greeted, stepping inside the house with a smile.

"Okay, Hero is not permitted to do anything besides box," Dad firmly said, "and if I find out you let him-"

"I gotcha, Uncle Jo," he said as the pair did their handshake, making Dad roughly pat his shoulder as he walked towards the door.

"Have fun on your date," Henry said, smiling back at him.

"Yeah, will do," Dad said, "ready, hermosa?"

Mom pressed a kiss to his lips. "Be good, kids."

Henry smiled and watched as they left, looking over at me. "You're feeling up to boxing?"

"Yeah, finally," I said.

He jogged downstairs into the basement, looking back at me as I followed. "You good?"

"I'm good," I snapped, but soon realized it and rubbed my forehead.

"Sorry," I muttered, "my t-temper, it's all over the place. I'm a short fuse right now."

"Do they have you on medication?"

"Yeah," I said, "a few kinds, actually. I think the medication is what's bringing my appetite around."

"Oh, for real?" He asked, and I saw his eyes light up, "l-like, you wanna eat?"

I shrugged, slightly nodding.

"Well, that's good," he said, wrapping up his hands, "I'm glad to hear it, man."

We sat in silence as I wrapped my hands up, but I still wanted to talk to him- I was just unsure as to how to go about doing so.

"Hey, can I ask you about something?"

He looked over at me as he pulled his shirt over his head, slipping his hat back over his hair. "Yeah, what's up?"

"I kinda feel like I'm, like, looking too deep into it," I said, "a-and if I am, okay, and if I'm not, and you just don't want to talk about it, okay."

He looked as if he knew what I was about to say, and just gently nodded to urge me on.

"You and Zach," I said, leaning my head back, "I-I kinda saw that today."

He clenched his jaw, looking down at his hands.

I waited on a response from him, because I wasn't even sure what was going on.

"I don't even know," he muttered, biting down on his lip, "how it happened."

I knitted my eyebrows together, shaking my head. "What?"

"One day, man," he said, shaking his head, "I don't know, it just- I felt like I got hit by a ton of bricks."

He looked at me, shaking his head. "P-please don't- I don't know. Don't judge."

"Bro," I muttered, shaking my head, "I can't judge shit anymore."

He sat on the bench, sighing. He braced his elbows on his thighs, clenching his jaw.

"I'm not gay," he said, "I-I'm bi. I'm still attracted to girls, but also, very attracted to guys. Or at least Zach."

"Well, if you were gay, I wouldn't judge you about that, either," I said, sitting next to him.

"I promise, I'm still Henry," he said, "Henny, the guy you can talk to about girls and sex. All that bullshit."

I chuckled, leaning forward on my legs. "I think it's cool that you've actually, you know, looked deep enough into it to figure that out about yourself. I've just kinda always assumed I was strictly into girls."

He laughed, looking over at me.

"And I am," I laughed out, sitting upright, "as far as I'm concerned."

"He makes me feel things that I've never felt before."

I looked over at him, cracking a small smile. "He makes you happy?"

He nodded, rubbing his chin. "Yeah."

"Well, then, it's no one's business but yours," I said, "and if anyone judges you or has shit to say, you let me know."

He held out his hand and we did our handshake, making me smile. Henry and I hadn't really had a moment like this in forever- just guy talk. I missed it. I hadn't realized that I'd lost energy for everything, including spending time with him.

The doorbell ringing pulled me out of my thoughts, making me stand up and let out a sigh. "Dad probably forgot something."

"I'm putting money on Aunt Lena forgetting her hair tie."

I chuckled and walked upstairs, without much struggle at all. I walked to the door and opened it, and was surprised when I saw Amelia standing in front of me.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hey, can we talk?" She softly asked, her eyes meeting Henry.

"Y-yeah," I said.

I stepped outside and closed the door behind us, folding my arms over my chest as I looked down at her. "Hey, what's up?"

She raked her hands through her hair. "I-um, listen, I know you probably don't even care to hear it."

I knitted my brows together. "No, I do. Whatever it is. What's going on?"

"I'm pregnant."

I thought that I'd taken hard hits in football and soccer. I'd gotten the wind knocked out of me before.

But this? This hit me like a ton of bricks, as Henry had just mentioned.

"Y-you're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she said, "I took, like, five tests, Hero."

"Well, it can't be mine," I said, "w-we haven't had sex-"

"You're the only guy I've ever had sex with, Hero," she said, looking up at me.

I was feeling so many emotions- even more than I'd seemed to have felt in the past weeks of the living hell I'd been through.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, her eyes clouding up with tears, "what do I do?"

I pulled her into me for a hug, resting my chin on top of her head.

"I have no fucking clue," I whispered, gulping.

~*~

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