It was Adrian's birthday, and it felt good to finally be sixteen. Even though his parents refused to acknowledge the fact that the day was different from any other, it was still special to him. Helen bought him a bracelet that she claimed was super gay, and a sweater. He loved both. That was pretty much all he would be getting for his birthday, but he was perfectly happy. All that mattered to him was that he could finally take his driver's test and get out of that fucking house more often.

"Okay, something's different about you, and you're going to tell me what it is". Adrian opened his mouth to protest, but El glared at him, "and don't you even fucking think about denying it". His mouth snapped shut, and he looked down at his food on his plastic blue lunch tray. He should have suspected she wouldn't be nice to him, even if it was his birthday. It had been four days since him and Ezra had... well, done the unexpected, and it had been on his mind ever since, even though he had told the other he would forget about it. "Come on, Dri. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean that you can be a little bitch".

"I'm not going to lie to you," He said simply, ignoring her comment as he looked up at her, she had her eyebrows raised expectantly. "You know that I can't lie to you". He couldn't. They had been best friends for so long that lying to one another was pointless fore they could just immediately detect it.

"So?" She was leaning forward in her seat, and his eyes searched her face for a moment. He wished he was sitting on her side of the table so he could be facing the soccer table, or more specifically, Ezra. He wanted to see what the Senior was doing, three tables away, but he couldn't.

"So," he began, "I'm not going to say anything at all". Helen's mouth parted in surprise for a second, and then she looked angry with him.

"Why the fuck not? I'm your best friend! You tell me everything," She argued, and for just a brief second, Adrian considered breaking his promise to Ezra and telling her about Saturday. Then he shook his head.

"Not this".

"Why the fuck not?" she asked again and he really wished she would stop swearing at him.

"Because I made a promise". This seemed to make her even more angry because her mouth opened and closed for a moment.

"I'm your best friend. Promises with other people are obsolete when it comes to me". He just looked at her, fighting to keep his expression blank. "Adrian".

"I need to go practice". He took a quick bite of his sandwich, and swallowed before rinsing his mouth out with water. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She glared in response and he didn't feel like waiting for her to speak so he took it as a yes. As he passed Ezra's table, he felt the other's eyes on him, and tried his best to look forwards towards the garbage bin where he dropped his tray. It had been especially hard not to look at Ezra during the past couple of days. Adrian just found himself constantly wondering about the other boy, almost to the point of turning around and staring in language arts. He wanted to know what he was wearing, or what his hair looked like that day, or if his eyes were blue or green, or even just to look at the cluster of freckles splattered across the other's nose. He just wanted to know.

This was dangerous, so Adrian thought it'd be best if he simply went out of his way to avoid the other.

His band teacher, Mr. Benson, was the only person in the room, which was unusual for this particular lunch hour, and he looked up at Adrian with a smile when he entered.

Mr. Benson was by far his favorite teacher, and it wasn't just because he was teaching his favorite subject, and was young and gay. He was just overall a friendly man, who enjoyed talking and getting to know his students. "Hello, Adri. Happy birthday. How are you today?"

"Great, thanks". He dropped his backpack onto one of the plastic black chairs and went to his locker, his fingers quickly working at the lock. "How are you?" Adrian spoke again before the other could answer, "no. I don't care. How is that amazingly attractive husband of yours? Since it's my birthday can you show me a picture". Adrian knew that he wouldn't, since having made that mistake once had caused Adrian to question him for weeks about his magical abilities in bed. If anyone that hot was going to marry someone like Benson, the teacher must have been good at something. It wasn't as if the band teacher wasn't attractive or anything, but Adrian felt that compared to the man's husband, the entirety of the human race looked unattractive. Except, he realised now, maybe Ezra.

Benson laughed and when Adrian turned back to him, saxophone in hand, the corners of his eyes were crinkled with happiness. "You're such a little shit," he said, but it was spoken with fondness. "James is very good. I'll tell him you asked. Jesus, by how much a talk about you kids I bet he feels like he already knows you". Adrian hummed.

"Can we work on my solo? I have state in like five weeks," Adrian trailed off and Benson nodded.

"Of course. Osmond is in the third practice room if you want to go get him". Of course Benson wasn't alone. Adrian didn't know why he had forgotten about Osmond, since the younger practically lived in this room anyway. And sure enough, Adrian could hear him in the background. If he had been paying attention earlier, he would have noticed the soft melody of the piano.

"I'm not playing with the piano," Adrian said, opening his saxophone case.

"I know". Benson swiveled in his desk chair. "It's good to practice though with your counting, and," Benson continued with a smug smile on his face, "I've been trying him to get him to agree to accompany some of my more advanced students, and the district has even agreed to pay him, but he's being difficult".

"Always is," Adrian mumbled as he moved to the practice room, banging on the door. The freshman with the wide grey eyes looked up at him, surprised, and, as he usually was for a moment after seeing Osmond's face, Adrian was struck by the younger's appearance. His sharp bone structure and midnight black hair and pale ivory skin was a stunning combination that always left him speechless. Too bad he was such a stubborn little bitch.

"What do you want, Adrian. I was practicing".

"Well now you're going to help me practice". Osmond looked annoyed with this, and rolled his eyes at Adrian's fingers which snapped at him to hurry up, but he followed him into the large room.

Bensen clapped his hands together. "Swell. Osmond, you already know the music, you fucking prodigy. Adrian, let's start at the second Allegro, pickup to measure thirty two". Adrian nodded, pulling his neck strap over his head and hissing when it got caught in his barrette. Mr. Benson grinned at him as Adrian fixed it quickly and then continued to adjust the strap.

Osmond played scales while he waited, seeming at home sitting in front of the electric keyboard and Adrian closed his mouth around his reed. His foot tapping rapidly, counting eighth notes.

"Alright," Benson said, seeing they both were ready. "One ee and a, two ee and a-"

***

"How was practice," Helen paused, "trator". Adrian couldn't but to laugh at her anger with him.

"It was great. Osmond keeps good time," he said, knowing she didn't really care about any of this. "The triplets are a bitch, as always, and my fingers cramp after playing too-"

"The triplets the triplets," she said, scowling because she knew exactly what he was doing. Which was acting perfectly innocent as he pissed her off further. "You said that last time about the triplets. If you're plan is to bore me to death, you should come up with some new material".

"I shouldn't," Adrian argued. "You get bored with something if it's repeated over and over again. Music. Books. Movies," Adrian paused, winking at her, "sexual encounters".

"Hi Adri!" someone called from down the hall and he smiled and waved in that general direction. "I can't wait to see you in social studies!"

"Why does everyone want to talk to you all the damn time?" She asked, "you're not even that great". Adrian noticed that her eyes shifted over his shoulder, and he turned to see what she was looking at. "He's been standing there for the past three minutes. I think he's waiting for me to go away".

Ezra looked incredibly bored. He was leaning back against the school's brick wall, blocking the way of the oncoming traffic, but no one dared to say anything. At this school, the seniors could do whatever the fuck they wanted and get away with it. As if he felt eyes on him, he looked over at them, his expression softening. His eyes were more green than blue today, Adrian noted.

"I shall punish you," El said suddenly, and when Adrian turned back to her, all he saw was her back as she pushed through the crowd.

"Idiot". He turned around to beckon Ezra over before someone else came to speak with him but the senior was already standing directly behind him. "Hi".

Ezra looked incredibly uncomfortable, and his eyes were looking everywhere but at him. "Hi". Adrian cleared his throat and Ezra finally looked down at him. "Can we study tonight? After soccer practice, of course".

Adrian thought about this. He could either go over to Ezra's and tutor him, or he could sit home alone. David had been busy with something lately, and couldn't take him out at all for the next week, he said. Probably fucking some other high schooler, he thought, but he wasn't very upset about it. Dave always came back to him in the end. "Sounds great. Your practice ends at five, right?" Ezra looked surprised that he knew this and nodded.

"It does".

"I'll be in band and meet you out in the parking lot then". Adrian turned, shutting his locker and glancing over his shoulder to smile up at Ezra, who seemed confused as how to respond to this look. "I'll see you then". And then he was pushing after Helen in the direction of his advanced calculus class.

***

"You've improved a lot, Adrian," Mr. Benson said as he watched Adrian pack away his saxophone.

"Yeah!" Helen chimed in, kicking her feet up onto the piano and then jumping when the instrument made a loud noise.

"That's not a footrest, El. I bet if Osmond could see you now he'd start crying," Adrian said, thinking of the boy who cherished every and all pianos. He removed his saxophone from his locker once more. He had been fighting with himself for the last twenty minutes about whether or not he should bring it home with him to practice. "And how would you know? You say it like you listen to me play all of the time". Helen shrugged, seeming unconcerned. She looked at Benson, who was sitting on the bench to her right, and poked a key on the large instrument.

"What's this note?"

"G," Benson answered. This went on for quite some time, and Adrian sat in one of the small black chairs and began to think. He still had twenty or so minutes to waste, and it didn't seem like he'd be getting any good conversation out of his teacher and his best friend, who were now going over piano basics.

State was in five weeks, and Adrian was nervous, but felt as if he was ready. It wasn't like he was new to performing. He had been doing it every year since fifth grade, when he began playing the instrument. It was just that this time was different. This time, he would be performing in front of an auditorium full of people who knew about music, and had to play after kids who were probably much better than him. It was nerve wracking.

He was also playing the hardest song he had yet to learn, and there were some difficulties involved. The music usually just fit together perfectly, which made it easier to understand and play, but this wasn't the case. This solo had random flats that always seemed to throw Adrian off, no matter how many times he played them. It was incredibly frustrating, but he was also the type of musician who enjoyed the challenges and would feel incredibly accomplished when he got to play them up on stage in front of strangers and Helen and Benson. Not his parents though. They would drive him there and pick him up, but they wouldn't stay to see his performance. They had the first couple of years, but since Adrian had come out to them, they had been absent at all events that made him happy.

"Dri? You okay?" He picked up on Helen's concerned voice and became aware of his surroundings. She was now standing in front of him. Frowning down at him with a worried face. "You kind of zoned out for a minute there". He gianced at the clock instead of answering, and Helen follows his eyes. "Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"Ezra's". Her eyebrows raised. "Don't look at me like that. I'm his tutor, remember, so he doesn't get kicked off of the soccer team".

"He agreed to that?" El asked, and Adrian nodded, standing and pulling his backpack over his shoulder. "He doesn't actually want you to teach him. He just wants you to suck his dick". Adrian flicked Helen in the forehead.

"Shut up, slut. You don't know anything". He turned to his teacher, who was watching them in amusement. "I'll be down for fifth hour again tomorrow". Benson nodded at this and Adrian left the room with his heavy saxophone case.

The walk to the field was a short one, and he was a little early, so he took his time. He could hear their laughs, even from this distance, and he looked up, immediately spotting shirtless Ezra expertly dribbling the soccer ball around the boy that Adrian recognized as his best friend. They were both laughing, and Adrian looked at Ezra's natural, and admirably beautiful smile for a long moment before dropping into the glass at the edge of the parking lot and pulling a text book out of his back pack.

He couldn't really concentrate on the book though. Not with Ezra's gloriously tanned skin within eye sight. Adrian was fascinated with the way the other's muscles moved, and recalled looking up at that very same body as it pounded into him over and over again, only days before.

As if sensing his eyes, Ezra looked up, catching him watching, and then smirked to himself. Adrian shook his head, squinting at the other boy for an extra second before dropping his eyes down to the book in his lap.

He was halfway down the page when Ezra came up to him, wearing a navy shirt, and holding a soccer ball against his chest. There was sweat on his forehead and against his temples, and Adrian realized how fucking good he looked when he exercised. Fuck.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No". It was a short conversation, and Ezra nodded in response to this.

The only sound between them was the wind, and then Ezra spoke, his voice soft. "Parallelism is the repeating of phrases or words from sentence to sentence". There was a much better way to phrase this, but it wasn't off by much, so Adrian nodded. Ezra looked so pleased with himself and the sophomore had never wanted to kiss someone more in his life.

Adrian didn't kiss. It was one of his rules so he wouldn't get attached. It majorly pissed Dave off, but it must not have been that important to him since he always came back for more.

But wanting to kiss Ezra...This was bad.

"Are you ready to go?" Ezra asked, still smiling. Adrian just looked up at him, and after an embarrassingly long time, Ezra began to look puzzled. "Adrian?"

And fuck the way he said his name. It sent shivers down his back that he didn't want to feel, and didn't know what they meant. "I'm ready," he lied, swallowing as Ezra offered a large hand to help him to his feet. Getting to touch the older boy would the best birthday present of the day, Adrian decided.

He allowed Ezra to pull him to his feet and stumbled, bumping into the boy's hard chest. They both froze, Adrian looking up at him and Ezra looking down, their eyes locking for what felt like a long time.

Ezra cleared his throat then, dropping his hand and taking a step back. "Let's go, Adrian," he demanded, beginning to walk towards the parking lot.

Adrian did the only thing he could. He followed.