"Give me a couple of seconds to clean up." Elliot says before closing the door in my face, the sound of pacing and rummaging echoing from inside his bedroom. Out of boredom, my eyes roam the hallway; rolling across the multiple family photos on the wall.

I gawk over childhood photos of Elliot, his bright, pearlescent blue eyes radiates from within the frames. His father carries the same looks he blessed his son with - I see where Elliot gets his looks from. Slowly, as my eyes trail over the photos, the family starts to grow, eventually finishing with 4 kids. 6 people - damn.

I press my ear against the door, hearing the similar rummaging before returning my eyes to the photos on the wall. The family starts to shrink in the photos, the most recent a picture of just Elliot and his 3 siblings in his arms - what happened to his parents?

The squeaking of the opening door behind me snaps my attention away, Elliot emerging in the doorway - slightly out of breath. "Come in." He ushers, signalling his arm inside the bedroom.

My eyes enter before my body, examining the poster-covered walls and tie dye bed sheets - a direct clash against the simplistic stylistic choices of Casey. Stop thinking about him Danté, because he's definitely not thinking about you.

"Sorry for the wait, I would've tidied up beforehand if I'd known someone was gonna be here." He stands beside me, hands on hips, proudly gazing over his room. My eyes wander, every inch of the room covered in memories - how sweet.

"So you always have a bottle of vodka next to your bed or..." I ask cautiously, trying not to sound bland and prudish - the blue Smirnoff bottle shimmering in the streaming sunlight - it's beautiful.

"Oh that...well, you need something to take the edge off when you're raising 3 kids." My eyes slowly track to him as his tone saddens. "So yeah, that bottle is my best friend when I'm happy, sad, angry, scared...lonely...but...enough about me..." He laughs, shifting the mood and changing the tone of the conversation, sliding the bottle into his bedside table drawer. I know his bubbling tone is a ruse to hide his feelings, but I won't poke further.

"Wanna play a game of Grand Theft Auto V?" He plops into his gaming chair, nudging at the TV screen, swivelling around with a gleeful grin on his face.

I stare at him vacantly...how the fuck do you play Grand theft auto? How the fuck do you play PlayStation?

"Sure. That's my favourite game ever." I bluff, my mind instantly beffudled by all of the buttons and sticks on the controller. He turns on the screen, waiting expectantly as my character stands still - my strategy of random-button pushing achieving nothing. Damn it.

"You don't know how to play do you?" I bow my head, avoiding his gaze.

"Not really. I just wanted you to think I'm cool." I admit, receiving a chuckle in returning.

"Come, I'll teach you how to play." I push off the bed, staring at him awkwardly as he spreads his legs open, creating a little gap for me to sit on the chair. "Alright, it's not that hard, I promise." His hands settle on top of mine, guiding my fingers onto the buttons. My mind zones out as his breath tickles my neck, sending tingles down my spine. His instructions fall dead to my ears as. his firm hands control my fingers; caressing them - the colours on the TV combining into a mush.

Time passes comfortably, his voice piping up as he starts shooting around - my mind only focussed on his warm grasp around my hands - holding me, delicately.

The screen draws black, my attention returning to the controller in my hands as his voice booms into a victory cheer. "You did it, you completed the mission!" His hands leave my wrist, patting me on the shoulders in excitement. I stand and twirl around, smiling at the glimmering brightness in his eyes. His gaze falls from my face as his eyes freely explore my body. He slumps back into the chair as he stares at me, his cocky smile making me somewhat self-conscious.

"How are you gonna celebrate your first victory?" He asks as he stands up, towering over me at his full height. He inches closer, his eyes locking onto my lips - my heart beating faster as he lowers his neck towards me; his breath pecking the tips of my blushing cheeks.

The sound of my racing heartbeat is overpowered by an alarm shrilling from his phone, startling the moment - the intensity gone.

"Fuck, is that the time." He rushes around the room, dragging a coat out of the closet. "I hate to be rude, this is such a cunt thing to do, but I've really gotta be somewhere else right now."

"Oh...um, don't worry about it. School's finished so imma probably head home now." I grab my school bag off of the bed and follow him out into the front yard.

"I know it feels like I'm bailing on you right now, but I've just got somewhere I really need to be right now. But can I give you my number?" His voice croaks as he pulls out his phone - looking almost as if he's expecting a no.

"Oh yeah, of course."

I hand his phone back to him, my phone buzzing as he sends a text to me - a giddy grin on his face.

*Unknown number (12:58)*

Hey Sunshine, it's Elliot 🌞

I blush as I read my nickname again - I never knew I wanted a nickname until someone gave me one.

"What are you gonna change my contact to? Something sexy I hope." He laughs as I pull up my phone keypad, pondering over his name - my eyes rolling over his body for some inspiration.

"Well, I had a really good afternoon to be honest - way better then wasting my time in bloody detention. We should do it again." He steps towards me, placing a peck on my cheek before stepping backwards, a subdued red flooding his cheeks. "Catch ya later Sunshine." He waves before stuffing his hands in his pocket and walking off, the distance taking him out of my view.

Was that a date or...did I just want that to be a date? I ponder as I start walking home, my mind entertaining silent scenarios in my head.

My fantasies are disrupted by a white Corolla as it comes to a halt beside me - the tinted window rolling down to reveal Casey.

"Where's your boyfriend Elliot Jones?" He asks, his tone indecipherable - a mixture between humour and curiosity, with a pinch of anger.

"Where's your girlfriend Amber McSleeps with the whole Football team?" I spit back, his eyes darkening as they drop to his chest. He inhales before drawing out a long sigh, exaggerating it with his puppy eyes.

"I dropped her off home, she had an appointment for...whatever...she probably doesn't but I don't give a fuck." I rest my hands on the window, meeting him eye-level.

"You don't give a fuck that she's thinking about fucking other guys? She's probably fucking another one right now." I jab, regretting it instantly as Casey returns a blank stare at me.

"I don't care that she's thinking about fucking other guys cause so am I." A smirk appears on his lips, the vibrancy returning to his eyes - I'm not sure if he's joking or not, but he sure does have a pretty face. "Get in, I'll drop you off before I go to practice." I ponder slightly before opening the door - he's lucky that I don't like walking.

I stare at Casey in confusion as he starts driving the opposite direction of my house, his eyes returning a bemused look in return.

"I live the other way..."

"I know...I just wanted to take the scenic route that's all." If by scenic route he means the route that's 10 minutes longer and the only actual scenery is suburban houses, then I am not for it at all. I groan as the car falls into a silence, the only noise in the car being the squeaky rotation of the steering wheel.

"So what'd you guys do? I don't care at all but...yeah, what'd y'all do?" His hands tighten around the steering wheel, my eyes resting on his clenched jaw.

"We fucked 3 times in one night." I tease, the joke failing to evoke a laugh from him, his brows furrowing in response. "Joking...we went to the movies, had milkshakes and then...went to his place and then...he left..."

"I thought movies, the mall and chilling was our thing?" He whispers quietly, almost as if he didn't want me to hear his response.

"It was our thing until you got back with your girlfriend." The car falls back into silence, a dew-eyed Casey avoiding my gaze. The houses pass by as we near my street, the car slowing down beside my mailbox.

I look at him once again, receiving no acknowledgement in return. I sigh and open the door handle, stepping out into the street.

"Wait." He calls out, my eyes flicking back to Casey. "You do know he's a drug dealer right? I mean...aren't you wondering where he is right now? I don't want you to get hurt by being around those type of people Danté." He clammers out, a silence falling between us - his eyes wanting to say more yet his mouth says nothing.

"Anyways, um, I gotta go to practice now. But, can I see you later tonight?" He raises his eyebrows, a desperation in his emerald eyes. I contemplate the decision before nodding.

"Yeah. Message me tonight, but way later, because I'm going for a nap." He smiles, his cute overly-charming smile - I love when he smiles.

"Sweet. I'll see you tonight then." I slam the door, his arm waving out the window as he zooms off.

Well what the fuck do I do now?

A/N

Hello! So I wanted to clear a few things up about Casey; I know his attitude seems tumultuous and unpredictable, but it's a very real struggle of not knowing who and what you are - specifically in terms of sexuality. This is a message that reaches outside of the spheres of my book. It's hard to come out, and some people may never come out, but that doesn't invalidate them. Some people need to experiment before coming out, and some people experiment to realise what they do and don't like, so please ease up on Casey - he's just a confused teenage boy.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave me your guys' thoughts on Danté, Casey and Elliot and where you think the plot is going to go. (Or, where you secretly want it to go in your head.)

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a fantastic day! :)

- YOP