Chapter 2
Kylan was not exactly a stereotypical gay man. He hated anything having to do with girls, such as dresses and makeup. He was not girly whatsoever and was usually one of the best in gym class. He had the highest record for the triple jump in track and also was an excellent soccer player. He received multiple offers and accepted one to play at a university already. He was not toned, but he was lean and in shape, though his huge glasses that he often pushed up the bridge of his nose just made him look like a nerd. Most people did not even know he was gay, and some girls sometimes approached him, but he remained honest about his sexuality.
However, many people saw him as someone to tease, and they would push him around a bit. He was not exactly bothered by it since he was used to it. Most of the time, Ella appeared from out of nowhere and chased them away, then scowled him for allowing them to do that. However, if Kylan wanted to, he could defend himself.
As he entered the locker room, he pulled a locker open, shoving his things inside and grabbing his sports attire from his duffel bag. While he pulled his shirt over his head, his entire body was paralyzed when he heard a familiar voice, one that he could recognize from miles away in a throng of people.
Jonah entered the locker room with a few of his friends and slapped some lockers to make some noise. Kylan was resisting the urge to glance backward, but his desire got the best of him, and he found Jonah at the row of lockers diagonal from him. Jonah was chuckling with his friends, and Kylan's cheeks reddened when he saw Jonah pull his shirt over his head. He had toned abs and pecs that moved by the simple raising of his hand, and his built muscles were insanely attractive that Kylan had to turn away before his mouth watered too much.
However, someone had noticed he was eyeing Jonah, and it was Bradley, a jock that had been standing beside him. Bradley whistled and said, "Why the fuck are you staring at him like that? Are you gay or something?"
Kylan slipped his shorts on quickly and attempted to ignore that comment when Bradley aggressively wrapped an arm over his shoulders and pulled him backward. Bradley was bigger and taller than him and had such a menacing vibe that he was one of few people Kylan was truly afraid of. He turned to face Jonah, and Bradley screamed, "Jonah!"
"What, Brad?" Jonah replied, smiling, shutting the locker he was using and glancing in their direction. He had not even noticed Kylan under Bradley's arm, searching for opportunities to flee with trembling fingers. However, it was too late, and he gulped, repeatedly glancing towards Jonah, who placed his hands on his waist.
Bradley laughed. "This kid was fucking staring at you. I think he's gay or something."
Jonah glanced down to Kylan for a short second before returning his gaze to Bradley with a shrug. "We're going to be late."
"But wait, Jonah "
"I thought you had something important to tell me," he said, marching away and waving a hand towards another of his friends. When he realized Bradley had not followed him, he turned around and said, "You coming or not?"
Bradley, a bit embarrassed, pushed Kylan away from him and scoffed before following Jonah outside of the locker room. When they exited, a quivering Kylan exhaled as he bent forward, his hands planted on his knees as he panted. He had been holding his breath; he needed to be a bit more careful this year. The hall were roaming with fifth years, and the classrooms were as well. Additionally, he had grown a bit more, meaning he was a bit more noticeable than before. The gym was packed with seniors and fifth years. The class was separated into two, and some went outside while others stayed in. He was one of the people that stayed inside, and he searched the crowd to find Jonah, who was also told to stay inside. Inside, they had to conduct body measurements and agility tests, but when that was over with, they played dodgeball. Unfortunately, he was not on Jonah's team, and on top of that, he was not very good at dodgeball. He was hit when he was reaching for the ball, and as he stood out, he observed the way Jonah whipped the ball across the room and laughed, pointing a finger towards his friend. All his muscles moving were deserving of admiration, and he needed to turn away since he knew Jonah would eventually meet his gaze if he continued staring.
After P.E class, they had their lunch hour, and as usual, he met Ella by the fountain outside of the cafeteria. Since he had been in the way, a girl shoved him a bit and spat, "Can you move?"
Ella was not happy with that and had witnessed the entire thing since she was walking towards him. Instantly, when Kylan met the gaze of Ella behind the girl, his eyes widened, and he rapidly moved in front of Ella, uneasily placing his palm on her shoulder while she glared at the girl who had been rude.
"It's not a big deal," he whispered as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside the cafeteria.
Ella cursed under her breath, spitting insults to that girl before turning to Kylan and saying, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"It's not a big deal-"
"Well, I'm your older sister, so I have to protect you."
"Cousin," he muttered.
She raised a hand. "Same difference. Don't let people do that to you; it irks me so much. Next time, I'll pound her face in and drag her in the bushes to do it some more."
He scratched the back of his head, noticing a few eyes glancing in their direction as they heard her threats. "Say it a bit more quietly, please," he said calmly, and when Ella sharply turned her head to narrow her eyes at him, he gulped innocently.
They found their table, and Ella pulled open her lunch bag and pushed a sandwich in his direction. She waved her hand to people nearby and chatted with them for a few minutes before returning her attention to her cousin. She dove into her sandwich, and so did Kylan, who did not even take a moment to swallow as he proceeded to his next bite.
"Aunt Carla made this for us?"
She nodded proudly with a full mouth. "She felt like making lunch this morning."
"Way better than your lunches," he admitted. She rolled her eyes. The scene in the locker room returned in his mind, and he cleared his throat and took a break from eating to explain it. When he was done, a glare on Ella's face as she searched for Bradley across the cafeteria made him chuckle shyly. "Can you stop giving that mean look to everyone?"
"I'm going to fight Bradley next time I see him," she growled.
"Attention, everyone!" They heard a microphone echo throughout the cafeteria, and instantly, the chatter began dying down shortly. They continued to eat their lunches and searched the crowd for who was holding the microphone. Kylan knew it was Jonah speaking, but usually, he made announcements on social media rather than in public. He stood on a table, wearing a tight black shirt and jeans that fell a bit loose from his legs. It made him appear much more attractive than he already was, and since they had been coming from P.E, his hair was still wet from the shower, and he continuously pushed his bangs backward since they fell his eyes. As the cafeteria became completely silent, he smirked and faced the entire crowd, turning around to meet different gazes.
"Jonah Minty here. I'm sure a few of you know who I am." He was interrupted by his boys beginning to cheer, and the entire cafeteria cheered with them. Kylan smiled.
Jonah waited until the cheering died down before saying, "I'm having a welcome back party at my house this weekend, only for seniors and juniors, meaning everyone in this room. I hope everyone finds their way there. I will be posting the address on social media. Bring your drinks, but there will be some fun games, and it's going to be an awesome party. Thank you for listening to me. Go back to eating your lunch."
Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on 05s.org for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading! Kylan observed as he descended from the table and high-fived his friend, who returned it with such excitement. It was only when he marched elsewhere and disappeared from the throng that Kylan turned back to his food, with Ella wiggling her eyebrows at him. Kylan rolled his eyes and took a bite of his food. "We're not going."
"Oh, why not?" she pouted.
Kylan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want to."
"This is your last year of high school ever and mine too. I want to enjoy the few weekends I can go out. Let's go out for once. We have never been to any of his parties; this is the last time he's going to be having a welcome back party, and I've always heard that they were insanely fun."
Kylan was still reluctant. "I don't think it's a good idea."
"You're just saying that because it's the boy you have a crush on throwing the party."
"Can you not say that so loud?" he hissed quietly, causing a smile to creep up Ella's lips. He narrowed his eyes at her before turning away, pushing his glasses up.
Ella pulled her bottom lip out before making her puppy dog eyes that Kylan was usually very good at ignoring. "Please, it's our last year, Ky." When she heard his reluctant sigh, she beamed in excitement, knowing that he had finally agreed. She reached for his hands. "It's going to be so fun. I'll dress you up and don't think that you'll be wearing those ugly glasses on your face." She winked, a delusional gaze illuminating her eyes.
Kylan shuddered-she was seriously frightening.