FIVE

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   Ethan needed to stop thinking about Vincent.

   The way Vincent made his breath catch in his throat and seemed to never leave his mind couldn't have been normal, and Ethan was well aware of the fact.

   But, in order for that to work, he first needed to stop seeing the other boy. That meant no more lounging around in classrooms after school to watch him paint—even though the sight of him in focus on something so intricate fascinated Ethan—and no more being nice to him, offering him rides out of nowhere.

With caffeine and adrenaline surging through his veins, Ethan was convinced—after a sleepless night—that it would have been easy.

He had forgotten, of course, that the pair went to school together, and, surprisingly enough, shared a fair amount of classes. Ethan was baffled that it took him this long to notice Vincent, but then again, he was pretty easy to miss. In class, at least.

He always sat at the very back, head slumped down on his desk, barely uttering a word the entire class unless otherwise instructed to.

It was only during history class that Ethan realized there was no way his plan was ever going to work.

Mr. Brown didn't really care if his students were paying attention to what he was saying. To him, there were students that wanted to learn and then there were nuisances. He didn't waste his breath on the latter, and rather, preferred to invest his energy into educating those who wanted to be educated.

He did care, however, when the nuisances started to disrupt class, and, in turn, affected his little prodigies. Ethan, of course, didn't think much of what the old redneck had to say.

   At least until it blew up in his face.

   Ethan shared history with Mason, and when those two got together, there was just no controlling them. Ethan really couldn't help the way he started excitedly yapping the minute Mason settled down next to him.

   Mr. Brown didn't mind at first, but then their voices got a little bit too loud, and he still didn't mind, until little Collin Bennett, with all the obnoxiousness he could muster, raised his hand and whined, "I don't understand how you expect any of us to focus if these two testosterone-raging airheads refuse to shut up. It's annoying."

It was almost as if Mr. Brown had been oblivious to the commotion, and Collin's comment made him increasingly aware of it, because he suddenly barred his teeth in a snarl, seething. "Ethan Gray! I've had enough of you! There's an empty chair at the back desk, get your sorry-ass over there. Let's pray Vincent's manners rub off on you!"

   Ethan cursed under his breath. What the fuck the was the big idea? Why was it that he always found himself dealing with him? He didn't believe in fate or any of that shit, but he recounted that if it were to actually exist, and someone really was in charge of planning this cruel turnout of events, it would be unsettling that a so-called almighty creator would find sick satisfaction in making his beings suffer.

At the mention of his name, Vincent perked up, raising his head from its initial position on the table. He stared around confused, almost resembling a puppy, and Ethan found himself fighting to bite back a smile. He looked as if he'd been napping, hair slightly messed up at the top, blue eyes dazed and confused, face flushed, and lips parted with a little bit of drool dripping down the side.

Before he could help it, Ethan's mind rushed to dark, unholy places as his eyes zeroed in on the boy's wet, plump lips. They just looked so kiss-

No.

Ethan fought back a blush as his thoughts ventured to places they never had before. He didn't understand what was happening. Only that he didn't want to feel this way. He didn't necessarily dislike it, but it was foreign. Ethan had never been a fan of change.

Before he could allow himself to dwell, Ethan sat to the right of Vincent, keeping his head down.

   "Ethan?" Vincent asked, voice husky and low. Okay, he definitely had been sleeping. "Why are you... What happened..." He drew his eyebrows in confusion, not having picked up any of the brawl that had happened minutes ago. "You know what? I don't actually care. Hey," he settled, offering the boy next to him a lopsided smile.

   Ethan still didn't glance at him, finding interest in he blank notebook lying in front of him. "Hey," he responded, voice bland of any emotion.

   He wasn't trying to be mean, but he knew one look into the deep, swirling ocean would instantly shatter his resolve.

If Ethan thought he was confused, what he was feeling was nowhere near what he'd been putting the other boy through. Poor Vincent was completely lost.

He and Ethan had been in high school together since freshman year, yet the jock had never even spared him a glance, despite Vincent's continuous efforts to get his attention.

Of course Vincent had had a crush on Ethan at some point.

But that was back in freshman year, when Vincent was still delving into his sexuality and questioning everything about himself. Ethan had been—and still was—super hot. There was just no denying that.

After three years of being blown off and blatantly ignored, Vincent had at least a shred of dignity left in him to move on from his cliche crush on the school jock.

Now, however, he wasn't so sure.

But, was he really the one to blame? It wasn't his fault that out of the fucking blue, Ethan not only acknowledged his presence, but was actually being nice to him.

It didn't help that Ethan had been hitting the gym a lot more since freshman year, and now he was so attractive it almost hurt to look at him. He was being so hot and cold that Vincent didn't know what to do, let alone what to think.

"Listen up, everyone," Mr. Brown interrupted, causing most of the chatter to die down. "Trust me, I hate to do this as much as you do, if not more, but I'm legally required as part of my job to engage you in some sort of educational activity. Can everyone please turn to face their desk partner?"

Seriously, what the fuck was up with the universe today?

Reluctantly, for the first time that day, Ethan locked eyes with the ones that hadn't left his mind since he first gazed into them. He had been expecting the effect they would have on him, but nothing in the world could have prepared him for the way an electric current seemed to zap through his entire body, stimulating every nerve in him.

At an attempt to lighten the mood, Vincent gazed upon Ethan seductively, letting a sly smirk dominate his features. Unaware of the way his actions were driving the other boy mad, he spoke with ease, "Fancy seeing you around here."

Ethan forced a chuckle, desperately trying to calm himself. Something was seriously wrong with him.

Vincent's eyes became frantic. "Quick! Flirt back before people realize you're actually not gay," he whispered, and it's only then Ethan realized the whole thing had been an act.

Is it bad he wanted Vincent to look at him like that for real?

Yes, yes, it was. It was very bad. Ethan found it shocking that he had to remind himself of that.

"Okay, so the person you're looking at now is going to be your partner for the end-of-year presentation. I know it's fairly early to be discussing this, but you're all slackers and I'm giving you an early notice. The project should tackle how the Trojan War has influenced the Odyssey. It should include a slideshow and an essay. Worth 55% of your grade, so I wouldn't take it lightly if I were you. Who knows, if you cooperate with me and make things easy, I might even give your grades a little push. Lord knows, you need it," the teacher continued, not stopping to take a breath.

Before Ethan could protest, Mason had his hand up and was speaking before he was even granted the permission to do so.

"That means Ethan and I get to work together, right? I mean, we've been sitting next to each other since the beginning of the year," he interjected.

Mr. Brown sucked in a sharp breath. "First of all, if you're just going to talk without me telling you to, don't bother raising your hand. And second of all, no. I'm afraid if you and Gray work together, you won't get anything done. And I don't fancy seeing you here in the summer," he retorted.

"Well, what about me? I don't have a partner now that you've moved him," Mason protested.

Mr. Brown rolled his eyes. "Macey, sweetheart, who's sitting next to you?"

Macey was a petite, cute girl that always wore her hair up in a ponytail and dressed in bright colors. Her appearance was the most accurate description of her because she was perky, happy, and would give you a headache over long periods of time.

"Nobody," she shrugged, looking disinterested, but not failing to plant a forced smile on her face.

Mr. Brown grinned, snapping his fingers together. "Great! Problem solved!"

"But-"

"Ah, ah, ah, Mr. Cooper. What did I say about being cooperative?"

Grudgingly, Mason rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. Mr. Brown looked satisfied with himself as he dismissed the students with the ringing of the bell.

Before Ethan could bolt out of the classroom like he'd been planning to—because he was a coward and didn't like confrontation—Vincent jumped out of his seat.

   He grabbed Ethan's sleeve and yanked him backwards, "I'll wait for you by your car after school. We can head to your house to start working on the project, alright?"

   So much for avoiding him.

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