Chapter 17

don't slut shame in this area

snake shaming is permitted however

ROCCO:

Out of habit, I closed the door quietly behind me, even though our house was filled with people and chatter. I slipped into the hallway and ran up the stairs, internally cursing my mother. Why the fuck did she always have to have people over!?

At least this time it wasn't a fancy dinner party - everyone seemed to just be chilling. Blue light from the TV lit up the lounge. I took a quick shower and got changed - it was always weird doing this when there were so many random people down stairs who could walk in on me at any moment. I was just rubbing a towel roughly over my wet hair when the door to my room opened and someone barged in.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I thought - I thought this was the bathroom. " Sirena stared at me, her hand on the doorknob.

I turned around. I opened my mouth then stopped. "Um... We have four bathrooms... "

"I am so sorry." She said again, still staring at me.

I cleared my throat. "There's a bathroom behind the door to your left. "

She was still staring.

"Or if you don't wanna use that one there is one two doors down then on your right..."

She didn't answer.

"Or... um, downstairs and then to your left...?"

She smiled suddenly and her eyes lifted up to meet mine. "I just came up to tell you the food's ready if you want to come down?"

I fought to keep the frown off my face and matched her smile. "Um...Don't you need to use the bathroom?"

"Haha!" She laughed. "Exactly. "

My eyes widened in confusion. "Ok, um, cool."

She smiled at me.

I looked away.

She didn't move

"Ok, thanks. I'll be down in a sec?"

She smiled even wider. "Oh right, of course. Again, I'm so sorry."

She didn't move for another five seconds, then with a smile that I guessed was supposed to be secretive - she finally left.

I turned back around slowly and let out a long breath.

Downstairs, random adults I didn't think I had ever met greeted me and introduced me to their groups. Some of them were parents of people at my school - Ambicton was really fucking small. Their kids sat on the couches, eating and looking sulky. When I walked in they always straightened up a bit and watched me, no doubt embarrassed that their parents were talking to me. Lucky for them - I didn't really give a shit who any of them were. However, as usual, I had to play nice. I'm sure my mother was watching me.

"Hello, Rocco dear. " Some random lady dragged me by the elbow into a circle of adults holding drinks. They all stared at me.

"How's school going, son?"

Finally after being attacked with questions about school and football for the hundredth time, I slumped down in the lounge on one of our leather couches that we never sat on because leather couches suck. In front of me, a bunch of little kids intently watched Shrek 2, gathered in from of the TV on cushions on the ground. Popcorn was strewn all over the carpet.

"Hello." Sirena said from beside me.

I jolted. "Holy fuck, " I breathed out. "I mean, holy lord. Sorry. I didn't see you there. "

She laughed, placing a hand on my arm.

"I...I didn't make a joke?" I said, moving away a bit.

She laughed again, then cleared her throat. "That dinner the other night - that was soooo embarrassing, right? Our parents - oh my god. "

"No. " I said. "It wasn't really... "

She laughed yet again. Was she really nervous or something. Like what the fuck was her deal...

"So. " She settled against the couch, pulling her feet up. "Give me the deets on Ambicton High. Who's dating who, who hates who, who is secretly in love with their worst enemy. Tell me everything. I need to know for tomorrow, you know. "

I turned to face her. "Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"

She smiled at me, like I was clueless. "I'm going to your school, dummy. No more homeschool for me! "

My eyes widened. "W-What? You're going to Ammie High? "

Her mouth fell open slightly as her lips pulled back into a small smile. Her bright eyes were fixed on mine. "Yeah. " She breathed, looking at me quizzically. "I'm going to your school. "

I couldn't say anything.

"Is- Is that a good thing?" She said shyly. I don't know why she asked - she obviously thought I thought it was a good thing.

My eyebrows could physically not go any higher. "Um, yep. " I said. "Great. It's great. "

She looked down, the smile still on her face, playing with the hem of her shorts. Then suddenly she reached her hand out and placed it on my thigh, leaning towards me. Her dark eyes were back on mine. "Yeah. It is great. " She was fighting back her smile.

Her hand began to inch higher and higher. My mind filled with white panic. I grabbed her hand and wrenched it off me.

We stared at each other for a moment.

"Kids. " I said, mentally slapping myself in the face even as the words came out. "There are kids."

She visibly looked relieved and the smile was back. "Ok. " She said, leaning back. She watched me for another moment, her lip between her teeth. Then she got up and looked down at me with that expression which was meant to be secretive, like we shared a secret or something.

"I'm going to go get a drink. " She said, her eyes shining.

"Ok." I said.

I looked away quickly as her hips began to sway as she walked away. I wiped my hands hard on my pants, my skin crawling all over. I got up quickly before she could find me again and ran up to my room, which was cooler than the rest of the house which had been heated for the guests. I dragged a chair over and shoved the back under the door handle.

I slumped down onto my bed.

That was enough socialising for Rocco.

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JAX:

When Coach took me off at school in the morning, there was a lot of whispering. I mean - there always was a lot of whispering when I got to school, but there was even more than usual today.

Ryan punched me in the shoulder as a greeting.

"Ow. " I said, and went to tackle him.

He skipped away. "Dude, did'ya know Denver has a girlfriend?"

It felt like my mind froze for a second. "What?" I said.

Ryan walked ahead. "Did you know that I have a girlfriend?"

"What?" I said.

We reached the hallway and finally saw Denver. A asian girl with dyed blonde hair had her arm wrapped around his. She was wearing a tight blue dress.

"Fuck. " Said Ryan from beside me. "Denver's girl is hot as fuck, man. "

I couldn't take my eyes off them.

Off her.

I finally turned to Ryan. "Don't you have a girlfriend, dude?"

He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck sheepishly, looking at the ground. "Well, not actually. She will be though. " He paused. "I hope."

I scoffed. "You better tell me who. "

Ryan thumped an arm across my shoulders as we walked. "I will. " Then he pulled back. "Dude. Are you wearing a hoodie?"

------

Denver and his girlfriend were in my English class. She didn't sit next to him, though - the only spare desk was to the left and in front of me.

I couldn't help watching her every move. Was this what Denver liked in a girl? She was overly social, talking with everyone, inserting herself into everyone's groups. She wore a lot of makeup, too. It looked like it had been done professionally.

Mrs Wiley came up to her while we were all working, and from the sound what they were talking about - she was smart. Ahead of our year.

Ryan grinned when he saw me looking. "Simp. "

"Yeah. " I said.

I kept watching. She turned, and our eyes met. She held my gaze for a second, then smiled and ducked her head, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. An idea began to form in my mind. I gave her a slow grin, and watched a tiny bit of pink make it's way onto her cheeks.

"Dude, ew, stop. Do that when I'm not looking. I want to talk about Nia." Ryan complained.

I turned to him, letting the smirk fall off my face. "Ok, tell me about Nia. "

"She's hot as fuck, dude. You know that girl I met at the bar?"

I didn't. "Yes. " I said.

"Nia's her sister. I went to her house to hookup with Natasha but she went to the bathroom for a minute and Nia came in and started insulting me. And then Natasha got a text from her ex and didn't want to hookup anymore  - "

" - so you hooked up with Nia! Good save - "

"No, dude! I'm not that much of a manwhore - "

"Wellll - "

"- We just talked! And ate pizza! "

I smirked. "That doesn't sound like you, man. "

"No, I swear. She's meeting me after school in town. D'you wanna come?"

"What, so I can third wheel?"

Ryan gestured around. "Just grab some random chick to come with. Not like you haven't done it before. "

"Boys!" Mrs Wiley hollered. "That doesn't sound like work talk to me. "

"We aren't boys, miss. " I said. "We're men. " I winked at her.

The class collectively sighed/laughed/gasped. Ryan choked from beside me. Mrs Wiley's face went beetroot.

"Out. " She said.

I saluted her.

"And spit out that gum, " She said.

I spat my wad of gum at the bin on my way out and missed. I turned around just as I went out the door and grinned at Denver's girlfriend. She went pink again, her face falling open. All the girls in the class turned hateful eyes on her.

I let the door slam shut behind me and pulled another stick of gum out of my pocket.

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a hee hee