Chapter Three

Jonah did exactly as he planned as he stayed behind after school was dismissed. He watches Jade as he was one of the last people to submit his essay because of sleeping in class. Upon the teacher seeing full words unlike single sentences from other students, Lian's eyes lit up.

"Good job, Mr. Deveroux... thanks for actually doing work," he says to Jade with a warm smile and lightly dusty rose colored cheeks, while the other twin was staring. "I didn't expect someone like you to take studying seriously."

"Anyone who can't write a hundred words about that simple question shouldn't even graduate elementary," Jade rolls his eyes at the teacher. "I don't need a perfect grade, just make sure I'm better than the other trust fund cow sperms in this class."

That made Lian laugh as he left. Then he noticed Jonah staying behind. "Jonah! There's no doubt your essay will be the best. You tend to write 500 words when I only asked for 100."

"It's more time for you to look at my paper, get to know me better..." Jonah submits it last, before leaning on the table with both hands on the edge. Lian is looking up at him, fueling the fire in Jonah's diaphragm. "Mr. Miller, uhh... I recently broke up with someone like two weeks ago, but I already booked a really nice restaurant for two. It would be a shame if I lose that reservation."

Lian looks at him in disbelief. "Why me, Jonah? You have a ton of girls that—"

"See that's the thing..." Jonah nervously says, "I don't want a fan to eat with me. I'd... like someone who doesn't really care that I'm a celebrity. You don't... do you?"

"I see you as a hard working student, Jonah..." Lian's eyes fell. "But I shouldn't be the one you take. Maybe you could take your twin—"

"I don't like my twin as much as I like you." he blurted out without any hesitation or nervousness, just pure honesty. That made Lian's eyes rise up to him in shock, and his hands fall limp to the table. "That's why I want to take you, Lian."

"Uhm... Jonah..." that tone of voice, those sorry eyebrows, Jonah could see it from a mile away. And it's impossible... no one could reject Jonah Deveroux. No one would, no one could.

"Is it because you like somebody else?" Jonah takes his hands off the table and stands up but his eyes half lidded and staring down at the teacher. His happy demeanor disappeared. He looks entirely different without his dimples.

"I'm very flattered that you like me... I wasn't even aware you like men?" Lian says, "It's not my business... but I can't go out with you."

"Men, women... a beautiful rose sticks out its petals, not its genitalia. Why not go out with me?"

"That's... a nice way to put it..." Lian says, "But I can't, Jonah..."

With a damaged ego and a confused brain, Jonah looks around the classroom. "Who could it be? Who do you like that you just rejected me for him? He has to be better looking than me, right?"

"I'm not looking for a relationship right now..." Lian stood up after gathering his things, "You're a good guy, a brilliant student. Maybe you should just focus on your studies, Jonah. Now's not a good time to date."

Lian exits the room, but just in time for Jade to meet with his brother, so they bump on each other by the door. "Ohh! Uhm... sorry... J-Jade..."

"Clumsy *ss..." the boy grumbled as he picks up the fallen stuff and handed them to Lian who was undeniably flustered. Jonah just stood there as Lian ran away, and Jade looks at him suspiciously. "Did you...?"

"No, I did not attempt to assault him, jeez Jade..." Jonah slumped on the front seats. "I need to skip class."

"We will skip class?" Jade's eyebrows raised, "Come on then, buy me gas."

In a hill a few miles away from school, Jonah's car was parked beside Jade's motorcycle. They were facing the city while both of them sat on the hood of Jonah's red car.

"What made you want to drink?" Jade asked as he hands Jonah his third can. "Were you rejected?"

"I don't get it," Jonah rants, "I'm rich, I'm handsome, I'm the class f*cking president, I'm a model student, I'm intelligent! I've got women trying to pay me to get rid of their virginities."

"So you got rejected," Jade teases him. "Still a typical man who can't take rejection. You're no different from an incel sweating in front of a computer donating to anime avatars. The difference is your looks, nothing else."

"I'm Jonah Deveroux, what else would he not like about me!" He exclaims. "I could buy the f*cking school and have him work for me..."

Jade squints his eyes at him. "You're talking about Lian Miller? Maybe he's into older guys."

"No..." Jonah finished his third beer and held his hand out for more. "I know who he likes. You're gonna flip."

"I honestly don't care who," Jade says as he opens another can.

"You should..." Jonah glares at him, "Because it's you."

Jade took a whole minute to stare into the same blue eyes he has. Lian Miller, a running valedictorian currently practicing as a teacher in their school, likes the delinquent bad boy who trips people in the hallways and threatens his fellow teachers?

"No way." Jade poured the beer right into Jonah's hand.

"Dude, what the hell!" Jonah stepped back to wipe his hands clean. "I'm serious. What is wrong with me, why does he like you and not me?! What do you have that I don't?! We have the same sized d*cks!"

"Balls maybe," Jade mumbled before saying, "What is wrong with him is the question. I don't swing that way... I literally beat nerds like him during lunch. Maybe I should reject him, so you'll have to comfort him."

"But I don't want him to settle with me just because the twin he likes is straight and an *sshole," Jonah opens his own beer and calms down at the first sip.

"So? Move on," Jade says, only now finishing his first beer while Jonah is on his fourth. "It's not like he's the only gay male in the area. I have one right beside me."

Jonah clenched his jaw. "No. Not this one... Lian has that smile. Those eyes. He's beautiful, man. Why can't everyone see that—actually, I don't want anyone to find him beautiful, I might get a lot of competition. He's just... genuine, he's transparent... his eyes tell exactly what he's feeling. I can see right through him."

"Okay, what's his underwear color?"

"Ugh, if he likes you, it means I have a minuscule chance of getting him to like the same face!" Jonah exclaimed. "How do I look with black hair, Jade?"

"Nuh-uh, you're not gonna copy my look, nobody could tell us apart." After his twin gave him a look, Jade glared at him, "And no, we will not swap, take my place and ask him out in my image. I don't swing that way. Besides, you don't know how to ride a motorcycle."

"But you can help me," Jonah says with big hopeful eyes. "If you can convince him to like me instead of you... simply by being an *sshole..."

"That's a terrible idea. He already likes me while I'm being myself, what makes you think it will turn him off?" Jade scoffs, but looking at his twin's pathetic little hurt eyes, seeking hope to make Lian his. So, his twin sighs, "Do you really want him that bad?"

"I've never wanted anyone but him..." Jonah sadly looks at his hands, "His smile, his face... his voice, I just wanna—!"

"We both know how you get when you're obsessed, Jonah. Are you gonna make that mistake again?" Jade seriously asks him.

"I'm not obsessed. I'm in love, Jade. Come on, bro help me with this one. Have I ever asked you to help me with my previous relationships? You know for a fact this one is special."

Jade looks deep in his eyes for any sign of infatuation. But, Jonah's eyes were full of love for that one teacher. So, Jade puts his hands on both his pockets. "What if I hook you two together? Within the month, you'll have him. I'll make sure of it"

"Really Jade? I...." Jonah looks down, "I do want him. But knowing you, you'd probably hurt him or do something illegal. I don't want him to get hurt by rejection."

Jonah seems to be very serious with Lian. "Alright. Suit yourself."

The next Monday, Jonah Deveroux decided to bring the most juicy red apple he's ever had his hands on, to bring as an apology to Liam Miller.

"Hi Jonah! Good morning—ahh, he looked at me!"

"You look so handsome today Jonah! Tomorrow you'll look like my husband!"

"They're getting creative, I'll give them that. I'll also give them a brick to the face," Jade mumbles while walking beside his twin in his black shirt and silver military dog tag. A preppy Jonah nods and waves at the girls, but walked his way to class with Jade beside him.

"I'm gonna apologize to Lian. I have the best red apple in my hands, and he'll appreciate it," Jonah says with determination.

"What if I call him a slur, would he stop liking me then...?"

"Jade I told you, we can't hurt his feelings."

"If you want him to fall into your arms, his legs have to be broken," Jade deadpans.

"There he...! ... is." Jonah's excitement dwindled upon seeing Lian Miller laugh while chatting with their Chemistry teacher, Christian Wayne.

"... no way, you're lying!"

"They're a nightmare and you know that."

"They just don't take me seriously, that's all."

"I can supervise your class if you want..."

"Aww, you will?"

Jade grabbed the apple from a zoned out Jonah's hands. "That look in your eyes, Jonah. Don't do anything stupid. You're not me."

Jade then throws the apple right onto Lian's head and it hit him so hard, he landed onto the locker beside him. Jonah snapped out of it and immediately widens his eyes at his amused brother.

"Lian, are you okay?!" Jonah went to the teachers and took the apple, all while Lian is watching Jade walk into the classroom like his sh*t didn't stink. "I'll beat up Jade later..."

Dr. Wayne chuckled, "No need to do that, young man. Lian, are you alright? Do you want me to take you to the clinic?"

Jonah has never glared at a person rudely so much before. Surprisingly, Dr Wayne looks back at Jonah with a slight squint in his eyes. That made Jonah hold Liam by the arm. "He has class. What are you doing here instead of going to your lab, Dr. Wayne?"

"I was just easing Mr. Miller's anxieties, Jonah." Oh now it's Mr. Miller. While he smiled at Jonah, the student was stabbing the Doctor with his eyes. "Rightfully so, a Deveroux twin just threw an apple on him."

"I'm fine..." Lian assured the both of them. He placed his gentle hand on Jonah's shoulder, snapping the boy off his steel glare. "Go to class. I'm not hurt... I'll talk to your brother for his behavior. Dr. Wayne, I'll just join you for lunch?"

"I'm counting on that," he replied, making Jonah's blood boil. Lian walked to class, but Jonah with Dr. Wayne.

"Why are you hitting on someone two times younger than you?" Jonah calmly says.

Dr. Wayne scoffs. "I'm 30, not 45."

"You're still superior. We're still students," Jonah whispers with a firm tone.

"Good," Dr Wayne pats Jonah on the shoulder, "So you know your place, Jonah. Keep it that way."

Dr Wayne left him while Jonah walks inside the classroom. The apple is being pierced by his own nails. He sits in front of Jade while Lian was teaching. "I told you not to hurt him, Jade."

"I thought you just meant feelings, you really need to specify..." Jade sarcastically says as he watches the apple get juiced by his twin's bare hand.

"That thirty-five year old man is talking to a guy our age. He's scanning Lian with those perverted eyes."

"You mean the same eyes you're giving him whenever he walks into class? You make me laugh. And we are twenty years old, Lian is older than us," Jade replies. "He can go out with a thirty year old as much as he wants."

But Jonah was relentless. He decided to follow where Lian was going and much to his suspicion, he wasn't going him. Jonah watched form the car as Lian met with Dr. Wayne in a cafe before they moved to a bar across the street.

He has seen Lian's awkward smiles before, but not a genuine happy one. The more he laughs with Dr. Wayne, the more Jonah gripped the steering wheel. Jade warned him not to do anything stupid because of obsession, but what can he do? He's obsessed.

Jonah went inside the bar with a hoodie and a mask. Since he's one of the tallest men in the place, he gets noticed even without his face. But he politely stays away from the girls and rejected a few drinks. He's here for one thing, and one person only.

Lian was drinking with Christian as they laugh and tell stories to each other. His cheekbones pop out and the more happy he is, the more his gums show which made him look a bit more youthful and unique. His bangs are touching his eyebrows as they tell a story, and his hands are delicate and elegant while holding the glass.

Christian leaned into his ear to whisper something, and the intimate little gesture made Johan want to break the glass in his hand.

Soon enough, Lian gets dragged into the open floor to dance with his arms on Christian's shoulder. They were still talking, but Lian is moving those hips as if they have nothing stopping them from seducing Jonah's spying eyes. Christian held his hand and allowed Lian to spin—

Jonah slammed his drink so hard on the table, it may have cracked the base. He turned to leave for his car, but not leaving the place. He waited for them to leave.

"F*ck, he's so sexy..." Jonah groaned in his car, messing up his hair in attempt to cool himself off.  He was frustrated as he called his twin, the both of them never needing hello's. "Beautiful and hot, f*ck! I'd be f*cking d*mned if another man had him!"

"Is this you calling me for help, dear brother?"

"No, you'll hurt him... I'm telling you this because I just saw him in a bar with Dr. Wayne and now I want to shoot up the godd*mn place. I'm calling you because I know you'll try to stop me."

"Actually no, I wouldn't. If you get arrested, I'll have sole inheritance and who wouldn't want that."

"That convinced me, thank you brother." Johan sighed in relief, ending the call. Lian and Dr. Wayne may just be friends, he doesn't want to jump to any conclusions. "F*ck Lian, what did you do to me..."