Author's note~~~
This chapter goes hand in hand with chapter 38 of 'Flowers for football.'
Junior year / Age 17...
"Bitch, Iâ"
"Don't call me a bitch," Hayden counters dramatically, holding a hand to his heart like the statement was a gunshot wound.
"Fine, motherfucker. If you wouldâ"
"Vinny!" Hayden exclaims, punching him on the shoulder.
"Haydeâ"
"No, you shut the hell up and listen to me, mister!" Hayden huffs. "This is some fucking bullshit. I didn't take your stupid-ass, bitch-ass to prom for you to be a little dickhead and not wear a damn matching tie with me."
Hayden reaches inside his pocket to pull out the tie that he secretly brought along with him to wrestle onto Vincent.
"I'm not fucking wearing that ugly-assâ"
"Shut the hell up," Hayden commands before trying to put it on Vincent.
"No, get off of me," Vincent's muffled voice says, his arms out in all sorts of directions to get Hayden away.
"If you would just..." When Vincent doesn't cooperate, Hayden shamelessly straddles his lap. In the small moment that Vincent is stunned, Hayden finally gets the loop around his neck.
"I'm going to kill you," Vincent grits.
While all this is happening, the pair don't realize the scene they are causing in the restaurant. Vincent and Hayden are currently supposed to be patiently waiting for their friends to show up so they can have a nice dinner before they attend their first prom night.
"Stupid fucker."
"Son of a bitch," Hayden bites back, trying to tighten the damn thing with a stubborn Vincent.
"Assholâ"
"You would think a Madden match was going on with how much you guys are fighting," Asher laughs softly, standing at the head of the table
Getting distracted by Asher's presence, Vincent takes the opportunity to shove Hayden off of him and into his rightful chair. Hayden thankfully turns his attention to Asher, but after all that, Vincent can't bring himself to take off the god-awful mustard-colored tie.
"Hey, little hottie," Hayden chirps.
As usual, Asher laughs at the nickname before taking a seat across from the pair.
Asher King is a new addition to their friend group this year.
Being the son of CEO parents, things haven't been easy for Asher, but when he started talking to Leo and gradually befriended Sawyer, Vincent, and Hayden, things really started looking up for him. Vincent wanted to be a jerk to him in the beginning, especially since he was prying his way into his friend group when Vincent isn't the best at making friends either, but Vincent just didn't have it in him when he saw how sweet he was and how much life already tore him down. He also makes Leo the happiestâand sappiestâperson alive so Vincent can't help but have a soft spot for Leo's boyfriend.
Hayden, on the other hand, makes friends with every living and breathing thing, so he was happy to have another person to talk to.
Hayden looks Asher up and down with a playful whistle. "That nickname belongs to you for a reason."
Vincent elbows him in the side with a laugh before saying, "Where's golden boy?"
"He's going to the bathroom really quick," Asher informs.
Hayden suddenly leans across the table to get a closer look at Asher's face that is dusted in light makeup to match his red prom suit.
"You have any extra eyeliner?" Hayden smirks.
"Sorry, no," Asher admits sheepishly.
"Damn, I thought I was going to have a rockstar moment and rock some black eyeliner. Guess I'll just have to stick to crowd surfing later," Hayden shrugs.
"Don't get too carried away," says a smirking Cecilia who enters the restaurant with Sawyer at her side.
And with the addition of Asher came his best friend, who also happens to be Sawyer's girlfriend now. That means the only single ones of the crew are Vincent and Hayden. Nonetheless, there's nothing wrong with being single.
"Hey, Cece," Hayden smiles, just trying to push the girl's buttons.
Cecilia holds her fist up threateningly. "Don't call me that."
"Bitch," Vincent mutters playfully.
"Cunt," Cecilia spits back.
Cecilia and Vincent definitely had a little feud towards the beginning of the year, but now they mutter insults to each other with knowing smirks.
Sawyer just rolls his eyes in amusement as the couple finally takes a seat.
Just as conversation is starting up at the diner table, Leo finally returns. He greets Asher with a loving kiss on the cheek before sitting down and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Asher melts into the affection as he continues to contentedly listen to his friends talk.
"What's on the agenda for today?" Sawyer asks as their appetizers finally arrive.
"Dancing, duh," Hayden explains matter-of-factly, his elbow resting on Vincent's shoulder as he reaches across the table for a chip.
"I think that's the most normal answer you could've given," Leo says with surprise.
"Oh, please Lee Bee," Hayden scoffs. "I make up the journey as I go along."
"Unfortunately," Vincent mutters.
Hayden hears it and playfully pinches his arm.
"Do you think you are winning tonight for prom king, big guy?" Cecilia asks Leo.
"Oh." Leo rubs his neck sheepishly. "I don't know."
Asher looks up at Leo with a knowing smile. Everyone at the table right now knows that he is going to win.
"Be for real, mama's boy," Vincent teases.
"Yeah," Hayden adds. "You are like the...Marilyn Monroe of our generation."
Cecilia snorts as Vincent leans close to Hayden and whispers, "Not really a good comparison. Maybe you should try again."
"The Justin Timberlake!"
"Oh lord," Sawyer laughs.
"Except, no offense, Justin Timberlake is sexier than you," Hayden shrugs.
Leo playfully shakes his head as he subconsciously tugs Asher closer to him.
"Where's Jordan?" Asher asks curiously, finally noting the remaining missing person from their group.
"He is going out with Mason and Felix," Leo informs. "Let's hope they don't kill him."
"Highly unlikely," Vincent grins.
As the crew breaks out into light chatter, the waiter finally comes up to take the chaotic bunch's order.
"What can I get you today?"
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Vincent barely gets to gain his footing as Hayden happily tugs him where the bass is booming the loudest. Their hands are securely locked together as they stumble through the crowd.
When Hayden finally finds the right place to bust it downâthe area with the most strobe lights, where people are gleefully bumping into each other in time with the music, where nobody is giving a fuck about who is watchingâhe accidentally pulls Vincent into him.
Their faces are only mere inches apart. Hayden gulps at the proximity, but Vincent only raises an eyebrow at the weird expression that crosses his face.
Hayden immediately distracts himself from the light blush painting his cheeks by feeling the groove of the music. He has no idea what the fuck just happened.
...But Hayden does what he does best as new thoughts about his best friend invade his mind; he twerks on the dance floor.
Vincent has to cover his eyes for a second out of shock and embarrassment for his friend, but at the same time, he can't help but burst out laughing.
A circle forms around Hayden as people turn their attention toward him. He should be thrilled by the exhilaration of this whole moment, but he feels like he is going to be sick, especially when he can't get Vincent out of his mind.
Vincent, despite his usually reserved nature, feels Hayden's energy rubbing off on him. He rolls his eyes before walking forward to join his friend, even though he's not a fan of attention.
Although Hayden is internally panicking, to keep his distress as hidden as possible, he continues to dance and jive.
Hayden acts as though an imaginary fishing line is connecting the two and his grin is as wide as can be as he 'reels' Vincent in. Hayden slightly falters, though, when Vincent comes dancing toward him.
He's not supposed to play along, Hayden thinks. That's not the Vincent and Hayden I know. He's not supposed to smile that big or go along with my stupid ploys. My heart isn't supposed to be racing.
Hayden tries to shake it off, but every time Vincent's eyes scrunch up with joy or their shoulders touch or Vincent lets himself flow to the music, he feels more and more dread settling into his stomach.
See, when Hayden made a promise to Leo about focusing on himself and not chasing after every girl he lays eyes on, he didn't expect to redirect his eyes somewhere else; on the one person he can't have.
Hayden not-so-subtly runs off through the crowd when Vincent has his back turned as he is grooving to the music. However, when he turns around and finds out that Hayden isn't dancing with him anymore, he immediately stops, knowing that nothing is as much fun without his partner in crime.
While Hayden is splashing his face with water in the bathroom, Vincent is off wandering around to look for someone else to talk to.
Hayden's head is pounding and not in a good way.
Meanwhile, Vincent stumbles upon the snack table, delighted by what he sees at the school event.
He spots Leo and Asher happily dancing from a distance and can't help but smile at the close pair. He looks around again and spots Cecilia having a blast on the dance floor while a beaming Sawyer is off to the side with his phone out to record her. Vincent also sees Jordan dancing with Mason, Felix, and Sage.
Vincent finds himself drifting toward the punch bowl after he texts Hayden and gets nothing back in response. He grabs a cup and lifts the ladle, but is interrupted by a girl standing to his left.
"I'm not so sure if that's safe," she smiles. "My friends have been trying to spike the punch all night."
"Yeah, mine too," Vincent chuckles. "Although, I don't really mind if there is alcohol in it."
The pretty brunette laughs before grabbing a cup.
"Fill me up too."
Vincent politely does so. She instantly takes a sip, but her face screws up in disgust at the different combination of flavors.
Just as Vincent is going to take a sip she carefully lowers his hand with a laugh.
"It's literal poison. I wouldn't even risk it."
Vincent smirks before carelessly pouring his cup back into the punch bowl.
"Helped me dodge a bullet," Vincent smiles.
"Anytime," she grins before an awkward silence fills the space between the two. She clears her throat. "I-I'm Sabrina."
"Vincent."
"So...did you come here with anyone?" she asks curiously. "Or are you just here for the snacks, which I totally understand."
Vincent lets out a small laugh. "I came here with my closest friend, but he disappeared not too long ago and hasn't come back since. If anything, though, he's a bit of a wildcard so I wouldn't be surprised if he is doing illegal things somewhere in the building."
Sabrina snickers before saying, "He sounds important to you, though."
"Yeah, he is," Vincent smiles fondly. "I'm a little bit worried, but he usually tells me if something is bugging him."
"Well, I'm sure everything is okay," Sabrina says brightly.
"Yeah," Vincent sighs, shaking away his concerned thoughts. "Anyways, why are you talking to me?"
Sabrina looks aghast by his bluntness.
"Sorry, that came out a lot ruder than intended," Vincent chuckles. "But I feel like I'm usually quite unapproachable so I'm confused as to what you are doing here."
"Oh..." Sabrina laughs lightly, tucking a hair behind her ear nervously. "I think everyone deserves a chance to be known for who they are, you know?"
Honestly, Vincent is surprised that he hasn't walked away from this conversation by now. Typically, he has no interest in talking to new people whatsoever, but something draws him to Sabrina that he can't explain.
"Wow, that should be a fucking PSA," Vincent says dryly.
Sabrina's expression drops, but when Vincent's lips twist up into a smirk, she finally realizes that he is just teasing her.
"Give me a break," Sabrina huffs, playfully nudging Vincent in the shoulder.
"You asked for it when you were the one who came over and talked to me," Vincent laughs. "Where's the rest of your people, by the way?"
"Oh, I came in a big group with the rest of my friends, but they all have dates so...I don't know. I just feel kind of left out," Sabrina admits with a halfhearted laugh.
"Damn, what a shitty situation," Vincent says sympathetically. "In a way, I can relate, though."
Through the years, Vincent has seen all his best buddies go on dates, chat up girls, and get girlfriends (or boyfriends, in Leo's case). He's always been the only one who is consistently single, and for someone who loves his friends more than anything, it's hard for Vincent sometimes.
"This might be a stupid question," Sabrina begins, "But do you want to dance?"
"What?" Vincent scoffs. "Do I look like the type of person who doesn't want to have fun?"
"Kind of," she smirks.
Vincent snorts at her response, not expecting anyone to be able to match his unfiltered banter that isn't Hayden.
"Then you've never seen me on the dance floor," Vincent counters, holding his hand out to her.
Her face turns into a beaming smile as she grabs his hand and they walk over to the dance floor.
True to his word, Vincent lets himself go to the beat of the music. Vincent and Sabrina continually flash smiles at each other throughout their full hour of dancing. Not once does a dull moment settle between the two, and Vincent never thought he'd get to this point, but he is starting to see the brighter side of dating culture.
As of right now, everyone is having a grand time at their first promâeveryone except Hayden, who is still going through a mental crisis in the bathroom.
He looks at himself in the mirror and can instantly read the fear in his eyes.
He doesn't like Vincent. That's just impossible. They've been friends for literal years. Things can't all of a sudden be changing now.
Hayden grips the sink as he pulls himself together. All of his thoughts of denial are momentarily settling his mind as he tries to focus on enjoying the moment while it lasts.
He waltzes out of the bathroom, confident that he can have a good time with Vincent just like usual. Hayden's mind is only jacked up because he's lonely after not chasing after girls all this time.
After searching and scanning and surveying the scene, he spots his tall, black-haired best friend surprisingly still on the dance floor. He trudges toward him with a smile but when he sees that there is actually a beautiful girl in front of him who he is enjoying the music with, something inside of him breaks.
For the first time in his life, he feels betrayed, and he knows he has no business feeling that way.
To Hayden, this feels like an out-of-body experience. The scene is happening through a tiny lens as if this isn't reality, but the image in a cheesy snow globe.
Hayden may be delusional at the moment, but that's his best friend. Vinny should only be smiling at him like that. That's his Vinny.
The thought causes Hayden's heart to crack.
A lot of self-reflection has happened for Hayden this past year. There was always a little voice in the back of his mind that told him that he'd be attracted to anyone with a great personality, but now that he is living through the idea of crushing on another guy, it's scaring the hell out of him. He just wants to crawl into a hole and never come out.
There's a cloud hanging over Hayden's head now. It consists of pushy ideas of isolation and abandonment that aren't bound to come true, but Hayden isn't in the right frame of mind to know that. He dealt with those things too much when he was younger and now he feels as though those things are coming back to haunt him.
He walks through the dance with a storm of thoughts drenching him in despair, but that's unnoticed by the rest of the crowd.
âââ§âââââââ§ââ
By the end of the night, girls are complaining of their feet hurting and guys are living off the high as the streets flood with students trying to get home.
Vincent lost a majority of his crew quite a while ago after Leo won prom king. He and Sabrina had a nice chat before hitting the dance floor again until the dance officially ended.
Right now, the same brunette is latched onto Vincent's arm, but Vincent doesn't seem to be complaining.
"Do you need me to take you home?" Vincent asks politely.
"No, it's okay. I drove myself here," Sabrina explains.
"You sure?"
"Positive," she beams with that radiant smile that Vincent has grown to love in the past couple of hours.
"Well then...I hope you have a good night. I had a great time."
"Yeah, me too," Sabrina says shyly before asking, "Would it be okay if I got your number?"
Vincent tosses her a teasing grin, "Would it?"
Sabrina gives him a brief side eye before pulling her phone out and offering it to Vincent. Vincent instantly types in his digits with a little chuckle.
The pair awkwardly shuffle their feet when neither wants to be the first to say goodbye.
"Well..." Vincent begins, throwing his hands in his pockets. "See you around?"
Sabrina steps on her tippy toes to plant a kiss on his cheek before whispering in his ear, "You know it." She then runs away with a cute laugh.
Vincent playfully shakes his head and looks at the ground, curious about how a girl as great as her has been under his nose the whole time.
When Vincent can finally get the cheesy smile off his face, he looks around at the dispersing people to try and find Hayden. When he comes up unlucky, he decides to sit on the roof of his car and wait.
Almost twenty minutes pass before Hayden exits the school. By this time, nobody else is still in the parking lot with the exception of a few potheads and people getting way too frisky in their cars.
Vincent observes Hayden's lackadaisical footsteps and slumped shoulders as he walks toward the parking lotâalmost like he's had too much alcohol. However, there is no happier drunk than Hayden which leaves Vincent slightly confused.
Vincent, on hurried footsteps, rushes to meet him halfway.
"Hayden," Vincent says softly.
Hayden perks up at the sound of Vincent's voice, but he is dripping with anxiousness; as if Vincent can see inside his heart and map out the growing affection toward him.
"You look like you've seen a damn ghost," Vincent chuckles. "Are you drunk?"
"N-yes," Hayden mutters, pretending that he can't balance.
Vincent caringly reaches out to steady him, but Hayden only feels overwhelmed.
"Are you okay?" Vincent whispers gently as he hauls Hayden to his car.
Hayden gives a halfhearted shrug, and that's when Vincent knows that something is certainly off. Hayden always speaks his mind, even in the worst of situations; that's one of Vincent's favorite things about him actually.
"You're sleeping over at my place tonight, okay?" Vincent says.
"But what about your parentâ"
"I don't care," Vincent says shortly, cutting him off.
Hayden wordlessly nods before Vincent helps him into the car. Hayden slumps against the interior of the car as Vincent hits the road.
After a few silent minutes, Vincent is pulling into the driveway of his home. Vincent carefully helps Hayden out of the car, still thinking that he is drunk, but Hayden obliges nonetheless.
"Jeez, how much did you drink?" Vincent snorts playfully.
"However much a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood," Hayden slurs.
Vincent lets out a breathless laugh as he quietly guides Hayden through his house as if the supposedly drunken boy doesn't know where his room is from the millions of times he's been here before.
When they are pushing through the door of Vincent's bedroom, Hayden slouches onto the bed and closes his eyesânot out of tiredness, but for the fear that this won't be his safe place anymore if Vincent grows closer with the girl he was mysteriously dancing with.
Vincent laughs before kneeling in front of Hayden and politely untying his shoes for him. This is routine for them after all. Hayden shows up to his house drunk off his ass while Vincent always takes care of him without complaint.
Vincent walks into his closet to change his clothes and Hayden would be lying if he said he didn't peek one eye open to catch a glimpse of his back muscles. Vincent briefly turns around to throw one of his sweatshirts at Hayden and definitely catches the boy peeking. However, he laughs it off because they are best buddies; nothing more.
Vincent strolls over to his dresser to grab some blankets to make Hayden's usual little cot for when he sleeps over but Hayden protests.
"Vinny?" Hayden asks.
"Hm?"
"Can I...just sleep up here with you?"
Vincent looks at him unimpressed. Hayden knows how much he loves his space.
"Pretty please," Hayden begs in a pathetic voice. "Because I'm your best friend in the whole entire world who you love very dearly."
"I mean, it depends on the day," Vincent shrugs smugly.
Hayden throws a pillow at his head but Vincent playful intercepts it before jumping on the bed and smothering Hayden with the same pillow. Bright laughter is heard throughout the room but neither boys have a care in the world that it might get them in trouble in the morning.
The two let out blissful sighs before looking at the ceiling as their truce. Hayden slightly turns his head to catch Vincent's side profile, noting every little feature he has seen on his best friend that never meant much to him before.
"Goodnight, Hayden," Vincent finally whispers, pulling the blanket up to his chest.
"Goodnight," Hayden repeats, remaining motionless.
After a few minutes pass and he thinks Vincent has gone asleep, Hayden maneuvers Vincent's arm around his shoulder. Hayden has a gentle smile as he breathes in Vincent's very essence, his cheek fused to his bicep.
"You are so fucking ridiculous," Vincent laughs.
Hayden is shocked that he is still awake, but despite his consciousness, Vincent doesn't move his arm. If anything, he squeezes his best friend a little tighter as they drift off into dreamless sleep.
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By the time Vincent rouses awake, he somehow feels two people sandwiching him. He peeks open his eyes to find Hayden's face buried in his chest. He rolls his eyes with a playful smile before peeking behind him to find that Vance made his way into his bed in the middle of the night.
Vincent prepares to try and shimmy himself out of bed without waking Hayden or Vance, but there's a weird noise coming from the corner of his room. He sits up and looks down to see Valerie kicking her feet back and forth as she scribbles in her coloring book.
Vincent laughs quietly before running his fingers through his unruly hair.
"What are you doing, Val?"
She perks up at hearing her brother's voice. She excitedly drops her crayons to the floor before showing Vincent her picture which is only partially colored.
"Isn't it pretty?" she whispers excitedly.
"Yes," Vincent sighs endearingly. "It's beautiful."
"I even left the same picture on Mom and Dad's wall as a present," she replies cheekily.
Oh gosh, Vincent thinks. He is praying that his parents don't find out about that, but even if they did, that wouldn't stop Valerie's rebellious ways.
Valerie goes right back to peacefully coloring as she hums a quiet tune to herself.
Wanting to get his morning routine started, Vincent quietly wiggles out of bed. He is taken by surprise when his feet touch the floor and he is accidentally stepping on Hayden's prom suit from last night, but that's not the shocking part. His toes touch a hard, box-like object hidden in the fabric.
Vincent raises an eyebrow as he curiously reaches into one of the inside pockets. He has to stifle a laugh when he finds out that it's the flask that Hayden was intending to spike the punch with yesterday. However, confusion graces his mind when he hears the light sloshing of the liquid inside.
Vincent peeks back behind him to make sure that Hayden and Vance are still asleep before unscrewing the cap. Imagine Vincent's shock when he sees that the container is still filled to the top with liquid.
Vincent's eyebrows pinch up with perplexity when a certain thought comes to mind.
...That means Hayden wasn't actually drunk yesterday.
Vincent can't help but wonder why Hayden had to pretend that he was wasted. If Hayden wanted to come over, he could've just said so and Vincent would've easily accepted.
Now that Vincent thinks about it, Hayden looked weirdly sad after prom yesterday. Sadness is a pretty rare emotion on the uncontrollable beam of sunshine that Hayden is, which instantly makes Vincent worry.
Peeking back at Hayden for a second time, he looks restless, even in his sleep. Vincent knows his best friend by heart and he knows that there is something he isn't telling him. He's hoping that he can get down to the bottom of this soon because Hayden should never feel the need to lie to him.
"That's a cool water bottle," Valerie chirps, pulling Vincent out of his thoughts.
Vincent's eyes widen when he notices that he is still openly holding the flask of alcohol in his hands. He hastily stuffs it back into Hayden's discarded suit before giving Valerie an awkward smile.
"Val, you didn't see anything."
Valerie giggles and playfully zips her lips shut. "Okay."