Julian covered his head with the covers of the only bed in Damond’s apartment. “I didn’t think I should have bought you a bed until you moved in, but… you didn’t.” he’d said the night before. Julian rolled and faced the wall as Damond came in. “Are you coming to school today?” Damond asked, pulling on the rest of his shirt. “No.” Julian mumbled. “They’ll call home with that Infinate Campus thing.” Julian gave a pathetic shrug under the covers. “You can’t lay in bed forever.” Damond said. “Just until I’m over it.” Damond walked over, pulled the covers back, and gave Julian a small kiss on the lips. “I’ll call you on lunch break, okay?” Julian nodded. “Oh, and I’ll be telling Faith about this.” Juian shot up in bed. “You can’t do that!” he yelled. “well, she’s going to wonder why you’re not at school and why you didn’t call her when you got home. What am I going to tell her? Not, ‘I don’t know.’ Because she knows I know.” Julian scowled. “Well if you tell her she will personally go to my moms house and like, kill her. Get up in her face and be all like, ‘You better fucing apologize or I’ll cut your throat!’ to my mom. And she’s freaking religious!” Damond laughed. “Then just come to school. Its not that hard. Just cuss out anyone who asks questions, and I’ll explain to Faith and maybe Cara, and tell them not to talk about it.” Julian scowled, but agreed. He took a quick shower and changed clothes before joining Damond in the car. “Your hair is still wet.” He pointed out. “Yeah, well, might as well not be late.” Julian grumbled. “I woke you up early so you would have time. If you wanna go back and dry it, you can…” he offered, but Julian just shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. Lets just get today over with.” Damond shrugged and stared the car. “…You gunna be okay today?” he asked after a while. “I guess.” Julian shrugged. “Oh,” he said, suddenly remembering. “If an annoying little freshman buy comes up to you and says he’s going out with me, ignore him, ‘kay?” Julian turned to Damond. “what?” Julian asked. “Well some little freshman, since you left, has been following me and keeps asking me out. So, ignore him.” Julian laughed as they pulled into the parking lot. “Jay all over again, except two years younger.” Damond laughed. “Yeah, but he’s a twerp so doesn’t try anything. He just likes to follow me and bug me at lunch. I think Faith scares him though, with all her cussing him out and yelling, as well as threatening.” Julian laughed again, so Damond continued—anything to see him smile. “I’m not kidding! ‘you better f*** off you son of a b**** or Ima kick my boot up your ass!’ she—the raised by religion goth—says that to him.” Julian smiled as they pulled into the asigned spot. “Julian!” He turned as he was getting out to see Faith, Cara, and Jake following coming at him. “And the welcoming parade arives.” Damond grumbles. “Hi.” Julian said, giving a little wave. He noticed Cara holding Jake’s hand. “So you asked him out, huh?” she blushed and nodded, but Jake just kept staring at Julian before saying, “Twerp’s comin’.” Damond turned and swore as a boy was weaving through the cars. “Damond!” he yelled as her ran up, clinging to Damond’s arm. “Get off darn it!” Faith stormed up and ripped him off. “Listen here you stupid little twerp—how many times I gotta tell you? He has a boyfriend.” She pointed back to Julian, who got a glare from ‘twerp’. Julian had to admit ‘twerp’ was a little cute, sandy hair, freckles, green eyes. His nickname suited him too, his body was scrawny as if Faith’s grip might snap his arm. “Hi.” Julian gave him a little wave too, but he ran off. Cara pulled Jake forward. “Jake, this is Julian, the guy I was telling you about.” Jake nodded but kept to himself. “Anyways, now Julian gets to look forward to his make up work, because if you don’t, summer school!” Faith said, adding a tone of doom to summer school. “Great.” Julian groaned. “Come on, Come on!” Faith stressed trying to get Julian to hurry up. “Do you know how Julian deprived I’ve been?” she said. “Julian deprived?” he repeated. “Yes. You were away for almost a month dude! I was bored out of my f***ing mind!” Julian laughed, as well as Cara. They got into the school, and hung out at their lunch table till the bell rang. Damond pulled both Cara anf Faith aside, telling them. Julian waved and started walking to class, only to be pulled aside. “You! Your Damond’s boyfriend.” Said Twerp, pushing Julian into the wall. “Twerp…?” he said, not knowing his name. “Its not twerp, darn it! It’s Tomo! Now, listen… I’m going to ask you something very important.” He paused. “What are Damond’s sweet spots?” Julian gagged. “His… what?” Tomo scowled. “You two have had sex, right?” he asked. “No!” Tomo grinned. “Well, maybe I can then?” Julian glared at him. “Hell no, he’s mine.” Julian felt really stupid for saying that. Tomo was pulled back into the hall, by Jake. “Screw off Twerp.” He said, pushing him down the hall. Tomo ran into his classroom. “Thanks.” Julian said. Jake shrugged and said, “I heard what you said about Damond.” Julian blushed. “All… of it?” Jake nodded. “it’s okay. I wont tell. But can I talk to you?” he asked. “Uh, sure?” He figited. Willing to skip a class?” Julian shrugged and said sure. He followed Jake up to the roof. “So, hey, your step bro used to beat you, right?” Julian nodded slowly. “How bad is it getting sent away?” he asked. “What?” Julian said stupidly. “I mean uh…” Jake looked at the ground. “My dad… he… hits me. And… Cara wants me to tell, but I’m kinda scared to.” Julian sat against th wall of the roof access. “You have any other family?” Jake shrugged. “Older sister. She’s in college though.” Julian sighed. “Um… I can ask Damond if he can take you or something. I mean, we wouldn’t go through paper work and stuff. Just… go to your house when he’s not home, get your things… stuff like that.” Jake looked at him, confused. “Aren’t you two living together?” Julian looked down at his pants. “Well, he wants me too, and I temporarlly am because I told my mom I was gay. But uh… theres a second bed, you can have it, I can take the couch.” Jake shrugged. “Well what about Damond? Its his place anyways.” Julian laughed. “yeah I know. I’ll ask him later though, ‘kay?” Jake nodded. “we.. should go now.” Julian stood up and fixed his bag. “Yeah.” He started for the roof access door, but Jake grabbed his sleeve. “Don’t tell Cara. I… Don’t want her to know until somethings offical. Okay?” Julian nodded and smiled before saying, “You really like her, dont you?” He looked down and blushed a little. “Well uh.. she was always trying to talk to me and stood up for me… not like everyone else.” Julian laughed. “Well that’s a good thing.” Julian messed Jake’s hair and left the roof with him.