< Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chris pulled Justin’s tie so that the younger boy slid closer to him on the bench. "You’re not pissed we crashed, are you?"

Justin laughed and rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? I’m so happy you came." He kissed Chris’ nose playfully, ducking as the older boy swatted his head away. "I mean, we were having a fun time before you guys got here, so I wouldn’t have been upset if you didn’t come. But at the same time, I was telling Nick that the only way this night could get better would be if you guys showed up. And here you are."

Mandy winked at the two as she passed by. "You two are the cutest."

Chris snarled at her, causing Justin to burst into laughter as she snarled back. Chris was so surprised he uncurled his lip and dropped his jaw.

Joey sat down on the bench beside them, nodding in Mandy’s direction. "Uh, yeah. J, good call with the hottie. She’s off the hook." Not expecting Mandy to have heard him, Joey blushed when she approached, a coy smile on her face.

"Off the hook, I’m guessing that’s a compliment?"

Justin nodded as Joey rolled his eyes at his inability to keep his mouth shut. "Totally a compliment. He thinks you’re hot."

Mandy only smiled at Joey, stepping in between his outstretched legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down so that she was resting her forehead on his. "You’re lucky Fatone," she said sweetly. "I know what you look like without your make up, and I still find you cute."

"Yeah?" He asked shyly. When she nodded and grinned, he felt his stomach do somersaults. "Fucking eh!"

Chris and Justin snickered at how whipped Joey already was. Chris got up to bowl his turn, followed by Justin before they were back on the bench, cuddling together.

"So, did you miss me tonight?" Justin asked shyly. He wanted to know, but didn’t want to upset Chris by seeming too clingy.

"Totally. I mean, Dani was fun, but she wasn’t you. And she knew that I wasn’t into it. But then she had to take Kelly home so we just called the night early and I coerced Kevin to come here. I didn’t think Joey or Brian would want to come, but they were up for it too."

"I’m glad you did," Justin sighed. He looked over at where Nick and Kevin were laughing with AJ and Lance and felt the smile cover his whole body. There was a break in the conversation and Justin wanted to ask Chris about what would happen next, but he didn’t want his boyfriend to get angry with him. "Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"What now?" Justin could see that he’d taken Chris off guard and he wasn't sure what was being asked.

"What do you mean what now?"

"Like, what now. For us? For you. You won’t tell me what’s going on in the fall, you’ve been so secretive and ....I can’t help but wonder if it’s just bad news and you don’t want to break it to me. Which will suck, but I sort of was hoping that if it was bad news, we could talk it out and you could possibly not want to dump me because you’re out of school and I'm still only a sophomore."

Chris raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Hmmm, so you don’t want me to dump you?"

"Duh!" Justin said. He bit his lip nervously, unsure if he wanted to hear what Chris looked like he was about to say. "I mean, of course I don’t, because I love you and want to be with you forever, but if you’re going to do it..." He thought about it and shook his head. "Never mind, don’t say it. If you are going to dump me, please don’t do it tonight because it’s the anti-prom and we’re having so much fun. And I'll be miserable forever if you do."

Chris laughed and pulled Justin close, kissing the top of his head affectionately. "You are such a drama queen," he said fondly. The hair was getting more bristly from where it was growing in, and Chris was at a loss of whether he wanted Justin to cut it or grow it back out. "I’m not dumping you."

Justin exhaled a deep sigh of relief and grinned. "Really?"

"Really."

Justin threw his arms around Chris and kissed him passionately. "You’re the best boyfriend ever."

"Because I didn’t dump you?" Chris hated the thought of being without Justin, and just the talking about dumping was making him antsy. Justin nodded and he kissed him again.

"Yeah." When Justin and Chris had taken their turns again, they continued the conversation. "But I am curious as to what’s going to happen next."

Chris knew he was going to have to tell Justin eventually, but he’d wanted to make sure that everything was set up and in place before he did so. There was no use in getting his hopes up when even he wasn’t sure what was going to happen. But with graduation looming, Chris’ plans had been finalized earlier on in the week and he was now ready to confide in Justin what was going to become of him next year.

"So, are you ready for this?"

Justin nodded

"Well, we had a few meetings with the record exec guy. He seemed pretty confident with our stuff and really liked us. He pitched us to the corporate suits..."

Justin couldn’t help but gasp, anticipating where Chris was going to go with this. He hoped to god that Chris' next words were going to be that they offered him a contract and he was going to start working on a CD so they could tour and become rich and famous. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Chris said without as much enthusiasm that Justin had been expecting. "He pitched us and although they really liked our sound, they weren’t confident. Not right now, especially with the market how it is. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but they’re not looking for a band like us at the moment."

Justin’s face fell and he pulled Chris close, hugging him tightly. "I’m sorry."

Chris shrugged. It had been a hard blow, but he knew that it wasn’t going to be that easy, not from the beginning. "It’s okay. I mean, it sucks, but we weren’t putting our hopes up just yet. But he sent the CD we gave him to a few of his friends at other record companies. Companies that he knows are willing to take risks in the acts that they sign. In the meantime, I’m going to be at State this fall. No point in not going to school if there’s nothing to fall back on."

Justin’s eyes widened. If Chris was going to state, then he’d be staying in Middletown. The drive was less than an hour away, and they’d talked about the possibility of him going there. Justin had only wanted whatever would be best for Chris, but couldn’t deny that he was happy to know that the other boy would be staying in town.

"What are you taking?" Justin asked in awe. Chris hadn’t told him where he was applying, nor for what and Justin hadn’t wanted to push. But now that it was official, he was curious.

Chris’ cheeks got red and he shrugged. "Fashion design. If this band thing doesn’t work out, I have always wanted to create my own line of clothing. It’s queer, I know, but ..."

Justin giggled which caused for Chris to blush even more. When he saw Chris raising his defenses, he kissed his mouth softly. "That is the coolest thing ever. Plus, you can really do both."

Chris nodded. "I know. The other guys in the band and I have talked about it, we’ve been talking for ages and we all agreed to go to State. None of us are that eager to leave the area, plus we don’t have the money to go to LA to get discovered, not yet anyways. Maybe when we’ve got some money saved up or have post secondary educations and can afford to get good jobs in the city, but for right now, we’re gonna stay here and work on getting better."

"Plus you said that the guy from the record company was going to put you in touch of other labels?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, and he was genuinely pissed off that they didn’t sign us, and I trust him. He’s always called us, we’ve never had to chase him around, so that says something.

Justin couldn’t stop the butterflies in his stomach. Chris was really going to be staying home. With him. "How can you afford school?" Justin asked cautiously. Chris’ hand tightened in his and he squeezed it comfortingly.

"I took out a small loan. But Mrs. Renado put me in touch with someone at the paper. They’ve agreed to put me on their payroll and I’m going to work there for the summer. Helping with layout and other areas that they need help in. The editor is a good friend of hers, and one night they had been talking about how he needed to hire an assistant. He didn’t want to pay what people usually cost at that level, but couldn’t not have someone. So she worked out a pretty good wage for me and he agreed to take me on."

Justin hugged Chris again, pleased at his boyfriend’s good fortune. If anyone deserved it, Justin felt that Chris did and he was so glad to hear that everything was working out for him. "I’m so proud of you Chris," he said against Chris’ jaw.

"Thanks," Chris beamed. Things were finally falling into place, and if he had his way, by the time he graduated from State in his two year programme, Justin would be in his last year of high school, Chris would have his degree and in the beginning of starting his own clothing line to coincide with his band’s debut CD being released.

~*~*~*~*~

"How many people right now do you think are wondering what we’re talking about?" Nick asked Kevin softly. He could see Justin and Chris continually looking over at them, whispering softly, as were AJ and Lance and Britney and Christina. Even Joey and Brian had given them pointed looks all which Kevin and Nick simply laughed off and ignored.

"I would say, everyone," Kevin agreed with a laugh. "They’re nosy bastards, aren’t they!"

"That they are," Nick said. He was sitting close enough to Kevin that he could feel the heat from the older boy, but not close enough so that they were touching. He’d held onto Kevin’s hand as they walked through the crowd when he’d first arrived, but Nick had let Kevin’s hand go and he’d been too shy to pick up where he’d left off. He had hoped that Kevin would make a move, but at the same time knew that he wouldn’t. Kevin was playing by Nick’s rules, at Nick’s pace now and if anything was going to happen, Nick was going to have to instigate it.

"Isn’t it funny how no matter what kind of party we’re at, we always end up together," Kevin voiced his thoughts. He tended to gravitate to where Nick was and although he had other friends at the party, never wanted to leave the blonde’s company. Nick’s blush made him smile and Kevin enjoyed the way he was slightly uncomfortable at his observation. "I think it’s fate trying to tell us something.


"Me too," Nick whispered. He looked at Kevin, staring deep into his eyes.

"Are you coming on Friday?" Kevin asked. He knew that Justin would be going to see Chris graduate, and hoped that Nick would want to go. Seeing the blonde’s face in the crowd would probably be the one thing that made the day shine for him. "To graduation?"

Nick smiled and nudged Kevin’s shoulder. "Do you want me to come?"

Without a hint of a smile, Kevin nodded. "Yes." He watched Nick blush. Again.

"Of course I’m coming. I wouldn’t miss it for the world." They sat in silence, until Nick couldn’t ignore the question that his mind was shouting. "So, where are you going in the fall?"

Kevin gave Nick a suspicious look. He figured that Chris would have told Justin his plans, and Justin would have told Nick, but looking at the expression on Nick’s face, he genuinely didn’t seem to know. The nervous fluttering in his stomach intensified as it always did when he thought about the fall and school.

"Is it out east?"

Kevin shook his head. "Actually," he finally started to talk. "I’m going to UCLA. It’s close enough to home that I can be back if anything ever happens, but far enough so that I’m not smothered by my parents. Although they’re not too happy with me anyways right now.’

Kevin was going to UCLA? Nick’s pulse started to race and he had an excited tremor pass through his whole body. He’d been thinking Kevin would be across the country, never to be seen again, and as much as that thought killed him, he knew that if it was what Kevin wanted, he couldn’t begrudge him that. "Why?"

"They wanted me to go out east. Go to a respectable school, become a doctor or a lawyer and then get married and have kids. I don’t want that. I want to play football, I want to study what interests me. So I talked it over with my guidance councilor and we went over my options. UCLA gave me a scholarship to go there for football, so I just have to keep my average up and my education is paid for. And at the same time, I can study Environmental Resources and maybe find something in that field when I graduate."


"What about the marriage and kids?" Nick asked, with the lump in his throat.

"Well, until they legalize same sex marriages I think I’m out of luck on that one."

In spite of himself, Nick had to laugh. He felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his chest and he could breathe right again.

Kevin noticed Nicks’ relief and smiled. "You look happy."

"I am," Nick grinned. They had completely missed the fact that Lance and AJ were bowling for them, sending each ball straight into the gutter. The cackling laugh of their friends had blended into the background, along with everything else that didn’t matter at that moment. "So," he said frowning. "Your parents are mad?"

Kevin snorted. "Mad? Mad doesn’t even come close. I mean, they have no choice because I’ve already made up my mind, but they weren’t happy."

"What happened?"

They were going to disown me, I swear it. There was a lot of screaming and yelling and they freaked out, but then my brother had come up for Easter and had a talk with them. They had wanted him to go to Medical School too, but he had decided to go into politics. He reminded them of how well his decision turned out for him and said that maybe doing what I wanted wouldn’t be so bad."

"What did they say?"

"They told him to shut up and mind his own business, but he wouldn’t give up. Whenever they said anything to me, he defended me and finally they just realized that nothing was going to change my mind. He asked them if their dream was worth losing a son over, because if they didn’t let up, they were going to do just that. I guess he got to them because the next day, my father was asking when we were going up to UCLA to look at the campus. He totally pretended that the previous month had ever happened. I would have liked to talk about it, but he isn’t yelling anymore, and he said if I need any money for anything they can help, since I got the scholarship. And that was that."

"Do you regret your choice?"

Kevin shook his head. He would never regret realizing what he was giving up and doing what he had to for his own piece of mind. He would have liked to have had his parents support from the beginning, but better late than never. "Of course not. I’m going to study what I want, where I want. When I graduate and they see how happy I am, they can’t not be happy for me. And if they aren’t, I’ll deal with that when it happens."

"So, you both lost," Lance said as he broke into their conversation. Nick looked up, shocked to see so many zeros next to his name. Glaring at AJ, he shook his fist at him. "You did that on purpose!"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," AJ said innocently. With a laugh, Lance nodded.

Nick burst into laughter and snorted. "You know, I’ll bet you didn’t. You probably were trying and still got zeros."

AJ’s laughter was cut short as he jumped on Nick, pretending to beat him up. The two teens started laughing loudly, catching the attention of everyone. Games were in the final few frames and their night of bowling at their anti-prom was beginning to wind down.


"What’s up next?" Krystal asked. She snapped her gum and looked around at the crowd, who were returning their bowling balls to the racks lining the room. Lance had brought a small cloth bag which was now housing a few dozen rolls of film and the people who were waiting for their lanes were watching them expectantly.

"I don’t know, I’m not ready to go home, but it’s too late to do anything." Britney commented.

Everyone made sure to check under the benches, on the benches and in any corners for their personal belongings as they all headed over to the shoe rental area to trade in their tacky bowling shoes for their more formal dress shoes. When everyone was ready to go, Nick had an idea. "Wait, the pictures we took earlier doesn’t have everyone in them." He motioned for Kevin, Chris, Joey, Brian and Brian’s girlfriend and her friends to all get together so they could take a picture of them. Once a few pictures were taken, he then asked the man working the shoe rental booth if he could take a picture of the whole group.

"You know, you kids are freakin’ hilarious," the man said as he waited for them all to huddle together. "I see a lot in here, but this has to be a first."

Everyone posed as he took a few pictures, returning the camera when he was done. "I was a little hesitant to book you all, I mean, this many kids all at one time without any parents? You gotta be mad to book it, but I thought I’d take a chance and you kids proved me wrong. Come on back anytime."

Christina nodded and shook the man’s hand one more time. "Well thank you, we’ve had a great time and we appreciate everything you’ve done for us. We’ll totally be back."

The group all nodded in agreement as they filed out of the doors into the warm night air. When they were all in the parking lot, they paused, unsure of where to go."

"So?" Justin asked. "Where to now?"

"Let me make a phone call," Christina said. She headed to the pay phone and dropped a quarter in. A few minutes later she returned to the group with a giant smile on her face. "We’re going to my place. Mom said it’s okay and since it’s nice out, we can stay outside in the back yard. We can put some music on and just hang out there for a bit longer."

Nick walked near the back of the crowd, unsure of who he wanted to go with. He looked at Kevin who smiled. "Are you guys gonna come with?"

It was Joey who answered. "We so are. Mandy’s going so I’m in. She’s gonna come with me."

"Did you all drive separately?" Nick asked. Joey nodded.

"Yeah, kinda. I drove with Kelly, and Chris and Dani went with Kev. Brian drove so we’ve got three cars. Mandy said that a lot of them had their parents drop them off, so now with as many cars as we have, there’s enough room. I’m taking Mandy and Krystal and some dude Shawn."

"Okay, we’ll see you there." Kevin nodded as Joey sprinted off to his car. He wanted to ask Nick to come with him, but didn’t get the chance.

"Nicky and I are driving with Kevin and Chris," Justin announced to AJ who was waiting for them at his car.

"Okay," Lance grinned as he climbed into the car. He was definitely up for some alone time with his boyfriend. No one would notice if they took a bit longer to get to Christina’s than anyone else, and if they asked, he could just lie and say they stopped to get a drink at Mc Donalds or something. When AJ followed him in, he was across the front seat in a second. "Lets take a long cut."

AJ nodded knowingly. "I like how you think Lance Bass."

Nick sat in the front seat with Kevin while they were forced to listen to the soft smacking of Chris and Justin’s lips in the back seat. It was slightly uncomfortable, and every time he heard Justin whimper, or Chris moan, Nick wanted to be anywhere except there. "Can you two keep it down?" He asked, whining.

"Too late," Chris laughed. He growled as Justin palmed his erection through his leather pants.

"Asshole," Kevin grumbled as his own groin throbbed. He reached over and flicked the music on, snickering as Nick raised the volume in the back. It startled the two teens so much they both screamed and jumped apart.

Chris smacked the back of Kevin’s head while Justin kicked at Nick’s seat. "Sorry," Nick laughed, not sounding sorry at all. "I didn’t realize that it would be that loud."

"He bit my tongue," Chris whined, sticking the sore appendage out. He couldn’t feel any lasting damage, but the sting was still present.

"Maybe your tongue shouldn’t have been in his mouth, Christopher." Kevin teased. At the same time, Justin pulled Chris close.

"Let me kiss it better."

Nick wrinkled his nose in disgust and shook his head. "Get a fucking room." He exchanged a glance with Kevin and smiled shyly. His hand was resting on the arm rest between them, and in a move that made Nick’s heart soar and his stomach flip, Kevin reached over and covered his hand with his own. He left it there for a few minutes, until he brought it back up to the wheel to drive safely.

It took them almost no time at all to get to the Aguilera household. Christina, Josh, Britney and Billy had already arrived and had set out snacks and drinks for everyone. The ghetto blaster that she kept in her room was brought downstairs and a pile of mixed CDs were sitting beside it. Pulling out a mix that she and Britney had made one night after a school dance of all of their favourite dance songs, slow and fast, she slipped it into the player and turned on the power. Music filtered through the warm, summer air, starting the party.

A half an hour after everyone else, Lance and AJ arrived, looking blissful both wearing matching swollen smiles and glazed eyes. They endured teasing until finally Christina suggested a few games. One of Nick’s favourite songs came on and as he stood up, he was tugged onto the makeshift dance floor by Christina.


"So partner," she said sweetly. "Congratulations on a night well done."

"You too," he said. "We should be proud of ourselves."

"I’m proud of us." Christina rested her cheek on Nick’s chest as they swayed to the music. A few other couples joined them on the dance floor, while others stood around, talking and enjoying themselves. "How are things with Kevin?"

"Awesome," Nick admitted. And for the first time, he found that he meant it. Everything had been flowing smoothly with Kevin and although he knew he still was in love with him, it wasn’t a love that was causing his chest to hurt, it made him enjoy the night even more, but mostly there was the feeling in the air that Kevin felt it too. And that was what Nick had enjoyed the most, spending time with Kevin not having to worry about who saw them and what they saw them doing.

"I’m glad," Christina said. "You deserve it." When the song was over, she kissed his cheek, thanking him for the dance. Another slow song followed it and Nick was stunned when Kevin stepped in front of him.

"Would you like ...to dance?" Kevin looked around nervously. He knew that they were only in the presence of their friends, and that he wasn’t the only one involved in a homosexual relationship, but it still felt odd to be asking Nick to dance. What was even stranger, was how his mind had already started considering them as together. He saw AJ and Lance as a couple, as he did Chris and Justin, but he considered himself and Nick as a couple, although technically they weren’t. He knew it was more than time to remedy that.

Nick’s face turned a deep scarlet and his hands began to tremble, but he simply nodded. Kevin led him to a darker portion of the patio and pulled Nick close, wrapping his arms around his waist. He knew that everyone was watching them, but didn’t want to have their first dance be a scene for speculation and discussion. At least bathed partially in the shade, they could be somewhat private. When he saw Chris and Justin start to dance, followed closely by AJ and Lance, his lips curled into a smile and he closed his eyes, leaning his cheek next to Nick’s.

Nick pressed closer to Kevin, needing to feel his arms wrapped around him. He had his own arms wrapped around Kevin’s neck and they were moving slowly to the beat of the music. All too quickly, the song was over and while Nick thought Kevin would pull away, he was pleased to find that Kevin didn’t loosen his hold on him. The song was fast, but Kevin refused to end their dance.

They didn’t kiss. They didn’t touch each other anymore so than with their arms wrapped comfortably around one another, and they didn’t speak. They both simply enjoyed the moment, and the feel of being exactly where they’d dreamed so many nights of being, in each other’s arms.

It was Justin who interrupted their dance, nearly an hour later. Nick opened his eyes, surprised to find them slightly damp.

"What’s wrong J?" Nick asked, discreetly wiping at the corners of his eyes.

Justin gave him an apologetic smile and nodded towards the door. "It’s time to go. It’s almost one thirty and we should get home soon." He knew the last thing Nick probably wanted to do right then was leave, but they were going to have to if they wanted their parents to ever trust them again.

Nick was shocked to find that much time had passed. It hadn’t felt as though they had been there that long, but in Kevin’s arms, nothing else seemed to matter. He nodded, giving his best friend a smile of gratitude. "Thanks J."

"No problem, we’ll wait for you outside."

"We are outside," Nick laughed.

Justin rolled his eyes. "By the car."

"We’ll come with you," Kevin answered. He pulled Nick towards the door and they stopped where Christina was to say their good nights. They thanked Christina’s parents for allowing them all over to their house unexpectedly and headed to the car.

Nick was the closest, so Kevin grudgingly dropped him off first. He walked Nick to the door and gave him one last hug. "Thanks for tonight," Kevin said softly. "And thanks for the dance."

"You’re welcome," Nick whispered. Kevin was so close and he wanted so badly for him to kiss him, but Kevin didn’t. He looked down at his feet nervously before stepping back. Nick realized that he would have to take it upon himself to initiate the kiss. Just as he was about to step in, the porch light went on and his mother was standing at the window in the door. Nick screamed, causing for Justin and Chris to burst into laughter from the car.

Kevin stepped away quickly, as if Jane Carter would know what he was thinking. He could tell Nick was preparing to step in and kiss him, and although he had told himself he was going to take things slow, he had decided that if Nick was going to kiss him, he wouldn’t object.

"Nickolas," Jane said warmly. She looked as though she’d just woken up. "You’re home."

Nick nodded. "After bowling we went to Chrissy’s."

Jane smiled. "Her mother phoned." Jane looked at the grandfather clock in the living room and nodded her acceptance. "And not too late but not too early. Well done Nickolas. Good evening Kevin."

"Hello Mrs. Carter."

"Shouldn’t you have been at the prom tonight?"

"I was ma’am. It sucked so we went to the anti-prom." Jane peered down the driveway to where Justin and Chris were waving at her. She smiled and tugged on Nick’s arm.

"Come on young man. It’s bed for you. You’ll see Kevin on Friday." She turned to Kevin and smiled. "Thank you for driving him home. Make sure you get the rest of the zoo in there home safely, you hear?"

"Yes ma’am."

"Good, now I need some juice and then back to bed."

Nick gave Justin and Chris one last nod before winking at Kevin and disappearing into his house after his mother. He couldn’t wait until Friday now.

End Chapter 49


Chapter 50 >