Kieren couldn't believe his eyes. He knew that Rick wanted to keep their relationship a secret because he cared about his image, but he never imagined he'd go this far. This time Rick had kissed a girl in the middle of a busy hallway. Everyone could see them as they shuffled off to their next class. Distraught by the scene, Kieren ran for the bathroom. He locked himself in a stall and cried silently. It was times like these when he wondered if Rick loved him at all. Kieren would never put him through this.
A few minutes after the bell rang, Kieren heard footsteps entering the bathroom. there was a light tap on his stall door.
"Ren? You in there?" Rick asked.
"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your girlfriend?" Kieren's words were filled with venom. He would make damn sure that Rick knew how this shit made him feel.
Rick sighed. "I'm sorry, Ren. The guys made me do it."
Kieren laughed bitterly. "The guys made you do it? They didn't make you do anything. You chose to kiss her."
"Can you open the door?" Reluctantly, Kieren obliged. Rick held his face in his hands." "I don't want to hurt you. I love you Ren, but I'm so scared."
"I know. I'm scared too."
"What would people think of me? What would my dad do to me? I couldn't handle it."
"One day, everything's gonna work out and we won't have to hide anymore. We'll be happy and free."
"God, I hope so. I just wanna walk down the halls and hold your hand without getting ripped apart."
Kieren smiled. "I love you, too, you know."
Rick rolled his eyes and kissed him. "Of course I know, Ren. Let's go." Maybe they couldn't kiss outside of these bathroom walls, but for now, everything was alright.