Four teenagers stood around a pool table in the Whyte Wyrm, laughing and joking amongst themselves as the two boys took turns hitting the cue ball, one doing significantly better than the other.
"Come on, Fangs. You have to sink at least one ball other than the cue ball. You can't let Sweet Pea beat you," Blair Phillips spoke up, watching as the smaller male missed another shot.
Fangs scoffed at Blair, arching his brow, "Yeah, like you could do any better. Pea always wins, it's never a fair match."
Sweet Pea smirked at Fangs' complaint, leaning over the table to take his shot. The cue ball hit against the last solid apart from the eight ball, and they each watched as it rolled to sink into a corner pocket perfectly. "Sorry, Fogarty. It sucks to suck."
Toni shook her head, "Be nice, Sweets. One day, someone's going to kick your ass at pool and you'll be the one bitching."
Blair contemplated both Fangs and Toni's words and hummed softly. "Let me try."
The eight ball dropped into another of the pockets with a thump as the other teens looked over at Blair.
"What? You've always said pool is boring and that's why you don't play," Fangs pointed out.
Blair rolled her eyes, "I said it was boring. I never said I wasn't good at it."
Walking around the table, she grabbed the rack, then placed it along with the balls that Sweet Pea had scored back on the table, beginning to rack them.
"What do you say, Pea? I'll even let you break."
Sweet Pea continued to grin to himself, looking at Toni and Fangs for their reactions, to which Toni simply shrugged.
"Fine. Loser buys the next round of drinks," he suggested.
Blair scoffed, stepping back and waiting for Sweet Pea to hit the balls to break them.
"Why would I buy it when I could just swipe it?" she asked, mischievous smirk on her features.
Sweet Pea glanced up, eyes meeting hers and he returned her smirk. "Fine, what do you suggest?"
Blair hummed, watching as Sweet Pea sank a couple of solids before missing his shot. She moved around the table, lining up her own. "If I win, you take over cleaning duty here for me for a week. If you win, I'll write your book report that I know you haven't even started yet."
Sweet Pea grinned, feeling confident, "You've got a deal, Phillips. I'll be waiting for that A+ paper."
Just then, Blair sunk one of her striped balls, then another, and another after that. Sweet Pea's brow arched in surprise, Fangs laughing and hitting at Toni's shoulder, causing her to swat his hand, though she laughed too.
"Damn, Pea. You may have just met your match," Toni teased.
Blair smiled at the other girl, missing after her third shot. "Your turn, big guy," she spoke, patting Sweet Pea on the back as she passed.
The four of them had been friends for years, and when they were all together, there was never a dull moment.
Each of Blair's friends held a special place in her heart, but she had always been the closest to Sweet Pea. They always had each other's backs, even when they were young kids, that actually having been how they met. A couple of kids had been picking on Sweet Pea, and despite being smaller than each of them, Blair had defended him. They'd been inseparable ever since, and as they got older and Sweet Pea came into his own, he defended her just as she had him.
The game went on, passing somewhat quickly as the two of them each continued to sink shots. Eventually, it came to the point where each of them had one ball left on the table, along with the eight ball. Sweet Pea moved to take his shot, groaning as the ball stopped rolling just before making it into the pocket.
"Alright guys, it's the moment of truth," Toni spoke, Fangs jittery and nervous beside her.
Blair stepped up to take her shot then, aiming and lining it up as perfectly as she could. Her cue collided with the cue ball, then the cue ball with the number eleven ball, sinking it easily into the pocket.
Her eyes moved up to look at Sweet Pea, curious to his reaction as she set up her shot to hit the eight ball. He looked like he was holding in a breath, and Blair smirked, taking her shot and sinking the eight ball, the cue ball stopping behind it just short of falling into the pocket and making her scratch.
Toni let out an excited squeal, Fangs swatting at Sweet Pea's arm, both surprised to see someone finally beat him.
Fangs marveled at Blair as she set her pool cue down and moved over to the others. "Phillips, how did you do that?"
"Yeah.. how did you do that?" Sweet Pea asked, his expression unreadable apart from confusion. "I didn't even know that you could play."
Blair shrugged, "My aunt taught me when I was younger, and I play sometimes when it's empty and we're cleaning up late here."
Toni threw an arm around Blair's shoulders, pulling her in and squeezing her close for a moment, "That was seriously awesome."
Blair looked over to Sweet Pea, eyes questioning as she gently released herself from Toni's grasp, stepping closer to the tall male. "Don't be mad," she spoke, reaching out and gently poking his abs.
Sweet Pea shook his head, leaning his pool cue against the table, looking down at her. "I'm not," he spoke. If it was anyone else, he might have been, but not with Blair. Sure, he was disappointed to have lost, not wanting to have to be the one to clean up the Wyrm. Some of the older Serpents were seriously disgusting.
"I'm impressed," he admitted.
Blair grinned at that, sliding an arm around the male's waist and nestling into his side.
"Hey, at least I know that I have someone to play two on two with who won't lose me all of my money like Fogarty," Sweet Pea teased, draping his arm around Blair's shoulders, hand rubbing up and down her arm.
Fangs gasped dramatically, then scoffed. "I'm not that bad! Sometimes I just have an off night!"
Sweet Pea smirked, "Yeah, you've been having a lot of off nights lately."
Blair swatted Sweet Pea's chest. "Be nice, Sweets. You're acting like someone who didn't just lose at pool himself," she teased.
His nose scrunched and he glared down at her playfully before tousling her hair and pulling away.
Toni sighed softly, "As fun as this has been, my grandpa wanted me home an hour ago. I should probably get going before I'm grounded for a week," she rolled her eyes.
Fangs nodded, "Yeah, my mom mentioned picking up late dinner, so I should probably head out too. You guys gonna stay here?" he asked, looking between Blair and Sweet Pea.
Sweet Pea and Blair looked at each other, the latter shrugging. "Ivy will be here a while, and I don't have anywhere to be. Plus, Pea just caught cleaning duty," she smirked.
Sweet Pea groaned, remembering their bet and rolled his eyes, "A deal's a deal, I guess."
Fangs smirked, patting Sweet Pea on the back as he moved to walk around him and toward the door. "Yeah, well.. it sucks to suck, Pea."
The taller boy hit the other in the arm, promptly erupting in the two of them trading playful blows back and forth for several moments.
Toni moved toward Blair, opening her arms for a hug. Blair returned the gesture, squeezing Toni close before pulling back.
"See you tomorrow, girl. Be sure to get pictures of Pea actually cleaning," she teased.
Blair rolled her eyes playfully, "I have to, otherwise how would anyone believe me?" she joked in return.
—
Blair and Sweet Pea hung around the Wyrm a bit longer, until Ivy let them know that they could go, saying she'd clean up that night.
Sweet Pea nearly breathed a sigh of relief, and Blair rolled her eyes. Still, she understood. The last thing she wanted to do at the end of the night was clean the Wyrm.
"Want to head back to mine? We can just watch movies and hang out," Sweet Pea shrugged.
Blair nodded, "Yeah, sounds good, let me just let Ivy know and we can go."
Sweet Pea nodded to agree, grabbing his jacket and heading toward the door, while Blair moved toward the bar, letting Ivy know that she was going to Sweet Pea's, knowing she'd probably end up falling asleep there and staying the night.
Once she'd told her, Blair turned, pulling her own jacket on and heading to the door behind Sweet Pea, playfully jumping at the last moment and attaching herself to his back. Luckily, he was ready for her, stooping just slightly so she didn't land too low on his back, and as he caught her legs, he hoisted her up a bit higher, moving forward as she draped her arms around his neck.
"You know, one day, I'm just going to let you fall," he teased her.
Blair scoffed, shaking her head before resting her chin against his shoulder, "You would never."
Sweet Pea grinned at that, remaining silent as he knew that she was right. He would never allow her to get hurt if it was remotely in his control.
He carried her to his bike, letting her down onto her feet beside it. She waited for him to climb on and steady it, then climbed on the back, wrapping her arms around his waist. She had been on the back of a bike so many times that she didn't really feel the need to hang on, yet with Sweet Pea, she had always preferred to do so, enjoying their closeness that seemed to come naturally.
They rode off to his trailer, and once they arrived, Blair climbed off of the bike first as Sweet Pea held it stable, then he cut the engine and got off as well.
Moving toward where Blair stood, Sweet Pea took two long strides forward and ducked down, wrapping his arms around Blair's legs and teasingly throwing her over his shoulder, causing her to squeal and shriek.
"Sweets! Put me down!" she screeched, swatting at his back, though not enough to hurt him.
He chuckled as she protested and screamed, holding onto her with one arm as he unlocked the door with his free hand, "Oh, now you want me to put you down." He walked inside, moving over to the couch and playfully dropped her down onto it..
She pouted as she landed on the worn-down cushions, glaring up at him as if she were mad, "Rude."
Sweet Pea smirked, looking over at her as he tossed his keys on the table by the door and removed his jacket. "You love me."
Blair did her best to hold her serious expression, not wanting to falter now. "And yet sometimes I wonder how I put up with you."
He shrugged his shoulders, moving toward the couch, and dropping to sit down beside her. "Also because you love me," he replied, draping his arm around her shoulders, an action that came naturally when they were in that close of proximity.
She looked over at him, letting out a huff before giving in and nestling against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "This is why you don't have a girlfriend," she teased.
His brow furrowed in confusion and he looked down at her, "Why? Because of us?"
Blair shook her head, "No, because you're a fucking animal," she replied, poking his chest lightly, smiling softly as she looked over at him.
She wasn't sure why her heart skipped in her chest as he used the word 'us' in reference to them, but she shoved the thoughts down quickly, nuzzling her head against the crook of his neck as she made herself comfortable.
After a moment, she spoke up again, "Why don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked.
They were fifteen. With all of the hormones that kids their age had running through their veins, it seemed unlikely that he wouldn't be trying to get with any girl that he could. After all, Fangs certainly was.
Sweet Pea considered her question for a moment, humming softly before shrugging his shoulders, "Just haven't found the right girl, I guess. I could ask you the same question about guys."
Blair arched her brow, looking up at him. In her mind, if Sweet Pea couldn't find someone, surely they were all doomed. Sure, at times he could come across as aggressive and intimidating, but when someone really knew him, it made any of his negative traits worthwhile.
She shrugged her shoulders as well, "I guess the same reason as you, I haven't found the right person. Besides, the only thing that guys want with inexperienced girls is to take their virginity and then dip out of their lives. I don't want that to happen to me."
Sweet Pea furrowed his brow at her explanation, his expression hardening as she mentioned guys using girls just to take their virginities, then leave.
"You know if anyone ever hurt you like that, I'd kick their ass, right?" he asked, looking down at her to meet her eyes with his.
Blair held his gaze, nodding softly as he spoke, "I know, Pea. You're my best friend," she spoke quietly, leaning in to rest her forehead against his.
He nodded as well, resting his forehead back against hers. The two of them had a bond that was stronger than either of them could explain, and at this point, they didn't even bother to try. Often times when they were out in public together, people would mistake them for a couple, yet they usually just laughed it off, calling the idea absurd.
"So, wait," Blair spoke after a moment, "If you haven't had a girlfriend or found a bunch of girls to hook up with, that means.." she trailed off, arching her brow at him as she pulled back to meet his gaze.
Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, holding eye contact with her for only a moment before looking away, staring at the wall across from them. "Yeah, that means what you think it means." He was a virgin, as well.
It wasn't as if he hadn't tried. He had. Yet, girls that he was into just didn't seem to be into him, usually going for Fangs instead. Sweet Pea could be a smooth talker, but over time, it was exhausting trying to find someone to hook up with all the time, and the more he thought about it, the more he grew insecure about his inexperience.
Blair nodded slowly, processing the information that she was just given. She thought on it for a moment, thinking of how she could possibly respond to that. The more she considered it, the more she began to think of possibilities.
The two teenagers had been each other's first kiss, back when they were twelve and their friends had started to get their first significant others. Of course, it was middle school and the so-called relationships only lasted for a couple of weeks at best, but still.
They'd stuck together then, not letting the other be left out. What was so different between then and now?
"This is going to sound crazy," Blair started, looking at him to watch his expression.
Sweet Pea looked back at Blair, "Most of your ideas are," he teased, earning him a little punch to the shoulder.
"What if.." she trailed off with a sigh, not wanting to freak him out. "What if we were each other's firsts?" she spoke quietly.
The male's brow knitted together in confusion and he looked at his best friend with a puzzled expression. "You mean like, the two of us sleep together?" he asked.
Blair's cheeks flushed brightly, something no one saw too often and she nodded. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued, "Why not? We could get it out of the way and neither of us would have to worry about it after that. Plus, we were each other's first kiss, and that wasn't so bad, right?"
Sweet Pea let out a sigh, thinking about it. She did have a point. If they did this, no one could take advantage of her, and girls wouldn't judge him for his lack of experience. Still, he worried that it would change their friendship, which was the last thing that he wanted to happen.
"If we did this, there'd have to be no romantic feelings involved. We'd just be filling one another's needs," he reasoned. The last thing that he wanted was for one of them to get their heart broken by developing feelings and the other not feeling the same.
Blair nodded to agree. "It would be just sex, just to fulfill a need and move on with our lives."
Sweet Pea considered it for a few more moments before nodding, "Okay. Yeah.. let's do it."