What Makes You Different
Disclaimer: I own no one.
Warning: This is SLASH (male/male) so if you don't like it, don't read it. I don't mind criticism, but I don't want any flames saying that slash sucks because frankly, that's an opinion. You have been warned…happy reading!
Author's Note: As promised, I have started another Everwood story, a slash story. It deals mainly with Ephram and Wendell, but some Bright romance will be in there (he's with a girl…an O/C, but I'm not sure if I want to put it in or not.)
If you walked down the hall in County High and observed the daily morning bustle, you'd see three different types of people. The majority of the small student body was 'cool'. They were all jocks, cheerleaders, or people who hung-out with jocks and cheerleaders. That alone would consume, at the very least, fifty percent of the student population. Then there were the students that were just there. Everybody knew who they were (everyone knew who everyone was at County High), but they never did any amazing enough to be cool and dorky enough to be a loser/freak. They were just filling up spaces in the classrooms. Some of them had special talents, but that was as far as their names went. The last and least group (at least to the students) was the loser/freak group. It consisted of only two people. Ephram Brown and Wendell Loesser. Needless to say, they weren't well liked by the student body and they didn't really care. Not too rarely the cool kids would pick on them, especially Bright Abbott and his inner circle. But there were a few kids who were nice to them. Amy Abbott went out of her way to be nice to the two of them and so did her longtime boyfriend, Colin Hart. Some girls from the 'just there' group even had crushes on the two boys, not that they would ever show it in front of the 'cool' kids. But Ephram and Wendell never cared for they had a secret of their own.
"Hey, Brown!" Wendell called from down the hall before lunch one crisp day in late November. Everyone turned to see who was making all the racket and their eyes landed on Wendell. Bright made a snide comment to his friends and they all laughed except for Colin who rolled his eyes and playfully slapped Bright in the arm. Amy glared at her older brother as Wendell made his way over to Ephram's locker where Ephram was still battling with the books falling on his foot.
"Yes Wendell, I woke-up today waiting for you to break my eardrums. And now you have. Thanks Wendell, you've made my day!" he said with his signature sarcasm. But if one listened closely, there was something else behind the sarcasm. Something difficult to place. Wendell's laughter rang through the hallway as everyone turned back to whatever it was that they were doing before.
"So are you up for hanging out after school or something?" Wendell asked casually, putting a little more emphasis on 'something'. Ephram, paranoid that anyone could've heard, looked around frantically before clearing his throat and shrugging.
"I don't know, I'll have to check with my dad."
"Okay, cool. I'll swing by at around 4 then. Delia's home by then, right?"
"You got it."
"Alright. Oh, I forgot! I have to call my mom's mechanic." He slapped his forehead and gave Ephram a retreating pat on the back, nodding, and raced to the main office to make his 'oh so important' call. The other boy tried not to stare on after him, turning away discreetly and finishing the battle with his locker, triumphantly slamming it closed. Ephram looked up to see Amy Abbott and Colin Hart both staring amusedly at him.
"What?"
"Nothing," Colin chuckled, "It's just maybe you shouldn't be so hard on the poor thing." He nodded towards the locker.
"Ah, it's an inanimate object. It'll live." Amy and Colin laughed.
"Do you want to sit with us today?" Colin offered, always being the first to ask. Amy smiled encouragingly.
"No thanks," Ephram turned the offer down, "My eardrum barrier thing has already been broken thanks to Wendell. I'm not looking for a beating from Bright."
"Aw, Bright's not going to do anything to you."
"I'm pretty sure he'd like to if given the chance."
"Oh come on," Amy teased, "Just because Wendell's not here to push reason into your mind, doesn't mean you can't take the initiative yourself and join us!" Ephram smiled, letting himself be pulled to the cafeteria and seated next to Colin, across from Bright. Bright didn't look too happy to see Ephram, though he didn't say a word, eyes focused somewhere else. Ephram shifted uncomfortablely, concentrating on the door. Wendell walked through it as if sensing Ephram's need for escape.
"Look, there's Wendell. I really should go keep him company," Ephram stood up hastily, but Colin pushed him down.
"It's okay," he chuckled, "Wendell can sit with us too."
"NO!" Bright objected, turning red when everyone looked at him strangely, "I mean, you can't make him sit here if he wants to sit alone with his freak friend. They belong together anyways." Everyone smothered snickers except for Amy and Colin who just looked at Ephram. Ephram stood up.
"I'll see you around guys." He approached Wendell who was talking to a few freshmen girls, discreetly trying to flirt with him.
"Hey Wendell," Ephram greeted him glancing over at the girls who looked as if Christmas had come early (these were the ones that had crushes on the two boys, never wanting the cool crowd to find out), "Ladies." One girl sighed involuntarily. Finally, they walked away and the two boys retreated out to the courtyard. No one went out to the courtyard in the frigid weather Everwood was experiencing at the present time so the two knew they'd have privacy. Gingerly, Wendell took Ephram's hand and squeezed it gently.
"So how about it?" Wendell asked after a few moments of companionable silence.
"How about what?" With Wendell, Ephram let his cynical guard down.
"You and me tonight at my place. My parents are out for the weekend and they're leaving me in charge. My little sister is off to a sleepover with her friends. Do you want to stay for dinner?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively. Ephram laughed, blushing slightly.
"I'm sure I'll get full permission from my dad. Anything to stay away from his cooking for me!" The two boys laughed together harmoniously. Wendell had Ephram. Ephram had Wendell. He was all the other needed and they were happy with that.
*Please review and in the review, tell me: Should I add a Bright romance thing in here with an OC? I'll make it interesting. I promise.*