A/N: There's a homophobic slur in this one so be warned.
Token and Craig don't make it to school the next day until after second period. Craig may or may not have purposefully dragged out their Denny's run in order to avoid the only class he shares with Clyde.
Craig sits in front of Kenny in his third period. He spends the entire class half listening to the teacher drone on about economics and ignoring Kenny's attempts at gaining his attention. He only pauses once to flip Kenny the bird when Kenny presses the toe of his boot into the small of his back, but the look on Kenny's face holds his attention. Kenny leans forward, his voice pitched low.
"Dude I gotta talk to you after class. There's something you should know."
Craig raises an eyebrow, filled with an unexplained sense of dread. Kenny is rarely serious about anything, and to see him serious now is disturbing to say the least. He turns his gaze back to the front, but he can no longer pay any attention to what the teacher is saying. He's relieved when the bell rings not long after, immediately turning toward Kenny again. "What do you want, McCormick?"
Kenny packs up his stuff, getting out of his seat. "Not here," he says, his eyes sweeping the classroom. He then walks to the front of the classroom before turning toward Craig, gesturing for him to follow.
Craig sighs but follows anyway. His curiosity has gotten the best of him.
Kenny leads him out behind the school building before he finally wheels on Craig. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?" Craig can feel his irritation spiking already.
Kenny leans against the wall, his arms crossed. "People are saying you threw yourself at Donovan on Saturday." Craig's eyes widen at that, but Kenny isn't finished. "They're saying you begged him to let you suck him off and that he only let you because he feels sorry for you."
Craig can feel his hands balling into fists and fights the urge to punch the nearest wall. "Who's saying that?" He tries and fails to keep the anger out of his voice, the question coming out as little more than a growl.
"I heard it from Bebe, but she said she heard it from Clyde himself. That that's what he's telling people happened at the party."
Craig feels his stomach drop. He wants to punch Kenny when he sees the pitying look aimed his way. "Where the fuck is he?"
Kenny's eyes widen, and he seems ready to protest but rethinks when he sees the look on Craig's face. "He has lunch fourth period."
Craig shoves past Kenny before he can say anything else, boiling with rage by the time he makes it to the cafeteria doors. He throws them open hard enough to gain nearly everyone's attention, the whispering starting up almost immediately. He scans the cafeteria, his eyes locking on the one person he was hoping to find. He watches Clyde stand from the table, waving off his friends' whispers as he moves to meet Craig in the middle. The smug look on his face only makes Craig angrier.
"Did you need something?"
Oh this asshole was gonna get it. "As a matter of fact I do. Why the fuck are you making shit up about me?" Craig doesn't hesitate in getting in Clyde's face this time. He hopes the fucker finds it intimidating.
Clyde only glares back at him, standing taller. "I'm not making anything up. Everyone knows how you are. You'd blow anyone. It's pathetic."
Craig barely registers the laughter of the others at the table as something inside him snaps. He lets out a sharp laugh of his own, his voice sounding alien to his own ears. "Come on, Donovan. Why don't you tell them the truth?" Craig knows without even looking that he has the attention of everyone at the table, but the only attention he cares about at the moment is Clyde's. "Why don't you tell them how you kissed me first? What about how you kept kissing me afterwards? Yeah, I sucked your dick, but how about how you kissed me after that too?" Craig can hear the whispering spike in volume and knows he has Clyde on the retreat now.
Clyde swallows nervously before steeling himself, his gaze hardening. "You really are pathetic. Why would I want you? You're just a disgusting fag."
Craig growls, his fist colliding with Clyde's jaw before he can even think. He watches Clyde hit the floor, leaning over him. "I'm gonna guess you didn't tell them about how you told me you loved me," he spits, loud enough for everyone around them to hear. Craig relishes in the near silence of the cafeteria, at the look of horror on Clyde's face. He turns on his heel and storms out of the cafeteria, hurrying straight for the front doors. He ignores the teacher who attempts to stop him, throwing the doors open and bolting down into the parking lot.
He reaches Token's car before he runs out of steam, pulling his phone out of his pocket with shaking hands, barely managing to type out a quick message.
To: toker
dude ditch. i need to be out of here right now.
He fidgets while he waits for Token to respond, quickly unlocking his phone when it buzzes again.
From: toker
I'll be right there.
Craig sighs in relief, pocketing his phone again. He doesn't know how things went so wrong. He doesn't even want to think about it. He hasn't spoken to Clyde in years, but he never would have thought him capable of being cruel. He's beginning to wonder if Clyde faked everything for some stupid joke. Craig balls his hands into fists again, digging his nails into his palms to distract himself. He only relaxes when he sees Token approaching.
Craig can tell by the look on Token's face that he already knows about the rumors. Token unlocks the doors and slides into the driver's seat without a word, turning the music on low and pulling out of the parking lot. He drives around on back roads for a while, pulling over when he hears the first quiet sniffles. He puts the car in park and turns in his seat, pulling Craig into a hug. He's known Craig long enough by now to be used to his crying spells. They don't happen all that often, but Token's noticed it happening more and more frequently since his home life went to shit.
Craig pulls away a few minutes later, wiping at his eyes. He is always quick to pull himself together and never likes to cry for too long. Token still watches him just to be safe, only getting back on the road after Craig has assured him he's fine. He drives until near sunset before their growling stomachs compel him to head home.
"You want to stay the night again, man? You can borrow some clothes," he asks, already turning in the direction of his house. He knows Craig will say yes. He can usually tell when Craig doesn't want to be left alone.
Craig nods his head, slumping in the seat. "Yeah, only if I can borrow the pajama pants with the octopuses on them."
Token smiles at that, taking the joke as a sign that Craig is feeling better. "Dude, I think the plural is octopi."
"No. Dude, no, fuck that. I don't want to live in a world where octopi is a word that exists," Craig says with a small laugh, rubbing at his face.
Token laughs too, pulling into his driveway and nodding his head briefly at the security guard. He parks his car out front, stretching his legs as he gets out. Craig does the same, pausing for a moment to pop his back before realizing he left his backpack in his locker during his hasty departure.
"Shit man. I left all my homework at school."
Token only shrugs. "Fuck homework, man. I got Netflix in the garage."
Craig knows every time Token suggests they watch movies in the garage, he's really suggesting they smoke, and he's never been more sure that Token is his best friend than he is in this moment.
It's only once they're a couple bowls in and an hour into a movie Craig can't even remember the name of that Token decides to say something.
"Did you find out who started the rumors?" He cashes the bowl, emptying it out in his hand.
Craig watches Token repack it, sighing to himself and trying not to laugh at the look of concentration on Token's face. "Clyde did."
Token looks up at that, an eyebrow raised. "What? Why the hell would he do that?"
Craig shrugs, crossing his legs under himself. "Beats me. The only thing I can think of is that the whole thing was just some setup to humiliate me."
Token takes a small hit off the fresh bowl, passing it along. "That doesn't sound like something he would do. None of this shit sounds like something Clyde Donovan would do. He always seemed like a nice guy."
"Yeah, guess we were wrong." Craig passes the bowl back, tilting his head back against the cushion, his gaze aimed at the ceiling. He can feel his mind swimming in a way that's not entirely unpleasant in spite of the unpleasant thoughts occupying it. "I can't believe I fell for all that bullshit."
"Dude, you can't go blaming yourself for that shit. You'll only feel worse."
Craig only shrugs, perfectly content to stay where he is and stare at the ceiling. He thinks he's one good hit away from becoming Spaceman Craig. He sees Token holding the bowl out to him in his periphery and takes it with clumsy hands, lifting his head up briefly to take his hit. He inhales it deep and drops his head back against the cushions again, watching the smoke twirl through the air above him. Houston, we've achieved lift off.
They make it through a whole bag of cheetos and three movies before they decide to move inside. Craig watches Token pack up his stuff uninterestedly, pulling his phone out to check for any messages only to find his phone had been blown up while he was in outer space.
From: rubes
mom wants to kno where u are
From: tweekers
hey Craig. I heard what happened in the cafeteria. Are you okay?
From: madre
Please reply to your sister. She wants to know where you are and so do I.
From: white trash
dude i heard you beat up donovan. what the hell happened man?
Craig reads them all over, rolling his eyes at his mom's and sister's. He responds quickly to theirs and ignores Kenny's for now before opening the one from Tweek. He and Tweek used to be good friends when they were kids, but he can't remember the last time they spent any time together, let alone the last time he got a text from him. He reads over the message again, feeling a little touched that one of his old friends is genuinely worried about him.
To: tweekers
could be better. my hands killing me, but probably not as much as donovans face is killing him
He hits send on the text and repockets his phone, following after Token. He changes into the octopus pajamas Token promised and an old t-shirt and brushes his teeth before relaxing in Token's room, sprawled on his bed with the tv playing in the background.
He watches Token mess around on his computer for a while, probably doing homework like the nerd he is, before pulling his phone out again.
From: tweekers
What happened with you guys? I heard something happened at Token's party, but I didn't hear the whole story. Unless you don't want to tell me! It's fine if you don't!
Craig smiles to himself as he reads over Tweek's message. They haven't spoken much the past few years, but he can tell from his messages Tweek hasn't changed much.
To: tweekers
yeah shit went down at the party, but i don't want to talk about it over text. just know that donovan is a conniving asshole. we can talk about it next time i see you
"Who you texting man?" Token climbs into bed next to him, pulling the blankets up.
"Tweek." Craig relaxes against the pillows, his phone held up in front of his face as he and Tweek figure out a time and place to meet up. He's honestly glad to be seeing Tweek again. They didn't always get along when they were kids, but once they became friends, Tweek was like a constant source of comfort for him. He always knew the right advice to give Craig when he needed it, in spite of the fact that he was notoriously bad at dealing with his own problems. He feels like he could use some Tweek advice right now.
Craig texts a quick goodnight to his sister and sets his phone on the night stand. He can hear Token snoring already and knows he'll follow not long after. He sinks against the pillows, watching vague shapes flicker on the tv until his eyes slowly drift shut.
He's thrown out of his slumber early the next morning by the blaring of Token's alarm and sits up, rubbing at his face. He hits the off button harder than is probably necessary and rolls out of bed, stretching his limbs. He figures Token is probably in the shower already and goes digging through his dressers for some clothes to borrow. He finds an outfit he can sort of pass off as his own and folds the clothes under his arm, lounging in Token's desk chair to wait his turn.
He sends a quick text to his mom to let her know he'll be home after school and opens up his messages to read the ones he missed.
From: tweekers
Hey Craig! I have to work tonight, but you can still stop in and talk if you want. I hope this doesn't wake you up!
Craig sends a quick reply telling him that yes, he'll stop in, and no, his text did not wake him up before tossing his phone back on the bed.
Token comes back not long after, tossing his old clothes in the hamper, a towel draped over his head. "There's clean wash rags in the closet."
"Thanks man." Craig's about to leave the room when Token stops him with a hand on his arm. He turns to look even though he's sure he already knows what Token is going to say.
"Are you gonna be alright?" He drops his hand, but he still looks concerned. "I can try talking to Donovan if you want."
Craig shakes his head, adjusting the clothes under his arm. "No, it's fine. I just want to forget about it for now." He leaves the room before Token can say anything else, grabbing a towel and wash rag on the way. He hurries through his morning routine, avoiding any thoughts of Clyde and the long day ahead of him.
It's only when Token is parking his car in the school parking lot that all Craig's anxieties catch up to him. He stays put even as Token gets his stuff and gets out. He doesn't want to do this. He can't do this. He doesn't know what he'll do if Donovan tries to approach him. He's contemplating running away when Token opens his door, leaning against it and looking down at him with concern.
"Craig? Are you coming?" He steps back from the door a bit to give Craig room to get out.
Craig sighs heavily, heaving himself out of the car and slamming the door shut. Token would normally complain about that, but he doesn't this time. He only pats Craig on the back before turning toward the school building.
Craig follows without a word, trying hard to suppress the emotional turmoil going on in his head at the moment. He avoids making eye contact with anyone as he walks through the doors and tries pointedly to ignore the whispering he's sure is about him. It's when he gets to his locker that he starts breathing again, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. Token is still right there next to him, and Craig can see out of his periphery that he is keeping an eye on him, just like everyone else.
"I don't know if I can do this," Craig says, keeping his eyes trained on his locker. He hears more whispers coming from behind him and tries hard not to hear what they're saying. "I feel like everyone knows everything."
Token pats his arm, leaning against the lockers next to Craig's. "Even if they do, who cares? You're Craig Tucker. You don't care what anyone else thinks, remember? Besides I'm pretty sure most of the attention is on Clyde anyway. You made an ass out of him in the cafeteria yesterday."
Craig shrugs, grabbing the books for his first class and slamming his locker shut. He turns to face the hallway, watching people pass. He notices more people looking at him but steels himself against it. Token's right. He doesn't care what people think. He never has. He keeps that idea planted firmly in his mind as he follows Token to their first period.
It's only when Craig is standing outside the door to his second period that he's flooded with insecurity again. He stands there for what feels like hours fidgeting with his books. He's horrified to discover that he's actually scared of walking in there. He doesn't want people looking at him or talking about him or even thinking about him. He thinks of how he'll have to see Clyde too and feels his stomach bottom out.
Token said most of the attention was on Clyde, but Craig can't help doubting that, especially with the way everyone passing him to enter the classroom has to pause and give him a once over first. He feels his flight response kicking in again but quickly squashes it. He can't have Token ditching class again, and he knows it'll be just that much harder to go to class tomorrow if he doesn't do it today.
With that thought in mind, he takes a deep breath and strides straight into the room and to his desk in the back, his eyes trained firmly on his empty chair and purposefully avoiding the gazes of any of his classmates.
Almost immediately, the teacher launches into a rant about fate versus free will in the Steinbeck monstrosity she's been forcing them to read for the past month, and almost immediately, Craig tunes her out.
It only takes a few minutes for him to crack and finally allow his eyes to wander the room. The first thing he notices is that nobody is looking his way. Then his eyes land on the empty desk a few rows ahead, and his brows furrow. All that fear and anxiety over facing Donovan again, and the asshole didn't even show up.
Craig huffs out a breath, smashing the part of himself that is a bit relieved over Clyde's absence, and focuses instead on the aliens he's been doodling in the margins of his notes.
He's got about four pages filled by the time the bell rings, ink staining his fingers and the side of his hand. He flips his notebook shut and stands, walking out of the room without looking at anyone.
People are still watching him as he walks by, but he doesn't hear as much whispering going on and sends his thanks for small miracles.
He pauses on the way to his locker, noticing that the space in front of it is already occupied. Craig's lips quirk up a bit when he spots the tall, twitchy blonde waiting for him.
Tweek looks up at him as he approaches, a small smile on his face as he backs away from Craig's locker. "Hey Craig. How are you?"
Craig enters his locker combination and shrugs his shoulders. "Surviving."
Tweek grips the strap of his messenger bag tighter, his knuckles turning white. "Are you still coming to the shop later? It's okay if you don't want to!" He says the last part in a rush, and Craig laughs.
"It's cool, dude. Yeah, I'm still coming. I'd rather explain all this shit somewhere that isn't school anyway," he says, slamming his locker shut after he trades out his books.
Tweek nods, his grip loosening. "Well, I'll see you later then! I gotta go to Chemistry."
Craig raises an eyebrow, turning toward his next class. "Yeah? How do you and those chemicals mix?"
Tweek is already starting to walk away but pauses to call back a "not very well!" over his shoulder, the laughter clear in his voice.
Craig laughs too and makes his way to Economics, realizing suddenly that's he no longer dreading the rest of the day.
As it turns out, the rest of the school day was uneventful. He spent third period ignoring Kenny's attempts at weaseling what happened out of him, including the many notes shoved onto his person, and the rest of the day ignoring everyone else except Token and Tweek.
He tells Token on the way home that the day wasn't bad and is happy that for once he doesn't have to lie (not that he can ever lie to Token anyway.) He doesn't mention the dread beginning to worm its way back into his mind at the thought of seeing Clyde though and quickly waves Token off after being dropped off in his driveway in order to avoid more questions.
Craig heads inside and kicks his shoes off by the door, heading straight for the stairs only to be intercepted by his mother halfway there. She looks him over briefly and gives him a tired smile.
"How was school?" she asks, and Craig only shrugs, not giving any vocal response at all. "How are you?" she tries again, and Craig shrugs again, weaving around her to go to the kitchen instead.
She follows after him and watches him make a sandwich in silence, the tiredness in her face sinking in a little more. "Craig, I'm really worried about you. Should I be worried?"
Craig pauses in his culinary venture and sets his things down, a frown crossing his features at the sadness in his mom's voice. He turns to face her, not quite able to meet her eyes. "I'm fine, mom."
"Are you sure? I've been hearing things around town, and I…"
Craig steps closer, placing his hands on her shoulders, and she pauses. Craig can see the worry and guilt and a whole mess of other bad emotions swimming in her eyes from this close and feels his heart sink to the floor. He wants to tell her he really is fine, but he can't summon the words, and he can't bring himself to lie again.
She keeps looking at him, her eyes growing wetter as time passes, and she swallows before speaking again. "I just want to know what's going on with you. I feel like you don't tell me anything anymore. I almost feel like I don't know you."
Craig looks away, his eyes feeling hot from the tears he almost hadn't noticed were forming. He feels angry and sad and guilty and annoyed at himself for crying again, the tears almost spilling over when his mom places her hand on his cheek, her own eyes swimming now.
"I know I've been busy with the divorce, and that I've been away a lot, but I still love you. I want you to feel like you can talk to me." She leans up a bit to kiss his forehead, and Craig manages a small smile for her benefit.
She brushes his hair back and returns the smile. "It's always nice to have someone on your side, you know?"
Craig nods and sniffles embarrassingly before sighing deeply. "I have a lot of stuff to tell you," he begins, and it's only after an hour and a half spent sitting on the couch relaying everything that's been happening to him for the past year, including Kenny and Clyde but excluding the heavy details, that he finishes speaking, trailing off with a mumbled "and yeah."
His mom has been mostly quiet throughout his whole tale, only asking a few questions here and there. She pulls Craig into a tight hug as soon as he finishes speaking, rubbing his back gently. "It's been a long time since we've gotten to talk and even longer since you've let me hug you like this," she says, and she laughs quietly, pulling away. "I love you."
Craig smiles back and nods, genuinely happy to see that his mom's mood has lifted. "I love you too. I gotta go though. I'm supposed to meet up with Tweek."
She waves him off without further explanation, a smile on her face. "Have fun!" she calls after him, and Craig gives her a brief wave before heading out to his car.
He pulls up in front of Tweek Bros not long after, happy to see that the place doesn't seem busy at all. He hopes Tweek's parents don't have him doing a million and one insane chores in the back like they used to when he was a kid.
He spots Tweek standing behind the counter as soon as he walks in though and walks straight up to him, ringing the bell on the counter just for fun.
"Nice apron."
Tweek glances down at the aforementioned garment, a white frilly thing with the words "kiss the barista" emblazoned on the front, and blushes deeply. "Shut up, Craig! My work apron got torn in the washing machine."
Craig smirks, plucking at the lace around the side. "I think I like this one better."
"Ngh, shut up!"
Craig laughs deeply and holds his hands up in surrender. "Sorry dude," he says, not actually looking very sorry at all. He nods his head toward a table in the corner after the laughter has stopped. "Got a minute?"
Tweek nods and steps out from behind the counter, taking the apron off and tossing it under the counter before taking a seat. "So why is Clyde a conniving asshole?"
Craig tells him everything, not sparing the details this time and feeling less awkward talking to Tweek than he did talking to his mom. By the end, Tweek seems angry and confused, nearly identical to how Craig felt when he confronted Clyde in the cafeteria.
"Why did he do that? I mean, why did he feel like he had to tell anyone in the first place?"
Craig shrugs, resting his cheek on his palm. "I couldn't tell you. Hence my reasoning for calling Donovan a conniving asshole."
Tweek pats his arm gently, a frown on his face. "I'm really sorry, Craig," he says, and Craig can tell he means it.
They talk a while longer, Tweek getting up every once in a while to help a customer or clean something, only parting ways once it's time for Tweek to start closing up the shop.
They make plans to meet again and to text more often, and Craig leaves feeling a thousand times lighter than he had before, his anxieties temporarily forgotten.
A/N: Craig's opinions on East of Eden in no way reflect those of the author (I'm a nerd who loves Steinbeck). Hope you enjoyed the read!
