Chapter 3
"Sebastian! How could you do something like that? That was not how I raised you!"
Sebastian looked up at his mother with a wary expression. Her knuckles were turning white from how hard she was clutching the steering wheel and if he were in a better situation, he would have pointed out how dangerous it is to drive while yelling at your son. But the fact of the matter was that right now she would be even angrier if he said anything, so he sunk back on the leather seat and tried to be as invisible as possible.
"Say something instead of letting me yell alone like a mad woman!"
"I told you, ma.. I'm sorry…" Sebastian sighed tiredly. He had already apologised a million times at the principle's office, but it didn't seem to be enough. It never seemed to be enough. What was it with parents who asked for an apology when they weren't ready to hear it? It wasn't like she was going to yell any less.
"Why did you do it, Bastian? This is not how you used to be. You used to be so good. Is it the public school? I knew it was a bad decision to send you there. You are rebelling, aren't you?" Wisteria Smythe frowned, her eyes never leaving the road. "I knew that I should have sent you to Dalton!"
Could it be that only a few hours ago he had wished that he was a student at Dalton and not that crappy public school? But now just the thought of being away from Kurt repulsed him. He wanted to be able to see him every day and his wrist burned softly at the thought of being hours away from his soulmate, as though it was agreeing with him that it was a bad idea.
Sebastian pulled the sleeve of his polo down to hide his mark. This had to be his secret for now. With all the excitement that day, it was easy to forget that his parents still thought he that he was straight guy who loved girls.
"No, ma! It is not the school. I just messed up, okay? I thought it would make me look cool and get me some new friends," he said. It wasn't technically a lie and he didn't have to say a word about who these new friends were.
"Bastian…" his mother sighed wistfully. "I know how hard it is for you to get friends, darling, but you know that you can't act like this. Those people who think you are cool because you destroy other people's properties aren't worth it, baby. You are just lucky that the school called me and not your dad."
That caught Sebastian's attention. "Dad doesn't know? Ma, please don't tell him. Please!" he begged, staring at her to no avail as her eyes were fixed on the road.
The only reply he got was a small nod that made him breath out in relief and lean his head against the seat.
He didn't see Kurt at school the whole of next day and he even tried to look for the rest of the girls who called themselves the skanks, but it could have been as though they never existed at all. The only proof that he hadn't made them up in his mind was the mark on his wrist that spelled out Kurt's name in a beautiful script. It was the most beautiful tattoo anyone could wish for, but the boy who was even more beautiful was nowhere to be found.
Sebastian sat outside alone during lunch as usual, but even he realised that he needed to get some friends so that he wouldn't have to freeze his ass off during winter. Preferably some friends who didn't get him in trouble. What kind of friends ran away when an accomplice got caught, anyway? The more he thought about it, the more he regretted not telling principle Figgins about them. It would have served them right. Not Kurt, of course. Never Kurt. But the other girls should have taken the fall with him. He didn't even know them, why should he protect them then?
It was only the next day (exactly 47 hours and 30 minutes after the first time he set his eyes on Kurt Hummel, but it was not like he was counting) that he saw Kurt again. This time his mesmerizing eyes were framed with a turquoise smokey eyeshadow that looked stunning against his skin and Sebastian couldn't help but stare.
Kurt looked uneasy as he approached Sebastian and the latter boy realised a little too late that he was staring openly.
"I guess I owe you a thank you for not ratting us out," Kurt said with a shrug and Sebastian realised that he had almost forgotten how heavenly his voice was. It was almost too easy to forget that he was mad at him and his little gang.
"Don't mention it."
"Fine."
Sebastian looked down at the boy who was just slightly shorter than him. Apparently Kurt wasn't big on small talk, but the moment the conversation was over, Kurt would be gone and as stupid as it seemed, he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Even though he could clearly hear his mother's voice in his head, warning him to stay away.
"You guys could have helped me out, you know?" he added with a hint of resentment in his voice.
Kurt didn't say anything, but Sebastian noticed the way his jaw tightened. He was momentarily distracted by how deliciously pale his skin was. Like snow white, he thought. He wondered what it would look like if Kurt blushed. Or god forbid, if he ever wore red.
"I guess you are invited to the bleachers during last period."
Sebastian licked his lips slowly and shook his head.
"I really shouldn't.."
"Your loss," Kurt shrugged and turned around to walk away.
How did he do it? Be so completely nonchalant and not even know that he was standing in front of his soulmate? Didn't Kurt feel it? The dull ache when they weren't together, the never-ending magnetic pull towards the other?
"Hey, Kurt!" Sebastian called after him as he jogged to catch up. Was this really it? Was he caving in already? He had planned this speech in his mind where he would chastise Kurt for running away and where Kurt would take his hand and apologise, then invite him out for dinner to make amends. But now that he thought about it, it was just a silly daydream.
When Kurt didn't acknowledge him, he spoke nevertheless. "I don't think it is a good idea for me to skip school, but if you are up for it we could maybe hang out after school?"
It took Sebastian a lot of courage to ask that question and he winced at how his voice cracked at the end. As a habit, his fingers flew up to straighten his glasses as he focused on Kurt's pink highlight stripes instead of his mind-blowing eyes.
When Kurt stopped, he mirrored his action and stopped in the middle of the hallway. A freshman student bumped into him and muttered something rude under his breath, but Sebastian barely noticed.
"Listen here, just because your family is filthy rich and you drive a nice car that almost none of the other students here can afford doesn't mean that I'm going to bow down to your every whim and it certainly doesn't force me to be friends with you, no matter how badly you want it," Kurt said in a calm voice, but Sebastian wished that he had yelled instead. That would have felt better instead of the slow feeling of a knife driving into his gut.
"I never.. I didn't say that.. I don't expect you to.." Sebastian stuttered, blushing furiously as he stared down at the ground.
"Of course you don't," Kurt retorted sarcastically. "I know your type, Sebastian. You guys get dead tired of your perfect life and want to rebel to get daddy's attention. But when it comes to the real deal, you guys are not brave enough to do it. I have better things to do than to waste my time on you," Kurt spat, sending Sebastian a merciless glare that the taller boy cowered under.
"You don't understand.. We have to be friends.. I have to get to know you," Sebastian blurted out, looking aware. Even looking at the gross couple making out by the lockers was better than looking at Kurt's intense glare right now.
"Why?"
"We've been through this before, haven't we? I have this strange déjà vu feeling," Sebastian muttered.
"You are avoiding the question."
"It doesn't matter. And you know what?" Sebastian's voice rose as he shook his head, unable to look into Kurt's eyes. "I was brave enough to do what you guys asked me to and I was brave enough to own up to it when you guys ran like cowards, so don't you dare say that I'm not brave enough for the real deal." Sebastian's voice was shaking, his heart racing in his chest and he felt adrenalin pump in his veins. He was finally standing up to himself, something he did too rarely.
When Kurt just stared at him, Sebastian bit his lip. "You guys left me there alone – you left me there alone, Kurt. When I trusted you."
"You shouldn't have trusted me," Kurt's voice sounded delicate and soft, and if Sebastian wasn't imagining things, there was vulnerability there too that he hadn't expected at all.
"But I did, I did and you let me down," Sebastian snapped, clutching his books to his chest. He just wanted the bell to ring so that he could go to class and pretend that this never happened. Live in his imagination where Kurt and him could laugh together and hold hands the way they were meant to be.
But of course the bell didn't ring and Kurt was just staring at him as though there was something very frustrating written on his forehead.
"I was new here and I trusted you, Kurt. I still do, and you know what the worst part is? I still want to be your friend," Sebastian sighed dejectedly. "So I guess I'll see you under the bleachers during last period," he said bitterly before walking away.
He couldn't even start to explain how fucked up the entire situation was and frustrated tears were pressing at the corner of his eyes, fighting to break free while he held them back. None of this was fair. He was supposed to have a soulmate who was nice, funny and who liked superheros. Not some stupid, rude, obnoxious, petty criminal with piercings and the most gorgeous eyes known to mankind.
Sebastian learned that high school wasn't supposed to be fun, and it certainly wasn't fun to sit on plastic chairs that had penises drawn on them as though it was the funniest thing on earth. God, some of these students were so daft and infantile that he had no idea how they managed to pass middle school. But he tried to be polite and he even smiled at some of them. But for lunch, he was still sitting outside alone. But he was used to it.
He was reading a worn copy of Looking for Alaska by John Green when he heard someone sit down beside him.
Looking up in surprise, he saw Kurt's pierced tongue dart out to wet his own lips, looking at him apologetically.
"Hi."
"Hi?" Sebastian replied uncertainly, closing his book.
"What were you reading?"
"It's called a book. I'm not sure you are familiar with that term?"
"Very funny," Kurt retorted drily.
"What are you doing here, Kurt? I thought.. I thought you didn't want to be friends with me."
Kurt pulled a cigarette from behind his ear. "Maybe I changed my mind."
"Why?"
Sebastian's eyes watched in fascination as the crackling of the lighter turned into a splendid flame for just about two seconds before the tip of the cigarette lit up. The paper burned slowly and he watched as the smoke swirled out of Kurt's pink lips before the other boy spoke.
"Because maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you are not some rich stuck up kid. Maybe I want to be your friend," he shrugged.
And if Sebastian's heart beat faster from those words, he didn't acknowledge it.
