Gus Kinney: i know this story is not like the way i said i would do them but whatever lol here is chapter 4 called i love you

Stepping up to the front door or Sebby's rather impressive front door, I straightened my shirt a few times before ringing the doorbell. It echoed around inside and something fell to the floor before I could hear heels clicking off the floor. "Mom I said I got it."

"You don't need to get the door you need to go finish your history paper."

I blinked in the sudden bright light as the door creaked open and was met with a tall woman. "Uh, Hello."

Her eyes narrowed and she looked back at Sebby, who was lurking in the background. He seemed frustrated and kept moving every so often to get a better vantage point from his place near the island. Ignoring me, she turned to Sebby and started yelling at him. "You're grounded. What did I tell you about having friends over?"

"I told you he's a friend of Danny and he needs help with his math. We're going to his house. Tanner's going to meet me afterwards and bring me home."

"Absolutely not. He's going to need to find somebody else because you are not to leave this house."

"Mom-

"No."

Sebby groaned and threw his hands up, heading for the stairs. "My history paper is already done. If I'm going to do nothing it might as well be a productive nothing."

"Then he can stay here."

"No! You won't leave us alone if I do."

His mom turned back to me and explained, "There you have it. I'm sorry you came all the way out here for nothing. Have a nice evening." She closed the door back before I could say anything in my defense. What just happened?

Sebby texted me from where ever he was. Make it look like you're leaving, I'll be down in a minute. Confused, I looked around before I started shuffling down the driveway. Stones shifted beneath my feet, and shattered any hopes Sebby might have had about a stealthy get away. A window squeaked open behind me, and I turned to find Sebby messing with the screen. Is he insane? He's on the second floor! I turned and tried to stop him, but by the time I had taken a few steps he had already shimmied over to the roof above the porch and was landing on the grass nearby with a practiced landing.

He brushed himself off as I jogged over, thinking nothing of it. "Are you crazy?"

Sebby rolled his eyes after checking his phone screen in the low light and slipped his hands into mine with a cheery smirk. "I've done that loads of times. Jumping off of high places and not getting hurt is a talent of mine. It takes practice, skill, and lots of afternoons spent paintballing. I should drag you along next time."

Sebby nudged me without a care in the world while I struggled to keep up with him. I wasn't sure if I wanted to help him sneak out. His mom already seemed to not like me, I wasn't going to earn any extra points by pretending not to have noticed watching her son climb out of his bedroom window.

I was led off the driveway and into the thin woods around Sebby's house. He easily picked his way through the various fallen branches and assorted sunken in patches of ground and helped me along before asking, "Where are we going anyway? Unless you wanna hang out in the woods. Then by all means I could teach you the layout of this place inside and out."

"I was thinking more of a movie."

He pulled me forward and turned sharply. "Sounds good, as long as it's not a rom com. I can't watch any more of those. It's all Tanner and Danny watch together and they make me nauseous."

I smiled, even though he couldn't see it and fell in step next to him as we reached the road. "How about a horror movie?"

His eyes sparkled under the street lamps and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Let's watch the stupid teenagers get themselves killed due to their lack of common sense."

"Weren't we just the ones walking in the woods at night you snuck out?"

There was a long pause before he finally said, "That's different. We aren't going to sneak into an abandoned asylum or anything. Besides between the two of us we have more than enough common sense."

He let go of my hand, and turned while jumping, then started walking backwards. "Quick, you're being followed, by a knife wielding psycho, what do you do?"

"Call the cops?"

Sebby rolled his eyes and laced his fingers behind his head. "Yes and no. If this is a typical horror movie, then the cops are either incompetent or all dead. Or they show up conveniently at the last moment. Go for it if you want. You head for a populated area, don't run because following said bad horror movie logic you will fall and be unable to get up until you are being stabbed in the back. It will either teleport in front of you Slender Man style and cut you off or keep following from a distance breathing loudly. I give you a high eighty. You pass. I chose you as the person who lives when I become the crazed alter ego killer that goes around killing their tormentors."

He stumbled over a curb and caught himself. "At the rate you're going you're the one who backs into the killers knife and looks down asking 'I've been stabbed?'"

Sebby crinkled his nose and slipped his hand into mine again. "I would think you would be nice enough to tell me I'm about to walk into somebody's knife. But fine, be that way."

I squeezed his hand and paused thoughtfully. "That's not good, then I'll get tomahawked as I'm running in the opposite direction into the woods."

"So we end up being the stupid couple that dies before the opening credits."

"Pretty much. This would be where we die."

He let out a deep sigh before pausing thoughtfully. "Well we aren't dead, and no creepy vans have driven by. This first date isn't leading to a bad horror movie. Unless a zombie apocalypse breaks out we'll be fine."

"I sincerely hope it doesn't."

Sebby checked the time, and a text from somebody then asked, "You do realize this place closes at ten."

"What time is it?"

"Almost ten." He beamed and nudged me.

"I didn't realize it was so late. I know somewhere we can go."

"Where?"

I started to lead Sebby down one of the many side streets. "It's a surprise."

His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to figure out where I had decided to take him. When I led him into the woods again he finally spoke. "I don't like surprises."

"You're the one who suggested we hang out in the woods."

He swung out hands back and forth cheerfully and remained a couple paces ahead of me. He would point out the occasional branch or rock, but stayed quiet most of our walk. We hadn't really been seeing as much of each other since he got grounded, and apparently kept getting his punishment extended. If being home late and 'lying' about handing in a paper got him almost a month I'd hate to see what this did. From what Sebby had told me his mom works a lot anyway so he could get away with going home late now and then, but when ever he tried calling me she always seemed to be there.

As if he had been reading my mind, Sebby stopped suddenly and turned to face me. "Don't be surprised if I don't have a phone after this. I'll steal Tanner's if my mom decided to take it."

"I wouldn't have been mad if you didn't sneak out."

He shrugged and started walking again, falling into step besides me. "I would have. Honestly, I make every effort to spend as little time at home as possible. Technically I was grounded three years ago, and my mom forgot about it so I ended up getting off the hook otherwise I'd still be in trouble. At this rate I might as well wait until she had a business trip, leave a note saying I'm moving in with my dad then go move in with Tanner."

"Your dad lives near here?"

"Nope. But by time either one of them have figured out I'm not where I said I would be, I'll already be settled and Tanner's parents adore me. His mom skimmed out on affection for Danny and placed it all on me." He skipped over a fallen branch and smiled. It was weird. Even when he was talking about stuff like this he seemed so care free. I wonder what would happen if he wasn't all smiles and sunshine… even if it was only a few moments.

We stepped out into an empty clearing and Sebby broke free from me, wandering towards the scraggly tree at the center. "I think I've seen this tree before…" It was an attempt to change the subject, but talking about trees felt like better first date material than his broken household.

"Have you?"

He grabbed onto one of the low hanging branches and experimentally rested all of his weight on it, before hauling himself up. He climbed a few branches higher before settling on a fairly flat one and shaking his head. "Nope. It's good for climbing though." I stood at the base of the tree and gazed up at him, hoping he didn't fall or something. This must be what parents feel like when their kids are doing something dangerous.

I flinched as the branches creaked in the wind, but Sebby didn't seem to mind. His hair fluttered around his shoulders as he gazed up at the starry sky. "Aren't you coming up?"

"I don't think so." I took a step back from the tree when he pouted.

"It's not that high." He stood and held onto a nearby branch for balance. "I bet I could jump off easy."

"Please don't!"

Sebby giggled and slid into a branch a couple feet lower, before dropping to the ground. "Easy." He brushed some dirt off his hands, beaming. "Relax a bit. I might have to teach you how to climb a tree if you keep this up." He laced his fingers behind my head and added, "or carry you home bridal style." I leaned in to his fleeting kiss before Sebby danced away and remained a few feet away from me.

"You haven't even seen what I came to show you."

"Hmm? I'm kind of digging the scraggly tree."

I brushed against his arm on the way past, assuring, "It's way better than a scraggly tree."

"I'm holding you to that." I heard him jogging after me as I approached the large oak tree at the edge of the clearing.

An overhanging platform still stood, along with solid walls. Vines had started crawling up the sides, but it still looked the same as the last time I had come up here. I didn't think it'd still be here. Sebby whistled as he sized up the large tree in front of him. His eyes widened in excitement as he pulled the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands, "Now that's a climbing tree." A large smiled spread across his face as he nudged me playfully, "race you to the top."

I rolled my eyes as he started hauling himself up the branches with all the agility of a squirrel. He's amazing. Sebby stopped suddenly on a branch a quarter of the way up and looked down at me. "Stop staring at my ass and come on! Slow poke!"

"I wasn't…" He arched an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest before I made my way to the base of the tree and started pulling myself up. I can't remember the last time I've done this.

I heard Sebby making his way through the branches above me. The occasional leaf or shred of bark would drift down, but I closed the distance between us by several feet. He swung into what remained of the window as I slid in through the trapdoor. My arms ached from the effort, and my breathing was slightly ragged. Sebby seemed like he could have gone done this three more times before he was going to stop. "I win."

Sebby flopped down on the floor next to me, rolling his sleeves up. "I'll get you next time."

"I'm doubtful, but I'll believe it when I see it." Branches scratched against the walls as the wind picked up again. A leaf floated in and skittered across the floor, leaving an eerie silence between us when it stopped.

Sebby stretched out his shoulders before draping himself across my chest. His warmth spread through me as I wrapped my arms around him and sighed contently. "Do you think aliens are real?"

I felt my eyes widen at the question, and took a few moments to realize Sebby had spoken. I caught him gazing through a hole in the roof at the visible path of sky. "I don't know. Never really thought about it."

He paused for a while, and I thought he was done, but then he pursued, "what about fairies?" I huffed and didn't respond, prompting him to ask, "or changelings."

I couldn't even being to start to follow his train of thought and pulled him into a kiss. Sebby fell silent and rested his hand along the side of my face. I wrapped my fingers around him and turned on my side, bundling him against my chest. "If they are, let them come steal us away in the night. Then we can explore the ends of the universe together."

He nodded slightly, but didn't say anything indicating he was going to respond further. Did I say something wrong? I felt him shiver and started to sit up, when he wrapped his fingers around the fabric of my shirt and buried his face in my chest. "Let's stay here for a little while. I'm not ready to go yet."

I leaned back down and wrapped my arm around me again as he relaxed against me. "Just don't fall asleep, okay?"

I felt him smile, and heard his muffled voice call, "no promises."

"Sabrina?" Sebby tensed next to me and kept scrolling through whatever he was doing on his phone. He didn't show any signs of moving or responding to his mom. "Sabrina."

I could hear her moving around further in the house and asked, "Who's she looking for?"

He shrugged and turned onto his side so I couldn't see his face. "Who knows? I think she's getting senile in her old age." His tone had a slight edge to it, there must have been something I was missing, but I didn't dare ask. Sebby seemed frustrated enough lately and I didn't want to add to it. Whatever it was, it could wait. Unless his mom is talking to him… "Ignore her, she'll go away eventually."

He placed my hand on the side of his face and held it there for a few seconds, until I started stroking his cheek with my thumb. He relaxed slightly, but he seemed troubled when his mom's voice grew closer. She came to stand in front of us with her hands on her hips. she eyes me with contempt, before pretending I wasn't there (like always) and started yelling at Sebby. "I told you that you can't have friends over when you're grounded so why is he here?"

A frustrated sigh escaped him as he curtly replied, "Gus is helping me with my English project."

"From where I stand it looks like you're trying to sleep. He's not doing all your work for you."

"He hasn't read it yet. I'd start it if you hadn't taken my laptop."

"What about that computer you had me buy?"

Sebby slowly sat up, rubbing his face with his hands. "I never asked you for the money to build it. If you want it back so bad I'll sell it. Besides, it's my gaming computer, I don't do school work on it. I bring my laptop to school because it's easier to keep track of everything and that's how I take notes. I've told you this a hundred times before."

A brief, tense silence fell across the room while his mom shifted her weight and Sebby placed his head back in my lap. "You told me you had that done."

"No, I told you I finished the chapters I needed to finish. I still have another few weeks to finish it."

"How long does it take to write a one-page paper? Don't think you're waiting until the last minute like you always do."

His teeth clenched together as he rolled off the cough and stood. "I wouldn't call two weeks the last minute, but I'll keep that in mind for next time because I'm not making any effort to finish things early." Sebby slipped his hand into mine and towed me towards the stairs, and up to his room.

I could hear his mom trailing after us and she called after us, "And what did I tell you about dressing like that? If you're going to keep pretending to be a boy, at least wear some clothes that fit."

Sebby slammed the door to his room shut and left me standing off to the side while he rummaged through various doors, while simultaneously trying to clean up. He stuffed a few oversized shirts into the hamper nearby, and dumped some graded papers into the bottom drawer of his desk. I don't think I've ever seen him this mad. Should I do something?

Another drawer slamming shut seemed to answer the question for me and I stayed silent. He dropped a bag of hard candies on his desk and popped one in his mouth. Sebby chewed his way through a few of them before mostly yelling to himself, "She pissed me off so much! I'm passing all of my classes and I high scores on all my tests! What more can she want from me? She gets mad when I'm gone all the time, then gets mad when I'm home all the time because she grounded me for something stupid. What the fuck am i supposed to do! Stop existing?" He paused and popped another candy into his mouth, then threw open his squeaky window. "She'll probably claw her way into the void and yell at me for being a fleeting thought through her tiny head." I cringed as the sound of cracking sugar filled the silence and took a hesitant step forward as he flopped down on his bed.

After a fleeting second he was up again, pacing around like a caged animal. At the rate he was going I thought he might have put a hole through the wall or something. He started chewing his way through a few lollipops before turning to me. Some of his original composure had returned, but he quickly wiped his face on the hem of his shirt. "You're still here?"

I nodded weakly and took a small step forward. "Yeah."

"Why?"

Already walking on thin ice, I didn't want to say something that would set him off again and answered with a question, "do you want me to go?"

"No but…" An angry huff escaped him as he flopped backwards onto his bed. I sat next to him as he stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know. I thought you'd just leave."

"Why would I do that?"

Sebby propped himself up on his elbow, his face scrunched up in confusion, but he was hesitant to say whatever I had been missing. "Y'know… what my mom said…"

What his mom said… "Oh. That." I guess I hadn't really realized until now. Especially with everything that had been going on. "What about it?"

Sebby wouldn't look up at me and shrugged. "You aren't leaving?"

"No, why would I?"

He flinched when I started stroking his soft hair and hesitantly began, "because I'm a girl."

"Funny, I don't see a girl here, do you?"

"No but...oh!" He giggled, smiling.

Resting my forehead against his, I finally captured his gaze. "I'm not going to throw everything away just because of something like that."

Still doubtful he pointed out, "We've only been dating a month."

Kissing the tip of his nose, I replied, "one of the best months of my life."

"Really?"

I nodded and kissed him again. "I love you."

His face turned bright red and he buried his face in my neck, seeming to be searching for something to say. He took a deep breath then calmly replied, "I love you too."

Gus Kinney: how do you like that even after finding out that they both love each other now thats true love we got one more chapter to go