Chapter 10

Will's POV

Will stared blankly at his phone, still trying to comprehend what just happened. Cecil gave him Nico's number, and he was dense enough to text it. Nico texted him back, and he might be sitting in his room waiting for him to respond. It didn't seem like a bad thing... So why was he so aggravated? Cecil had actually done him a favor; now he wouldn't have to ask for Nico's number. The problem was this; he only had six days left to ask Nico out before Cecil took action into his own hands.

"What am I supposed to do now?" he finally asked.

"Well, did you text him back?" Cecil started. Will shook his head, wondering why he hadn't thought of that. "Well why not, then?"

"I just-"

"Look, dude. You've got to pick up the pace! The clock is ticking, and I will ask him out for you if you don't in six days. Why couldn't you just text him back?"

"I don't know," Will started. "Maybe we're just not ready for this... What if he doesn't like me anymore? It's game over if he doesn't."

"Trust me, Bromeo, he likes you a lot more than he'd wish to admit." Cecil confessed.

"And how would you know that?" Will asked. Slowly, he put two and two together, realizing what his friend had done. "You had his number this whole time, so you've been texting him. God, Cecil, what did he tell you?"

"Confidential information," Cecil confirmed. "Unless, that is, you want to make a bargain?"

"Depends," Will thought aloud. "What type of bargain are we talking about?"

"I show you the conversation, you drop two days. That would mean you'd only have four days to ask him out."

"But I-" Will started.

"But nothing," Cecil snapped. "That's my only deal, take it or leave it."

"That's not fair!" Will argued. "You can't do this, it's blackmail!"

"What's wrong with blackmail?" Cecil smirked. "You blackmailed Nico into joining that club! All is fair in love and war, my friend. So, take it or leave it. I'd take it if I were you, there's some pretty juicy stuff on here..."

"God, just give me the damn phone already." Cecil handed him the phone, and he skimmed through the texts. Most of them were about him, which wasn't surprising in the least. Cecil hadn't told Nico about their plan, which was a good thing. He found out that Cecil, Percy, and Jason were the only people who knew. Nico and Cecil had been debating on whether or not to tell Leo. "I swear to God, if Leo finds out..."

"He won't!" Cecil reassured. "Nico doesn't want him to know either. It's funny, actually. Nico thinks you don't like him, you don't think he likes you. It's irony!"

"That's not a good thing!" He groaned. "I'm surprised Lou Ellen puts up with you, you're such an idiot."

"Yeah, well this idiot has to go take a shower, so bye." And with that, Cecil skipped off to the boys restroom, leaving Will alone. He might never know why his friend wanted to shower at 1:30 in the morning... Oh well, who said he wanted to? He turned his phone back on, and reread the message. It was definitely Nico, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Maybe he should text him back... But then again, maybe he shouldn't.

The worst part was this: He now only had four days to ask Nico out. It wasn't exactly his fault; he would regret not reading the text if he hadn't made the deal. He was curious! It was funny how people always said 'curiosity killed the cat', when in reality it should be 'curiosity killed the slightly awkward gay guy, with a little help from his devious best friend'. That would be a lot more accurate. In a way, he almost felt forced to text Nico back. If he didn't, then Nico might get mad, and with only four days left until judgment day, he couldn't afford that. He sighed as he reopened the conversation.

You, now: I'll kill him when he gets back from showering... Who showers at 1:30 AM?

He waited for a response, and 'surprise, surprise' one came within five seconds.

Nico, now: Not me. But of course, you know when I shower, considering you practically stalked me via recordings because I lent you shampoo.

You, now: It's not stalking... It's investigating.

Nico, now: Your idea of investigating and my idea of investigating are two different ideas of investigating.

You, now: Touché.

Nico, now: I win! IN YOUR FACE SOLACE!

You, now: XP

Nico, now: Why did you have to put in a smiley face?! I HATE SMILEY FACES. Cecil always puts in smiley faces... Screw you.

You, now: Maybe later... I'm not really in the mood right now ;)

Nico, now: What?

You, now: Nothing! Forget I said anything! (You're really dense, by the way.)

Nico, now: I am not!

You, now: You are too!

Nico, now: I will end you, Solace... I swear to God I will...

Will started laughing and snorting at the same time, just as Cecil walked in. He glanced at him, a concerned look on his face.

"Please stop watching gay porn," Cecil started. "You know the rules about porn..."

"It's not porn," Will chuckled. "I'm just texting Nico, that's all."

"Oh, great. Worse than gay porn." Cecil groaned. "I mean seriously, you guys are like an old married couple. And no, I'm not the only one who thinks that."

"Dude, I can't take you seriously when your hair's wet." He laughed. "You look like Leonardo DiCaprio in that one scene of the Titanic when Jack's freezing to death... It's the undercut, dude. It's making your hair do the weird swoop-y thing."

Cecil rolled his eyes. "So, what's Nico got to say for himself? You don't have to tell me if it's wrong... I actually urge you not to tell me if it's wrong."

"Dude, he doesn't say anything wrong," Will explained. "We're just friends, remember?"

"Yeah, but only for a few more days... You should try to get some sleep, we have a math test tomorrow."

He crawled into bed, obeying Cecil's command. He fell asleep thinking about how Nico helped him with his math homework... It was too bad he forgot how to do the equation. Oh well, it's not like he was going to get a good grade on the test anyway.