This chapter was written by ForeverSmiles
*No One's POV*
The humid air made the treehouse warm and stuffy, not to mention there were four teenage boy crammed inside, smoking cigarettes. The four were playing their usual game of cards and tried to make it as normal as possible, but the awkwardness of the situation would not be ignored. There was no playful joking, no cheating accusations, no calling each other wet ends and proclaiming that this game was wack. There was just silence.
Gordie and Chris were trying to get used to their best friends's newfound "relationship" but Gordie just couldn't wrap his head around it. And whenever Chris imagined them kissing, it made him resist the urge to vomit. They tried their best to be understanding but in their own heads they just couldn't.
And Teddy and Vern weren't stupid. They knew the other two boys were creeped out by them being boyfriends and that they would never think of them the same way again. They knew that the awkwardness would never really go away, they would just learn to ignore it better. Vern hoped that things would get back to normal real quick, and that Gordie and Chris would just accept him and Teddy already and almost forget about it. Of course, he knew this would never happen but Vern Tessio was a dreamer.
And Teddy? Teddy was pissed off. He didn't want Gordie and Chris to find out. It was supposed to be a fucking secret and he blew it. Now they had something over him and if he pissed them off, they could hold his huge secret over his head. Teddy didn't like being vulnerable - he didn't like not being in control of the situation.
Everytime Teddy and Vern got a little too close, Gordie and Chris got all squeamish. It wasn't this big noticeable thing, but Teddy could tell. And he was pretty sure Vern could, too. Vern was just better at pretending like he didn't notice, while Teddy had made it pretty damn obvious that he wasn't happy with the situation. Fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen! No one was supposed to find out! He threw down his cards in frustration and leaned back to take a drag on his cigarette.
It was extremely hot in there. All four boys were sweating but none of them dared to take their shirts off. And none of them dared to stop smoking, either. It calmed their nerves - and their nerves definitely needed calming.
Awkward. It was so fucking awkward. Vern wanted to run and hide. He acted all reassuring and confident whenever Teddy worried about Chris and Gordie telling their secret, but he was secretly just as worried. Surely, the four of them wouldn't be best friends forever. What ifGordie or Chris were talking to a girl or one of their new friends and it just slipped out? What if they accidentally told their parents? What if they got mad at him or Teddy and decided to tell their secret just to fuck them? There were so many scenarios of betrayal and it made Vern's skin crawl. He couldn't believe they had gotten caught.
What if their parents found out? That was the thought that woke both Teddy Duchamp and Vern Tessio up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, unable to breathe.