Dang, it's been a while… I've had this chapter somewhat planned out for ages, but never got around to actually writing it. Thanks to all of you for sticking around! You're wonderful!
Fifty-eight reviews… *shakes head* do you know how ecstatic that makes me? (Granted Shadey was reviewing extra to make me feel good, but still…)
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review!
~Shortie
No shoutouts for this chapter, I'm afraid. Would still like to thank you all personally, though.
Thanks much to: Sparkle Kelly Conlon, Glimmer Conlon O'Leary, Mush's Skittles, Studentnumber24601, Kaylee, Lucky, Nerikla, Ali, Spotted One, VinylNoMiko, imaginelet, Seraph, Sparker, AngelicOne, Falco Conlon, klover, Raven, Mondie, Sureshot Higgins, Thumbsucker Snitch, rumor, Dreamer, hilaRyB, Deejay Superstar, Glitter Punk, Cards, The Omnicient Bookseller, Fidget Conlon, and the wonderful Crunch.
Steph rocks my world because we both have oral fixations…I mean…because she beta'd for me! XD
New Money
I hate packing and unpacking, always have, always will. It's such a hassle; I'd be much happier just living out of my suitcases, but no. PRS would never allow something so mundane.
I must say, labor like this shoots my wit to hell.
So anyway, dinner had ended almost two hours ago and Race and I were in our room. I was trying to concentrate on unpacking, while Race was pretending to be doing some last minute homework.
Why do I say pretending? Well, I could feel him watching me when he thought I wasn't paying attention. When I would turn to catch him on it, he would immediately turn back to his work with a slight blush on his face.
Also, his chem book was upside down.
It got so annoying after a while that I just went over to his bed, crossed my arms, and looked down at him. He pretended not to notice me and feverishly began scribbling down something in his notebook.
"What."
"Huh?" Race looked up.
"You're staring at me," I said, folding a shirt and throwing it in the general vicinity of the closet.
He hesitated, "Are you gay?"
Okay, so I guess I'd been somewhat expecting this, but I hadn't thought he'd be so fucking blunt about asking me.
His face reddened considerably as he continued, "I mean- not that it makes a difference or anything, I just thought-"
"I'm bi," I told him. "Is that a problem?" I couldn't keep back the biting sarcasm in my voice.
He gnawed on his lip for a few moments before saying anything.
"Well?" I was fully prepared to put the fucker in his place if he turned out to be a homophobic prick.
He shook his head quickly, "Not a problem… I was just wondering…" I raised an eyebrow at him and he continued, "You were making it pretty damn obvious."
"Obvious?"
"With Conlon," he sighed loudly at my forced look of confusion, "Oh, come on, just admit it, Cowboy, you were practically drooling all over Spot's shoes."
I felt my face heating up, "I was not drooling!"
The tables having been turned, he let out a condescending laugh, "Yes you were! You should have seen the look Manca was giving you!"
I couldn't think of anything to say to this, and instead, busied myself with shoving my clothes into the closet.
"Oh, lighten up, Jack. I'm just playing with you."
I refused to answer him.
"Hey, if it's any consolation, I hope he finds his gay side and the two of you get together."
I whipped around, "Finds... his…"
Race nodded sympathetically, "As far as I know, Conlon's straight as an arrow."
It had been a possibility I was fully aware of, even if I hadn't wanted to admit it. Spot Conlon could be straight. But it had just seemed so unlikely! I swallowed hard, remembering the way his extraordinary blue eyes had bored into mine only a few hours before, how I felt as if he could see right through me and into my secret desire to have him kissing me, rubbing against me…
I was brought out of my impromptu fantasy by Racetrack's loud laugh. "You look like you could use a cold shower, Jack."
I blushed furiously, "Fuck you." I quickly turned back to the closet so Race couldn't see quite how red my face had gotten.
A loud rapping on the front door distracted both of us.
"What?" Race shouted irritably.
"It's us, c'mon Higgins, open the door!" and though the speaker sounded familiar, I couldn't quite place them.
"It's open, just come in!" He answered.
"We got Smirnoff!" Another voice called out, giggling. "Ow!"
"Shut up, Snitch. You want Weasel to hear you?"
The front door opened and slammed shut and a few seconds later, and five guys I'd met earlier that evening came in, talking loudly. One, I think it was Dutchy, held a full bottle of Smirnoff Ice.
I grinned, "Smirnoff? I thought all you rich kids drank was expensive wine and shit."
Some kid with an eye patch grabbed the bottle and grinned, "Fuck no. This is the good stuff!" He said, popping the bottle open and taking a huge swig before passing it to Mush. "We haven't met, I'm Kid Blink Ballatt," he held out his hand, which I shook.
"Jack Kelly."
"Yeah, I know. Word travels fast in this place."
"I can see that." The Smirnoff was handed to me. I threw some of it back and passed it to Snitch.
"Do you know everyone else?" Kid Blink offered helpfully.
I nodded, "Race pointed them out at dinner."
I was drowned out by loud laughter, though, from the other side of the room. "Come," Blink beckoned me, "Let's join the fun."
~~~
Two hours, a bottle of Smirnoff, a bottle of Absolut, and a six pack later, we were all pretty damn plastered. Dutchy and Specs had retreated into our closet, and no one had the stomach to check on them.
The rest of us sat in a circle on the floor passing around a bottle of Bacardi Silver, the last of the alcohol.
"Jacky Boy! I'se almost forgot!" Snitch cried, his eyes widening almost comically.
"Whazzit?" I slurred.
He reached into the bag they'd used to smuggle in the alcohol and took out a black leather cowboy hat with a silver chain resting on the brim.
"S'cause you'se a cowboy," Blink nodded.
I inspected the hat, Made in Italy; a big leather label was sewn on the inside. "Gucci makes cowboy hats?" I asked as skeptically as I could in the state I was in.
"Gucci makes everything, man!" Mush said seriously, drinking as the bottle came to him.
"Well… thanks!" I placed it on my head, "Giddy-up!"
For some reason, we all thought that was hilarious and dissolved into fits of laughter that lasted almost five minutes. Snitch kept repeating 'Giddy-up' and shaking his head, tears streaming down his face, and Racetrack's face was turning a rather alluring shade of scarlet. We all calmed down and Blink took another drink from the emptying bottle. He started giggling again, and alcohol shot out his nose, setting us all off again.
Finally, we were all too wiped out to laugh anymore. A comfortable silence followed, only to be broken by a loud moan from the closet.
"EW!" Mush cried, burying his face in my pillow.
I burst into giggles again, seeing the suave, arrogant Mush acting like a little boy. Another, higher pitched, moan broke through the room, cutting me off.
"LA LA LA! I can't hear you!" Racetrack sang loudly, shoving his fingers in his ears.
"Are they always like this?" I asked.
"Yeah, 'cept when Carrot's around!" Snitch laughed.
"Be happy they went to the closet this time. Dutchy has an exhibitionist fetish. He gave Specs road head in my car!" Blink wrinkled his nose.
"EW!" Mush shouted again, throwing the pillow at Blink.
"Jack's like Dutchy," Race added.
"An exbihitionist?" Snitch asked seriously. Blink snickered at the mispronunciation.
"No, bi!" Race crowed, as if he were a seventh grade girl divulging the best piece of middle school gossip.
"Race!" I squeaked. I was pretty open about my sexuality, but still!
A chorus of ooooh's went through the group and I stuck my tongue out at them.
"You should kiss one of them," Mush said with a whoop.
"Pucker up," I told him, sarcastically.
"Not me! I already have three girls!" Mush yelped.
"I nominate…Snitch," Blink said, clapping him on the back.
"Me!? Why me? I have a girlfriend too!"
Race laughed, "Your girlfriend would be ecstatic and you know it."
I blinked, "Why should I kiss him anyway?"
"Cause you're a bithexual," Mush said with an intentional lisp.
I flipped him the bird and turned to Snitch, who shrugged.
"Just do it," Race whined.
"Yeah!" Blink and Mush chorused.
"Fine!" I said and leaned in. Snitch wasn't a bad kisser, his lips were soft and sweet and he tasted of alcohol. It was over in a couple of seconds, no tongue to speak of.
Snitch looked at me when it was over, his eyes big, but he didn't say anything.
Mush, Blink, and Race, though, had already become bored with this.
"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Blink's eyes lit up. Everyone agreed excitedly.
Give a group of seventeen year old guys some alcohol and they immediately become preteen females. It's an incredible phenomenon. Insert eye roll here.
"S'Jack's turn. The last dare was his." Race pointed out.
"Okay," I looked around the circle, "Mush. Truth or dare?"
"Truth," he answered.
I thought for a minute, "Okay, I understand most of the nicknames. I'm cowboy cause I'm from the west, Snitch is Snitch because he steals, Racetrack is a gambler, Blink has an eye patch, Specs wears glasses, Dutchy looks Dutch and so forth. Why are you Mush?"
The kid must have turned seven shades of red in the minute that followed while the rest of the guys howled with laughter.
"No reason," Mush muttered.
"Yes there is!" Blink cried.
"If you don't tell, I will!" Race threatened.
"No!"
"Yes."
"No!"
"Okay, here goes," Race snickered as Mush hid his face in his hands. "When little Nicky Meyers was a little froshie here at PRS he thought he was the shit…"
"I was the shit!" Mush broke in.
"Sure you were. Anyway, this was pre Skittles, Mondie, and Shortie. Nick here decides he's going to go where no freshman has gone before and lose his virginity to Sarah Jacobs. She was a senior at the time. Her parents own a percentage of the school, her little brother Dave is in our grade.
Now, Sarah was really hot, which made up for her being incredibly stupid. She was captain of the girls diving team and was a kick ass polo player. Most of the underclass guys wanted her.
As I'm sure you can see, Mush isn't a bad looking guy, and he wasn't as a freshman either. By some lucky chance, he got Sarah in bed with him and they would have fucked, had Nicky not had a little, teensy, tiny problem."
The rest of the guys knew what was coming and were laughing and cheering loudly, while Mush looked as though he wanted to disappear.
"What?" I asked, trying to get them to shut up.
"He, he…" Race broke down in giggles.
"He couldn't get it up!" Blink shouted.
I began to laugh as hard as the others. Holy shit, who'd have guessed that the arrogant bastard was keeping this skeleton in his closet!
Race got himself under control and continued his story, "Word got around that little Nicky here was literally mush in bed, and the rest is history. In fact," he said fondly patting Mush on the back, "Mush was the first one at PRS to get a nickname. He started the tradition."
"That is a fucking good story," I said.
"Isn't it?" Snitch giggled, "Now anytime someone talks to him he's reminded of it."
Mush was glaring at us, "Yeah, just remember, I get more ass than the four of you combined," he said acidly.
A loud knocking on the door shut all of us up. "Shut up in there, all of you! Whoever doesn't belong in there get back to your own rooms now and I won't tell Snyder!"
"Weasel," Race explained it to me. "The security guard."
We heard the sound of his footsteps walking away from the room, and the other boys began gathering the bottles together. They said good night and left to stumble as best they could back to their rooms.
Race and I went to bed just after that. After all, there was school tomorrow and we'd both have a hell of a hangover as it was.
Maybe this place isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be was my last thought before drifting into unconsciousness.
Neither of us remembered Dutchy and Specs in the closet until we went to get dressed the next morning.
~~~