Chapter Four – His Element, His Time, His Escape

Chris laid in a bed, next to him was Natasha, the schools undoubtedly most beautiful red head cheerleader. He sighed, as earlier he remembered taking the money from her and putting it in his wallet. He looked over at Natasha, and she was sleeping away, with her arm across his chest. He looked down at the floor and saw his clothes, and backpack. He slid off the bed without waking Natasha and dressed himself. He grabbed his backpack and closed his eyes as he orbed – but he didn't. He tried again, nothing.

What the hell? He thought.

He shook his head, and tried, he saw the orbs around him, but then they vanished. Several more times he tried, but his orbs vanished once they appeared. Until he gave up and said a quick spell.

"Take me back from once I came, return me now, to heal my pain." He said. With that he disappeared in white swirling lights. He appeared in the foyer of his home, in front of his aunts.

"Christopher." Phoebe said, "How did you do that?"

"Phoebe, Paige – hey." He replied.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Paige asked.

"Nothing, its alright." With that Chris left them in the foyer and walked up to his room.

Chris swam as the water rushed passed his ears, in here, the water, he felt free. His element, his time, his escape from everything; Chris would sometimes feel the surface of the water was too hollow, too real and he would go into the water, down into the pool and swim. As his head turned from side to side in the water, he saw Kim on one side waiting for her appointment and then Jesse on the other side watching him. He felt some thing tingle in his stomach when he saw Jesse, he tried to put it behind him. He hit the wall, and he was suppose to stop, and get out, but he had too much on his mind. He dove deeper into the water and circled around and swam the other direction.

He never doubted his feelings for Jesse, he had had them for several months now, but what killed him is that Jesse didn't have the same feelings for him. And if Jesse, or the school ever found out what he was doing, how he was getting his money for college, he could lose everything. His family would turn there backs on him, his friends wouldn't talk to him, he would probably get kicked out of the house and never see Wyatt or his parents again. How could he let himself get into this? Was Harvard really worth all of this? He was wasting his life, and his innocence all on this. He hit the other wall and stopped. He was at the shallow end of the pool, and he saw Kimberly was standing over there. She was smiling down upon him.

"I like my men wet." She replied.

Chris looked up at her, but he let her see something he had never let anyone see before; tears. Kim's smile vanished.

"How could you do that to Jesse? What's wrong with you?" and with that Chris turned and swam back into the water.

He sat at the bottom of the pool, he was good at holding his breath for long periods of time, all he had to do was slow his heart rate while swimming and he could get a good minute or two minutes to himself. He looked around up through the water, it was still, people walked around above him. He looked over where Jesse was sitting, and to his amazement he saw him staring at him. Did Jesse know it was him? Of coarse he did, Chris was the only one on the swim team that did this. He watched Jesse get up, and dive into the water. Chris watched as Jesse swam over to him, he always looked better in water; it was if the water molded his body into place. Jesse swam over and touched his hand. Chris looked up at his best friend, they just looked at each other for a few seconds. Jesse let the air out of his lungs as he sunk to the pool bottom, Jesse used his thumb to motion to the go the top. Chris didn't do anything, except put his arms around his friends neck. Jesse was shocked by this, but this wasn't the first time. He loved how Chris' hugs felt, and not to mention his hard body against his own. Chris and Jesse used there legs and jumped from the bottom of the pool and swam the eight feet and were at the top. Chris and Jesse breathed in hard, and it felt has needles pricked his skin all over in Chris.

"We need to talk." Jesse said to him. Chris barely registered it when he noticed Jesse was swimming back to the edge of the pool. Could he know?

Chris got out of the pool, and too his great annoyance Kimberly was standing there; not smiling, but serious.

"I am sorry, okay?" She asked

"Go away." Chris said. He grabbed his towel from the belchers and put it around his waist.

"We don't have too." Kimberly replied. "All I-"

"All you wanted was what? Okay fine Kim you found out my secret, and how fucking dare you! I don't even know why I even considered it."

"You considered it because you're a fucking man whore that's why. Accept it you freak, you have no self respect for yourself so you take it out on how many girls you can fuck, and I wasn't going to fuck you. I wanted to talk you, to find out why you're really doing this, but your just like every other guy Christopher. I thought you were different caring and stuff well I guess not. Good luck with Jesse! So fuck you Christopher."

Chris was stunned at what just happened, he had never seen Kim swear or be angry for that matter, and here she was telling him all the stuff he refused to hear from anyone. He wanted to explain everything to her right then and there but he couldn't, he didn't want to feel the pain and angst that he had inside of him. He watched her stare him down and walk the other direction and go out the door. He cursed at himself. Chris bit his tongue none of those were an option and he walked into the locker room. Good luck with Jesse? What did she mean? He then walked off into the locker room, where Jesse was. He walked down the rows of lockers and then he saw Jesse getting dressed. He walked down the locker row and stopped at his locker which was on the same row as Jesse's, just a few down. Chris looked over, and Jesse wasn't looking at him, not good. Chris pulled his shirt on and jeans, as he buttoned his jeans Jesse walked past him and whispered in his ear.

"Outside, now!"

Chris felt his body go numb, he had to know, Jesse was never angry. He watched his friend vanish as he walked behind the locker rows. He pulled on his shoes as fast as possible and threw everything into his duffle, and slammed his locker shut. He ran outside the locker room, and outside the school gym. And saw Jesse sitting there on the stone steps with his head on his knees, was he crying? Chris walked over and sat next to Jesse.

"Are you okay man?" Chris asked Jesse. He didn't hear anything sniffling or crying from Jesse so he ruled the crying part out. Jesse looked up, he was defiantly not happy, not angry, but there was this sadness in his eyes.

"Chris," He said turning towards him. Chris looked into his deep blue ocean eyes, it was too perfect right there. "You're my best friend, you know almost everything about me, almost everything."

"Yeah." Chris felt the tingle in his stomach return, this couldn't be what he thought it was could it?

"There is something you need to know about me, and it concerns you a great deal."

Chris felt his heart speed up, and race.

"Chris, I am-" He began, but then his voice stopped. It ran out. "I am really-" It stopped again.

Chris sighed very heavily. "You're what?" Chris then for some odd reason took his friends hand. Chris felt his friends' palms get sweaty as he took it, and Jesse took a grip around Chris' hand.

From a far Kim watched Chris and Jesse, she smiled and felt happy.

"Good luck you guys." With that she walked from the corner of the science building and to her car.

"Christopher, I don't know how to say this."

"Just say it, like you said we're best friends."

Jesse just looked into Chris's eyes, and Chris into Jesse's…not saying anything for a long time.