Friday

When Will awoke, it was to the rising sun as always. He got less sleep in the summer due to the extended day time, but he always felt more refreshed. His father always joked how the god Apollo must have blessed their family. His father's record company, Apollo Records, was his own little way to play on that. His mother, Naomi, however, swore when he was younger that his father, Lester, actually was the sun god in disguise.

He yawned a bit as he stumbled out of bed, not even worrying about turning off his alarm as he hardly needed it lately anyways. The sky was a pink/orange mash up, illuminating his bedroom with an early morning glow.

Once he stumbled his way into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, he leaned on the counter, taking in the city. He made sure to press start on the coffee maker as he dazed out. Will knew he had it lucky and was reminded of that every time he got a look at the view.

When he had moved in with his dad, he insisted on getting a new place. Will reassured him his original apartment was fine – three bedrooms, private balcony, lots of space – but he had put his foot down and told Will only the best was going to be provided for his son.

Will grew up in a rustic farmhouse in the middle of Texas, anything with half a view or city skyline was luxury to him. His mother, Naomi Solace, was an extremely successful country singer and they had moved into her childhood house when Will turned 8.

He grew up riding horses, laying traps for small game, and riding half-working pickup trucks in his backyard at the age of thirteen. By the time his dad took him for her learners in the city, he could drive a stick shift with his eye closed.

His mother had always wanted him to grow up away from the spotlight, keeping him close to family roots, so living with his father was a massive shift. He always felt out of place visiting his dad in the city every summer, sometimes to the point his father would fly down to see him instead.

Even though Naomi was perfectly content raising Will on her own, Lester had insisted when he found out she was pregnant. He would visit him at lease once a year, stop by when he played local, and pay for whatever Will needed.

He loved his dad, he really did, but he acted more like an uncle at times compared to what a father should be doing.

Back during Will's freshman year of high school, his best friends, Lou Ellen and Cecil, were never seen without the other. If you saw Will, you knew the other two were close by. When Will first realised he was maybe not all that straight, it was Lou he told first. She had given him a blank look he couldn't read. She had shaken her head and sighed, telling him that there was no way he was straight.

At first he had been shocked, wondering how she could just come right out and say that, but as time went on, he understood. Both his parents were bisexual, his mother would have been more surprised if he had been straight, especially with how he was as a child.

Every June, his mother would drive them both into the city to celebrate pride, as their township wasn't the most open and accepting. His mother had offered to move them a few times, but Will always said that his friends were there, he couldn't leave.

But when Freshmen year rolled around, and word had started to spread of Will's sexuality, that's when the bullying came. At first he didn't mind hearing "fag" tossed around time to time as he walked the halls, but when they started to corner him, waiting for him outside the school. When they tried to follow him home, put their hands on him, and sent death-threats to his house, that's when he put his foot down.

The school did nothing, told him he should just talk to them or deal with it. It had been a subtle way of them telling him that it was his fault for being into guys. As much as he wanted to put up with it to stay with his friends, he wasn't sure how much further they were going to go in the following months.

He reached out to his dad at the beginning of December and asked if he could potentially stay with him. Of course, Lester had been more than excited to have his son live with him. He knew he could never raise a kid, but if Will was already a teenager, then all the hard work was already done.

When he told his mother the plan, at first she had been weary, offering for them to just move together, but the house and property meant too much to both of them that he insisted on moving in with his dad. "A better bond," he had told her, explaining how he had it all figured out. Thing's would be better in New York.

"I know, Sunshine," she said, her worry lines deepening, "but are you really sure you want to move across the country?"

Will took a deep breath, pulling at his messy hair.

"Yeah, I already talk with dad and he said it was okay."

He held his breath as she pondered it. Her strawberry blond hair that was littered with graying hairs fell from her shoulders. She was thinking it over, weighing the pros and cons that maybe Will had missed. Her face was still youthful, as she had been when she had met Lester, but time was starting to take over.

Her cheeks were sun kissed with freckles and years of sun making her skin a little tough. Even though she took great care of her appearance, time comes for us all and she was no exception.

She sighed, her shoulders sinking in defeat.

"Alright," she said, holding a hand up as Will cheered, "but – but. You need to stay on top of your grades and stay out of trouble, got it? Good. Now, if your father says it's okay, then I see no harm in going."

Will had wrapped her up in a hug, smiling brighter than he had ever done before. He loved his mom, but the thought of living in New York was thrilling.

He had everything planned that night. Even though it was winter and the lack of light made him sleepy, he couldn't sleep. He had sent his father everything he could get together that night for information regarding school transfers, bedroom ideas, and coffee places they could go for breakfast when he got there.

His first day there was the first day in their new apartment. Lester had insisted and there was nothing Will could do. But his room was massive and had the most breathtaking skyline view so he never complained for a moment.

His first day at his new school was like a movie. Everyone around him knew what they were doing, he felt ten seconds behind everyone, and so out of place.

Instantly he knew he stood out like a sore thumb. His clothing were different, his mannerisms were not from there, and his accent was a dead giveaway. When he went to the office to pick up his schedule, instantly he stood out.

The lady at the front desk smiled and asked him where he was from. Embarrassed, he told her Texas, and she smiled. When he got his schedule, even with a map, he was lost. The bell had long passed run and he felt like a ghost wondering around the world of the living.

As he looked up and down the hall, hoping a teacher was wondering around he could ask for directions, a girl rushed by, cursing under her breath.

"Hey!" he called out to her, hoping she would stop. She did, a frazzled look on her face as she looked the blond up and down. Her hair was choppy, like she had cut it herself, and dark brown. She was incredibly gorgeous, Will could make out that much, but it was her eyes that were the most breathtaking thing about her. Will knew under any other circumstance he might have had a crush on her.

"What?" she asked, voice pointed.

He held up his schedule and map. "Can you, uh, tell me where Mrs. Grant's English class is?"

The girl gave him an up-and-down, raising a brow as if to ask if he was serious. When she determined he was genuine with his question, she sighed.

"Yeah, it's this way." She threw her hand over her shoulder and started heading to the stairs, this time walking. Will rushed to catch up.

"Thank you," he said, glancing around.

"You new here?" she asked, giving him a glance.

Will nodded.

"Yeah."

"I can tell." She paused as she took a right towards the stairs. "Where you from? Like, what part of the south?"

Will blushed, his ears turning hot. Of course she picked up on the accent.

"Texas," he said.

She nodded.

"Thought so, just wanted to make sure. Welcome to New York, it's much different here."

Will smiled when he noticed she grinned. He liked this girl, whoever she was.

"I'm William," he said, "but you can call me Will."

"Okay, Texas." She was smiling as she opened the door to the hall they needed. "Name's Piper."

As they headed towards the English wing, Piper added, "Oh, by the way. Use some of that 'southern charm' shit y'all got over there or something. She'll eat it right up."

"Huh?"

"Mrs. Grant. I had her last year. She's a bit of a bitch, but if you get on her good side, you'll be set." She looked Will over one last time and grinned. "And trust me, she'll eat you up."

"Good to know."

They stopped in front of classroom, the faint sound of someone talking through the door.

"This is it." Piper gave him a tap on his shoulder, noticing how awkward he was. "Have fun. I'll see you later, Texas." She gave him a salute as she backed up before rushing down the hall and towards the stairs.

With a shaky breath, he knocked on the door. After some shuffling on the other side sounded, the door opened.

"Ah," she said with a smile, her pudgy cheeks raising towards her eyes. "How can I help you?"

"Um," Will swallowed as he entered the classroom, "My name's Will. They said this was my first class." He was more than aware of all the eyes on him, tired kids searching him up and down.

"Ah, Will," she clapped, heading back over to her desk to skim through some paperwork. "I was told we had a new student. Solace, right?"

There were some murmurs from the other students. Will knew pretty well what they were thinking.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Where you from, Will?" she asked, ticking something off on the paper she was looking at.

"Texas," he said, more aware than ever of his accent.

"Such a lovely, place." She smiled as she scanned the class over. She pointed to the back of the class where there was an empty seat. "Take that seat back there."

Will nodded and made his way back, taking the seat. There were still a few eyes on him, one girl a few rows up, holding her phone out to her friend, whispering something as they looked between him and the phone.

"Because you don't have any of the material," she said loudly, cutting into the whispers from the class, "Nico." A kid beside him who was dressed in all black, hunched over his desk, drawing something. "Can you share with Will this class? And at break help him get what he needs from the library?"

The kid – Nico – nodded with a sigh. He glanced over at Will, his eyes dark and his face visibly tired. Will smiled, hoping to seem nice, but he just glanced over Will before turning back to his scribbles.

This was going to be awkward.

…

Will remembered how awkward it had been. Nico wouldn't talk to him without rolling his eyes, and if he did say anything, it was always one-worded replies.

Will smiled as he noticed his coffee was ready, going over to cabinet and pulling out a mug. Since the coffee hadn't been made when he came down, that meant his father still hadn't come down yet. He pulled out another mug and poured him a cup.

As he sipped his, knowing it was going to need a bunch of creamer, he sighed. Will walked over to the fridge and pulled out what he needed for his and his father's coffee. Once they were mixed, the spoon in his mouth, he grabbed his phone and sent Nico a text.

You
Morning

He sent a video of his coffee, flipping the camera and took a sip. He made a weird face as he took a sip, zooming in on his eyes.

It might be early, but at least I have coffee.

As he sent the video, he tossed his phone to the side and grabbed his father's. He made his way up the stairs of the apartment to his father's bedroom, nudging the door open. He knew he was staying up late working on new music so he knew he would appreciate waking up to fresh coffee.

"Hey, dad," he called out softly, setting the mug down on the side table. His dad stirred, knowing he was awake, but didn't want to be. "Made some coffee. It's on the side table."

When he heard a sound that was a mix between a growl and a moan, he took it as his dad's acknowledgement. He headed back down to the kitchen to watch the rest of the sunrise and drink his coffee.

As he sipped it, he glanced at his phone, knowing Nico was nowhere near awake.

….

"Now," Mrs. Grant said, setting her whiteboard marker down, turning to the class, "for your Romeo and Juliet final project, I'm giving you creative freedom. As long as it shows an understanding of the work and a use of the text, you are free to use any medium you wish. An essay, a poster, a video, anything works."

She started to give out the assignments, people were already paring up. Will had only been in the class three days and he was beyond terrified. When she got to him, she looked between him and the weird, emo kid – Nico – and smiled.

"Why don't you two pair up?"

Nico's head shot up and looked at her as if she had grown four heads. He glanced over at Will who was giving a similar look of shock, but she just ignored that.

"Since Will's new, I would love for you to help him out for the next little bit. Is that okay, Nico?"

It was obvious that Nico didn't say much as he gave her no response. It was obvious that he didn't want to be partnered with Will, but neither of them said anything, which was what lead to Will and Nico awkwardly sitting in Will's kitchen, Nico's eyes wide the entire time.

"You live here?" he asked again, as if he couldn't believe it.

Will shrugged, opening the fridge to ignore looking at the shorter guy. He had haircut that did nothing but make him look out of place in his own body, baggy, ripped clothes. But they were all clean and he never smelled, so it must just be a choice he dressed like that.

"Yeah," he said, pulling out two cans of orange soda. "Want a coke?"

Nico looked over at Will and furrowed his brows together.

"That's not coke."

Will looked at the cans and felt his ears go red.

"Yeah," he muttered, handing the can over to Nico who was still willing to take it.

The stood awkwardly as they both cracked open their cans, drinking in silence.

"What do your parents do?" Nico asked, setting the can down, wondering around the kitchen and dinning area as he looked out onto the setting sun on the New York skyline.

"My dad's a musician," Will said, not exactly lying.

"Yeah?" Nico asked, not exactly believing him.

Will sighed, knowing this is the most Nico had ever spoken to him since they met.

"Yeah, he also owns a record label."

Nico's brows raised to that.

"So, you're, like, what? Rich? Famous?" Nico was almost joking as he chuckled, but there was something curious about his tone.

"My dad is," he said, shifting. "And my mom. Umm, you heard of Naomi Solace?"

Nico raised a brow and shook his head.

Will furrowed his brow as he took a sip, muttering, "Yeah, she does country music, so probably not."

"Yeah, I don't give a shit about country music." Nico took a sip of his pop. "I mean, your mom is probably really good, but like, not my thing."

Will smiled and nodded, relaxing a bit. At least they were now trying.

"My dad was really big in the nineties – and the early two-thousands. He hadn't made music in a while, though."

Nico nodded as he listened, not faking it like he did in class. He actually seemed interested in what Will was saying. Will felt like he could relax a bit around him.

"Cool," Nico said. There was another wave of awkwardness that washed over the two of them. "So," Nico's voice wondered along with his eyes, "why'd you move here this late into the term?"

There was a moment where he feared telling Nico. He didn't know if he could trust him or how he would react, but it wasn't Texas. He was safer in New York.

"Well," he started, clearing his throat, "back home… things happened and I wasn't exactly safe there."

Nico tilted his head, his brows furrowed together.

"What happened?"

Will shifted awkwardly, taking a sip.

"Well, at the beginning of the year, it kind of got out that I was into guys and I wasn't in the nicest town."

Nico's entire body shifted, something that made Will nervous. Was he safe telling Nico he was queer? It felt like a stand off waiting for his reaction.

"You're gay?" as all Nico said, his voice a little low, as if he would get in trouble if someone else heard. Will didn't think too much into it.

"Bi," he corrected him, swallowing.

Nico slowly nodded, processing what he was just told. He took a sip of his pop as he looked at the ground as if there was text scribbled on the ground.

"That's cool," he said. "I mean – not the whole 'probably hate-crimed' thing, but like, the gay thing, yeah."

Will felt his breath leave his lungs, something he hadn't realised he had been holding onto. Nico might have been awkward, but he didn't seem to be the hateful type.

"So," Nico cleared his throat, almost coughing, "Romeo and Juliet, you read it right?"

Will smiled, nodding his head.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorite Shakespeare plays."

Nico rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Of fucking course it is."

Will smiled. He was starting to like him even more.

…

As Will was getting dressed, his phone buzzed. He slipped his shirt on and grabbed it, noticing it was from Nico. Smiling, he opened it.

Death Boy
Bring me coffee
Or else

You
Or else what?

Death Boy
...
Ill be mean

You
More than usual?

Death Boy
Fuck you
and yes
way meaner
:(

Will couldn't help but smile. Nico might have been off putting to other people, but he understood everything about him.

You
Fine
I'll bring you coffee.
Anything in it?

Death Boy
Black
Like my soul

You
So half cream two sugar?

Death Boy
Fuck you

yah

You
Groovy

Death Boy
Groovy?
what are you?
ancient?
and you know my coffee order..?

You
I can say groovy all I want!
And duh!
We've been friends for over two years, dude.
It would be a crime if I didn't know how you take your coffee

Death Boy
...
thats kinda gay
just sayin

You
Nico
I swear to god I can't do anything nice for you.

Death Boy
also…
whats up with that tiktok
that was also kinda gay
what are you?
gay?

You
Lot's of people were wondering who you were
So I just made a video to show them
I hope that was okay?

Death Boy
yeah its fine
just kinda gay

You
Nico you fucking homosexual

Death Boy
Actually
im saving myself for jesus so…

You
I literally can't have a single normal conversation with you, can I?
I'll see you at school.

Death Boy
B)
Sick
Don't fuck up my coffee you bitch
Its pride month and that would be a hate crime

Will chuckled as he tossed his phone, looking over his outfit one more time. Since moving to New York, he's slowly gained a sense of style. No help to Nico.

The only reason Nico owns more than one pair of pants is because of his mom. If she didn't make sure he changed every day into clean clothes, he would probably wear one pair of pants straight through.

Will pulled up his Instagram and snapped a photo for his story. He didn't post as much as he wished he could, but keeping up his stories was the easiest way. That, and using his Tiktok.

He had gained his following when he posted a Tiktok comparing him to his parents. It was a trend that was going around when he only had about a thousand followers where you say traits your parents had compared to what you had.

He had started out pointing out his father being blond, his mother having strawberry blonde hair, and he was blond. The next one was that his father and mother were both bi, also him being bi. But it was the last one that he had made the video. He had put that his father was the musician by the stage name Apollo and his mother was Naomi Solace, combined he was tone deaf.

He thought it had been funny that both his parents were major musicians and yet, the most he could do was give a mean whistle. The video had blown up and people started to wonder if they really were his parents. After making a video with his dad, that's when his online presence truly blew up.

He still had a half hour to kill before he even had to think about heading to school, (cursed sun) so he sat down on his bed and scrolled through Tiktok.

His notifications were blowing up, something he had expected. But when he opened them, he didn't expect it to go that hard.

The video he had randomly slapped together of him and Nico messing around over the past two and a half years was sitting at almost two million likes, the comments racking in at about twenty-five thousand.

"Jesus, fuck," he muttered, leaning back with one hand behind his head. He scrolled through some of the comments, reading them over.

taylorswiftsleftkidney
I'm fucKING SCREAMING

when is it my turn to be happy

warioshotsauceslut
 Just say youre in love and move on

commradbussy
if YALL ARENT SOUL MATES I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD HKJSLGFLAA

wolfblood_84
Oh to be young and in love with my best friend

mothmanssloppyseconds
Yall are being so loud in the comments, he's gonna see this

countryboy_303
he really out here being Y/N I fucking guess

milfystunkfromoverthehedge
Tell me when they get together

dannydevitosrightnutt
okay okay okay okay cool cool cool cool. I'm just gonna *jumps off bridge*

_
IM FUCKING SCREAMING I CANT PHYSICALLY HANDLE THIS TODAY

plz…. I cant do this today bestie… plzz

bagvys
hate seeing people live my dreams u_u

Well, those weren't the comments he was expecting. The more he scrolled, the more of those kind of comments he saw. He smiled softly to himself. Lots of people tagging their friends, saying that that was their relationship, some people saying they wished they had a friend like that – even one person asking for a hair tutorial – but as he went down, skimming the most liked comments, it was majority asking if they were dating or commenting about how in love they were.

After a few more minutes of scrolling, laughing at some of them, Will closed the app and took a deep breath in. He wasn't exactly tired, but he wanted to lay in bed for the rest of the day.

His thoughts were swarming ideas and a never-ending monologue. He knew it was too much to hope for, but there was a small part of him that thought if he laid there, unmoving, avoiding time, that maybe tomorrow would never come.

….

Nico's face lit up the moment he grabbed the coffee from Will. It was one of the travel mugs he had picked up specifically for Nico a while back. He had started stealing Will's coffee into their sophomore year together, ignoring him when Will asked for it back, so to combat this, he started bringing him coffee. It got to the point where he was at Starbucks one day and saw a matte black cup and shrugged. From there, the Nico Collection started.

"You are an actual saint," Nico muttered, sipping the already cooled off coffee. It wasn't lukewarm, but not hot enough to burn his tongue. It took a few tries, but Will had mastered Nico's coffee taste.

"Anything for my boyfriend," Will said with a wink, leaning against the lockers beside Nico's. When Nico flinched, his jaw hardening, Will worried he had stepped a line. He worried he'd over stepped with every joking jab at their fake relationship. As Nico continued to look at his shoes, Will felt his heartrate speed up.

"You know," Nico spoke, looking up at Will, his eyes almost too dark to differentiate between pupil and iris, "lot's of people on your post think we're dating."

Will smiled and leaned his head back, softly chuckling to himself. Someone walked past who waved to him; he waved back.

"They just wish they had a friendship like ours," he said with a wink. Nico inhaled sharply and looked away, his jaw stiffening once again. He sipped on his coffee. "Hey," Will said, straightening his back to deviate the tension, "tomorrow, I'll swing by at ten, think you'll be awake?"

Nico sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fuck you," he said. "Yes, I'll be awake."

"Sweet," Will said, kicking off the locker. "I'm not telling you what's up, that's a surprise. Just – expect the best time of your life."

Nico was smiling as he turned to face away from the blond. Yeah, he was pushing it, but it was the only time he was going to get to mess around with him like this.

They finished up their small talk as they headed to their respected classes, Will waving with a sunny disposition. Nico rolled his eyes, but his shoulders seemed a bit tense. As Will watched him go to class, he stalled, brows furrowed for a moment.

He couldn't shake the thought that maybe he might have been pushing things, that he was starting to make Nico uncomfortable. But it was Nico's idea in the first place, and there was no way Will was slowing down. He wouldn't admit it, but he was selfish and having way too much fun with it.

…..

He was greeted with a grunt from his friend, Rachel, who was hunched over a painting he couldn't quite make out when he sat down beside her in art class. Her hair was streaked with paint, some still wet, other strands already stiff. Had she not washed old paint out of her hair or had she gotten to class early? Knowing her, it could have been both.

She pushed a curly strand of her ginger hair out of her face, a fresh streak of electric blue now coated it as she cursed. Her freckles were a mix of sunset and her skin sun kissed.

When Will leaned over her shoulder to get a better view, he still wasn't sure what she was working on, but it was breathtaking.

"What is it?" he asked, pulling out his own sketch book. He was by no means good, he just enjoyed art class. Will was a strong believe that art shouldn't be graded, and thankfully the art teacher was on a similar vibe. It didn't have to be good to get a high grade, but make you think or feel. And in Rachel's case, it really made Will think.

She shrugged.

"Came to me in a dream," she muttered, dipping her fingers in some paint, her paint brush long forgotten and crusty. "Had to get here to figure it out, but I'm still lost."

"Well it's pretty."

She made a few more passes with her pinky finger, biting her lip before she sighed and leaned back.

"Yeah, but that's not the point. I knew what it was at one point, but now…" her voice trailed off as she shook her head. She pointed to a rag near Will and he passed it over. As she wiped her hands off, she pushed her work aside and leaned on the table, giving Will a proper smile.

"How are you today, Texas?"

Will rolled his eyes. Not many people still called him that, but Rachel was one of them.

With a shrug, Will sighed, knowing Rachel could already tell before he could. "Not too sure yet. Still figuring it out."

She raised a brow.

"Oh?"

"Oh."

She nodded, tossing the rag over to the side.

"What's this oh?"

Will tossed his head around, like he was playing pin ball with his head, waiting for the right ball to land.

"So," he started, a nervous smile peaking his lips that tried to morph into a laugh, "get this." Rachel crossed her arms, all attention on her blond friend. "As a joke," Will made sure to emphasis, "Nico and I are going on a date tomorrow."

Rachel's expression didn't change. Her eyes gave no tell at her thoughts as if she was listening to Cantonese. She blinked a few times as her face turned into something you'd make when someone annoying butted in on your conversation and you don't want to be outwardly rude but you also don't care about their feelings and you want them to know their bothering you.

"As a joke," she repeated, her face unchanging. She blinked a few more times.

Will's nervous smile turned into full blown nervous laughter.

"Yeah," he said, digging himself deeper, "and get this." He paused as Rachel's brows lifted, signalling to him that she was listening, but not because she wanted to. "We've technically been dating for a few days."

She let out a long, shaky breath as she closed her eyes, letting her body lean forward.

"Do I even want to ask?"

"Look," he said, gaining her attention, "Nico asked me – as a joke! – if we could go on a date so that I could break up with him after so that he could listen to a breakup album."

"I-" she started, but she had no words. "I'm not even fucking surprised. Like…" She just shook her head, looking back at her painting. Maybe now she could figure it out.

"So," Will continued, "I listened to the album, right?"

"The breakup album."

"The breakup album," Will confirmed. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because, I'm a good friend and I want to make sure he gets the full experience, you know?"

"No, Will," she said, "I don't know. Because I don't ask my friends to fake date me like a poorly written novella just to listen to a breakup album. I find that pain inside just like everyone else. That's how I got through the last four Taylor Swift albums."

"Okay, but what if I asked you to do that?"

"Then I would tell you, 'I'm not into blonds.' That simple." Rachel shook her head. "Look, Will. This is the stupidest idea you've ever had, and trust me, bestie, I went to bee-keeper camp when I was thirteen. Don't ask why, just know that I mean it when I say you have no idea what you're doing."

Will frowned.

"I don't follow."

"Of course you don't," she said with a sigh. "Will, I know you. And I also vaguely know Nico. This –" she pointed to all of Will "– is not going to end well for either of you. Have I ever been wrong about things before?"

"Rachel – "

"Have I ever been wrong?"

Will sighed.

"No."

"Exactly, so when I tell you you are fucking stupid, know that I am glad you are at least pretty 'cause there is not a single thought in the brain of yours, Texas. That's where you must have left it if this is looking good to you."

Will rolled his eyes and flipped through his sketch book, pulling up the page he was working on yesterday.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhm."

Will wanted to pretend it wasn't bothering him, but what did Rachel mean that this was a bad idea? Nico and him did weird shit all the time, this wasn't new. Yeah, they had never fake dated before, but who doesn't at some point?

He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts to focus the paper, not on Rachel's words. Sure, she had never been wrong before, but there's a first for everything.

…..

As class was coming to a finish, Will was brought back to reality by an elbow jabbing into his side. He was about to curse at Rachel beside him, telling her to fuck off, but she simply pointed to the door with her paintbrush, not even bothering to look over. He raised a brow at this but followed the line of sight.

When Will looked over, he saw a girl with strawberry blond hair, fidgeting with her backpack straps. She was looking around before settling her sight on Will. Her smile was warm and bright, like a blooming garden, as she waved. Will smiled as he waved back.

"Someone has another visitor," Rachel muttered, not bothering to give him her attention was continued to shade away at her piece. "Fifty bucks says she's gonna ask you out."

The girl looked around nervously as she bit her lip.

"I am not taking up that bet."

Rachel chuckled.

"You know I'm right."

"Whatever," Will mumbled.

The girl – Katie, if he recalled – made a motion to call him over.

"Lover boy's still got it, I see." She wiped her hands on her pants before giving Will a look he couldn't quite read. "Don't tell her about your 'boyfriend' or she'll be heartbroken."

"Rachel."

"What?"

Will sighed and stood up, casting one more glance over at Rachel who just waved him off before flipping him off after. She still didn't look his way, just a smirk playing at her lips.

"Mr. Bigshot has to make a decision now," she mumbled, half to herself, "what ever will he choose?"

Will shoved her as he headed over to the door. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he put on the best smile he could as he headed overt to meet with Katie.

She was several inches shorter than him, but Will knew Nico would say she's normal height, Will. You're just freakishly tall. That was enough for the smile to become genuine.

"Hey," he said, leaning his hip on the door frame of the class. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing," she spoke, a light dusting on her cheeks becoming more noticeable as the seconds ticked on. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Will smiled.

"Yeah, sure."

He knew Rachel was watching from behind, already thinking over what she would buy with that fifty if he had agreed. She didn't need it, but it was the thought that counted.

…

You
Better set your alarm

Death Boy
fuck u
Im never letting you pick a time for anything ever again

You
Neeks
If you aren't up and read by ten, I will literally drag you out of bed

Death Boy
Bitch
fine
ill be up

You
Good!
:D
I have so much planned so wear nice shoes

Death Boy
Like,,,
fancy or walking..?

You
Walking
Aww, were you going to dress up for me?

Death Boy
fuck off
no
what r u wearing…?
?

You
AWWW
Nothing too fancy
Just make sure it's clean.

Death Boy
I make zero (0) promises

You
C'mon!
It's the least you can do
for me.

Death Boy
ugghh
FINE
Ill find some thing that DOESN'T smell

You
thank you!
3

Death Boy
Fuck you

You
Ahaha
See you tomorrow darling.
Can't wait!

Death Boy
fuck off

….

Nico tossed his phone, gripping his pillow tight. He hated this. God, this was a bad idea.

The pain in his chest was back. It had been coming and going all day. When Will's fingers brushed against his when he handed him the coffee. When Will laughed at a boring joke he told at lunch. When Will winked at him when they passed in the halls. And When Will called him darling.

Every name, every emoji. Everything was setting off this pain, and as much as he wanted to ignore it, that wasn't happening anymore.

What gave it away was the way his breath hitched at the thought of seeing Will. Seeing him in probably a nice shirt, laughing, probably holding his hand. Fuck, he knew what was going on and it was too late to back down.

Nico's breathing was staggered, his phone was now off limits.

Darling.

Nico could hear it in Will's accent. Some words were strong, and "darling," that was a word Nico knew would have a drawl at the end. The "G" would be missing and he would end on a smirk. Maybe even a wink depending on context.

Fuck fuck fuck. He was screwed.

Nico's ears were on fire and he had to see Will tomorrow and pretend that his heart didn't speed at the thought of his eyes. If he could make it through half of the day tomorrow, he would call that a miracle.

Bianca was right, this was going to end in a disaster.