A/N: I'M SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY. This one is for winterschild11 because honestly, she keeps me going and encourages me even though I don't deserve her kindness. I love you to death hon, hope you like this. It's long overdue.
I was hot. That was the first thing I grew aware of when I forced my eyes opened. I let out a groan and tried to move but found that all of my limbs were securely bound by James. James was the heated source that my body was reacting to and so I tried to move away.
But see, the problem with James is that he's a heavy sleeper and worse- an intense cuddler. I mean I loved it when he cuddled with me; whenever he does I imagine us as a couple and it's lovely but James is like a human heater. And while it was cold last night, this morning it was not. Of course that might have to do with James smothering me... but still. I was no longer cold which was why getting away from James became my morning mission.
I pushed on his arms gently so as not to wake him but added enough pressure to move them. When that didn't work I tried shoving at his chest. I groaned- the result remained the same. Grumbling under my breath, I twisted around in his arms and glared down at his hands which were clasped together. If I could just get them to separate...
As soon as I touched his hands, I was yanked back hard into his chest. I could feel movement before James' face came to touch mine. "Wha' you doin'..." he mumbled against my ear. I tried not to shiver at his low husky voice but failed. Of course he noticed and held me tighter against him. "Cold?" he murmured drowsily and put one of his legs over me. No, quite the opposite really. This new situation didn't help. My face flared up it wasn't from the surrounding heat.
"James get off me, you're too hot." I whine and push at his no helping heavy leg. He slides it off me before letting me go. Quickly I roll away to safety (because truthfully if my heart speeds up anymore I might have a stroke) and stumble to my feet. James rolls onto his stomach, taking over my spot I occupated seconds ago and starts snoring lightly. I stared at him for a moment, taking in his shirtless form half covered by his sheets and his deliciously tan skin. Why did I remove myself from his arms again?
The bedroom door opened and Carlos poked his head in. "Thought I heard life in here." he teased. "Didn't think it was you though... it's already 10 and he's still sleeping?" the Latino gave James' sleeping form an incredulous look and I couldn't help but giggle. Carlos was right though; usually I'm the late sleeper, James is the early riser, and Logan and Carlos fall in between us.
I moved out the room and Carlos closed the door after me. I shrugged at his inquirey. "He woke me up with his inhuman body heat." we walked down a carpet hallway before arriving at a staircase. Downstairs I heard people talking and laughter and something smelled delicious.
"Who's here?" I asked as I followed the 'oldest' brother of mine down the steps.
"The whole crew is here. Logan and Camille made breakfast. Went all out if you ask me." Carlos replied as we hit the ground floor and headed for the kitchen. The aroma grew stronger as we neared the entrance to the Diamond's lit kitchen. The voices were louder and I could hear Jo speaking, her sweet voice filled with laughter.
I couldn't help but smile at her even though I couldn't see her yet. Out of the whole crew, I hit it off with Jo the most. She was one of the younger ones in the group like me even though she had a year on me but disregarding our age, we connected on so many levels. The rest of the crew joke around and says it's because we're both blondes that we get along so well together. We've been also called twins for the same reason and then for our height which is identical.
But I love Jo for other reasons. She's so down to earth and a breath of fresh air, and has a beautiful personality. She's sweet and caring, and she's such a great listener. I tell this girl everything and vice versa. We hold each other's secrets to the grave- and we take it very seriously. Our friendship is on a different level than most. I call her my other half and again, vice versa. If I wasn't gay and had a thing for James I believe Jo and I would definitely be dating.
Her warm brown eyes lit up when she spotted me. "Doll!" she jumped out of her seat and practically flew to me, all smiles and bubbliness. I laughed when we collided and wrapped my arms around her.
"He's kind of up early isn't he?" I ignored Lucy's teasing voice and snuggled Jo who laughed.
"Hey hey, where's my love at? I did slave away in here making you ungrateful little boys breakfast ya know." Camille's sharp and spicy voice sliced the air and I disentangled myself from Jo to hug my brunette friend. She was standing by the stove so I peered over her shoulder to stare down at the pans and their yummy contents. Bacon, eggs, and sausage. The stove was turned off but the food was sizzling freshly. Nearby the waffle machine was on and doing its delicious job. My stomach rumbled and I stole a strip of bacon from the pan.
"Thank you Camille!" I said but my words were slurred and cut off from the hot food in my mouth. She just smirked and poked my nose with a slender finger.
I crinkled my nose before turning to greet the rest of the crew. Besides me, James, Carlos, and Logan, there was four more to add to our crew as we call ourselves. Out of the eight of us there's five guys and three girls. James and Carlos are the oldest guys, followed by Logan, Dak, (both 17) and then me. There's Lucy and Camille who are the oldest girls, both 18, and then Jo, 17. We've been linked together for quite some time now, and in more ways than one.
Before I joined this group of intriguing misfits I was nervous that they wouldn't accept my sexuality. It was back in my freshmen year and my brothers had already bonded with the other four. But rest assure, they welcomed the 'baby' with wide open arms. And that's when it came to my knowledge that I wasn't the only gay one in the group. It turned out that no one in our crew is straight. James, Carlos, Dak, and Jo are Bi. Lucy and Camille, who are dating, are lesbians, and then Logan is gay as well. See how I fit right in?
"What's the plan today guys?" Lucy asked us. Everyone was sitting around the island with breakfast plates in front of them. Jo was sitting next to me chewing scrambled eggs. I reached over and snagged her cup of orange juice.
Dak stood up, his bar stool scratching against the floor. "The mall." the brunette went to the sink and deposited his empty dish. "There's a new game out that's calling my name."
Camille snickered. "You're such a nerd."
"Whoa, there's nothing wrong with nerds." Logan went to Dak's defense. They were the two geniuses in the crew and often got teased for it. Carlos patted his boyfriend's back from beside him.
"It's okay, at least you're cute." the Latino supplied and a blush worked its way onto Logan's face.
I was listeneing to everyone throw in comments on what they wanted to do when Jo nudged me in my side. I turned to her with my eye brows raised. "Have you talked with him?" she asked me quietly, leaning in close. It didn't take a genius to figure out who 'him' was and I shook my head. I planned on not telling James anything. She rolled her eyes at me and straightened back up, taking her orange juice with her.
"Why are there so many of you in my kitchen?" James' husky voice entered my ears just as I took a bite of a bacon strip. In mid chew I looked over where he was leaned against the entrance way and almost choked. Honestly, I should be used to him not wearing clothes but I can't help it. The only item of clothing he threw on were jeans that hugged his muscly legs and annunciated his trim waist. When he stepped inside all the way and went for the stove, I watched him with greedy eyes, letting them wander up and down his golden backside. I have a thing for James' back because it dips in a pleasant arch that stops at the curve of his ass. Which is lovely by the way, I want to grab it at times and often think about me grabbing it if we ever had sex.
Jo nudged me once more and snapped me back to reality. "Jeez it's a miracle that no one knows about your thing for James when you oggle at him like he's meat." she said for my ears only. I nudged her back and finished my bacon.
We all agreed to go to the mall on this beautiful Saturday morning so Jo and I went upstairs to get ready. Well, just me but my other half goes where I go regardless. We slipped in James' room where I slept last night and separated. She flopped on the bed and I went to the closet where I had a stash of my own clothes. It was like that for all of us. I had clothes at Logan's and Carlos' too just like they had theirs at mine and each other's.
"I hope nothing went down on here last night." Jo remarked as I picked out my outfit. I almost dropped my pants and glared back behind me at her. "What?" she snickered and I rolled my eyes.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." I closed the door and went to the bathroom which I left open.
"Come oooooon babe. Don't act you like don't want to! How many times do I have to tell you; you won't know unless you try." Jo's voice carried into the bathroom as I shed off my clothes.
"And how many times do I need to tell you that it won't ever happen? I like how things are now." I responded and picked out a toothbrush.
"Lies you told to the church. Just let me know when something does happen, okay? Even if it's not with James. Like that one dude, what's his name." I walked back out fully dressed and mouth cleaned. I pulled Jo up as she thought hard about whoever she was talking about. "Caleb I think?"
"Did you forget about the part where I have a group of over protective beasts guarding me from guys like Caleb?" I asked her lightly, knowing damn well she knew about my predicament with guys. It's not only those three, but the rest of our crew too. No one messes with Lucy because they all know she can kick ass and always carries some type of weapon. No one messes with Camille because she's Lucy's girlfriend, but also is crazy as fuck. No one messes with Dak or Logan despite them being nerds. They don't take bullshit from anyone and the last time some jock got called out by Logan and tried to get physical in retaliation, everyone present witnessed him air flip, oblivious to the fact that Logan takes all the self defense classes with Dak. Then there's Carlos and James, the two people no one ever wants to anger. They're a force to be reckon with, but when the whole crew is together, it's a whole different story. Jo and I are the only two in the group who arent violent or a threat to anyone. But no one tries anything with us do to the threatening people we call our friends.
She sighed and allowed me to lead her out of the room. "Still..."
We padded down the stairs and followed the voices in the living room. James's house was practically a mansion and all the rooms were large and spacious, with expensive furniture occupying each room. When we walked in, everyone was lounging on something with their phones out. Jo quirked her thin brow. "Is this what we're doing today?" she asked.
Carlos had his head tipped back in Logan's lap from his place on the floor between the younger boy's legs while Logan sat on the long couch. Dak had a chair to himself while Lucy was perched across Camille's lap on the loveseat, and James was on the other end of the same couch with Logan, phone out in his hand.
I walked over and flopped down beside him, pressing in close and glanced down at his screen. A sour feeling spread through me when I saw it was Mercedes he was texting. She was a senior at our school who only made time for attractive guys like James. She desperately tried to join our group on a number accounts, but none of us like her, and we know she doesn't like us; she just wants to get James, who I'm pretty sure is the only guy left in her book that she hasn't fucked.
"We were waiting for you two." Carlos grumbled. Slowly he stood up and stretched with a low grunt. "Whose cars are we taking?"
"Mine." Lucy said as she got up and helped Camille to her feet.
"Mine too." James said distractedly as he typed a message. I got up and immediately Jo and I gravitated towards each other. She frowned at me and looped our arms together.
Camille clapped her hands together. "Okay then let's get a move on people!" the brunette dashed out the room and we all heard the front door open and shut. Lucy shook her head at her girlfriend and followed her tracks, everyone else following suit.
Outside was pleasantly warm with not too much soon. It looked like it would rain later on. The Diamond's loop driveway had 4 cars parked in it. The first was a sleek white maserati granturismo. That was one of the Diamond's cars. Next was James' solid black bugatti which he beeped unlocked. Lucy's custom painted black and red FR-S scion was next followed by Carlos' black jeep wrangler. I guess I left out the tiny detail of our group coming from wealthy families. Logan's family were all doctors, Camille's father is a successful and most demanded lawyer, Carlos's family all come from the police force; his father is chief and runs most of the stations in our city. Lucy's family are actors and Dak's family own a restaurant franchise in 14 states. And then there's me and my family. My mom is a midwife and my dad is head CEO of his own company.
None of us flaunt our somewhat higher status. Besides, it's not our money, it's our parents. All of us have jobs and all of them (not me, not yet) have purchased their cars solely from their earnings. Which is the only valuable item they flaunt. Naturally I followed James to his car with Jo glued at my hip. Dak came with us while the others piled in Lucy's ride. Within moments both vehicles were speeding out of the Diamond's driveway and out into the streets.
...
It's funny how when as a group and we arrive some place together, all eyes connect to us. At school it's no different except that we split up to go to our separate destinations. And I'm pretty sure my crew has some song playing in their head every time they get out and being to model walk. Don't get me started on this formation thing we have going on. No matter where it is, doesn't matter if one of us is missing, our places are always this: James is center, I'm on his right, Carlos is on his left, Logan is beside Carlos, and then Dak while Jo is on my left, Camille beside her, and then Lucy.
Today was no different. However, instead of our prestegious school uniforms, we all wore our street clothes. Dak had on dark denim jeans, a simple red shirt, and a crisp black jacket he left unzipped. Logan had on black jeans and a green top hidden underneath his grey hoody. Carlos had on black everything, including his leather jacket, and James was in a similar style but underneath his leather jacket, his black shirt was tight and glued heavenly to his broad chest. I put on my favorite pair of black skinny jeans that hugged my legs in all the right places, wore a crisp white shirt that was swallowed by my extra large grey sweater that had colorful rainbows as the background and went all the way down below my hips. Jo wore an actual sweater dress, it was dark blue and stopped at her knees. Camille had on a short red skirt that poofed out and a black belt tied securely around her slim waist. She had on a black crop top with a red fuzzy sweater she left unbuttoned. And last but not least, Lucy. With her black and purple punk style hair, of course she had to wear studded black jeggings with a colorful graphic t shirt and her famous fiery red leather jacket. The majority of us had on some type of form of boots. Dak was the one who had on the vans today. We each had on some type of accessory but I won't bore you with detail.
We entered the mall I think to London Bridge by Fergie (if you're confused I'm referring back where I said there's some song playing in their heads) and like predicted, split up into our groups. Dak always ends up with Lucy and Camille, while Logan follows behind James and Carlos, leaving me and Jo as the solo duo. But that was just fine, no one liked to shop as much as me and Jo. With the plan of meeting each other at the food court in two hours, Jo and I laced our arms together and took off in the direction of the escalators. All of the good shops were on the second and third level so that's where we'd be.
"We have to find Dak a boyfriend." Jo chirped as we entered our first store. I got drawn to one of the shelves stocked with sweaters. "I heard he's taking a break from us females and trying to find a guy. We should help, don't you think?"
I hummed in response as I picked up one of the sweaters. It was a pure white off the shoulder one and I'm pretty sure it's calling my name. "Babe, you have a million of those." Jo poked me and I sighed dreamily.
"Not this gorgeous." Quickly I leafed through until I found a large and folded the other one back. Jo rolled her eyes at me before we continued to scope out the rest of the store. "Mmm so you said that Dak is wanting a boy now? I wonder if anyone at school interests him." Dak was hands down the quietest and most reserved one in our crew. All of us are close but Dak's the closest with Logan and Lucy, just like me and Jo, Carlos and James. Camille does her own thing but none of that changes the fact that we're practically family and fiercly protect one another. Dak stopped dating after his ex girlfriend cheated on him. They had been together long before I even met Dak so I knew it messed him up, having been with her for that long only to find that she was cheating.
It sucks too because she goes to the same school as us so he has to see her quite frequently. Personally I never liked her and I still don't. She's part of a clique at school, and even shares the same name as two other girls which is Jennifer. Since they all have different hair styles, we tell them apart by that because none of know or care to know their last names. Blonde haired Jennifer was the leader, then Curly haired Jennifer was like second in command, and then you have Brown haired Jennifer, the one who broke Dak's heart. Mercedes is like their queen though, you never see that group of four apart. And then they have their little band of followers: a junior named Megan, a senior named Peggy, and a sophomore named Annie.
I remember when Lucy's cousin Candy transferred to our school and how Mercedes tried to recruit her. See, all Mercedes sees is pretty. You have to be pretty (but not prettier than her) in order for her to notice you, otherwise she could care less. And Candy was far more than pretty, she was model material, and didn't have to wear make up to prove it. I think Mercedes got intimidating when Candy had drawn a lot of attention to her on just one day. So the queen tried to make Candy one of her minions but it didn't go the way she had planned it. All of us were together introducing ourselves to Candy when Mercedes and her followers appeared, telling Candy that she shouldn't associate herself with us, especially Lucy.
Mercedes has a problem with Lucy, but I think it's personal. Lucy is a goddess and all the guys want her, especially since she's a lesbian. While Mercedes spreads her legs to them, they still find a way back to Lucy. Although none of the guys get far when Lucy is protected from her crazy girlfriend Camille. Anyways, Candy had ignored Mercedes and instead asked Lucy if this was the whiny desperate bitch. Everyone in the hall heard and Mercedes looked as if someone ripped her shopping privelages away. It was an epic moment if I do say so myself and I greatly enjoyed how we all walked off without a care.
Candy still goes to our school but she chose to stay on the low with the twins Sandy and Mandy. They're a solid trio who don't take shit from anyone including Mercedes, and they're not afraid to say what they want to say. But getting back on track to Dak... "I think an older guy would be best for him. Dak's too sweet for his own good, he deserves to be treated right." I said and watched Jo fumble through a rack of clothes. At this point both of us had our arms loaded with a variety of clothing items.
She picked out a shirt and placed it against her chest before looking at me with chocolate eyes. I studied it for a moment, imagining her wearing it with her red skinny jeans and shook my head. She mumbled her agreement and put it back. "An older guy? Awwww I can so see that."
"Yeah? Maybe we can hook him up here. I spotted quite a few eye candy on our way up." I wiggled my eye brows and Jo grinned.
"I love playing matchmaker." she sighed as we made our way to check out. "If only you let me do it for you and James."
This time I sighed. "Jooooo. No. You have to resist temptation like me."
"Why though? You're mad for him, just tell him! Do you really think James would break your heart?" she asked me rhetorically and I groaned.
"No but yes." I replied. I handed my credit card over to the cashier and picked up a body spray bottle that was in a cute basket on the counter top. "You know I drop hints sort of. But he's thick headed and only sees me as his little brother. He's too busy having guys and girls throwing themselves at him from right to left to even look at me in that way."
I picked up my bags and allowed Jo to loop our arms together again as we headed out to our next store. "I'll tell him soon... just not now."
"Whatever you say other half. At least I can play match maker on Dak. Lets find him a hunk! Maybe black hair, green eyes, and tall?"
"Maybe a mix. Like Asian or hispanic? You know what's my favorite mix?"
"What?" she asked me as we passed by a group of guys.
"Black and Asian. That is the most beautiful mix I've ever seen in my entire life. Dak deserves that, don't you think?"
Jo tipped her head back and laughed. "Oh my god! How will we find them though?" she smiled and tightened her grip on my arm gently.
"I don't know I only saw one and that was last year." I frowned. "Okay, maybe we won't hook Dak up with them, they're hard to find. What about a ginger?"
"Or me?" this was a new voice that came from behind us. Surprised, we both turned around and came face to face with a sexy smirking guy with enticing blue eyes. Not only was he sexy, he had a group of guys with him who were all so damn attractive. My memory hit me and I realized we passed these guys awhile back. I hadn't looked at them but I know if I had I would have tripped over my two feet. Jo squeezed my arm and I knew she felt the same way.
The guy winked at me and I think Jo squeezed me tighter but I was too distracted by tall, dark, and sexy. "Name's Brandon."