It had been 4 weeks since Gunner and Noah had talked. Gunner had been avoiding him, and the silence was deafening.

Noah tried talking to Gunner, but he walked away. The pain of the unresolved conflict was evident in Noah's eyes, but Gunner couldn't bring himself to face it just yet.

Gunner, come back!" Noah yelled, his voice filled with desperation. He couldn't let Gunner walk away again without trying to mend things between them.

Gunner paused, his back still turned to Noah. He took a deep breath, the weight of the past few weeks heavy on his shoulders. Slowly, he turned around to face Noah, uncertainty and pain etched across his face.

"What do you want, Noah?" Gunner asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Noah took a step closer, determined to make things right. "I just want to talk, Gunner. We can't keep doing this."

Gunner's eyes widened in shock as Noah's words sank in. He felt a mix of relief and fear at the same time. "My mom found out I'm gay, and she's okay with it," Noah shared, his voice filled with emotion. Gunner, still processing the news, whispered, "My parents aren't."

Gunner's best friend came around the corner, and Gunner was quick to throw Noah off him

"Hey buddy," Gunner's best friend said, "You, me, Trent this weekend camping."

"I can't, man. I'm grounded,"

that sucks. Yeah Elijah walking away

Noah pulled Gunner into the bathroom and into a stall.

kisses him

get of Gunner said.

What's your problem?" Noah said. Gunner looked at him, still catching his breath.

"What are your problems?" Noah said. Gunner hesitated, looking down at the ground.

Gunner sighed deeply, finally mustering the courage to speak. "It's my dad," he said quietly. "He's been making things really hard at home.

Noah stepped closer and put his hand on Gunner's chest. "You don't have to face this alone," he said. "We can figure it out together."

Gunner took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of Noah's hand and the sincerity in his words. He kissed Noah's hand, closing his eyes. "Thanks, Noah,"

"Noah, I'll be your secret," he said to Gunner. Gunner opened his eyes, a mix of emotions swirling within them.

Gunner and Noah are

soft kissing and moaning in the bathroom stall.

Gunner and Noah quickly composed themselves as Trent entered the bathroom. Trent, oblivious to the situation, headed to his own stall. Gunner shot Noah a nervous glance, trying to stifle a laugh. "We need to be more careful," Gunner whispered. Noah nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Definitely, let's save the make-out sessions for more private settings."

Trent on the phone with Elijah, "Yeah, I'm gonna call Gunner right now." Gunner tried to turn off his phone.

Gunner's phone buzzed just as he was about to press the power button. He hesitated, staring at the screen.

"Hello?" Gunner said cautiously. Trent's voice came through loud and clear, "Gunner, we need to talk."

Gunner sighed, "Trent, what's going on?" Trent's tone was serious, "Just because you're grounded doesn't mean you can't come camping."

Gunner frowned, "Yes, yes it does." Trent shook his head, "We'll find a way. We need you there."

Trent hung up the phone. Gunner stared at it, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion. How could he possibly go camping while being grounded?

Noah kissed him. "Y'all find a way," he whispered, pulling back with a determined look in his eyes.

The bell rang, time for class. Gunner and Noah exchanged a quick glance before heading off to their respective classes,

As they walked down the hallway, Trent caught up with them. "Hey, what's up? You guys look like you've seen a ghost," he said, noticing their serious expressions.

"I mean, what are you even doing with him?" Trent asked Gunner, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Why with the new kid?" Trent asked.

"No reason," Gunner said, trying to brush it off.

"Also, Ginny wants your number," Trent told Gunner.

Gunner raised an eyebrow. "Ginny wants my number? Why didn't she just ask me herself?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

"Noah sighed and walked away. 'Because I don't know, she's been obsessed with you since kindergarten,' he muttered under his breath,"

He walked into class; Noah was sitting with Alexa.

"Ginny walked over to Gunner. 'You wanna go on a date this Saturday?' Gunner shook his head. 'No, na. I'm sorry, I'm busy,'

She threw his books off the desk. "Fine!" she yelled.

Gunner sighed, watching Ginny storm off. He felt a pang of guilt but knew he couldn't change his plans.

Plus, he was with Noah that no one knew about.

Noah was sitting behind him, smirking.

Gunner could feel Noah's eyes on him, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Alright, class, sorry for the interruption. Let's continue," the teacher said, trying to regain everyone's attention.