Miscommunication (boyxboy)

Chapter Twenty-Two

~ Cole ~

The next forty-five minutes passed in a blur of caffeine-induced adrenaline and a room of twenty-somethings on the edge of their seats to crow the next answer louder than each other. All except for Cole, that was.

Six of the teams had dropped out, leaving only Cole's merry band of misfits and the table beside them. The rest of the teams had opted for coffee refills at the counter or waiting anxiously on their bar stools for the winner to emerge.

The score was tied up to an even thirty-nine between both teams. Cole had known Piper was smart, but she really knew what she was doing with picking the team. She and James had slaughtered the Business and Art History questions, pulling answers such as 'The Kennedy Slide of 1962', 'Peter principle' and 'impasto' out of their back pocket.

Ethan and Leo had dominated the History and Entertainment categories too. Cole thought he'd never seen someone more passionate about the mechanisms of the USS Enterprise than Ethan, proven everytime he gushed to Leo about all of its wonders in the science-fiction world.

Still, none of them compared to Adam.

The boy beside Cole was like a wildfire, brilliant and blazing through hundreds of acres just to see how bright it could burn.

He had an answer for every question, even if it wasn't their designated category. On the off chance he got one wrong, he missed the mark only by a hair width. Their score card had filled up quickly, decorated in Adam's neat script.

Cole watched as Adam laughed at something Leo said, all long lashes and high cheekbones and melodies falling from graceful lips. His laugh - true and unrestrained - bloomed from deep within his chest and rose to bestow a pure symphony over the room. Cole had never heard such honesty before. Such a sight was as magnificent as it was rare.

"Okay, folks," the woman on stage with the microphone said. "We have two teams left and because we've nearly hit the fifty-minute mark, we're going to do a sudden death round."

Piper chugged the remaining coffee in her mug before slamming it back down on the table and picking up her pen. "Okay, guys. We've got this. Everybody get ready."

Leo mocked a battle grin, which caused Ethan to laugh. The smile Leo gave him was so purely theirs that Cole redirected his gaze to the front of the room.

"And the final question follows," the hostess announced. Pausing for effect, she declared a moment later, "This United States Democratic-Representative nearly derailed their career after a scandalous affair with a burlesque dancer while intoxicated."

There may have been hope, if for the briefest millisecond. The other team's buzzer sounded before Cole could even look to Adam.

"Team Seven?" The hostess questioned.

A gangly looking boy with thick rimmed glasses looked nervous as he spoke. "John Andrew Young?"

"Good guess, afraid not." The hostess turned to Cole's table. "Team Nine, you have thirty seconds to answer before the other team goes again."

Leo looked between Cole and Adam. "Do either of you know who it is?"

"Do I keep up with a full list of democratic-representative sex scandals in American politics?" Cole asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, right after polo practice and violin lessons."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Adam?"

Adam had a dubious look on his face. "I mean, I have a few ideas but can't say for sure."

"Is there one that takes priority?"

"Maybe? I-I don't know. It's only what I've read in books and articles."