i'll take your hand and hold it closer to mine,
thought love was dead but now you're changing my mind.
Chase Miller and Bless Salazar-Roberts get more than they bargained for when they deal with a not-so-friendly competition, while juggling their re...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THIRD PERSON'S POV.
The Miller household held a comfortable silence. Makenna and Kevin were out on another date and, while Jude had gone out with friends, the house was occupied by Chase and Ringo. Ringo was in the living room, watching TV, while Chase stayed in his room. He sat on his bed, indulging himself in the book he was reading called One of Us Is Lying. He couldn't felt a strong connection to the character Cooper. Like Cooper, he was a gay kid who feared the worst at the thought of coming out, especially to his mom in Chase's case.
Chase was so indulged in his reading that he didn't pay any notice to the knocking on his door. It was only when a fifth knock was heard that he tore his eyes from his book. He closed it and got off his bed. He headed to his door and opened it, expecting to see Ringo. To his surprise, EJ stood before him.
"EJ, hey," Chase greeted him. Although he was confused to see him, he still held a smile at the boy's presence.
"Hey. Uh, you're sis... I mean, Ringo let me in," EJ corrected himself.
"Uhm, come in."
Chase stepped aside, gesturing for EJ to step in. He did and made his way over to sit on Chase's bed, while Chase closed his door.
"One of Us Is Lying," EJ read the title of the book he picked up. "Man, I love this book."
"You read?" Chase teased. EJ threw the book at him and he caught it with a chuckle. "So, what's up? Unless you came over for an impromptu book club."
"No, but I like the sound of that idea," EJ admitted with a chuckle. "It's just... Today's been a lot."
"Yeah, you got into Duke. I wonder what made them change their minds, but congrats. I'm happy for you."
"I'm not."
"Why?"
EJ sighed and faced him. "I didn't get into Duke. I mean, I did, but not the right way. My dad talked to some people and he made it happen."
"Oh," Chase responded while his eyebrows rose. Now EJ's initial shock at the news made sense. "And you're not happy about that, are you?"
"Yeah. I mean, I am incredibly grateful for the privilege but-"
"But you didn't earn the spot."
"Exactly. My entire life has been mapped out for me for as long as I can remember. You know?"
"Well, my entire life, I've felt like I've had no control over what to do next, so yeah, I kinda get it," Chase said with a nod. "But I've been trying to take control of my life this year."
