Shimmer (boyxboy/alien)

Chapter 3: I'm out.

"Will you just let your guard down for once!"

☆

Alan looks to his left to see a very drenched Joe emerging from the shadows.  “What the hell happened to you?” he questions slightly opened mouthed at the sight of his best friend. 

Joe however seems a little distracted. His gaze looking everywhere but at the guy talking to him. “Have you seen Vinnie?”

“Who?” Alan wonders, he'd never heard that name before but still subconsciously looked around for anyone who may have answered to the name of Vinnie. 

“Uh, nevermind.” Joe finally says, admitting defeat that the guy had successfully made a swift exit.

"Anyways what were you doing down that dark alley? Did you have to pee?" Alan asks, amusement spreading across his face. 

"No!" Joe looks disgusted at the prospect. "I'm not an animal! I just...just...oh nevermind. Let's just go to this party before I get more soaked than I already am!" How could Joe have explained the past ten minutes anyway?  He was even questioning it himself. 

Alan just shrugs as they now head in the direction of Julian's house. 

***

The place was packed, with virtually the whole of the school year in attendance, plus a few exceptions from the year below who had obviously shown their worth in one way or another. 

Joe and Alan weave through the crowds, finally settling in a less populated corner of the room where they begin to drink their very weak beers. "So...why are we here again?" Joe wonders, looking around at his peers with whom he felt he had nothing in common with. 

Alan complains. "Just enjoy it for what it is. We have drinks, girls, and good music. What more do you want?" 

Joe sighs a little at the response. His playlist was far better than the very fast beat banging in his eardrums, the beer was like piss water and for the girls part...well Joe was still figuring that one out.  His mind soon gets diverted to a comotion happening in the corner of the room.  Joe and Alan look over to see a crowd forming around an individual. Claps and chants of encouragement could be heard from the circle of people as it seems someone in the centre must have been doing something very interesting to receive all that attention. 

“What's going on over there?” Alan questions, straining his neck to try and see over the moving heads. 

“I don't know?” Joe replies, equally intrigued as to who was at the epicentre. His heart suddenly plummets at the thought that it could be the new guy, once again getting pummeled to oblivion. Suddenly something within him pushes Joe forward. He needs to see, needs to be sure it wasn't the guy, the Vinnie guy who was out in the alley. If it was, why would he even dare to come back for more abuse? He would be crazy!

Joe finally makes his way to the front of the crowd, but is surprised to see someone else entirely in front of him. This guy had platinum blonde hair and the most beautiful face Joe thought he had ever seen. He was presently displaying dance moves which were very provocative and seemed to get the females in the group especially excited, though Joe could see some of the guys also low key intrigued.

“Who is that?” Joe hears someone in the crowd ask. 

“I don't know?” came the reply from somewhere else, but he's starting at our school next week and I'm gonna make him mine!”

Joe sniggers at the last comment, his interest lost. He turns away from the performance and backs away from the increasingly gathering crowd, finding Alan again, standing in the corner, continuing to crane his neck in order to see. “So, who was it?” he asks. 

“Another new kid.” Joe replies disinterested.  He looks into his half empty cup of beer, downing it before squeezing the vessel in his hand and dropping it to the ground. He looks up at Alan. “I'm going home.” he says, leaving Alan in two minds whether to follow or stay, finally deciding on trying to mingle with a small group of half decent looking females.

Joe heads out once again into the night. The rain had thankfully stopped, but the air was chilly, making his still damp jacket feel like a freezer wrapped around him. He began to hurry away from the party, away from people, away from everything he hated.  His thoughts soon returned to the new kid. Not the blond pretty guy who seemed to be doing everything right at the party, but the guy who was left for dead in the side street nearby.  Where did he go? What happened to him? Would he even show up for school on Monday? There was something in Joe which made him want to know at least that he was ok. Come Monday, he would find him and find out for sure.